Travel

Travel Recap: Relaxing and Rejuvenating in Snowbird, Utah

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In the spirit of keeping it real, I honestly haven’t done very much on the career front over the past couple of weeks – I’ve had a few minor health issues and haven’t totally felt like myself (nothing serious though!), so I’ve been focused on my current project work and then just relaxing and trying to give my body what it needs. Not what it thinks it needs (pizza, ice cream), but what it actually needs. Hence I’ve been doing this crazy elimination diet and basically just eating bland foods like plain rice and fish until I figure out what’s going on. I am seeing a nutrition and wellness coach starting next week, so I can definitely share that experience if people are interested in that.

These health issues happened to coincide with a family trip out to Utah, and it ended up being a really good place to focus on my well being. Cem’s family has been going skiing at Snowbird for almost 40 years – his parents got a timeshare in the 70s and then both Cem and his brother learned how to ski there as kids. This was my first time going – I don’t ski, but since I have the time and flexibility it was a great opportunity to spend time with family. We stayed in a suite with a full kitchen, so after a big Whole Foods haul we cooked almost all of our meals in, which was nice because I had control over the ingredients (not often the case while on vacation). Cem and I were also able to go down to Salt Lake City to meet up with my cousin and his wife and daughters one night – I felt so fortunate to be able to spend time with them when we’re usually so far away, and his girls are just the cutest!

The fresh mountain air was so nice (once I was fully acclimated!), and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous from the resort – the pictures below are the views from our room, from the little nook where I would work from each day, and from the gym!

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View from our room at Cliff

 

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Not a bad “office” view!

 

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Definitely inspiration to go to the gym

 

The resort is at 8,000 feet, which was definitely an adjustment, especially while not feeling well! I was fine after about 24 hours of chugging water and taking it easy. The biggest adjustment was going to the summit at 11,000 feet – wowza, it was hard to breathe up there! But definitely worth it for the photos and the experience!

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The Summit at 11,000 Feet!

 

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The Mangir Family at the Summit

 

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Cem at the Summit

 

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He popped the questions 2 years ago on this day!

 

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Braving the altitude sickness!

 

I’m looking forward to being in DC for the next month or so – the travel has been amazing but I think my body could use some normalcy – especially before we head to Spain for a few weeks at the end of May!

Thank you, 2015 – My Most Important Moments

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Happy New Year everyone! Just getting back into the blog after a relaxing few weeks spending time with friends and family over the holidays. Later this week I’ll share my goals and what I’m most looking forward to in 2016, but for now I’m reflecting on the most important moments of 2015 and what I’m most thankful for in the past year.

My Marriage.

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Our wedding was surrounded by so much love and joy – it was the most perfect day for us. It was very stress-free and every part of the day was planned by us and had special meaning, from the vows we wrote to each other to impromptu dance party to Turkish drums before the reception. But the most wonderful part of 2015 has been our actual marriage and how we live our day-to-day lives as partners. I can’t wait to experience how we grow together and continue to support each other in 2016, especially with several big changes ahead of us – a new job for me, most likely selling our current place and buying a new place, and potentially moving out of DC (whether that means the DC burbs or a different city remains to be seen!).

Honoring my Grandmom.

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We had to say goodbye to my beloved grandmother this summer – it was one of the saddest and most difficult experiences of my life, but I will never forget how much love surrounded her in her final days and the way my family came together during that time. We were so fortunate to have had the opportunity to have several days to say all of the things we wanted to or needed to say and to demonstrate our love for her – not everyone has that chance, and I’ll forever be grateful for that. Since her death, I am trying to be very intentional about honoring my grandmother by spending more time with family and treating others with the same love and kindness that she had for everyone.

Traveling.

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My husband and I love traveling together, and this year was one for the books. We have done a lot of international travel together, but this year was all about continuing to explore the U.S. – there is so much to see in this amazing country and it’s my goal to see at least one or two new places domestically each year. We spent our honeymoon in Hawaii (Kauai and Maui) and it was hands-down the best 16 days of my life – lounging, hiking, swimming, snorkeling, and EATING (the food in Hawaii is absolutely incredible). We also took a short trip to the Pacific Northwest (read more about it here) and recently went on a road trip down the Pacific Coast Highway in Northern, Central, and Southern California. We’re still figuring out where we’re going to travel in 2016, but for now we have a trip to Panama on the books for our dear friends’ wedding later this month!

Taking a Leap with my Career.

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I will always remember 2015 as a pivotal year in my career. I got promoted, I worked on exciting projects that challenged me immensely, I had the privilege to lead and learn from several teams of really amazing and brilliant people, and I had many opportunities to learn from my mentors and leaders. Most of all, I built my confidence and trusted myself to follow my heart and take a pause from “big consulting” to explore the next phase of my career. 2016 is full of opportunity for me, and I am excited to see where it takes me and to share this journey with you all!

What were the moments or experiences in 2015 that you are most thankful for, and how are you carrying what you’ve learned into 2016?