Last days in Lauderdale

Well, it's been a while since the last post...sorry about that, but we've been really busy!! I think we've all had a grand time down here in Ft. Lauderdale; we've gotten to know ourselves and each other better.

As a team, we've developed our class vision statement and our team logo. It's hard to put into words everything we've gone through these past couple of weeks; lots of teambuilding, lessons on leadership, communication, and everthing that goes with all of that...

I won't go into that much detail, but I think we can all agree that we are now acting like a self-directed team! And now it's only 30 days until we meet again in Washington DC...

I hope everyone back home is doing well; I'll try my best to keep up with the blog the next time around!

KEY WEST!!

My oh my..there are those days that just make it worth going through all of it and today was one of those! Anyone remember the "Kokomo" song from the Beach Boys..you know the one I'm talkin' about! I can hear the snickers in the background, but you remember!

We had a grand time in Key West today. Took us 5 hours to get there from Ft. Lauderdale, but was it worth it! Our first stop was the southern most point in the US, photo op included above. It's 90 miles to Cuba from this spot..anyone up for a swim??

From there, the group split up, with some headed for historic tours and shopping while others headed for LUNCH at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. Cheeseburgers in paradise all around, with many trips to the side store. After lunch, it was a walk down the historic streets of Key West, with many stops in the local shops for some goodies :)

Most of the group settled in a the local favorite hot spot to watch the sun go down; we were joined by our comrades just in the nick of time to see this amazing event. I don't think any of my words can do this sunset justice; ya'll really need to check this out, should you get the chance.

I have to back up a day and go over Saturday too..we were supposed to spend the day down at Key Largo and Pennekamp State Park, but the team decided to call it a free day in order to "decompress" and relax. Turned out to be a good decision as it was really windy and really cool on Saturday (conditions not exactly conducive for trying to paddle a canoe in!); there's a chance we may go this upcoming Saturday, so I'll keep ya'll posted! Most of us met for breakfast Saturday AM at this great little local favorite called St. Bart's Cafe..they have GREAT coffee. From there, some hit the Galleria mall and afterwards, we all met up at the movies to catch an afternoon flick. I went to see "Glory Road" and had the movie not messed up in the middle, it would have been a good movie (it really was a good movie, we just saw a mixed up version). I recommend it.

So, tomorrow we're at one of the local state parks for a day of teambuilding activities and a BBQ, put on by the team. I hear there's an opportunity for some paddling there too, so maybe the wind will hold off another day..we'll see!

I hope everyone is doing great and I'll post again soon! Take care!

Islamorada-Lignumvitae and Indian Key

Here we are at Robbie's, after the first field trip. Absolutely beautiful day and lots of interesting adventures!

End of Week 1, Ft. Lauderdale

Well, we made it through the first week of class..tomorrow starts off a long weekend of field trips. We had lots of learning experiences this week: building a raft; talking about change-the phases of change (gut reaction, denial, bargaining and negotiating, anger, and acceptance); feelings (the "f" word) and behaviors; the norms of leadership, communication, and decision-making; the stages of team development (forming, storming, norming, performing, and de-forming); the keys to empowerment-on an individual level and on a work team level; VALUES-value assessment (what's really important to us in both our work and personal lives); definitions of purpose, objectives, and goals; setting up our work team norms for leadership, communication, and decision-making; setting up our class team norms for leadership, communication, and decision-making; and finally, our guest speakers.

We talked with Ely Doron about anti-terrorism in leadership; being prepared, being aware, and being educated. Mr. Doron is a dual citizen (US and Israel) and talks with groups about leadship and how to be a leader in the face of terrorism.

We also had the opportunity to visit with Tom Waters, Chief of Planning and Policy at HQ. He spoke about the current work climate and culture, the importance of retaining/maintaining Planning Capabilities within the workforce, the importance of Planners-the job automatically calls for leadership..it was a great afternoon of listening and talking with a Senior leader.

And today, one of our own PAs, Martin Gonzalez, did a presentation over the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), which ties in very well with our upcoming field trips to the Keys and to the Everglades.

Tomorrow, with a very early start I might add (we meet at 0545--yes, that's AM!!), we're off to Islamorada. On Saturday, we hit Pennekamp State Park, Key Largo, and a possible excursion to South Beach on Saturday night. Sunday is a trip to Key West, followed by the Everglades on Monday. Phew! I think we'll all be ready for class again on Tuesday! Looking forward to exploring Pennekamp on Saturday..I think I may be able to explore via canoe!!

Hope everyone is doing well back home..heard we got some much-needed rain! Keep reading and I'll post again soon!

A View to a Kill..

Greetings from sunny Florida! Yep, I made it safe and sound on Sunday, although it was a very long day! Here's a shot of the hotel from the beach and a shot of my "view"..pretty nifty I must say. We had a busy day today beginning with a teambuilding exercise this morning. We split into our 3 work teams (teams of 4) and were tasked with building a "boat" from a packet of materials given to us. We were to also come up with a team name, cheer, and design for our flag. And finally, we had to race our boats out to collect plastic bottles and race back in to shore..and I really could have used a wetsuit today..a little chilly in the water! But it was fun and our team came in 2nd overall.

I heard it was raining back in AR..we need it! I hope the trend continues and we get a lot more rain! I can't complain about the weather here..it's a little windy though!

Well, I hope everyone is well and I'll post again soon!

Bringing in 2006!!--AR Redneck style...

Yep...another weekend of 4-wheeler ridin' and camping. What a blast! (even the pups had a good time!) I couldn't imagine a better group of friends to bring in 2006 with--ya'll are the best!

For all those out there that are interested, we went to the Mt. Magazine area in western Arkansas. Lots of good trails and awesome views..and plenty of space to camp and not be too close to anyone else!

I hope all of you out there brought in the New Year with good times..here's to hoping 2006 is filled with good moments and grand adventures!

Yours truly will be headed off on her own adventure to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on Sunday.. so be expecting posts about the PA program once again!

Happy New Year everyone!! Keep checking and I'll keep posting!!