does anyone else have a blood coagulation shaving stick?

alrighty then, hello saturday! feels like a sunday, but then again, who knows!

i tried to get out to one of the preserves today- in fact i did, but it was further than i expected. duette preserve is about as far to the other side of the county as one can get, and i didn't realize that they are only open certain hours. that was a bummer because when i got there the picnic area was open, but all of the trail entrances were closed. i was SO not happy..i mean, i had already doused myself with the skin-so-soft i mentioned receiving a couple days ago, in hopes i could give it my stamp of approval!

the trip there was an adventure unto itself. as i was driving out, i should have known better than to take the water. i mean... i drank about a liter more than i should've. ugh. you know what that means- stop to use a restroom, only i had passed the last opportunity about 10 minutes prior.  i know this about me, i hydrate and need to dehydrate quite a bit, so this wasn't a surprise...always pushing the envelope. and then, almost like a unicorn, i saw a small country service station, so i decided it was the last opportunity! so i made a purchase, and saw the sign on the door said restroom closed, but there is a porta-potty...**closes eyes, sighs, and realizes the options are slim**. so i did it. yep. pulled out the lysol, used my own kleenex from the car, and made it happen. ignore the flies, think happy thoughts...lysol myself and get back into my car. but it was the relief i needed, because i THOUGHT i was going to be walking/hiking at the preserve. so disappointing- i didn't even get out of the car once i got there! boo.

should not have partaken in so much of this! i KNOW better.

i've exposed myself to so much, that my immune system is super hero power status

new addition to travel supplies in the car.

on the way home i had to stop at the store for some necessities. i also had to stop at the gas station, because the orange light came on. so thank you, circle k for providing 'fuel gloves'! i didn't see them until i'd already used the kleenex to input my pin and begin pumping the gas. so pulled one out, only luck would have it, 2 came out! so i put the extra glove in my car for later use! (i mean, not a hoarder...it's just one, take a breath). does anyone work for circle k, or are frequent patrons? because this doesn't look like something they just threw together, have they been doing this forever?? if so, i'm super impressed, and could easily be swayed to doing more business there in the future!

these beauties and sanitizer as well!

and speaking of kleenex, still no tp at the stores (at least not when i've gone!)...so i do purchase kleenex whenever i find them! and since they only allow you to buy one item, i try to purchase the bundle sets.

#gamechanger

yes, tp still an issue. amazing. in the USA. somehow i wait often wait longer than i should to get new razor blades because they cost so much...anyone else with me? anyhoo, so i broke down the other day and bought new cartridges. well, in my excitement over having smooth legs in record time, i nicked my ankle- WE'VE GOT A BLEEDER!! so i finished my shower, wishing i had one of those special sticks my dad had for shaving- you know, the ones that help the blood coagulate! i mean, the nick left me with two choices: use a treasured tp square or use the towel and hope the blood stain washes out...OR just bleed out (too drastic?) so i used the tp square. we good. but that cannot keep happening! so i ordered the stick! i looked up: blood-coagulation-stick-for-shaving. (what did we do before google?!) drum roll, please, it arrived today!! super excited! now there will be no more close calls with life-altering decisions due to small cuts!

this past week was a busy week. i know a lot of people may be in kind of a holding pattern with working from home, especially if it's new for you, and workplaces not really knowing how to navigate or set expectations. i am especially fortunate that the company i work for is an ed-tech company, meaning this is our time to thrive because we have been able to help our clients- from the parent and teacher side of the spectrum and help them make sense of the current reality that is happening. we have been working so hard to get creative and meet unique needs. it has been an exciting time, and unconventional...but hopefully we are able to shine brightly and this will be one of those special moments in time for istation! i know several of my colleagues have been putting in lots of extra time and brain-power, and the next couple of months will be interesting and i'm sure very busy. things that were already in the works on hold to meet changing needs. i feel fortunate to be a part of the #redcapenation ! that said, HUGE shout-out to those who have been doing the night-before things, the rearrange-your-schedule things, the putting-fires-out-that-no-one-else-knows-about things.... to you we raise our glass! 

to you, to me, to the both of us!
julie

ah, my little coconut bread! my friend, how i've missed you!

so when asked what was the best thing to come out of coronavirus 2020, i will be able to say: PAN de COCO! i've always been slightly hesitant to do breads because...i don't know...yeast? flour? ew...i do not love the feeling of sticky dough on my flesh. gag. but oh my. i suppose you just have to weigh out the pros and cons and figure out some good tips and tricks, because: HOW HAVE I NOT MADE THIS BEFORE NOW?!😍 alright. thank goodness i made a half-batch, because i would make myself sick eating it! yes, so in making a half batch, of course one must halve all of the ingredients...i'm just bad with fractions, so what did i do? i may or may not have pulled up Istation Math Teacher Station and used the digital tools to figure out my measurements. #dontjudge if you are still in school, life lesson: this is a real life math scenario! #stayinschool (only you can't...covid19)

i'm just gonna' say it, we have the coolest math tools and the math instruction would've helped me, ask ms. smallwood...

i was pleasantly surprised (ok, fake surprise because i'd recvd a tracking e-mail) when my istation t-shirt arrived at the front door! woohoo! then when we walked to the mailbox, i had a package in the box, and a key to get a package from the bigger mail lock-boxes! the smaller package contained a 'creamer' that kinda' does taste like birthday cake, and the bigger package was my #1 from Hunt a Killer series! (i'd received #2 and #3, but the first one hadn't come, so i couldn't begin). i will be looking forward to this one! there is still a half-finished mystery over at shea's because we all go busy last fall and never found a chance to get back together to finish.

t-shirt: we've got your back, birthday cake creamer-yes! who doesn't want to celebrate their birthday year round in the form of coffee?! and to hunt a killer, because it's good to keep the brain sharp...and you never know when you might need them skills #murderino #ssdgm

i probably shouldn't have tried the prymal coffee creamer, because it was already 3:00pm and it may affect my sleeping pattern...yikes. oh well, it seems like such a minor...(until 2am rolls around and i'm wide awake). but it IS delish, so well-worth it. i think the serving size is 4 tsp, but i only used 2 in an over-sized cup, and it was plenty, so don't let that calorie count scare you!

**danger alert** i may have just had another coconut bread roll** i.can't.stop.myself.

and today was the 2nd company-wide "virtual happy hour" via ZOOM. last week and this week- it has been an interesting experiment! it's fun when you are in a breakout room with people you know and converse easily with...it is a little awkward when you know almost no one in a room, but a good chance to get to know people and what they do..kinda' like looking at the brady bunch of work colleagues and wondering, "hmm...which one could be a potential serial killer...or who would make the best serial killer...or who would play the best serial killer in a movie..." i mean, there's a lot of routes you could go! next week maybe the internal question will be: WHO in this breakout room: who would be the MOST likely to survive a quicksand pit? escape headhunters? (sorry...gilligan's island). anyhoo, it was good to see my people! even if it meant being on the computer for an extra hour...maybe next week we start an hour later on friday. i also think i need to come up with a list of questions or silly anecdotal things to talk about because dead space is seems like a virtual faux pas. 

i was hoping that my mermaid's pies and produce would be open, but they seem to be closed- i may swing by tomorrow just to double check! they make the best lobster rolls in the area, and i am a huge fan! they are also well known for their award-winning pies! i've tried a variety of slices. my favorite to date has been the coconut creme!! LOVE! i need to order their brie and caramelized onion quiche, because it's been awhile, and i know what i like!! they seriously do have the best lobster rolls! i don't even bother with the seafood festivals for lobster rolls anymore, because sometimes you go someplace and nothing really compares! they do the traditional as well as the ct style -hot with melted butter, both on toasted roll- large chunks of lobster- always freshly made. #hugefan

look at the size of those lobster pieces!!

if they are not open, i will probably make some shrimp and scallop coconut thai soup again, because that stuff...woah! i may make enough to take a taste over to shea and patrick. we'll see if that works. 

this morning i did get up early and went for that walk- i have been lazy the last couple days. so today i drove over to cortez village and parked at the park/museum and walked through the neighborhood (cute little fishing neighborhood), and then across the drawbridge and down the main beach sidewalk, barely into the park before i had to turn around and come back. well worth it, and a nice different change of scenery!

he was getting ready to fly away, then he sensed that i wanted a pic, so he put his wings back for a minute, gave me the sideways glance..the "get-on-with-it" glance, and once i'd taken my shot he flew off! love me some pelicans! (mostly because i don't own a dock, so i don't have to deal with pelican poo).

not sure what this weekend will hold, it may be very chill. i may be going to the store to get more flour, skim milk and whatever else i need to make more bread- bread that i will share.

i was awake SUPER early this morning, and i was thinking about the things that we take for granted, and my list was so simplistic yesterday. truth is, even our 'poverty' got NOTHIN' on some people around the globe. when i lived in HONDURAS, we would visit some of our churches out in the smaller mountain villages, and they would take us to their one-room home with dirt floor where they keep their dishes in a suitcase in a corner..i don't even remember how many brothers and sisters lived here with the parents, but one room. how can they social distance?...obviously not every family was this 'poor', but those experiences have never left me. i have AC, washer, drier, two t.v.s (i'm single...), cable, android, 2 work devices and 3 personal tech devices, a go-pro, camera, more than 2 pair of shoes, more than 5 outfits, a refrigerator, stove, microwave, multiple kitchen appliances i seldom use...and that's just the tip of the iceberg...please just take a look around your home and think about the 'things' that you have that you take for granted. the reason it even hit me was because it is easy for me to 'shelter in place' i can buy food and freeze it or preserve it...i have running water and electricity...i can cook food...i can wash my clothes and take showers...I CAN WASH MY HANDS 50 TIMES A DAY... again. be grateful that you are even able to read this on the internet on whatever device you have...for that matter, be grateful that you can read! you are richer than you know.

blessings-
julie

OWN your circus! be the main act- and support everyone in your show!

OH my goodness. so sorry. my life was interrupted by laziness and writer's block...

it's going to take a minute to back-track through some stuff, so i'll begin with the present and what is currently happening, and do some flashbacks to get caught-up-ish.

i just got back from our SUMMER CONFERENCE for istation- an excellent company to work for, i might add! we had some great planners, kudos to joyce and alicia for all of the planning and work that went into every aspect from leading up to it, down to the conference itself! all of the session presenters did an incredible job-thorough and fun, even a couple of the large group presenters brought it with the theme! lori always has a hand in the planning and preparations, and brian is the man behind the scenes, who always pulls the details together and makes things work like a well-oiled machine! suzanne, sabrina and jami put together welcome boxes (thank you!), and then there was a whole host of teammates doing the teammate thing to make sure things were ready on day 1! but i would say one of my favorite things was when our president/coo walked in, and she was in character! that says a lot about the culture of a company, and i couldn't ask for a better company to work for. #alwaysgrowing #foreverimproving

our theme was "the greatest showman", everything BIG-TOP. so we were, of course, asked to dress the part. :) we were also asked to send in a quick vid of us saying "this is the greatest show"...if you're going to do it, do it right, right?

PLEASE note that 'show' is slightly FLAT, i didn't have the music playing...and i didn't want to force my videographer to spend any more time than necessary (they charge by the hour..j/k thanks to shea for video credits and handling of the phone, flash-lighting, location, etc. production is everything!)

partial pic...my photographer couldn't find the panoramic in time!

it's not a real circus without the animal crackers

i mean, between slick and his sound engineer, i don't know who was more the comedian...(colleagues, please see julie k's video or lori h's video for proof! 1,2,3,4...5!)

it's all about the show and making people smile, folks!

we had a great time, there was some valuable information to take back, and we got to know new faces and personalities! good times! our team has grown, as we've combined support, implementation, virtual, and professional development to really become a customer support team- all on the same page with the same mission. the girl scouts song serves as good advice: MAKE NEW FRIENDS BUT KEEP THE OLD ONE IS SILVER AND THE OTHER GOLD.

i appreciate these two SO much!

i arrived early enough to do lunch with two dear friends- it has been way overdue! it was a joy to catch up over a little mexican food! you know how sometimes you're lucky enough to keep in touch with your mentors and friends? that's what this was- i consider myself fortunate!

then my friend julie picked me up from the office, and we got to hang out prior to everyone else arriving. we needed a little catch-up/hang-out time, because we knew we wouldn't really get that opportunity throughout the week, being at different houses. i did enjoy my house-group, all amazing ladies and we never get to work together, so we had good conversation.

about 2 weeks prior to our conference, i had fulfilled a goal (Primary Goal...i still have secondary and tertiary goals to focus on) that was time sensitive, which i'd been working at diligently and put a lot of commitment into. i'd been on a weight-loss/get-healthy journey since december. so when i arrived, i really hadn't seen any of my colleagues for several months -30 lbs lighter, and fitting back into the clothes that i was too stubborn to let go (call me strong-willed and motivated..please?)... some friends had questions, so i will address them by plotting out the journey in my next post, and explain why i believe that i've finally found the exit from the roller coaster i've ridden before! stay tuned!

this IS our circus, and more often than not, it's a juggling show to determine when is the time to be a lion tamer, ring master, human cannon ball, cotton candy maker, or clown... noting that there definitely is a time for everything!

blessings- (and peanuts and cotton candy),
julie

it's go-go-go time...not unlike the go-gos, and pretty sure we got the beat!

oh my. i got to ease into the season of 'GO' the second to last week of july. it's normal when it becomes GO, GO, GO....not unlike the go-gos, and for the most part we got the beat, and our lips are sealed (for our own good). it's mostly been professional development in florida: kissimmee, jacksonville, kissimmee, Riverview-TPA, Jacksonville, Palm Beach, Tampa South, North Carolina, South Carolina ...and now home for a few days before heading off again. 

some PD sessions easier than others! i've loved the dual language sessions! one of the interesting sessions was in a brand new school, not yet set up. i entered a room with about 7 chairs, a table with a t.v. on it, and a whiteboard full of writing and my brain went into hyperdrive trying to determine what to do first to prepare for the 30-ish participants who had never touched istation before! usually we sit at tables, but this was a first...we pulled in a bunch of chairs and set them up in rows, then i was introduced to a projector the size of the palm of my hand. i'd been wanting to see how these small projectors fare, so it was a learning experience! pulled it off in a way that you'd never guess that this wasn't the norm!

while at duval county, it was great to hear one of the teachers say, "last year, we HAD to use istation, this year i WANT to use it!!" the difference between having professional development and not!

one of the only trainings that i've been with another trainer so far was in nc, and sc. i met angelica at the airport, after battling the traffic from the cell phone lot and going to the arrival drive after telling her to wait in departures. uf. so i had to circle around again-my fault! 

north carolina was another fun experience- i knew we were working with kindergarten only, dual language program. what a fun bunch! when we arrived, some of the early-comers were from SPS, HONDURAS! but not only that, one of them was from EIS, the school i graduated from! #bulldogsforever that was an unexpected surprise! we had a great session going over the basics and then getting deeper into resources. there was a lot of interaction, and it's great when you know ahead of time that there is going to be accountability!

both went to EIS, both love istation!

carry blue painters tape-learned that from jane! helpful for many-a-situation! #fixingthetrash

when your friends can't be with you...

then we took off for south carolina, and angelica was great about working with my dietary whims! once we arrived, we had a relaxing dinner, and all was good until i finally got around to emails... i'd received an email from the new assistant principal of the school we were to be at the following day. i guess the original contact i'd been working with had been promoted to a principal position at another school. and everyone knows how it goes with a middle man...kinda like playing the age-old game of telephone! but we worked out all of the kinks and the professional development went forward as planned! no whammies! we play a game called BE FLEXIBLE and go with the flow when necessary!

south carolina, we got you covered!

just thinking of those colleagues! 

the drive back to CLT was uneventful, and we made it to the airport in time for those flights!

and then they found the treats and had a little stand-off...chaco stole the bag from bruno

it was good to get home to the boys and know we had the weekend to just hang out at home!

julie

serious about driving, training, eating (especially eating), and good talks; friends whether you like it or not

tuesday morning, so yes, i do get up early, as i am a morning person...early to breakfast, means i have some leisurely time-i'd rather be real early and have that time, than be rushed and all last-minute-y. we took off early enough in a tight little caravan of three cars to figure out a parking scenario in which we didn't have to walk a gazilion and one miles (while i love the old:I'M GONNA BE by the proclaimers, by no means did i have any desire to "walk 500 miles"). so we left the 'seasoned trainers' and randi, angelica and i set off to retrieve the cars and drive around to a central parking location. once we got there, we had to figure out the parking meter app, and accidentally put in the rental car number instead of the license plate # the first hour...but then changed it in the app-hopefully no one came by to scan the cars in the first hour...yikes. we meandered around the campus like we were on AMAZING RACE, and once we found our assigned peeps, we helped them settle in for the morning session.

i was having to be super time-conscious to "feed-the-meter" to add time for our by-the-hour parking app. so i got to hang with joyce for our trainings this round, and while it deviated from our "normal" trainings" (although, what really is normal? thank you very much), there is always something to be learned! we battled the technical difficulties (with the grace of a high-functioning drunk panda bear)...we plugged the podium power in. it went smoothly, but lets be clear, these teachers were HARD-CORE-SERIOUS about their lunch-time...i mean, olympic time-keeper-serious! (but i am too), which led to our NASA-style countdown timer on day 2. i'm sure in her heart of hearts, joyce wanted to stay one extra day and give it a try to see if she could shave off another two minutes, but since our flights had already been booked...ok, maybe not..but back to that first session. once we finished, we channeled our dale earnhardt jr...jeff gordon...richard petty-you pick...and hoofed it over to the other campus. a little rushed, but safe, and smooth. once again, we took our chances to find vip parking...and to our pleasure, they provided parking passes! the parking gods were watching out for us. fortunately we retained our same facilitator for all of the sessions-she was a gem. not even being sarcastic, we could be friends! end day one session two.

driving back to the hotel had to happen, so we knew the hotel was on zuni street...we may have been too..tired (better than lazy, right?) to look up the exact address, so for whatever god-forsaken reason, when you just put in the street name with no address, the gps map takes you wherever it wants to on that street...we had one other car following us, and we certainly took the scenic route because gps maps gonna take you for a ride! eventually we did opt to put the address in and got rerouted to the hotel to drop a passenger and consolidate vehicles. during the scenic route, one of the ladies in the car behind us texted. and alicia asked, "why is she texting us?" my response, "because she didn't want to tap it out in morse-code with the lights." that may have been the turning point of appreciation for my humor with alicia. we share a delicate affinity for sarcastic humor. actually, i prefer to view it as clever, well-timed wit...anyoo, we arrived at rio grande for dinner and 3 from our group were already there, with a table, and they had already ordered apps and requested from our magnanimous leader a special dinner-approval for intentional bonding. smile. it was delicious, and it was especially nice to be able to laugh and get to know the crew a bit.

drove past rei, and certainly wished i could go in! wished i had limitless funds to purchase hiking, climbing, etc. gear and had the time to go out to play!! such a tease!

toward the end of dinner, i received a call from one of my friends from dallas who needed to talk-i could tell something was up on the home-front, so it was an important conversation. #alwaysthereforfriends

when everyone finished, we made our way back to our hotel and i had an opportunity to hang out with three other trainers in the breezeway outside of the rain-it was quality. taking opportunities to get to know everyone better, because who knows when we see each other again. i loved getting to have a little heart-to-heart with julie. you have to understand that we are the same person. ok...not really, but she was julie robinson first at istation; now she is julie k, and i'm the new julie r...which i'm sure is confusing as all get-out to some...but in all seriousness, it's a little comical how much we actually do have in common. she's one i really did want to get to know better, because we were on the light blue team together (remember this); we didn't really get enough time to talk at the conference, but i was really impressed by her knowledge, so (unbeknownst to her...poor, unsuspecting soul) i decided then and there that as sure as the sun rises in the east earth rotates in such a manner as to create the semblance of the sun rising in the east...we were going to be friends.

at some point while we were chatting, julie had to go up to their room to use the restroom, and she came back visibly shaken. (goosebumps and all). she asked if we'd gone up or not. nope. hadn't moved an inch. so when she told us her story, it was like a continuation of the weirdness that had transpired in brian's room. she said she was in the bathroom and heard the distinct sound of the front door opening and closing. she didn't think too much, but started to call out for sabrina, thinking she'd come back up for something...she was the only one with the key-card. no one answered, she repeated, "sabi?" and she said she heard an audible "hi, hi" in a soft, raspy voice...but when she walked out-nothing. ew...got goosebumps when she told us, before she rushed out of the room, she turned around, and said in no uncertain terms, "in the name of Jesus, i command you to leave!" then she rushed down to where we were and asked if we'd been up there- obviously creeped out, because wouldn't you be? great. i signed up for the haunted training trip. i knew before we left that it was not going to be normal, but this? a little warning next time, peeps #notevenhalloweenyet ...but that led into a pretty deep conversation that diverged and branched off into two conversations before resuming into a single flow of conversation again. it really was enlightening, and i cherish that time...priceless.

we wandered off to bed, so that we could wake up the next morning for the next round of sessions. and there were no strange paranormalities to speak of when we woke up the next morning...thankfully so!

julie

i may not have won the grand prize...but i'm good enough, i'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!

well, we've made it through 3 days of conference-i love the way it was set up, because i got to meet some great employees across several departments. i think we (new folk) were very fortunate that we were able to experience the conference even before we really had any real orientation, because, at least for me, it was beneficial to see how the company works together cog and wheel...it will make me better at what i know, and it helps me to know who to go to for what.

the wrist band that separated us from the competition!

i was on the LIGHT BLUE team-sales, trainers, support...we did pretty much everything together during the day sessions, and the last day and a half were pretty intense. monday was more of a get-to-know you, get to know the departments, etc...one of the activities was a game playing something akin to modern 'telephone' where someone gives a message and one by one it gets passed down the line and then transferred to the next group, but the caveat is that there is a team in the middle who is allowed to use whatever distraction tactics to try to keep the message from getting to the end. well, one of my teammates was on the distraction team, and she was perfect for the job. she happens to be very loud, and embarrassingly funny; can't tell if it's on purpose or not. it was somewhat endearing-you have to accept certain idiosyncrasies, as they make us who we are! but i digress-she was making revving car noises, chicken/rooster noises, laughing her unique laugh, crawling between the people trying to spread the 'word'...it's no wonder they didn't convey their message! i just wish you could all see it through my memory! somewhat ala "i love lucy". 

yesterday started a new phase, as we were given some tasks and problems of practice to work on as a group. now, you have to realize that i love watching group dynamics. i have talked about this before with friends, and i know how i work in a group. in fact, my admin team from cabell-both this year and last year know how i collaborate in a group. i can work well in a team, but i know that sometimes i need a minute to process out ideas, because i am a whole picture first, then figure out the details second person...so i need to think things through in a logical manner before giving my input (which drives people crazy who just want to jump in and start shooting). therefore, i tend to let people get started while i process. then i begin to ask questions, pose suggestions, take people back to the original prompt, poke holes and play devil's advocate..and make concessions and compromises as long as they follow a logical pathway. 

that said, within our group we had some TYPE-A personalities (so not me!!) and they immediately jumped in and began, and i sat back and played my role, asking questions, positing ideas, and offering suggestions. i completely didn't expect two ladies from our team to approach me later (separately) surprised that i was brand new and handling myself so well, one of them said, "i know this was a frustrating, overwhelming set-up, but don't think that your participation went unnoticed-it's obvious that you are really smart and on the ball." (that struck me as funny, because that would be one of the last adjectives i would use to describe myself! but it's always good to hear positive things from other people, and i'll just roll with it while it lasts! smile) then this evening, one of the best compliments; one of my friends, whom i've known for a few years said that someone had approached her and said that i was really nice. i hope i can always remain neutral and be above the fray, be inclusive and never box people out. #personalgoals  

last night's social event was our training group dinner-babes chicken and redneck pool party! fun times, great company! it was good to get to know more of the trainers better. i was able to name all 26! yes, i'm pretty good with names, but fortunately i got a little mini-directory with the faces, names and numbers of all of the pd trainers, so that when the dust settles and everyone is off to their corners of the world, i will be able to continue brushing up! i was a little sad, because i missed out on a girls-night-out with some friends, but i'm sure there will be others. 

not afraid to dress the part

how many trainers can you fit into an inflatable pool at once? 

water soaker fun

how fun is this little trainer-directory?! perfect size, too!!

this morning our keynote speaker was a principal from the lubbock area, and she was phenomenal! her story really hit home, and the fact that all of her teachers in her turn-around schools implemented istation with fidelity, and that was the main reason that they were able to have the successes that they did! i wish i had a video of her testimonial to share, because it would make such a difference for some of our administrators to see!  #powerful!

and of course i found myself having to visit the bathroom at pretty much every break, and one of those times, i noticed that the lock in one of the stalls was coming undone-the screw was falling out, and it wouldn't be long until it fell off entirely. my mcgeyver instincts kicked in, and i went back to retrieve my mini screwdriver from my bag, returned and fixed the lock on the stall (because God only knows how long it would take for maintenance..especially if they have to write up the order, process it, blah blah blah) one of those things i learned from kamp: ALWAYS LEAVE THINGS BETTER THAN YOU FOUND THEM!!

after that, we had our version of shark tank, and through all of the presentations, i know there was a ton of learning happening across the board! finally at the end of the day, we had another social event up on the 21st floor, where we played human-size games...jenga (which i got really good at), connect 4, bean bag toss, checkers, chess, air hockey...good times, lots of laughs, cash machine (with slips of paper telling how much you won)...i won 2 dolla! (2 avocados? on a good day). 

we created a very tall tower! 

my winnings

one of the only complaints i have is that there was really too much good food!! breakfasts, lunches, cookies...yikes. fortunately it's only once a year!

famous cookies. 

delicious lunch today-fairly healthy...until i found the churros!!

so tomorrow=final day of the conference...late breakfast, talk, meetings, continuing to finish with some of our orientation work. wrapping it up right!

time for bed!

julie

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

apparently "QUEEN OF ALL THINGS AMAZING" doesn't fit on the business card

 free, free, i'm free at last! this song, by dc talk, inspired by dr. martin luther king jr. was playing through my head all afternoon! summer school=OVER! woohoo!!

and i am happy to announce (drum roll please....) 

meet one of the newest Istation trainers!!

so excited to be a part of something i am very familiar with and very good at!

i had my final interview/presentation on wednesday afternoon-i was so prepared...i was expecting several people, but it was a smaller, cozy group. it went fairly well-i used a thinglink platform and allowed them to go through at their own pace and i did my part as a facilitator..it must have gone well, because i got a phone call today extending an offer and asking me to join the team-which i gladly accepted!

then i got a call from the vp of hr, saying how sorry she was that she couldn't join the presentation, she got there on the very tail end, as they were discussing-and they told her she missed the best presentation yet...um, that's fun to hear, because i certainly had a blast! anyhoo, we nailed down some dates and such so that i can go ahead and begin by the end of the month.

and before i knew it, i had another email (from someone different) asking me what i'd like on my business card! (i asked if i could have it read: QUEEN OF ALL THINGS AMAZING...unless it was already taken, in which case, they could just use my name...he responded that there were an awful lot of QUEEN this or thats out there already).

with all of this happening so quickly, i decided it would be best to go in today to finish up any remaining paperwork that i needed to do at cabell, and turn in my district-issued computer. i then came home and pulled up the old s-54...filled it out and submitted it.

bitter sweet...so 'final'

then i decided that i needed to celebrate me, so i bought some shoes and a pair of pants i needed. while i was in getting shoes, i received a call from the vp of hr again, but i had nothing to write on...besides a band-aid (unopened, of course) and had to jot down all that info in a tiny space...do whatcha gotta do!

so i have just over a week before i go in for my initial orientation/convention, which is being hosted here in dallas at the double tree (my understanding is that they may be getting us all rooms there, as it can be difficult getting in and out for the convention if one is not onsite)...roughing it, i guess. i was thinking about going up to mom and dad's for a bit, so i may drop off the boys and then go back to pick them up the following weekend-because it's the only real summer vacation i'll get this year!

and there you have it, things are changing-we'll see in how many different aspects, but i think it's about to get exciting around here!

julie