Words of Wisdom

"It’s easy to be pessimistic; after all, pessimists are rarely disappointed. Optimism, on the other hand, is a form of bravery because we risk being disappointed. But optimism breeds good things."

Dave Senay
President and CEO, Fleishman-Hillard

A friend of mine and old colleague from Fleishman-Hillard, Natasha, posted this quote from Dave Senay on her Facebook page and I thought it was brillant. It is so true!

I always thought of myself as being a positive person but lately not so much. I realize now why ... I was always preparing myself for the worst and worrying about being disappointed that I didn't let myself get excited about things.

No more! I am going back to my old self and not let the fear keep me from being who I am. A fun, lighthearted girl :)

A side note about Dave Senay
Many of you know that I used to work for FH. It was by far the most challenging and rewarding positions I have had. While I had some difficult days, FH is an amazing company and I was very proud to have had the opportunity to work there.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Senay, twice! And, both times in an elevator - first in St. Louis and later in Dallas. He is a brillant business man and very personable. While our conversations have been limited to however long it took to get the floor we were going to, I felt inclined to send him a personal email prior to my departure of FH to let him know how much I enjoyed working there. I didn't expect a response but it was just something I wanted to do. And, guess what ... he responded just minutes after. I was more than impressed.

It made me think: If the CEO of a multinational company can respond almost instantly - and include a personal reference to me - then why can't I respond better to friends and family, post pictures, or just call to say hi? It's all about relationships and I am going to work on that.

Picnic in the Park

We had really nice weather here in London this weekend and Oscar and I had a picnic in the park. It was so much fun! I packed chicken cutlet sandwhiches, chips, and cokes. Later, we had ice cream from a small shop in the park. Just lovely!

While I was in a tank top, my little sweater wasn't far away. (You can see Oscar is in long sleeves.) It would get really warm when the sun was out, but when it hid behind a cloud, it was a little chilly. I am not complaining, though. I think summer has finally arrived!

I am awful at taking pictures but somehow I caught this adorable picture of Oscar. I love it! He is such a cutie pie :)

Back in the Saddle

And it feels good! Today was my first day back at the gym after about two months of only going when I could squeeze it in between travel and the move. I have to admit that while living in Madrid I was quite the gym rat. Fisico was my happy place. Great facility, amazing instructors, and a great group of friends. I hung out there quite often but, unfortunately, I had to say good bye and turn in my key last week. A sad day. But, now, I am a member of Fitness First – Baker Street. While it’s no Fisico, I think it deserves a fair chance.

Still no pics of the flat. No gold star for me, I know. But to hold you over (and not to post another pic-les post), here are a few pics from our trip to London last October. At the time, we had no idea that London would later become our home. Oddly enough, we had better weather in October than we are having now in June!

Down and out

As a lovely "Welcome to London" unwanted gift, I came down with a 24-hour stomach virus yesterday. No fun! I was in denial most of the day and tried to tough it out. I probably shouldn't have but I went to my French class anyway. I missed the first day because I was stuck in Madrid and didn't want to miss another day of my oh-so-short 6-week course.

About halfway through the class I was more than uncomfortable and couldn't sit still. I made it to the end, though, and went straight home. Luckily, I literally live across the street from the academy. I fell in to some PJs and Oscar found me in a ball on the couch when he got home. I got a similar bug a few months ago in Madrid and, let me tell you, it is awful. I never get sick like this at home. My silver lining was that I was in our own place and didn't have to worry about others being around.

I am not a 100% but I feel much better today. I don't have time to be sick - I have lots to do around here! I am going to meet my good friend, Michelle, tonight to say goodbye as she heads back to Texas on Saturday. She moved to London around the same time that Oscar and I moved back to Madrid the last time. Just our luck has it, we move to London and she moves back to Dallas. She has been great about giving us some good tips about living in the city. This will be a good move for her and we wish her the very best.

I win!

I guessed that today would be the day that I got my passport back and I did! It arrived at 11:33 this morning. Yesterday afternoon, I got a call from DHL to confirm the address and they confirmed that it would be delivered this morning between 9am - 1pm. So last night Oscar booked me on a flight to London for 9pm today. We wanted to make sure there would be enough time to get my passport and some wiggle room in case I needed to hunt it down in the afternoon, if it didn't arrive.

I was up early and finished packing, which was a good distraction while I waited. I could see the street from my window so, as soon as the truck pulled up, I ran downstairs and met him at the door. Since I got my passport early and was already packed, I went to the airport to see if I could go standby and try to get on an earlier flight. As my good luck had it (and bad luck for the other passengers), an 11:30am flight had been delayed until 2:45pm and I was able to get on that one. YEAH!

I arrived to sunshine and beautiful weather in London. Oscar flew in early this morning and is at the office right now. I figure I have a couple of solid hours to get some things done before he comes home tonight. I need to make the bed (our new bed was delivered while we were in Madrid), pick up a few things at the grocery store, and get a start on dinner. This is heaven for me :) I have truly felt God's presence and closeness over the past couple of weeks and that in itself has made it all worth it.

Today, is officialy the first day of our new life in London :)