It's been a while, and no, not a published book author just yet, these past months since September things have been a bit relentless to say the least. Last time I was writing it was from Berlin and it seems so far away! Since then a lot more travel has happened, I've met my new team members which are more than I could've asked for, bright, driven and passionate people that make my first year as a manager far easier than I expected!
I spent more time in the US with trips to Texas X 2 that were less hotter than before, one in September for my expert engineer program and our developer conference, where I spent some great quality time with my team's and one in February of this year that far more demanding work wise but I still got a tan at the deck pool of my hotel and watched the Superbowl on the Cowboys plaza huge screen!
Towards the end of the year I also was lucky enough to go to Las Vegas for the biggest cloud conference, re:Invent, and my partner came with me, which was a blessing! The dry desert air didn't agree with us, coming from rainy Scotland but we made the best of our week there, the Palazzo swimming pool and spa was lush and a welcome break in the day, we went to see Cirque du Soleil for the first time and it was exquisite as well as a lot of Black Friday shopping and visiting Harley LV, the Shelby museum and old Vegas, all which were unique experiences. The main reason I was there though, was to fulfill my speaking goal for 2023, I actually was selected to deliver a talk in the Dev Lounge in the expo, in front of a packed audience and though I was nervous about losing my voice, a lot of my leadership and work friends as well as new friends that I made at the conference were there to support me and I smashed it!
The fun didn't end and following Vegas I flew straight to New York for the first time, though my partner had to return home to Scotland which was a bit sad. My first trip to the Big Apple was exciting, overwhelming and beautiful, and since it was also my last expert engineer week a little bit challenging, word of advice, don't book two back to back high energy and high effort weeks, they'll ruin you, not even mentioning the jet lag. I did enjoy New York, I saw my first Broadway musical, was inspired by the Met and the Ghostbusters fire station and took in everything NYC has to offer in December by walking through Liberty Park, downtown Manhattan and Central Park, as well as meeting a few people in person for the first time, and not so glamorous, doing my laundry in a laundromat somewhere in Jersey City!
I then returned home to Scotland, and shortly after a very bright and chilled Christmas we went back home to Romania for New Year's to see my family and recharge my batteries. With all the travelling I had been doing, that was also the first trip we took with my new BA Gold status, and since we connected via Heathrow Terminal 3, for 7 hours (!?) we ended up in the Cathay Pacific first class lounge that was fantastic, with great views of the runway and sunset, a sit in dining restaurant where the food was delicious and mostly empty sitting area, it was a much welcomed start to our holiday! The time at home was lovely but seemed too short as always, and this time, coming back, we had a surprise, my mom decided it was time to come join us, so off to Scotland we went. My mom has since adjusted to life here, we do English day on Sundays to make her feel comfortable with speaking English more, she can but feels embarrassed to, so we're gently transitioning and my partner has even learnt lots of Romanian usual words to help her feel at home. Kai, our husky, loves her and the feeling is mutual, so we now are a household of 4! I'm really happy she's with us and we have been trying to spoil her, here and there with shows, trips, shopping and decorating her room!
Talking about trips, she had her first real holiday abroad with us, for my 30th in March. We went to the south of Spain, to Nerja, and it was a week to remember. We didn't do anything extraordinary, but being together, eating, laughing, talking, walking in the sunshine and warmth, is enough to make us all happy. I didn't want anything special for my milestone, just my people, some good food, sunshine and a beach, and I got just that! I don't feel any different at 30, I still have the same worries, celebrations, thoughts and feelings but I know it's not about the number and more about who you are inside and that's still me, a me that I've learnt to understand, celebrate and accept with the good and the bad and the in-between. Mom went back home in April for a few weeks and returned with my sister and her family that stayed with us for two weeks at the beginning of May. It was great to see them, play with my nephew and have a loud, full house, filled with laughter and bits of mixed languages, especially from my nephew that's getting really good at English!
Now they've left I'm back to focusing a lot on work and we've taken up stand up paddle boarding, my present that I got for Christmas and getting one for my partner as well. I did spend the first hour mostly off the board trying to get back on, but after that we paddled for the afternoon, having a picnic in the middle of the loch and enjoying each others company, in the unexpectedly hot Scottish sun, so hot, my partner had sunburn for a week on his ankles, yes it is funny 🤣 I also realised it's been a long time since I sucked at something and had to really try and practice, but it is a really grounding and humbling experience, I loved it with the struggle, determination and ultimate achievement when I got back on, and they all say you need to get over your fear of falling off, well I got that one covered now! I also got my AWS Solutions Architect certification in May, it was my first attempt at the exam and was sure I'd fail, since I had very little time to study, the pass came as a welcomed surprise and showed me that sometimes I can be too hard on myself and I know more than I give myself credit for.
These past few months and next months I'll be doing a lot of public speaking, holding workshops, talks and travelling for conferences so I expect the summer and fall to pass on quick. That also means I'll probably delay my book writing plans, unless the plane rides have interesting entertainment options 😁
My next stops until September will be for work in London, Portsmouth (for the round the island race again), then further afield in Singapore, Hong Kong and finally our holiday in Japan, that I booked as a birthday surprise for my partner, we're both super excited as we've been trying to visit for the past 4 years and it's finally happening! I feel I've missed a lot of things that have happened since September but one last thing I'll mention is I've got back to reading thanks to my professional coaching sessions, and this year I've averaged 3 books per month which is a streak I plan to keep on going ❤️
Love and light, always xx