Here are a few of my favorite photos...

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. I took over 100, so I tried really hard to put up a reasonable amount. 😂

The last photo is one of my favorites. I didn't want to go through and have to pick my top 10 again to put it more visible, so just go look at it. 😂❤️

I made it home safe and sound about 2 hours ago.

I made it home safe and sound about 2 hours ago. It's nice to be back.

Bear was already in bed so I haven't been able to kiss that lip yet (he doesn't do well when his routine is disturbed), so I'll get my kisses from him tomorrow.

Cubba was so happy to see me that he ran outside and got in the car. 😂❤️

I'm heading up to be bossed around by my cat. He's probably gonna be awful since he'll be excited to see me. 😂😂😂 Hopefully, I'll be able to get some good sleep despite him.

I'll post more about the trip this week. Gotta rest up and get ready for work first, though.

❤️❤️❤️

Regarding the post before last...

Regarding the post before last where I mentioned being locked out of my hotel room...

I just woke up and not being able to say "locked out" in Spanish was on my mind. I just realized that by doing Duolingo for barely over 50 days I actually could have communicated my needs to her. "Cerrado" and pointing to the door, "No llaves" for no keys, and "Estudiar español" would probably let her know I'm trying. I could've even said "roja" and pointed to my crotch to let her know I was on my period if I wanted to. 😂

That's crazy. I never thought I'd be speaking Spanish, and I know that is some broken-ass, baby Spanish, but I need to internalize the fact that I CAN communicate to some degree now. I'm honestly pretty mind blown.

Too bad I was in panic mode when I saw her and not thinking clearly. What a missed opportunity to connect with her better.

I went to the Desert Botanical Garden here today...

I went to the Desert Botanical Garden here today and took over a hundred photos. 😅 I had so much fun hanging out with coworkers/friends that I don't get to see often.

We had our company party tonight and it's still going. GlideFast works hard and plays hard. I'm cold and driving home tomorrow, so I'm back at la Casita in my comfy clothes and snuggled in. It's bittersweet to be getting ready to leave, but I do miss my home and my family.

This is just from the party tonight. I'll go through my garden pics once I'm home.

Trip highlights (aside from this 5-star resort and meeting so many wonderful people):

• Prickly Pear Lemonade
• Banana Caramel Empanadas
• Warm water from the bidet (our bidet attachment at home only has cold water hooked up)

Someone was watching TV in my hotel room.

Someone was watching TV in my hotel room. The remote wasn't under the TV where it's been since I checked in. I haven't turned the TV on since I've been here.

When I got back from activities today, the TV was on, the remote was on the nightstand, and some doors and lighting were different than how I left them.

I checked any possible hiding spaces in the room and it's empty. My belongings are undisturbed.

I'm gonna be honest - I do not care. If someone was doing their job with the TV on or just resting, either way, it's fine.

The people who work here have been exceptionally friendly and have helped my directionally-challenged, lost ass so many times over the last few days. I even locked myself out of my room earlier today with no phone, leggings on (not really how I want to be seen at a work event), and having just started suddenly bleeding out because yay random periods that come with HRT. The last thing I wanted to do was walk the journey up to the main hotel in period-stained leggings to ask for help. Thankfully, one of the ladies who clean here found someone who could let me back in, despite the fact that I couldn't say "locked out" to her in Spanish.

I hope it was she who watched her show or took a rest.

I'm not gonna bore y'all with a photo overload, but...

I'm not gonna bore y'all with a photo overload, but I'm in Scottsdale, AZ for a work retreat. The hotel is super elegant and has a botanical garden that I'm definitely planning to visit tomorrow. It's beautiful here; but of course I'm biased because I love desert life.

This hotel is bougie af. There's a real bidet in my bathroom, it has valet parking, and people who will shuttle you anywhere here at the resort.

I drove here because I love being alone and I love driving and OBVIOUSLY I love looking at the saguaros. It always makes my day when they start appearing. We don't have them in New Mexico. They need a very specific environment to thrive.

It's been a whirlwind couple of days with travel and getting settled in. Today we had tons of enrichment meetings. I'm super proud that 2 of our cohort have made it to higher positions despite having only been with the company for two-ish years.

The best part has been meeting my coworkers face-to-face. I knew a few from going to GCU together, but I've interacted with so many more on other projects and through Slack. Seeing these people in 3D has been so crazy. It's like "OMG - I know you!" every time I turn around. There are so many amazing people here. Everyone is so smart and friendly and supportive. It's wonderful.

I'm in my room getting some rest. Last night was a late night of catching up with some GCU peers, having pizza, and getting lost (this place is literally huge. 😂) My room is also not in the main hotel, but at a Casita and valet shuttled me to it after I gave up on wandering in the dark. 😂 Paired with an early start this morning and being on the move all day, I'm exhausted. Time to rest up for tomorrow!

I busted out a heated blanket for the winter.

I busted out a heated blanket for the winter. The cats like it a lot!

Look at Harley Longlegs. He cracks me up stretching out like that. 😂 It makes his arms look too long and fake. 😂😂😂