Visit to Beantown

I'm about a week behind in posting this item - we were in Boston a week ago, but I'm hopeful that late is better than never.

Sam and I flew into Boston on a cold and rainy Friday without any difficulty - quick, easy flight. After checking into the hotel, we walked to the nearby "T" station and made our way to Boston University (BU). We were greeting, upon exiting the T, by a car that drove through a huge puddle and splashed us with a huge wave of water. We didn't let it get to us, and just forged ahead in the driving rain. Despite the weather, we had a great visit to BU and Sam and I both really liked it. It's a cool place even in the worst of circumstances, so it's got to be even better when the weather cooperates. We did something called "The Experience Room," which is a "surround" type of video presentation about the school - very well done - showing famous people who have taught at or attended BU (i.e., Thomas Edison and Martin Luther King, Jr.) Next came the information session, and then a tour. Fortunately, the rain let up a bit for the tour so I was able to take a few photos. About 4pm, we headed back to our hotel via the T, stopping in the middle of the city to get a bite to eat at an Irish pub-type restaurant. We were so happy to be warm and dry.

The next morning we rented a car and set off for UMass Amherst, about a two-hour drive from the city. We got a little lost, but made it in plenty of time for the Info Session. We walked on campus to get some food and were immediately assaulted by the FREEZING wind - Amherst felt much colder, despite the sun. We had lunch in a sad little "basement" with virtually no students around. All day long we wondered where the students were - probably inside hiding from the elements. Later we sat through the info session, run by a guy who started every sentence with, "Ummm..." After only about an hour and a half on campus, we knew there was no way Sam (or I) were going to like this school. So we ditched the tour and went straight to her uncle's for an early dinner. Had a great visit with him and then drove back to the city. No problems.

The trip seemed very productive in that one school moved up on Sam's list while another moved entirely OFF the list. Every little bit helps!

Nineteen!

Joe's birthday was two days ago and I have to say that the last few years have been real eye-openers in terms of trying to deal with how OLD my older kids are! I cannot believe it's been nineteen years since he was born, though I'm sure I'm not the first parent to experience this. Sometimes it is very difficult to reconcile that tiny baby and little boy with the full-grown man I see now. It's true that regardless of a child's current age, a mother sees her child at all ages simultaneously. So now I have to get used to saying that my kids are 19, 17, 6, and 5 (soon to be 6). Not to mention that I am now 46! When does it end? Well, I guess we all know when it ends : )

Here's a pic of Joe in front of his blackberry birthday pie and adorned by his brand-new Vampire Weekend hat. One thing will never change: Joe will always be a character.

Happy Birthday Bunny Boy!

College Roadtrip - Part One

Yesterday dawned rainy and dank, the "perfect" day for Sam's first college visit. Oh, and don't forget to throw in the closure of Route 95 - which necessitated a very extended "back door" trip into Philadelphia. We definitely saw some new parts of the city!



After finally making it to the Penn campus, we got stuck in a pretty bad traffic jam, but eventually worked our way out. When I saw one empty parking spot on the side of the road, I jumped at it - despite it taking me ten minutes to jimmy my way into it - it was TINY! Fortunately we were close to where Sam's 11am "trial" Anthropology class was to take place - inside Penn's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology - it was every bit as impressive as its name. Really gorgeous building. Sam loved sitting in the class and it was the highlight of the trip for her.



After class, we wandered the campus a bit, hit the bookstore (it was COLD so we got a jacket and sweatshirt on clearance!) and then grabbed a quick lunch. I would always get excited when I saw an area that was familiar from trips to Drexel, e.g., "Joe's CVS."



Afterwards we walked the main quad of the campus, which was absolutely beautiful. At right is a photo of College Hall, in front of a statue of Penn's founder, Benjamin Franklin. The architecture on the campus is just amazing - I'm sure it would have been even more amazing if it hadn't been such a dreary day. We met in College Hall to begin the Information Session and then the student-guided tour. The Info Session was a little dry, but the tour was pretty wet! : ) When we began, the rain really started coming down. We saw some gorgeous parts of campus and learned quite a bit, too. After about an hour we had had enough and cut the tour a bit short.

We made our way back to the car and since our parking meter had run out about ten minutes before, of COURSE I had a parking ticket. My contribution to the city of Philly, I guess. We hit tons of rerouted Route 95 traffic on the way out of the city and the rain made for an exhausting ride home, but it was a good day after all.

I mentioned to Sam on my way home that my grandmother had only finished about six grades of school. Then my mother made it all the way through high school. I then took the baton and finished college. Now it's Sam's turn and she stands a pretty decent chance at completing graduate work at a great college. It does make me proud. Meanwhile, there's Claire - whose parents probably didn't get very far through school, while with her intellect and current opportunities, the sky's the limit! It's a crazy world.

"It'll Grow Back"

At right is a photo of Claire as she sat in the hairdresser's chair, ready to donate ten inches of hair to "Locks of Love." I mentioned it to her about a year ago and she just latched onto the idea. She would mention it from time to time, but lately she really seemed READY to part with her hair for this great cause. I, on the other hand, found myself quite reluctant to part with her hair - probably because I never had great hair of my own. When I tried to make sure she understood that the hair would really be gone, she would always reply, "it'll grow back." Finally, I realized that I was preventing her from doing some good for someone else, and that that was totally unfair. So I finally gave in and made the appointment.

Here's a photo of Claire AFTER the cut. She has a surprising amount of hair left, but it's still going to be dicey trying to get a bun in her hair for ballet for a while! In any case, I'm really proud of her for doing something so selfless and can't help but think about how thrilled some boy or girl will be to have Claire's wonderful hair!

"I Hardly Know Him!"

I do love hearing the daily kindergarten tales from Claire and Sydney. Tony and I especially enjoy asking them about their day while at the dinner table. They're just so much more into friends now than they were even just a year ago.

Anyway, I picked the girls up from the bus stop yesterday and noticed that Claire was holding a lovely little yellow origami swan. I asked where she had gotten it and she told me that it was from a boy on the bus, Gabe, I think. I asked how old he was. Answer? Second grade. Then I made the mistake of asking (teasingly) if he was her boyfriend. Claire, with her usual aplomb, answered, "he is NOT my boyfriend. I hardly KNOW him." She just makes me laugh.

Meanwhile, Sydney got home and set immediately to work on a book for her classmate, Kavon. What is with this sudden interest in boys? Just a few weeks ago, they pretty much didn't exist - the focus was on the girls in their class. Sydney told me that Kavon is now her best friend and she drew a very sweet book about the two of them, which she made sure to pack up and bring to school so that she can present it to him. I really should have photographed it first. Sorry!

SLC - LAST DAY

I guess it's kind of cheating to write about my last day in SLC after I'm home, but I just feel like I've got to finish the story.


Yesterday morning, our last in Salt Lake, feels like 100 years ago and I am tired to the point of slurred speech, but BOY does it feel good to be home! Anyway, Saturday morning dawned (SURPRISE!) rainy and dreary. We have had only very rare glimpses of the sun during our entire stay. This was a great year to have such a short distance between the hotel and CC - it wasn't too bad to dash across the street even when it was raining. Although you might get wet if you waited for the "official" crossing signal. Mostly, especially in the early morning, most people just made a dash for it.


I got to the booth at 7:30 and was bummed to see that Steve, Linda, and Ron had all beat me today and had the booth all ready for business. We discussed a little packing strategy and then settled in to a very quiet morning. I had to run back to the hotel for photos of a TECA Challenge and the Program Excellence Breakfast but got back pretty quickly (which was good since Steve was timing me). I did promise Starbucks to both Ron and Linda, but reneged on it when the line had (and I counted) 13 people. Sorry Ron and Linda! I owe you both a Starbucks beverage (check your mail in the coming weeks).


Had a rough start to our morning when we realized that we had virtually no small bills in our petty cash and no accountant on site to rectify the situation. Rumor had it that she had already left town. Hmmm. But wasn't there money to be dealt with at the end of conference? Thankfully, Tamara was there to pick up the pieces. We were also very grateful for Kendall's quick run to get us small bills.


Started boxing things up about 10, but left everything out - which was good because we did have a little rush of business around that time. But by 11, the CC was a ghost town so we started packing in earnest and had it done by about 11:30. Left me just enough time to pack up my computer, check out of the hotel and get to the Awards Luncheon.


It's so hard to spend an hour or two packing and hauling boxes and then have to sit still through speeches, etc. At one point Fred actually fell asleep, but I took pity and did not photograph him. Fortunately, it went quickly, I got my photos and then we were off to the airport.


Other than being WAY early, the airport experience was incredibly easy and problem-free. The time passed quickly, especially when we were able to wait with Roseanne and Susan (both on our flight) and Ron and Gary Wynn, who were waiting for a flight at the next gate.


The flight was easy and passed quickly and I came home and crashed. SO glad to be home. Soon I hope to have the full "public viewing" slideshow ready as well as the "Super Secret Slideshow." Stay tuned.




Today's pics are actually leftover from Friday night's excursion to PF Chiang's. The first is yet ANOTHER attempt to capture the hilarity of the flag-crossing experience. Unfortunately, it's once again too dark to get a decent shot and I only had my "little" camera. Anyway, hopefully you can get a feel for it. That's Brian at the front, followed by Lari, Mo, and Tamara and then Roger and Kay, who is holding another flag at the rear. Have to say that Kay got as big a kick out of those flags as I did!




Second photo was taken at the restaurant. We were joking with our waiter about David and Fred being from Texas, so he sent over one of the waitresses, who announced that she was from Texas, too. Couldn't pass up that photo op.

SLC - Day 4

Today was definitely less stressful than yesterday, which I will take. By afternoon, though, I was practically woozy with tiredness -plus a headache that I seem to contract every afternoon in the Salt Palace. Maybe the dryness? Who knows.



On my way to my first stop this morning (Foundation Breakfast), I jumped into an elevator only to end up face-to-face with none other than Barbara Morgan. I made a point of telling her that I work for ITEA and how genuinely appreciative I was of how patient and gracious she has been to the multitude of people who have been demanding so much of her time. She was gracious once again and told me that these teachers really energize her. A good sport.


I continued my morning with a quick stop at the Foundation Breakfast. After checking into when the speaker would start and end, I decided to go over to the CC to try to set up the booth before my volunteers arrived. A "surprise," since I had told them I wouldn't be over until about 9. Once everything was in place, I walked BACK to the hotel to catch the end of Jim LaPorte's speech (he was terrific) and take some photos. Then back again to the CC for the Second General Session.



This session was definitely the highlight of my day. The speaker, Robert Ballard is a reknowned oceanographer who, among other things, "found" the Titanic. This guy was amazing. Super educated, an incredibly gifted speaker, good sense of humor and knew how to relate his field to the lay audience. His information and discoveries about the ocean were truly astounding. I found myself saying, "wow" over and over. Jay Hicken sat directly behind me and I heard him doing the exact same thing. Another homerun speaker.


Today offered lunch in the Exhibit Hall, but not for us. Since the sponsor was paying per plate, Mo asked us not to take advantage. Not a problem. So I ran out and got lunch for myself and then sent Steve, Linda, and Ron to get their free lunches, since they were all registered attendees. At the last minute I had the bright idea to ask Steve to take a few photos while he was at the lunch. I was pretty busy while they were gone, but eventually Steve comes ambling back and I notice he no longer has my camera, despite my REPEATED reminders not to let anything happen to it. I ask him where it is, and he gasps a little, says he left it on the table, and hustles back toward the Exhibit Hall. I spent the next 10 minutes trying to stave off a heart attack. A while later, Ron comes walking up and I see my camera around his neck. The photo above shows my face, which is still a little in shock after worrying for so long. It turns out that the entire thing was a prank perpetrated by Steve. I told him that he has officially upped the ante of practical jokes.



Not much excitement in the afternoon and, as I mentioned, I was really beat and struggling with another bad headache. One highlight would be yet another visit from Barbara Morgan. She stopped by the Booth to talk to none other than Ron. Once the other attendees "smelled" her, they began to gather and I began to wonder if she would ever get out. Every few minutes, I would be called over to take photos.



One thing that made me laugh this afternoon was when Steve leaned over and tapped me and then pointed to Ron, who had apparently dozed off right in the middle of the Booth! Ron claims he was "reading."

A very calm evening - we finally made it back to PF Chiang's and had a great dinner with wonderful food. All the ITEA ladies were there as well as David McGee, Fred Blount, Roger and Kay, and Brian. Fred was so cute, trying to figure out what to eat since he's a "steak and potatoes" Texas-type. Brian helped him choose some Mongolian Beef and Fred LOVED it! He even said he was going to look for a PF Chiang's when he got home because his wife would love it.

On our walk home, Brian suddenly reminded us that he had an early flight, so we all had to say goodbye. As much as we want conference to be OVER every year, it always comes as a bit of shock when we have to say goodbye to such good friends. It just stinks that we have to go through all this work and planning AGAIN just to see them again.

With luck, we will all be home 24 hours from now! Yippee!