Always a team effort

I always surround myself with good folks. I like folks with a sense of humor and can laugh at themselves as much as I can laugh at them! I like friends good enough to push me to do better and call me on it when I foul. I like friends who I could tell something in confidence to and know it's sealed and I like knowing that my friends feel the same with me. Sometimes it's hard to keep quite about something when someone comes and ask but it's part of the trust bond.

Sorry, I got off the subject... you know... surrounding yourself with good people. OK, so anyway, I went to this lunch deal a couple of days ago and was awarded the highest honor given out at the hospital. I would not have written about this but someone I live with threatened me if I didn't blog it. I prefer backstage to limelight. The Care, Love and Hope award was presented to me by deal friends and coworkers. They cried when they told their stories about things I had done. It was embarrassing. After they got finished and called my name everyone was on their feet clapping and clapping and clapping. Dr. Bates (hospital CEO) came up to me and talked a few and I told him that this was an "us" award not a "me" award. I told him many people get me to where I am and he firmly said this was a "Geo" award and well deserved. It was all surreal.

Ok, so I got the award but it is really an "us" award... all of you get me to where I am... yes even you lurkers who read this. HA!

My little sister also got an award much bigger than mine. She is a school nurse and was awarded School Nurse of the Year for the state of Arkansas. WAY TO GO BARB! She deals with little kids barf, cuts and snot all day long and smiles about it... get real! HA!

Tonight is the Ride of Silence at 7 honoring all the cyclist who have been killed or seriously injured in wrecks with autos. We ride 2 up and keep it at about 10-12 mph and no one says a word. It's a moving event (no pun intended).

Destin is only 23 days away! I am so looking forward to a huge family vacation!

Life is good!
Geo.

Riding once again!

Oh that felt good! I knocked out the meeting I had this morning and was on the bike by 1 and just finished up. It felt great to be back out there on the bike! This was the first time I got to use my new IPod. I had an MP3 player but now I have the real deal.

There was a new bike bridge that opened down by the sub and it was PACKED down there. I think there was also a BBQ fest going on at the end of the boat ramp area.

I paced myself behind a guy I didn't know but it wasn't a draft type ride. I stayed back far enough to have to work myself in the headwinds but having someone up ahead kept me focused on a fitness type ride rather than a look at the pretty flowers ride.

**CI Moment** I finally used the wig tape on my CI to hold everything in place. My helmet seems to bump the mag connection so the problem is now solved! By the way I always take my CI and hearing aid off after my rides and disconnect the battery on the CI and open the case on the Unitron and most of the time I ride home with the windows down (10 minute drive). The air helps dry them a bit and with the hearing aid it helps air out my ear as well preventing infections.

I always put a fun slide at the end of the church services and tomorrow for the second service it has "Have a great afternoon" which all of them say that but tomorrow is a shot of the bike trail with a few bikes on it. There are several roadies in the crowd so I suspect they will turn around and give me a smirk or a smile. Just taking care of the buds, what can I say?! HA!

It's way to nice to be in the house on a computer so I'm outta here!

Life is good!

Thanks Disney!

It's been a little over a week since my return from Disney but I'm still on the clouds. I have worked better this week and had a better thought process. Just looking at the way I did things verses need to do things.



OK the "Thanks Disney" part. Like everything they do they think ahead. They have these FM type systems so when we would go to the parks for class Chris or Pam could talk and we could all still hear them over all the other noise. I was able to plug my Unitron hearing aid directly in. I could have plugged in the CI but I forgot the chord I needed. I was able to hear everything from the class and the instructors took time to be sure I could hear without pointing me out (even though it was all coworkers). They were just a class act!



Today was/is National Bike To Work day and I missed it! I thought about the guys all the way to work and hoped that I would get to see the massive group of bikes coming down the road in the downtown area. I just has stuff booked from the moment I walked in until just now.

I'm eating chips and drinking a Dr Pepper for lunch and blogging. As soon I I knock this out my afternoon is just as insane.

Weather this weekend is going to be awesome or as I sometimes say "wesome". As soon as I finish my meeting tomorrow I plan a good long ride. I need it really bad. Serious... really bad.

Indiana Jones comes out next week!! OH YEAH!

It's Friday afternoon so life is soooooo good! Have a great weekend y'all!

Media and church

Oh this title perked up a few ears.... I have a meeting Saturday morning (I'll ride afterwards) and what's cool about this meeting is that all the different leaders are coming together. I get to been under one of my favorite guys and someone I really look up to, Winston Horton. Media and sound and other parts of the Church service will be grouped. I've been encouraged a lot to have more video in services. The bar is raising!! They want to know what I think so I'll tell them if you want this church to grow the market to the community. You have a massive crowd out there of 20, 30 and 40 somethings but the service has got to be moving. I admit we are getting there as far as progressive goes and I'm as happy as a loon! We have a visually exciting service, our sound is good for the most part... we're still working on it. We installed flat screens in the back so the back pews can see a crisp screen of whats on the large screen in the front. We have since Easter had stage props. It works! A couple of weeks ago Kevin, our youth guy, spoke about "Get out of the boat" and guess what was on the stage? You got it... a boat. The thing was leaned up against the wall. It got the crowds curiosity and interest up! Greg and I put together a great baseball set which sadly will be coming to an end this month. We have had members bringing their cameras to church to take pictures of the props! I seat in the crows nest and laugh when this happens. Even the senior members are loving it. It was thinking outside the box...
Can't wait for Saturday!

Sylvan Hills are heading to Fayettville this Saturday to claim ANOTHER state championship against Watson Chapel. Emmy is heading up that way for the game. We have too much other stuff going on and that's a bummer because I really world like to see this game.

My guys from Rock Racing had a last minute schedule change and didn't make it over to race last weekend so I was glad I didn't go up. I was going to stay with my neice but her twins got sick as dogs so i'm glad I missed out! HA!

Rain is leaving us again...finally! Weekend is looking wesome! Thinking about a ride to Keo (the farmland). They've been hit with tornados... but then where in Arkansas hasn't been hit?!

Life is good!

Disney -- the rest of the story

Some of this I'm really writing for myself just so I don't forget.

The rest of the Disney trip-- I got to see the Disney laundry which for ALL of those resorts they only have 9 washers. I kid you not. Of course they are the size of a city bus. I saw the place where all the employees get their uniforms. They check them out like in a super center.
I had to analyze an area and chose the Tower of Terror. I can feel you it is safe and the cast members are great.

The flight home was along the Fl east coast which surprised me. A beautiful flight. We arrived in LR just as the storms got here. We have some friends who where flying in from Denver and finally got to LR at 3am. They were supposed to be here at 7pm.

**CI Moment** I did not have to remove the hearing aid or the CI at security check in. The AB Ci and Unitron HA did not make the alerts go off. Of course my Christmas ornimate that was clear glass with a castle inside about shut down the line. It's not a snow globe guys... let me go. My package ended up having to be a training item for several screeners. They like me take it but they all had to look to see what a ornament without water looks like on the xray. Better safe than sorry. Always glad to help out the Feds out keeping our skies safe. I know... that's a stretch huh?!

Ok...up to present day... Car broke down. Bummer! I hate car trouble and I'm not a mechanically inclined person at all when it comes to motors. Terri and Em left church to meet Ty for Mothers Day lunch after church and I had to turn off the computer equipment that runs the service so I was a few minutes behind them. As I was going down the road my car went into slo-mo. The harder I pushed on the gas the slower I would go. I ended up leaving it and having it towed in today. They have just started working on it this afternoon. OK, y'all who pray... do it now please. It have a feeling it's going to take my June family vacation money. Is that the way thinks always happen? I come across extra money and try and save it up and something out of the ordinary happens. Oh well... who needs to eat in Destin anyway huh?! HA! 34 days until depart!

Today's CI Moment***
I had the pestering pain at my CI mag site and it bothered me last night. I don't really ever remember having any pain around the mag site other than a tad while healing. I stopped by Jordan the audio guru's office on the way back from a meeting and she removed a mag. I had the overloaded version because of my "fat head" (thick scalp). I actually had one mag more than recommended but hey, I had to have to stick...right? It has severed me well since activation day back in December. I'm not sure if it's a mental thing but I would almost swear this is lighter without the extra mag. The thing is the size of a tick so it couldn't weigh much. (How was that for a visual?! HA!) The CI is staying put and I even did yard work after dinner and it never moved.

So this past weekend was the Pro bike race in Fayettville. I was so bummed out that I didn't get to go then today I noticed no one was talking about Rock Racing on the boards. Hmmm. I found out they pulled out at the last minute and stayed in CA racing. Boy was I glad I didn't drive up 3 hours for that. I was really looking forward to seeing the bad boys of bike racing in action in my home state. They have their company store opening a week from today! I'm thinking new bike jersey! I've not bought a new jersey in a while.

Oh yesterday after lunch I got my son Tyler hooked on Meekat Manor! Love that show. I didn't know that Flower had been bitten on the head by a viper and died. I bet the folks who film that cried. She was the leader for four years. It was funny how they gave her such a personality. Thanks for making us laugh Flower... we'll miss you!

Hey you other blogspot bloggers... question... do you have a option to add old posting links? I can see it in the options but there is not icon to activate it. I was wanting to have a CI section so folks can bypass all my yakking and get straight to the days on first having my CI.

Life is so good!
Geo.

Disney Institute -- Day 2

What a breakfast spread! Even had Mickey Mouse waffles if you wanted.

After a great breakfast with fresh orange juice we got busy with presentations and then got to see the backstage areas and tunnels at the Magic Kingdom. Chris did an awesome job showing us some of the unique business practices and pointing out the attention to detail that makes a trip to the Magic Kingdom magical.

Everything is so coordinated that it was mind blowing. No, I'm serious. Did you know that on Main Street that a horse poops and they call in a "house dump" on Main Street and they wait 8 minutes then clean it up? It has to do with the smell is part of a smell you would expect on a turn of the century Main Street. They don't let people step in it or anything.

We spent the rest of the day at our conference area at the Boardwalk and was released to go play at 3:30. Everyone met in the lobby and we headed over to Epcot. After riding a couple of rides we got to eat at Marackka (sp?). It was Morocco food and really good! I really liked the "rice stuff" that came with my chicken kabobs. I also had some Morocco mint tea which was good and cold.

Afterwards several of us headed over to Hollywood Studios where they were open until 1am! We rode the Rocking Roller Coaster (the Areosmith one). Sort of like Space Mountain but with a loop. I still like Space Mountain better. We also rode Tower of Terror. Awwright, no one told me about these insane ride. I knew it took you 13 stories up and then dropped you in an elevator shaft but NO ONE EVER told me it goes back up and does it again! I screamed like a little girl and grabbed a coworkers arm (I really thought it was the arm rest). The poor guy has claw marks on his arm now! HA! They all laughed and laughed at me. Man, when you don't know it's going to do that, gee whiz!

**CI MOMENT*** Remember to remove your CI when dropping free fall in a hauted elevator shift for 13 stories! I almost forgot.

I walked in my room at 12:45 and had to be up and in place for my conference at 7:30. Of course I was so high strung from all the wild rides I couldn't fall right to sleep. Several of us looked like death warmed over the next morning....

Stay tuned... more to come.

Heading to Disney Institute -- Day 1

Flip and flop pretty much describes my sleep the night before departure. I woke at 2:30 rather than 3:30 and just laid there thinking and waiting for time to get up. I think I finally said enough already at 3:15 and got up.

Terri was kind enough to drive me to the airport and drop me at check in. I walked over to the Delta area and there was a line but no agent's. This goes on for about 30 minutes. Folks were getting sort of antsy about missing their flights as I was but sure enough we all seemed to have had plenty of time.

**CI MOMENT** OK, Advanced Bionics CI can fly through the airport without removing and it didn't set off the alarm... well not in Orlando but in Little Rock something did. They did ask me to put the hearing aid and CI in the bucket so I did. When I walked through the nice lady smiled and I asked her if it went off? She said it did... of course I was reading her lips without any hearing equipment on. HA! I'm wondering if it was my belt buckle that triggered it? Anyway, I got my gear out of the bucket and no problems at all. So if you are about to travel for the first time using airlines with a CI, don't worry like I did. You'll be just fine!

They called us to board the flight and I was so excited to get to bypass the line and go on in due to me getting lucky enough to score a first class flight. Man, that's the way to travel! There was "someone" sitting in the front seat of first class because several passengers noticed him. He was rock star looking but I have no clue who it was.

Got to Atlanta -- nice place!! I had to go from A concourse to T but it's not as long as you think. They don't have all the alphabet. While getting to my gate I got to see and really nice African art exhibit.

We board the flight to Orlando... holy smokes this is a big jet! First class on this was even better! I had a recliner, wrapped pack of headphones, pillow and blanket and the staff was waiting on us hand and foot! Wonder why they weren't like this on the flight from LR? Anyway the seat next to me is empty until just before takeoff. A guy comes in and sits down and we talk a few moments being pleasant and he was on his way home from a round of golf with friends up north. Yep, he flew up Friday evening, played a round a golf in CT and then flew home Sunday morning. He was talking about his kids driving him crazy...but in a nice way. Then he orders a gin and rum!! 8:30 in the morning! Not Rum and coke or gin and tonic... gin and rum! Whoa!

Land in Orlando and head to the Disney Welcome Center and check in. If you go to Disney this is the way to go! I got my pass for the Magical Express which took me straight to the front door of my resort. They handle your luggage and get it to the room.... if you have the yellow Disney tag on your luggage. Mine was lost in the hospital somewhere in inner office mail or something. But I was told to no worry they know I'm coming and they will bring my luggage.

So John and I head down the Boardwalk and grab a late lunch at ESPN! Good grub!

Luggage still not in the room but I was told not to worry about it. OK...
5pm all 30 of us are now here and we go into this beautiful convention area and dine. Very nice! Chris and Pam introduce us to what we will be experiencing over the next 3 days and at 8 they turn us loose for the evening. I check my room... no luggage. My Dry & Store and my CI battery charger are in the checked in luggage as well as my back CI. I know I know... put it in your carry on you goob!! So I stop by the bell station and the guys tell me that my luggage is still at the airport and they apologize and assure me I will get it tonight. I told them what was in it and how important it was for me to get it. So I leave with the crew and we go walk along the boardwalk and act all touristy.

We stopped by a bar and get bar food and the noise level is that of a bar! Loud! I finally left and walked back to my room. The others left just after me. I was just about to spaz over the suitcase. I walked in and sure enough there it was! I felt 200 pounds lifted off my shoulders! I knew now that I would be having a great trip! By the way, John did have the yellow tag on his luggage and his came the same time mine did.

When I fell asleep I didn't wake until the next morning. I think I was still in the same position even.

Up and excited to see what the day had in store!!

Day 2 coming soon........