A new love affair or How my Kindle stole me away from Mr. Potts

It was love at first look, for me and the Kindle.

When Mr. Potts and I were on our way to Barbados for our honeymoon a man on the plane beside us had one. He let me hold it. Let.me.hold.his.kindle.

Mr. Potts must have known at that point that I was hooked. That I would "Have To Have One!" at some point in time.

I was patient. I didn't expect one, but I was decidedly excited about getting one for myself. Until he surprised me with it.

I've loved it ever since. It goes everywhere with me.

To the gym, on the plane, in the car, to the hotel...in bed with me!

I love the ease of use.

I love touching the "Next Page" button and having it pop up immediately. I love that it takes "naps" if I'm gone too long - Hey, I would take a nap EVERY day if I could!

I love being able to bookmark a page. I like that I can add notes about particular passages or places in the book.

Quite frankly, I'm thrilled. I can't say enough how much I love this.

I love having so many books at my fingertips (quite literally) at any moment.

The battery will last for over 2 weeks with the wireless turned off. I believe I can even (gasp!) blog from it if needed!!

So there you have it - the love affair with my Kindle. Let me know if you have any questions I can answer about it for you.

Happy Thursday!! Aren't you glad Friday is almost here? Seems like the last two weeks my life has been "Where in the World is Mrs. Potts?". I'm uber excited to go home tomorrow!!

Where in the World Wednesday

Each week Classy in Philadelphia hosts Where in the World Wednesday and I always try to participate in that & in The Seattle Smith's Wishful Wednesday. My brain is worn out & fuzzy & I'm drawing a big, fat blank today for Where in the World Wednesday so I'm taking it easy on myself and using a picture that I love, even though I'm not traveling, per se.

Mr. Potts & I were in Charlotte for one of our good friend's 40th birthday celebration. He & his now wife had rented out a nice spot, so it was a good chance to get all prettified.

Fun times! I really liked how long my hair was there, too.

Head on over to Classy in Philadelphia's to participate in Where in the World Wednesday.

Tuesday's Traveler

Another week is here & I'm back in New England. I thought with the travel I've been doing it would be nice to bring back Tuesday's Traveler. I've talked about how I travel best (best being best for me) and how I stay on the diet/fit train.

Too often I've seen the worst of people when traveling: Angry travelers yelling at customer service agents when flights are delayed, irritated passengers calling a flight attendant a "Stupid Chink" (and YES, I have heard that & was shocked), self-entitled people delaying takeoff because they just don't understand that "all electronic devices need to be turned off" includes their electronic devices.

Sometimes we all need a reminder of the saying, "Honey catches more flies than vinegar."

The person on the other side of the counter is still a person

Many of us, at some point in time, have been in a customer facing role. Helping people, answering questions, working with our customers.

So why does it seem that when we're on the other side of that customer fence we suddenly lose all sense of decency & humanity?

Was it the person working at the ticketing desk's fault that weather in New England delayed or even canceled flights? Not unless they were working that secret witch doctor voodoo.

Knowing that I (nor anyone else) has any personal control over the weather keeps a scowl off of my face (sometimes I manage a smile) & a little lilt in my voice when working to get re-booked on a flight. You know, Mama always reminded me to use the honey & not the vinegar. She was always right about this.

Did the rude woman who stood in a line that wasn't really a line really need to yell at the desk agent? Not at all. Did she get helped before me? Nope. Did I yell at the agent? Nope - remember, honey. Re-booked on a flight, quick as you can, with a good seat to boot.

I bet he had a little voodoo doll under the counter for all the nasty people he was dealing with yesterday. Bet there wasn't a pin stuck in it for me!

Just because you're upset or irritated or inconvenienced, remember, the person on the other side of that counter is still a person & is doing their best to help you.

Until you call them names or yell at them. At which point the pick up the voodoo doll hidden below the counter & violently stab it with their pen.

My advice? Stay calm. Explain your situation & ask if they can help you. Say "Please" and "Thank You."

You may just find that your charm & smile could result in a better seat. Or maybe it just brings a smile to the face of the person helping you. I bet that will make you smile.

Where did the weekend go?

Fabulous Friday was a no go this past week. I was getting ready to leave Boston & fly home. After being gone since Sunday night, I just couldn't bring myself to hunt up a Fabulous Friday edition. I did, however get in an awesome workout!

Saturday drifted by in such a blur with a busy day for Mr. Potts & me. We spent the afternoon/evening celebrating a one of our favorite couple's daughter's third birthday.

A little DVR action, some yummy food, wrapped up in our favorite blankets & Saturday was gone!

We enjoyed a wonderful salad tonight (something new that I took a whirl at) along with some yummy homemade chicken pan pie (let me know if you'd like the chicken pan pie recipe).

The salad is definitely something I'll do again and was inspired by a salad I had in Boston at my hotel.

Grilled Pear Salad

Ingredients

• 1 Pear
• Goat Cheese
• Pecans or Walnuts (my holiday spiced ones would be good)
• Bag of Salad mix (I like the Butter blend)
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Cinnamon
• Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

Directions

• Slice Pear into quarters & then into slices
• Lightly toss pear slices with Balsamic Vinegar
• Heat non-stick pan over medium heat and lightly coat with cooking spray
• Place pears into pan & lightly sprinkle with cinnamon
• Stir frequently to ensure pears don't stick or burn
• Remove pears from heat once they begin to turn tender & serve over mixed greens, goat cheese & nuts.
• Use Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing to taste

Super yummy & super fast!!!

Someone kept me awake last night & it wasn't Mr. Potts

The joys of traveling for work.

Going to new cities can be fun. You definitely get to see new sights & people.

Going to new restaurants can be fun (unless you're seriously trying to lose weight, then it becomes a little tricky). You get to try new places you've never eaten & possibly new foods.

Staying in hotels can sometimes be fun. You have your own personal housekeeper, which in a way is fairly accurate. You leave in the morning & when you return you have a freshly cleaned room. *POOF* Like Magic!

Sometimes, however, you just want to be home. Seeing the same people you see on a regular basis.

Sometimes you don't want to eat in a restaurant for every meal. You want to sit down at your own table, eat off of your own plates & eat food that you prepared.

Sometimes you want to sleep in your own bed in your own home with your own comforter pulled up nice & cozy.

Last night was one of those nights for me.

I was settled in, with my pillow fixed - the only pillow in the room that wasn't feather. And I have to admit, I can't stand feather pillows. I always wake up in the middle of the night with a feather poking me in the face. Not fun!

I'm woken up in the middle of the night.

To snoring. Loud, chainsaw snoring.

I reach over to nudge Mr. Potts and tell him to turn over.

Only Mr. Potts wasn't there. Remember? Sleeping in a hotel room.

Instead, I had a man on the other side of the hotel wall cutting down an entire forest with his snoring.

Incredibly loud snoring.

I tried calling out to the man to, "turn over" to no avail.

I tried banging my headboard against the wall only to realize that it would sound like I was having a wild night in a hotel room.

I didn't care at this point.

At some point, my body decided it could sleep through this and I went back to sleep.

Tonight, I look forward to a new hotel & hopefully new hotel neighbors who don't have a problem with chainsaws in the middle of the night.

Wednesday Double Treat

Since I think both Classy in Philadelphia and The Seattle Smith's have Wonderful Wednesday Play Along's I like to participate in both.

So, to start, we'll head over to The Seattle Smith's for Wishful Wednesday. In honor of the Golden Globes Kelsey had us lusting over our favorite gowns.

"I wish"... I could have worn the gown that Heidi Klum wore at the 67th Annual Golden Globes!

I have to say, I loved everything about what Heidi wore - the dress, the clutch, the hair, the makeup, the body (hello 4 kids!).

Next up? Classy in Philadelphia's Where in the World Wednesday.
This picture is from my first trip to Maine two years ago when I first started this job. It snowed so much during that trip that I knew I had to take a picture.

In the picture above you see me posed next to tables that were outside of a restaurant. That snow accumulated over the course of one day.

The white blobs you see in the picture? Snowflakes still falling!

Snow Day?

Do you all remember as children when the weather forecast would call for snow? Do you remember getting giddy & barely sleeping during the night in hopes that you'd wake up in the morning to a heavy 6 inches that would shut the city down, keep you out of school & allow you to build pitiful little snowmen that would promptly melt by 3pm?By the way, my snowmen never looked like this!

I remember getting excited when it would snow and I could drink hot chocolate with my mom while still in our PJ's at 11am.

I also remember the disappointment when the snow wouldn't come and we'd have to go to school anyway. As a side note, don't you think it only fair that if there is even the slightest chance that children will be out of school for snow that they should just go ahead & give them the day??

And while they're (whomever they are) at it, just go ahead & give adults the day off too?

Right now I'm in Maine watching the snow swirl around outside. Wondering how a Southern girl is going to navigate through all this & thankful that up here there are snowplows out regularly.

The snow looks something like this:
Happy Tuesday everyone! I think most of you in the South are staying warm - wish I was! I'm definitely in layers up here!