New year, new adventures

I was a lucky girl and got to start 2012 off with an amazing trip to Paris and seeing a wonderful friend:) I had to be a little creative in how I got there, but managed to leave Wednesday after work and caught a flight to Dusseldorf, Germany. Even got business class! That was quite a treat:) I guess I'll take a mimosa while we're waiting to take off haha. And who knew you could get a fabulous beef tenderloin dinner on a plane? I got a little sleep and also watched the movie Colombiana...it was decent, but not as good as I was expecting, in case you were wondering. From there I made the very first flight to Paris. I chatted with many friendly people along the way (yes, the French!). They helped me figure out how to take a bus into the city and then the metro to the apartment we were renting instead of an expensive taxi. Upon arrival I had a little trouble actually getting in the apartment, but a couple young kids and the neighbors were so sweet and called the "landlord" person, and soon I was all set. Morah didn't get in until later, so I caught a little nap and then headed out to pick up a snack at the local grocery store. Once she arrived, we went to a local cafe and had a really good salad where I got my first taste of some real French cheese....delicious.

Our B&B French apartment 

Where my bus dropped me off in the city...not a bad start!

The next day was Friday and we walked ALL over Paris. A little rain did not stop us from seeing some incredible sites, including the Luxembourg Gardens, St-Suplice, the Pantheon, and Notre Dame. We warmed up with a coffee and some famous French macaroons, which if you haven't had, you MUST try sometime. Melt in your mouth good. We also took a little break to see an old Audrey Hepburn film at a small French cinema near the Saint-Germain district. From there we headed to the Louvre, where we were able to get in free (!) and see the Mona Lisa, Aphrodite and more. We had a late European style dinner at another small cafe in the Latin Quarter. After that we stopped to get some gelato (of course ) and then checked out a jazz-funk band playing in this bar basement...was a pretty neat venue, with super old stone walls. It felt almost cave-like. Our last stop (or attempted stop) was this salsa club, that we proceeded to get kicked out of because we bought one 6.50 euro soda and then just a glass of (free) water...those people were terrible. I was so angry. But oh well. Better not to be in a place like that!

 Luxembourg Gardens

 Fountain in front of St-Suplice

Bar in Saint Germain

 Small French cinema

 The Louvre pyramid at night

 St-Suplice

The Pantheon 

Notre Dame

The Mona Lisa

Saturday was New Year's Eve and we walked all over Paris again, came across a huge local market, saw the Musee d'Orsay, found a few great pieces at this local vintage boutique, and picked up some food to make ourselves a fabulous dinner at the apartment. After a little nap, we got ready to head out again and this time went to the Eiffel Tower. Tons of people were hanging out on the grounds and it had a fresh, exciting atmosphere. We saw fireworks and the tower light up at midnight and then went to a bar with some newly made French friends. From there we wandered the streets a little, as they were packed with people, and just took in the experience before returning to the apartment.

Homemade NYE dinner 

"Locks for love" bridge 

Bridge overlooking the Musee d'Orsay (on left) 

Tuileries Gardens 

Local vintage boutique 

Street market 

Eiffel Tower at midnight!

The next morning we slept in a little and then met Morah's friend for coffee at a cafe looking out at Notre Dame. We explored the nearby famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore...so incredible. Floor to ceiling books everywhere you looked. We also walked to the Tuileries gardens, saw several palaces - L'Elyses, the Petit (not so petite), and the Grand, as well as Les Invalides. We were so exhausted by the time we got back to the bed and breakfast, we just stayed in and chilled, packed, I checked flights, etc.

Morning coffee

Inside Shakespeare and Company

The famous bookstore

Petit Palace

Grand Palace

Les Invalides

Monday I was up early, a little before 5, to get ready to go and grab a quick breakfast. I caught this special bus to the airport (barely made it! but got helpful directions along the way to the exact stop). At the airport I was really lucky and got on the first flight to JFK! Everything else looked way oversold, so I had been a little nervous. Some good snacks, a solid 4 hour nap, and the movie Friends with Benefits passed the time quite nicely. I faced a long customs line in NY and had to wait for my bag, so I didn't make the first flight from JFK. But I got listed for the second, had a few snacks at the SkyClub, and then realized I wasn't going to make any of the JFK flights, so instead had a little run around and took the bus to LGA, where I got on a 4:00 flight back to ATL, thanks to bypassing security lines! I met some nice people on the flight back too! Dinner was complements of Whole Foods since I was too tired to actually make anything. I guess being up for 24 hours will do that to you haha. Then it was time to sleep. Definitely. Tuesday was back to work and boy that was a struggle! Hard to go from walking all day around a beautiful, historic city to sitting and being in the office for 9 some hours all day. But then again, that's what gives me such opportunities to see the world. So worth it.

I feel very blessed for all that came my way in 2011 and look forward to many new adventures this next year. Just living and loving life:)

Thankful

As I sit here at the Quad Cities airport, thanks to not having gotten on my first flight, I really can't complain because I just have so much to be thankful for. And it gives me time to get caught up on a few things I guess! Like this blog, for example. The past month has absolutely flown by, yet again. But I don't mind being busy...keeps life exciting haha. I have been able to enjoy many fun times with friends, colleagues, and family. We had a Corporate Sales happy hour at a great nearby restaurant called The Feed Store. It was so nice to chat with and get to know my co-workers better, outside the busy work environment that doesn't always allow for leisurely conversation. The holiday season got off to a good start with a Junior League event at Belk department store, that I graciously got to attend thanks to an invite from my friend, Stephanie. We enjoyed free food, drinks, live music, special sales, and more - a nice break from the usual weeknight! That weekend also featured a birthday celebration for my other friend Steph, at the Victory Sandwich Bar in Inman Park. Lots of people gathered for some fun times, pics, and of course their famous Jake and Coke slushies....seriously amazing haha.

Some of the crew celebrating Steph's b-day

The next weekend was Thanksgiving, and I was lucky to be able to work remotely that Wednesday, so I could make it back to MN on an early flight. With my low seniority, I need all the help I can get to make some flights when it's a busy travel time! Back home, the entire family was there, including grandma and grandpa Doc. I had a great run with Danny one afternoon, and was excited to be able to keep up! That doesn't always happen these days. I also got to catch up and go out with dear friends Marisa, Claire, and more:) Yay! Thursday was of course a lot of cooking, and had a great dinner with all the Docherty's and Clancy's...14 people around the table! Friday we avoided the shopping rush, but visited a few stores along Grand Ave and enjoyed some beautiful weather! That evening we had a fun family and friends happy hour at the Happy Gnome, and got to catch up with a lot of people, as we were especially lucky to have Claire back from Australia! Saturday was nice and relaxing before I took a really early flight back to Atlanta on Sunday, just to not risk getting stuck.

Catching up with old friends out at Billy's

 Three generations of Docherty's :)

Gathering at the Happy Gnome!

The following Friday I headed south instead, and met my friend Erica in Florida. We took a short drive to Tampa to meet her friend, and had a great dinner at this taco place called Lime, followed by the best frozen yogurt I have ever eaten! All flavors were gluten-free, even the Cookies'n'Cream and Cake Batter! O.M.G. yum haha. The next morning we were up early to leave for the Tough Mudder race in Everglades Park...needless to say we were a little nervous about it, after reading about some of the course details! But it turned out to be AWESOME. I loved it. We had such a great team that went through the whole course together and had tons of fun while getting super muddy! It was 11.5 miles with over 25 obstacles that included fully submerging in a basin of ice water; crawling/walking/running through muddy pits, creeks, pipes and tunnels; carrying logs through a lake; climbing over walls and hay bales; monkey bars, a plank walk, and rope climb over water pits; running through fire and electro-shock therapy; jumping off a high dive, and much much more (you can check out a preview of the course map here: http://toughmudder.com/events/florida/). We finished after about 3 hours of fun in the sun and got to celebrate after. Heading back from the race, I was lucky to be driving right through Orlando where my Dad was staying for his Sales Conference!  It worked out to stay there, and that way I wouldn't distract Erica from preparing for all her finals the next week:), and I got to enjoy a great dinner with tapas, spanish dancers, and good company. I also experienced the "Watering Hole", a special conference room for post-dinner gathering and drinks, and met a ton of wonderful people my Dad has worked with for many years! The next morning I joined in an early Nike 5k fun run and had a delicious outdoor breakfast as the sun rose. Afterwards I was able to check out some of the new products and give a few opinions before I caught a flight back to Atlanta. SUCH a great weekend:)

 Tough Mudder finishers! Official headband and all

One of the obstacles - that's me on the far right!

The next week I fit in some yoga and another great run with Nisha. Friday night we picked up some pizza to go and watched a movie at my place - and let me tell you - that was the FIRST movie I have actually watched in my apartment since moving to Atlanta. Aka...that's how busy I have been these past 6 months. Crazy. The rest of the weekend was full of getting together with friends for coffee, lunch, and church, some exercise, a massage (!), running errands, cleaning, cooking, and all things domestic haha.

Holiday season soon was in high gear, with shopping to do, an awesome potluck gathering at Cathy's with slow cooker barbequed beef tacos, Leann's delicious hard cider, super soft gluten-free snickerdoodle cookies thanks to Matt, and more yummy goodness:) We had another potluck that week, this time at work, which gave me a nice break to meet some new faces in town from NY and Europe.

I could hardly wait for Friday to get here, so good thing the week went by fast! Friday was exciting because my sister Laura was coming to visit me in Atlanta!! Yay:) She got in that evening, and after debating going to an outdoor Gavin DeGraw concert or just chilling and going out for dinner, rain on the drive home quickly provided our answer. So we had a nice, relaxing dinner at Buckhead Pizza Co, sharing some salad and gluten-free pizza (really good by the way!). Saturday I survived my first long run since surgery in April, all thanks to Laura, and went 10.5 miles on some incredibly hilly trails along the Chattahoochee river. Success despite some sore calves haha. After some delicious breakfast of homemade french toast and turkey bacon, I got to show Laura around the city a little, and did some browsing in the Virginia-Highlands neighborhood. We decided to stay there for dinner and try out La Tavola, a small Italian restaurant. Let's just say we were members of the clean plate club that night;) SO good...definitely a must-go if you haven't been there (http://www.latavolatrattoria.com/). And they have a great heated patio in the back! That night was Dan's Christmas party, where I was so glad that Laura got to meet a bunch of my friends:) We also did a little tree decorating, and contributed some delicious puppy chow and homemade guac to the table spread...I think no leftovers was a sign we did a good job haha. We slept in a bit after that night, and then took her on one of my favorite running routes around the Brookhaven golf course. We fit in a little Christmas shopping, mass, dinner, and then embarked for the Atlanta Botanical Gardens holiday lights display that night...it was FABULOUS. So pretty to look at, with live Christmas carolers singing, hot drinks, flowers, and more. We ended her trip on a high note, with a more "adventurous" dinner at Ecco (quite delish), and then....the AMY GRANT CHRISTMAS CONCERT at the Fox!!! It was wonderful. Definitely brought back some good childhood memories of playing that CD on repeat most days leading up to Christmas, and especially while doing all our tree decorating:) And the night couldn't be complete without a post-show stop at Cafe Intermezzo for dessert of course. So tasty (they even have an apple crumble cheesecake that's gluten free!) and such a great environment. I sadly had to send her off back to MSP the next morning, but had the most wonderful weekend:)

 It's an Amy Grant kind of Christmas!

 Atlanta Botanical Gardens

 Holiday lights display = B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L

Out at the Fox Theater for the concert!

The next week flew by, with more holiday festivities, and Friday I was off again, this time to meet the fam in Iowa City for Christmas. I successfully made it, thanks to a heads up from my friend Reed about an open flight to MSP, that allowed me to get to Iowa fairly easily...otherwise I might have been out of luck! It's always great to be back with the family, and another bonus is that I am never at a loss for running partners (except when they go too fast haha). I got a nice run in with Mom and Dad, bringing me back to the days of Hawkeye track and cross country and running all over town. I tagged along with my Mom and aunt Julie to pick up some last minute stocking stuffers for all the cousins, before heading to mass with the fam. We thought a 3:15 arrival for a 4pm mass would be well sufficient, only to grab the last two remaining rows in the entire church. The place was full by 3:45 and even started early! Wow. That evening featured the long-standing tradition of everyone gathering at my Grandma's house for soups, ham, football, cards, presents, and just hanging out. There were some exciting grab bags this year too! Gotta love the "steals" haha. Christmas day morning was spent with the family and then we all headed out for a long run...I did my second 10 miler! Though barely survived (and yet, Laura still went on for another 4 more miles! Amazing). I was definitely worn out! I have a looooong ways to go still. From there we visited more family and then just relaxed as we packed and watched a little football later that evening. The next morning I opted NOT for the 7am flight out of Moline (an hour away) and instead settled on a little sleep and the 11:30. Which I didn't make of course. But then made the next flight and even got first class! With a little wine and comfy seat, I was able to kick back and relax. Not too bad;) And again, I am reminded of how blessed I am. So thankful.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Out and about

Yet again, time has been flying. I've enjoyed a beautiful fall so far in Atlanta. Temps in the 60-70's in November is definitely a welcome change:) I can hardly believe the holidays are almost here. We haven't even made it to Thanksgiving yet and I'm already seeing news stories about what to do with your leftovers and Christmas decorations in stores! I think I'll wait on that haha, although I might need to get a mini tree for my apartment.

Well, let's see what all I've been up to...

Usually weeknights aren't anything too exciting, but I actually had a few busy evenings recently. Several co-workers got together for my friend Cathy's housewarming party, with food, wine, a game of "Apples to Apples", and of course seeing her new place! I joined some other friends to check out a comedy show at the Vortex "Laughing Skull" in Midtown the following night...I had never been to one before, so figured I might as well go. I saw Joe Mande, who actually is from St. Paul and went to Central High School, and now lives in NY and has been on Comedy Central and other big shows. He was pretty funny I must admit. That Friday I was able to get away for a sunny lunch outside with co-workers at a nearby cafe. I miss being outside while I have to work all day!

Comedian Joe Mande 

My co-worker and friend, Cathy, at our sunny Friday lunch break!

After the full week, I needed that weekend to catch up on some sleep haha. I did venture off to check out a different trail close to the first one I found...it was okay, just short, so I had to do some extra exploring. I also enjoyed another beautiful day by meeting a new friend for lunch on the patio of Front Page News. That Sunday was Halloween "theme week" for kickball, and our team "Elephantitis" made it out in style haha...or should I say, with a case of elephantitis. It unfortunately was one of the least fun games we played because the other team was completely drunk on a Sunday afternoon and rather obnoxious/annoying/slow/rude...you get the picture. But we always manage to have a good time:)

 Trail #2

 Team Elephantitis

Our kickball team on a (slightly) more normal day;)

The next week I tested out a kickboxing class. It was pretty good...fun to try something different, although my shins took a beating from having to kick the bags! bruises:( We also had a mid-week happy hour to unwind at the restaurant Tap in Midtown. That Friday I finally was able to welcome my mom to Atlanta!! After a long day of travel (thanks to good old standby and a school holiday in MN creating lots of travelers), she made it:) I was able to give her an extensive our of my 700-something square foot apartment (it was tough to cover everything in such a short time haha), then took a little walk to get outside and pick up a few groceries and some Halloween socks for the morning. The socks were for our debut race that Saturday at the Run Like Hell 5k, beginning in the famous Oakland Cemetery. It was a lot of fun despite the incredibly hilly route...we got to see some great costumes, listen to some good tunes, visit the grave site of Margaret Mitchell (author of Gone With the Wind), and actually were crowned champs! The "trophy" was a really cool mini-version of the historic lion statue in the cemetery that stands over the grave of unknown soldiers. A chilly morning turned into a gorgeous sunny day, as we visited the Green Market at Piedmont Park (picked up a few heirloom tomatoes and persimmons - one of my favorite fruits from Spain!) and then grabbed a warm coffee at nearby Caribou that we took to drink on a bench in the park. We replenished with brunch at Parish in Inman Park...one of my new favorite places! I just love the atmosphere and character of the building (plus the food's pretty decent too;). We did a mini walking tour around the neighborhood after that, and then headed back to clean up and rest up....yay for naps haha. I heard about the Little 5 Points halloween parade and festival, so thought it would be interesting to check out. And boy, was it "interesting". Needless to say, I won't be going back...but at least now we know! A much better dinner experience followed at the restaurant Noche in the Virginia-Highlands, with some awesome tapas! A few shops and a nice walk to Yoforia for some dessert topped off the night quite nicely:) Due to the full flights that weekend, we decided to aim for an early flight back to MN to avoid mom getting stuck all day, and she ended up making the first one, so that worked out great! Short trip, but oh so fun:) Since I was already up, I made the early morning yoga session before heading home to take a long nap. Sunday followed with typical happenings like kickball, mass, groceries, etc, but I got an extra bonus with a skype call with Morah in Spain!

 Lion statue at Oakland Cemetery

Persimmons! Soooo good

Halloween parade in Little 5 Points...it was crazy over there!

I put off my Sunday cooking for the week to Monday, and then enjoyed a great run with Nisha on Tuesday at Piedmont park! Wednesday I was double lucky to be able to get together with my friend Donna for dinner, and then other friends (the Steph's:) for food/drinks at Cafe Intermezzo...love that place! And such a great time catching up! Thursday brought about some last-minute shopping for a Halloween costume at a few stores in Little 5 Points...it was busy, but managed to get everything so that was good! I decided to be brave and go out BOTH nights for Halloween weekend...a rarity for me, but after years over never celebrating because of having the Big Ten cross country championships that weekend, I was overdue haha. Friday night featured a pub crawl in Midtown with friends, that took us to Ri Ra, Flip Flops, and Cosmo Lava. A little rain didn't dampen the evening, as it was a ton of fun! I got really lucky and actually slept in until 11:45 the next morning...that NEVER happens! I guess I needed it haha. That afternoon I got outside for a long walk on such a great fall day (can you tell I am liking the Atlanta weather?! haha) and went on one of my favorite loops around the Brookhaven golf course. That night was the BOOnanza party at the Buckhead Theater. I met up with friends JP and Nate beforehand, and then was so smart as to forget all my money and ID, so we had to make a little detour on the way to the party. I had never been to this venue before, but it was really neat. There was a big stage with live music downstairs, a dj and dance floor upstairs that we hit up for a while, and then another stage with music outside in a tent that played some great old school tunes! It was a pretty crazy party...lots of people, lots of awesome costumes, and lots of fun:)

 Halloween pub crawl in Midtown!

 First stop...Ri Ra

 Pre-Boonanza...JP, me, and Nate

 Getting in character at the upstairs dance floor haha

One of the impressive costumes!

The next weekend I got to experience even MORE fun, with the Boddicker girls reunion in MN:) This is when all 5 of my mom's sisters, my grandma, and several cousins all visit for a weekend of shopping, food, drinks, and hilarious conversation (following the drinks haha). I flew in late Friday afternoon and we had a delicious dinner at my aunt Renee's house. Saturday, I got to tag along with my sister Laura for a little early morning run (that what I do these days...just try and hang on!). Then Kevin had his State cross country meet, so we all headed out to cheer him on, and he did amazing! Got 6th in the entire state after never even being ranked all season. So proud:) We fit in a little shopping that afternoon before another big family dinner and of course some ice cream cake to celebrate the big race! I ended up catching an early flight out Sunday so I could fly nonstop and also get a few things done back in Atlanta before the work week started. And I was actually pretty productive, so it paid off! Plus the extra hour of sleep didn't hurt;)

 Grandma and the Boddicker sisters

 Fans gathering pre-race

Got to see my old teammate Molly Noel!

 Kev's cheering squad post-race

 6th place!

Proud fam:)

 DQ Blizzard cake (the best:)

The young "Boddicker" girls

This past week, I had some wonderful visitors in Sara and Bud Dunn! We both had pretty busy schedules, but had a good time catching up in the evenings:) I also got to fit in another (almost) weekly run with Nisha and this time got a tour of the Georgia Tech campus because Piedmont is pretty dark with the time change now. But it was a great loop and always wonderful company:) Friday night we got to celebrate Sara's birthday and went out to dinner at Murphy's in the Virginia-Highlands. The food was terrific, and I tried out a new wine thanks to a recommendation from Sara (she is awesome and started her own wine importing business!), and picked up a few wine tasting tips in the process:) They headed back to Michigan on Saturday, and I took time to get some stuff done around my apartment...laundry, dishes, errands, you know...the fun stuff haha. But I also made mom's enchilada recipe, wrote this blog finally, and got to skype with Morah again, so not a bad day!

Til next time with love, Jennie