6/30 A better night

From 10 PM-2AM she went outside four times. BUT I got to sleep from 2:15-6:15 and 6:30-8. So even though it was broken up, it was so much better than the night before. I'm hoping that the specialists in Louisiana will be able to do some magic.

Since I got a little more sleep last night, I'm in a good and hopeful mood. Am going to the store soon to get some groceries and some puppy pads. Maybe those will be the answer for our nighttime blues. We'll see.

I have so much work to do here in the house. Being tired plus dehydrated had de-energized me. I hope that today I can get started in a big way. My friend, Gerri, is going to visit me the weekend of July 27th, so I want to have everything done but the office by then. Of course, I won't have painted or anything fancy, but everything will be put away, and the carpet will have been shampooed. :)

6/29 Quincy, poor, poor thing

They are taking blood and urine, and will be doing full blood panels and urinalysis in Louisiana. It costs $235. The reason they have to do this is that her urine was clear in the test they did at the vet's. And of course there was nothing wrong with it. So her "every 10 minute" urination from last night has to be from the pelvic bladder. She will be evaluated for medical therapy and/or surgery.

She's so expensive, but I love her. She's the only family I have here, and I'm going to do everything I can.

But I'm sad. Poor little thing.

6/29 No drama here, and no reptiles

Apparently rumors are flying at work regarding me using the word "snake" to describe someone in a previous entry.

I PROMISE--the snake in question is NO ONE IN MY COMPANY. It was someone that I worked with in the past and was trying to work with in the present. It didn't work out--because of someone's dishonesty. I was deliberately vague in the other note because I didn't want to pinpoint anyone.

And this is the reason that I seldom write anything negative. I'm fully aware that this is public and so I never reveal anything that can't be publicly known.

So I'm sorry to disappoint readers, but there's no drama here.

(Except Q's at the vet and I'm waiting to hear from them.)

6/29 Explicit doggy doo-doo information

It's 4:30 AM and Quincy's been outside at least 13 times tonight. I'm sleep deprived. She's got diarrhea and I think another bladder infection. She's trying to pee constantly, and I feel so bad for her.

So one time--about 1/2 hour ago--I thought she couldn't possibly really be peeing, so when she cried I just ignored her. She went into the hallway and peed and pooped. I can't win.

Lots to do today, so I can't sleep in. Have to drop off some documents at Camp Biloxi, take Q to Doggy Day Care (or the vet, depending how these next few hours go), and then go to the conference. After lunch I have several things to do at work, so there's no way I can nap. It's going to be a long day after three hours sleep, but thank God it's Friday.

After this everlasting night I'll probably ask the vet to start Q on the meds. Even though it may have side effects, she obviously needs something and is miserable.

Okay, she's been in the house for 10 minutes and is sleeping. We'll see if I can catch a few winks.

6/28 More conference

I'm at the Hurricane Conference again today and tomorrow so need to hurry. Spoke to the Mississippi governor yesterday...he surprised me by walking by me and touching my arm. I knew who he was because he was surrounded by state troopers. So I blurted out something appropriate. And he replied.

Last night I got elected to the board of directors of Mississippi VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster). It's a good organization and will be good for my agency (and for me). Last month I got elected to the board of IDTF (Interfaith Disaster Task Force) which is another wonderful organization. These two things will be enough and will keep me busy. My job encompasses a lot of things, and community involvement is one of them.

A colleague from the Red Cross invited me to a beach party on July 4th. She's invited a lot of single people to just hang out. We're having a carry-in meal and will stake out our spot for fireworks. Sounds like fun. I'll be gone so long that evening that I'll have Q stay all night at the kennel, since she couldn't last that long at home without going out.

Gotta run.

6/27 The smell was overpowering

In my dream I smelled dog poop. It was cloying and overpowering; I looked for it, couldn't find it. Slowly I awoke to find it wasn't a dream. It was a living nightmare. Diarrhea all over my bedroom floor--and the icing on the poop cake was a big pile of pee as well. Q sat there looking sad. It was diarrhea so I couldn't even yell.

6:15 AM and I cleaned up poop and pee for more than 20 minutes. Turned on the news as I started to get ready for work. Local news wasn't on. I was confused. Then I looked at my watch again. Instead of 6:45 it was 3:45. Sweet reprieve. I put her on the bed with me to stop any future ideas she might have and slept for a few more hours.

I'm not in the office the next three days. Am at the Imperial Palace Resort Casino for a Hurricane Conference, sponsored by MEMA (the Mississippi version of FEMA). Should be interesting.

Q is staying at Doggy Day Care overnight because after the conference there's a board meeting I need to attend from 6:30 until whenever. I thought she'd have a better time at Doggy Day Care instead of being alone all night.

6/26 It just doesn't matter...

That's my favorite line from "Meatballs." Bill Murray is telling the misfit kids (paraphrasing here)...It doesn't matter if you win the basketball game. It doesn't matter if you rub their faces in the dirt. It doesn't matter that you've worked hard for this day. Why? Because the rich guys will always get the girls. It just doesn't matter.

And that became their mantra, "It just doesn't matter."

I'm using that today through some difficult situations.

AND I've finally come to the conclusion that I don't have to be liked (even though I want people to like me). I just need to do my job. Being the boss isn't a popular position to be in. I take the heat for what happens in MS. I'm doing the best I can, always realizing that the clients come first. And if people don't like me--

It just doesn't matter.

6/25 Fleas and snakes

Quincy has fleas. She's been keeping me up all night scratching, so I took her to the vet today. I was sure she didn't have fleas because she takes the preventative treatment. What I found out today was that fleas are so bad here that dogs have to take the preventative treatment, get baths with flea shampoo, and once fleas are present you have to get your house de-bugged. Crap. So I'm on the right track now, but have to get my house de-flead. This cute little (big) dog is sure costing me a lot of money. I bought some good flea shampoo at the vets (flea shampoo? sounds like we'll have clean fleas, huh?).

And snakes? I'm talking about the human kind. Even though I've been in this business for many years, I'm still a bit naive. I think everyone operates above board and in a trustworthy manner. Guess I'm wrong.

6/25 Hunter's birthday

My grandson, Hunter, is five today. He is adorable, sweet, and funny as all get out. He has the biggest smile in the western hemisphere. I miss him (and his sister, Kayla) so very much. Unfortunately, I don't have enough vacation time yet to go out for a visit. But I'll be with them for a whole week in October, and I'm hanging on to that.

My brother, Joe, posted some cute pictures of Hunter. Since I'm on my work computer at the moment I don't have access to the pictures on my computer. Maybe later I'll come back and post some.

The little guy is so cute, and now rides his motorcycle by himself. It took a while before he could steer on his own, but he can sure do it now. Amazing to see this little dude ride a motorcycle. I'm so proud of him, and not just for this reason. His attitude is so crazy and upbeat most of the time. That appeals to me so much. I love you, Hunter.

6/24 Ice

The best entertainment for Quincy in the house is a piece of ice. She pushes it along the linoleum and it moves fast, far, and randomly. Then chases it to begin the game again. It is so cute to watch. Plus it gives me a few minutes to do something else, like fix my breakfast which I'm going to do in a few minutes.

Then we're going to the beach to play in the water. I hope we have as much fun as we did last Sunday. It's going to be another hot day and it's usually cooler on the water.

I love Biloxi. Besides the obvious attraction of the Gulf of Mexico, the casinos themselves are beautiful (if you like gambling, and I do), the homes and architecture (left from the storm) is lovely, and I could go on...but the most fascinating thing about the Mississippi Gulf Coast is the population. I know I've said it before, but the people on the Coast are the friendliest I've met anywhere. Having lived in many places and traveled to even more, I've seen the gamut of "welcome-ness," and the Mississippi Gulf Coast wins hands down.

You can converse with prince or pauper and you'll get the same sense of welcome. In a million years I would have never chosen to live in Mississippi. Now I can't imagine living anywhere else. (Okay, that last sentence was hyperbole for effect. I can imagine living elsewhere. It's just that right now, I don't want to.)

6/23 Fat, fat, fat

So my body is finally sending me a big message--LOSE WEIGHT!

A routine blood test found that I'm pre-diabetic. My only complaint when I went to the doc was that I'm always tired. That is from dehydration perhaps. She said that in hot and humid climates we need to drink 1/2 of our weight. If someone weighs 180, pounds they need to drink 90 ounces of water a day--not tea, not soda, not juice, not beer, WATER. She said that this type of climate is really different and our body responds differently.

But anyway, pre-diabetic. When the nurse called she said the doctor would put me on meds or I could do it through diet and exercise. I want to try without meds, but it's a little scary. If I fail, I could develop diabetes. This news is difficult for me because I can't blame heredity. I gained weight. I did it to myself. What an awful feeling.


(Part of my tiredness, I'm sure, is that my dog gets me up in the middle of the night almost every night to go outside. The good part is that she's housetrained pretty much, and doesn't have accidents. Last night was a different story. She had diarrhea. All over the dining room rug. Why can't animals use tile? Why must they use carpeting? I felt bad for her, because it was obvious she couldn't help it. But I felt sorry for me too---3 AM, shampooing the rug.)

6/21 Another superb day with great people

I went to the same site with the 18 people from Salem Lutheran Church in Panca, Nebraska. The day was awesome. If possible, the kids worked harder today than Tuesday. I can't believe their work ethic, and their lack of complaining. Great kids, led by dedicated and loving adults.

They went beyond the call of duty and did so many little finishing touches just out of pure love. The owners will be thrilled to find many little surprises throughout their property.

When the work was finished we had time for a swim. So we all jumped in the bayou and played. It was a lot of fun. Since it was salt water you could swim forever and not get tired. A few scary moments ensued when we thought some boats were going to travel right over us, but our fears were groundless. (Thank you, God.)

They all leave tomorrow morning, so I'm going to be there at 7:30 in order to say good-bye. What a pleasure it was to serve with them. The weather was perfect and the company was even better.

(Got home at 5, took a shower, and was in my pajamas by 5:30. Talk about lazy!)

6/20 Tired

I'm still tired from working outside all day yesterday. Will do the same tomorrow. Today was a day I had a board meeting, so had to work in the office.

Am really looking forward to tomorrow, just hope this old, old body holds out. :)

Not much else to report. Q and I are going to have a quiet night. Yay for that.

6/19 The best work day ever....

I got up at 4:30, took Q with me to Camp Victor where I left her with Jon and Pepper (his Dalmatian). Doggy day care didn't open until 8, and I was at CV before 6:30. Jon said he would get someone to take Quincy to Pampered Pets for me, so I was able to leave her in his office without a worry. I then went to the dining hall for a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee. After that it was a meeting with my team. I'd asked for 12 youth to work with. Instead they gave me 13 youth and five adults. Not too bad for my first time leading a work crew, huh?

80% chance of thunderstorms. I drove my SUV and waited in the rain for the bus to arrive. Right before the kids got there the rain stopped and didn't come back until about 20 minutes after we stopped working. Amazing.

We worked at a client's home on Davis Bayou. A gorgeous setting. It was grueling work at times, but so rewarding. Afterwards the client took some kids kayaking while the rest of us sat in the shade and watched--and enjoyed.

These kids were absolutely amazing. No complaints, no arguing, nothing but positives. I loved working with them, and will do so again on Thursday. Tomorrow I have a board meeting I need to attend, so I'll be in office mode.

Probably the neatest thing that happened was when one of the adults said, "You know if you just scrape the ground a little you can find some of their things buried in the dirt." And she was so right. I'd heard that hurricanes did that, but hadn't really experienced the results. But we dug down 1/2 inch to an inch and found all kinds of things. They found two of the wife's rings, the husband's class ring, grandma's rosary. So we're going to play archaeologist again on Thursday. Can't wait.

(Oh, we had 360 kids this week, an absolute rarity. Normally our volunteers are 18 and older. This is kind of fun though.)

6/18 Stormy Monday

A weird day. Had a doctor's appointment this morning. Nothing wrong, just needed to find a local physician.

Left Q for 3 1/2 hours at home and she did fine.

It's been storming all day and I feel bad because we have 360 youth from a synod up north. They're here to work all week, and most of them were probably working outside.

There's a 60% chance of thunderstorms tomorrow too, and that worries me. I'm supposed to work with the kids Tuesday and Thursday, and we're working outside near the Gulf. I'm excited about getting out of my office, but know I'll complain about sore muscles.

Q has some stomach problems this afternoon--I think it's from drinking salt water when she was swimming in the Gulf. Hope she learns, for both our sakes. :)

6/17 A wonderful Fathers' Day

First of all my brother, Joe, wrote a funny and wonderful tribute to Dad on his blog. His blog started as a blog to make fun of other ones--mostly mine. But it's turned into so much more. It's a place where he honors (and teases) everyone on their birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions. We all love it! If you want to check it out, be warned that there are tons of inside jokes. Some of which I don't even understand because I've been gone so long from Quincy. :)

Today's been good in other ways too. Q woke me up at 5:30--nothing different about that. I lazed around a bit (nothing different about that either). Then cleaned up the dining room and emptied four more boxes. Afterwards Quincy and I went to the beach. We went to Ocean Springs because it's not as crowded or "touristy" as Biloxi beaches. I knew Q wouldn't go into the water (after watching her yesterday--loving the swimming pool but refusing to go in the Gulf).

Then I saw a young couple with two big dogs. I asked them if Q could play and their dogs teach her to go into the water. Before they could even say, "Sure," she was chasing the other dogs into the surf. She ended up swimming like a fiend and seemed to have a great time. I know I did.

Rachel and Kevin both work at USM Gulf Coast Research Facility, right on the water. What a cool job. He's a toxologist and she's a biochemist--and from Stevens Point, WI. A nice surprise.

The dogs (and us) played for over 90 minutes. It was a great way to spend part of the afternoon. I know I'll see them again. Nice folks.

On the way home Q slept (of course), and I talked to my kids on the phone. A nice treat for me. Jill, Todd, Kayla and Hunter were in Santa Monica having lunch and then were going to take a bike ride along the path that runs by the beach. Sounds like fun. Rob and Beata were napping. That sounds like fun too. (Hope "napping" wasn't a euphemism for something else.) :)

Anyway, it was super talking to them. Miss them all so much. Beata and Rob are going to try to visit sometime this summer. In November Jill is flying to NC to spend time with Rob and Beata. Maybe I'll drive up so I can see all of them at the same time. I'd love that so much.

Guess that's enough for today. Nap time, and then more work. Love to all.

6/16/ Q is 4 months old

Can't believe how time flies. We ran a bunch of errands today and then went swimming at Paula's house. It was a riot.

On the way there, Quincy and I stopped at the beach to play a while. We played fetch, but I was surprised that this labrador retriever didn't seem to want to get in the water. I got in, but she wouldn't follow. However, by the time we got to Paula and Tommy's house, it had changed. Q loved swimming, almost as much as I did. We played for a few hours. She didn't swim the whole time of course, but got out frequently and also enjoyed lying on a raft a la Cleopatra. When we got in the car she fell asleep immediately.

We're invited to go again tomorrow if we like, but I think I better stay home and get a little bit of work done. But for now I need to doctor up the scratches on my arm. Oh yeah, Q got a little scared in the beginning and I paid the price.

6/15 Posting while lunching

Peanut butter sandwich and Campbell's "Soup at Hand" Velvety Potato Soup. Not as bad as it could have been. At least it's filling and will last me until dinner.

Q was thrilled being back at Doggy Day Care. She flew out of the car. Looked like a dog version of Superman. Really cute how much she loves it there. No rules; just playing and spoiling and treats. Just like a kid going to Grandma's house.

So much work to do here. I've lost our office manager and am doing much of that work because our deputy is off for several days. In the future I'm hoping for an admin asst to help us out. We'll see if that pans out.

There are major changes in the offing and there's a lot of organizational work to be done in preparation. I believe things will go well; and am praying to that end.

As I was driving to work today I thought again about how much I love the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I don't think I've seen more beautiful beaches in the continental US, and I've seen a lot of them. If we don't get any major storms this year, the recovery phase will keep going full bore. This past week, they planted at least a hundred big palm trees along Beach Boulevard. The new ones add so much to the ambiance. This place is gorgeous!

Plus, I've decided to finally go to one of the casinos. Was going to wait until I have company because I really don't want to go by myself, but I want to go--so will. There are some beautiful casinos here in Biloxi. Haven't really noticed the ones in Gulfport and points west...but I'm sure they're nice too.

Okay. Done eating. Back to work. Will pick up Quincy about 5. As happy as she is to get to Doggy Day Care, she's even happier to see me. That's a good feeling. (I must get my camera connected to the computer to charge it up, so I can take pictures.)

6/14 What? No blog since Monday?

Can't believe I haven't written anything since Monday. Last night I didn't even turn on the computer when I got home. Very unusual for me.

My best friend from college, Gerri Flynn (now Hutchings), called last night and she's going to come for a visit. I'm so excited. My first visitor (unless Rob, Beata, or Jill beat her to it). Gerri and I had such a blast together those first two years in school. And when I left town after getting married, she moved into my old room and it was like I wasn't even gone. :) Well, except she was neater, I think. Anyone was neater than I was.

Ger said that she is only one size up from college and of course that makes me mad. I've expanded like an overripe piece of fruit, or worse yet--a hot air balloon, and she's still little. I've looked at my old pictures and see a vibrant, healthy, thin woman. She's locked inside this body and dying to get out. I need to make a plan and stick to it.

Oh yeah, Doggy Day Care is open again after their vacation! Hooray!

6/11 Lutheran Church of St. John, Quincy, IL

Quincy and I drove to Gulfport, actually nearly to Long Beach, to meet some of the Quincy folks who have volunteered to rebuild a house nearly destroyed by Katrina. I met about six people and didn't know any of them. The surprising thing to me is that they'd never heard of the Bozarths. Heck we are all over the place. But they all went to QHS and we went to QND and there's the rub.

But some of them had heard of my sister Jane Peterson, who's a nurse practitioner at the Quincy Medical Group. She's famous (or infamous).

It was neat though. I brought Quincy and started the conversation by saying, "If I tell you my dog's name is Quincy, will you know why I want to meet you?" They were all so sweet, working their tails off in 95 degree heat with no air conditioning. And each one was cheerful and smiling. Others of their group were working in Biloxi, so I'll try to meet up with them later. The church had taken up special donations and these folks bought all the supplies for the house, dry wall, doors, windows, just everything. What a caring group.

Even though I didn't know any of them, it felt good. And made me feel just a little bit closer to home. Can't beat that.

6/10 A good Sunday

Yesterday was stormy all day. And my dog was nuts. Not that she was scared of the thunder and lightning--it's just the opposite. She LOVES to be out in the rain and would get by the door and bark. That's her sign that she has to go out. But most of the time she didn't have to go, she just wanted to drink the rain. She runs around and then will stand in the yard, open her mouth and let the rain pour in. It's funny--but messy.

So I didn't get any work done yesterday--was very tired, had a headache from the weather, and just didn't feel like it. But today it's just the opposite, I have a little energy and feel good. I cleaned the living room and guest bathroom. And after lunch will start on my bedroom. It's horrible and will take the rest of the day I think. But it'll feel great to have it done.

Gotta run!

6/8 Another Quincy

Just found out that a group from Quincy, IL is coming to Camp Biloxi. They'll arrive tomorrow and stay until next Friday. I'm so excited to meet some folks from home.

Today was a really good day. I spent most of the morning at a client's home--at least their property. They are living in a FEMA trailer because their home was completely destroyed. BUT their land is right on the Gulf and is so picturesque and perfect. It's exactly what I would picture the Gulf Coast to be like. Lots of live oaks, a dock leading to the water, a catamaran tied to the dock. Everything is perfect except they lost everything else.

It will be my privilege to work there the week after next with 12 youth from the midwest. I'm looking forward to it, even though I know I'll complain about sore muscles.

Tonight was great too, with another group of youth. We formed a partnership with Youth Build, an organization that trains youth in construction jobs. These youth will then volunteer for our construction projects, but Youth Build will pay them. It's definitely a win/win/win situation. We had a BBQ with this group tonight. Most people are still there because there's a DJ, but I had to leave because Q was in her crate and I don't like to leave here there for longer than 3-4 hours. Her bladder still doesn't last a lot longer than that.

I'm looking forward to being home with Q for the weekend.

6/7 More on the Q-dog

She was uncomfortable last night. She sleeps on top of the covers on my bed, and bled pretty much for a while. That's unusual because there hadn't been any seepage prior to that. So I changed sheets, and put dirty ones in the washer. Took Q outside. Came back in and went back to sleep. A while later I heard her whining...she'd thrown up all over the bed and I hadn't even heard it. Took off the other blankets and sheets, put them in the washer, threw the other ones in the dryer, took her outside again, then laid down on the mattress pad and covered with a dirty poncho liner that I'd used on the Avon Walk.

This morning I gave her a pain pill and that was sure a mistake. She felt so good that she started running around at work. I've kept my door closed most of the day because she'll sleep then. But she loves the people here so much that she gets very excited when she sees them. This afternoon she's slowed down a bit though, as I think the pain meds are wearing off. I can only give her 1/2 pill per day, and will make sure I use them up so she's not uncomfortable.

I work with such great people. Everyone asks about her and is friendly to her. She loves it here. Gotta run. Have lots of work to do.

6/6 Quincy

Quincy was spayed today and poor thing...she is moving slowly and is in pain. The vet gave me some pain pills but I forgot to ask if she needs one today after all the anesthesia. Right now she's sleeping, so I guess I'll leave her alone until she seems more uncomfortable.

It's hard watching this energetic crazy-fun puppy just tiptoe around. She's such a sweetie and it's hard to watch her feel like this. The doc said she'll be her old self in a few days but I shouldn't let her run for several days.

So if she's her old self, how in the world am I going to be able to stop her from running?

6/5 Home at last

I woke up at 3:30 AM to catch the 4:15 shuttle to O'Hare. My flight was to leave at 6:30 but ended up leaving at 8. Just wasn't too lucky this trip.

Immediately I went to work and got a bunch of stuff done. But by 4 I was dead. So I left and went to pick up Quincy. She was jumping up and down so much it was like she had springs on her feet. It felt so good to be with her again. She was thrilled to come home too. Just like me. It is great to be able to sleep in my own bed. And I have a feeling that I'll be asleep before too long.

6/4 Stuck in Chicago

Bad weather caused flights to be canceled. After waiting a long time, my flight was canceled too. Since my next flight leaves ungodly early tomorrow morning, rather than calling my brother and sister-in-law in Aurora, I just got a cheap motel near the airport. I'm on the 4:15 AM shuttle to the airport tomorrow, and since Jim and Karen live an hour away I thought it wouldn't make sense to bother them.

The motel is junky and all they had left were smoking rooms, so cough-cough, it sure stinks in here. Hope my allergies don't go nuts overnight.

Okay, back to the good stuff. Jan, Kris, and Beth did so well on the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. What great resolve they have. Kris and Beth were shocked to find out how hard the walk is. Since Jan is 59 and does this walk every year, they probably thought it wasn't as difficult as it turned out to be. But they persevered and did SUPER. I'm so proud of all three of them. Beth's husband, Matt, and two boys were there to greet her at the finish line. It was so sweet.

Jane, Deb, and I worked hard on the crew. My right foot and left elbow are still hurting. Old age sucks sometimes. But I couldn't complain too much because the three walkers worked a lot harder than I did.

I love working on the weekend. Being team leader for the Operations Team is interesting, and I think doing Incident Response is absolutely the perfect job for me. I was asked to do the Charlotte walk too, and I'm thinking about doing it. Need to check my schedule.

Back to this weekend--last night we all stayed at a Fairfield Inn. We ordered pizza and Jim, Karen, and Frank joined us for dinner. We went swimming and sat in the hot tub and boy, it felt good. I loved playing in the pool with Blake (3) and Tyler (1 1/2).

As for now, I need to catch up on some work email, and then try to go to sleep early tonight.

6/3 The 2007 Chicago Avon Breast Cancer Walk is history!

We're tired and punch drunk. And at a hotel west of Chicago. About 13 of Bozarth friends and family are getting ready to swim, eat pizza, and drink beer (or soda or iced tea or water). Too tired to post more, but will give details tomorrow. Jan, Kris, and Beth all did so well with their walking. And Jane, Deb, and I all did well with our crewing. More later. Love to all.

6/1 Hurricane Season and the Avon Breat Cancer Walk

The Atlantic Hurricane Season begins today. And so what did I do? Leave town.

My flight didn't get into Chicago until 9:30. My cab driver was a doll. From Iran and close to my age. He had a brochure in his car for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. How cool.

By the time I got to the hotel the other five gals were in fine form. Not from drinking (although a few of them had hoisted a couple of brews), but just from being silly. I knew this was going to be a fun weekend.

We're calling Beth and Kris (my nieces) Avon Virgins since it's their first walk. We're also trying to come up with a funny, catch name for our "team," but most of the good names have been taken. We've seen some doozies over the years.

Went to sleep finally after midnight. I woke up at 6:45 and showered--a late morning since Q wasn't sleeping with me. I shared a room with Jane and Deb. Deb's in the shower now and Jane is still sleeping. Jane brought some great ear plugs for me and I slept like a baby. Hope my snoring didn't keep either of them awake.

We'll breakfast here at the hotel, then it's off to the designer outlet mall. We plan on lunch at the Red Tavern, which is where we always eat when we're at this mall in Aurora. After lunch we'll make our way to the hotel where "Event Eve" will be held. It's near O'Hare I think. And we'll stay there tonight because we have meetings there this evening. Tomorrow we'll head to Soldier Field where the opening ceremonies will take place.

More later. (This will be FUN!)