Thank you for your patience

So last week was a bit of a blur. After opening two mornings in a row and having the rest of the day to myself, I quickly learned that working ONLY 10 hours a day was a thing of the past. In the interest of time and attention span, I've decided to make a list of all the things I learned on my trip.
*If you think that packing one long sleeve shirt "just in case you need it" is enough, think again. You're better off packing one short sleeve shirt "just in case" b/c it doesn't get warm in Monterey.
*Working out alwasy starts out with the best intentions. If you don't think being on your feet that long and running back and forth carrying trays isn't a work out, I suggest you do that for four days and let me know how you feel. Needless to say, P90x is in the past.
*NorCal and SoCal are like two different planets. One should not lump the entire state of California into one stereotype. The people of Monterey are "normal". I felt like I was around my people in that place.
*Just because you have flats doesn't mean they are meant to be walked on for 12 hours a day. When someone tells you to go buy gels for your shoes, you should probably go ahead and do that. As a matter of fact, your rule in buying shoes for the food and beverage business should be, the uglier they are, the more prone you should be to buy them. Cute shoes are great and I'm bummed I didn't get a chance to break them out, but if I had worn heels at all last week, I would have been without feet.
*Sometimes your life and the people that you meet do come full circle. Remember the Shake Weight guy that I met at the beginning of my trip? Well, apparently I worked with a girl whose boyfriend worked at this club where that guys ex girlfriend works. The boyfriend and his buddy were telling a story about some guy they know that bought the Shake Weight and I couldn't believe my ears. I've only been in town two weeks and already know the locals. More signs that I belong here.
*Sleep when you can and as much as you can, b/c when you're not sleeping, you're working. I got home last night around 11 and just so happened to wake up at 11:15 this morning. These time zone things are a beating.
And last, but not least *embrace the people that you meet. It's never to late to meet new friends and keep the old. I've made some amazing new friends that I know I will have for the rest of my life.
I can't put into words what an amazing time I had or the people that I met, but I am so glad I had this experience and look forward to what this means in my life! It's nice to have found my happy place again.