One dedicated fan - Rock Chalk Jayhawks- KU vs. KSU

Here I am in Scottsdale and get a text from my son in Lawrence, Kansas. During the Kansas- Kansas State University basketball game -"Hey, Mom, watch for me on television during the game, I'll be on the front row." No big deal, so watching and there he is.....on the front row, with his shirt off and a big exclamation point painted on his chest. I text back, "ummm, what happened to your shirt?" response, "ooops, must have forgotten it. : )" Being the mother of two very active and non-shy boys from birth, I have never really been surprised by anything so this didn't really phase me.

After the game, we got a message saying he'd had two newspapers take pictures and talk to him. Looking up on the websites I found the pictures in question. One from the Lawrence Journal World

and one from the Kansas City Star.

I am genuinely proud of both my boys (young men) and their antics, while causing me to frequently just shake my head, they do make me smile. College, a unique adventure never to be equalled for any of us. Rock Chalk Jayhawks! GO KU!

Scottsdale - The Desert Adventure- Balloon Ride

Up, Up and Awaaaay, in my beautiful balloon........

Ok, admittedly before I went to Scottsdale without really the desire to go up in a hot air balloon. But somewhere during the flight here, I saw in a magazine an article on hot air balloons and something clicked. I thought, THAT is something I'd like to do. So when I got here we checked into it and although a bit expensive, (isn't everything?) I decided I'd like to do it. I called my mom who was flying out and she thought it sounded fun too. So my mother and I signed up (Aerogelic Hot Air Balloons).

It seems anything I do turns in to an event and this was no exception. Balloon launching is never the same twice, it is very dependent on weather especially winds. So we met at the airport (it was me, my mother and a couple that lives in Mesa, retired from Minnesota) and went to launch location  #1 and there was almost no wind, so we left and went to launch spot #2. As we drive to the next location we are discussing launch spots and how difficult it is to find a spot that is suitable. We end up at a park - what is assumed public property, and he has launched several times from this particular place. They were getting everything set up and this guy, you know the type, a little bit of power he thinks he can parlay in to world dominance, anyway, he shows up and says we cannot launch from that spot. It seems it is actually owned by a homeowners association which he is head grounds keeper. Well, our pilot must be a miracle worker and slick talker because what we assumed was going to move us to yet another launch location, turned into the guy asking him to come back and tether in the park so people could could come see it. It could have had something to do with the crowd that has now gathered to watch the event.

We finally got the balloon aired up and permission to launch and after very climbing in the basket, we are ready to roll. Up we went, every time he opened the burners you could feel the heat, like a brief opening of a furnace on you. The winds were very light and variable so the rising was slow and very little movement. Before you know it, you are hundreds of feet barely gliding over the rooftops. Then something happens - people driving and pointing, cameras flashing, people coming out of their houses, children jumping and waving, dogs and livestock going crazy.........- transformation from simple passengers on an adventure to rock star status. It was Friday evening, tons of people in the outdoor restaurants and bars all cheering and waving as we pass over........that was just plain fun.

Then we went up even higher up to about 4000 feet, soaring and the thing that struck me was the quiet, the only noise was us, talking, laughing, ooing, awwwing and the whoosh sound of the burners. He gave us each a little parachute man toy and a  glider plane and we launched them and watched them go down, that was a fun little add on.

We went from Chandler to Mesa, not really the route he anticipated but the winds had a different idea. Since we got a bit of a later start, our times were all messed up and we watched the sun go behind the rocks we had to find a spot to land. He found a little park and knew the landing would be a little tight. He radioed the chase car and had him meet us there. Greg and his parents were also following and they as well met us there. They dropped a line to guide us in since the spot was going to be tight and it was amazing what happened then. People from out of nowhere suddenly appeared, men running and helping guide the balloon to a spot that was big enough. Children laughing and pointing, a big crowd gathered and we set down.  I was expected a bump but it was smooth as could be, no jolt whatsoever. We had to stay in the basket until we were cleared to get out- you know, the pilot turned off the fasten seat belt sign. :) By this time there was a huge crowd and .........the police. The pilot warned us that it seems there is a no launch, no land ordinance in Mesa. After getting out of the basket, he went and talked with the police and they were not upset at all, it had been called in as a balloon crashing. They left us to do our thing and we finished (or Cody the pilot assistant) packing up the balloon and they gave us a drink and some snacks.

A homeless man and a neighbor boy joined us for our snacks and then we packed up in the chase vehicle and headed back to get our vehicle at the airport. An adventure I'd never even really dreamed of now one I never will forget.

Scottsdale - the Desert Adventure- Day2

Today was not a well-balanced meal of events but several small snacks of activities. We started out the day doing a little shopping, because, well, who doesn't like to start their day out that way? Greg dropped us off to shop and was parked in a very empty parking lot taking a little nap. Snoozing away when a lady hits our Navigator! Needless to say he was not a happy bear when he was rudely awakened from his slumber. Evidently the lady was so worried about hitting the parking island that she was unaware that there was this BIG WHITE BOAT OF AN SUV right in front of her. She felt really bad and fortunately for us, hit directly on the tire.....her little camry, well, -  it didn't fair as well.

The next thing on the menu was to go to a place called Queen Creek Olive Mill. Now I've never really just had a hankering to find out how olive oil is made but I am always fascinated by learning in general, so it was an interesting day. Learned the difference between extra virgin olive oil all the way to light olive oil (it has nothing to do with calories, everything to do with processing and nutrients) and what the difference is in green olives and purple olives(it's the degree of ripeness) and the difference between cold press and heating. FYI- if I did like black olives before this, I would not really want to eat one now. Icky.

What is extra virgin olive oil?

Extra virgin olive oil is the highest grade of olive oil obtained only from the olive, using solely mechanical means which do not alter the oil in any way. It can be qualified as a natural product. Olives do not undergo any treatment other than washing, grinding, mixing, gentle separation and filtering. Oils extracted by the use of solvents or extreme heat are excluded from the extra virgin classification. Extra virgin olive oil has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, which must not be higher than 0.8 grams per 100 grams or 0.8%.

 

Then from the olive farm we went to the mall. Stopped by an ice cream store and yes, I did sample the "Funny Farm" ice cream (maple, brown sugar and bacon bits) and it wasn't bad at all.

Then went out into the mall and fell in love.........he was dark and handsome, very playful and had sharp little teeth but had horrible breath and was quite furry. He was a neopolitan mastiff and the cutest little thing ever.

Well tomorrow is my big day, balloon ride....WOOT!

Scottsdale, a tad bit warmer than Kansas

So here I am in Arizona. I left Kansas it was 20something degrees and arrived in Arizona it was 70ish.  So what have I done so far? Day 1 drove alot and saw lots of rocks.... and went up in the mountains where there was snow (wait, didn't I come here to get away from snow?), and I was in my sandals and capris.

Of course, lots of great food, some coconut shrimp to die for, and miscellaneous culinary delights. Been shopping, every corner has some big mall or shopping center and then in old town Scottsdale there are blocks and blocks of galleries. Saw some really interesting art.

Yesterday we went to the Phoenix zoo, being an animal lover I was very excited. I really didn't know much about it before going but the ad said rated one of the top 5.......top 5 of which, I didn't look to see, but thought he had to be great. I've been to some fantastic zoos, the San Diego zoo, the Houston zoo, even the Wichita zoo has some interesting exhibits. Well, we got there and the very first exhibit was................wait for it................the PRAIRIE DOGS! I'm thinking to myself....seriously? really? I see these every day in Kansas.

Then we went through the exhibit that showcases animals of Arizona....was interesting. Overall the zoo was nice and the people working there were very chatty and tell you anything you wanted to know. But I was disappointed that there were no penguins or bears or aquatics. There was one exhibit that I totally loved and that was the spider monkey habitat. There were dozens of spider monkeys just loose in a big caged area where you go in with the monkeys. You can't touch them and are told to move at least 3 feet away from them if they come toward you. They were jumping everywhere and it was fun. I missed not having my big camera with me.

One other animal that intrigued me was the komodo dragon, a lizard about 4 foot long and about 150 pounds! creeeeeeepy. 

My mother flew in last night and I'm sure we will find some fantastic shopping and then tomorrow........ A HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE! woot woot, very excited.

Your answer, to answering the touch screen phone

So, here I am in Phoenix where it's warm and not necessary to wear gloves like it was home in Kansas. But I made a discovery before I left that I just HAVE to share with those of you in the colder climates. Seems everyone has a touchscreen phone these days and wearing gloves makes it impossible to answer the blasted things. Funny how technology has advanced so much that you can't even simply answer the phone. But there is hope, Isotoner has come out with an answer to the problem.

As technology has advanced the problems associated with touching those screens that use capacitive technology have increased. In fact, nowadays, capacitive touch screens are everywhere, from cell phones to MP3 players to ATM machines to interactive gas pumps. Let’s face it, there is nothing worse than having to take your hands out of your warm gloves in order to “swipe to answer” your cell phone or enter in your PIN at the ATM, especially if it is really cold outside.

Most of the currently popular cell phones use the capacitive technology so Isotoner decided to capitalize off of this and create a glove that actually worked with capacitive touchscreens. The problem with capacitive screens is that they require a tiny electrical current or charge from the user’s finger tips and these charges, since they are so small, simply do not transfer via a glove.

The good news is that Isontoner has come to the rescue with an affordable and readily available solution. What Isotoner has done is actually weave conductive threads into the index finger and thumbs of both hands on the gloves. What this means is that you can still use all of those capacitive devices but without removing your gloves.

Sounds hokey right? But my coffee klatch of girlfriends and I decided to test it. We looked up the Isotoner glove and lo and behold, available at Walmart, after a search to find out the cost, a mere $12.00, we loaded up the truck and headed for the store. I was totally amazed, it worked. That price is for the stretch fleece, they also have other styles and prices points to meet just about every taste and need.
 
So, if you are looking for a solution to fight frost-bitten fingers without having to let go of some major funds buying  from the high end electronic and technology based gift and gadgets places, these are for you.

Chocolate Turtles.....slow and messy but YUMMY!

OK, I had this fantastic idea.....or so I thought (rolls eyes). I found this new product that I am quickly falling in love with, Diamond Glazed Pecans. I have been putting those in everything from salads to my Christmas confections. Yesterday I decided what could possibly be better than combining them with caramel and chocolate......ahhhh, heaven (at least until you get on the scales!) As with all recipes, I have several adjustments I would make the next go around but the consensus of my office lab rats (ESSDACK co-workers)  is that they are delish - not pretty, but tasty. I will tell you what I used and then the changes I plan on making the next go around.

Chocolate Turtles Recipe First Draft

Chocolate Almond Bark -yep, it quick and easy, I like that
1 package of Diamond Glazed Pecans-a bit pricey but sooooo worth it or make your own (pecans, egg whites whipped until frothy then coat pecans and shake in brown sugar and cinnamon bake at a low temp for a while, stirring frequently) <------that was just a bonus.
1 bag of caramels (Kraft has these available now in caramel balls that you don't have to unwrap, YAY!)
Butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk


Melt 1/3 of the almond bark, drop in small spoonfuls on wax paper, then sprinkle a few pecans on top of that. While that is setting up, melt your caramels and butter and sweetened condensed milk in the microwave (used a stick of butter but would recommend less perhaps a 1/2 of a stick, because it took FOR-freaking-EVER for the caramel to set up). After the caramel is melted and a bit stiffer, drop on top of the half-made cluster. Go do your taxes and then when you return the caramel should be set up enough. Melt the remainder of the chocolate bark and drop a spoonful over the top of each one. Allow that to  time to dry. Remember these are somewhat a pain to make so only share them with people you truly like or are super special - for instance your wonderful co-workers. wink wink.

A little more about Savannah- AESA

OK, soooo many cool things happened in Savannah at the AESA conference, but I would be remiss if I didn't at least give you guys opportunity to SEE some of it yourself. I mentioned earlier that ESSDACK's own Kevin Honeycutt got called upon at the last minute to deliver the keynote and what an awesome job he did. I had seen snippets of his presentations before but was totally blown away. He had the audience eating out of his hand, they loved him. His message was timely and the delivery was fantastic. He was entertaining enough to keep the attention of his audience, yet it was filled with nuggets of motivational and educational information. I could tell you more but I'd rather you check it out yourself, it's worth the few minutes you'd invest to watch.

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas!

Christmas, what a time, tons of things to do, lots to see, soooo many places to go and be......I can see how some people might just get the bah humbug spirit. But me? I LOVE Christmas, I love the feeling inside me, I love the sights, the smells and I love the meaning. I mean without hope what is the point of being here anyway?

So the hope, the joy that warm and fuzzy feeling, that pretty much sums up the feeling of Christmas but what about the other things? For instance the sights.....yesterday I was in Lawrence, Kansas home of University of Kansas, (you know ROCK CHALK) for my oldest son's graduation, his first leg of collegiate journey completed. And Lawrence is a very ........ahhh, different city, I will probably never be shocked or amazed by what I might encounter and see there. Yesterday though I did see something that made me chuckle. A group of Santas walking down the sidewalk, heading into a bar. I think I actually laughed out loud at the sight!

And then today.......finishing my Christmas decorating, I think I finally am satisfied with what I've done. Not nearly my usual but will be sufficient. I think I have at least a little decorating in every room in the house. Didn't put up the big tree, elected to use my 3 pencil trees instead. I think Santa will still get the idea. And I have this thing......I don't like to see underneath the tree, I think it looks sad and have to get something wrapped and under it immediately. I also have a thing about my packages.....the paper needs to match the decorations and the package itself needs to look like a decoration......(can you say neurotic?) anyway, done and done.

Now on to the smells....I love to make tasty treats, no matter what the holiday. Friday we popped popcorn in the office for a meeting and had quite a bit left over.......I brought it home and made the first batch of the season of caramel corn. Turned out to be quite delish! My co-workers will enjoy my little gift tomorrow.

Now the sounds.......I have the new Lady Antebellum Christmas music and am loving it! but I also have a few other tried and true Christmas tunes I am listening to and then there is always the sound of football on tv........ and soon my boys will be home and the laughter and joking and stories from their adventures at school will fill the rooms once again.

So as I get a little teary-eyed just thinking about the joy of the Holiday Season, the simple things that bring such great pleasure, I can't help but thinking of those that will be facing this time of year that will instead of happiness will be dealing with hurt or loss. My heart goes out to them and hope that somehow, some way the season or fellow man will heal the pain and mend the broken hearts. Wishing a happy and joyous season full of hope and wonder for you and yours this holiday season!

Savannah in retrospect

Tuesday-Wednesday -Where to start? I did my own version of Grease at the Atlanta airport.........but instead of the drive-in it was stranded in the terminal. Nice airport to visit, but definitely didn't want to live there, arrived at about 9:30 AM finally left about midnight. Found myself falling exhausted into bed about 2:30AM. Got up and got myself around to rehearsal (for AESA conference) about noon. Love those guys with the stage crew.....Freeman AV, very nice and a pleasure to work with. Worked alot with a gentleman named Lee Warne also, he writes the scripts and keeps everything moving on time, a great guy. Anyway that day seemed to go off without a hitch except for the lack of sleep part. Went to dinner as a group that night at a place called Vic's on the River, had a great platter of fried shrimp. Let me go on record as saying as a person who doesn't really like seafood, Savannah is a tough place. The ones that do like seafood said the food can't be beat but I was hard pressed at times to find something that wasn't fishy.

Thursday - showed up to rehearsal to discover Ian Jukes, our keynote for Thursday had come down with food poisoning and wasn't going to make it to the conference. They moved our Friday keynote to Thursday and picked ESSDACK's own Kevin Honeycutt to step in for Friday. Thursday went fine and ended the evening going to Paula Deen's restaurant, Lady and Sons for dinner. Awesome, just awesome.

Friday - Kevin rocked the house with his keynote, I felt honored to be able to say he is one of the ESSDACK team. The day went great, then after the afternoon session we hosted a special Digital Jam and it went well. The temperature in the space was quite warm and all the windows made it a big challange to see the screens but we managed, as with everyone of these we do, we learn and grow and make adjustments for the next one. Then went to two receptions at the Westin and ended the night about 10ish.


Had a strange thing happen on Saturday morning about 5am, got up to go to the bathroom and before heading back to bed decided to get a drink of water. The last thing I remember was turning toward the sink in the bathroom and the next thing I know my room mate is standing over me saying my name and shaking me. I must have passed out and then hit my head on the vanity because I am sporting a pretty good bruise to the side of my head and later that day found another small knot on the back of my head. No blood, and I don't think I was out longer than about a minute but scary none-the-less. Went to the last session of the conference and then headed to the airport......uneventful and now home again safe and sound.

---a quick explanation of my duties and responsibilities at this conference. I am backstage with all the crew. I have keynote (powerpointish) slides that correspond with the program, I create those ahead of time and another person takes pictures of all the activities during the conference, each day I try to get some of those infused with the other slides, sometimes only having a few minutes to get that adjusted before people are walking in.....  So I sit in the dark which I have affectionately starting referring to as the troll hole and listen on headphones to the cues being sent to make it all run like a well-oiled machine. Those guys (and girls) are amazing, the amount of expertise they have is mind-boggling. They also are a hoot, a fun group to work with for sure. I appreciated how they never make me feel like I'm in their way or don't roll their eyes when I ask a silly question (thanks Dan and Dave), I truly enjoy being back there in their domain. I also was responsible for a station at our digital jam - mine station in Second Life and a short demo on that. The other stations included, ipads, ipods and droids and applications, digital dumpster diving(free or nearly free apps that can used in the classroom), sing snap, wii and one other I can't remember. It's a kind of hands-on opportunity for people to come experience some things they may not have tried yet.

and now just a few random pics from the week:

Mike Cook - bestest boss ever, doing his thing at the podium

Kevin Honeycutt - giving his keynote (so serious)

Dave the AV man backstage

Kevin rocking out during the keynote - yep, play that funky music!

Me at Digital Jam at the Second Life station

Glenn Wiebe and Brenda Druecker, my fellow ducks

Digital Jam - Second LIfe

Digital Jam- welcome

Digital Jam- ipad station

Digital Jam- Glenn Wiebe at the Wii station - (yes, surrounded by a bevy of women)

Digital Jam- Second LIfe Station

Digital Jam- Wii Station

Glenn and Santa

Brenda and Santa

Dan at his AV Kingdom

Kevin at keynote rehearsal.....wowing the techs

Dave and Kevin at keynote rehearsal

Oh yah, no explanation

Lori and Santa

Sweet Potato Creme Brulee, sounds yucky but it was YUMMMYYYY!!!

Savannah-Highlight ........so far.....

Ok, I hope to write an overview of this whole trip when I'm not absolutely exhausted but wanted to share my adventures of today. After having a somewhat stressful couple of days here in the great state of Georgia, today I had quite a pleasant surprise. I had been talking to the others here with me about how I would like to go to Paula Deen's restaurant and I knew that was probably not going to be possible. Well, this evening Glenn Wiebe, Brenda Druecker and myself went on a little exploring trip, walking around with no clear intention of what to do. When suddenly what to my wondering eyes should appear? but a restaurant, Lady and Sons! I asked if we could at least go into the store and look around and then when I happened to see the podium and happened to ask what the wait was and they just happened to say.........wait for it........NO WAIT! I just looked at them with pleading eyes and they took pity on me and said they wouldn't mind if we ate there. I was so happy, I'm not so sure why, except I wanted to say I'd eaten there. Well, we went and it far exceeded my expectations. They start you out with the fluffiest best biscuits ever and pancakes (who knew pancakes were considered an starter for a meal?) Then they had a seafood dip and bread and Glenn had some sort of seafood combo, Brenda had crab stuffed shrimp wrapped in bacon and I had chicken pot pie. OMGOSH it was soooo good. It had a croissant type lattice style crust and huge chunks of chicken inside. We decided the chicken was probably leftover fried chicken from the buffet. It was Deelish.  We were too stuffed to eat dessert but did not let that stop us, we got some to bring back to the hotel. We got a piece of Key Lime Pie (which oddly enough had the consistency of soft butter, sooo good). We also tried the chocolate chocolate chip flourless torte and the gooey butter cake with toasted coconut. Overall, kinda pricy but not any more expensive than the other nice restaurants around this area. Here are some pictures from our adventure.