i only did it for the paddle board...lies. #feelinghealthy

as i mentioned, i have been on a weight loss journey since last december. this began after i was looking at some pics with friends, and not fitting into my favorite clothing. those were the two main catalysts. i'm sure there were other identifiers that i just was not seeing (we all have our own blinders). 
                                                                                                       
here's the thing, when i looked at myself daily in the mirror, i didn't notice the changes, because they were so gradual. and even more interesting, is it just me, or do most people naturally perceive themselves as they are in their most flattering pictures of days gone by??! HA!

by the time i finally decided to make a change (for once in my life..it's gonna feel real good gonna make a difference...gonna make it right..woMAN in the mirror-thanks michael for the inspiration), blahblahblah, make a change, i was about 30-ish pounds over what i wanted to be. the lobster mac and cheese, fresh sea scallops, traveling, inconsistency and poor habits caught up with me and were making a statement (on my hips, thighs and stomach...cue garth brooks only the lyrics would change from thunder to :and the stomach rolls...) ...so yes, it was time.

                                                                             
once i came to that conclusion, i decided to try the very motivating method i had tried a couple of times in the past when i needed to get back in control...once in a group challenge, in which i won $, the second time (last year), in which i did not meet my goal, and lost $. but it had helped motivate me. i signed up for HEALTHY WAGE (<- that's a link/invitation if you'd like to check it out), basically it allows you to bet on yourself to lose weight.

the prize increases the more you plan to lose, and you can adjust the amount you want to bet on yourself. so by meeting my initial goal, if i won back the money i had put into it every month, plus an additional 60%,  i had made plans.

alright, so i signed up for Healthy Wage back around december 19th, pretty spontaneously after looking at those pictures. i wasn't happy with where i was, and this had worked before, i am a very self-motivated person. but then there's the holidays and food (maybe not the wisest choice to start in december)...and meetings and travel..and more food. uf. so, come march, i was NOT happy with the progress; i think i had only lost water weight. maybe. and the problem with that is i drank more water and gained it back. ugh. at which point, i was off track and figured i wouldn't get my money from HW...but i wasn't throwing in the towel yet.

in march i decided it was time to do something different, due to lack of results, and i decided i would start NOOM. (<- another invitation link for 20% off). i'd seen an ad, and wasn't sure what to think, but what i'd tried in the past wasn't working, so i needed to try something different. i downloaded the app and got started, figuring the first week free would give me a taste and i could decide. i chose to stick with it after the first week, and i have not been disappointed. it added the layer that i was missing.

 what is it? they put together great research articles, and i got into a habit of logging my food and daily goals to hit a certain amount of steps. it really set me up for success, and every morning the first thing i would do is read the daily articles, and weigh myself. then, being a morning person, i get up for my #morningwalks. the big key is that it helped with the psychology aspect of breaking some poor routines and replacing them with healthy habits and thought processes, looking at food and exercise and goal-making differently. there is a personal coach, and i chose minimal interaction, because i don't need a ton of accountability, but if you do, you can request more interaction. i really wanted to set the pace, set my goals, and the coach would just check-in weekly to see where we are. then eventually you have a group and a group coach- a little more social interaction if that's your thing.

back in april, after a couple weeks of using NOOM, it was a treat yourself day...my phone wasn't accurately tracking my steps, so my treat was a fit-bit. this was part number 3 of my success. i began taking my steps more seriously, and made sure to get my 10k steps in the mornings before work (this meant getting up at 5:30...morning person) and the fit-bit also inspired me to get moving throughout the day- that 250 steps every hour, which was health-changing!!

when these are your morning walk views, you don't tend to mind mornings as much! and now that it's getting hotter in the afternoons, mornings seem an even better idea!

 the other plus is that i started to monitor my sleep habits and when my NOOM experience is over, it will help with the meal logging (just not the color-coded budgeting, which was so KEY when i began..fortunately over time, you begin to pick up on the color codes so that they become routine and will carry over after we're 'done'). 

may rolled around, and i had just been in nyc, i wasn't sure i'd meet my healthy wage goal, and i'd kinda' resigned myself to it, until i had a last minute push. i got a little militant for a couple weeks on my portions and exercise. then while i was at a PD session for work, in orlando, i was SO CLOSE!!! i went to our session, had a great day, went back to the hotel and weighed in...within 1/2 lb, so i went for an evening walk up the hill, back down and around the sea world park and back, before dinner or water, desperate to just officially do a final weigh in video and be done..(freakin' double tree warm walnut chocolate chip cookie from the day before-my nemesis!)...

it was an amazing conference...especially the second day;it was in spanish!

i'd watched a ted-talks video that a colleague had post (thanks mike) and the one that followed was just as amazing, as it was titled the MATH OF LOSING WEIGHT. if you're into the explanation, physics, a little chemistry, it is pretty amazing! in fact, i was fascinated. basically one of the things he was saying was when we breathe out we release carbon into the air and that accounts for about 84% of the fat loss, i just wanted to sit and breathe more...but as he mentioned, that would just be hyperventilating, and eventually i would pass out. uf, another great plan foiled!

so i took that walk and breathed as much as i could thinking, "demon carbon, in the name of all that is good, get thee out of my body!!" and would you believe it, i got back to the hotel, weighed in and i was about 1/2 lb below where i needed to be, so i took the video, and i cannot even begin to express how ecstatic i was!!

so yes, i did in fact get a check, not a hoax. (had it been, after all the hard work, i would have been hunting someone down!)

because i met my goal, i was able to put the money i had invested back into savings, and i still had enough left with the 60% from the bet-won, that i was able to get an inflatable SUP board (stand-up-paddle board), which converts to kayak mode with a chair to sit in and conversion paddle. it seems a worthy use of the winnings to be able to continue healthy adventuring! i already had a first opportunity to take it out, here are a couple of shots on how that went!

i've learned a lot about thought distortions and planning, and so much more, so would i recommend this? yes. did i still have opportunities to eat what my mouth craved? yes (as long as i planned well). i don't think i felt deprived of anything...i mean, i even had the GOOD PIZZA in brooklyn!

i still have a few weeks left with NOOM, and it has been a positive experience.  if all goes as planned, and i have learned well, i should never have to be in that situation again! smiles. as for the secondary goal, it is simply to get a little further down so that i am in a comfortable healthy range that can fluctuate a couple of pounds and still be comfortable in my own skin! the tertiary goal is just to get routines in place to tighten up and tone up!

it's not really even about the weight, it's more about the level of confidence and feeling healthy, breathing easy and not having to buy  new wardrobe. looking forward to many adventures ahead. this is the only post i plan to do on this, and now we can get back to the business of what's been happening, and what shenanigans have we been into!

keep it real!
julie

P.S. here are the links again if you are interested in either or both programs i mentioned:

HEALTHY WAGE- personal weight loss challenge, they also have step challenges and smaller challenges https://hwage.co/243999 (you get a $40 added to your prize when you sign up-it gets added to whatever you 'bet')

and if you aren't the betting type, but you are interested in learning to break and replace habits and losing weight/getting in shape the RIGHT way:

NOOM- psychology, still eat well, it just makes sense! https://friends.noom.com/YUJIR0sxVFY3OmNm

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

nothing says september like busy!

wow...august 19th seems like an eternity ago!

since then i've been just as busy. i drove over to the east coast and got to do some pd sessions in village green and north miami beach area, palm beach and broward county, then down to naples... followed up by a trip up to buffalo, with a few days to be home before heading off to miami to work with a colleague in the greater miami area. my parents got a chance to visit-they are at my place right now, while i am up in gainesville for a quick training tomorrow and back!

so let's unpack this a little. the miami area professional developments have been fast and furious, but you know that they've been a hit when you have participants say they understand the program so much better now that they've had training! and then a couple teachers from one campus had been at our training last year just after IRMA had her way...and they said this time was even better because they had used the program for a year, and this time they were able to come into the session with a different purpose!

i didn't choose the room...the room chose me.

buffalo. oh buffalo. let me begin by saying that working with a larger group is always fun, because we do a lot of communicating prior to the sessions to get everything planned. this was a fun group; i missed one or two of the planning sessions, due to our schedules just not matching up. the theme for this group was BIRTHDAY! which is entirely appropriate, as it is istation's 20th birthday...so we wore the cutest little aprons and birthday hats and headbands. it's strange because i used to be SUPER into dressing up for parties (not fancy, 'real' parties, KAMP parties, a completely different type of dress-up, in which you go through the skit closet and find the gaudiest, silliest costume possible)... this felt somewhat similar just because i would NEVER wear an apron when baking... just not an apron girl, i guess. but the sessions were successful and the purposes were met #happyparticipants

playing our games!

love the architecture up in buffalo!

it's been so crazy go-go-going, that shea and i haven't gotten a chance to hang out, so hopefully in the next few weeks we'll be able to go do the fun things on the weekends! and if we're lucky the red-tide issues will become a non-issue!

i headed down to miami again last sunday and met up with one of my colleagues, and this was the first time that we were getting to work together. we had a fabulous dinner, and i was able to take her down and show her the wynwood walls. i was fascinated by them the first time hellen took me down to see them, so i figured i should share them! we took google's short-cut through the hood, no worries. then we were near kush, so i had to share that gem with her as well and we had mouth-watering burgers that were beyond-filling!

i do think this is such a great attraction

in the morning, we got out to the rogue-i love the keyless fob action! until i realize that the keyless fob is in my pack that i dumped into the tailgate and slammed shut. i guess when you do this, the car doors won't open, and they sure didn't! so what does one do? well, i called national and they said it would take about 90 minutes and $57. hmm. we didn't have that kind of time, so we uber-ed and of course, the handouts were in the back...so at least i had my computer! we printed off just one of the handouts that i felt would be the most beneficial, and emailed the rest to the instructional coach...i did offer for them to follow us back to the hotel to wait for the locksmith and get the handouts, but no takers.

so of course there was a problem with my usb thumb-drive, and the files were corrupted or something of that nature, and i couldn't access them, so we had to email them to the secretary to print...eeeee.

then the projector, we were afraid it wasn't going to function because it took Waaaaaayyyyy longer than necessary to boot up (time for a new bulb). anyhoo, we finally got situated and both sessions went smoothly. improvise and go-with the flow. i feel like i've gotten very good at it this year!

at least the view was nice!

only thing keeping me sane

then we got back to the hotel and the little duckies were still out and about-they came to greet us! so friendly. thankfully our locksmith guy got there in a timely fashion, and i was able to get sonya to the airport for her flight! then i made my drive home, through alligator alley.

my parents drove down to visit for a few days. the timing isn't ideal, because it's still hot down here, and it's still busy-time for me, but i'll take anything i can get! the past two days during the day i've been busy with preparing for tomorrow's training, as it is a bit different than the sessions that i've had most of august up to now. but we were able to get out to myakka yesterday afternoon, because they hadn't gone yet. we tried to go to the starfish for dinner, but it was closed for until this weekend, so we went to swordfish, but it was closed for remodeling...so we went next door to cortez kitchen and had the grouper and mahi sandwiches, as there isn't as much variety; but it was decent, and there weren't too many people there, so we had better service than the last time i'd been there!

true sports, we went all the way to the top- far above the tree tops (77 ft)

braving the swinging bridge at the tower

thursday we stopped by the river walk before dinner, and then i headed out a little later than i like, but the drive was an easy drive. it rained a little, then once it got dark, i was behind another car which swerved back into the middle lane. the next thing i saw was a huge shadow. somehow one of the orange construction barrels had gotten loose and was laying in the path...i was doing around 80, because anything less is like nails on the chalkboard of driving...anyhoo. needless to say, i killed it! and dragged it...and was able to pull off to the side. fortunately it was a plastic orange barrel, and crumpled under the car. i thought it would be in front of the car, being pushed, but no. it had to go and get itself lodged under my car. uf. so i may or may not have had to lay on my stomach to reach it and start trying to move it and un-wedge it. when i finally got it from the mid section toward the driver side near the tire, i put the car in reverse, moved a few inches, tried to pull, fwd, pull a little more, back, get out on my knees and move it around again, back in the car, repeat...i was finally able to get it out from under my car, and hopefully no damage was done, except to my pride. i threw it with disgust and disdain into the median and reprimanded it. i think it learned its lesson.

pretty sure the girl at the check-in counter probably wondered what the cat drug in...

this could have been a very bad experience. fortunately i got a good night sleep, and the session with admin and coaches went very well! i look forward to working with them again!

i got home friday night to hang out with mom and dad, and we had a great breakfast the next morning before they left to check out alabama to see about different areas where they might find a new landing spot! 

the following week was another quick drive to miami for the last scheduled bridgeprep training! it went very well, and i knew it would because the scenery on the way there was a good omen! and i finally got to meet the woman with the plan in person! it was a really great staff to work with!

oh, but this lighting!!

that almost wraps up september...next post: september 22.

until then-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

the last officially planned summer hurrah!

i mentioned in the summercon18 post that i couldn't find the friendship ball after i had just explained it to the crew...how disappointing! so i went ahead and ordered another as quickly as possible at the twiggery.com and it was amazing how quickly they got it to me! and then i went to get the items to place inside from one of my favorite little places and created an instruction card and sent it off! a few days later i got a sweet text and it just reaffirmed the importance of going with your gut to encourage others.

i think the reason the friendship ball is important is that it is the beginning of little ripples, and even more than receiving it, it gives others the opportunity to feel an excitement about making a difference to someone else! it's easier to ignore that gut feeling, but now there's an excuse if you will to do something nice or fun for someone else!

the thing i was most looking forward to last week was saturday! why saturday, you ask...well, this was my final 'hurrah!' the 3rd summer goal!

i met shea at epcot on saturday morning, to take advantage of our annual passes! shea set up some fast passes, so that worked well! epcot is unique! definitely an educational experience. i loved the rides that we went on! we went around the world, and it reminded me of the time i was in elementary school, when my grandparents brought my cousins, my brother, and me from michigan to florida (roadtrip in a custom passenger van). we did wdw and epcot; the thing that came back to me was my cousin thinking it would be a wise decision to purchase a mexican sombrero. i don't know if he was really thinking about the long trip home, but the rest of us weren't very fond of that hat.

tostadas!!! nom nom!

i mean...since the pics were included, it just seemed necessary!

our patriotic display after the race track!

future includes underwater adventures!

apparently she wanted us to frame up the epcot globe...?

anyhoo, we did that for the day, when we stopped in mexico, i was a little hungry, and figured i'd try the tostada, and it was pleasing! we were done around 3 p.m. at which point we went our separate ways to visit with different people in orlando until the late-night drive toward cocoa beach.

i got to see brandy, one of my dear HONDURAN friends who lives there. even though the time was short, it is always a joy to see brandy and catch up! we had greek, because i can never pass on authentic greek food! then at about 10:30 shea picked me up and we were off to the east coast! i was incredibly frustrated that i'd brought my go-pro headgear, but because i'd been charging the camera itself, it was sitting on my desk at home. boo. anyhoo, about an hour and 15 minutes later, we were turning into a dark gravel road on the 'wrong side of the bridge!' it was dark, we'd passed a couple of police cars-lights flashing, so that automatically makes your guard go up! about 1/2 mile down the dark gravel road, which seemed like a scene from 48 hours...until we finally came upon all of the other cars and it was obvious this wasn't going to be a craigs list killing!

we signed in with bk adventures for the midnight madness, and we had about 20 minutes before the tour was to begin. so we sat and watched the previous group paddle in, and one of the mother-daughter combos with us using the constellation app to check out stars and planets- i so wish i'd had that app when i was teaching 4th grade science! (i already taught them more information than they really needed to know, ie: tides, tide tables, etc.)...i did decide i need to go ahead and download that app!

we got off into the water, and of course, we opted to be first out, and it's almost worse being first, because because you have to wait so long for everyone else to get launched. so yes. we finally got everyone on the water, and the guides led us off down the canal. fortunately the weather was perfect, and we were able to book during new moon, meaning there wasn't too much glare on the water, making it excellent conditions for the dinoflagellates to be observed! as the oar sweeps through the water, the cell is activated and flashes...i don't know, it's super technical and has to do with a drop of ph levels, etc. but it's pretty much fabulous! we had a net to swish through and pulled in several jelly goopy globs that were gelatinous in nature, and so we were able to touch the crazy glow! pretty cool. God is so creative!

so, this was the only photo of our adventure that we got!  ugh. but i suppose that's part of living in the moment!

apart from trying to avoid the other kayakers, it was a pretty awesome experience! i think this just reaffirms my desire to get a kayak, so that i can go and do this at my own pleasure without relying on and waiting for the tour groups! it would be totally worth it! while i liked the clear kayaks for this adventure, they were set up more like canoes, and wider, like canoes, making it hard to paddle with a normal kayak stroke, skimming the surface...but we still did well, and i couldn't believe the timing was so short-another reason to go on my own time to enjoy it longer!

once we pulled the canoes back in and handed in our lifevests, we got back into our cars and headed back. i'm so glad that shea was driving, because at this point it was around 2 a.m. and i was barely hanging on! #notanightperson yikes! we finished bossy pants-the audio book, and then needed a bit of music to keep it on track. got back to brandy's around 3  and after taking a quick rinse in the shower, slept so well! but i was up by 7:30 and out of bed by 8. then we hung out for awhile and chit chatted over coffee before i finally got on the road to return to my coast! 

just a little batch of yellow flowers at the rest area

i love it when something stands out to me and seems just perfect for someone and so i get it for them... that's why it's even more special when someone does that for me! brandy brought back a raspberry chocolate from belgium- which i heart! and she also gave me a book called WITH GRATITUDE which i didn't read until i got home, but i love it-very special and very much on my display stand.

when gifts are thought of with you in mind! thanks for being thoughtful, brandy!

successful weekend!
julie

celebrating independence and being prepared- quite satisfying

when the 4th of july rolled around, i got up early to avoid the craziest of traffic and made my way to the beach before the crowds to get parking and stake out a couple of trees to hammock in! it was a lovely morning, and i stuck around for a few hours-left a little after noon, and i am SO glad that i went early because as i exited the island, the traffic coming in was unbearable and i would have lost my mind!

#favoriteplace

i came home and chilled for a little bit and headed to shea's for a little grill-out with her brother and parents! i'm glad then gang got to visit! caleb shot off some fireworks...not sure if they were duds, or if it was just that the bottle rockets weren't being shot from bottles, but we may or may not have been yelled at from across the pond! i'm sure there are HOA rules, but come on! 

then on friday we made it out on the boat shea had rented, and we played up at egmont key, walked the west side of the beach down to the barrier point. the southern portion of the island is a bird reserve! then we got back on the boat and headed out to the ruins of a fort off the west side of the key, and snorkeled around. that was pretty cool! it was good to see the growth, and reaffirming that the artificial reefs that are being 'planted' and created will do some good as far as building habitat for fish and other sea life! 

then we made our way to one of the sandbars, and i had a headache, so i stayed on the boat while they went to explore. when they returned, they confirmed the rumor (of which i knew nothing): there were nudists among us! not everyone, but there were a few. although, technically if they are wearing floppy hats, are they actually naked? anyhoo....too much exposure, AMI..and then we headed back through the bay to salty dog for lunch, and it was, as always, amazing. 

i didn't get out on sunday because i had a crazy headache, but it was a great week-restful and slow. 

i feel that i am now as prepared as i could be for hurricane season! i invested in a solar-powered generator, and 2 solar panels to recharge it when the power is out. it should power up the mini fridge-should i need it, as well as lights, charge the phones or run computers...but most importantly the coffee pot. not sure about the surge power on the keurig, but i prefer to brew a pot, because i do go through my fair share of coffee! 

compact and portable enough to take camping!

love that part of the proceeds goes to veterans and their families!

the cool thing is that when i ordered it, i received an additional batch of supplies. i probably didn't need the power-saving tips playing cards, although there was some great information on several cards that i didn't realize. i love the life-straw, and had thought about getting one awhile back-great for camping...or if you're just like, "oh, hey, i just want to drink out of this mud puddle here, because i can!" there was also an LED lantern-also solar powered; i'm impressed by how bright it is! a tactical pen-which is for self-defense, and i can't carry it on an airplane-what good is that?! 72-hour food supply (freeze dried), but i went out and got more non-perishable food as well and have it set aside...i purchased a first-aid kit, etc. i've always considered myself a very prepared; i usually carry way too much, but when someone asks for something and i have it, it sure is nice! so yes. peace of mind! 

so handsome!

plus chaco now has a thunder shirt, which seems to help with the rain and during storms...the big claps of thunder still get both of the boys riled up, but the anxiety seems much lower. i suppose i am really looking forward to seeing whether or not it helps when we travel. will let you know!

be prepared! 

julie

summercon18 (nothing like comic con- no relation)

summer conference. i do enjoy our summer conferences, because it's always good to see everyone on the team. we don't all get to see each other throughout the year, as we train in different areas and have unique assignments. so when we do all get together, it's great to collaborate and laugh a bit!

this year it was no different. we weren't in a hotel like last year; we tried something new. we were in air bnbs, and vrbos. i'm pretty sure each house had its own pros and cons. we were in an ideal location, near everything. i got in a little late (non-stop flights only go out twice a day from tpa)...so brian was good enough to pick me up from the airport, and take me to the condo. once we got there, it was a little adventure finding the unit, but we did! it was great to see julie k and lori h when i arrived so we sat around for a bit before hitting the hay.

love that there is a starbucks around the corner from the office, so we went each morning-great way to start the day! day one was a happy birthday theme, and fortunately no one came in their birthday suit- we had a birthday fairy and several festive hats...day two we did super heroes and on the last day we did memes or t-shirts that characterized us. we worked on math content and did some product knowledge, as well as sharing some tdl lesson-fun. we had a great time working together and playing!

our evenings were busy as well-we were entertained at the home of one of our higher-ups in the company- i personally loved the burgers! the layout of her house is perfect for entertaining, and everyone pretty much gathered in the indoor/outdoor patio area around the pool. that was the first night we were all together, and we had our white elephant gift-there were some good ones! from practical tool plunger to amazing 8-ball, we had fun with it. 

the second night we were at our boss' home, which has become tradition, and we hung out in the backyard-sitting around in the pools, on the patio, and i will say that the food truck was pretty fabulous! i'm so glad michele was up for splitting portions so that we could experience a couple items! it was a great evening.  

i brought a 'friendship ball' with me because we'd been discussing EQ (emotional IQ) over the past few months in preparation for the summer conference. i've loved the concept of the friendship ball since i first saw one when i was down near the river market in kc back in the early 90s. i've purchased a few over the years and tried to start them in circles of friends, but they never got very far. sad day. so i decided this might be the perfect chance, and i introduced it that night and the concept and purpose behind it, offering to start it and send it to a colleague who had to leave early. the kicker was that when we got back to the house we were staying at, i couldn't find it anywhere! i couldn't remember if i'd sat it down in the house while gathering my things, or what. looked all over the suv, and didn't find it anywhere...looked again the next day-no dice. so i just decided that i'd purchase another (fortunately i remembered the name of the website where i'd gotten it!)

thursday we finished out the conference and everyone headed out a little after noon. i was set to take off on the 4 pm flight through nashville, but unfortunately things were delayed with a huge storm system moving through the semi-east portion of the u.s. and my flight was too close for comfort, so i got it switched to the 8:30 nonstop. grr. i hate getting back so late...but at least i made it back the same day. 

that wraps up summercon18 we managed to finish a lot of work and have a lot of fun, but i think the most important thing about these get togethers is always just having conversations, touching base with everyone and just building on relationships. love my job and love working for such a great company-thanks, and happy 20th birthday, istation!

good day-

julie

p.s. i just got a text the other day from amanda-it was the friendship ball she found buried deep under one of the removable seats in the car! so we may just have to figure out how to integrate that one into the mix without things getting too confusing- or i'll just hold onto the extra for another day.