old news...i'm late..i'm late...for a very unimportant,trivial, blog-date!

friday morning we had a training in tulia, which was a tiny drive from lubbock. it was great driving up there with sarah! we got to catch up and she was able to share the background of the schools we would be working with. although we didn't see any jackelopes, nor any other type of wildlife, a gentleman did later tell us about a his run-in with a bird of prey. he arrived late to the training because this bird dive-bombed him and then went flying up 20 ft and then fell to the ground. he felt so guilty that he was actually thinking about going back to check what kind of bird it actually was. we told him just to pretend it was a pheasant and be done with it-no worries. he didn't return for the afternoon training, so perhaps he actually did go back to check on it...?

doing some station-activities with reports

this one-she makes me smile laugh! truly enjoy working with her!!

the training went well and almost everyone returned after the lunch break, minus that one lady who entered and her first words were: WHAT? THIS IS AN ALL DAY TRAINING?! (body language suggested that her mind was processing some inaudible filthy language) but everyone else was very pleased that they stayed, because we had some really good information about the reports, and they found it useful.

after all was said and done, we made our way back to the airport. my original flight was scheduled to leave at 8:50 pm, but when i got there, i stopped at the ticket counter, and heard the lady say that they'd been on a ground stop in dallas, and the 2 earlier flights hadn't left yet, so i asked her to put me on standby. as was making my way up to the gate, there was a man who was running late, so i told him to chill, the flights had been delayed. he looked at me and said i looked very familiar, so the only things i mentioned were dallas isd and kanakuk (the two places i'd probably have the most contact with the largest number of people). nope, so i let it drop and went to the gate, thinking i wouldn't have to deal with him again. my southwest app said i had a boarding spot (b17), but the lady at the gate said no, that i was on standby and had a boarding spot for the later flight...hmm, ok, whatever.

 the time kept getting pushed back so finally i got a personal pizza and when i went to sit down, the guy i met at security (damon) brought his culinary purchase and sat at the table next to me and began to strike up conversation. so we discussed what he was doing in lubbock-interviewing for a chief IT position with the district. anyone who has followed this blog for a time knows that i do not LOVE small talk. unfortunately i happen to be really good at it, and the conversation kept prolonging itself until finally he finished his food and decided it might be important to go back and check on the flight. i might have been more inclined to keep the conversation going, but guy had a ring..and braces (which made him look 15) so i allowed for ample separation time to try to ensure that we didn't run into each other again. nice guy, but i was out of conversation. the lobby was so cold that i had to go grab some coffee to warm my hands (note to self-start bringing hand warmers).

finally around 7:15 they decided to allow the 2:40 flight to board (they'd already cxld the dallas portion of the 2nd flight and sent them on to nashville).  so i again approached the counter, and the same lady from before said no, i didn't have a boarding spot, step to the side with the other standbys, and wait. and then pony tail agent approached and began to help and started to clear passengers. after she'd cleared about 12 passengers-NONE OF THEM ME...she looked at her list and said into her radio that they were about to clear the last two standbys because there were two no-shows...she said my name and another, and i stepped up and said that's me! i just didn't have the boarding ticket-she said well, you should! here-and printed it. i wanted to crane my neck to look at the other agent behind her who was saying i didn't have a boarding spot (because she was still trying to tell ponytail that i didn't have a boarding ticket) i wanted to wag my finger and say, "shame on you!" from now on--just trust the app. anyhoo, no hard feelings, i got on the flight, and we finally got off (good thing because the later flight, my original, the 8:50 was cxld as well).

as i was walking down the jet bridge, the flight attendant met me at the plane and before she could even say anything, i said, "i have to gate check it, don't i?" she nodded, and had a tag, so i knelt down because i keep my lock and key to lock it up just in case and she was pretty impressed (doesn't take much), and i expressed my frustration, because i would've been on the plane in plenty of time to get a spot that would accommodate my bag, but they screwed up inside. and then i found a middle seat not too far from the front of the plane. after a few minutes, she made an announcement about the bag that they were going to gate check and i waved, she told me they found a spot for it-actually in the overhead right in front of me. am i the lucky one, or what? so i pulled out a card and found the starbucks gift card that i try to keep on-hand for just such occasions, and expressed my gratitude for her listening and making an effort.

upon arrival, the whole thing seemed like a repeat of the previous friday-groundhog day-trainers edition. so once we were finally afforded a gate, and able to deplane (go ahead, say it like tattoo-fantasy island), i was able to get home and once again, driving home at 10:30 pm, exhausted, thinking about people who were probably on their way out for the evening- i was dying to put my head on my pillow!

then saturday i picked up the boys and spent some time chatting with joanne. then we relaxed at home and that evening i got to do dinner with solange and the crowd to give a farewell for her twins who were going off to start college! every time we get together, the group feels a little more comfortable, and it keeps me up to date with my spanish-smile. snuffers fried pickles never disappoint (the taste-buds..they disappoint the scale, and my thighs, but never the taste-buds).

sunday funday consisted in a 6-hour poster-making-marathon with nafia and nicolette. we had a delicious breakfast of blueberry waffles, sausage, hashbrowns and fruit-great company, funny conversations, laughter, and we finished a ton of posters! then i made my way home and was able to help nicolette with some name-tag/ofishally first grade tags-and looking for a special beginning-of-the-year book (which target, walmart and barnes and noble were all out of)...oops. hopefully she was home in time to get a good nights rest for her first day of school!

i hope all of my dallas school friends have had a great start back to school!!
julie

jack rabbits, enrollment forms and enough sodium for a small country (of teeny-tiny ant-sized people who have no taste buds)

saturday i got a text from nafia, and she, nicolette and i got to go do some errand-running to find some essentials for her cousin's bridal shower. good times! i love going to hobby lobby for anything, but this was a fun little task, and we were able to find the necessities to help pull off a very creative gathering! and then we stopped by bath and body works to get a little gift set for the event in question. and i was able to stock up on more smelly things for my smell-diffuser-thing and for my car. love the scents!

touched base with sarah on monday to make sure that everything was "a go" for thursday and friday before making the flight out to lubbock. took the boys into the vet early tuesday morning (i always drop them off around 7 to get them set for their comprehensive and dental cleanings, thank you banfield). due to the fact that banfield is located inside petsmart, i always say a little prayer that i will make it all the way to the back of the store before one of the boys (usually bruno) does his business in the store...i mean, i usually walk them around for a bit outside, but they are tricky..they always wait to get in the store and smell what the other dogs have done. jerks.

then in the afternoon i made my way into the office because i needed to speak with our HR vice president. i wasn't sure how to play this one..and not because she's scary, in fact, the vp of hr is fabulous...it's more that i'd been putting off the inevitable. so i stopped in and talked to lori first, trying to get up the nerve to go in and talk to her to see how bad it was going to be...so lori took the edge off by buffering while providing the introductory "here, do something, julie's blonde." (ok, i know that wasn't what she said, but that's what i heard mostly because it's what i was thinking in the moment!). i was dreading this more than the dentist, because i'd been over-thinking it for too long, and avoiding the unavoidable. and we all know that when you do that, it just sits and simmers on the back burner and the brain just makes it even worse!

it was a relief to know that we were within compliance, and i wasn't going to have too severe of consequences...paperwork. just paperwork. so that was good to hear..chills just thinking about how good it was to hear! music to my ears (good music, none of that toddler screamo-crap i referred to in the previous post!) so my duty is to contact the dentist to make sure they are a part of this in-network plan...unfortunately, the receptionist is a little ditzy, but so nice, that it's hard to be upset with her...one of those "bless-your-heart"s. 

yesterday i dropped the boys at joannes because it was going to be a longer trip, and she said fudge was wanting to party,

this is them when i dropped them off at joannes for a visit-they were pretty excited to get there!

then i went to the airport, in my flipflops, in the rain. (didn't think that through)...and arrived in beautiful 80 degree, light breeze weather in lubbock. after i called for the shuttle, it only took about a half hour for him to arrive. cool. then, as we pulled out of the airport, something caught my eye in the shade of the trees...jack rabbits! i can't say that i've actually seen them in person! i'm sure that if i keep my eyes open, at some point i may also see a jackelope...c'mon sarah, let's see if we can't find one on the way to tulia tomorrow!
                                            
so, i'm staying at the overton in lubbock, and it is a very nice hotel,

but the walls seem thin, or something because i can hear laughing in the room next door and full conversations of people walking down the hall...maybe the hotel in leavenworth really did shoot the supersonic hearing beam through my ear...(although more likely, it may just be some of the elderly visitors speaking loudly due to loss of hearing, who really knows #notgoingtoask). there are two things that are minor-there is a noise in the bathroom from the vent-like the wind is causing it to open and shut. no problem, last night, i just turned on the cello music...tonight, i will leave the light on because it is connected to the fan and the noise stops-it will just be white noise, and if i close the door, the light won't be an issue. the other 'bother' is that the t.v. always reverts back to the original LUBBOCK SPECIAL channel, so i have to do some flipping of channels to get back to the station i was watching if i turn it off at any point. (i mean, it's the little things...who needs finger cramping from playing with the remote unnecessarily? NOT ME!!)  

today's session canceled and apparently wanted to reschedule last minute, so i went down to the restaurant for a leisurely breakfast and took my notebook with me. i probably should've just gotten the buffet, but i'd seen the menu up in my room and had my mind set. in the room i was thinking blueberry pancakes with a side of egg...i ended up getting the waffle. who am i? anyhoo, the meal arrived and i decided i needed some salt on the eggs, so i reached over and grabbed the salt while looking at the pepper shaker and noticing that it was a grind mill pepper-shaker, so my instinct (ok, learned behavior...i know the difference) i tried to ground the salt-thinking about my sea salt shaker at home, and the freakin' top came right off, leaving a heaping pile of NaCl all over my perfectly done eggs. not being one to make a big deal of things, i was in an obscure booth, so i tried my darndest to wipe the eggs off. to a casual observer, one might think i was petting the eggs, and they remained too salty, so i tried to eat them with the syrup-still too salty (not the same mix as caramel and sea salt-my fave!!)nope, so my next try was to pour some of my water on them, giving them a little bath, in hopes that the ice water wouldn't ruin the warm egg-effect. i still like the yolks a little runny. it worked, but it was not ideal. and as soon as i moved the eggs to the waffle plate and finished the eggs and the waffle, i poured the water from the egg plate onto the waffle plate in order to hide any traces of the situation, as the water mixed with the syrup...

ay-ya-yai...(not sure, but in my head, that's the way i pronounced it maybe with a little more flair and some other words you may or may not recognize)

not my smoothest breakfast adventure...but i can guarantee lesson learned! besides, it was granular salt, duh, of course you don't grind it otherwise it'd be the consistency of powdered sugar.

i did get this in the mail before my flight, confirming that i had made the first status mark! go me.

 and in other news, i found out that the coffee shop will open tomorrow just in the nick of time for me to grab a latte to go at 6:15 on our mission to tulia. good times, i'm certain of it.

why the coffee shop sports a poster of factoids about armadillos, i am uncertain.

tomorrow will come early, so i must iron my pants and get some sleep-gotta' be my best version of a shadow tomorrow!

julie