It's been a long time since I've been here.....almost six months! It's hard to believe I've neglected writting something for that long, being the "wordy" person that I am! I guess I should update 2012 before moving on to 2013......I last posted in July, so I'll start with August activities!
August found me on my way to College Station, Texas to move my daughter, Cait, into her apartment before starting her Master's program at Texas A&M. She is enrolled in the Bush Business School (not sure why it's called the business school since her major isn't in business, but....) The Business School is a nice area of campus and there is a large pond next to the school where George (HW) fishes and Barbara walks the dogs.
Our trip to Texas was rather a nightmare. We started out with the idea of staying overnight somewhere in Oklahoma before driving the rest of the way, but we weren't aware that all the hotels are full of people who work on the oil rigs. So.....we drove for hours (my husband was in a fabulous mood since he had worked all day before we set out on this journey!) We finally found a small hotel with one room left and we checked in at 3 a.m. deciding we would sleep until we woke up and then drive the rest of the way.
The highlight of the trip was the trailer we were pulling started falling apart little by little along the way! It was one of my dad's "inventions" that he made from scrap--we looked like Sanford and Son traveling down the highway! For those of you too young to know what that reference is, keep quiet! We did finally make it, though, and the work of moving began. Thankfully Cait, who had been there a few days before us, found a few able-bodied classmates who were willing to help with the heavy stuff....and all they asked in return was dinner and a few beers!
And you know it's home when the dog goes to sleep!
September found me working on Developmental Care modules from the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) in preparation to take their Developmental Care Specialist test. I also finally took the plunge and applied for grad school--never too late to learn, right?!? This gave me no small measure of anxiety, but I was accepted and will begin in January.
In October Steve and I headed for Palm Springs for the NANN conference where I was presenting a poster and a podium presentation! The poster was my backup plan for when my podium presentation wasn't accepted, but instead I was accepted for both. Sigh.....Another anxiety producing event! It went well, though, and it was a great experience!
I was home for a week after Palm Springs and then headed back to Rwanda for 12 days! It was an eventful trip.....first time I've ever had an issue with one of the delegation team, so that was an unpleasant experience (and that's all I'll say about that) I also had pneumonia for most of the trip, but in typical NICU nurse fashion, I powered on.....continued to train healthcare workers and students in the Helping Babies Breathe Program!
Here are some photos from our trip:
And as 2012 draws to a close....we find out the Mayans were wrong and the world goes on! Merry Christmas from my family to yours (through the eyes of the youngest members of the Geier family):
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