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Catch Up

I know many of you might be wondering what the heck happened to me....Well, a lot has happened and the long anticipated (as if I have enough readers) top 10 travel log for the end of the year and last week has come! :)

First...CHINA! November 2008

10. Moutai smells like lighter-fluid and comes in a bottle that looks like lighter-fluid, why would anyone drink that? Ladies and Gentlemen, I learned this last trip that if you are someone that doesn't drink, like me, you do the following, "I'm sorry, I don't drink for religious reasons. But, Tou has informed me that he will be drinking my share for this evening."
9. Fitting four americans into one taxi cab to save money really doesn't make a difference when you find out your trip cost 25 cents.
8. Parrots in the US speak english and parrots in China speak Chinese, "Ne Hou Ma?" I'm not really sure why this surprised me, but it did...
7. We learned a whole new meaning to Hanedashi - or "to vigorously expel", Thanks Barbara!
6. Watching a bunch of Chinese high officials make paper airplanes and yelling in Chinese to make it go faster was hilarious!
5. Each part of the great wall that I walk I learn something new. This section had a maze attached to it. So when the enemy made it over the wall, they were still dazed and confused. Pretty ingenious if you ask me!
4. You know you're in China when you see everyone on a bike, people sweeping the freeway, cyclos on the freeway, etc.
3. Pulling silk is harder than it looks. Mike, Barbara, Barry, Bruce and I had a really hard time with it. "Here, let the ladies take care of that, they can fix the mistakes..."
2. Dumplings in Xi'an are still the best!
1. I never get over the culture and history of China. I am amazed by it! And it's true what they say, "The Olympics make everything magical" We saw the "cube" it's incredible to see a whole building change colors like that! I'll post pictures I promise!


Alabama December 2008:

10. Bama Pride! "Crimson Tide" Everybody wears something with Alabama on it, purses, shirts, hats, socks, ties, etc.
9. Everything is fried I had the following: Pickles (Which were the best!), Okra, Shrimp, Onions, Scallops, etc.
8. SO GREEN!!! Gorgeous green oak trees and fields. Amazing
7. I swear I gained 10 pounds in one week: Gumbo, Whiskey Steaks, Hush Puppies, Keylime Pie, Grits, the list goes on and on...
6. I love the accent, but I am a mimicker, I slipped into the accent a time or two. My favorite phrase from the whole week was in reference to someone level loading work as "Peanut butter spreadin'"!! LOL
5. It was the week before the "Big Game" Alamaba/ Florida...Football is life! I had a blast teaching them about the "Holy War" BYU vs UofU...Who knew that a couple weeks later the U would crush Alabama?!
4. I don't know what it is about the South, but it seems like there are outlet stores everywhere!
3. Houses on stilts, I don't think I'll ever get used to that...
2. I love the Southern Hospitality. It's SOOOO true! I loved the plant and Foley. Such a great place!
1. Beautiful WHITE sand beaches! "Alabama...Who Knew?!" Seriously some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. I loved it. But the threat of hurricanes on the Gulf scare me.

North Hollywood January and Last week 2009:

10. Met a lot of famous people: Chucky, Dracula, some kid named Adam "Hi Adam"...yeah scary!
9. Walked the street walk with all the Stars
8. Saw the famous "Hollywood" sign
7. Stood on Harrison Ford's feet imprints at the Grauman's Chinese Theater! :)
6. Drove down the amazingly SHORT Rodeo Drive
5. Almost convinced someone in the group to get a tattoo because the other two of us won't. ha
4. If you go to Hollywood, make sure that you go with someone who has never been there, we had Tammy from Foley Alabama. It was a riot. Loved the Southern drawl in Hollywood :)
3. If you want a real taste of Burbank, go to Target after 9pm. You meet some very interesting people. One individual told me his philosophy on life and another lady offered me a job in finance for Citibank. Who knew?
2. U2 was on David Letterman every night that week!
1. The new U2 album came out while I was there.

I promise I'll post pictures soon! Thanks for your patience! Loves!

Yes another trip made and another adventure had: Destination, Waco Texas

10. Wacko Waco is not a new joke, they've heard it for years
9. The Branch Davidians are still practicing and they plan to rebuild the compound (I know you all were wondering...)
8. "ea' yeet?" "naw u?" nope, ya'unt to?" "Aite".....is holding a conversation
7. The Hilton was really nice except it was really hard to walk into the front door....the door hit the "coffee nook" and I thought to myself, "dang it, I don't drink the stuff...they should have no coffee rooms so I don't have to bang into this thing everyday"
6. It doesn't matter how hungry you are, the freeways don't let you get off. We would see a sign for a restaurant and want to get off the freeway, but if you didn't already know that it was there 40 miles ahead of time, you weren't going to eat there. (the exits were literally 5 miles ahead from when you would actually see what you wanted to get off for)
5. Watch out on off ramps!!!! You could be headed in the wrong direction into on-coming traffic!!!!
4. High School football is LIFE. We saw a high school stadium that can seat 40,000 people.
3. Miss Nuvi saved our lives yet again and she said, "there is a better way" never heard her use that phrase before....It could have been because the road we were on showed us out in the middle of nowhere (not even on a road) for her.
2. Pay attention to the time change....I was working off my computer time and subtracting two hours instead of adding two hours....no wonder I went to bed at 2am that night....
1. Buzzard Billies never ceases to amaze me. "That there Cajun meal is mighty fine if I do say so myself"

Thanks MarathonNorco for inviting us to join you! I'm glad that we could chat a bit about Lean AND the BYU/UofU rivalry. (there were a few BYU and UofU grads at the facility) live on Holy War! :)

Back from the UK

Yet another top ten from my latest trip for work! This time was in Sheffield UK. What an incredibly beautiful place!

10. Flying in to Manchester on a half empty plane was SWEET!
9. There are sheep and cows all over the place
8. Tom Tom ain't so great (ALL the round abouts! I've never seen so many...not even in my other trips to the UK)
7. Even though our supplier's name was Doncasters, they weren't located in Doncaster...(AND I was the ONLY woman on the shop floor, I'm not even joking about that)
6. Pub food is still the way to go and the only choice in Sheffield (Most restaurants in the area you order from the bar and when you are seated, your food is ready...I kinda like this arrangement)
5. My traveling companions are HILARIOUS: Jim and Olivier "Stupid Tom Tom" ripping it out of the car jack and threatening to throw it out the window...."I stayed up late last night watching a movie on one of the three channels we have"
4. Cherry Coke tastes COMPLETELY different...it's definitely a cough syrup flavor
3. I don't know what it is, but I still find the signs funny..."Humped Zebra Crossing", "Mind Your Head", "Sheep Crossing", etc.
2. The homes are a lot like cottages, or old time manor houses (our hotel was a renovated 11th Century Chapel, and a 16th century Manor house with stables...GORGEOUS!)
1. Even though it was nothing like London, it was an incredible place, more like what I picture England to be like with all the farm land and sheep, etc.

Thank you Doncasters for inviting us to come and help out! It was a great experience and I'm glad to have met you all!

Long List of Adventures in Careers

Have I been BUSY sheesh! Traveling, working, spending time with friends and family...I couldn't ask for a better set up! Due to these current happenings, I think it'll be more fun to write more about "Adventures in Careers" for a while. Mostly my observations about the new places that I've visited while traveling for work. Lists seem to be a good format for me. So if you can handle it....READ ON! :) Some of these things are a LONG time coming:

April: Wolverhampton, UK


10. I LOVE the UK!
9. Soccer, er. football, is the WAY of life, ESPECIALLY in Wolverhampton (go Wolves! and I watched Manchester United win! Hurrah!)
8. Pub food (at "The Spread Eagle", really, that was the name) is the best
7. They have no idea what a coke with grenadine means ("what's grenadine?")
6. Everyone says, "At the present" when they are working on something...(ex. "When is the machine coming?" "they are working on it at the present.")
5. Thai Chili flavored crisps (potato chips) are the BEST!
4. The Chinese food place played 50s and 60s music; the Italian place played 80s elevator music
3. Shopping by myself in Wolverhampton was really nice
2. The other employees at Goodrich Actuation Systems UK were AWESOME! (one even bought me some biscuits (cookies) because he heard I loved them)
1. "Stay LEFT of the blue arrow when driving!!!!"

May: San Marcos, Texas


10. There is a HUGE outlet mall in San Marcos and my big accomplishment was that I didn't buy anything!
9. I'd tell you what I worked on while at the San Marcos facility but then I'd have to kill you :)
8. "What kind of devil bird chirps at night?!"(Kit "Failure to Launch") Mocking Birds and Black Birds are REALLY loud!!!
7. I got lost EVERY night...all those "outer highways" can get really confusing
6. "the Oasis" is a really incredible restaurant on Travis Lake...food, eh, atmosphere, AMAZING
5. It was SUPER hot in MAY....I know because I was sawing metal outside for half an hour...the power saw was broken.
4. I LOVE the Texas accent, "Used to could...", "You was yella" etc.
3. Texas Pride is alive and well
2. Austin IS weird, "Keep Austin Weird" - the lizard man in the airport PROVED it
1. Seeing old friends makes every trip WORTH IT! (thanks Kevin, Sarah, and Percy!!! and welcome new friends Joe, Tim, Brigid, Carrie, and Melanie)

May: Riverside...again


10. There's a WHOLE lot more to do in Riverside than Alex and I originally thought! This time I went to the Sanrio (Hello Kitty) store for over an hour. (instead of Toys-R-Us)
9. I love being so close to family. I can meet up for a movie, drive home for dinner...etc.
8. Meeting up with friends from the other plants is a blast!
7. The second week of Lean Training was an interesting exercise, our team rocked!
6. "Juan, the Male Room is different from the Mail Room...", sometimes when you've been working on a process flow ALL week, people tend to read fast.
5. I had Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, Greek, Irish, and American food all in Riverside
4. "Let me introduce the team,....oh and here is Michelle....everyone knows Michelle..." (Thanks Juan)
3. Bomb scares are anonymous, "Of course the bomb scare would be anonymous, it's not like someone is going to call in and say, 'hi my name is george, I'm calling in a bomb threat.'" We were evacuated for about an hour.
2. I love going to these training things, I get to meet people from all over Goodrich and the best part is I get to see them all again!
1. There's nothing better than being able to go home for a holiday (Mother's Day)

June: Cleveland, Ohio


10. It's REALLY green! and there aren't any fences
9. The Winking Lizard is an awesome wings place: Magma is intense. Lizard Lips are really good too
8. Bang Bang Shrimp was totally worth it
7. There really is a "wrong side of the tracks": we literally crossed over the train tracks and the homes DRASTICALLY changed
6. The architecture is really unique, in some parts it's like Boston (bricks and mortar) and others like a brand new city of Iron (Rock Hall of Fame)
5. Canadians are still funny
4. Surfer's drivers licenses get great reactions from people (Zack's: "I don't know what you was doin' but I definitely want to be a parta dat", "there's my wild man", "I didn't think it was you man", "WHOA"
3. Getting nicknames: "Snappy from ASG News"
2. History lessons at the steak house are better than paid tours of the city (House of GYNORMOUS steaks...seriously bigger than my head)
1. "There are surfers in Ohio too?!" We literally saw a guy with a surf board strapped to the top of his car, it was upside down, but hey, it was a surf board in OHIO! :)

RIVERSIDE...the Riv....er...side....

So I just got back from my first trip for work. It was an eventful week. No Literally...we went for a Kaizen Event. :) I know, I know, cheesy engineering joke, but I just had to. Anyway...

I have to say all the things that I heard about Riverside when I was a kid have been dispelled. Well, sort of. Riverside is Riverside. Sorry for those of you that are from the area, but everything closes about 5 probably because of the gang problem. But in all honesty, for me, Riverside wasn't so bad. Why? Well because I stayed at The Mission Inn! (Please refer to the picture above) Yes folks, The Mission Inn. It's a Goodrich preferred hotel. And I LOVED it!

The event was a lot of fun and I'm learning a lot of new things VERY quickly. To dispell all the misinformation that many of you may have...I work for Goodrich Aerostructures. It used to be known as BF Goodrich (the tire people) but for the last 30+ years they have not made tires (Michelin has actually). We make specific parts for aircraft. Hence if I told you specifically, I would have to have you sign papers saying that I told you what I did and you would have to claim that you wouldn't tell others. So to save us both problems...I work in Aerospace, not tires. :)

As for Riverside the event turned out well and I even got to experience my first presentation! I'm meeting people from all over the world too which is a lot of fun. Alex (my coworker in Chula Vista who was working on the Kaizen Event too) is from France. So while I've been learning all the interesting things about growing up in France, I teach him stupid stuff about the states. In other words, I didn't know that most of my language is slang apparently and he's never heard of half of it. I really should work on that.

Anyway, to say the least it's really good to have some friends at work and I'm really enjoying myself!

The top ten things about Riverside:

10. Riverside isn't that far from home!!!!
9. Everything closes at 5
8. I basically don't have to do anything to win at pool, people just lose when they play me (remember John? I won your car? Yeah, Alex isn't much better, heh)
7. Alex really likes Techno and House music (everywhere we went we listened to it...it's growing on me, I'm working on it Madi)
6. Foreign food is really good, and learning about it adds to the experience
5. Goodrich is AWESOME!!! I am SO going to love it here! I love the work, my team, the events, Lean, it's perfect for me.
4. Kaizen events are a lot of fun, no matter how frustrating it can be some of the time. I totally am in my element with Goodrich.
3. I'm still a ToysRUs kid! :)
2. The Mission Inn is incredible: food, service, everything! And so is running into old friends there (Tyler!)
1. "What happens in Riverside, stays in Riverside" All the people I met were a lot of fun to talk to and I'm glad that I've been able to meet them all!

Mountain Biking Mishaps

Last week we had a team building experience up in Eden Utah. It was at Wolf Creek and was a complete blast! The first day five of us (I was the only girl) went mountain biking whilest the rest of the crew went golfing. I no longer golf thanks to an unpleasant dating experience (my date whacked me in the knee with a chipping wedge, I've never been the same since).

Anyways, it rocked. We went on this little trail about 4.5 miles long next to the lake. Complete with small switchbacks, hills, and downhills. A great trail for the beginner that I am....well, it was me, Robert (ERP Manager), Paul (Regional Sales Manager), Martin (RSM), and Mark (VP). Little did I know that Mark used to be in Motocross as a kid in the UK...and Martin is a pro biker in Florida. But they kept up with me pretty well. heh. More like I kept up with them the best I could.

Well, on the way back I'm behind Martin on the trail and I'm gaining speed down the hill so that I can make it up on the upcoming switchback....well as I come to the first hairpin turn I see a 2' long snake in my path...before I can go around (I'm heading up the hill mind you) I run directly over it screaming "SNAKE!!!!" and then promptly ride off the trail and end up sitting on a bushel of thistles. OUCH!!!!!!! now the rest of the group is behind me bunched up laughing and saying that none of them saw the snake. So for the rest of the two day retreat I was made fun of for hitting the "snake" that was really a "worm". Bah. I swear it was there! it was black and it looked menacing!!!

Anyways, the rest of the retreat was full of interesting games where we had to work as a team to solve problems. It was really good. My team was all the engineers, IT, and basically all the analytical people which meant we spent all our time planning how we were going to complete the task at hand. We ended up not winning because we didn't get to two of the events, but that's okay. We didn't really care too much.

Overall, it was a good event. And today at work I walked into my office and there was a waterbottle sitting on my desk with "#1 Champion Wolf Creek Mountain Biking - Womens Division" written on it in magic marker. How cool is that? Apparently one of the guys from the trip wanted to help me feel better about the snake that I saw. It totally made my day.

Anyways, I'm new at this whole blog thing...hopefully you enjoyed the entry! Loves! Mish