when the beverage cart gets the best of your coworker...the one time i'm glad i wasn't in first class

alrighty! what a week.

last sunday, as you may or may not know, i flew across the country to pasco, wa. i originally had about an hour and 1/2 layover. unfortunately, my flight out of tampa was delayed and the conx was going to be very tight, so the guy at the counter kinda' ignored what i was saying (because he knew i was correct-we were set to land after boarding had begun for my flight out of denver). he was at least kind enough to move me forward several rows, even though it was a middle seat. the great thing is that it was a couple, so she moved over and i ended up with an aisle.

i had to bust a move to get from gate 17 to gate 55...a rather sprawling airport. and i was slightly winded and sweating, but i made it just as boarding was beginning, as we'd made up a little time coming into denver.  i saw my colleague and she got ready to board-somehow she'd gotten first class; i was pretty far back (it was where the aisles were when i booked!) the flight was rather uneventful until we landed.

upon landing, something flew by me and i barely glimpsed it out of the corner of my eye. my first thought was luggage had come undone and fallen...but whatever it was didn't thud onto the ground. i leaned into the aisle in time to see the drink catapulting down the aisle at an unbelievable speed! a few voices from my area of the plane shouted,"WATCH OUT!" (fortunately no one careened their head into the aisle as it was passing, because i guarantee it would've broken their neck). fortunately no one had any limbs sticking out into the aisle either.  it came to a stop after crashing into the last seat in first class, which happens to jut out into the main aisle where first class ends (embrair 175).

here's the thing. if the top latch is latched, it seems like the thing isn't getting around that top latch...but if it does, and the brake below is down in lock position, the thing doesn't fly down the aisle, right? if the break is on, it falls forward and slides down....sketchy.... 

i was trying to recreate my entrance onto the plane...i'd passed by my colleague, but which seat exactly had she been in? as we were taxiing to a gate, the flight attendants hustle to the incident and once we actually pulled up, we were instructed to remain seated. then i heard my name over the intercom, and i was asked to get my belongings and try to help my co-worker. so we waited and then the wheelchair arrived. first off the plane!! (not the way you want to do it). once we got inside, the airport sheriff was there to take a report, and before he'd gotten all the information he needed, the emt crew showed up and began taking vitals and checking stuff. moments later they hauled her off in a gurney, and another officer accompanied me to get luggage and my rental car. she told me which hospital i needed to go to, and marked it on a map-super helpful.

once i got the car, i had to try to figure out the bluetooth pairing so i could make a couple calls to work. unfortunately it was sunday, and i wasn't sure who'd be available-i just wanted to let someone...anyone know. messages. i left messages. after picking her up, we went to the hotel and checked in- thumbs up, it was very nice and the perfect location! we didn't even have to make a fuel purchase, because everything was within a 2 mile radius! shout-out to all you small towns! 

once we'd checked in, we went to mexico lindo for dinner and it was fabulous! it felt like 5, but it was only like 2:30...the weather was overcast and 30's, and 2:30 looked much later in washington state than it does in florida. this weather makes my boss happy, but not so much my cup-o-hot chocolate. we ended up getting back to the hotel around 4, and i was like, "good night!" (seriously). i took a few minutes to write up an email to let HR and our vp of professional development know exactly what had happened. and i did go to bed rather early.

which led to waking up early-4:30 am early...and when i couldn't get back to sleep, it was nice to have gotten a call to occupy some of my time until breakfast opened! but hey, once 6:00 rolled around, i was in the dining area, making good of the buffet! and writing more of my Christmas cards! i was there until around 8, when my coworker made it down- eye still hurting, and a bit of a headache. so after we finished with breakfast, she went back to make some calls and take a nap. around lunch time, i offered to run out for some lunch and get some supplies for the training. our training was to take place from 4:15-7:15...late night!

i ended up doing the presentation portion of the training, as she was still feeling a little light-headed/sore eye...and she fielded questions and helped individuals. it was a mixed level group, but we had a good session. while perhaps some people do, i rather don't enjoy the set-up in college campuses with the lecture room. the other thing about college campuses is that usually we have a bit of playing around to do trying to get the equipment and sound working!

once we were finished, we made our way quickly back to the hotel and it was time for bed, because our flight was a 5:05 boarding...pretty sure we left the hotel around 4:15. and arrived at the gate in time for breakfast to-go and boarding! uneventful, home by 6!

stay tuned and i'll tell you the tale of the flip-flops very soon!
julie

some pd after the storm

it was fun to get back into some training after irma. cue up first session back... it was good to get to work with pam and michele. you can't please everybody all the time...and i've learned from experience as a teacher that elementary teachers and middle school/high school teachers are just different breeds. they have different perspectives and needs. makes sense. it's always interesting when one session feels like playing with baby sloths, hedgehogs and kittens and another session feels like hellen keller trying to navigate the fire swamp and fire swamp rats... but we did it with a smile and class.

when they really like the colors so they take your numbers...

sharing out

working through reports-around the world

having fun with alex!

then michele and i were off to miami 2 days later. we had a short flight to fll, and met up with joyce and alicia and headed to the hotel-after poncing on one of the two available suv rentals. we found the hotel easily, and tried to check in, but it was too early, so we left the luggage, and went to grab a bite to eat at a little spanish restaurant around the corner. it was nothing to write home about (mom, that's why you didn't receive a letter). then we took the long way to find the training site (because we missed a turn or two or five...) anyhoo, we found it and then headed back to the hotel to do the REAL check-in!

i think a alicia and joyce took advantage of the pool (or at least they had mentioned it), and i took a nap, because napping is my favorite thing!! then alicia knocked (she and michele were in rooms across the hall), and she showed me some of the great little prize bags she'd put together and brought for our participants. i truly did appreciate that because i just don't have items for give-aways, and the participants really appreciated them!

then we all got together and discussed dinner. we went to the same strip mall we'd been to earlier to try the recommended steak and seafood place. it was also mediocre. the garlic toast before-hand was akin to the bread that i leave out to dry for bread crumbs...the kind where when you take a bite, crumbs spew out everywhere and there's no getting them off your black shirt, don't even bother. then we ordered the smashed plantain tostones, expecting exactly that, but what we received were mariquitas de platano...like legit chips straight from the bag. and when they offered tortillas, alicia asked if they were made there, and the lady laughed and said, "no, walmart!" not even lying. the flan and 4leches were pretty good.

we hit up the nearest grocery store for some lunch items for the next day, because we didn't see anything in the area the day before, and knew we wouldn't have a lot of time to go get anything. when we got back to the hotel, the parking lot and the garage were full, which was strange. so we finally found a spot over the river, through the woods, across the prairie...as we got out and started toward the hotel, someone was coming up the stairs and we asked if there was a special event going on. the young lady looked at us with disdain and said, "it's church." as if we should have know they were having services in the hotel.. she almost said it in such a way that she maybe should've gone back to get more love in her heart for others... so i went back to the car to secure a closer parking spot as people were leaving, because we knew we'd be tight on time in the morning.

the following morning, we were up bright and early, and the restaurant didn't open until 7am...we had complimentary breakfast, so we weren't going to pass that up, as there were no real restaurants on the way. joyce and i walked in, and the lights were dimmed, and we stood there for a second until the manager behind the bar doing inventory acknowledged us and just stood there looking at us. we smiled and said we knew it wasn't open until 7, we were 10 minutes early, could we just find a seat and wait til they were ready? he looked at us without saying anything and so i added, "or would you rather we waited outside?" he (not very nicely i might add) said he would prefer that. so we waited.

alicia joined us after getting stuck on the elevator temporarily-just not a great way to start the morning! when she mentioned it to the fella at the front desk, he said oh, it happens. as if it were a normal thing. for the love. then as soon as the clock struck 7, we were at the door pointing at our watches, it was almost like the runners at the beginning of a race, or shoppers at the door on black friday. we got our food from the buffet and scarfed it down so that we could get on the road.

once we arrived, we found a parking spot at the front of the building and people were beginning to arrive..we waited patiently, alicia and michele had a nice little dance-with alex to an 80s song, and then we saw the coordinator and found our way to the room we were to be working in. we got everything set up and ready, but then we had to wait because after people ate donuts, someone came in from the school with bagels and other breakfast stuff, and everyone from the other training came over and they all had second breakfast. michele and i just grinned and beared it...bared it....bore it...waited. once we were able to get started, it went well-almost everyone was new, and so they were able to see how it would benefit them. both sessions went well, and it was great to have alicia and joyce there for the feedback and to provide additional information!

because sometimes ya just gotta' dance it out

cafecito-delectable!

there was about to be some weather at the end of the day, and we were supposed to end at 3:30, but someone popped their head in and said we had to clear the building by 3:00 (it was a church), and so we had to fast track the ending, but we weren't complaining! this was assurance that we would all make our flights home without having to be rushed.

we bid farewell to joyce and michele, then alicia and i found a great little pizza joint before going our separate ways. it was a good trip.

coming up soon-more florida adventures-
julie

the pre-cursor...travel, hotel check-in and psycho (but not in my hotel room)

monday morning i had some last minute things i needed to do before going to the airport. i'd forgotten to make a reservation at the parking spot, so i ended up going with: PARK-N-FLY...not sure what to expect. i also knew that before the flight, i had to stop at the store for more chaco-food and drop it off at joanne's. i really should have set up the new printer the night before...so here i was last minute trying to get the printer all set up, somehow (i don't even know) i was able to set it up through the router and manage it all and it actually worked the first second third time! i may or may not have accidentally turned it off a couple of times and blah blah blah...what you need to know is that i was able to get my parking receipt printed!

so park-n-fly...i reserved a spot, and when i arrived to the spot my google maps indicated, i didn't see it, so i had to do a stealthy turn-around in a private parking spot, and on the second pass, i found it...only it looked incredibly full. there was only one slot left-and i snagged it, then made my way to the shuttle.

i was thrilled when i got to the terminal and brian informed me that due to the nature of our tickets, i was able to go through the tsa prepass! woot!! so i LOVED it...i may be investing in the tsa prepass and going to the bldg to get approved. totally worth it. i mean, who doesn't want to feel like a super-rock-star?!

brian was on top of it: he was our go-to-guy...our contact man...our 'handler'(just finished a great fbi/spy series on netflix)... he booked our flights, kept us in the loop, checked us in, booked the rental...we were certainly spoiled this time! #nevertakeitforgranted 

randi met up with us at love field, coming in from new orleans. and then we met janet at the gate. we had fabulous seats (always a plus in my book), plenty of time to write a great letter to one of my former kampers, whom i've not written to in ages. we got to denver a little delayed due to storms in the area-we were in a holding pattern for a bit before the let us land, so we met up with angelica when we landed, and took off for our luggage and rental car. on the ride to the hotel, randi provided her own version of navigational play-by-play...glad he was driving, not me.

in the airport upon arrival

upon trying to check in to the inn, there may have been a couple of glitches. it was almost like mary and joseph when the keeper said:NO ROOM IN THE INN, and there was no stable or anything like that, because all was booked in town for special conventions or something...but basically we KNEW that we had bookings, but the nice, young man at the counter couldn't find us. apparently when the reservation names were changed to reflect the correct inhabitants, the random on the other end of the line may have either had too much 'legal cannabis' in their system, or been of thick, heavy accented persuasion, not inputting names correctly. either way, we had to call in the heavy hitters..julie k and sabrina were there in a minute and it was as if they were all playing with one of those three part kid books, with the mix & match pages where kids create alien-looking-animals, only with names...so we made it work, as the place was completely booked...we may have inadvertently snatched someone else's rooms, but the fact is, we booked it, we weren't leaving the counter without our rooms! #notfeelingguilty.

after settling into our rooms, a group of us set off in search of food. parking was the biggest issue, so finally when push comes to shove, one must valet the mom-mobile. and due to the excessive wait-time at the restaurant LINGER (irony)...we backtracked to vita...apparently a fancy wine boutique/restaurant. the hostess was by no means "the mostest." well, perhaps she is the mostest rude...snide...there were six of us and it was slow, not busy, yet under her breath she mumbled something about a reservation and how we should have one. i was about to giver her the stink-eye, but i'm pretty sure alicia got to it first, so i got to be nice. dinner was lovely, but we were all exhausted, so we finished, and made it a short night.

great area-restoration and lots of historical buildings

the following morning, we were going to be off to our first training-not going to get into that right now, it will come later. i went out to wait for the rides to pull around and the girls were out talking, which was when i heard the story. brian had heard noises all night long, and had difficulty sleeping because it sounded like someone was in his suite (they are two bedroom suites-one up, one down), so he went down in the morning to shower in the good bathroom, and when he came out, the mirror had fogged up, as mirrors do when one takes a hot shower. then he saw the word HELP! on the mirror...cue twilight zone music and psycho scene... of course, i'm of the nancy drew persuasion, and i explain stuff away. in my mind it was previous tenants, college students our silly teens pranking and writing it on the mirror in soap or something..ala invisible ink-type thing. but i digress, if i were brian, i would probably still be a little weirded out.

so there you have it, round 1, just the beginning-tomorrow will be promising! we've only begun! more to come-
julie

orlando...yes, as a matter of fact, it is a bit magical.

i don't know that this is the appropriate time to be writing a blog post, as i do have other things i should be doing...i mean it when i say today has been a day of procrastination-for real though, i even cleaned the bathroom; that is some sort of major stall. that's when it hit me. i really had to take a step back and re-evaluate. i have been feeling guilty over spending time with people and not getting work done. but the work that i agreed to do isn't a part of my job, it is in addition to, mostly as an opportunity for extra cash. but is it worth it, when it is hanging over my head and i can't truly just enjoy community? hmm...i submit it is not worth it. for that very reason, i made a call today to scale back a little of what was being asked of me. don't get me wrong, i did not drop it altogether, i am still involved in the work, but in a different capacity. relief.

so, since the last time i actually posted, much has happened!

for starters, olivia has had perfect attendance up to this point-so proud of her because she is so proud of herself...her students might even say boastful-she insisted on a perfect attendance award, so there it is.

and she posted it in front of her door...flaunting it? perhaps...still, it's a great accomplishment to be proud of!

 and then there was the trip to orlando for inacol (eye-NAY-cole) yes, i still pronounce it incorrectly-oh well. sue me. (just kidding, please don't)

friday i was up way too late packing. i'd taken the boys to joanne's, got them set up and they were happy to be there! they knew exactly where they were. as soon as i opened the car door, they were trotting to the front door. smile. i love it that they feel so comfortable staying somewhere away from home!

when i woke up the next morning, i called nicolette to make sure she was awake, because we were taking lyft to the airport. pretty sure she'd woken up and fallen back to sleep-thank God for wake-up calls! i then proceeded to the lyft app, and i had a momentary panic, because the notice said: NO DRIVERS AVAILABLE. uh oh. break out in a sweat, trying as quickly as possible to download the uber app, and then realizing i had to set up all the payment, etc...thoughts went through my head about the cost to park at the airport...so i tried lyft one more time with a quick prayer...and lo and behold, there was indeed a driver available...his name? fabian. so he called to inform me that he was coming from downtown-ish. i got my necessities together and headed out the door, because at that time, i was unfamiliar with how our gate-code worked (it was recently replaced with new instructions). i didn't want to take the remote opener, because it is somewhat bulky and i didn't want to be responsible for it, therefore i had to go out the side, pedestrian gate. so i checked my mail first, then made my way up front. i found a great spot that was out of the drizzle and easy for him to see me, when i realized that i had forgotten something. so all of this leisureliness was for naught.

i rushed back through the side gate, (flip flops making a mess in the puddles), and i raced upstairs to grab my pillow and blanket for the plane. at that point fabian was calling me to let me know he was at the front gate. game-over, i had to get the stupid remote and deal with it. then we drove around the corner to the complex down the road to pick up nicolette.

she did a double take when i said to the driver, "so, fabian, how long have you been doing this?" she mouthed the words: shut up! our principal's name happens to be fabian, as well. it doesn't seem like such a common name. it just so happens that he'd only been doing this about a month, and truth is, he was slightly unfamiliar with this area, and ended up not getting on 635, but instead taking the super-toll around toward i-35, in my heart of hearts (not really sure what that means, so i may or may not have just looked up that phrase so that i could continue to use it) i was hoping that perhaps he knew something that we didn't. but alas, 'twasn't so. we ended up doing a little u-turn and getting back on track. fortunately we'd built in time, so we were fine. and while i wasn't thrilled about the line a dfw (spoiled by love field's security), in hindsight, after the fiasco that is orlando, i would gladly go through the dfw line twice..wait a minute..

we saw olivia as we were going through security, so we all stopped to get coffee and breakfast to take to the gate, where solange and susy were waiting.

cue uneventful flight...oh, wait, nicolette was originally sitting by me, in the exit row, but changed seats to be closer to the front, so i got stuck by a very tall, muscular, young man who seemed very serious. so i read my book and listened to music. it was all good until i asked him (ever-so-kindly, i might add) if i could retrieve the drink tray from the arm rest-which he was hogging (jerk) he also acted a little annoyed when this really nice girl (me) had to go to the restroom. when i got back and settled in, he fell asleep and imagine my surprise, as i leaned forward and with an impulse reaction, he hit me (jerk-literally it was a jerk reaction). surely it was inadvertent...or WAS it? perhaps it was a suppressed desire to express his annoyance...ok, no.

great way to start a flight!

finally we got into our rooms!

when we actually got to the hotel, it was a hot mess trying to figure out what all was going on with splitting bills to get everything right for the receipts for reimbursement. we filled out our tax exempt forms and found out that everything pretty much had to be paid up-front. one person from our group, who was splitting the room with nicolette wasn't coming in until the next day, so we were figuring out exactly what to do with that, and they ended up messing up her account. why wasn't i surprised by this, you might ask...well, if anything could go wrong monetarily, it would go wrong for her...this year's theme: i need a dollar.i say this in jest, but seriously...it might not be nearly as funny if the number 666 wasn't involved (umm...could it be....saaatan?-church lady). anyhoo, the lady at the counter immediately got on the phone with the bank to make things right.

waiting for the shuttle

after checking in, we took off for the magic kingdom. i'm so glad we went-i wasn't originally planning to, but hey, it's not every day that you get to play, and it really was a good time. although i would've been wise to have worn a short sleeve shirt and perhaps capris, because hello, we were indeed in orlando. it turned out fine because pirates of the caribbean was cool, splash mountain was wet, and by the evening, it had cooled down substantially, and the long sleeves were welcome!

so glad we took the ferry! but please look at my sunglasses. it looks like i have stars in my eyes-cartoon-esque

but let us back up a minute. we started out all together. i have a problem. i'm not big on shopping-traps and just looking, add to that, i am a fast walker...sorry, nope, not sorry. we visited tinkerbell and got pics, then we made our way to pirates together...i'm not sure exactly at what point we lost each other, but we were texting pretty much all day our whereabouts until phones began to lose juice. time was limited because it was a partial day pass, so we wanted to get in everything we could. the most annoying line of all time was thunder mountain. ooooohhhmyyyyyygooooooodness. the tribe in front of us with 7,258 children and an exhausted single mom, who had no inclination toward maintaining any semblance of urgency. okay..i may have exaggerated about the # of children, but it was somewhat like the old woman in the shoe, only she didn't realize that there were 2 more lines to the poem. so, yes, we were stuck behind this brood...each of whom was intent on touching, pulling, spinning and yanking any lever, wheel, siren, alarm, switch etc. that stuck out. EVERY. FREAKING. ONE. i wish i could've done what that man on the airplane did and pretend i fell asleep in line and be a jerk...and 'accidentally' give them a reason to want to move faster and stop piddling around (that word...) we did try to sneak around them once or twice, but somehow they were able to figure out what we were doing and after we'd get about 5 steps past them, and it seemed semi-hopeful, they'd race past us to the next set of levers, wheels, and switches...it was rough.

from there, the haunted mansion, and it was creepier and a little more nausea-inducing than i remembered. but let's face it, i was in elementary school back in the 80s, and the only part i really recalled was the funny ghosts that showed up in the mirror.

straight from there, we were off to space mountain-fortunately nicolette has great directional memory, even after 6 years; it was the longest line yet! but it was completely worth it. the ride was single file cars, so i was in front and kept trying to get a picture behind me, but no dice. it was the most exciting ride, but the best part about the ride was hearing this crazy girl behind me giggling and laughing throughout the entire ride out of sheer enjoyment-even now it makes me giggle a little at the recall. ha!

by now it was getting dark, and we got a text as soon as we got off and met up with the rest of the group for dinner. afterward, susy and solange went souvenir searching, and olivia joined us and insisted on the mad hatter teacups. oh my. i died a little inside when she suggested it-the centrifugal force messes with my equilibrium in a bad way, so i tried to keep my eyes shut pretty much the entire ride!

let's not lie, it was beautiful!

attracts kids and gets energy from them

then we made our way back to the castle to get a spot for the parade of lights. we found the best spot after some maneuvering. the people behind us were like an invasive species of kudzu...nuisance. so what made that less annoying? emma! emma, from canada kept nicolette entertained for the remainder of the evening and through the parade. solange and susy found us and we were all taking pics and enjoying the parade without the viewpoint of a child-we missed out! at the very end, it began to drizzle, so we made our way back toward the shuttle. the only thing was that we were all exhausted and a little lost-we were going to take the tram, but ended up getting herded onto the ferry-which was fine (apart from the bridge/dock, which was swaying in a rather uneven motion, making it seem that the whole crowd was drunk), it was probably better to be on the ferry to be able to spread out and sit.

it was a long day-it was a good day. i haven't taken the time or spent money on anything fun like that in a long time-i need more purposeful experiences.

 julie

chaco, you're not going to the wedding...but you get to play with the president and the prime minister!

i think chaco was trying to send a message that he didn't want to come to the wedding...

he actually snagged the save the date back when i got it, and i caught him just in time, but i wasn't as lucky with the shower information card. brat.

 but now that we're here, he doesn't mind so much since he isn't going to the wedding-he thought he was going to have to dress up and be quiet....not a good combination.
well, i made it to oklahoma for the wedding and last night i went to the bbq/bridal shower and it was such a joy to get to hang out with some of my very favorite people all together in one place at one time...again! the shower was tastefully fun gifts rather than kinky gifts, so bmayes and i got fun games and put them in a fun bag with a fun card because it was a bbq and we figured it fit her personality!

somehow, it just felt right.

the food was wonderful and the company was even better! the only part that was mildly nasty was when melissa kept getting all of the "newly wed" video questions correct....because every time she was right, we all had to put a piece of bubble gum in our mouths, every time she was wrong, she did...as a credit to their future happiness, they know each other pretty darn well! and my teeth will probably all be falling out tomorrow.

our hotel room is actually quite comfortable...

the artwork needs some updating, but other than that, very nice. the housekeeper was in the hall this morning when i was looking for ice, and she only had one tooth and looked a bit like nanny mcphee (even more than my old student did!), but she was super nice, and she went and got my ice because she saw i was walking really slowly. i forgot they have a free breakfast, i might see what they have tomorrow...if they have anything that works with my diet (because the rest of this weekend doesn't really work) ..although i did bring my magic bullet with me and fruit and chard, etc...

and the only good place to plug it in happens to be by the sink

today we slept in until about 8.30, then the boys insisted we watch a little hgtv and then animal planet. i had to change animal planet after a bit because every time the dogs on the show barked, the boys felt they needed to respond in kind. it's ok at home, but not at the hotel!

then we went for a quick walk around the hotel parking lot in the grassy areas and by the time we got back, i had a text from bmayes to go over and play with reagan and thatcher (the cold war coalition)...and so we went over, even though it looked like possible rain. they went crazy when the boys trotted up to the door. then i got to try one of bmayes' banana, almond flour(i think) pancakes. it was pretty great! then the pups went out and played in the yard for a bit.

when lunch time rolled around, we went to mamavecas. before i came, i was looking for someplace with paella... craving. and i found a lot of positive reviews about this place on yelp. so we went and when we sat down, it felt so comfortable and familiar because they were playing hombres g-oldies but goodies, they were one of my favorite groups when i was living in HONDURAS! the food was pretty good-large portions. it didn't quite match up to the paella i had at a spanish restaurant in HONDURAS, though. the seasoning was alright, but there wasn't as large of a variety of seafood, so who in dallas knows of a restaurant that has excellent paella?

the typical lama fur decoration...of a panda because they have pandas in...peru?

and of course there were leftovers...um, we're thinking this used to be a chicken express or something like that because it certainly looks like a barn.

oh, when i tried the paella in HONDURAS, it was on a field trip with our special spanish class. we had a....unique teacher. her name was ms. acosta. she was also the school nurse. which was interesting. i distinctly remember going up to her room once when i had a headache and she wanted to look at my throat. but she didn't have a flashlight, so she made me come over by the window and tilt my head toward the sun...a little loopy. as i recall she was that teacher that always had the huge gaudy jewelry and caked on make-up. but we liked her well enough.

yep, they were all waiting at the door...impatiently; and it took several tries to get this pic because they just wouldn't stay still long enough!

anyhoo, the food was good, then we went back to the house and let the dogs out one more time before coming in and watching life in a day recommended by leah-it was very interesting-great insight on various cultures. during the movie, i was reclining on the sofa, and bruno pounced from the back of the couch onto my stomach and it caused instant pain in my back and leg-he has no clue. so when the documentary was over, we came back to the hotel and laid on an ice pack. and we're in for the night...

more than ever, i can't wait to be back in full swing!
julie