7/24 More of the same

Am so busy at work that I feel I'm spinning in circles.

Anyway, the neurosurgery place at Wash U called and said my appointment is on September 3 in St. Louis. I'll have to rearrange some stuff, but that's okay.

The weather is icky and so is my mood. Maybe it's because I feel like I'm running through mud today--lots of effort but not a lot accomplished.

7/1 Stuff

Work flew by today. I had so many meetings that I didn't get my work done and had to bring a lot of items home.

The good news is that my eyes are fine. Saw the ophthalmologist this morning.

Also good news is that I got some pain meds from my doc and they are helping. Tomorrow morning I'm having an MRI, so we'll see what happens.

6/4 The best, the better, the good, the bad, and the OOPS.

The best is that I accepted an offer on my Mississippi house. The bad is that I'm losing a ton of money, but I just need to unload it.

The better is that I had physical therapy today and it felt good while I was there. The bad is that it doesn't feel good right now.

The good is that my promotion will give me a lot of satisfaction at work. The bad is that I'm hardly getting a raise.

The bad is that I still haven't found homes for Q and C. The good is that I get to keep them longer.

And the OOPS? Well, I slipped on a wet kitchen floor and fell flat on my back. Ah well...such is life.

6/2 The good, the bad, and the forgetful

Let's start with the forgetful before I forget. May 29th was my darling Jill's birthday, and I was so caught up in my own drama that I didn't post about her. Please forgive me, Jilly-bean, and I'm so happy you had a great 34th birthday.

The bad is that my back gave me fits over the weekend. Today was the worst. I start PT on Wednesday morning. That should help. And Doc said he'll order an MRI.

The good is really good--in fact two goods. First, we had a super time at the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. There were 4,000 walkers and 600 crew. What a fantastic weekend. The group raised more than 9 million dollars. Unbelievable!

The other good news is that I got a promotion at work. Beginning very shortly I'll be the Coordinator of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Programs at work. I'm so happy, and am really looking forward to the new challenge.

4/21 He's doing a little better

The femur was broken in four places instead of three. Poor Pete. He's got a rod in his leg from his hip to his knee, plus staples and a pin. He's in a lot of pain. We're all visiting a lot, and I don't know if that's helping him or not. Hope so. :)

Quincy and Cookie sent him a plant with a note that said, "They won't let us visit you. We are really, really, really, really sorry." He liked the note a lot.

Today is my 12 hour day and my last client just left and I'm on my way home in a moment. I'm so tired I won't want to turn on the computer, so thought I'd write a note here at work.

And it's true--I don't have any fingerprints. The fingerprint gal said that it's very common in women, as they age they tend to lose fingerprints. She said I may pass DCFS, but will definitely not pass the FBI. So when they kick my form back, I'll have to re-do it. But I won't have regrown fingerprints so I don't know what we'll do. Butt prints maybe? I sure have a lot of butt.

This morning Cookie ran away. Joe heard me calling for her and we spent 15-20 minutes chasing her from 17th and Oak to 18th and Broadway and back. She sure is a fast little monkey. When I drove around the corner after searching with my car, Joe was standing in front of my house with Cookie. I am so grateful and told Joe he's my hero. And that's the truth.

4/1 It's April

What a great day. I was so busy at work that the day just flew by. Then I went to Alpha Dog to pick up the dogs and have their first private lesson. Elizabeth thought Cookie would be easy and Quincy difficult but it was just the opposite.

I was so proud of Quincy. She only needed one big correction and that was it. And I was correcting Cookie practically the whole time. She finally got it though and did well too. I'll have to get the right kind of collar and keep practicing with them.

Then I stopped by for Tim's Uncle Bill's birthday party. I think he's 82. Jan made a great salad and they ordered pizza. I was late, but Bill said he was really surprised. A nice ending to my long day.

3/30 Sunday

Went out to lunch yesterday with Jane, Pete, Jan, Deb, Joe, and Cindy. It was nice; I always enjoy spending time with family.

The fence is a mixed lessing. The good thing of course is that I no longer have to go outside every time the dogs do.

The downside is that they want to be outside all the time. I'm worried about all beautiful bulb plants that are already starting to bloom. If the dogs eat them or dig them up, Jan has threatened to dig them up and take them to her house. I definitely don't want that to happen. Kris has always had a beautiful garden in the back yard.

Speaking of Kris, she had a lot of toys stored in the shed and told me I could have anything I wanted for my office. So I took a few stuffed animals, two chairs, and tons of blocks. Cindy bought something for me, and I can also go to Kelly's to pick up some stuff, so I ought to be pretty well set. I'd like to get a few dolls, but can buy them if necessary.

Okay, back to work.

3/27 Rain, dogs, pain, work, fence

They started on my fence today, but only got the posts up. It's been raining all day, so I'm surprised they even got that far. Hope the rain stops tomorrow, but it's not supposed to.

Just got home from work. I sat in on four therapy sessions today and got to participate a little. It was great. I begged for toys from my family to stock up my office. Apparently I'll be seeing more children than I originally thought.

The dogs stayed home all day today. (I stayed for a while this morning because the AT&T guy came to fix things--my DSL is now working, HOORAY!) They were alone for seven hours though and did fine. I'm grateful. Tomorrow they go to doggy day care to get nice and tired.

The pain in the title is my hip bursitis, and also a recent back injury from the silly stupid poopy Cookie. She has yanked me around as if I were a marionette. Amazing, she weighs 45 and I weigh considerably more, but when she sees rabbits she goes crazy. So I'm drugging up and going to bed.

3/24 Not unemployed

:) My first day at my new job was today. I think I'm going to love it, but my head is absolutely spinning. There's so much to learn. But it will all come back to me, and I'll settle in rather quickly I think.

The funny thing is that I know so many people there. Worked with many of them years ago at Chaddock, and others I know from activities I was involved in when I lived here.

The dogs had fun at Alpha Dog, but came home muddy because they dug all day. Elizabeth said she went out to stop them at least 10 times today. They were trying to get to some birds. Yay for mud. Thought I left it in Biloxi.

2/18 Home again

Yesterday it rained most of the day. The wind blew and we had tornado watches all day until 8 PM. But we had a short period of time when it was nice, so we walked along the beach and picked up shells for Genia.

The rest of the day we played cards, read, slept, and ate. All in all a perfect day. Yeah. I needed relaxation, and yesterday filled the bill.

We left Florida around 9 AM because I wanted to be at work by noon or so.

It was a near-perfect weekend. I'm so grateful to Caroline and her aunt. What a beautiful home, and Aunt Webbie is a beautiful lady.

But I'm glad to be home, with doggies all over me. It feels good.

Pictures later.

1/28 Hours fly by

I could have stayed at work until very late tonight, there's so much to do. But Monday is the day Q and C stay at home because Pampered Pets is closed. I have to go home for lunch and I have to leave work at 5 in order to accommodate the toileting habits of my pets. :)

They are always nuts on Mondays too because they are stuck inside all day. Quincy reacts to that especially. I tried to take her for a walk, but the neighbor kids were outside and were screaming and yelling. It was way too distracting for her and we were only outside about ten minutes. Cookie lasted even less than that.

Can't wait until I can walk them both on a more consistent basis.

1/15 Still in Austin

Today was a very long day, and a rough one. We worked really hard to plan for the future, so there's a lot going on. I'm working with some nice people and we get along, so the hard work isn't horrible.

Just hard. :)

Tonight a VP took us to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. A great reward for a day of work. Loved it.

We work in the Austin office tomorrow for part of the day, then off to the airport. We'll get back to Mississippi around 10 PM. Another long day.

12/19 My office

I stopped by my office today for a millisecond to pick up some papers. As I walked in I noticed a sign on the Director of Case Management's office that said, "Office for rent. For details, see State Director." I laughed so hard and thanked Willie (our Admin Asst) for making me laugh.

Then I got to my office and saw another sign, "Office for rent. For details, see Administrative Assistant."

That really cracked me up.

Normally I am in the office a lot more than Maria. She supervises people in three different locations (in two counties) and is always on the go. Since the holiday season started however, it seems like I'm always traveling from one meeting to another. I look forward to a day after New Year's when I can sit in my office and work.

Today, in two separate meetings, I pulled out my laptop and answered some emails. It really helped reduce my stress level, and I caught up a little bit.

Tomorrow I'm in my office from 8:30-9:30 and that's it for the entire day. Then the next day I leave for NC. (Yay for that.)

12/7 I've been absent

Sorry for the scarcity of blog entries, but I've been working late every night. It just seems there aren't enough hours in the day. And when I am finally finished working, I play with the dogs. They miss me. And I sure miss them. Wednesday night they had to stay at Pampered Pets because I couldn't get there before closing. So last night I made sure I picked them up and brought them home before going back to work.

These pictures are of my dining room and kitchen. The table isn't my regular one but the one I put up when people are coming over to play cards. Rob put up the shelf which contains some of my lovely items from Okinawa, including two beautiful tea sets from Rob and Beata.

10/10 I survived

...but cheated just a little. I left the first webinar early and went to a meeting. Willie, our admin assistant, sat at my desk and finished the webinar and conference call for me. All the material was emailed to me afterward so I didn't miss anything.

Then tonight I did my 5:30 conference call in my car right outside of church. It ended early at 6:10 so I wasn't even really late for choir practice. Everyone was still chatting and not singing yet when I joined them.

So everything worked out okay. I'm in a good mood, but tired. And have to be at a photo op in Gulfport at 8 AM, so will need to get up a little earlier tomorrow.

At choir I found out we're singing at the cathedral at the end of the month. I'm pretty psyched.

10/9 This is crazy--I've overcommitted

Don't know how I'm going to do this, but here's my schedule tomorrow:

8:30-10 Casework meeting at Camp Biloxi
10-12 COA Webinar in my office in Ocean Springs
11:30-3 Steps Coalition meeting, downtown Biloxi
2-4 Conference call and webinar in my office in Ocean Springs
5:30-7 Conference call with Avon Breast Cancer Walk
6-7:30 Choir practice

Wish I had an identical twin.

10/5 Phone, computers, and security

I'm thrilled. We have phones on our desks, computers that hook to the internet, printers on our desks. Sure, the network isn't working--that is, we can't print on the network printers yet, so that's why we're using small printers on our desks. But I know it's just temporary, so there are no complaints at all. DB came from Austin and has worked two days on the state office alone.

This afternoon he went to the new casework office. I was ecstatic because the poor case managers in the new office have been without computers and a land line for over a week. Their new office is small, but it is lovely and the construction guys did a great job on it. But somehow there's a problem with the phone lines and the internet connection. I know it'll get fixed, but I feel so bad for the caseworkers, having to wait another day.

DB is staying in town over the weekend, so it will be great if we have their office done by Monday. Here's hoping....

Then he needs to go to the other camp and work on the new casework offices there. So DB certainly has lots to do in the days he's here. We're very appreciative that he was sent all the way from Austin to help with this.

Soon we'll all be set in our new offices.

10/3 New title

As of today I'm State Director of Disaster Response. Formerly I was State Coordinator. It's not a promotion, just a title change more reflective of what I really do.

Mark, a VP from Austin, was in today and we had some meetings. Will do so tomorrow morning too. Then off to Hancock County in the afternoon for an LTRC meeting (Long Term Recovery Committee). Lots going on.

But I've set aside all day Friday to put my new office into shape. Boxes are piled everywhere and I need to get "moving in" finished.

Damn, I miss my dogs. They're staying over at Pampered Pets because I thought I'd be gone late tonight. But I got home pretty early--but still too late to pick them up. Doggy Day Care closes at 6. Will someone please stand at the back door and whine to go outside? Then I'll feel better.

10/2 Office stuff

I worked in the office all day. It was good except things kept happening and I wasn't able to get things put away or organized. Tomorrow a VP will be visiting from Austin, so we'll have other stuff to do. I've set aside Friday to finally put away the boxes full of "stuff" in my new office.

And I wasn't bothered by ants today. There are still welts on my left arm and my feet, but nothing new today. Yay for that.

Tomorrow or the next day we'll have guys in to set up our computer network and phone system. I can't wait.

10/1 Time is going fast

They say when you're over the hill you pick up speed. That is certainly true in my case. Time has been passing so quickly I can't believe it.

It's like today didn't even happen, it went by so fast.

At the end of the day I picked up the dogs and took them to my office so I could work late. First Cookie peed (she's been under sedation earlier in the day for a tear duct flush). Then I got attacked by ants at my desk. The new office is infested. On the way home Cookie pooped ALL OVER the back of the SUV.

So tonight flew by too since I spent a good part of it cleaning upholstery.

She's sleeping now, so I'm hoping the sedative will help her sleep all night. The vet said they just gave her what they would normally give a chihuahua-sized dog, but apparently it's done her in quite nicely.

Hope it's done.

9/27 Dogs and me and work, as always

I know these pictures are a bit boring, but the dogs were wrestling so much outside in the dark and making so much noise that I just aimed the camera and clicked. They do this thing where they each bite the other's ear and then they have each other. But neither can move. It's hilarious. They are at a standoff and neither one wants to let go. I couldn't catch them doing it, but caught them once when Cookie let go first.

Today was another stressful day at work--nothing bad happened, but it was just stressful. I still haven't unpacked my office and can't wait to get that done.

Can't believe it's almost the weekend already. This week has flown by.

9/26 I love my dogs

I had a rough day. Had to stay at the new office all day by myself waiting for technicians who never showed up. Everyone else went to help the caseworkers move to their new place. So at least it was quiet, but sure was lonely.

But I picked up my puppies and they immediately cheered me. It's great to get that unconditional love. We got home around 6, I gave them their dinner, made my dinner, and by the time I was done eating they were sleeping. Michelle and Leo at Pampered Pets said both of them played hard today. Their Weimereiner friend was there and they all got worn out.

Quincy's passed out on my bathroom floor. She can see my bed from there so will open an eye every now and then to make sure I'm still typing. And Cookie is sleeping on my bed. Her favorite chew toy is close by but she can't be bothered because she's comatose. Aren't they cute?

9/25 Moving day and dogs.....

First the dogs. They were at the vets yesterday and got weighed. Cookie is 46--up three pounds since we got her. And Quincy is 59. Up 51 pounds since I got her. :)

Today we moved to our new office, and then we had an emergency conference call for hours and I didn't put anything away in my office. So tomorrow there's a ton, ton, ton of stuff to put away. Plus regular "stuff" to do.

Q only had to have one bath today. That's because every other time she went outside I was right at her side, saying NO every time she went toward the mud.

We're now watching Tropical Depression 13 in the Gulf.

9/20 Whatever normal is...

It's back to normal at the house. The dogs are playing crazily, eating ice, wrestling, coming up to me for some affection, then back to the craziness. It's business as usual. Yay. I sure missed the little farts.

In the picture they're sitting and waiting for a treat--the only time they sit still together.

Today was so busy and went by quickly. A colleague and I were with a VP from Austin until after lunch today, then I had to go to Hancock County for a meeting. That took up the rest of the day.

Tomorrow morning I have a breakfast meeting with someone who is the executive director of a foundation that gave us some grants. Afterward, it's back to the state office where I'll help the caseworkers move to their new digs. Maria, Willie, and I will move on Tuesday to our new office in Ocean Springs. So much to do...I'll probably work over the weekend some. But Saturday is dedicated to doing some work at home.

Sunday will be church, then I'll come home, get the puppies, and take them to the office with me. That will probably stop them from writing comments on my blog.

(Can't wait to sing with the choir on Sunday.)

Oh, keep watching the weather. We're getting a little nervous about what's brewing in the Gulf.

9/19 Dogless

The dogs are at the kennel because I had a late meeting and just got home. I'll pick them up tomorrow after work.

Right after work I went to choir practice at church. It was awesome. And the director told me I did a great job as an alto. The choir is going to Detroit next week to sing at a major event. Didn't catch the details because I had to leave early to go to a dinner meeting at 7:30 at Mary Mahoney's.

It's an old, old French restaurant with a 2,000 year old live oak tree in front of it. (Nope, the restaurant isn't 2,000 years old, just the tree.) The food was great. We have a visitor from Austin here, and wanted to take him to this restaurant. It's our favorite for new people to experience.

I miss my puppies. Hope I can sleep without them trying to push me out of bed.

9/5 A pain in the neck

Finally called the doctor today after being in pain for weeks. My admin assistant threatened me. He's a former Marine and said he was going to call my son and let him know I wasn't taking good care of myself. That scared me enough to make me call.

Funny thing was--my doc is out of town for a week. The doctor on call told the nurse to call in some pain meds for me. I'm buzzing but the pain isn't gone. If it doesn't feel any better in a few days I'm to call back in.

I re-injured it lifting my couch on Sunday. I feel so grateful though--I have some great friends here who have offered to help me in any way I need it. My house is so messy though that I refuse to have anyone over to help. Will wait until I feel a bit better and will try vacuuming again. When I did that on Sunday it made it hurt worse.

What a dork!

9/4 It flew by

I can't believe how the day flew by. I was so incredibly busy that it feels like I didn't accomplish anything, although a lot got done. Tomorrow will prove to be the same I fear.

Today was Cookie's first day at Doggy Day Care. They said she was really friendly, but that she barked all day long. Sure hope that improves. Wouldn't want her to get detention.

Some good news. I think I mentioned that I'm going to work at another Avon Breast Cancer Walk. This one is in Charlotte in October--I'm going to be the Operations Division Leader, which is a role I've played elsewhere. But the good news is that I'll get to see Rob and Beata. I'm flying in a day early and will stay with them. Then Rob will drive me to the site in Charlotte. So I'm thrilled to be able to see some of my family.

8/31 A good day

The dogs are having fun, but Q keeps barking. She alternates between wanting to go out and wanting Cookie to play tug-of-war.

This morning I went looking for a new office. Our current lease is up next month and the rent is being raised. So I found this great spot in Ocean Springs that we'll probably move into in mid-September, if everything works out. Hope so.

Cookie is well on her way to become the alpha dog. First of all, Quincy doesn't much care. Secondly, we were just outside and we heard a cat howl really loudly. Q came right back to me and sat on my foot. And Cookie ran all around the perimeter of the yard, barking at the "bad guys."

8/24 Lots to do

Yesterday was so busy but it was a really good day. I finally have an administrative assistant and he is great. In a few days he's become indispensable to our office. Plus he's a really nice young man. My fear is that he's too good. Maybe he'll become bored with this job. We'll see. For right now we'll enjoy the fact that he's good.

Today I have to take a display to a statewide event. Luckily it's in Gulfport, the next town over. And happily, it's Friday. Tomorrow there's so much to do here at home, and I have a party to go to tomorrow night. Play games and drink beer? Sounds like my family. Am looking forward to it.

Quincy's whining so I better get her outside.

8/19 Busy

Took Q to the kennel today because I have to leave town before it opens in the morning. I miss her, but it's kind of fun to be able to fold laundry without a dog "helping" me.

Spent five hours in the office today. Got a lot done, but there's still tons to do before I meet with my boss and her boss on Tuesday. Hope to get stuff done in the hotel tomorrow evening.

Hurricane Dean looks like it's headed for south Texas. They sure don't need more rain. But we sure don't need another hurricane in Mississippi either.

8/15 It's never normal

The meeting in Jackson was long but very productive. Q ended up with an ear infection from swimming, but I got medicine and she should be fine soon.

Today was NUTS. I had two different board meetings as well as interviewed a new admin assistant. Still managed to find time to do some office work. What a brutal day, and it's not over yet.

Tomorrow and Friday I'm giving 8 hours worth of workshops each day. So it's going to be hard to get other stuff done. Virtually impossible. And Monday I go to Austin. So it's obvious that I'll be working this weekend. But I'll get to have Quincy with me, so that it will make it a little more easy to take. :)

I love this job, and will be able to slow down a little bit late next week. At least that's my hope.

Time to give Q her meds.

8/13 Hot tomatoes, thunderstorms, and the best dog in the world

Jan gave me wonderful fresh tomatoes and they keep popping open in the heat (yes, I do take them into the hotel room with me). So I've been eating the ones that won't last the trip. Not a bad deal. They are delicious, Jan.

The trip TO St. Louis was easy, the hotel was beautiful, the kids had fun, Quincy was well-behaved, Jill and Todd got there on time, both of them loved Quincy. All was perfect---UNTIL, the perfect storm appeared at 2 AM. Cut out power to more than 50,000 customers, including our hotel. The lightning and thunder woke me up, and Q just raised her head and went back to sleep. But I knew that if the power didn't come back on it would get awful hot in there. Plus we were on the 4th floor.

I didn't go back to sleep and it got hotter and hotter. Took a bath by the light of the computer. Packed by the light of my phone. Woke up Todd to help me carry my stuff down. When I looked in their room everyone was covered up, and I was sweating. Those damn Californians.

Anyway, I made it out of there and am now in Jackson, MS. Q is in a kennel because I have to work, but I'll pick her up after the meeting tomorrow and we'll finally make it home and to our "normal" routine. Can't wait. More later.

8/7 Time flies, etc.

On August 2, I turned 60. One of the worst birthdays in my life. Not because of my age--that's never bothered me. But because of Quincy's diarrhea.

Yep. It started the evening of August 1. Luckily she was able to run to the door and we had no accidents inside the house. Until in the middle of the night I heard a loud SQUIRT and woke up scraeming, "NOOOOOOO!" It took a good portion of the rest of the night to clean the carpet, then clean my rug shampooer.

Woke up at 3:30 after only a few hours rest. We drove to Jackson MS, making many stops along the way. I dropped her at a vet/kennel while I went to a meeting at the MEMA EOC (Emergency Operations Center). Told the vet that instead of just boarding her, she needed to be seen.

My wild dog just loves kennels and vets. She bounds into those places like she bounds everywhere--with joy and enthusiasm. God, I love her!

Turns out she has a lower GI infection. More meds to the tune of $125. After my meeting Q and I took off for Quincy, IL. We stopped VERY frequently. Ended up staying at a Drury Hotel in Cape Girardeau, MO. Thanks, Jill, for making the reservation for us. Turns out that all Drury Hotels are pet friendly. And the place didn't smell at all. This means I'll definitely stay at that chain frequently.

Got to Jan and Tim's in Maywood MO, right across the Mississippi River from Quincy on Friday, the 3rd. Quincy absolutely loves their property where she can run all over the acreage. Their two dachshunds run hot and cold in their feelings for her, but she seems to like them a lot.

On Saturday I drove to St. Louis to pick up the grandkids. (Left Q at a kennel in Quincy so Jan and Tim didn't have to worry about diarrhea.) It was wonderful to see Jill and Todd, but my heart exploded with joy to see Kayla and Hunter. My nephew Jordan went with me to help out and prior to the kids' arrival, he and I spent time at a Mexican bar and restaurant with my friend Joe.

We got back to the Quincy area around 8:30 or so. Jan and Tim had other guests too, so it was a wonderfully crowded house. I kept Q in the kennel overnight because there were a lot of little kids at Jan's, plus a new puppy. Crazy--but fun.

The kids and I have been swimming daily except for today. Swimming in the pond in the country is absolutely superb. Quincy loves it too. She is having the time of her life.

Must run. Most of the big family is meeting at Kelly and Todd's for pizza at 5. Tomorrow is shopping with Aunt Jane, and Friday is going to Mark Twain Cave with the kids. Jordan has been a real godsend with the kids. Can't believe I just said that. But he has been awesome.

And I owe so many thanks to Jan and Tim for their patience with the kids, the dog, and me.

Wish I could have gotten more work done. My vpn (virtual private network) won't connect and our IT department hasn't gotten back to me about it. Have worked nearly all day though. Just wish I could send the emails via my computer instead of Blackberry.

Much more, much later.

7/30 Q's home!

I woke up at 4:30 this morning, and Gerri was heading home by 5. Her visit was wonderful from start to finish (even including the sunburn); but it's always nice to get your house back to normal.

Got to work by 7 and got some "stuff" done.

Had a meeting this afternoon with a representative of Habitat for Humanity International. On the way to the meeting Maria and I stopped at High Cotton for lunch. I had friend green tomatoes with remoulade sauce. Oh my it was an absolutely delicious meal! I could eat fried green tomatoes several times a week and not grow tired of them.

After the meeting I picked up Quincy. Boy oh boy, that little girl was happy to see me. And I felt the same way. She was gone for three nights, and I really missed her. Right now she's sleeping on my bed while I'm typing.

7/9 There's nothing to say

But you know I'll say it anyway.

Not too much excitement today. I had to leave work at noon because our internet was down, and I had a conference call and needed the internet at the same time. So I came home for that. Q was happy to get to go home early. She napped while I talked/listened, so it worked out well.

I have a new boss. David, already a Senior Vice President, was transferred to another position. Heather G is now my boss and although I'll miss David, Heather is great and I'm sure things will go well. Other changes in our larger company, all good.

Rob called a little while ago, so I'm smiling. It's always great to talk to your kids. He's great and I'm looking forward to seeing Beata and him in the near future.

More later about a great letter I received.

6/29 No drama here, and no reptiles

Apparently rumors are flying at work regarding me using the word "snake" to describe someone in a previous entry.

I PROMISE--the snake in question is NO ONE IN MY COMPANY. It was someone that I worked with in the past and was trying to work with in the present. It didn't work out--because of someone's dishonesty. I was deliberately vague in the other note because I didn't want to pinpoint anyone.

And this is the reason that I seldom write anything negative. I'm fully aware that this is public and so I never reveal anything that can't be publicly known.

So I'm sorry to disappoint readers, but there's no drama here.

(Except Q's at the vet and I'm waiting to hear from them.)

5/31 Off to Chicago

I've been up since before 5. Q had to go out, and usually we go back to sleep, but I kept thinking of everything I had to do before I left town. I'll work until 3 or so and then catch a plane for Chicago. This is the weekend for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk and I can't wait to be with my sisters, nieces, and friend. This is always our special weekend every year. We don't need to check in until 1 PM on Friday so Friday morning we will go to the Designer Outlet Mall, where I always buy lots of Christmas presents. Since I'm flying, I'll either have to buy a few small things or convince Jane to take them back to Quincy in her van where I can pick them up later. In any case, the most important thing is that we'll be together. We'll be in a hotel Thursday and Friday nights, then camp out on Saturday during the walk, then a hotel on Sunday night as well. Everyone is so tired after either walking or working that it's hard going home on Sunday. It will be much easier on everyone to spend some time in a pool and/or jacuzzi. Shoot--I forgot to pack my swimsuit. Also forgot my Avon Crew hat and my jacket. Yikes. Guess I'll make a trip home before going to the airport.

Jane, Jan, and I always do the Avon Walk together. Jan walks the 40 miles, Jane is a team leader on the medical crew, and I'm Operations team leader working in Incident Response. This year our friend Deb is working on the medical team, and nieces Kris and Beth are walking with Jan. Kris is Jan's daughter so this will be even more special for them.

Quincy will spend the long weekend at doggy day care (and boarding). If she's the only one being boarded the owners will take her home with them so she doesn't have to be alone. That's wonderful.

I forgot to blog yesterday--the past few days I've been in non-stop meetings and this is the first time I've been at my desk since a few hours on Monday. We've been busy going to the Long Term Recovery Committee meetings in the three counties that we cover. It's been really interesting and I've learned so much.

5/22 Meetings and more

Meetings at 9, 10:30, 12, 1:30, 3, and 4:30, some 20 miles away. And that was the easy part of the day!

The hard part is confidential, but I'm just glad this day is over.

4/30 Another Quincy day

She slept well again last night, only waking me up once. I worked for a while at Jan and Tim's while Quincy played with Alfie and Rocky--both miniature dachsunds. Then I went to Joe and Cindy's to pick up a power cord for my work laptop--stupid me left it in Mississippi. Got to talk to my nephew Cody for a while, which was nice.

Since around 1 I've been working at Kris's house. The great thing is that it's such a comfortable place, and is nice and cool with the ceiling fans going. Q is sleeping on the couch next to me, and Max is sleeping on the bathroom floor. I scared Max. Thought I'd let him out and he tried to run to the front yard, so I yelled, "Max, NO!" very loudly. He's a huge golden retriever but is such a gentle soul. So my yelling scared the hell out of him and he's been wrapped around the toilet in the second bathroom. I feel awful and didn't know he'd be so upset at me yelling no. Poor Max. He's such a sweetie.

A few other pics:

Jer, Sarah, Quincy, Bailey, Max at Quincy
University















The Avon walkers on a training walk--Jan, Beth, and Kris

3/20 It's SPRING!

I hope that means warm weather for my relatives and friends back in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri. And I'm still hoping for snow for Beata in NC. :)

What a day I had. First of all I found out that the Director of Case Management and the casemanagers/caseworkers read this blog. At first I laughed, and then I got scared. Had I said anything nasty about anyone? Had I been negative at all about this job? I don't think so, because I tend to not write negative things, but also because I haven't felt negative about this job--except for the great amount of work we need to do. I could work 24 hours a day and still not be finished. That's something I need to watch out for. People in disaster work tend to overwork and to not count the cost. Our staff is so wonderful that I want to make sure they're here for a long, long time. So get out of that office and go home.

At some time I'll explain what the caseworkers do and how they relate to whether we rebuild a home or not. It's pretty interesting.

Let me tell you about the rest of the day. I didn't get much office work done. As soon as I'm finished with this, I'll make dinner, then sign off my personal computer and sign back on to the work one. (Yep, it's a laptop too, and I can connect to work via a VPN--a virtual private network.)

Even though I didn't get much regular work done, it was a superb day. Ken, the PR guy from our corporate office, visited from Austin. It was so much fun listening as people told their stories. An elderly couple came to the office. They both carried themselves so proudly, even though they are in their 80s and lost everything for the second time in their 59 year marriage. Ken interviewed them and their caseworker joined us. It was so cool hearing about how she is their "guardian angel." Their house, in Pass Christian was picked up and moved into their neighbor's yard. It was a house they built 51 years ago. Poignant, but with a happy ending. Their caseworker is getting another religious building group to put down the foundation and do the framing. Then we will come in and do everything else.

Then we took Ken on a grand tour. Several of us went and it was well-worth the time. I met some homeowners where our volunteers were working. Oh my--it was the coolest thing ever to see folks working hard, most on their spring break from college. Following that we went to two brand new homes that we'd built. The owners, a father and daughter, gave us tours of their homes. They were both fantastic, and were well-furnished and obviously well-loved homes. The dad had a shrimp boil for the volunteers last year, and he said he's going to have another one this year and I'm invited. Well, I found out that you don't have to have seafood to love a shrimp boil. I can have corn and other vegetables boiled in that good tasting sauce. I'm looking forward to it.

This is already so long. There's so much other news but I guess it'll wait for tomorrow.