STRANDED!!! again. *sigh*

Remember when I was stranded in Indy?  Well, guess what?  Yup, I'm stuck again.  The plane is fine, the weather is not.

The customer visit went great, and we all came away feeling good about it.  When we got back to the airport, the pilots were watching the radar, saying that it didn't look good in KC.  Big time storms.  We went to the lounge area of the airport (some private airport on the IL side of St. Louis.  I have no idea where we were.

As soon as we sat down, one of the pilots popped in and said, "Let's go.  We'll get to Columbia (MO) and see what's happening."  We climed on the plane (much bigger and more comfy than the last trip, but more on that later) and headed West. 

Upon landing, the weather at home looked much worse.  Thunderstorms, hail, tornado watches...the whole 9 yards.  *sigh*  We could rent a car and drive home, but most rental places were hard to reach, and neither Dan nor myself felt good about driving 2 hours into a thunderstorm at night.  We agreed to wait it out with the pilots.

A little before 10, the weather at home looked worse still, and the decision was made.  We'd get rooms here in Columbia and try again in the morning.  This is going to throw a HUGE wrench in the works at my house in the morning.  Kevin doesn't deal well with unexpected wrenches.  He has to be at work on time for "spring visit" and we've made no plans for Mom to come over in the morning.

He took the phone to the bedroom with him, in case I needed to call, but he didn't hear it.  As I type this, he is sleeping peacefully, thinking he'll wake up with me by his side. *sigh*  I called to warn Brett, but he was asleep, and I doubt he'll remember our conversation.  I don't know what to do.

I know mom will see this in the morning, and I'll email her, too.  She'll be willing to do what it takes (she's pretty darned flexible), and we'll just haveto form a plan.  I am supposed to do statements in the morning, and there is nobody else there that knows how.  I'll have to talk someone through it on the phone.  Not an ideal situation.  In fact, it's the opposite of ideal, but what choice do we have?

We are to meet in the lobby at 7 in the morning, to grab a quick bite of breakfast and try to leave.  The weather doesn't look all that promising for tomorrow, and the storm will be HERE sometime tonight.  We better get out of here.  They said that we could leave, and go South around it and head back in from the Kansas side, if need be.  I just hope it works.

Just to let you know the full extent of my issues, I have no clothes.  I have no personal items.  I have no phone charger.  I have very little with me.  I'm quite thankful that I borrowed Mom's laptop to play with on the plane, or I'd be bored as heck.  We stopped at a WalMart on the way to the hotel and my company bought me a toothbrush.  I had deoderant and makeup from getting ready for this trip at work this afternoon.

Am I a jinx on these trips?  I'm beginning to wonder.  I'm just glad that our pilots are concerned with our safety above their own comfort.  They have wives that are even more unhappy about this than Kevin, because it happens to them more often.  They have kids who are used to not seeing them when they expect to, and that's just sad.

I'm rambling now.  I have to wake up in 6  hours, so I better wind down.  Pictures tomorrow...I think.

Impromptu trip tomorrow

OK, here's the deal.  My frustration yesterday was in dealing with some unexpected things.  I think well on my feet, and I dealt with things remarkably well, if I do say so myself.  Thinking well on your feet and finding the answers you need quickly is great.  The aftermath, for me, is another story.

I look great while dealing with this stuff...on the outside.  Inside, I'm stressed and mushy.  Yes, I said "mushy."  Kevin had to hear me unload when I got home, and that helped a great deal.  Today would be better...right?

Sure.  Think what you want, Scarlett,  tomorrow is NOT always another day.  I found out at 2ish this afternoon that I'm climbing on a plane tomorrow afternoon ("wheels up" at 2) and heading to Illinois to visit a client.  Is this a problem?  Hmmm, let me think....

I have children who stay with my mother until 6 at the latest.  Kevin is usually there before then.  They have Awana club at 6:30 on Wednesdays.  Brett is off work, with many plans for hanging with friends. 

When I called Kevin to clue him in to this trip, he said, "Umm, honey?  Spring visit* is Thursday, and I'll probably have to work late on Wednesday to get ready."  OK, plan D.

Now, Mom has agreed to keep them late if needed.  Awana club starts at 6:30 and mom doesn't drive.  They could miss this one time, but this is the closest they've ever gotten to perfect attendance, and I hate to ruin that for them because of work obligations.  At 3:15, I started trying to call Brett.

When he called back, I found out that his plans were to stay in town.  He would be happy to go get the girls at 6:20 and drop them off at church, then head back to his friend's house.

OK, here's the plan:  Mom keeps the girls 20 minutes late.  Brett picks them up and drops them off at church by 6:30.  Kevin is home in time to pick them up at 8.  My plane will get me home at 10ish.  The next morning, I'll feed the girls at home and drop them off at Mom's later than usual, so I can see them a bit.

PHEW!  Are you tired yet?

This is not a visit that I am dreading.  It's not even a trip that I'd rather not make.  Frankly, I'm looking forward to it.  I just wish I'd had more notice.  It all fell into place, though, so it's all good.  I'll take a ton of pictures that will bore you to death.  I promise.

*Spring Visit is when the big guys from the corporate office at Kevin's work all come to see the store.  They all spend weeks cleaning and organizing and buffing floors and shining counters, all for a 1-hour visit. I can't name the company, for fear of a plague of locusts landing in our yard or a surprise colonoscopy.  Anywho...it is the largest, privately owned lumber distributor and the name is a number.  'Nough said.  LOL

ARRRGGGGG!!!!!!!

I have nothing to say.  I need to scream and cry and gripe.  I won't do any of those things.

It wasn't a bad day.  I learned a lot in the class I'm taking at work.  I'm just frustrated on many levels.  I'm going to go to bed, (reboot) and get back at.  As Scarlett said, in Gone With the Wind, "Tomorrow is another day."

Sunday. Cold, windy, boring Sunday.

Well, here I sit.  Mom and Dad are gone, so we won't be visiting them today.  After my bratty comment on her bloglines journal, she did offer to take me with her.  8 hours of car trip doesn't sound much more exciting than lying around here in the 4-hour debate about whether I should go ahead and take that shower now.  Sorry.

No, I haven't showered.  Nobody has.  It's almost 10:00 and there have been NO signs of heading that direction.  Kevin hasn't cussed the fact that there are no good towels left.  Monica hasn't used all the hot water while just standing there to get warm.  Natalie hasn't sang along with the shower radio so loudly that hearing the TV becomes nearly impossible.  I have yet to head to the door, towel in hand, to find the room "occupied" as usual.  Heck, Brett isn't even awake yet.

Yup, we have set the tone for the day.  We shall stink, recline, overeat, and possibly develop bed sores.  We cleaned the house yesterday, so a small amount of picking up will make the place almost presentable...but for whom?  It was still trashed when Dad stopped by yesterday morning, and I can guarantee that he will be the weekend's only visitor.

There is a pink flamingo in our yard.  It is for a local girl's fundraiser.  We are supposed to pay her to get rid of it.  $10 to remove it, $15 to remove it and choose who gets it planted next, and $20 to do all of the above and get "yard insurance" so it doesn't return.  She's not likely to get much from us.  We like him!  Kevin said it gives the place some class.  I tend to agree.  The girls are elated with the new addition, and Brett just rolls his eyes.

I lost my camera.  There are rumors that I threw it away to get a new one, since my wonderfully awesome husband purchased one yesterday.  I needed a new one pretty badly anyway, and we found one on clearance.  As Kevin said, "We are always on the cutting edge....of discontinued merchandise."  I love my new camera.  I did NOT throw the old one away, though.  If I were planning to be that sneaky, I would have removed my memory card first, as well as my rechargable batteries.  We have turned this house upside down, and can't find it.  It's very frustrating.

I had it on my desk on Friday night, showing Kevin some pictures.  I don't remember moving it, and Saturday morning, it was gone.  Brett says he knows nothing about it.  The girls have helped look.  It's just gone.  I know I have my new Canon PowerShot, but I want my sad little Samsung with the spots on the inside of the lens and the color issues.  There are times Kevin and I need cameras and we aren't in the same place.  It would be a great backup.  Have you seen it?

Well, I think I'll walk past a bar of soap and see if it inspires me.  I doubt it.  The dogs were cuddled up to me on the bed earlier, and they barely noticed the smell.  Well, Hawkeye raised an eyebrow and nodded toward the bathroom, but I think it was a coincidence.

Singin' Girlies

My girls and I call in to the local radio station more than normal people.  Honest.  The DJs there are starting to recognize the voices of my two youngest.  Tonight, they requested a song.

I don't know how often you have requested a song, but it is often several hours before you hear it, because  people request songs faster than they can be played.  This has been explained to my kids, and they are OK with it.  Sometimes, you get lucky.  Today, we got lucky.

They called TJ the DJ, and requested a song, after a bit of chit-chat.  The song was played within 20 minutes!  Probably within 10.  They were so happy that I said, "Stop homework!  Let's DANCE!"  Dance they did!

 

Wednesday, beautiful Wednesday!

So, I took my sweet-ass time this morning.  To HECK with going in early, as I usually do.  I have to be there by 8:30, but my stupid work ethic insists that I show up by 7:30 at the latest, to get a jump on the day.  Today, I was determined to be later than usual. 

I dropped the girls off 20 minutes later than usual, washed the car, fueled up, stopped at WalMart for a couple of necessities (I have a pen fetish, OK?!!!) and got back on the highway.  Thanks to a wreck, I was almost late for real!  Anyway, I got there with 4 minutes to spare.  I was in a good mood, too.  Sunshine, great temps, and a slow trip in.  Who could ask for more?

On the way home, things were pretty typical...maybe even quicker than usual.  I slowed to a stop or almost-stop for a couple of the above shots, but I wanted Jim to go with me, so there you have it.  Oh, and I thought I'd let you jam with me for about a minute or so of the trip.  If you're brave, check this out:

 

Just some 'N Stuff

Well, here we are.  We are here.  Life is trudging along and nothing horrible is happening.

I had my weekend.  I invested several hours in cleaning, but other than that, I did what I wanted.  What an awesome Daytona finish, huh?  That was great.  The gang got home by 6:30 Sunday evening.  Natalie forgot her toothbrush.  Par for the course around here.  We bought a new one.

I had a crappy day at work.  I got my feelings hurt (it takes a lot to hurt my feelings) and pouted the rest of the day.  Kevin called and asked how I was doing.  I said, "I'm pouting today."  He said, "But tonight, Boston Legal is on, and there's beer at the house!"  That made me feel better.  He knows me so well.  I've caught a good one.

Well, I have nothing important to say, and my husband said that the Manwiches are almost done.  YeeeeHaaaa!  I love those things.  See ya later, procrastinator!  (sorry, that's the first word that I came up with that rhymes with later.)

Sad, sad dog...

Hawkeye obviously comes from a troubled home.  His parents were probably arrested many times, for who knows HOW many offences.  Since he's adopted, we don't know his past, but there are certain clues...

 

And then he leaves.  To sulk in the other room.  Yup, there's a troubled past in there, somewhere.

Saturday morning odds and ends

Well, I forgot my camera on Wednesday, so no travel pictures.  Thursday, I took 2 that turned out crappy, and my batteries died.  Friday, I took my charger to work, so the batteries would be charged when I headed home.  I never even plugged it in.  I'm losing it in my old age.  I'll still do it, but not until I get my batteries charged.  In fact, I'll go plug in the charger right now....OK, done.

Kevin and the girls headed out yesterday afternoon.  I left work to find a blizzard going on!  They had NOT called for this.  Here I am in the truck (Kevin had the car) which doesn't get around very well in snow, and it's coming down HARD.  My commute is usually 50 minutes to an hour in the evening, and it took 2 1/2 hours to get home.  I was beat, too.  My shoulders and neck are stiff today, from being tensed up, but I made it safely.  I fell asleep shortly after turning on the 9:00 news to see the weather man's excuse.

Brett woke me up when he came home from his girlfriend's around 12:30.  Her parents had sent some pizza home with him, so I had a couple of pieces and went to bed. I woke up early today and am sipping coffee, playing on the computer, and enjoying the quiet house (other than the radio that is on MY station!)  Yeah, my alone weekend could shape up to be quite relaxing...if I don't get too lonely later.

I think I'll go to Mom and Dad's, if they clear the roads.  Maybe I can get Mom to go running with me...she has a Sam's club membership, and there are dog adoptions going on at Feldman's.  I just want to look...HONEST!

An idea for tomorrow

See the new link on the left?  Yeah, that's right.  I'm prepared for when AOL craps out.  I re-loaded some pictures that I was sick of missing, but AOL is going downhill fast.  Like this virus/company could fall any faster.  yeahright.

Anyway, Jim gave me an idea.  I'm going to take a TON of pictures tomorrow, since the girls are out of school.  I will have the time to take these pictures, since I can leave early and such.

Anyway, Jim gets to be quizzed on where the pictures are from.  Sure, anyone can play, but Jim grew up here, and drove many of those miles for years.  I think it'll be fun to see if I can stump him.

Now, Jim.  If you answer before morning...do you want me to head south to I-70 to start, or go SW to OG?  I'm just giving you a choice for your quiz.

Snow Day!

Welcome to my day, and my commute.  I hope you enjoy it:

 

Yes, I took pictures while I was driving.

No, I never did it if there was ANY danger.

Yes, I got to work and home safely.

No, I didn't take any stupid chances.

This car is awesome.  I've never driven anything like it on snow.  It's the best little car EVER!  Feel free to check the odometer while looking at the speedometer.  That's a true mileage reading.  I love you, car.

OMG! HUGE STORM A COMIN'

STOCK UP ON GROCERIES!

FILL THE GAS TANK!

GET CONTAINERS TO FILL WITH WATER!

LOOT THE NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE!

Yeah, we may get some snow.  One channel had the nerve to say that we'd get anywhere from 1-7" of the white stuff.  HUH?  Wanna narrow it down?  Heck, even I could be a meteorolgist if you get that much wiggle room.

The rain drops are turning to little ice pellets, which will turn to snow some time tonight.  I doubt we get much, and if we do, we'll deal with it.  I have never been snowed in to the point of no leaving home for a week...ever.  One day is the most I've dealt with being "snowed in" in my adult life.

Calm down, drive normal, quit being an ass at WalMart when a procastinating mother is buying valentines.  Honest.  I'll kill ya if you push that cart in my path ONE more time.  I just want my cheap novelty cards so my kids aren't the dorks.

Snow on, Missouri.  Snow on.

P.S.  It's now 10:30 and it's snowin' pretty good.  That's hick grammer for "There are nice, pretty flakes falling."

Sunday morning

The girls were AWESOME last night!  We barely saw them or heard from them, and when we did, they were all smiles and giggles.  If there were arguments, they were handled downstairs, without the wailing, "Mooommmmmm" that often floats up the stairs from a bedroom.

Kevin and I fell asleep on the couch watching Cheaters (shut up, it's like a train wreck...YOU try to look away) and at about 1:30 in the morning, Hawkeye ran to the door barking like crazy.  It spooked us awake, and our first thought was that Brett had changed his mind about spending the night at a buddy's house.  Nope, nobody there.  We drug our groggy selves to bed, then it hit me.  It was a ploy by the big hairy dog to get us off the couch, which is where he chooses to sleep if we're not looking.

We made muffins for the girlies, and I intended to have the guests both call home for a ride, but they tripped happily back downstairs to play after breakfast, and I didn't have the heart.  Heck, they might live here now for all I know.

It's going to be over 40 degrees today, so we'll try to get some outside air into our lungs before the rain/snow/whatever hits tomorrow.  Both vehicles need oil changes, and my yard could use some attention.  Just some trash and stick pickup that is always necessary this time of year.  If Mom and Dad aren't gone all day, we'll see them a bit, too.

Yup, it's a good weekend.

P.S.  I keep working on my bogger journal, in case my pictures never come back. You can find it here, although there isn't much there yet.

My week

Well, I haven't posted in a while, because I'm pouting about AOL's idiocy.  I suppose all of my pictures will eventually come back, but in the mean time, I'm crabby about it. 

Tuesday, I spent my day off cleaning house.  Wednesday, I was back to work.  When I got home Wednesday night, Brett informed me he was taking me to dinner at Countryside (the place he works.)  They had given him a gift certificate for "dinner for two" with the stipulation that one of the two people was Brett himself.  He could have taken his girlfriend, but he took me!

This was a great surprise, and he said it was an early Valentine's Day, early birthday present for me.  We had a good time, talked more than we've talked in months, and ate too much.  We had steak and shrimp, rolls and all the sides (this place does family-style dining, and the sides are all-you-can-eat.)  It was absolutely awesome.  Very good food.  Then, they brought the dessert.

It was a HUGE heart-shaped brownie, covered in cherry ice cream, with cherry sauce drizzled over it.  My lactose problems demand that I don't eat ice cream, but I ate my half anyway!  It was very good, but WAY too much food.  I was literally sick all night from eating so much.  I haven't done that to myself in a long time.  Thanks, son.

Thursday, I was part of a "mistake proofing" team that spent out day improving a process.  It was interesting and fun, and we fixed a BIG problem at work.  They do these sessions every couple of weeks, and this was my first time being a part of it.  All 175 employees will have at least one turn on a team.  It was a great change of pace.

Friday was busy, but I kept caught up.  I had a new customer service trainee with me all day.  She had the "listen only" receiver hooked to my phone.  It lets her get the idea of the type of calls and how to handle them, before she jumps into the fire herself.  I got to talk to many of my regulars, and help with some software issues, etc.  She helped me inspect a couple of orders, and caught a mistake that would have shipped.  Good job, Nikki!

Today, the family cleaned house.  The girls are each having a friend over tonight.  Monica's friend Tara planned to come over, and Natalie always winds up the "odd man out" when this happens.  She called around and couldn't find anyone to invite.  I figured I'd have her spend the night with Grandpa and Grandma, so she wouldn't wind up feeling left out, but this morning the Mom of one of her friends called back.  Alex CAN spend the night.  It'll be a lot of giggling, with 4 little girls in the house, but they'll have a good time.

Kevin's watching "A Few Good Men" in there (for the 302nd time) and I'm just loafing.  The house is clean and the laundry is going and I can sit on my arse guilt-free.  Have a good weekend!

DAMN AOL!

My BIP entry has no images.  Not on Kevin's computer, not on my computer, and not through AOL or IE or Firefox.  Nope, they're gone.  Jerks.  I HATE AOL.  Not just a casual mistrust kind o thing.  I hate them.  Time to get more into blogspot.

Here's the short version, since AOL will probably eat this entry, just like it ate my BIPs.  The plane was fixed noonish on Monday.  We got to the airport, and had to wait for the plane to be brought out.  When it got out, the started on the left worked great, but that left engine still didn't want to start right away.  It finally did.

We were doing the taxi thing down toward the runway, when Joe turned the plane around and headed back onto a short piece of "road?" and asked Ken to climb up into the "co pilot's seat?" and hold his feet on the pedals.  Joe hopped out of the plane to look at something  Sheesh.  I was worried.  Turns out, the grease was so cold (wind chill of -15) that it made the wheels feel weird when turning.  No problems.

Please understand that I trust Joe more than any unknown, random commercial pilot sitting beyond a wall.  You can see and talk to Joe, and he knows his stuff.  He is good at what he does, and refused to take chances.  It gets scary when this stuff is going on, but then you look at Joe and think, "this guy will NOT go into the air if we're not going to arrive safely."

Last night, I just collapsed and couldn't move.  This morning, I took the girls to school, then came home to start cleaning.  This house was in BAD shape.  I cleaned for a couple of hours, then went to Mom and Dad's.  They were gone walking, and I looked out the door to see if they were coming when I saw the neighbor's horses running loose through the neighborhood.

I got them in the dry lot at Mom's, then went in to work on her computer.  Her wireless router wasn't playing nice.  I had to call tech support, and get sent to "level 2 tech support" since the first guy was an illiterate moron.  We reset the IP address and all was good. Then I realized Dad had fixed my car (so it doesn't idle so low that it dies when cold) and that he had fixed their frozen drain pipe.

I ate dinner there, then came home to finish cleaning.  Another hour or so and it is acceptable in here.  Not great, but better.  I got a desk from work (that was being thrown out) and switched those out tonight.  Now, I'm going to sit on my arse and do nothing for a while.

OK, so that was longer than I intended, and AOL will probably give me the grand hose-job when I hit "save", but I've learned to highlight and "copy" before posting ANYTHING, since I've been burned so much.

Now, WHERE ARE MY BIP's?????

I'm home

Sorry I didn't post yesterday.  My butt hit the couch when I got home a bit after 5, and I didn't move until I went to bed.  More later, but the plane got fixed and we got home.

BIP...Boredom Induced Pictures

STRANDED!!!!

Ever been stranded in Indy?  I have!  The plane is broken.  It took 45 minutes to get the left engine started when we left Kansas City, and it had trouble starting when we left Columbus to come to Indy. 

Yesterday, the trade show ended an hour sooner than we thought, and we packed the booth in record time.  Every indication was that we would be in our homes for the second half of the game, if not for most of it.  We were excited and giddy about it.  Joe tried real hard, but the left engine wouldn't start, then it quit trying.  The starter is gone, and no mechanic in the city was going to fix it during the Superbowl, for any amount of money.  Yes, we are in Indianapolis.

We checked into the Holiday Inn near the airport, and all 4 headed to the sports bar to watch the game.  I headed to my room at a bit past half time, and fell asleep before the game was over.  Kevin tried to call several times, and was worried sick when I didn't hear the phone.  Sorry honey, it's been a long weekend.

Joe found a mechanic and the plane should be fixed this morning, and we can leave noonish.  If something happens, and we can't get it going, we'll fly commercial on a 3ish flight.  I wanna be home.  I'm tired and getting cranky.  My girls miss me and my husband misses me.  I think the boy might even miss me.

Due to my early bedtime, I awoke at 3:30.  I've showered, found a bakery in the hotel and purchased an overpriced, mediocre cinnamon roll, and made some coffee.  It's going to be a long morning, waiting for airplane repairs.  Maybe I'll go find something to take pictures of.

 

Just stuff....NStuff...from Indy.

Here I am.  Long trade show hours with few prospects.  It's good to see the folks that I talk to on the phone, and put a face with the voice, but I wish we had more potential clients here.  Maybe tomorrow.

God bless Ken.  That's all I have to say.  He's been great.  Dinner was great, Ken warms the car before we leave, and Ken doesn't expect that everyone thinks that he....shut up.  Public journal.  Thanks, Ken.  Thanks for being normal.

I talked to the girls tonight.  It was awesome.  Then I called later to talk to Kevin.  I really miss home.  I'll be home tomorrow night.  I can't wait.  I won't see much, if any, of the Super Bowl.  It will just be nice to be in my own bed, with my own family nearby.

I didn't take any pictures today.  It's rare that I go to a trade show and don't take a gazillion pics, but my heart wasn't there.  I'll try tomorrow.  I'm not depressed.  I'm just trying to get through it.  It's nice to have an overheated room all to myself.  It's nice to take a 30 minute shower.  It's nice to have room service.  I'm fine, just homesick.

Goodnight, readers.  Both of you. LOL.  I'll have Monday off work, and hope to get Dad to look at my car.  It's doing great, but idles so low that it sometimes dies if you're not there to keep a bit of gas on it.  I hope he can get it to idle faster, or something.

RAMBLING!!!!!!  Time for bed!

Indiana is cold, too!

Well, here I am.  What a day!  I dropped the girls off at Mom's, then went to WalMart to grab a few things for the trip, and get fuel.  Then I ran to Kevin's work to say "goodbye" and such.  Then, back to the WalMart parking lot to pick up a coworker.

Ron was to be dropped off in Columbus, IN, then our pilot would take Ken and me on to Indianapolis.  We were told "wheels up" at 8:30, so we decided to get to the small airport around 8 and talk Joe into leaving early.  Ron and I arrived at 8:10, and Ken was there, waiting.  No plane.

We waited until 8:30, then Ken got the call.  Our lab owner said that Joe was having trouble getting one of the engines to start.  They folks at the downtown airport had left the plane outside, after being told to put it in.  One engine started, the other would NOT.  He sat in that plane for 40 minutes or so, and finally got it going.  A 10 minute hop got him to the airport where we waited.

We all piled in to the tiny plane, not uncomfortable, just small.  In the two hours it took to get to Columbus, the heat never worked.  We were freezing!  We had our coats and gloves on, and were drinking coffee, yet we shivered with cold.  We laughed about the fact that we should run laps in the plane, or do jumping jacks.  Yeah right.

We landed in Columbus and decided to eat at the place there in the airport.  Good food and VERY reasonable.  We got right back on the plane after eating.  As we had landed, the heat came on and warmed us up for the last 5 minutes, so we hoped that the last leg of our journey would be a warm one.  NOT.

Once we were in the air, we were freezing once again.  Fortunately, it was less than 30 minutes to Indy.  When we landed, Ken climbed back and opened the door and WOW!  I said a bad word in a flash!  It was at LEAST as cold as it was at home, and the wind was gusting to 30 mph.  When we got into the airport, I was literally shaking.  I called Kevin and he asked why I was out of breath.  LOL.

They DID have the rental car warmed up for us.  That was nice.  A short drive found us at the hotel, and we checked in and dropped our bags off in our rooms, then headed to the trade show area to set up our booth.  Our booth is next to the overhead door that they use to bring in the wares of other exhibitors.  BURRRR!  More cold. 

After 2 hours, we were done, and headed to our rooms to do whatever, agreeing to meet in an hour for dinner.  I was still cold.  Couldn't get warm.  Hadn't been warm since I crawled from bed this morning.  We had to wait 5 minutes or so for one of the folks we were eating with, and I sat on the hearth in front of the fireplace in the lobby.  My back got warm, nothing else.

Now, we've had dinner.  I'm alone in my room, listening to music, sitting less than 3' from a heater which has been dialed to 82.  I may turn it down when I go to bed, but I doubt it.  I'm not cold for the first time in 15 hours.  82 is nice.