One Last Hangout (#VLInnovators)

One of the projects I've been managing at my job is the VL Innovators Challenge. We wanted to find talented young Latinos with bright ideas and provide them the $$ and the resources to bring their ideas to life. The only two requirements to enter were: 1- the primary applicant had to be a Millennial (18-34 years old), and 2- their project had to use a tech tool to address a problems in the Latino community.

Last week, we announced our seven winners (woot!), and today, I got to moderate my very LAST #VLHangout with some of our winners.

I guess the whole point of this post is that it's hitting me that I'm really leaving DC. Also, that among the many, many things I've learned during my time at VL, I've discovered that I enjoy being on camera. Who'da thought? (So if you're looking for your next on-screen girl for your next... on-screen thing... let me know! ʘ‿ʘ)

(Oh, yeah... Hey, guys... I'm moving back to SLC next week... It was a hard decision to make but one that I know 100% is the right decision. But it's still very bittersweet... It's so weird -- as a very indecisive person -- to be SO sure about something! But I'm glad for it!)

Anyway, I've just been reflecting a lot on the opportunities I've had in DC, and I will always, always be grateful for this chapter in my life. These five years in the greatest city in the world mean more to me than I can express, and I'm oh-SO-grateful for the people I've met (the very BEST people!), for everything I've learned, and all I've experienced (the good AND the bad). It was in DC that I became... me.

First Date

This type of post is a little out of the norm for me, but I'm sort of dying about what happened tonight, and I wanted to share it with someone (with you! yay!). It's just that ridiculous. ;)

Sunday night, I missed a call from someone (a boy). I didn't even see the missed call notification that night! Good thing he called again on Monday night! (I answered this time.) As you may have guessed from the title of this post, he asked me on a date. A lovely, thought-out date. He would pick me up from work on Friday at 6:30pm, we would grab dinner, and we would go ice skating on the National Mall. So fun, right?? I was excited for it all week long. :)

And then today came... I mentioned I got sick recently, right? (Only in the last seven blog posts, duh.) Last week, I was improving. This week, not so much. In fact, I felt like I was getting worse, and I started to get concerned about how my Friday plans would be affected. My throat hurt. My gross phlegmy cough (TMI? sorrynotsorry.) was back with a painful vengeance. And I was exhausted... None of these things were ideal for outdoor ice skating...

When I woke up this morning, the way I felt was a sure sign to me that I needed to see a doctor. (Basically, if coughing hurts your chest... go to the doctor.) I made an appointment for 10:20am. But unless the doctor told me otherwise, I was still planning to go ice skating.

It didn't make sense for me to go in to work at 9am only to leave for a 10:20am appointment, so I decided to work from home. My boss was fine with it, as long as I could be available for a quick call at 10am to brief one of the actors we work with re: immigration talking points (he was in Vegas today for the President's announcement on executive action and needed to be briefed for press interviews). My 10am call came before 10am, and it was anything but quick. I had to cancel my appointment. But the work call was still happening, so I couldn't even call the doctor myself to cancel. I had to gchat one of our interns to call for me! (Thanks, Isaac!)

When the call ended, something else urgent came up, and by the time that was done, I didn't have enough time to get to the metro and get to work by noon, which is when I was leading a different call. So basically, I spent half the workday at home, stressed out about when I was finally going to make it to the office. Oh, AND I hadn't gotten ready! I was working at home, half-dressed, with no make-up on.

Since I'd missed my 10:20am appointment, my supervisor advised me to call the doctor or speak to a nurse to see if he/she recommended me coming in, or maybe just getting an over the phone refill of my antibiotics, etc. I finally spoke to a doctor, and he said I definitely needed to come in... I scheduled an appointment for 5:20pm and decided I probably shouldn't go ice skating... I texted my date to see if he could chat at work for a minute. Because he works in a lab, I thought he might not have his phone on him (I was right), so I didn't talk to him 'til 4:30. I felt bad changing his plan, but he was SO nice about it! He told me to go to my appointment and to let him know when I was done and he'd pick me up.

I went to my appointment... where I was prescribed an inhaler (!!!). An inhaler!! Two days ago, I got my retainers (YAY for nearing the end of Invisalign!!), and tonight, a retainer? Geez... #nerdalert

While I was at the doctor's, m'date texted to see how things were coming. I let him know the address and that I was almost done, and he said he'd leave shortly. When my appointment was done, I ran frantically to the bathroom, makeup bag in hand. I cleaned up as best I could in a clinic's bathroom, and I swiped on some mascara (No time for eyeliner! And please remember that I had left my house that day wearing clothes I was planning to wear ice skating... Scarf, beanie, puffy coat, check!).

When I was done at the doctor, I wandered through the Anthropologie sale section, walked up and down the aisles of Sephora (and OK, I maybe added some blush to my cheeks and spritzed on a li'l perfume), and then finally remembered I had a prescription to fill. I crossed the street to CVS and was submitting my paperwork to the pharmacist, when my date called. I ran outside to find him, annnd we sat in his car for the next 15 minutes to wait for my retainer.

Sounds like a great start to a date, no? He had a DC dream date planned out, and instead, he picked me up from my doctor's appointment and waited with me for my inhaler. Surely, this is the stuff romance is made of.




Once my inhaler was in hand, he googled a place for dinner, and we headed to Bethesda Row (see first photo) for some most delicious chicken. :)

We had a lovely evening with great conversation, and then we enjoyed some post-dinner hot chocolate. Definitely not the evening he'd originally planned, but a really good one just the same. Now, please join me in singing his praises for being so flexible and so, so sweet!

Things I Learned From Having Bronchitis

Bronchitis recently knocked me out for two weeks. I stayed home from work for more than a week (though I did work from home part of the time), and I only just returned to the office last Thursday. I slept most of the time I was home, but in between naps and a few Gilmore Girls episodes on Netflix, I learned two very important lessons:

1- Mother knows best. I already mentioned this one, but it's worth repeating. My mother has nearly-raised five kids. (I say nearly, bc my two youngest brothers are 14 and 15 and still at home. She's basically done. ;) ) She has seen us go through colds, pneumonia, countless flus, fevers, throwing up, chicken pox, tonsil removals, you name it, etc. etc. etc. "No soy doctora," she told me, "pero despues de cinco hijos, se cuando se necesita ir al doctor." In other words, "I'm not a doctor, but after five kids, I know when you need to go to one."

When I got sick, I was surprised at how quickly I got hit. To go from feeling a little sniffly, to "I can't move or think, and I'm certain I'm going to die right here," is pretty drastic. I thought I had a bad cold. I thought I'd maybe caught María's viral infection and it would go away on its own. I thought I could just sleep it off for a couple of days.

Boy, was I wrong!

On Day 2 (and Days 3-5), my mother told me to go to the doctor. Did I listen? (Hint: NO.) But I should have! I finally went to the doctor five days in, and I was still out for almost a whole week after that. I should've listened to my mother and gone to the doctor early. Maybe I would've gotten better faster. I don't know. What I do know now is when it comes to sickness, Mother really does know best.

2- Self-care is important. I know scientifically I got sick because I came into contact with some sort of infection and my immune system was unable to fight it. But I think the reason my body couldn't fight it is because I haven't been making self-care a priority. I've been working 12+ hour days, not sleeping enough (or well), not making time to exercise, not eating well, living under constant stress, etc. No more. There will always be more work to do. It looks like my team will be under-staffed for a little while longer, but it's much worse to be taken out of work for 10 days and come back to do loads of catch-up than it is to take care of myself and have a little balance on the way. No more 12+ hour days (ugh, except maybe this week when POTUS is going to make an announcement on immigration reform AND there'll be a verdict in Ferguson, MO... BLAH.), sleep WILL be a priority, and so will nourishing and taking care of my body. I deserve it, and it's the least I can do to take care of my little temple. Plus, doesn't getting a full night's sleep every night sound just divine? :)

BONUS LESSON #3: Always look on the bright side!

As you know, I am an optimist. And while I was home miserable, I tried to find good things happening, so I'd like to share a little list of them here:

1. I felt blessed for the home/visiting teaching system in the Church. My home teachers gave me a priesthood blessing, and Seth re-stocked my with DayQuil, NyQuil, and cough drops. My visiting teacher brought me soup (and limes!! bless you, Kati!), flowers, and just generally made me feel loved.
2. Apparently it was warm and beautiful out in the world during my sick time. While e'rryone else was flooding my Instagram feed with images of DC in the fall, I still got to enjoy fall colors thanks to the pretty flowers from Kati (which are still alive and going strong, btw!), and I got to enjoy my favorite city via the painting from Ashley's birthday party this summer. :)
   
   
   
   
3. Not going to work meant I saved $$ in metro fare. :)
   
4. While I was sick, I got to wear ALL my favorite things! Camp socks! Leggings (patterned leggings!)! Fluffy scarves! My deer thermal shirt! #winagain
   
   
5. I had way too many things I needed to carry around (medicine, cough drops, tissues, etc.), so I started using my little black glitter pouch to carry everything. Who says you can't be luxe when you're sick? ;)
   
   

So what I'm saying is there's always a bright side. :) (Even when you're dead tired in bed, coughing up blood, and feeling like you got run over by a truck. twice.)

Fall Camping :)

Bean boot photo #1

I mentioned a few of us went camping last week near Sugarloaf Mountain after the Halloween dance. Behold, photographic evidence!

We arrived super late (like... midnight) after the dance, we set up in the dark (I must say I was impressed with our setting-up-in-the-dark skills!). But here's what the next day looked like:



Nils was too cool to kick it with the rest of us, so he set up his own "man tent." ;)

Now, for the important stuff. Is there any breakfast as delicious as a camping breakfast? I think not! Dara did an amazing job with the food, as you can see below. :)

Mmmmm...

It was Jeffie's birthday* on Saturday, so naturally, celebrations were had!

And what's a camping trip without a fire, I ask you? (Nothing. is what.)

Especially with these dudes to gather firewood. (By taking large logs and throwing them at trees? Whatever works, guys.)

A few of us took an innocent walk through the woods, seeking only to enjoy the beauty around us.

Bean boot photo #2. I really love my Bean boots. Even if they're too big...

Thanks for the giant hoodie, Pepsi!

We never could have imagined what a life-changing experience that walk would be as we witnessed the birth of... tree-riding.

What is tree-riding, you ask? Here's how it goes:

Step 1 -- Climb a tree.

Step 2 -- Lean back on said tree. Throw all your weight into it like you really mean it, or else the tree won't lean! (Please note Jeff's form in the second photo. Perfection.)

Step 3 -- Ride that tree all the way back, and land on the ground. Ta-da! Tree-ridin'! (Photobombing optional.)

(Please note how ridiculously high up Kevin went. And OK, so I don't have a photo of someone actually landing. But you get the idea.) 

After getting our fix of tree-riding (or in my case, my fix of watching the tree-riding), we packed up and went home. And we made it back in time for lunch! It really was just perfect. :)

Here's the whole gang at the end of the trip. Don't we all look like we had a good time? :) Because we did!

Matt, Kev, Ali, Joseph, Dara, me, Nils, Jeffie

And thanks for the healthy road snacks, Dara! We love our apples! (OK, to be completely open and transparent, I don't particularly care for apples, but I think they're really pretty! So when I say I loved my apple, I really do mean it!)



One more shot (featuring all the fall clichés) to close us out:

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* Bonus if you made it this far. I mentioned Jeffie's birthday earlier, right? Later this same night, he had a birthday gathering at Ted's Bulletin on 14th Street, complete with a "How well do you know Jeff" quiz. I am proud to tell you... I won! This was my prize:

Jealous, aren'tcha? ;)

Siiiiicccckkkk

I'm sick (read: starved for human contact). There. I said it. (Admitting it is the first step in overcoming it, right?) I started feeling sick on Monday, felt awful on Tuesday (but it was Election Day, so obviously, I still put in my 13 hours...), and I completely crashed the day after. I've been home in bed since Wednesday, mostly asleep, and this is what I've learned in these last four days in bed: mother knows best.

I thought I could get better on my own, but boy, was I wrong! (Although, hey! I did get a priesthood blessing from my home teachers on Thursday night! Go, me! And go home teachers! Esp Seth, who restocked my dwindling NyQuil/DayQuil supply!) I finally listened to my mom and went to the doctor today. I came back with two brand shiny new antibiotics (I can't even remember the last time I needed antibiotics.). I'm really grateful I have health insurance right now! And this is definitely the longest I've been out from work in my entire professional career, so here's hoping those antibiotics work quickly so I can get back to work!

So, basically, this is my life right now (please note that the Lipton's chicken noodle soup in the little envelopes is my very favorite chicken noodle soup of all the soups! none of this Campbell's nonsense... but con limón, duh.) --

Halloween 2014

As you may know, Halloween was last week. This year, I got lucky with my costume theme(s), in that I was part of TWO groups for TWO different events using the same costume. That's what happens when your co-workers decide to do a "Wizard of Oz" group costume the same year you have friends doing the same thing for a ward party. :)

Below is our amazing work version, in all its glory:

Our co-worker María was home sick, so we decided to photoshop her costume. ;)



All the costumes you see above (well, except María's) are homemade. :) And please let the record show that when our CEO came in with her two little ones (love them!) and saw our costumes, her comment about our costumes was, "You can tell you're children of immigrants." (Just wait 'til you see the gringo Mormon store-bought costumes below, and you'll see what she means. ;) Heh heh.)

And speaking of the boss's little ones, aren't they just the cutest??

Oh, I love these little ones! They come in every day for Lalo's lunch, and every time, it's the highlight of my (and Avery's) day. :)

And now for the ward Halloween pictures! Our YSA group had a Halloween activity at the Foulger-Pratt Barn in Dickerson, MD. It was a beautiful venue (it's where Eve and Erick's wedding was), and an even more beautiful night.

And here's the gang below:

In case you hadn't figured it out, yet, I was the "Yellow Brick Road." :) I made my costume by taking a yellow dress I already owned and using black masking tape to form the outlines of the "bricks." I was really quite proud of myself :) And I came up with the idea all on my lonesome! The sign I made at work with our printer, packing tape, a stick from a gay pride flag, and some cardboard. I thought I'd be punny, so on one side, my sign said "Follow the Yellow Brick Road," and on the other, it said "Follow me" and had my social media handle, @utahgirlami. :) (Get it? Follow me? Social media? Ah ha ha ha!)

Some more photos:

Photobomb courtesy of Kyle.

And then we went camping. :) Hope your Halloween was also lovely!

Life Update

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Hiii! I have been a sporadic blogger this year (are we sick of hearing me write that on here, or what?) – especially this fall – as work has taken over my “life” and little is left of my “free time.” I mean, Election season and all that jazz, sure. But also Jimmy left? And nonprofit work – overworked/underpaid and such? Something about doing it for the love of the cause, etc. etc. And I do like what I do and the folks I do it with (sometimes, it kills me a little to write things like that. Like… “the folks I do it with.” Because the grammatically correct way to say it is “the folks with whom I do it.” But nobody talks like that on a blog. Even though I do think it like that?). But let’s say I’ll be totes OK when the Elections are over, we have more folks on my team, and I can zone out and do non-work things at night. J

Like… go to Pure Barre. Oh, my! OK, so this summer, Camille, Alexis and I bought Living Social deals for Pure Barre. But then Camille up and moved to Utah before we could use them! (Miss you, C$!! xo)  

Have you ever tried Pure Barre? No? Here’s what to expect on your first class. At first, you’ll feel like you’re dying. How can I take 54 more minutes of this, you’ll think? I’m about to give out on you right this second, your muscles scream. Then a few minutes later, you’re like, oh, this ain’t so bad. A little later, wait a second, am I doing this right?? Shouldn’t this hurt more? (Don’t worry; it’ll hurt tomorrow. But also, I think I’ll try a class with a different teacher next time, juuuust to be sure I’m doing things right.) And then it gets harder again, and you have to take a break halfway through push-ups, because I’ve never been able to do a freaking push-up, is the sad reality of my life.

(One time, I thought I’d be smart my junior year of high school, and I took a weightlifting class. Only two girls, and the rest were boys! Huzzah! I’ve traditionally liked being friends with boys better than girls, etc. idk. They’re just simpler. Back to the weightlifting class. We were graded on our personal progress, which meant we did an evaluation of everything – push-ups, curling, bench pressing, etc. – at the beginning of the semester, and then we did an evaluation at the end. In the original evaluation, I got credit for “half” a push-up (I could go down, but I def couldn’t come back up). By the end, I could do one push-up. And that’s where I maxed out. Let’s just say things haven’t really improved for me since then on the push-up front.)

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Back to Pure Barre… Soooo, yes. Pure Barre. It needs to be a part of my routine. Because I have nine classes left on my Living Social and dangitt, I plan to get my money’s worth! (How many push-ups do you think I’ll be able to do? Shall we take bets?)

I just got back from a work-ish trip to the Bay Area. We had our fourth and LAST (for the year) Power Summit at San Jose State. And as you my know, I served my mission a stone’s throw away from SJ (California Oakland Mission, woot!). I couldn’t come all the way to the Bay and not visit my mission, you know? So I went!

But before I tell you about that, let me first tell you about Power Summit. OK, I’m going to be very real here for a minute. Let’s start with the good stuff. Because it was all good stuff! Huzzah! Even with one fewer team member and with double the workload, with the help of my awesome intern (I swear by Hinckley interns Though I may be biased since I’m a former Hinckley intern myself. ;) ), we had e’rrybody’s talking points and press things and such ready earlier for this conference than for any of the other conferences. The latest I went to bed was 1am. (One time, I went to bed at 4:26am one Power Summit, and then I was up and ready at 6am. OK, 6:10am…) Plenaries ended on time. People stuck to talking points (and knocked them out of the park beyond what I could have hoped for). We had more media than we’ve had before. (I think because everyone is trying to GOTV right now. It was great!)

Maybe it’s because it was our fourth round of doing this and we have the lay of the land down a little better. Maybe it helped that there was a printer in my room. (No, seriously… This made a WORLD of difference!) Maybe I just feel more comfortable in my own VL skin. And I think I’ve gotten more efficient at briefing folks and being tactfully persistent. Also, I’ve become an excellent hoverer. Let’s just say some of he folks I briefed are hard to pin down in a crowd, bc e’rrybody wants to talk to them or take selfies with them. So I hovered a lot. Ha. Sometimes that meant briefing someone during the walk back to the hotel room. And partially IN the hotel room, bc the walk was too short. Or while they eat lunch and simultaneously take work phone calls. So you brief them in between calls and bites. (And then you also order a delicious Thai chicken wrap, because if he’s eating, you may as well eat also?) But whatever it was, this Power Summit was our best one yet, and I’m really glad we were able to enjoy it! I work with the greatest team! J Legitimate shout-out to Roxana  right now – I was short on time for prep for one of our online events, bc of the aforementioned lengthy lunch briefing, and she totally took charge and all I did was walk in and everything was ready. That’s a real team right there. When you do what you can, and then your teammate fills in the gaps you missed. She went above and beyond. Roxy, you’re the greatest!! :D

And ohhhh! Avery and I were roommates, and we had ourselves a romantic weekend at the Fairmont. J Complete with room service in bed (on bed?), plush bathrobes, and roses in our room. ;)

OK, I think I’m now going to end this post, because it’s already reaaalllly long, and I haven’t even gotten to the Oakland stuff yet. J

Hasta pronto!

#WhereIsJimmy

At the Treasury, that's where.



My partner in crime, my VL other half is gone. Of course, I'm really excited for his new opportunity with the Treasury (blah blah blah), but dangitt, I'm going to miss him! I couldn't have asked for a better Communications colleague this last year at VL. I'm better for having worked with, fought with (ha!), and known Jimmy. He became more than just a co-worker, but also a mentor and friend.

Right now, I think I might even miss being called a cockatoo.

(One time, when I was going to participate in a presidential town hall, Jimmy walked in when I was still in hair & makeup, and the hairdresser was ratting my hair. It was HUGE, and apparently, it frightened Jimmy, who told me, "You look like a cockatoo." Another time, I was getting ready for a last-minute TV interview, and I hadn't done much with my hair that day. I threw it up into what I like to call a "hipster bun," swiped on some lip color + my glasses and was ready to look all librarian-y and smart for my interview. Jimmy walked in and said, "You're gonna fix your hair, right?" On yet another occasion, I was IN the room, ready for an interview (or so I thought), and he walked in, looked at me, and declared, "Don't you have any lipstick?" Me: "I don't WEAR lipstick!" It's a lip stain, Jimmy. Duh! These are the fond memories he's left me with...)

My only complaint is that I still haven't met his dog, Soul. :-/ Good thing he's not dead yet. (Even though this totally sounds like an obituary, doesn't it?)

And just for the record, let it be known that Jimmy's very most FAVORITE thing ever was when I would scootch up next to him and work at his desk. This, he told me, is what he'll miss the very most about working at VL. ;)



Enjoy your Yándary-free desk, Jimmy! (Except I know you won't! :P)