5 of us Jazzercise freaks (aka instructors) :) headed to Dallas for the annual convention that just happened to be close to us this year! We bought tickets a year ago and were pumped to finally be there!
We drove down Thursday afternoon, had dinner at our hotel (the Hilton Anatole) and then hung out in the room before bed. It was fun to get to talk to each other and spend time in the car - we don't see each other enough!
Friday AM was the shopping expo (Jazz clothes exclusive to those at convention) and it was MADNESS. Clothes being thrown, other Jazzercise freaks would pull every size in every top they liked... then would go along the perimeter of the room to try on the clothes. You had to have your game face on. We were probably then an hour and a half and left with good stuff. 95% of the clothing was gone after 3 hours for sure.
We had our first class - Interval Fusion - and it was awesome. This was us waiting in line before class.
Right before it started - SO MANY PEOPLE in one room. I like my space when working out, so that's the only con to this setup.
I bought a Polar watch earlier that day and it was my first time to see how many calories I had burned. Shanna & Young kicked our booties.
The next day was the main event - the live taping! We get 5 DVDs of choreography a year and every year, they tape one of the DVDs live at convention. So we got to see all of the new routines before anyone else.
All of the AR instructors had tanks made before. It was like cheer camp all over again haha!
All of the AR group!
Other pics of our Jazzercise "celebrities" which are members of the taping team who are in the DVD's we get.
Young, below, is my favorite. Totally my idol :)
This was how many calories I burned during 5+ hours of Jazzercise class in 24 hours.
Beautiful sunset on the ride home. We left on Saturday night after the classes were over, so we got home right before midnight. I wish we could all go every year - it was a great weekend!
Sunday was Father's Day, so Reggie and I headed to the lake with my family just missing Tripp :( This was Reggie & Rambo laying on my lap on the way to the lake in the truck.
My dad took the dogs on the tube. The boat was moving, but they were able to float on it. They were terrified, but ultimately they feel so much better after they get in the water and can cool off.
Poor Regg ;)
It was a nice day on the lake - bloody marys, sun and the 4 of us. Happy Father's Day to my dad!
We headed to the Marina to stop at Sunglass hut because Tripp's sunglasses were broken... and right when I grabbed my sunglasses to get in Uber... mine had broken as well some time during the the horrible 24 hours of travel. Go figure.
I ended up trading in my pair for brand new pair of the same sunglasses without paying anything. SCORE. We walked around and shopped a bit on Union and Chestnut (some of my favorite streets in the city)... and then grabbed dinner at Tacolicious. Tripp had been here before when Roger visited and we had a great dinner catching up.
CHEERS, baby boo!
We got split 4 tacos - cod, braised chicken, brisket and carnitas. They were fab.
Then we stopped at Susie Cakes down the road and grabbed some sweets :)
We got back to the apartment early and looked at the travel calendar for a bit... then went to bed. I was so tired!!
The next morning, we had planned to go to Muir Woods... but we woke up so early and didn't want to wait until the ferry at 10:40. So change of plans - we headed for brunch at the famous - Mama's!
We stopped at Perry's for some coffee since I figured there would be a line. We took some pics in the street because there were so few cars out! It was quiet.
I still look asleep in this pic ha.
We pulled up around 9:30 and there were probably 60+ people in line. We were both good with that and ended up waiting in line for 2 hours. It went by surprisingly quickly.
St. Peter & St. Paul Catholic Church on Washington Square.
We made it to the front of the line!!!!
Once you finally get inside Mama's, you wait in line and order. You can watch the cooks make the food! It was all so yummy!!
I got cranberry orange french toast with a side of potatoes and Tripp got an omelet. It was good, but not the best brunch we've had in the city. I'm glad we did it!
Classic San Francisco weather... cloudy and chilly when I took the earlier pic and now it was sunny and beautiful!
After brunch, we sat at Washington Square park and people watched. Dogs, families, people everywhere. Wish SOMA had a park like this!
Next up - Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. Had been on our bucket list and since we were already close to it, we decided to check it out.
Built in 1933, Coit tower lies at the very top of Telegraph Hill and has
become a featured landmark. Serving as a memorial for the fallen
firefighters who fought the 1906 earthquake fires. Some say that the
tower is designed purposely in the shape of a fire hose nozzle. Coit Tower,
named for wealthy San Francisco eccentric Lillie Hitchcock Coit and
built with money she bequeathed, is both a vantage point and one of San
Francisco's most photographed buildings. It is also home to a flock of
wild parrots.
Happy Flag Day!
Flag day at Coit Tower :)
Inside there are murals all over the walls. We didn't ride up since it was a foggy day so the views would be minimal.
In SF-style, we just happened to be in North Beach for the 61st North Beach Festival.
Later in the day we sat at Union Square and shopped some. I was sad to leave today. It's been the shortest trip I've taken to SF. I loved being able to go and not have to worry about working remotely and getting everything prepped before that... but I didn't want to leave Tripp :(
Next time we see each other, it will be because Tripp is in AR for 13 days! Cannot WAIT!
We planned a quick weekend trip for me to SF since we didn't want to go a month without seeing each other and it's just how the calendar fell this month. I booked my flight to leave at 7:50pm on Friday night because I had an all-day meeting with P&G + WMT... and then I would head home on Monday. So 2 full days together.
A day after i booked my trip, of course the client meeting gets cancelled :( UGH. We didn't change it, so Jess Lais took me to the airport Friday night. I got there early, did some work and then noticed it was delayed 30 minutes. I only had an hour layover in Dallas, so knew I was in trouble.
Went to talk to the lady at the counter and she said she couldn't get me to SF Friday night. Earliest I could leave XNA the next day was 3pm OR I could spend the night in Dallas and take the earliest flight avail on Sat. She made me get out of the line to call Tripp and make the decision together... well I got back in line to tell her my decision and at this point they were boarding the plane. There were only 2 ladies working this gate, so no one was helping me and they were yelling at everyone to get on the plane. She tried to get me to get on the plane and I said I needed to rebook my flight. I could re-hash it all, but basically she was yelling at me to get on the plane or she would shut the door... so I asked her to write down something that told me about the flight I was on tom. I had no idea where I was going to sleep in Dallas, but I got on the plane.
When I looked down at the sheet of paper she gave me, it said I was arriving in SF at 1pm (which she had told me earlier that she could get me there at 10:30am)... and the tears started flowing. I was nervous, overwhelmed and upset that it was even later than she told me. Called Tripp and he kindly calmed me down.
We landed in Dallas ahead of time and I was going to BUST it to try to make it to my original flight so I could get to SF Fri night. I had a glimmer of hope until we landed and I saw police cars and trucks everywhere near a gate.
We sat on the plane for over an hour and Tripp sent me this pic. I knew I for sure at this point that I wasn't going to get to sleep in the same bed as Tripp.
Apparently someone ran a van into a plane and it was stuck... so many of the planes were backed up. BOO. I got off the plane and posted on Instagram about the van and plane. 2 minutes later, Dougie texted me and said she was staying in Dallas tonight and I could stay with her???? WHAT?! At this point, I didn't know where my bag was, where I was staying that night and what time my flight left the next am.
Found out I wasn't going to get my bag, so I got a taxi to Dougie's hotel and she met me downstairs with some hotel toiletries. I slept in my clothes, but got to wash my face with her stuff which made me feel human :) She was staying at the Gaylord Texan and it was a super cool hotel! I was telling my mom about it the next day and apparently I stayed there during a family reunion years ago??
Slept good that night and then Dougie dropped me off at the airport on her way out of town! I sat at the gate for a bit and then we took off and I landed in SF around 1pm. Tripp met me at the airport and we went straight to the apt so I could shower. Girl was not lookin' too hot, so I needed a shower PRONTO before we did anything else. Got ready and we headed out to make the most of the next day and a half!
