Total Eclipse of the Heart

You guys. My week of travel was great and terrible and so fucking long.

(Picture from Landon on Easter morning, giving up on ever finding his Easter basket. Also me, last week.)

I flew to DC Monday morning. Flight was fine. I was on calls up until boarding, answered emails through the flight, and had a Zoom as I was in the Uber. I did get to have dinner with a good friend and client in DC. The friend label meant I could exercise the friend-exception to my "no drinking mid-week or at work events" rule, but only with one glass (a lovely rose) because I had a few more hours of work to do at the hotel. It was a lovely little respite though. Meeting up with friends, clients, and other contacts on work travel helps personalize the travel, which can sometimes be lonely.

Sadly, Monday was the last day I got to utilize the walkability of any city I was in (though I did walk 2+ miles to the dinner, which always makes me very happy) as it poured rain for much of Tuesday.

I worked out of our DC office, hosted a women's initiative lunch, had a 4 hour video call, and then raced off to the SEC alumni happy hour that ASECA always hosts after the PLI SEC Speaks program. As always, it was really wonderful to see friends, new and old, and lots of former colleagues.

I was supposed to attend the dinner, but talked to so many people during the happy hour that I skipped the dinner to grab a meal with a different good friend and attendee and then went straight to the airport to fly to NYC. That flight took off at 10 pm, landed at 11 pm, and I was at my midtown hotel at 11:30. Sleep was elusive, so I worked for a bit, prepping for the presentation I had the next morning.

Wednesday woke up RAINY. My hotel was only 3 blocks from our office, which is just ridiculous to cab, so I broke out my trench coat, travel umbrella, and sneakers, and lightly jogged through the sidewalks with my suitcase to the office. Prepped a little more, headed to the NY SEC office for my presentation, getting absolutely SOAKED (still carrying my suitcase) with two false drop-offs at wrong addresses along the way, and put myself back together in a bathroom.

The weather was getting increasingly worse. My 7 pm flight was delayed. It took 90 minutes to crawl to LaGuardia airport where my flight was delayed more. Ran into a fellow Dallas partner in the airport and shared a glass of wine (at this point, I no longer cared about any of my mid-week health rules; also, she's a friend). Found out my flight was canceled. Got rebooked on a different flight, that was promptly delayed. Then delayed more. And every direct flight from NY to Dallas the next day was now booked (and overbooked). Also, my watch was being mean to me.

At 12:30 a.m. my flight was reset for 1:27 a.m. and I was damn grateful for it. I will also note that I have never sent so many emails as I did between 1-3 a.m. There's really someting to trying to do work when everyone else you know is fast asleep...

I landed at 3 a.m. and got home just before 4. I had video calls starting at 8 and I looked so pale, even for me, but I was HOME and I could attend Landon's high school swim banquet and I was so happy.

Also shocked, genuinely shocked, that pictures continue to reveal that he is MULTIPLE inches taller than me.

On Friday morning I headed BACK to the airport, this time with James, so we could head to Savannah for one of my associate's weddings. It was our first trip to Savannah, maybe our 4th trip ever alone together, and also maybe the 4th wedding we've ever gotten to attend together. And it was SO FUN.

Sure, it might have been nice to be home and my suitcase was very tired, but the weather was perfection and our historic B&B was gorgeous and luxe (thank you credit card points).

Also, Savannah has very liberal open container laws. Mimosas to go for the win!

Our B&B host told us that Savannah is for "eating, drinking, and walking" and she would help us with the first two. And with incredible breakfasts at 9 a.m., wine and apps at 5 pm, and cookies and port at 8 pm, she definitely did. Also the walls in the parlor are hand-painted and this is now a dream of mine for my study.

We ate great food, stopped for biscuits every 90 minutes, and I wore two of my Dirty Dillards dresses including my very favorite one for a dinner date Friday night!

I also shopped for fun things, like an awesome romper and these adorable shoes. I also picked up a pair for my mom.

The wedding was beautiful and I loved getting to dance with my favorite forever date.

We flew home Sunday, took my dad out for an early birthday dinner and a big thank you to both parents for watching the kids. My mom wore her new shoes, and so did I, and my romper!

Then on Monday we had the TOTAL ECLIPSE!

Of course my astronomy-loving-dad and former-science-teacher-mom stayed the extra night to witness this miracle. I worked from home and then at 12 pm, we had our glasses ready and were grabbing salads to go.

I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting magic. I've seen a couple partial eclipses and thought they were kind of neat, but also nothing I'd travel for.

But this. This was really extraordinary. The sun got smaller and smaller and then totality hit and the world went dark like someone had flipped off the lights. The winds died down. The birds went silent. It was extraordinary. We could hear the kids yelling in excitement over from the elementary school where Cora was observing the eclipse with her classmates.

The world is so big and I am so small and the universe is so amazing and I will never, ever forget it. I feel so lucky I got to sit on lounge chairs in my backyard with my parents and my James and watch this incredible event. (picture below from a friend with a fancy camera)

Claire texted from her event at the Cotton Bowl exclaiming "that was amazing! so gorgeous!" and even Landon who had been skeptical about the whole thing texted, "that was actually pretty cool." And Cora wrote in her scientific conclusion that "This was the most special day of my life. I will always remember when I saw the total solar eclipse." And same.

Today I went into the office for the first time in April (how has this month already been so long? I guess the 6 cities in 6 days thing?). I gave a virtual presentation on the new SEC Climate Disclosure Rules, sent about a million emails, and wrapped up as many things as possible because tomorrow I'm actually out again for the rest of April.

I have a hysterectomy at 7:15 a.m. and frankly, I could not be looking forward to it more. This should decisively end 2+ years of medical issues, doctors appointments (so. many. appointments.), and general distress. I will be in the hospital tomorrow and possibly Thursday, not working the rest of the week completely, and then lightly working from home until May l. So, it's already been quite a month, but let's bring on the scalpel. I'm ready.