what do a/c, ilympics, thinglink and check engine lights have in common? me.

yesterday i went in to do paperwork and get all of the necessities taken care of...and learn about benefits. i pulled up just as the others were pulling in-they had flown or driven in and gone to lunch. i left around 1:40, and got home around 6 pm and it was super warm, making me think i'd forgotten to turn the air back on when i'd returned from mo...so i went to turn the ac on, and it made all the right noises, only there was no air coming out. this could not be good news.

so i turned up all of the fans. it was pretty bad by the time we got ready for bed! if i didn't have my bed fan, i would not have made it through last night-how did i ever make it through life in sps?? anyhoo. i was just slightly less than miserable, and the boys were panting as well-it was rough for them. this morning, when we woke up, it wasn't much better. i made a red-neck air-conditioner (bucket of ice cubes with a fan blowing into it) before i left. unfortunately, i know the boys were distressed, because when i got home, i saw they had vomited bile and almost diarrhea (don't ask, trust me on this one; i'm just glad the potty pad was down).

on a bright note, maintenance did come, and fix the air, in fact, they removed the old 80's thermostat, and replaced it with a brand new model, which i am hoping will save me money in the long run on electric! my bills have been outrageous! also, they fixed the lock to the balcony door...it may or may not have ever worked...but i'm on the third floor, so it really didn't phase me. but when all is said and done, better to get it fixed while they're here than forget and have to pay for it later. last item on the agenda-paint the ceiling. hopefully they come back to get that taken care of tomorrow, because it looks terrible!
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i arrived at the doubletree for the conference right on time, and dropped my belongings off in the main hall, before making my way up to the 21st floor-i am pretty sure i gained weight just thinking about breakfast on the way up in the elevator! yum! so i got to sit and chat it up and get to know different people on the training team. because so many were on the conference call during the first interview, they recognized me before i was able to make connections. but it will come together soon. when i got back down to the main hall, i was writing my name on a name-tag when a gal walked up and said, "go ahead and make one for me too. jane." and it wasn't the jane i know, so it was kinda' funny. she later said my writing was much better than hers, and she liked the way i did mine. she is a trainer as well (and we share a very similar humor, in fact our stories from the back of the room certainly added spice to the luncheon). a very unique and diverse group.

kinda' want to take the cutout with the istation icon home...i do NOT need any silly stuff #justsayno

assigned seating! with goodies!

had to break out the awesome wick-away/sports pull-over to stay warm (it actually looks good!)

the conference this year is ilympics-style:

we had an excellent keynote speaker, commander mark mcginnis. a navy seal with much to say about leadership and team. excellent talk, and strangely, i found myself with tears in my eyes a couple of times (and i'm pretty sure it wasn't meant to be a 'touching' talk)...i think just the overwhelming-ness of realization of how much those in uniform really do sacrifice!

i ate entirely too much.

and when we went to the various trainings, i was wishing i could bottle up the cold air to bring back to my apt. for real, though..taking a jacket tomorrow and some hand warmers, because it's winter over there! even with coffee in hand...#needmukluks

when we reached the end, it wasn't really the end-just a transition to the istation building, where they had drinks and appetizers waiting. i wasn't into the drinks being offered, so i settled for a couple bottles of water, and after participating in the chatter for a bit, i was 'summoned to the principal's office.' i'd already had a heads up. lori just wanted some assistance and feedback, because she thought it'd be cool to try the thinglink, like the one i'd used in my presentation! #proudmoment can't wait to be a participant!

really? why didn't i know about the rain?? but from 21 floors up, it looked fabulous!

and here i was worried that somehow i was going to be cast in alexander's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, as on the way to the conference, my engine light came on-ugh. is it just a coincidence that it is happening only a week after i took it in for recalls? hmm...seems so suspicious. last thing i need-especially now, as i will probably be driving quite a bit. (surely nothing a doubletree cookie won't cure, right? ok, somehow buns-o-steel seems so completely overrated this week).

please check this out to get a small taste of one of the reasons i am thrilled to be a part of istation!

thankfully when i got home, i walked into a room, much cooler than the one i left this morning! i will be sleeping comfortably tonight. #grateful  we really don't know how good we have it. think of some of the modern comforts and conveniences that you take for granted and must take a moment to be grateful!

julie

can't get my days straight! #teacherproblems

i got a message the other day from one of my dear school-friends asking if i'd be up for celebrating my new position on tuesday at 7pm-but the time was not good because i was going to be picking up a mutual friend from the airport at that time...or so i thought. we went through the whole act of rescheduling for lunch..then i got a text from nicolette saying that their flight was running a little late--on monday...my bad. apparently tuesday pm would've been fine. it must be a summer/teacher thing. once summer rolls around, we lose all sense of time and day! so while i'd been told the date, i was thinking the wrong DAY...i need to write these things down! (not the first stupid thing i've done since school let out! i hate making mistakes!)

so monday i did get out to go walk (tried to run a little, but i just couldn't get into it)...then i was able to get over to the car dealership to have two recalls taken care of. which apparently is an important thing. love it when they fix my car for free. and while i was waiting i got a call from someone about next week-he asked me if i wanted to stay onsite at the hotel, or (one of the managers had mentioned i might prefer to stay at home because of the dogs, so i wouldn't have to have to find someone to care for them right off the bat)...not realizing that this would be an option, i immediately took him up on it, because let's face it, driving all the way back up to mo and back in a day-not the most attractive option! although it does sound like the nights will be a little late.

so yes, lunch at the YARDHOUSE was delish! the company-as usual, charming (i appreciate each of these ladies so much)! several great conversations! great to have veronica back in town! and a few serious possibilities for emergency dog-sitting. i want to build up my go-to list because i definitely don't want to wear out their welcome!

each one of these ladies special for their own beautiful and unique personalities! #betterforknowingthem

before lunch, i'd packed almost everything up so that i could just come home and grab the boys for our trip home. on the way up to mo, i had a book on tape that stevie had loaned me-it was really good, once i got used to the guy reading it..when he read the voice of the czech woman, i had a really hard time not envisioning a burly transvestite with a cheap blonde wig...#malevoiceproblems great book, though!

we had a fairly routine drive and slept well. (slept well once we got there, not on the way, mind you!) today we got up and chaco had the opportunity to meet the  chickens-bruno didn't bat an eyelash...chaco on the other hand...had to exert his dog-hood and show who was boss. and yes, he is smaller than the chickens. they also got to meet mac, the collie. mac is less than a year old, so he is a little clumsy, and very excitable. bruno just turns around and walks away or at least out of reach. chaco...hotheaded. he was growling and nipping. he didn't like the big dog getting close to me...or close to him. he doesn't do well with big dogs. i don't know if they scare him, or if he just wants to be the alpha. either way, we need to work on that! i wonder if he would do better when i'm not around.

they're just so tiny in this huge field!!

i went to a couple of stores for some clothing, because i've had to get rid of a lot of mine that didn't fit anymore. #lovecuteclothes

not surprisingly, my dad put up a new target. he's really good about thinking about the things i enjoy doing, and he loves to create and put things together (and you wonder where i get it from!) i'm going to go out there tomorrow and shoot off a few rounds, as i haven't been to a range in dallas in awhile, and i need to keep my confidence up..in fact, when i get back to dallas, i need to set up a day to go with another friend from school who has her chl.

dad doesn't think the ammo will go through...i hope not, but if you recall, the last time we did this, i put holes in the back of the garage! so...we'll see! 

 after target practice, i plan to go down to branson to visit one of my dear friends from college-kristin-i don't get to see her as often as i'd like, but when i do, it makes my heart smile! she is one of those people who always keeps a great attitude, even in the midst of exhausting, uncomfortable circumstances...she inspires me! i was also going to go out to k-2 to visit with trish, mentor and friend. but i don't know if that is going to happen, or not, as things at kamp can get super hectic.. she is another dear friend who has had an impact on helping smooth out some of the edges in the formation of character. we never get enough time!

it is going to be a short visit to mo, because i will be stopping overnight in norman for donuts...i've been craving them for about 2 months now, but conditions have never been optimal to get up for the visit! i don't want to stop at the hurts here in springfield, because i fear i will be the binging donut-aholic and people will think there are deeper issues...20 donuts later-hence i need bmayes, my donut-accountability-partner and then i will have my fix for a bit...and i will swear off donuts until the next time i can visit anna maria island's donut experiment with shea!

have a great night! (p.s. it's wednesday night- looked at my calendar!)
julie