Do we have a what's up? If not, here it is.

Hey, making hotel coffee, gonna drink and tell you about my visit to our nations historic city. Be right back.

Every day, since getting into town, I have probably walked at least five miles but have realistically probably done about ten.  I don’t consider unintentional walking like that done at the museum, or while I am walking along the river, or while we are headed out to sit at a sidewalk bar and get a drink.  What I do consider are those long intentional walks that keep me going at a fast pace.  Plus, eating has been problematic for me because I am in a hotel and do not want to, for instance, pay ten bucks for one banana, so I am just eating my three meals a day and no snacks.  What I like about the local cuisine:  Philly cheese steak sandwiches, those great deli Reuben sandwiches, and these wonderful fruit platters that are everywhere. 

My trip has been successful.  I have learned a lot about what works for helping children who do not come from literacy supportive families.  I have met some wonderful people and have made some professional contacts that will help me to get more publications.  In academe, publications are what get us the really good jobs.  But, today, we are flying home and I will get unpacked to just repack and head out again on Thursday.  Oh, I almost ended up in the hospital for dehydration.  On my first day here and part of my second day, I didn’t drink water.  I don’t know what I was thinking, but I just didn’t and got so sick.  Let me tell you, the first sign that I had was a terrible headache and I thought that my headache was caused from carrying my purse and pulling neck muscles.  That night, we had drinks or I sipped a drink and I kept thinking why am I feeling so weird?  It wasn’t until I was walking up this huge hill to go into the museum and my legs began to get all rubbery and I felt myself getting faint that I realized, **** I need water.  We found a little café and I ate two pears, drank a huge thing of water, and ate some salt.  Then, I carried my water with me and for the remainder of the trip steady sipped my H2O.  LOL.  It took me until last night to really get over that weakness that comes from dehydration.  Last time,  I ended up in the emergency room and got two hours of IV therapy and was not going to have that happened here so I hit the bottle. 

I love Philly, but I cannot wait to get home.  You guys have a great day. 

Ohhhh Jeannie, so glad you recognized this for what it was and took action before it became an emergency situation. Hope today is better and you enjoy the rest of your trip. It sounds very interesting, indeed.

A terrible thunderstorm came rumbling through about 3:00 this morning. Woke us up and scared the dog...the big wuss. So, we got up, I had 1/2 a pb&j, looked at the boards and then went back to bed. Got about another hour of sleep, but I'd like to just crawl back in there. Alas, work calls, so I guess I'll hit the shower instead.

Today is the day that I will FINALLY call my ortho about the elbow. Can't take it much longer, and with the impending hernia surgery, can't even take anti-imflamitories (yes, my doc says I can take them, short term). It pretty much hurts all the time, and even wakes me up during the night. Now I'm starting to have some slight numbing in my hand, so I guess it's time. Dang.

Ok.....hope everyone has a wonderful day. Take care of yourselves and each other!  Play nice in the sandbox, too

Aloha dear one........I'm glad you are going to get that elbow looked at. I have something similar in my shoulder......in my case it's called calcified tendonitis. It was so bad at one time that I could brush my teeth without being in agony. Thankfully my ortho surgeon had the SAME condition, and he gave me a cortisone shot and bingo....no pain at all for several months. I've had three cortisone shots over the past couple of years...and next time I'm incapacitated by this he wants me to have an MRI. So far though so good........with the occasional relief from some hydocodone. Hopefully you'll get a shot and that will take care of at least that problem for awhile.

You have thunderstorms! The past three days I've been rudely awakened by thick smoke and raining ash from burning of the cane fields. They do it in the wee hours of the morning so people don't get as outraged as they would if suddenly you are laying in the sun and it starts raining chunks of black cane soot. It makes for big messes, too.

Hope you work day went well!

Aloha nui loa,

Maui Karen

Good afternoon Jeannie and everyone....

I haven't hardly had time to breathe all day. My work phone is ringing constantly. Everyone wants a job YESTERDAY!!!

Like I told Linda...I am running out of steam. Taking care of a 2 year old is a lot of work. Especially with my current health situation. I am soooo exhausted!! Love Gracie to pieces but she sure is a active little girl. Grace has decided Nana (me) needs to do everything...the stinker!!  She is so precious!!

I am far from eating and drinking my water correctly the last few days.Next week I better buckle down and do it right again!!

I need to get back to work....take care everyone!!

Love and hugs to all....connie d

Ola momma!! I am just going to lay down in a second. We finished the Harry Potter costumes,this makes me very happy.
Charles is going to the movies with us,so we did a wizard costume for him,it was a rush job. I had not thought to ask him,but my grand AJ did...LOL.
I can't wait to read your story,I LOVE the way you write. The story you wrote about your walk with your family,was so vivid,I felt I was there!! I recall it almost everyday,I guess it in the peaceful scene compartment of my mind.it has become meditative.
Take care,and stay well.

Good morning all.  30 minutes until I go home.

Had to do some searching on the internet last night here at work.  I was trying to read the CBS fan forum about Big Brother, but my work has blocked CBS.  I can get NBC, ABC, FOX, but no CBS.  So I googled Big Brother Spoilers and finally found a fan forum that was not blocked.  Where there is a will, there is a way.

So, that is what occupied the bulk of my night.

morning!
your trip sounds great and i am so glad that you have found some answers regarding the children and their teaching....my own kids grew up in a diverse socio-economic community and it was hard as a Girl Scout leader with some of the girls...the challenges that they face at home.

as for hitting the bottle-jeannie- we ALL need to be so careful of the dehydration thing...glad your outcome was ok!

work today will be prepping all day- we are getting a new server for the program we work in so we will not be able to "work" and prepping can get very old! usually i prep 1-15 cases at a time then do the scanning and indexing to keep some interest--today will prbly be 100-150 cases prepped if not more...it's ok ...i have a job!

alexa is still holding on and her families' posts on caring bridge are so heart wrenching..specially knowing her dad as i do (he's my boss!) ...please continue to pray or send good vibes for this wonderful family...

really nothing else going on in life-just trying to clean and pack....pack and clean...and pitch...

there is still some dissention on the board-rather, behind the scenes and it really needs to stop--people- just get along or ignore, please!!!!! i wasn't going to say anything but it is ridiculous and i do NOT wanna get into a he said she said discussion...grownups need to respect their peers and/or move on....snide postings/ nasty emails or pms...just quit! ok- i need to step down and put away my box......
hugs and prayers................i think we all need them!

So, there is drama and I missed it?  Dang.  Never fails, I miss all the fun. LOL.  Seriously, I agree that we need to get along and respect everyone's space.

I agree with Margo -- we are all adults here and we need to act like it.
If you don't care for someone on here, just skip over their posts...
I think we all have something of value to share and should be glad we
have this forum.

Last nite was awful.......my leg hurt in the shin area - can't imagine why.
Took 2 pain pills and they did NOTHING.  sO had to wait 4 hrs and took 2 more.....got about 2 -3 hrs of sleep finally.   Think I will spend most of the day on the bed reading.....  I am on blood thinner injections
so can't imagine it's a blood clot ...good thing I see the Dr. on Thursday.

The shopping trip was good - used the cart at Wal Mart and wasn't too proud to ask ppl to get things off the higher shelves for me....
Came home, put everything away, and rested.

Nothing on the agenda today - just taking it easy

Have a good Tuesday.   Good thoughts and hugs for those in need.

Pat R.