Friday, April 24, 2009
Almost, but not quite...
A correction: the conference is actually the NHPCO's Management and Leadership Conference... not just a generic conference, as I might've implied. :)
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Last night was another great dinner (with champagne, instead of the wine...so nice), and a fabulous time of conversation. Really a treat, all the way around.
This morning found us up and at the opening session of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) conference, where Elizabeth Edwards delivered the keynote address. I have to say, regardless of your political leanings, Mrs. Edwards is a very lovely, very gracious woman, and her speech this morning was one of the most heartfelt I've ever heard.
Afterwards, there was a book-signing where Mrs. E was signing copies of her book Saving Graces. Because I was the member of our party who was not heading to a breakout session (or whatever they were calling them), I volunteered to stand in line and get our books signed... this meant, then, that I got to meet Elizabeth Edwards!!! I have to say, for as lovely and gracious as she seemed when delivering her address, she is even more so in person.
The other interesting thing this morning... although certainly not on the same level as meeting EE... was that as we crossed the street, we heard the sound of police sirens. Being good Californians, we immediately turned and looked, and realized that it was a diplomatic motorcade! This may be silly of me, but it was kind of cool to see in person. Couldn't see who it was, but still impressive.
Well, it's almost time to get ready for dinner... I'll post more tonight or tomorrow.
This morning found us up and at the opening session of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) conference, where Elizabeth Edwards delivered the keynote address. I have to say, regardless of your political leanings, Mrs. Edwards is a very lovely, very gracious woman, and her speech this morning was one of the most heartfelt I've ever heard.
Afterwards, there was a book-signing where Mrs. E was signing copies of her book Saving Graces. Because I was the member of our party who was not heading to a breakout session (or whatever they were calling them), I volunteered to stand in line and get our books signed... this meant, then, that I got to meet Elizabeth Edwards!!! I have to say, for as lovely and gracious as she seemed when delivering her address, she is even more so in person.
The other interesting thing this morning... although certainly not on the same level as meeting EE... was that as we crossed the street, we heard the sound of police sirens. Being good Californians, we immediately turned and looked, and realized that it was a diplomatic motorcade! This may be silly of me, but it was kind of cool to see in person. Couldn't see who it was, but still impressive.
Well, it's almost time to get ready for dinner... I'll post more tonight or tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
DC: Day One-and-a-Half
A disclaimer: this may be a little disjointed because I'm still a little jet-lagged. :)
Yesterday was Travel Day! Overall, it was an uneventful trip, although the stop in Chicago - the STOP in Chicago when we were on a NON-stop flight to Baltimore - was a bit of a surprise. There were also a few moments of some rather unpleasant turbulence… the kind that made me tighten my seatbelt so that it was really more appropriate for a small child. (“I don’t care if it cuts me in half, I WANT TO LIVE!!!”) Truth be told, I wasn’t so worried about the turbulence itself as I was the effect it was having on my mother. Prone to motion sickness, I’m pretty sure her face turned a couple of different shades of green. The problem we were facing was that if she became sick enough to toss her proverbial cookies, I as a sympathy barfer would be compelled to join in the fun. You can see why that would be a bad thing. Happily, she survived, and neither of us lost our lunch (or the airplane peanuts that substituted for afore-mentioned lunch).
Fast-forward to the Baltimore airport, where we met up with our luggage and found ourselves piled in to a minivan-taxi with a very old man driving. He reminded me of my grandpa, except the the minivan didn't have enough bumper stickers. The only thing of note during the drive from Baltimore to DC (other than the scenery) was that I’m pretty sure we passed one of the cars from Super Troopers. They'd pulled somebody over on the other side of the highway, and since we were going in the opposite direction, we passed them so quickly that I didn’t have the opportunity to listen for any meows. I didn't point them out to anyone else in the minivan because I kind of think that no one else would have understood the reference. Meow.
We arrived at the hotel in the midst of a thunderstorm, which changed our dinner plans… originally, we were going to take a walk from our lovely hotel through the lovely neighborhood to a local Italian restaurant. Jill had been there before, and by the time she finished telling us about the owner who makes the pasta fresh everyday, our mouths were watering! BUT... when we got out of the minivan-taxi at the hotel, it was thunderstorming (windy, rainy, thundery), so we very quickly decided to NOT walk around in the midst of the storm. Plan B was eating at one of the restaurants in the hotel... and as Plan Bs go, this was an EXTREMELY satisfactory replacement! I had the best crabcakes I've ever had... and the glass of wine was quite nice, too. The end of the meowmeal found me in a warm, happy food coma.
That was pretty much the end of yesterday, although I suppose I should mention that there was an incident with a vending meowmachine that only takes credit cards, and the subsequent birth of the Vending Machine Success Dance. Yes, that was me... no, you can't see it - it was spontaneous and impossible to replicate. I can tell you that Mom's version of the VMSD was more of a Cabbage Patch, and therefore QUITE hilarious!
Today has been quiet... well, for me, at least. :)
Mom and Jill started meetings first thing this morning... I, on the other hand, happily took advantage of the opportunity to sleep in (mmmmmeow). I did leave the room for a while so that the very patient housekeeping staff could do their thing... but came back so that I could check emails, etc...
That's all for now, but here are a couple of pix of the view from our room (forgive any water-spots - it rained earlier today):
Yesterday was Travel Day! Overall, it was an uneventful trip, although the stop in Chicago - the STOP in Chicago when we were on a NON-stop flight to Baltimore - was a bit of a surprise. There were also a few moments of some rather unpleasant turbulence… the kind that made me tighten my seatbelt so that it was really more appropriate for a small child. (“I don’t care if it cuts me in half, I WANT TO LIVE!!!”) Truth be told, I wasn’t so worried about the turbulence itself as I was the effect it was having on my mother. Prone to motion sickness, I’m pretty sure her face turned a couple of different shades of green. The problem we were facing was that if she became sick enough to toss her proverbial cookies, I as a sympathy barfer would be compelled to join in the fun. You can see why that would be a bad thing. Happily, she survived, and neither of us lost our lunch (or the airplane peanuts that substituted for afore-mentioned lunch).
Fast-forward to the Baltimore airport, where we met up with our luggage and found ourselves piled in to a minivan-taxi with a very old man driving. He reminded me of my grandpa, except the the minivan didn't have enough bumper stickers. The only thing of note during the drive from Baltimore to DC (other than the scenery) was that I’m pretty sure we passed one of the cars from Super Troopers. They'd pulled somebody over on the other side of the highway, and since we were going in the opposite direction, we passed them so quickly that I didn’t have the opportunity to listen for any meows. I didn't point them out to anyone else in the minivan because I kind of think that no one else would have understood the reference. Meow.
We arrived at the hotel in the midst of a thunderstorm, which changed our dinner plans… originally, we were going to take a walk from our lovely hotel through the lovely neighborhood to a local Italian restaurant. Jill had been there before, and by the time she finished telling us about the owner who makes the pasta fresh everyday, our mouths were watering! BUT... when we got out of the minivan-taxi at the hotel, it was thunderstorming (windy, rainy, thundery), so we very quickly decided to NOT walk around in the midst of the storm. Plan B was eating at one of the restaurants in the hotel... and as Plan Bs go, this was an EXTREMELY satisfactory replacement! I had the best crabcakes I've ever had... and the glass of wine was quite nice, too. The end of the meowmeal found me in a warm, happy food coma.
That was pretty much the end of yesterday, although I suppose I should mention that there was an incident with a vending meowmachine that only takes credit cards, and the subsequent birth of the Vending Machine Success Dance. Yes, that was me... no, you can't see it - it was spontaneous and impossible to replicate. I can tell you that Mom's version of the VMSD was more of a Cabbage Patch, and therefore QUITE hilarious!
Today has been quiet... well, for me, at least. :)
Mom and Jill started meetings first thing this morning... I, on the other hand, happily took advantage of the opportunity to sleep in (mmmmmeow). I did leave the room for a while so that the very patient housekeeping staff could do their thing... but came back so that I could check emails, etc...
That's all for now, but here are a couple of pix of the view from our room (forgive any water-spots - it rained earlier today):
Not too bad, right? Here's one more... forgive all the roofs, but note the church spires in the background!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sleepy...so sleepy....
Seriously, I want to take a nap! :) When did I start going to bed early? Or getting up early and making coffee first thing? I don't know whether to blame it on getting older... or to be grateful that I can still be in charge of my getting-up- and going-to-bed- times... because as I hear from my friends who already have kids, that won't always be the case!
It's not just the early bedtimes, or the coffee drinking,though. It's also the knees popping when I stand up to walk across the room, the gray hairs that are multiplying at an alarming rate, the realization that the teenage hostess at the restaurant probably regards The Princess Bride as an old movie!
I don't know, maybe I'll feel better after I take a nap.
At least I don't need prune juice yet.
It's not just the early bedtimes, or the coffee drinking,though. It's also the knees popping when I stand up to walk across the room, the gray hairs that are multiplying at an alarming rate, the realization that the teenage hostess at the restaurant probably regards The Princess Bride as an old movie!
I don't know, maybe I'll feel better after I take a nap.
At least I don't need prune juice yet.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
It's Getting Thick!
Every place I've lived has had its own regional idiosyncrasies. Growing up in the country, I was used to the sounds of coyotes and bullfrogs at night, of sheep and cattle hailing mealtimes... in northeast Pasadena, it was the wild peacocks who roamed our neighborhoods... now in Ventura, it's the all-pervasive smell of fertilizer. Mind you, I don't mean chemical additives... I mean straight-out-of-the-business-end-of-large-farm-animals fertilizer! Yes, it's that time of year, when they're fertilizing the fields in hopes of yielding a crop of the strawberries that are known and loved throughout Southern California.
One of my favorite roads takes me through an agricultural area with lush green fields on both sides... on a side note, it's not usually on my way, but it is my reigning favorite detour! Despite the fact that I enjoy driving this road, I rarely stop to ask how it gets so green. This time of year, I am reminded. All of the fields have been fertilized... and you can smell it for miles around! I walk out of the grocery store, the mall, the convenience store... no matter where I am, I can smell it.
It kind of stinks - pardon the pun - because we're having BEAUTIFUL weather right now, the kind of weather that makes you want to roll down your windows and enjoy the warm air and sunshine. Here's how that went today:
ME: (getting in my car, turning onto the street, leaving my window up while I drive past the beach tourists so that they don't overhear if i complain about them) What a beautiful day! I think I'm going to crack my window!
(rolling down the window, inhaling deeply) Aw, crap! It's that time of year!!!
And that was the end of that. Okay, so I actually left the window cracked... the day was prettier than the stink was bad. Plus, it felt like a timely, poignant... or timely, pungent... reminder from the Lord that sometimes you have to live through the stinky parts of life to get to the lush green fields. What's important to keep in mind is that the fields are that much lusher, greener, and sweeter for having survived the crap.
One of my favorite roads takes me through an agricultural area with lush green fields on both sides... on a side note, it's not usually on my way, but it is my reigning favorite detour! Despite the fact that I enjoy driving this road, I rarely stop to ask how it gets so green. This time of year, I am reminded. All of the fields have been fertilized... and you can smell it for miles around! I walk out of the grocery store, the mall, the convenience store... no matter where I am, I can smell it.
It kind of stinks - pardon the pun - because we're having BEAUTIFUL weather right now, the kind of weather that makes you want to roll down your windows and enjoy the warm air and sunshine. Here's how that went today:
ME: (getting in my car, turning onto the street, leaving my window up while I drive past the beach tourists so that they don't overhear if i complain about them) What a beautiful day! I think I'm going to crack my window!
(rolling down the window, inhaling deeply) Aw, crap! It's that time of year!!!
And that was the end of that. Okay, so I actually left the window cracked... the day was prettier than the stink was bad. Plus, it felt like a timely, poignant... or timely, pungent... reminder from the Lord that sometimes you have to live through the stinky parts of life to get to the lush green fields. What's important to keep in mind is that the fields are that much lusher, greener, and sweeter for having survived the crap.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Going home...
Thomas Wolfe said "You can't go home again."
He was right... to a point. I can't go back, that's true. Yet it seems that again and again I find my way back to those relationships that have, at one point or another, defined home for me. My parents... because I'll never get too old for their insight and advice. The roommate who shared not only a roof, but life and all of its joys and struggles for 4+ years. The friend who lived far away (or so I thought at the time), then just a few minutes away, and is now far away again... but still capable of bringing incredible normalcy into my day just by sending a text about driving in snow. My little brother, who will always be my little brother no matter how big, buff, or old he is.
The Savior whose arms are always waiting for me...
So maybe I can't go back to a place, or a time, but how wonderfully precious that I can always go the ones who know me best!
He was right... to a point. I can't go back, that's true. Yet it seems that again and again I find my way back to those relationships that have, at one point or another, defined home for me. My parents... because I'll never get too old for their insight and advice. The roommate who shared not only a roof, but life and all of its joys and struggles for 4+ years. The friend who lived far away (or so I thought at the time), then just a few minutes away, and is now far away again... but still capable of bringing incredible normalcy into my day just by sending a text about driving in snow. My little brother, who will always be my little brother no matter how big, buff, or old he is.
The Savior whose arms are always waiting for me...
So maybe I can't go back to a place, or a time, but how wonderfully precious that I can always go the ones who know me best!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
*sigh* sad for me
Um... first of all, I know that last post was random... mostly, I was just trying to figure out how to post pictures. :)
And now for today's sadness: late this afternoon, I went to the post office to drop some things for work. Not an unusual errand, right? Lots of people go to the post office. They enter, do their thing, and exit... having accomplished what they set out to do, they go on their way and think nothing else of it.
Well! The people who were in this particular post office this afternoon went home with a story to tell... "Honey, you'll never guess what happened at the post office this afternoon! This girl came in with an armful of mail - a box, a bunch of envelopes - only she's barely inside the door when ... well, I don't really know what happened but it looked like she tripped, and almost fell over, but then caught herself, but then started to fall again, and dropped most of the mail! I wanted to laugh, but I was afraid she might be hurt... I don't know, she got up and seemed to be okay."
Fortunately, I managed to avoid injury (although my ankle and my wrist are a little sore), except for my pride.
On the other hand, maybe my klutziness caused a few people to laugh and thereby brightened their days?
And now for today's sadness: late this afternoon, I went to the post office to drop some things for work. Not an unusual errand, right? Lots of people go to the post office. They enter, do their thing, and exit... having accomplished what they set out to do, they go on their way and think nothing else of it.
Well! The people who were in this particular post office this afternoon went home with a story to tell... "Honey, you'll never guess what happened at the post office this afternoon! This girl came in with an armful of mail - a box, a bunch of envelopes - only she's barely inside the door when ... well, I don't really know what happened but it looked like she tripped, and almost fell over, but then caught herself, but then started to fall again, and dropped most of the mail! I wanted to laugh, but I was afraid she might be hurt... I don't know, she got up and seemed to be okay."
Fortunately, I managed to avoid injury (although my ankle and my wrist are a little sore), except for my pride.
On the other hand, maybe my klutziness caused a few people to laugh and thereby brightened their days?
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