A Lonely Omaha Night

Here I am in Omaha, Nebraska. I have a meeting for two days in your typical hotel conference room. My plane landed around 7ish, so once I arrived at the hotel, the front desk clerk recommended dinner at Upstream Brewing Company located in Omaha's Old Market District, which is basically what I would like to see St. Louis' Soulard Market and Laclede's Landing to become eventually. Soulard Market is closer to getting there than Laclede's Landing - which seems to be crumbling more and more: but I digress. 


Dinner For One, Please
Eating in a restaurant alone has never been something I'm comfortable with, probably from the sheer aspect of I don't want people to think that I don't have any friends. Yes - I know that's crazy. Anywho...


My beer of the evening was the Firehouse Red Lager, and it was excellent! I almost bought the Firehouse Red Lager t-shirt, but I held back. Dinner consisted of fish and chips, one of Upstream's classic meals. I thought it was just "eh", "okay". I didn't even finish the fries.


The Shady Dude Across the Bar
As I ate dinner, enjoying the great atmosphere, absorbing the sounds of people talking and laughing, humming along to some classic rock, and watching the U.S. gymnasts win gold in the London Olympics, I felt a presence. No - this wasn't Ghost Hunters. This was the shady dude across the bar staring at me. At one point, I turned around to see if anything interesting was going on that I was just missing out on. Nope. I was the eye candy. Not sure how I felt about that. Kinds of weird. So, I changed my eye placement and started watching the gymnasts on another television. My avoidance strategy made me feel better.

No Phoning Home
It's nice every now and then to go without my cell phone. It's almost daring and impulsive. You're out of reach, untouchable, no satellite dish tracking your moves. However, as I sat alone at the bar, I wanted to catch up on email, text, and check in on my social webs. No go. It was a very odd feeling. My "WOO" strength kicked in and I started chatting up the guy next to me. We both agreed that the female gymnasts give fake hugs. Not cool.

Remembering The Original Plan

I had brunch with a close friend of mine today. We were in deep conversation about our lives as new moms and our busy careers when I randomly changed the subject to how I am no where what I set out to become after I finished high school.


Even after college, my singing/entertainment management plan didn't come to fruition. Yes, I wanted to work in the hotel industry - but it wasn't so I could stay in St. Louis forever. Alas, my six year stint in hotels taught me a lot about sales, service, people - good and bad, noble and shady. More shady than anything.


That started my mind wandering into the once upon a time jobs I dreamed of that would take me away, make me famous, or allow me to move quickly up the ladder of significance.


I've had roughly 16 jobs since I was 19. Maybe three of them were close to getting in a path of reaching one of my dream jobs. I started college with the plan to sing and get into entertainment management. What happened? Ugh - a boy. That happened a lot.

Singing on the Jumbo-tron at the TWA Dome (Edward Jones Dome) - 1997

JOBS I WANTED TO DO...
NOT SO RANDOM OR FAR OFF FROM ORIGINAL PLAN

1. Voice-over and jingle writer
2. Singer - Combination of Sara Bareillis, Adele, Melissa Etheridge, Billie Holliday, Black Crowes, The Black Keys, Pink Floyd back-up singer
3. Stage Manager -> Director -> Producer -> Big Cheese
4. Personal Assistant for a Cool Person
5. Comedy writer (think Tina Fey)

WHO'DA THOUGHT

1. Race Car Driver
2. Sniper/Sharp Shooter
3. FBI Agent
4. Espionage/CIA Ops

Hunting in South Dakota

Training with the FBI

I'd be interested to hear from those who started on the path of their dream and kept with it, along with those who changed courses and came back to their dream. 

Do More, Be Better, Give Back, and Stop Drinking Bottled Water

The weekend of July 14, 2012 was one of the most emotional weekends I've had in a long while. A true roller coaster. Filled with love, laughter, thanks and gratitude, the entire weekend was also filled with sadness and regret.

Yes, July 14th is Bastille Day. It is also the day we celebrate Walt's (my favorite father-in-law and favorite insurance agent) heart transplant anniversary. This year was the BIG 20th celebration: a monumental feat for not only a transplant recipient, but one who received a transplant when he was fifty (not a young whipper snapper).

A luncheon, family and friends from far and wide, and Walt with a microphone can only lead to good times. I was reminded, this day, how wonderful it is to have a family that loves each other, doesn't fight over petty issues, stays strong when faced with challenges, and remembers to laugh and enjoy the time we are given. Walt's strength and health, in the face of adversity, is challenged regularly. But with his faith, the strength and love of Suz (my favorite mom-in-law), his children and family, he has endured through many physical issues. Walt has lived an amazing, long life thanks to a very special individual who became an organ donor. We are incredibly lucky to have Walt and treasure each moment he has during his time with us.

This was a happy day.

July 15th I said goodbye to someone I called my cousin and my friend, Katie Moritz. Katie died of leukemia at the age of 31. She was surrounded by her dear family and friends. Her wake was in the same room as my dad's wake, so I could barely make it to the stairs leading into the room without losing it. Katie's dad, Bob, was in my parent's wedding. Bob was also one of my dad's pall-bearers. When my dad's parents died while he was in high school, Bob, his best friend, and Bob's family took him in. He had no family within 700 miles and no one to take care of him. The Moritz family stepped up.

While I wasn't close to Katie - in fact I was distant, I recalled many of our shared moments when we were children playing at Rombachs Farm, swimming in a kiddie pool and slip n' sliding in our backyard, taking a walk after our Grandma Helen Moritz's funeral.... Once we moved away from Ballwin and my parents divorced, we no longer saw each other. 

I regret that I didn't have more time with her. Katie was the same age as my sister, Erika. I am the same age as Katie's sister, Sarah. She was too young. Life is not fair and it never will be, so how can we change this?

This was a sad day.

These are the thoughts that reverberated through me the past few weeks...

1. Be an organ donor. Sign up today if you haven't already done so.

2. We need more science and math education. Come on parents, 99.9% of kids will not be a movie star, a rock star, or president. Teach them to do more, be better, and give back.

3. Many types of cancer research exists. We all have different diseases we support. Here is why we should support cancer research and stem cell research above all other medical research. (I'm not saying we should stop supporting other research. It is all invaluable).

4. $49.5 Billion was spent in 2011 on research and development in the U.S. We spent almost half that much on bottled water in the U.S. in 2011, coming in at $21.7 Billion. The unfortunate truth is that science and politics go hand in hand. Take action. Write your policy/law makers today and ask for more funding. The fact is, most research is short-term. We need more long-term, big idea grants awarded to those who are willing to take risks and discover new possibilities. 

5. Take time to be with family and friends. Remember birthdays. Be generous with your time and your listening. Show up. Reach out.

Do more, be better, give back, and stop drinking bottled water.