Monday:
We woke up to
rain and wind on Monday morning. By that time the winds had been clocked at
50mph. Hubby had to go to work, don’t even get me started on that. And Missy
was good other than the fact that she did not want to go “break”. I took her
out early, nothing. I took her out again midmorning, nothing. I took her out
again after lunch, and by this time the winds and rain were bad, she did
nothing. This trip out to “break” I got lost in my parking lot area in front of
the house. How embarrassing it is to admit that. The winds were strong, and it
was raining, I could just not tell where we were. I know I had to be out there
for a good half hour, in the rain, wind, and the cold. I am not doing that
again. I was frustrated about Missy not going, when I knew she had to go, and
then the weather just sucked. So she probably was all stressed out about that.
We eventually got back in. I was soaked through my clothes, I didn’t take my cell
phone it would have gotten wet, and who would I have called. *sigh* so hubby
came home around 3pm, and we took Missy out again. She finally did her
business. It was raining hard by the time hubby came home. They were expecting
for the storm, Sandy, to make landfall off the NJ shore at 6pm. At some point
the hurricane started to speed up. Listening to the radio and news scared me,
so I only listened for the weather. I spent the day making sure everything was
secure for the storm. We were a bit paranoid about the electricity going out
and our basement would flood. Hubby and I had a nice relaxing dinner and just
waited out the storm. And true to the weather reports, Sandy, did make landfall
at 6:03pm just south of the Atlantic City, right around Ocean city NJ. Hubby
and I had a lot of work to get accomplished for our upcoming convention. But we
could hear the winds in the basement just getting worse and worse. I don’t hear
that well, but they were loud enough for me to hear. It’s a wind I have never
experienced before, and would rather not again. It rained and rained and rained
just buckets and buckets. At around 9, our neighbor on the right side of us
came over to tell us that the siding was coming off. He picked it up from the
yard. Not sure if he got it all, as it was flying away. Hubby, Missy and I all
went to bed at 11ish. The wind was so hard, it was hard to sleep. Apparently
people don’t know what it means to secure patio furniture, as I could hear some
of it blowing away. I think the strongest winds for our area came at 10 to 3
am. Neither of us slept well.
Tuesday:
We woke up to
less rain, and less wind. But it was amazing to see the destruction that a
storm can cause. Several really big trees in the neighborhood were down. And
our house did stand but will need a new roof now. We lost a lot of shingles and
some siding. Hubby made a claim with our homeowners insurance, but now we wait
for estimates on a new roof. When I took
Missy out to “break” there were shingles all over the ground from our roof.
Again hubby had to go to work. Both Monday and Tuesday, the entire city was
shut down. The good thing, is Missy’s relieving schedule started to even out.
She did her thing several times in the afternoon and evening. On Monday I
reduced her food because I didn’t want her having an accident. Tuesday I gave
her a normal amount. I could not get out and take a walk with Missy as there is
too much debris of trees, branches, shingles, siding, trash, and other
materials littering the ground. Luckily most of our convention preparations are
brailing materials like door prize tickets, meal tickets, and envelopes for
those who have registered. It was a good thing we charged the battery on our
NLS player before the storm, as we started to read the book “a walk to remember”
by Nicholas Sparks. The surprising thing is that my hubby likes it too.
Wednesday:
Was much of the
same. On this day, I thought I saw the sun trying to peek out from under the
clouds, but it didn’t make it. I am by this time craving to see a little sun,
as it’s been like almost 2 weeks now. Maybe that is an exaggeration but it at
least a week. On this day, we were looking into alternative transportation
options to get out to the convention in Harrisburg. It does look like Amtrak
will be running. Lots of other things had to get done today. Like for example I
noticed that there is a hold on my university account, thus I can’t register
for classes. So I called the SFS office, and they say they got the payment but
I still owe $772. OVR paid its portion, plus I got two scholarships adding up
to the amount of $1800. And I still owe $772? This means if I owe tuition
still, there is none left over for transportation, which OVR was supposed to be
paying for, and books, supplies, and reader services, again something OVR is supposed
to be paying for. There is a gap. *sigh* Ok huge stressor, on top of the house
repairs that need to be done, now I can’t register for classes and owe tuition,
all of the convention preparations, my school work, that I am still behind in,
and the list just goes on and on and on and on. Missy is good on this day. Her
relieving schedule is even better from the day before. Still no way to get out going
on a walk. I have heard that my BIL has no power up in his neck of the woods.
And my niece and nephew have no school again. Most business and offices are
starting to open back up, but people here in this county were hit really hard.
Thursday:
We woke bright
and early. On this morning the sun did come out of the clouds, Thank you God!
We had a million convention preparations to be done, and then were off to the
train at 2pm. everything got done, but out suitcase had to weigh 70 pounds. I
guess when you take enough wires and cords for audio and visual streaming,
enough office supplies for registration and every possible situation
surrounding registration, all of the braille agendas for the convention, all of
our clothes, including pup’s food, toys and folding crate. It was a lot. I have
to mention that my hubby is very strong in this regard.
Our train ride
on SEPTA and Amtrak were both uneventful. We got to Harrisburg at 6:30pm. But
then waited for the hotel shuttle for 40 minutes in the cold.
At some point
the weather went from us being the 60’s to 70’s to being now in the low 50’s to
the upper 40’s. Brrrrrrrrrrr
I have to say
that Missy was absolutely great on both trains, walking through the train
stations, and when we got to the hotel. I was very very proud of my girl. She
was a little anxious in the morning when we were packing, but once we left she
was all work. I took her different bones with us on our trip. And while on
Amtrak I gave her the Nyla bone.
Once at the
hotel, we checked in, took pup out. By the time I found the relieving area, I
knew she had to go badly. She did her thing, and then we went to dinner. The
convention hotel this year was the New Cumberland Holiday Inn and Suites. There
was a free shuttle from the Amtrak, but the driver spoke no English at all, so
that communication was hard. The really nice thing about this hotel was that,
very very close within a minute or two walking distance was several
restaurants. There was a bob Evans, a Pizza Hut, and a diner called John’s.
Hubby and I ventured to the bob Evans. The directions we were given by the
hotel staff and another blind person were not correct. We walked around the
parking lot in the cold for more than 30 minutes. But I do have to say that
hubby didn’t give up, and got his sweetheart, me, dinner. Sorry hubby if I was
a little grumpy, you did a great job, and I am grateful to have you as my
hubby!
We had a nice
dinner of the special chicken dinner and hubby had the turkey dinner. There was
a special running of $10 for a soup or salad, main course like chicken or
turkey, two sides, and desert. It was a lot of food, and neither of us could
finish it all. It was really nice of the Bob Evans staff, as just minutes after
we walked in they were closing, but they still served us dinner. We did take
our desserts back to the hotel.
Like I said the
hotel was the Holiday Inn and suites. I didn’t explore the whole hotel but it
seemed like it was shaped in a square. If you walk in the front door, to the
right is the registration desk. To your left is the hotel restaurant. If you
walked straight there was a hallway that went off to either the right or left.
If you were to continue walking straight, there were meeting rooms on either
side of you. You would then come to an intersection of hallways. If you went
right, more meeting rooms. If you would go left, more meeting rooms and the outdoor
for the relieving area. If you went straight there was the indoor court yard,
and the outdoor court yard. In the indoor court yard there was an indoor heated
pool, and then the area that we used for exhibits and registration. If you were
to continue to walk straight, you would go through a double door into another
hallway that went right and left. On both sides and right and left there were
sleeping rooms. We had a room with a king sized bed, and a couch. It was about
typical size for a hotel room. More about the hotel in later posts.
We went to bed
at 10pm, as we knew that the next day was going to be super busy and we both
needed our rest.
Friday:
Again up bright
and early. The sun was not out in Harrisburg. And it was very cold. The only
times I went out were to take Missy to “break”. We didn’t eat per say breakfast
on this morning as we knew we would only have time for a short lunch and a
short dinner. Around 10 we, hubby and I set up registration at our table.
Hubby had his
computer so if persons wanted to register for the first time, and I was in
charge of the pre-registrations. We had organized meals so people could buy one
of those. Hubby and I had made out meal tickets before hand and brailed
everything. I had all the persons who had pre-registered their meal tickets in
envelopes in order in a plastic tub. A little bigger than a shoe box. Plus I
was in charge of the door prize tickets. That morning there were a few changes
of those who were coming and who were not coming. Our national representative
could not get out of NYC, so they could not come. In total I think we had a
little over 75 participators in the convention.
Registration
officially opened at 11, and we were ready. A lot of people got into the hotel
on Thursday like us; others came in on Friday morning. Some meetings began at
1pm. Hubby went and got burgers for us to have as lunch around noon. It worked
out well that we ate and handed out registration, luckily it wasn’t too busy.
Hubby also had to go off to help set up the stream. Although the hotel didn’t
have the greatest wireless internet, it all worked out. Around 2:30, hubby and
I left the registration table in the hands of other members. We made it very
easy for them. Hubby went off to an IPhone meeting, and I went off to a guide
dog meeting. The IPhone meeting was very successful. And the guide dog users
formed an official committee.
At 4pm, we all
rushed off to the business meeting. At this point, things were a little
stressful. As there was very little time to get from one meeting to another.
Between meetings I took Missy out to relieve, and on this day she did not want
to do anything. I was a little worried about this. The board meeting ended
early, so a group of us went to dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Note here, the
hotel restaurant was good food, but there was a lot on the menu that we could
not say, don’t what it was, or it was very strange. It was not just normal
American food, but fancy dishes. We all found something that was good.
At 6pm were the
resolutions meeting. I wrote a resolution for the convention this year and this
is the meeting where they would recommend it pass or not. The resolution was
read and then discussed. It did pass the committee. If anyone is interested in
reading the resolution, please send me an email and I can send it to you. It
would work for any of the NFB state affiliates.
After that
meeting we had a few minutes of breathing time to go back to our room and grab
other supplies. Poor hubby had to carry so much around the entire weekend, his
back pack was stuffed. I had things to carry around too, but not as much as
him. At 8pm, which was late, the auction began. Hubby and I were there not
because we wanted to buy anything but because hubby is the treasurer of the
state affiliate. There were things auctioned off like cookies, brownies,
decorations, candles, and jewelry. Some of the cookies went for as much as $75
for 2 dozen. Hubby and I did buy a few items, but nothing much. I helped hubby
take notes on the prices everything sold for. We didn’t bring in as much money
this year as in past but we still did well. The auction was over at 10pm.
From there hubby
and I headed back to our rooms after “breaking” Missy for the last time. She
did at some point during the late afternoon go potty. I also left Missy in my
room in her crate during dinner and the resolution meetings. She by then was
extremely stressed out, and we both needed some time away from each other.
After her little nap, she was good again. This organization has a rule about
not leaving dogs in the hotel rooms by themselves. I mostly agree but in the
case that I brought a folding crate for her to sleep in. She had her bones, it
was in a quiet corner, and I put the do not disturb sign on the door. And it
was after the rooms had been cleaned, so no room cleaner would walk in on her.
I only heard of one accident from a dog the whole convention.
Hubby and I
headed to bed at 11pm. We were both exhausted. Missy had no issues going to
sleep.
Saturday:
Another morning
that started before the chickens. We were up early as there was registration to
be collected. For breakfast this morning we had brownies we got from the
auction and PB chews. I know not very healthy, but it’s what we had on hand,
without spending a lot of money, and taking up a whole huge amount of time to
go where ever, sit down, wait for the food and then eat. We opened registration
up at 7:30am, and just as we expected a bunch of people came by to pick up registration,
or to get registered. General session started at 8:30am.
Oh yeah our
national representative who was supposed to come from NY, like I said previously
could not make it out of the city, so one from Baltimore was sent. So that was
nice.
We listened to
many different speakers, from the director of the BVS, to a rep from the NLS
program, to our national rep, to students, venders for the BEP program. BEP is
the Business Enterprise program; it employs blind people to go into business
for themselves and gives them the training to do such. We also heard from
parents, and on legislative issues.
Lunch was an
organized event. In order to have lunch, you had to buy a lunch ticket. The
choices were turkey wrap, beef wrap, and veggie wrap. The hotel was fairly good
at serving everyone. During lunch I learned there were other amateur radio
operators at the table. There were a few persons from my chapter. We had a
great time.
The session
started back at 1:30pm. This afternoon’s presentations were about the same as
the morning. The difference is that I was schedule to speak. At 3:30pm it was
my turn. I talked about my parenting custody issues. Right after I spoke, a
lawyer who represented a disabled parent in court on custody spoke about the PA
laws regarding custody. I don’t know for how long I spoke for. If anyone wants
to listen, again please let me know. I honestly didn’t think I did that well,
but lots of people thought I did. I do better if I fly by the seat of my pants,
than write down the speech. In my speech I also included statistics from a
study that the NCD did recently. National Counsel on Disability.
The afternoon
general session adjourned at 4:30pm. Hubby and I went back to our room to rest
for a while. At 6ish we headed to the banquet. When we arrived the cash bar was
open and people were dancing to music from the DJ. The room had been set up for
dinner, including dimmed lighting. Hubby and I sat at the front table, next to
the national rep and her husband.
The dinner
choices were fish, chicken, and or a veggie lasagna. I had the chicken, and
hubby the fish. It was good, and the hotel staff served us in a timely matter.
I started the day
with Missy next to me. But then before we broke for lunch I left Missy in the
room. After lunch she came back to the general session with me. While I did my
speech, I left her with hubby, and she behaved herself. I was proud. Also on
this day, her “breaking” schedule had sort of worked itself out, to being
normal. There were other dogs there, but Missy never seemed to pay any of them
attention. For the banquet, I took her along but before we took donations I
took her back to my room. Hubby and I had planned on dancing afterwards. Again
she was in her crate; it was after the cleaning staff had done their cleaning.
Back to banquet,
our national rep gave their customary speech. And then Mr. president did his donations speech. This is
the part of the banquet where chapters and individuals give money to the
organization, in however much they can afford, or want to give. No one is
obligated to give. We did raise some money, not as much as the year before, but
some. Shortly after the banquet program was over. Every year there is a DJ
playing music, and you can make requests. There is a dance floor set up, and
people dance to what they like. The good thing is that we are all blind so it
really doesn’t matter how you dance because no one can see you. LOL Hubby and I
did dance to a few songs. Another customary tradition at the PA convention is
there is a keg of beer. We see how fast we can drink it all. Well not me, but
all of the people who drink beer.
After hubby and
I tired of dancing, we found a friend and went to the restaurant to hang out.
Not so much to drink or eat, but to hear each other. I am glad we got to hang
out with the person we did, as he is an old friend of mine, who I went to
school with. We hated each other as kids, but it took us growing up to like
each other. If he ever reads this, I very much respect him; think he is a good
father, good husband, and nice person all around. I wish I had not been such a!
itch as a teenager to him. Oh well I can’t do they should have, could haves,
would haves now. At least I hope to him I am different than I was then.
We stayed up way
later than we had wanted or expected. By the time we went back to our room, it
was past 1am. Hubby still had to work on a financial report for in the morning
he would present to the convention. So he went to bed around 2:30 am. Now
someone had mentioned that we need to put our clocks back, this must have
happened without us knowing. I know our IPhones did it automatically. Neither
of us got a huge amount of sleep that night.
Sunday:
After a night of
not sleeping much, getting up was hard. In addition we had to pack to go home.
The hotel left on the hotel phone in the room, what time the shuttle would be
taking us to Amtrak, so we decided to just take a cab. Taking a cab at 1 so
that we would have plenty of time to eat lunch.
We did get all
packed and out of the room at 8. General session began at 8:30am. On this
morning was the chapter breakfast. It’s about the same sort of set up as the
night before, but with breakfast. On the menu were eggs, potatoes, sausage, and
toast. Hubby was able to speak to the waiter and get me pancakes instead,
mainly because of the egg allergy. This is also where the chapters and division
in PA talk about what is going on in their committee or group.
After breakfast
is the business meeting. Hubby gave his financial report; there were
legislative reports state and national issues, and other reports. There are
discussions about funding at the national level and at the state level where we
give ideas. And then the last bit of business is the resolutions. This year
there was two, including mine. The other one was about BVS and the new
children’s program. Both resolutions were passed by the convention. We ended
early at 11:15am.
A group of us
went over to the diner for lunch. The diner is John’s diner, and the food was
good and service good. It was fun having lunch with that group. Shortly before
1, went back to the hotel, as that is where hubby and I had left our luggage.
We were going to split a cab with another board member, but the hotel said that
they could take us to Amtrak. So about 5 of us, and Missy jumped in the van and
were off to the Amtrak station. Our train, hubby and mine’s, was at 2:05pm.
On the train
ride back to the city both of us fell asleep. Once we got back to the city we
then had 10 minutes to get to our Septa train. We made it although I was
doubtful. We got back to our parts at 5pm, and my FIL picked us up from the
train station. It was very cold on this day, way colder than it had been
previously on other days.
Once home we
tried to work on Economics, but were both too tired to retain any information.
Missy was just as happy, not if more, to be home as we were. We finally went to
bed at 10pm.
And tomorrow
starts another day of another busy week. Is the winter break here yet? Is the
summer here yet? I so need a break from life like a vacation. *sigh*
More to come,
until next time…..
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