Hey Rich, what’s the deal with “Do something special for Tim”?  You know, #13 on your bucket list.  Who is he and why does he make it on to the list and I don’t?  I’ve received a number of inquiries just like this one since publishing my Top 100 things to do before I die list.  I know, I know.  It might seem strange to state something so vague for what is quite obviously a very specific person.  Well, I’ve been thinking about it for years and toyed with many ideas to let this person know how much he’s meant to my family over the years.  But nothing felt “right”.  I finally came to the conclusion that simple, in this instance, would be best.  Rather then perform some sort I grandiose gesture, I thought there would be no better way to do something “special” for Tim then by putting my thoughts on paper and speaking from the heart.  continue reading »

It’s hard to believe one year has past since our big day.  I wanted to make sure we had a memorable anniversary, so I decided to get a bit creative.  You see, Kathleen and I are both Cowboys fans.  She’s been one for most of her life, and I was converted about 7 years ago.  We’ve always wanted to go to a game, and in recent years have been very eager to check out their new stadium.  Sounds unique, right?  So … off to Dallas we went.

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I vividly remember the day she called to share the news.

Emma:  “Rich, guess what?”
Long pause…I already knew what she was going to say.
Me:  “You got it, didn’t you?”
Emma:  “Yes, I’m going to be a partner”
Me:  “Well Done, Emma … Congrats, Partner!”

I thought it fitting to share an old photo as the header of this post.  You see, it was taken back in 2008 when we were enjoying a weekend in Stockholm, Sweden away from the client site in Germany.  Not only was it a great weekend of sightseeing, but I remember our joking around about her future promotion to partner.  More specifically, I remember we joked that I would deliver a speech to commemorate the accomplishment.  continue reading »

Ah yes, back to Miami once again.  Perhaps this will become a yearly tradition?  We shall see.  This time around, I managed to drag along my best friend Mike to enjoy the halloween festivities.  We connected with my mojito queen, Jessica, who would be the master of ceremonies.  As usual, she was amazing.  She introduced us to some of her dear friends, one by the name of “Jimbo”.  He’s probably one of the most entertaining people I’ve ever met.  More on him to come later.  continue reading »

Participating in a triathlon has been on my bucket list for quite some time.  The endurance aspect always intrigued me, but since I really had no other underlying motivation to do one immediately, there was really no telling when I would actually get around to doing it.

Over the past 6 months or so, I’ve been working with a gentleman by the name of Charles Arnold.  He’s a fellow consultant from a different firm who has been working for the same client.  He’s exceptionally good at what does, and I genuinely admire him professionally for a variety of reasons.  One day, I asked him about his work-out regimen, as he frequently made reference to new ideas he’d have during his morning runs.  He then proceeded to tell me about Team in Training, triathlons and his wife, Kate.  I was touched.  I immediately wanted to get involved without really grasping the actual commitment requirements.  Honestly, I didn’t care.  Just hearing the passion in his voice had me hooked.  Within 20 minutes, Charles was on the phone with the local DC chapter to get me started with the registration process.  continue reading »

Guest post crafted by the brilliance of my wifie

Some time in the early 1990’s, random curiosity prompted my brother to tune into a Formula 1 race on television. He didn’t know any of the teams or drivers, so he selected a car because it “looked cool” and decided that he would root for the driver of that particular vehicle. That driver ended up being the great Michael Schumacher, but at that time no one knew just how great he would be. He was still just a very talented but relatively new phenom on the Formule 1 racing circuit. In any case, my brother Joseph’s first F1 race would end up being a very fateful one: Ayrton Senna would die on the track that day, ending one era and commencing a new one. Joseph’s been a die-hard (and rather encyclopedic) fan ever since. continue reading »

Argentina has been on my bucket list for quite some time.  Ever since reading TimFerris’ blog post called:  How to live like a rock star (or Tango Star) in Buenos Aires…, I just had to go.  We started our voyage in Buenos Aires, and stayed in San Telmo.  Very gritty and authentic.  This is Argentina’s official Tango District.  We saw no less then a half a dozen instances of people just breaking out into dance as we walked through the very colorful Caminito area.

We then took an overnight bus trip to Mendoza using Cata Internacional.  You would think a 13 hr ride would be awful, but it’s really not when you’re riding first class.  We arrived refreshed and ready to take on the day.  Mendozza was extraordinary.  The people, the food, the fine, all of it.  It was undoubtedly my favorite part of the trip. 

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I’m a few posts behind so I decided to share two posts in one.  Back in early April, one of our dearest friends, Nick, made a voyage from Connecticut to our corporate apartment all the way in Maryland.  He came with all kinds of goodies…alcohol, cupcakes, and a beautiful present from Tiffany’s.  He’s just a class act all the way; generosity aside we just love hanging out with him.  His visit was chalked full of laughs and sight-seeing. 

More recently (early May), Kathleen and I decided to hit a few special sites that have just plain eluded us since we started our temporary living situation in Maryland.  We hit the following hot spots:  Arlington Cemetery, Thomas Jefferson Memorial and the amazing George Washington estate in Mount Vernon. 

Check out the photos below.  Enjoy!

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While traversing much of Europe back in 2008, I always intended to visit Belgium.  My colleague at the time, Jody, insisted week after week for almost a year that I needed to take a trip there.  “Oh, I’ll eventually get there” was my canned response.  A few years flew by, and then the stars aligned.  Decadent chocolate, moules frites and the beauty that is Brussels and Bruges were officially within reach.

Just to make things even more interesting, I decided to squeeze in a trip to Amsterdam.  I absolutely adored my last visit there, but I was solo and couldn’t share that wonderful experience with Kathleen.  That part of our adventure would be the most exhausting, but very much worth it.  Here are some of the highlights of our trip and a kick-ass video montage that captures the essence of our journey.  Enjoy! continue reading »

Since starting eating better at that start of the new year, we designated one day (Saturday) per week as our splurge day.  On that magical day we were allowed to eat whatever we wanted.  It’s actually become a pretty fun routine.  We sincerely look forward to Saturdays, just so we could share in our joyous gluttony.  Good times. 

Our weekend was quickly approaching, and both of us very much in need of some time away from the corporate apartment in Maryland.  But how should be spend our splurge?  Pizza?  Nah.  Burgers?  Ehhh.  Hmmm, how about cheese-steaks?  Why that sounds like a unique and awesome idea.  Let’s do it!  But where should we get them?  Philly, of course.  It’s only a couple hours away.  Done deal. continue reading »