The Denver Daily

I'm back! I had a great time in Denver. Conferences are always really intense for me because when I'm there I'm all there and I don't get much sleep, but it's fun meeting lots of new people and just doing things out of my ordinary routine.

This was my first impression of Denver (I've been there several times, but it was decades ago). I went to get on my shuttle bus at the airport and I was wearing a very colorful jacket with sparkles on it. The shuttle driver took one look at me and said, "Lady, you can't possibly be from around here because no one in Denver dresses like that!" He was a hoot and we had a blast all the way to the hotel. He gave me a guided tour of the area and I even got to see some prairie dogs. Of course, the snow capped Rocky Mountains were totally awesome!

This is a picture of me and a bunch of crazy people...uh excuse me, I meant to say some of the Teach4Mastery staff.

This is Mary. She was with me in Winston-Salem as well and she's a real sweetheart. She's one hardworking woman!

And this is Lori. She's the midwest rep for Teach4Mastery and she was also my roommate. We got to know each other really well and had a great time. We were trying to get her to do her famous hair flipping in this picture and she wasn't cooperating. So for that she gets to see herself on my blog and get all embarrassed.

These two fine folks are Harold and Susan. They were working the Math-U-See booth. My publisher is also a Math-U-See rep. Harold works at the Teach4Mastery headquarters in California. Don't ask me how I managed to get a picture of two Math-U-See people in front of the Videotext math booth. That takes real skill, people.

This sly looking fellow is my publisher, Dan Sinclair. He's the one that keeps us all in line and on the level...or is it the other way around? On Friday night he took us to Cinnzetti's where we had supper with a bunch of the other vendors. Cinnzetti's is an amazing Italian restaurant, unlike any I've ever seen before, and the food was outstanding!

While in Denver I got to meet with my Aunt Bettylou that I haven't seen in over 20 years! Bettylou is a one of a kind character and she and our waiter were two peas in a pod chiding one another. He knew exactly how to handle her strong personality, which made dinner a very fun time. It was so good to see her again!

I also got to meet Lorrie Flem the publisher of TEACH Magazine. I write for TEACH under the title of the domestically-challenged housewife. Lorrie spoke 8 times at the conference and she deserves some sort of medal. I had a hard time actually catching up with her because she was speaking so much, but on the last day we got to see each other several times and she and my publisher were able to talk and sort through some things regarding my curriculum. Sweet lady!


God threw in a very unexpected added bonus. I was sitting at my gate in the Denver airport waiting for my return flight home and watching a plane deboard. To my utter surprise, friends from my homeschool support group here in Charlotte walked right off that plane! We were all in shock! What are the odds that we would all be in the same city hundreds of miles from home, in the same place in a huge metropolitan airport, at exactly the same time??? That was nothing short of God's hand in action! Meet the Morrison family.

When my plane was landing I was giddy with excitement. I couldn't wait to see my family. This is the handsome fellow that greeted me at the airport. Don't you just love the "i love my wife" shirt?

The kids were eager to tell me about their adventures at church camp this week and we were all very happy to all be back in one place again- that wonderful place called home- even if it does look like a cyclone hit it.

The cat is ecstatic. He hasn't stopped loving on me since I got home. I can't even walk around my garden because he's underfoot constantly. It seems he wants to be touching me at all times as if that will somehow keep me from going on any more trips away from him.

Normally, when I come home from a trip I unpack my suitcase immediately. It's just my little pet peeve that everything has to put away as soon as I get home. Well, not this time. I'm beat! I have a to-do list a mile long and a packed suitcase sitting right beside the door. I don't care, it's nap time!

Thanks to everyone in Denver who came to my workshop, purchased Hands-On Essays, or stopped by the booth to chat. Thanks also to all of my Teach4Mastery friends. That's exactly what you became this weekend- friends. I'm so glad you're not a stuffy bunch, but are willing to do fun things like stuff Kleenex up your nostrils and take pictures of it. That's my kind of people!