As some of you may (or may not) have noticed, I haven’t posted to my beloved TOBR in about three weeks. I am not apologizing for being absent. Why? Well, for one, I hate when people apologize for not blogging like they owe it to their community to blog. I love the community that has come together around my little blog, but it’s my blog and when I’m busy living life outside the Internet, I shouldn’t feel guilty for not posting. I write for me.

However, the fact that I’ve been so busy I haven’t been able to write has been so challenging. I’ve literally felt like there is so much to say, so much to catch everyone up on, so much to get out, that I don’t even know where to start. If you follow me on Twitter, you may know a little about all my traveling the past six weeks, but for those of you who don’t (but should!):

A First Birthday

The weekend after I returned from London, I flew to Colorado to celebrate my best friend’s daughter’s First Birthday. Exhausted and still fighting jet lag five days later, I packed my carryon full of warm clothes (to combat the snow in May in Colorado) and a voice-recorded book for the baby. I was ready to go home. After Los Angeles and then spending a week abroad, I needed some mommy and daddy hugs.

Friday night and Saturday was spent with my mom — we caught up, laughed, cried about missing each other, ate delicious waffles and designed a personalized cheese plate at a create-your-own pottery store. It was incredible to see her and finally spend time together.

Saturday night my brother came down from Boulder amidst studying for finals to have dinner with Dad, our stepmom and me. Nostalgia flooded me while having all four of us under the same roof again. Sunday morning consisted of breakfast and taking their new(ish) dogs to the off-leash dog park. In the cold of the morning, my dad and I talked business, work, Colorado and, of course, the boyfriend. And I received and gave much-needed bear hugs.

Sunday afternoon was spent celebrating the one year anniversary of my “niece’s” birth. Living in California, I’ve missed some of the big moments and many of the day to day experiences with this growing member of the family. I may have missed her first steps, but I was there to celebrate her First Birthday and that was so special. Seeing the type of mother my best friend has grown to be is truly inspirational. And I’ll tell you this, 6 years ago, when we were out causing endless amounts of trouble, I never would have guessed what an incredible mother she would become.

Even if she does get stuck behind the refrigerator.

Mother’s Day in Wine Country

This year was the first year I’ve missed Mother’s Day in Colorado. My mom, grandma and brother kept the tradition alive by devouring all-you-can-eat crab legs at the Fresh Fish Company. My stepmom and other grandparents had a lovely day celebrating.

The boyfriend and I rented a Zipcar and drove up to Sonoma to celebrate Mother’s Day with his family. I’d never been to wine country in the springtime when everything begins to turn green. We stopped by the Sonoma Market and picked up fixings for a salad to accompany the other BBQ foods and spent the afternoon walking through the hills and visiting. His family is so warm and sweet and it was wonderful to see him at home.

Empire State of Mind

The Monday after Mother’s Day, I flew to New York City for work. It was an extremely fast-paced, whirlwind of a trip. It was full of as many meetings, dinners, and events that could be crammed into three days as possible. I did get to sit in Central Park for about seven minutes. A taxi dropped me off in Times Square. The view from the Peninsula Hotel is incredible. Oh, and Frito Pie? At a BBQ joint? Delicious.

The Woman Who Started it All

Last weekend, my grandmother came to San Francisco to visit. It’s been over three years since our first trip to San Francisco together — the trip that inspired me to move to this amazing city. My parents still blame her. We had a wonderful weekend together dining on Pier 39, having some serious girl-time shopping, and her meeting my boyfriend. I’m so fortunate she is able to come visit and so lucky she took me to San Francisco those few years ago.

And tomorrow…..

I head to VEGAS with my bestie for Bloggers in Sin City and I CAN’T WAIT! I am so stoked to meet some of the bloggers I’ve build relationships with online, in person! Taking two days off work to sit by the pool, sip yard-long margaritas and dance until the wee hours of the morning with some of the most amazing people ever (yes, I already know everyone who is going to BiSC is amazing)!

After Vegas? I think I’m going to hang out in SF for a while 🙂