WELCA convention

We drove down during the lunch hour on Friday and set up our display at the Red Lion convention center in Olympia. Then we drove to our hotel, the Comfort Inn in Tumwater, just a few miles south. The convention started at 7PM. I went to the convention and Rob sat at the display table, talked to people who stopped by. He also had speakers set up, quietly playing music that he had recorded during his Africa trip this past summer. After the opening meeting, there was a choclate fountain in the room next door to the meeting room. Yumm! Strawberries, pineapple, cherries and dried apricots. There was a bunch of food left over so, knowing that the hotel staff was going to have to chuck it all when we left, I grabbed a napkin-full of dried apricots for snacking later. We got back to the hotel after 10PM ... long day!

Saturday, we got the the Red Lion at about 8:30AM. Again, I attended meetings and Rob sat at the display table. In the afternoon, there were workshops for the ladies. I learned how to make cards and photo albums from paper, glue and ribbon; very fun. The dinner was a banquet; prime rib, veggies, chocloate cake. I had been pretty much vegan since the the meeting with the naturopath on Wednesday but I figured, hey, when in Rome. Well, when I got up Sunday morning, my face and neck were covered with what I call "beef bumps". Guess that meat wasn't as hormone-free as I had gambled on. Still trying to decide if it was worth it ...

We left our hotel Sunday morning and drove to Bonney Lake to speak at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. Rob did his now-normal Keynote (Mac version of Powerpoint) presentation during the sermon slot, about what he did this past summer in Africa. People really liked it, told us so. Then, they took up a door offering. After the service, we stayed and talked to people a long time. It was a good morning.

Got back to Woodinville later that afternoon. We went to dinner at Black Angus in Bellevue with the Buerers. Got to play some Neverwinter Nights with each other in the evening.

Rob's at a Firestone right now, getting a tire fixed. Yes, you read that right. Another flat. Are we seeing a theme here? I think he took it to Firestone because it's still under warranty but I'm thinking we may not be in such a rush to get Firestone tires anymore after this. It seems like we're having to deal with flats more and more in the last few years. Of course, that could simply be because we're on the road so much but, hey, who can say? We could try another dealer and see if it makes a difference.

He dropped me at the library so I could work. Also, there's a payphone here so I could call the family in Newfoundland, check on my sister Lily and her family. Both she and Nonny/James (my 8 month-old nephew) were in hospital in Korea, hooked up to IVs for rehydration, last time I checked (Saturday) so I wanted to get the update from home. They got some kind of bug, source and nature unknown. Well, the word is that Nonny was well enough to go home with his daddy Matthew but Lily was kept in a little longer, probably home by now though.

[from when Nonny was first born]

The Chromagen Forte may be giving me stress dreams because I've been taking it about an hour before bed and having stress dreams every night. However, Rob says that I've had stress dreams every fall since he's known me. Thinking back, I think he's right. Still, I'm going to try to change when I take the Chromagen, see if that helps at all.


When I take them, I think of that old George Lucas movie: