Archive for the year 2016
Hyatt Regency Orlando
Posted on October 19, 2016 by Ching under Travel.
I got to experience the Hyatt Regency Orlando (the hotel we stay at every year during ZINCON) outside of ZINCON and it was like an alternate dimension.
The first photo is what the lobby looks like during ZINCON and the second photo is the lobby outside of ZINCON. It’s like a whole other world!
I had to take a picture of B-Line because it was completely dead. Usually when we’re here for ZINCON it’s buzzing with colorfully-clad people.
I also had to take a pic of Faith’s massive suite.
She had a dining table, living room, and balcony!
I had forgotten how amazing the hotel fitness center is.
I had to take some pics of it.
Their beautiful workout studio would put most dance studios to shame.
They even have a spin studio with spin classes every morning on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. No need to miss group classes while you’re traveling!
The hotel not only has a great fitness center but the pool area is amazing. It’s even more amazing when it’s not super crowded like it is at ZINCON. I enjoyed a very nice afternoon reading and taking a nap by the pool with Kelsey on one of the days.
As hotels go, the rooms are well furnished with everything you need. It even includes a bathroom scale.
The reason why there’s two in this photo is because Kelsey, who recently started a weight-loss program at the time of our trip, had to weight herself everyday so she decided to bring her own scale. I could have sworn that I told her ahead of time that the hotel supplied bathroom scales in all of the rooms. I guess she forgot.
They think of everything. The only thing missing from the rooms is a microwave, which they don’t have because — as the concierge explains — it’s a fire hazard. However, they’ll provide one by request if it’s needed for medical reasons.
All the staff members were on their A-game while we were there. Kelsey and I asked for a microwave for her room (for her special diet), walked over to Walgreens to get her flavored waters, and her microwave was already in her room by the time we got back (less than 30 minutes later). At the hotel I stay at in Kansas City, it would have taken half a dozen phone calls just to get the simplest of things done. Seriously.
Customer service at the Hyatt Regency Orlando has always been pretty good during all the times we’ve stayed there but they were operating at another level that week. I wondered if everyone received a pep talk right before the EMACS Customer Experience Conference came to town. I joked about this to one of the bellhops that I ran into in the elevator one day and he said they did have a big huddle a few days before. You definitely don’t want to mess up with a bunch of Customer Experience experts because thousands of people will find out about it. LOL.
But, one of the funniest parts was when Kelsey and I went to get coffee at the onsite Starbucks. I happened to be wearing my “WE MOVE THE WOLRD” shirt from this year’s ZINCON. When I got up to the counter the barista read the writing on my shirt and was like, “WE move the world… You’re a Zumba person?!!”
“Yes, I am.”
“But that was months ago.”
“I never left,” I told her. “I’ve been here the entire time.”
You should have seen the shocked look on her face. You could tell she was trying to process it and it took a moment for her to realize I was kidding. And then she told me how much they love the Zumba convention and all of the Zumba people because they are always so happy and loud and they bring life to the place. She said everything seems so lonely and dead after the Zumba convention. She also told me that it’s the only time that they’re open until 8 PM. The rest of the time they close at 4 PM because it’s just so dead.
Having experienced the hotel outside of ZINCON, I understand what she means. It’s really not the same. It made me so nostalgic for ZINCON and I can’t wait until we are back again next year.
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Cocoa Beach, Florida
Posted on October 16, 2016 by Ching under Travel.
I was at the EMACS conference in Orlando a couple of weeks ago and with several people from work. Kelsey and Tammie were among the attendees. Kelsey and arrived in Orlando around the same time and shared a car to the hotel together.
Since we didn’t have a car and rain was in the forecast, Kelsey and I figured that we would just ride the trolley to the outlet mall. As luck would have it, Tammie was visiting her mom and step dad in Winter Haven over the weekend and arrived in Orlando on Monday with a car. She was more than happy to drive us to the outlet mall but the three of us agreed to go to the beach instead.
Tammie, who has considerably more experience with Florida weather than both Kelsey and I, told us that usually rains in Florida all of the time but then it just stops so she wasn’t daunted by the weather forecast. And so off we went to Cocoa Beach, about an hour away from Orlando.
It did rain pretty hard on our way out there and it was super gloomy and cloudy but the rain started to slow down as we got closer and closer to the beach. As soon as we found a place to park, the rain stopped completely and the sky seemingly opened up and the sun came out. The weather could not have been better.
Here are some pictures we took at Cocoa Beach…
We had quite a bit of rain, as evidenced by the wet pavement in this photo.
But the sun was starting to peek out. Mother Nature welcomed us with open arms.
The because would normally be crowded but there was hardly anyone there that day. I suspect the rainy forecast deterred many people from venturing out.
The Cocoa Beach Pier wasn’t crowded at all.
The three of us had a really nice time walking along the beach. There were only a handful of people at the beach at first but, as the sun came out and stayed out, more people began to show up as well.
There might have been more birds than people that day. LOL.
Here’s a selfie of me and Kelsey.
Here’s a picture of Kelsey and Tammie.
And then here’s a selfie of the three of us together.
I think we walked about three miles. It was wonderful. I never would have predicted it but I’m totally a walk along the beach kind of person.
The fact that I caught a bunch of Psyducks and Magikarps and hatched a few eggs while we were walking was just icing on the cake. LOL.
I’m so grateful that we had the opportunity to visit Cocoa Beach before Hurricane Matthew showed up. This is definitely one of several highlights of the trip.
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Rockin’ the Roundhouse 2016
Posted on October 15, 2016 by Ching under Life.
Brian and I were fortunate enough to attend Rockin’ the Roundhouse a couple of weeks ago. RnR is a Wichita State University Alumni Association fundraising event. It’s not that one that my work sponsors so Brian and I actually had to purchase our own tickets for this one.
We purchased our ticket during the early bird ticket sales period, forgetting to take into account that I had a 5 AM flight to Orlando the next day. We are usually very good planners but Brian and I have both been extremely busy of late so we haven’t been having our regular weekly calendar meetings, which is probably how our schedule got completely out of whack.
We already paid for our tickets so we decided to go anyway. We just agreed not to stay out late. Here are some pictures from the event…
In true “nerd fashion” I donned my school’s colors. I also wore the Wu Shock pin that April (WSU Foundation) gave me.
Because I’m a PRO at these types of events, I knew better than to wear heels. LOL. It’s a little bit weird to wear Converser sneakers with a dress when you’re almost 40 but I think the yellow socks (which were Brian’s recommendation) completed the look so the whole outfit went together perfectly. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Besides, are you just as old as you feel anyways?
I ran into my friend Teresa from bowling right when we walked in.
Here’s one of the participating vendors, Sweet Allie B’s.
This is the Butler County Community College-Bakery Arts food station.
This is Molino’s Mexican Cuisine.
I wish I can remember which vendor this is… This is what I get for waiting to blog about the event two weeks later. Ugh.
SmallCakes was there serving up their delicious cupcakes.
Blarney Stone Pub was there.
As was Deano’s Grill and Tapworks.
Here’s a picture of Brian checking out the Greystone Steak and Seafood offering. I think this is the Greystone station.
This picture makes me wonder if the Dunkin’ Donuts guy had some Dunkin’ coffee before the event. LOL.
Granite City Food and Brewery.
The Sodexo food station.
And I think that’s it. I’m pretty sure I got a photo of all of the vendor stations present. Because I just have to take a picture of everything.
This is where they were promoting the WSU Alumni Association app which, of course, I already had. All self-respecting WSU alums should have it. The app notifies you of important alumni events and also has a list of Alumni Association benefits just in case you’ve forgotten. My favorite is the 15% OFF discount on logo merchandise at university bookstore. They have some really cool WSU swag there.
Ran into my friend Junetta Everett, loyal WSU fan, fellow alum, and one of my role models. She is super amazing!
Here’s our obligatory event selfie. Had to do it.
This is the main program area before everyone starting filing in. The them this year was “Red White and Wu” thus the red, white and blue decorations. And, then here’s an after photo…
There were lots of great silent auction items. I bid on a few but didn’t win any of them. Much to Brian’s relief, I’m sure.
It was a great event overall but, besides meeting the wonderful couple at our table who are avid WSU basketball fans, the evening was a little dull. I think because none of our friends were there. We’re going to have to talk a bunch of people into going with us next year or not go at all. These types of events are definitely more fun when you’re attending with a group of people.
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Pictures from April’s Birthday Dinner
Posted on October 10, 2016 by Ching under Events, Food and Drink.
We had a blast celebrating April’s birthday at Bonefish a couple of weeks ago. Here are some pictures from that evening.
Here are some pictures of food…
Because you can’t go to Bonefish and not get bang bang shrimp, we ordered several of these, which we promptly annihilated.
The lump crab corn chowder is also one of my faves.
And, because Brian loves the bang bang shrimp so much, he ordered bang bang tacos for dinner. He just can’t get enough. LOL.
I got the imperial tilapia stuffed with crab and a bunch of other deliciousness. And, because I like crab so much, I also got the crab fried rice. It was just okay. Everything else was delicious, though.
We had a fabulous dinner overall. The only downside for me was that I ate so much with bang bang shrimp and lump crab corn chowder that I was too full to enjoy my entrée. Brian and I need to remember to just split a meal next time. It will save us some money too because dinner at Bonefish is not cheap. LOL.
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Thoughts on Working in Kansas City
Posted on October 9, 2016 by Ching under Life, Relationship.
It’s hard being away from home. Luckily, we are pros at it now. Last year I was spending four days a week in Topeka. I got a short reprieve over the summer, which was nice, but then it started back up again in September. This time I’m spending four days a week in Kansas City.
Between you and me, Kansas City is a step up from Topeka so I’m not complaining. Plus, even though four days of my work week are spent away from my home base, it usually only means three nights away from home.
I do miss Brian and the girls, though. Thank heavens for FaceTime!
Of course, it’s not the same as being there and hugging and holding my babies and being able to share in the day to day activities. But I have a confession to make…
I actually LOVE working in Kansas City.
Perhaps the biggest contributing factor is the walkability of their downtown area. It’s not a secret that I hate driving. When I’m in Wichita, I have to drive to work everyday. It was nice when Brian and I were able to carpool but that stopped two years ago. Yes, I have to drive three hours to get to Kansas City but, once I’m there, I don’t have to see my car again until have to drive back to Wichita.
- I can walk to work each day. (The hotel where I stay is about a four-minute walk.)
- I can walk to the grocery store, if I need something.
- I can walk to the gym, conveniently located across from the office.
- I can walk to Power & Light for nightlife, free concerts, and a plethora of dining options.
- I can walk to the nail salon and even get my nails done over lunch if I so desire.
- I can walk to get good coffee. And I don’t mean Starbucks, though there is also a Starbucks across from the office.
- I can walk to play trivia or ping pong. (I found some ping pong tables in the park across the street from my hotel. I bought a ping pong set from Amazon a few weeks ago. Now I just need to find someone to play with.)
I just cannot get over how I can walk to EVERYTHING and I am loving it!
I also love the downtown views. Here’s a better picture…
The workspace we were given is located on the 17th floor of the tallest building in downtown Kansas City and the view is spectacular. But that isn’t even the top floor, mind you. I can’t imagine what the views are like on the 40th floor on up.
There are downsides, of course. Quite a few, actually. I will not list them all. For the time being, I’m enjoying my time working in Kansas City while it lasts.
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