1st Work Trip of FY 2011 - Tucson, Arizona

I typically travel about half the year. I counted the weeks I was gone and I average about 25 weeks of travel a year, except this year. This year is different first we don’t have a budget for the federal government (yet) and because we are facing significant budgetary decreases and the first thing to go is travel. This makes me seriously happy because it means time at home with my family. Skype is nice, but there is nothing like being there in person, you know...cooking meals for your family, reaping the benefits of their complaints in person. Do your kids complain about eating “new” meals at home? Do they prefer casseroles or everything separated nicely? Or just fast food?

Happy children when mom is working out of town. It means dad provides dinner.
Which was Papa Murphy's Heart Pizza on Valentine's Day.

"ooo om i ga ooo ings" Translation: "look mom I got new springs"

That's my son - giving a show in the background.

There are a few things I do enjoy about traveling with work…frequent flyer miles and hotel points are nice, seeing new places and people are nice but the thrill of the taxi cab ride is better than the adrenaline of a roller coaster at Cedar Point, at least that is what I try to convince myself. This past trip included a texting cab driver! Who needs Oprah? I spoke up and told the guy I didn’t appreciate him texting and driving and I would really appreciate it if he stopped. He did, but he had to inform me he was a “professional” and accustomed to looking at all control panels on the dashboard. It was just a few minutes up the road when a pack of teenagers were standing in the median when half of them decided to dart out in front of him to cross the road, he was able to slow down in time, but I shutter to think if he had been looking down and distracted by his cell phone. We arrived safely and the teenagers lived at least for the moment.

There are several things I could pick to share with you, but I have chosen only four. The first is the beauty of the landscape. While I prefer beaches, crashing waves and sun, there is something majestic about seeing mountains, making me reflect on God’s relation to creation. In Psalm 95 it says that everything from the depths of the earth to the peaks of the mountain are in His hands and that includes me! Then in Psalm 97 it tells us that the mountains melt like wax in the presence of the Lord. Wow, that is hot! Powerful stuff!

The beautiful scenery outside my hotel room.

There were so many tennis courts at this resort, but I suppose this
is where the pro's played since there were no fences to stop wayward balls.

The well manicured lawns made me want to flip!
Then I remembered I was an old woman with a new knee.

Secondly, I would like to introduce you to Jennifer Casey who is a Registered Dietician at the Gerald L. Ignace Health Center in Milwaukee, WI, together with Dr. Shinn and Terry Friend, RN presented about broadening and strengthening the improvement process through the development of strong community relationships. Jennifer has a sweet, calm and soothing voice that just pulls you right in and brings you comfort. As she presented I “surveyed her style” (you know we all do it), I chalked her up to being a naturalist, at one with nature because of the eco-friendly looking clothes she wore, she looked organic! Then I noticed her jewelry and I added in that she was an artist! Not afraid to express herself with two different earrings. After round two of our presentations we spoke and I expressed how much I loved her outfit, how cute and unique it was all the way to her earrings. Both hands immediately shot up to her ear lobes, her face then turn a bright red as she asked do I have different earrings on? It was so funny, we finished with a hug, a laugh and a photo. Have you ever put two different earrings in trying to decide which looks better than the ticking of the clock beckons you out the door and you forget? I have!

Jennifer Casey and I sharing a moment in the final session.

Close up: Jennifer and her mismatched earrings, but hey it worked!

Thirdly, about twenty of us left the resort to eat some authentic Mexican food at the best Mexican restaurant in Tucson Guadalajara Grill

 if ever in Tucson, it is a MUST for your taste buds! As you can imagine it took many vehicles to get us all there. I had the unique yee-haw pleasure of riding in Dr. Ty Reidhead’s big diesel pick up truck. It was loud, bumpy and complete with videos of barrel racing and calf roping! I felt like I fit right in with my Ariat Fatbabies.

Most of Table One

The BIG diesel pick up truck and it's owner.
 The top of the bed of the truck was almost as tall as me.
When you talked in this truck your voice jumped around with every little bump in the road.

Had to show my home town support of OKC Thunder!

Finally, how could I not mention my TSA experience; as directed I self-revealed that I had a total knee replacement upon arrival at each of the security lines. In Oklahoma City, they gave me a female TSA agent, I had a skirt on and showed her my scar, she did the pat down front side and back. I was certainly feeling special and it was Valentine's Day! Once she ran a cloth across my items and it cleared the machine as not showing any type of explosive I was on my way to Tucson. However on the way home from Tucson I must have fit the profile of a terrorist because not only did they give me all the free touches, but I was “randomly selected” for additional screening at the gate. In fact, I was the only one selected, five other groups boarded before us with not one traveler being screened. I was asked to open my VitaminWater, the agent placed a strip of paper over the opened bottle for a few seconds, removed it and poured some liquid on the strip of paper, inspected it and then said you are free to go. There were two more agents within the cat walk area I suppose were ready to chase me down in case I was a terrorist. I wonder if I would have received the same treatment if I would have remained in uniform? I seriously doubt it. Sixteen years of experience has taught me that people (often the same people) treat me differently in uniform than they do out of uniform. However, I have dealt with being treated differently my entire life. How about you have you experienced different treatments from people based on what you are wearing? How you look, etc…? How do you deal with it?

My dinner in my room, most nights.

I loved having Starbucks in the room!

Love even more having the Living Word in the room. Thank you Gideons!

One trip down, almost half the fiscal year gone. Not bad, considering the previous years. Aren't you glad I am not a terrorist?