Happy Holidays!

I know it's the holiday season when Amber and Jill send out an evite for our annual gift exchange party! Every year, they invite 20-25 friends to a party at which everyone brings a $25 gift card. We draw numbers and then go in order to pick a wrapped gift card. It's a lot of fun and everyone has a good time!Another stand-by holiday event is Christina Condrey's holiday dessert party. I've never been able to attend in year's past, but this year I went and it blew me over! She goes all out to prepare the yummiest and most creative desserts, including her own chocolates, and she wows everyone. It was a very fun evening that I shared with Amber, Jill, Lindsay and her boyfriend, Colin.A quick pre-church lunch with Amber, Caroline, Chappy and a visiting Jill Jackson.WOW! Christmas came early this month! We were blitzed with two plus feet of snow over a 24 hour period. Susan came over to my house so we could hunker down together, which ended up being a good thing the next morning when we had to dig out! The rough news is that between moving in, unpacking and commuting back and forth to Pittsburgh, I never got around to buying a snow shovel! So, I did what any resourceful single gal would do and grabbed my cookie sheet! Yes, that's right...Susan and I shoveled our cars out of two feet of snow using nothing but two cookie sheets. Resourceful? Yes! Ridiculous? Definitely! Embarassing? Absolutely!

Even though my house was barely put together, Mom came to DC and stayed with me for two weeks. We had a really nice time taking it easy, shopping for furniture, wandering through Leesburg, going to movies and just generally taking it easy. It was a really nice holiday and season and a good way to end one year and look toward the next!

Road Trip U.S.A.

As part of my move back to D.C., I needed to get my car out of San Francisco and to the East Coast. Amalia’s fiancé, Gordon Stott, has been using the car since November 2007 and has taken outstanding care of it (minus two small fender benders!), but in recent months it’s been “acting up,” which is a nice way of saying it hasn’t been starting. He’s replaced the battery and had it in the shop three times, but they haven’t been able to figure out any mechanical problems. Since it’s been acting a little dicey, I opted to forego the more convenient, but more expensive, option of putting the car on a trailer and instead decided to drive the car across the country myself. Now that I’ve made it to Pittsburgh (my home away from home…or is Arlington my home away from home?!?), I can look back at the 2,981 mile trek and proudly say “I did it!”

Day One was last Friday, November 20, when I pulled out of Redwood City, CA at 4:33 a.m. I woke up at the crack of dawn and decided to hit the road. I made my way through Sacramento, CA; Reno and Elko, NV; and Toole and Salt Lake City, UT before I hit Cody and Julianna Johnson’s home in Park City. The drive was exactly 11 hours and I made it with the knowledge that I never need to live in Battle Mountain or Wennemucka, Nevada.I spent three great days visiting with Cody, Julianna and their son, Louie. I was only supposed to be there on Saturday and Sunday, but an 8-inch snow storm came through and made a Monday trip through Wyoming impossible, so I gained an extra day in Park City, which was a nice treat for me. I love visiting their home and spending time with them – they just might be my very favorite couple! Julianna and I spent Saturday shopping through Thanksgiving Point, Midway and Park City, and I purchased a fun photograph of the U.S. that I’ll hang in my new home (getting it into my car was like playing a game of automotive Jujitsu, but we got it in!).I also had a fun dinner on Saturday night with Cherstyn, Karen, April, Julianna and Jill, five close friends and some of my favorite women. We spent three hours at my favorite restaurant, The Dodo, laughing and giggling.

Day Two was on Tuesday, November 24, when I caravanned to Denver with Cody and Julianna. After a very late start – we didn’t leave Park City until after 11:30a.m. – we made it to Ft. Collins by 6pm and I had my first Cracker Barrel dining experience. The whole drive home was 9 ½ hours (that's 2+ hours more than necessary), but it was worth it to do with friends. It was so nice to trail Cody and Juju through Wyoming, a state that gave me a few bad-luck experiences during some college-year road trips. Once you sit in front of the Little America Hotel outside of Evanston for 8 hours in a December ice-wind storm while waiting for I-80 to re-open, you’re leery of a Wyoming drive! Nevertheless, the drive went smoothly and we all made it to Littleton safely. The best news is that my little 10-year-old Saab behaved like a champ!!Day Three – After three fun days with the family over Thanksgiving, I begrudgingly pulled myself away from another pillow fight with Sawyer, persuaded him to give me my fourth hug and kiss, gave him a “honk, honk” from the street and hit the road at 8am on Saturday, November 28. My goal was to hit Des Moines and fortunately I made it in 9 hours.

Cody gave me the brilliant idea to hit a Cracker Barrel for an audio tape and after 4 hours in the car, I finally came upon one. After selecting the lamest romance novel on tape, I hit the road again and pulled off in West Des Moines, where I snuggled down in a Marriott. Thank goodness for author Nora Roberts; her lame tale of romance, intrigue and mystery got me through the plains of Nebraska and Iowa!

Day Four – I headed out of Des Moines this morning at 6:00 and made it to Pittsburgh exactly 12 hours later. The drive was surprisingly easy – thank you, again Nora Roberts – and trouble-free. The car worked perfectly, the traffic cooperated, and aside from some brief episodes of rain, the weather was a breeze. Throughout the 12-hour drive, I meandered through Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio before making my final stop in Pittsburgh. I had a quick thrill as I crossed the Mississippi at 9am, just as the sun was rising. It reminded me of the story in the church fiction series, The Work and the Glory, about the early Mormon settlers who had to cross the river to make the pilgrimage to Utah. It sure is a huge river and one that I'd never want to cross on my own two legs! Again, the Saab worked perfectly throughout the day. My biggest problem was finding food other than McDonalds!! My final four hours to Virginia will be in a few days – here’s hoping my little 10-year-old car makes it to DC and continues to chug along with me for the next couple of years!

Merry Christmas!

For the second year in a row, the Shelden clan celebrated Christmas on the day after Thanksgiving. Allen and Jocelyn will never make a plan for the holidays, so we grab Thanksgiving week and declare it a family holiday in which we all pile into Mom's house and complain to each other about the condition of the house and all the crap that resides within. Cheers!!

We had a great Christmas afternoon this year as we all watched Sawyer attack a very reasonable pile of gifts. Our instructions were to buy him gifts that "sparked the imagination." His parents bought him a policeman's uniform, complete with jacket, hat, whistle and handcuffs that he thought was perfection. Right up until the point that he opened a doctor's kit from his aunts, complete with syringe, stethascope, reflex mallet and ear scope. A policeman / doctor was born! But wait, then he opened a fireman's kit and discovered that wearing three identification badges, a policeman's hat and coat, and a fireman's belt was the way to go. Especially if you also got to carry a syringe and hammer people's knees. Now this was perfection.Oh, but then there was the 42-piece Black & Decker construction kit, with two saws, three screwdrivers, a hammer, tape measure and all sorts of other crap his aunt wouldn't know what to do with. How is one little boy supposed to be a fireman, policeman, doctor and construction worker all at the same time?? Amazingly, he figured it out and had a grand time with all of it.The monster successes of the day were delivered by Nana. The first treat was a naying, carrot-eating rocking horse that, when turned on, galloped or trotted depending on the speed of the rocking. The horse, Blaze, was a huge hit and one I know his parents can't wait to have sitting in their family room.The second treat - and one that never would have made it into a Shelden Family christmas 30 years ago! - was a full-blown John Deere tractor that Sawyer can drive. The kid hit nirvana as soon as he laid eyes on it. We took him over to the parking lot at Saint Mary's Church, where he proceeded to drive all over the lot with his dad's help. As Allen tried to teach him to push his foot down on the pedal, he kept reaching down with his hand to push his foot down. We wouldn't want our foot alone to push our foot down! We'd say "Push with your foot" and down his hand would go to push on his toes. Pretty cute. He still has some work to do with steering - every member had a near-head-on collision moment - but he took to the toy like a fish to water. Overall, a very successful Christmas celebration!

Orangeman, Fireman, Cowboy & Dr. Baker

To say that Sawyer is particular about the people around him is a bit of an understatement. His aunts' advance team (Mommy, Daddy and Nana)usually has to go into overdrive to prep him for our arrival in order to avoid a crying scene, complete with the command "Go Home!" After a quiet warm up to me on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, Sawyer came into full bloom by Thanksgiving dinner. He really discovered the "fun potential" of his "Aunt Wacky" and Aunt Susie on Friday morning when we threw him onto our King-size bed and began a pillow fight. He immediately got into it and was doubled over laughing as we hid him under pillows and taught him how to haul off and hit someone with a pillow. I'm confident his parents will appreciate that lesson in a few days! Susan got in a few zerbert tummy kisses, I managed to get a few high fives, and we all had a blast. I'm not sure why he looks so stoned in these photos - perhaps he's high on fun!Our pillow fight eventually evolved into building a house of pillows, where Sawyer "lived" with his rocking horse, Spice. The house was architecturally sound, right up until the point that a tornado blew through town (ie, his aunts waving their arms maniacally and making "whooshing" noises) and knocked down the walls. More giggles ensued, with requests for "more!"

Finally, he decided we would play a game of Orangeman (me), Cowboy/Dr. Baker (Susan) and Fireman (Sawyer). The kid has quite the imagination - my job was to grab oranges out of the tree and give them to the Fireman to chop so that the cowboy could drink the juice. In a cool twist, the orangeman was instructed to throw the oranges in the air, where the fireman chopped them so the cowboy could drink juice on the fly. When the Orangeman got injured, the Fireman asked Dr. Baker to come to the rescue. This game kept all three of us entertained (and exhausted) for an hour.We all had a great time and the photos to prove it! The best moment was when Sawyer stopped for a breather and announced he wanted "Chocolate Mocha No Whip." Uhhmmm....sounds like someone has made more than one Starbucks visit with Mommy!

Dobble Dobble Day!

Sawyer, is an expert at animal sounds. He does a great elephant, with a waving trunk, an awesome rooster (COCKA DULA DOO!!!!!!!!), and a mean lion (RRRRRooaaarrrr) with hand gestures! Today, we were treated to the sounds of a turkey - "Dooble Dobble!!"

For Thanksgiving Day, Allen, Jocelyn, Sawyer, Susan, Mom and I all gathered in Littleton and spent the day playing in the park, taking naps and watching Disney videos...and we ate a little turkey! We were all entralled by Sawyer, even if he wasn't as enthralled with his aunts! Apparently no one is as cool as Mommy, Daddy and Nana!After a solid 30-minute showing at the dinner table, Sawyer decided he was done and it was ready for story time. Aunt Wacky was on the scene!! He acquiesced to allow me to read to him, so up the stairs we climbed to read all about trucks, cars and snoring. Sawyer has a book on machines and is now aware of Ferraris and Buggatis - he kept telling Susan and I about "Booogatiii!," which is a good thing since neither of his aunts had ever heard of Buggati. There you go. He and I also read the book, The Snore that Roared, which has particularly poignancy for the Shelden Family as it's a rare member who doesn't have a roaring snore. He and I were wildly entertained - for 10 minutes - until we had to go downstairs for more turkey. My brother thanked me for the story time, telling me that he'd never heard the story carry across three bedrooms and down the stairs before! Apparently, I tell a very excited story! My response, "You're welcome!"

A New Address!!

Today I became an official resident of Arlington, Virginia....again! A couple of weeks ago I found a really nice 3-level townhouse in Fairlington that has a living room, dining room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a family room, a kitchen and an outdoor patio. I love it!!I picked up my Penske rental truck from Dave Osborne last night and pulled it in front of 4720 29th Street South in Fairlington this morning at 7am. I had two movers from Two Guys and a Truck show up at 8am and 2 1/2 hours later, all of my boxes were in the house and the Great Unpacking Adventure began!

Amber showed up early and was a total trooper in helping me move in. She helped me unpack and break down boxes and then she went to work ironing the slipcover for my couch. That was an enormous project (as she said, "Thanks for reminding me why I never want to buy a linen slipcover"), but she battled through it and made the couch perfect!

Chappy and Caroline also came over and went to work setting up my food storage shelves. That was an adventure - I think they both regretted asking how they could help when I tasked them with assembling shelves!

The best part of the morning was getting all of the boxes out of the house ... really! We unpacked and broke down nearly 60 boxes in five hours! Now, the big challenge will be to find a home for all of my belongings!

New Clients, New Stress

At Burson-Marsteller, the key to success is billability and new business. Thanks to my Pittsburgh assignment, my billability is off the charts. For more than 24 months, I've been at 100% billable, which is gold to B-M executives.

Since I've been in Pittbsurgh, I haven't been able to spend time on new business, which is a huge relief because salesmanship is not my forte. However, I was fortunate this summer to receive a phone call from the Hyatt at Fisherman's Wharf asking me to do some union organizing campaign communications for their associates. The assignment for the Wharf also included work for the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara, and before I knew it, I had two small clients of my own!!

These two clients brought a level of anxiety and stress to my life, particularly as I've been trying to do San Francisco-focused communications from Pittsburgh, but we've worked out a good routine and the work has been enjoyable. Last night, I was asked to add two more Hyatt hotels to my portfolio. Waa-Hoo!

There are two union hotels in San Francisco that are facing contentious labor negotiations,and I've been hired to do the associate-facing communications. The project is exciting - albeit rather demanding - but the timing couldn't be worse! After 2 years of no San Francisco connection, I'm now being pulled back into the market the very week I'm trying to move to Washington. Talk about luck of the draw!

The next few months will be interesting as I try to juggle four new clients, plus my Pittsburgh assingment, but I think I'm up for the challenge!

A Wacky & Crazy Aunt

After orchestrating my move from San Francisco - and pulling a 19-hour day - I flew to Denver to collect the remainder of my belonging that I'd kept at Mom's house. As my own special treat, I went to Broomfield to spend a couple of hours with Sawyer.

For the first time ever, the kid was excited to see me!! I rang the doorbell at 9am and watched as Sawyer ran down the hallway to the front door with a big smile on his face. I told Allen that it was the first time that my appearance didn't result in Sawyer hiding his face in his parents' neck or breaking down in tears. Apparently, Allen had spent the morning as my warm-up act.

When Sawyer was told of my imminent arrival, the response was "No, Sarah go home." Exactly. This is the hospitality I'd been used to. Allen took the opportunity to prime Sawyer to play with "his wacky and crazy Aunt Sarah," so when I arrived, I immediately delivered!

We pulled out a bed sheet and flipped it onto the kitchen floor and then proceeded to play in flour. Yep. Flour. We had a bowl of it ready to go and we spent 15 minutes sifting it, shoveling it, hitting it and spraying it. All good fun - particularly as Aunt Sarah was wearing a brand-new sweater.

Lesson #1: Don't wear new clothes around a 2-year old!

After that fun ended, we spent the rest of the morning playing with Halloween and animal stickers (Sawyer does a rockin' impersonation of an elephant), throwing a ball to Riley, shoveling rocks and tossing sand.

We then high-tailed it to the neighborhood park to play on the equipment and watch kids play soccer and football. As we left the house, Sawyer was insistent that he didn't need his wagon. He wanted to walk. After several probing questions on my part, I was assured that he wanted to walk.

Lesson #2: Don't let a 2-year make a decision about a quarter-mile walk.

One block from the house, I had my first whiny "Up." Needless to say, after 20 minutes of carrying the little guy, I was seriously regretting my decisions. Despite my sweaty exhaustion, we had a great time at the park. He loves to stick his fingers in dirt, play on the equipment and watch the older kids play. It was a perfect morning - made all the more sweet when he sang a soft, quiet version of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

How did I get so lucky to have the most perfect nephew!?!?

Moving Day!

I’m on a flight from Pittsburgh to San Francisco, with the plan to meet movers, who will help me load up a rental truck in preparation for a cross-country move. I’ve lived in San Francisco since January 2005, and today, I’m saying goodbye.

I’ve been working in Pittsburgh for two years and commuting on weekends to the homes of various friends and family members. It’s be a fun ride – and one that’s allowed me pay off debt and save money – but I’ve now found that 24 months of homelessness is quite enough. I definitely made the right decision to move from my San Francisco apartment in November 2007 and save the rent money, but it’s been a long slog to not have my own home.

I’ve made the decision to move back to Washington, D.C., and I hope I made the right choice. I certainly have a lot of friends there, as well as Susan, and I’ve always loved Washington. Here’s hoping I enjoy it the second time around!

Two weeks ago, I set out to find a new home for myself. I was fortunate on my second day of searching to find a cute townhouse in Fairlington Vilage that I think will be perfect for me. As I told Susan, it’s two floors and one bedroom more than I need, but I’m excited to have a home that will be mine and that will allow me to spread out after a week on the road for work. I’ll still be doing the commute to Pittsburgh, but at least I’ll have my own home to come back to on Thursday evenings.

Now my biggest stress is getting 60 boxes and 10 pieces of furniture loaded on to a rental truck! I’m very fortunate that my friend, Kristen Coleman’s brother Dave will be driving my stuff across the country. He and his son, Aiden, are flying to San Francisco this morning and will be doing the 5-day trek across the country in a Penske rental truck. With fingers crossed that all goes well, I’ll be meeting them in Virginia next week.

After everything arrives, the challenge will be to decorate three floors and two bedrooms…all on a budget! Unfortunately, I have 5th Avenue design ideas on an Ikea budget. It should be an interesting experiment!

New York in the Fall

Last August, Allen, Susan and I gave Mom a trip to New York City for her birthday. We treated her to a flight and a ticket to the Broadway show, South Pacific. Who knew that as part of the weekend, I’d discover my new favorite Broadway show!

When Mom, Susan and I arrived, we immediately jumped in for a cab ride to the city – I wish I had gotten Mom’s expressions of terror on camera as the driver wove in and out of traffic! – and got settled at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square (thank you Marriott Rewards!). We were in the hotel room mere minutes before Mom launched into one of her famous…infamous?...commentaries on people of other races, nationalities and religions. This weekend’s doozy had to do with homosexuals. Oh boy.

As she’s flipping through an issue of New Yorker magazine, she began to recount how, when she was in Canada in August, Brian Gelfand (married to my cousin Sarah Patrick) asked her questions about the Mormon Church’s stance on homosexuals and gay marriage. She told Susan and I that he wasn’t asking in an accusatory or rude way, but that she started to feel defensive about the church’s position on gay marriage, as well as her own beliefs about homosexuality.

She then said, “Here I am reading in this magazine about how Iraqis treat homosexuals and I don’t think I’m that bad. The Iraqis execute homosexuals in the street.” Nice. That’s a really high bar my mother has set for her beliefs. After Susan and I picked ourselves off the floor from laughter/horror, we pointed out that while she might be proud of her liberal-mindedness, she probably shouldn’t offer into conversations that at least she doesn’t think homosexuals should be assassinated! Oy vey.

We finally put together a game plan for the weekend and we set off to buy tickets for a Broadway show. We decided to see West Side Story, which was performing across the street from the hotel. I’d never seen the play – in fact, I don’t think I’ve seen the movie – so I enjoyed it, but I thought the singing wasn’t as strong as it could have been. Still, it was a fun performance and one I’m glad I was able to see. When we all exited the theater, the three of us laughed that we’d each forgotten about the ending. We were all waiting for a big musical finale – quite the disappointment when the finale is a devastated girl bending over her murdered lover. There’s not really a way to make that scene a foot-tapping song-and-dance number!
On Saturday morning, we hit the ground running and set off for a brunch place that Susan’s friend had recommended. How I’ve been traveling to New York for 15 years and never learned about Max Bender’s is a mystery. Suffice to say, it’s now on my forever radar and I’ll be journeying back. Essentially, it’s a chocolate shop that serves chocolate with some food on the side. We went for brunch and stuffed ourselves silly just by reading the menu. Dozens of hot and cold drinks, desserts, appetizers and whimsical meals, each with some variety of chocolate. Yum! Mom immediately ordered a chocolate milk; I ordered a milk hot chocolate with Italian cream (let’s just say, the hot chocolate was a bit better than a Swiss Miss mix!); but Susan had no idea what to order!As an appetizer, we split a toasted bagel with a melted chocolate bar and peanut butter. Hello. That can be replicated at home! Mom ordered waffles; Susan ordered a Panini with cocoa-dusted French fries; and I ordered a Mexican egg scramble that came with a small dish of melted chocolate. It was the damnedest thing I ever tasted. It was like a Lindt chocolate ball had been melted down and placed beside my eggs. It sounds nasty, but it ain’t!
After brunch, we walked…waddled?...around the Grammercy Park area and then jumped a cab to the Brooklyn Bridge. Mom had never seen the bridge and was interested in walking across.We made it about halfway across and enjoyed beautiful views of the East Side, Battery Park, Brooklyn, and we even caught a fleeting glance of the Statue of Liberty. After some time on the bridge, we jumped another cab (no subways for the Shelden Women!) and headed into Central Park to enjoy the weather and changing leaves. It was such a beautiful fall day – one I was very grateful for since the last time Mom went to New York it poured for five days straight. She definitely appreciated the opportunity to see the city without having to wrestle with coats and an umbrella.

We then walked down 5th Avenue and did some damage in Henri Bendels. I don’t know why I like Bendels so much, but I do. I always find some little nic-nak in there that I like. After we each dropped $100, we made a quick visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and then jumped another cab to the Upper West Side, where we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Pomodoro. It’s an easy Italian restaurant that always delivers good food. Finally, we were off to the main event – South Pacific at Lincoln Center. As soon as the lights dimmed and the music began, I knew we were in for a treat. It was such a beautiful production and I soaked it all in. During one of the opening numbers, “There’s Nothing Like a Dame,” which is sung by two dozen Navy seamen, I knew I was hooked. I could actually feel myself smiling and leaning forward as if I were a little girl begging for more. ” Yes, and then what happens??” I was hungry for more and more. It didn’t hurt that half of the men on stage were yummy or that our seats were fantastic. We were practically on stage with the actors. I announced to Mom and Susan during Intermission that I had just discovered my new favorite Broadway show and Susan concurred. It was well worth the money, and fortunately Mom loved it too. Happy Birthday!On Sunday, we woke up and did something a little different. We rented a car and drove two hours to Hyde Park, NY to visit the FDR Presidential Museum and Library. I’m on a kick to see presidential libraries – the Reagan and Nixon Libraries in September, and now the FDR in October. Where will I go in November??We all really enjoyed the museum and the grounds. The museum had a lot of interesting information and belongings of both FDR and Eleanor, including his Oval Office desk, convertible car, and his library as he left it the day he died. The FDR presidential library is the only library in the National Archives system that was actually used as a library/office by a sitting president. The building was part of the Roosevelt’s Springwood Estate and FDR used it as his office when he was home from the White House. It was pretty interesting to see the furniture, art and books from that period. The tour also included a visit into his childhood and adult home, Springwood. It’s a beautiful manor on the grounds of the library that has been well restored. While we weren’t able to take photos, we were able to explore much of the home, including the front foyer, which had an abundance of art and stuffed birds; library, which was chock-full of books and leather furniture; the dining room and sitting room; and FDR’s mother’s private study. We then went upstairs and visited the bedroom suites, including FDR’s childhood bedroom. The house sits on the banks of the Hudson River, so with the changing fall leaves, we were treated to beautiful view when we exited the home.Unfortunately, we had to cut our day short to return to the airport, but I’d be interested in going back one day to visit Top Cottage, which is where FDR planned to retire and where he hosted a series of state leaders and diplomats; Kill Devils Cottage, which was Eleanor’s home both during her marriage (apparently she needed to escape FDR’s infidelities) and after his death; and the neighboring Vanderbuilt mansion.

All in all, it was a great birthday weekend for Mom. We were able to see some great sights in the city, enjoy two Broadway shows, eat until we were happy, explore Central Park, spend a little money and get out into the country. A successful New York weekend!

Does He Have a Grandson Who's Single?

Aside from our road trip to North Carolina earlier this month, the girls and I haven't done a road trip or weekend get-away in a long time. Thanks for Amber's party-planning ways, we hit the road with a box of Dunkin Donut holes!Amber found a great day trip for us up to Wilmington, Delaware to visit the A.I. DuPont mansion, Nemours. The mansion sits on more than 300 acres of beautiful gardens, bridges and fountains. We enjoyed a terrific tour of the home, including the dining room, library, conservatory, bedroom suites, kitchen, and ultimate "man cave," complete with shooting range, bowling alley, movie theater and hunting memorabilia.The whole estate is stunning and I'd have no problem moving in. Apparently, there are dozens of DuPonts who still live in the Wilmington area. I wonder if the clan includes a funny, kind and handsome 40-year old single man in search of a single, middle-class Mormon woman?? I think my chances are outstanding!