Ethan’s Journey

​Paul and I both got our 4 ish hours of sleep and the alarm went off entirely too soon. I made some strong coffee to help. I had to ride with Paul to the airport to pick up my car since I didn’t fly into Rochester like I was supposed to.  I was totally feeling the burn of yesterday’s wear and tear on my body.  There was a steady rain this morning. Jiminy was living his best rainy day life today. It was slightly chilly and damp in the house. He took matters into his own paws and twirled himself into a soft, fluffy and warm cocoon to nap. Paul and I  both trudged through our day. I got a second wind this afternoon. After work I was able to do some meal prep in anticipation of going to camp for an extended stay. I got 17 meals in the freezer. Phew! Tomorrow I will stock up on more groceries.  I also made a chickpea and beet salad that was a nice blend of flavors. After eating on the go for the past few days, I need add in some veggies and protein.  I did have a bri...

​There was a man at the conference that I got giggling at. This poor guy. He was working at another booth and was really excited to talk about his product! I am not mature enough to be here! I am also glad I am not a man. I get excited to talk about vet med….I would hate to present myself like this. However, I do believe it was something in his pocket. Ha ha. Teardown was a nightmare. I had to carry a 40# box down to the business center. I rented a cart, was yelled at because apparently there is a “freight elevator” for big items like a cart. I was getting off the regular elevator and was greeted with a snarky lady barking that at me. No one was waiting to use the elevator for the one floor I had to travel. That seemed like a “her” problem that she was so cranky. The lady and guy in the booth next to me were kind enough to help me tear down the booth by myself. I’m t was incredibly kind and I appreciated it more than I could ever verbalize. I was able to package everything into 2 more ...

 I woke up to a Baraat going on outside, 10 floors below. It was so loud! A Baraat is translated as “groom’s procession” and is an Indian wedding tradition. The tradition is that the groom’s family throws a high energy send off to the wedding venue.  Everyone was dressed up. There was music pumping. There was an announcer with a microphone. They were so joyous and upbeat. It was fun to watch and listen to. We have been seeing the people belonging to this group over the past few days. The women are all dressed up in their beautifully beaded traditional Indian attire. My coworker and my got a front row seat to this party, walking right by it on our way the conference. When we arrived at our booth, our chairs were gone. Boo! I guess the next 12 hours of working will be on the hard concrete. We stole those fair and square. We couldn’t even complain. We had to become thankful we had them all day yesterday. We worked really hard to get people to talk to us. I had to become militant ...

​My coworker and I headed over to the convention center early to iron out the multiple kinks that had revealed themselves. We learned more about shipping the materials back at the end of the conference. Basically I may need to get an Uber to Fed Ex about a 10 minute walk or 5 minute drive down the street. I will likely have to make a few trips. Ugh! We got most things situated on time. I decided to just deal with my end of conference issue….at the end of the conference. Life will go on. There is a cute little dachshund in our hotel that attended the conference. His name is Oliver. He is a dapple guy! He has a marbled coat with a mix of light and dark colors. He has a happy tail and we were fast friends in the elevator. After the conference, my coworker went to the Chief’s game. That seemed too people-y after a day full of people. I went back to my room and logged in. I had a few hours of work to do and catch up on….quietly.  I ordered room service for dinner. I ate quietly. It was ...

​I made it to the airport and through security 12 minutes prior to boarding. I was cutting it close but valued sleep today.  I sat in the area for boarding and saw a man braiding what I assume is his wife’s hair. They were older than me, probably in their 70’s. He then braided what I assume is his daughter’s hair, she was in her late 40’s early 50’s. I don’t think Paul would be able to do that if he tried. To be fair, he also would have no interest. I wasn’t sure if I should be impressed or kind of creeped out.  I don’t mind traveling alone. I am only in charge of myself. I had one back pack to be in charge of as well. Easy peasy! I arrived in Kansas City on time and sat in the airport waiting for my coworker to arrive. I ordered a margarita. Yum! I really enjoy her company and was excited to see her.  We checked into our hotel and walked to the conference center to set up our booth. We were sweating and pissed off at the end of setting up the booth.  The events team...

​I packed my bag tonight for my work weekend. I am working at a conference in Kansas City this weekend.  Work involves setting up a booth, trying to find people to work in our Kansas City clinics and making connections. A friend of mine lives in Kansas City so I am looking forward to visiting with her and her children. We are planning to meet up tomorrow. Maybe do a dinner or something. I have one other coworker going with me that I adore! 🥰 she should be a blast to work with. I have been given my orders on my priority hospitals to try to hire for. It is a tough assignment.  My alarm is set and I plan to get up around 4 am. Yikes! That sounds early!!!!! 

Ethan got home from work and decided to mow. He used his mower that he has been working on a good part of the summer on.​ this thing is ridiculously large. He maneuvered it gracefully around the yard. He wanted something that he could mow quickly with so that if he was tired after work it wouldn’t take too long. Smart thinking! I had so much fun tonight. I got together with my two great friends and we went to dinner to celebrate my birthday. Of course we went to Margaritas, my favorite! Getting old is boring in the fact that things don’t deviate from the normal much. “How have you been this summer” is answered in a “I go to work, eat, sleep and repeat” kind of way. I ordered my margarita and it was perfect. I was also gifted a birthday shot on the restaurant, a tequila sunrise shot! Yum! I missed my friends. It was nice hearing about their camping trips, what their kids are up to and comments on life. We shared laughs and excitement talking about planning a snowmobile trip. I do look f...