The Hinterlands...

There are times in one's life when all you can do is sit back and take in the awe and beauty of everything that surrounds you...I can't even begin to describe what Alaska was like for me. It was awesome, breathtaking, exciting, peaceful, HUGE...it's one of those places that you just have to be there to understand it all.

I loved visiting AK and hope to go back someday. I think I may even want to be there when it's cold...maybe not the "dead-of-winter" type cold, but when there's more snow on the ground. On our visit, the temperature never got above 70 degrees--a much-needed break after coming from Missouri wherer temperatures can soar well above 100 in the summer (and apparently did while we were up in AK).

We were able to visit a few places while attending class (and yes, we did go to class that week)...namely Portage Glacier, Portage Lake, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Aleyeska, Exit Glacier, Seward...everywhere we went, it was just an awesome sight. We saw wild black bears looking for fresh blueberries (high up on the hillside); wild goats climbing the rocks alongside the highway to Seward; moose at a local park in Anchorage; plus a whole bunch of caribou, moose, deer, musk ox, and bear at the Conservation Center.

We also had some wonderful meals at the Glacier Brewery, Snow City Cafe, and Wynter Time Restaurant (all in Anchorage)...if you're up in Anchorage, you'll need to hit these places at least once, but make reservations for Glacier Brewery as they usually have an hour and 1/2 wait (but well-worth it!). And if you're looking to shop...stop by Trapper Jack's and the Ulu Knife Factory. They also have a great fleamarket and festival on Saturdays and Sundays. And I would highly recommend staying that the Captin Cook Hotel. Pretty cool place.

It was a great trip--the one I've been looking forward to all year! Lots of stuff to do and see!

Next up...Rock Island, Illinois and San Antonio, Texas!

KC and Lake of the Ozarks

Well...it's not exactly Kansas...we made a stop in the heartland of the US, Kansas City, Missouri with a side trip to Lake of the Ozarks. It was a week of learning about the Endangered Species Act, Hydropower, Water Supply, and Recreation. Good stuff...

Had the opportunity to catch a few good restaurants while in KC, mainly Cashew's and Jack Stack's BBQ. The baked beans and onion rings won the group over at Jack Stack's.

Some of us even got to explore a bit of the "Plaza" while in downtown KC. We also made it to the movies to catch the new Pirates flick.

Wednesday evening, we traveled east and south down to Lake of the Ozarks; reminded me a lot of Branson. Passed a lot of towns that looked like home...even got to see the "magic 8-ball of Missouri" (see photo).

The trip ended out with the group traveling back to Kansas City on Saturday morning...up next...the wide open (and somewhat cold) spaces of Alaska!!

Hope everyone is doing well back home--can't wait to see ya'll!!

Huntington, West Virginia

Inland Navigation was the topic of the week while in Huntington, West Virginia. Huntington reminds me a lot of Little Rock. Seems to be a really neat town. We had a good week of learning about inland nav--something I can understand as we have some of that in Little Rock (the Arkansas River)!

Got to see some modeling (forecasts) and talk with folks from the Oak Ridge labs and TVA (that's the Tennessee Valley Authority). We also took a trip to Marmet lock and dam--under construction; a tug boat ride down the Kanawha River; and a visit to Winfield lock and dam. We visited with folks from Huntington District and the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division throughout the week.

Friday closed with a great presentation on the status of Upper Mississippi River Nav study followed by a field trip to a local fish hatchery and the Jenkins Plantation.

It was a great course and much was learned by all! Next up, Kansas City, MO/KS and Anchorage Alaska in July!

The New River Experience

The adventurous rafting crew! What a great time we had rafting down the New River in West Virginia! We had two different boats, with guides, and no one fell into the drink (well, some chose to float down the "swimmer's rapids").

There was some apprehension by the group, after all, we were going through Class I through V rapids (yikes!). But, everyone did great and it was truly a team effort to make it through to the end.

I highly recommend doing this and yes, I will be back to ride both the New and Gauley Rivers (hopefully with more of the paddling crew from Arkansas)!

For more information, visit www.raftmrt.com

The Streets of Philadelphia and side trip to Atlantic City

What a week! This week was Philadelphia, PA and the "Coastal Course". We spent the week learning about beaches (dunes and berms), beach erosion, inlets (and their effects on beaches), waves, currents, tides, storms (nor'easters and hurricanes!), and of course, Hurricane Storm Damage Reduction.

We spent Wednesday (in the rain no less) on a field trip that went from Cape May (NJ's southernmost point) up the NJ coast to Atlantic City. And what would a trip be without making a pit stop in Atlantic City?? So..... Jason, Alicia, Maria, and I opted to stay a bit longer than the rest of the crew. We didn't really win (Well, I think Jason broke even), but fun was had by all. We ate dinner at the Rainforest Cafe and ended up riding a Greyhound bus back to Philly--my first and probably last experience with that!

Thursday night we had a class dinner with everyone at McGillin's, the oldest Irish brew pub in Philly. If you're ever in town, I highly recommend it--it's off the beaten path somewhat, but we all had a great time!

We wrapped up this course with a panel session---lots of good interaction between the PAs, the course instructors, and the panelists.

Tomorrow, it's off to Oak Hill, West Virginia for some white water rafting on Sunday on the New River. Then, we're off to Huntington to start the Inland Navigation course. Phew! Is it September yet??

Keep reading and I'll keep posting!

SAN FRANCISCO

I left my heart...in San Francisco...Well, not really, but I like the song! We finished up our class in Davis and here we are in San Francisco. Great town and we're having lots of fun--we had Dim Sum for brunch and then spent the afternoon in Chinatown. Looks like it will be a good week for us. Hope everyone is doing well and see everyone soon!

Days in Davis, Part 1

Meet Dinger...mascot for the Sacramento RiverCats. Well, here we are in Davis, CA (Sacramento, CA too!)...will be here for a week and then it's off to San Francisco for another week.

Learning lots about Flood Damage Reduction and even enjoying many outings. Today, we went on a field trip to Black Butte Dam, Tehama, Hamilton City, and Marysville, all in north-central CA.

Will write more and have more pictures at a later date!

Moccasin Gap, April 2006

WOWIE-KAZOWIE!!! What a beautiful weekend to be outdoors in Arkansas!!! Spring (some may even venture to say "summer") has hit with full force and we just couldn't decide what outdoor activity to do this past weekend (hmmmmm...paddling or riding??). With our water situation as it is (going through some dry times, indeed), we opted for riding, guaranteeing there would be some awesome watering (and mud) holes we could go play in.

There have been some reports that Little Rock got at least 3 inches of rain between Thursday and Friday...let's hope so! In the meantime, that water just got sucked up by the ground, not really leaving any room for some good white water paddling...maybe we'll get some more rain and soon!

This past weekend was spent up north of Dover, AR at a place called Moccasin Gap. We've ridden here before, just on the left side of HWY 7. This time we camped and rode on the right side. What a grand time with great friends!

Be looking for more updates soon! I'll be headed to Davis, CA and San Francisco, CA within the week...take care, keep reading, and I'll keep posting!

My two darlings...Kate's all grown up!

How cute are they?! My two babies are all grown up...well, they're getting there anyway!

Tybee Island and Savannah, Georgia; plus Vicksburg, Mississippi

Southern Fried food and Seafood!! We spent the last week learning about Deep Draft Navigation in/on Tybee Island, Georgia. There was also a few field trips into Savannah. Very nice. I will not drone on about the subject(s) of Deep Draft and dredging (most of you only read this for the fun stuff anyway), but I will say I learned a lot and am glad I had the opportunity to experience this (coming from an "inland" state! We have the great AR River, but no coastline to speak of!).

There was definitely not a shortage of food on this trip...from the salty, salty line-your-arteries-with-fat grits (but oh-so-good!) to the plethora of fried seafood to the divine pecan/chocolate goodies (and saltwater taffy)...if you went hungry, then it's your own fault!

We had great weather too; it was made for the couple of rounds of PA Beach Volleyball! I am hoping my classmates are recovered from all the bumps and bruises! But at least there were no run-ins with the fence!

All in all, it was a good trip. We had great presenters, good helpers, and just an all around good course (thanks Mobile District!!).

We had a short whirlwind tour of ERDC in Vicksburg, Mississippi following the Georgia trip--that was good to, only I would recommend spending at least 2 days!

Well, I hope folks are doing well and keep reading while I keep posting!

Next stop: Davis, CA for Flood Damage Reduction and San Francisco, CA for a Planning Conference.

PBC 2006!!

Parrot Bay Classic 2006...what a GRAND time! 23 people, 1 dog, ?? canoes, and 4 days out in the backwoods of Arkansas. Who could ask for anything better??

In all seriousness, it was a great time...my 1st time "solo" in my own canoe! And I didn't "tump" over! There was only one major tumping over incident...no names included and I don't believe it was even their fault...and Zip managed to somehow end up in the river (Blu? Amy? Beck? What'd you guys do to him??). We somehow made it thru Slapnutz's storytelling (much luv, Nutz) around the campfire, amid Ken's interruptions :) And it didn't rain (well, ok... a few drops here and there)--but did you ever see so many people pack up a campsite so quick? I don't even think I finished my coffee before we shoved off and headed down to the take-out (which ended up being closer than what we all thought!). I guess that's what the threat of rain will do!

We are all looking forward to the July float...maybe we'll have some water to float in?? With the way our rains have been, that may remain questionable!

Washington DC, Week 2

And so another week has passed in our trip to DC...What a busy week this has been! We had class Monday with some folks from Capitol.Net; In short, we had a morning session of Civics 101. Monday afternoon was spent learning about the basics of the Institute for Water Resources (IWR).

Tuesday was one of the highlights of the trip with a morning tour of the Pentagon. We were able to see the Pentagon briefing room only 2 hours before Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld gave a speech! We spent the afternoon at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Oh and a visit to the International Spy Museum!

Wednesday was spent on "The Hill"; we were able to attend some hearings and meet with our Congressional representatives. We also toured the Capitol, along with the House and Senate buildings. Wednesday evening, we had the privilege of attending a reception "on the Hill". Pretty cool!

Thursday was shadow day; all of us had the opportunity to shadow a senior leader for the day. What a great chance to see the day-to-day happenings in DC. We had many great stories to share with the group about our shadow experience.

Friday was another class day; Emergency Management in the AM and Appropriations in the afternoon.

By Friday evening, we were all exhausted, but still managed to catch an excellent dinner at the Flying Fish on King Street.

This weekend, most of us opted for "low-key"; a few of us went to Tyson's Corner on Saturday for some shopping...LLBean outlet store!! We also drove on the "Beltway"--and survived! Saturday evening was spent at Las Tapas, another great place on King Street.

Our last week in DC looks to be a little less hectic; In class on Monday, back in town on Tuesday for some media training, a tour of the Library of Congress on Wednesday, and out to IWR on Thursday.

Hope everyone back home is doing well!

Washington DC

We've made it to Washington DC!! It's been a busy week so far...we had a bus tour of the area on Tuesday (travel day for all of us on Monday) where we saw many of the local sights like the Corps-replica castle and the Lincoln Memorial (in the above pictures); we also visited Iwo Jima, the "mall" area, the Jefferson Memorial, and "The Awakening". Very cool.

Wednesday was a "class" day, getting to know "Who's who" here in DC--some interesting tidbits of info...that afternoon we talked about Authorization and CAP.

Thursday was spent downtown; I got to ride the Metro for the first time in my life!

This weekend looks to be filled with exploring the museums and local life. And the next few weeks are filled to the brim with many activities and visits!

Keep reading and I'll keep posting! Take care!!

Snow bunnies

Here's our camp at Brock Creek and yes, that's snow! It was cold, but lots of fun...we had many, many layers of clothing, so it really didn't get too bad.

We even had some neighbors in the campground this past weekend...folks just as crazy as we were, only they were out riding horses.

There were some good times this weekend; hope to go back soon and explore those trails we missed!

Water Babies

Well, things are getting back to normal after being gone for a little while...Florida was fun and did we ever do some learning and teambuilding, but it sure can't beat a cold winter's day in Arkansas!

We took a day and went trail-ridin'; the addition of some much needed rain only made it a lot more fun!

Good times and great friends! I hope everyone is doing well and it won't be too long before I head off to our nation's capitol. I'll keep posting and hope ya'll keep reading!

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!!

What AR Rednecks do the day after Christmas...

Well...they spend the day out in the woods of west AR, ridin' 4-wheelers and tryin' their very best not to get shot as it is still deer season out there...and then they find the only mud hole in the state (seeing as how we haven't gotten a lick of rain in many weeks), proceeding to get 3 vehicles stuck in the mud. What a grand time! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and looking forward to posting some interesting New Year's stories... :)

Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

There is a list of folks I know, all written in a book,

And every year at Christmas time I go and take a look,

And that is when I realize that these names are a part,

Not of the book they're written in, but of my very heart.

For each name stands for someone who has walked my path sometime,

And in that meeting, you've become the "Rhythm of the Rhyme".

And though sometimes the list may change and not remain the same,

I really feel I am composed of each beloved name.

And while you may not be aware of any special link,

Just know that you have shaped my life more than you can think.

For once you've met somebody, the years cannot erase,

The memory of a pleasant word or of a loving face.

So never think my Christmas cards are just a mere routine,

Of names upon a Christmas list, forgotten in between.

For when I send a Christmas card that is addressed to you,

It's because you're on a list of folks that I'm indebted to.

For be you a relative, a friend, or someone I've just met,

You happen to be one of those I prefer not to forget.

And whether I have known you for many years or few,

In some way you have had a part in shaping the things I do.

And every year when Christmas comes, I realize anew,

The biggest gifts that life can give are knowing folks like you.

And may the spirit of Christmas that forever and ever endures,

Leave its richest blessing in the hearts of your and yours.

And as you read this message I send to you at Christmas time,

Know that I send you all my love, while you are on my mind. ---Anonymous

This poem was sent to me a while back, some Christmas' ago, and I really liked it. So, I share it with all of you who visit this blog site. Whether or not I have sent you a Christmas card...and I apologize if I have forgotten anyone (I highly recommend not moving in between Thanksgiving and Christmas because there really is no time!)...I hope you all know that you're in my thoughts this holiday season. Merry Christmas to all!!!

Trucks, racks, canoes, and good friends...

As promised, here's some shots of the new canoe...Cat and I just couldn't resist taking a day to do some fishing and to break in my new purchase! Of course, it was windy, cold, and we didn't even get a bite. But it was worth it...Cat says my paddling abilities are more entertaining than fishing itself. Can't say that I care much for wind versus a canoe.

The motley crew shot are some very good friends of mine (minus a few missing souls) who helped me move over the weekend (L to R: Brent aka Nutz, Cat Funkalicious, Lance, Blu, Pappa Funk, Beck, Cousin Matt, and Amy). What a grand time! You guys are the best and I can't say **thanks** enough for all your help! They are also the folks who've "drug" me into paddling, so I have lots to be thankful there as well. To borrow from Nutz...you crackers!

So, now I've moved and it'll be unpacking for many, many, many days. I hope to have things settle before going to Ft. Lauderdale for 3 weeks...we'll see how that goes! Miss Kate loves to pal around with Rio and it seems Roxy (the cat) has got her bluff in with Rio.

Hope everyone is doing well and having a stress-free holiday season so far!

Stormy weather and traveling just don't mix...

The truck finally has its' canoe rack...thanks to many friends (thanks Lance, Ken, Beck, Blu, Jaysson, Cat, and Andrea!) and their knowledge of assembling things of this nature. Also bought a canoe on Sunday. The day the weather decided to turn bad. These photos were actually taken Sunday morning, but by that afternoon, it was quite a different story.

We ended up getting 2 canoes in Ponca, AR (thanks to Buffalo Outdoor Center!) and had to travel down to Clarksville, AR to catch I-40 back to LR...keeping in mind no cell phone service in that area (roughly 40+ miles, all hills and valleys). Well, it was storming/raining/windy on the drive, but we never had a clue that we were driving on the edge of tornado warnings. Until we got to Clarksville (and cell phone service!!) and found out just what kind of situation we were in...many of us had guardian angels that night as there were a few traveling along the roadways. I have to say a HUGE **THANKS** to Cat for keeping me company on the drive home and for "saving" my canoe!!

I don't have any pics of the canoe yet, but those will soon follow!

Tailgatin'

What?!...Did you guys think that just because we're on hiatus for the PA Program that I would take a break from posting?? I'll keep posting throughout the year just because!! This past weekend we were all tailgatin' fools...The HOGS played in the Rock and although we are not having a great year, we still beat MSU on Saturday!! WOOOOOOOOOOPIGSOOOOOOOIE!!! GO HOGS GO!! There was a lot of people out on War Memorial golf course...good times! And there was no shortage of food and fun! That's Cat and Amy (the two "perfect" chicks in Central AR), in the shot above (with lil' Miss Kate, of course!) and yours truly with her spoiled little bird dog.

Kate sure did have a grand time and seemed to find many a lap to sit in throughout the entire time (from breakfast to lunch to afternoon naps!).

It's now Thanksgiving week...where does time go?? I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

We'll start back up with PA stuff in January...but I may sneak in a post or two between now and then...so keep checkin'!

Last Days in Arch Town

I can't believe it's been almost two weeks! In a way, it's gone by quick; but, it also feels like forever since I've been home! These last two days we've been learning about Tribal Affairs. I can definitely say this course has been a real eye-opener and I go back to Little Rock District with many quesitons.

We had lunch today at the famous Gus' Pretzel place near the brewry. Stuffed pretzels (your choice of bratwurst, italian sausage, etc.), cinnamon pretzels, and/or Ted Drewe's frozen custard (and they really mean frozen!). It wasn't quite the sit down place, so we walked a couple of blocks and found this gorgeous park to eat lunch--the weather was absolutely beautiful (not too cool out yet!). And on our way back to the hotel, we drove by old Busch Stadium--"deconstruction" started the other day and we were able to watch a few "strikes" by the wrecking ball. It's supposedly a 24-7 operation...with the 2006 season starting around April, they don't have much time to mess around!!

Our last dinner in Arch town was at the famous (or should I say infamous) Cheesecake Factory in the Galleria mall. I really don't want to see another cheesecake for a while...food was great and many thanks to the folks who waited in line for us (our group of 20), since they wouldn't take reservations. And the dinner conversation topics were even better...but what happens in St. Louie, stays in St. Louie :) (Hey Joanie...we will hold you to your promise of bringing rum balls to Ft. Lauderdale!!)

Most of us take off early in the AM tomorrow morning; I hope everyone has safe travels and there will be many more adventures and stories to tell in Florida!

Tuesday Night Blues

After a full day of Tribal Affairs, and after staying late tonight to work on additional points for our HOBB, a few of us decided to hit BB's Jazz and Soups for dinner. Food was ok, music (and of course, beer) was even better. So, if you're in the area and have a need for some beers and blues, try BB's on Broadway!

Tomorrow's the last day of our first meeting and I must say, it's been a great experience so far. It can be a bit overwhelming, at times, but we've had some really good instructors, not to mention one heck of a facilitator! We started out as many strangers, but I think we are all quickly becoming fast friends. Next stop is Ft. Lauderdale, Florida...3 weeks of teambuilding.

Ya'll keep reading out there, and I'll keep posting! Take care!

1st Field trip; Cahokia and Ste. Genevieve

It's as if we're back almost 200 years...this is part of the group atop one of the bigger mounds at Cahokia. This site is located across the Mississippi River, but you still get a great view of St. Louis if you look back to the west!

Today started out really cold and very windy, but in the end, it turned out to be a pretty decent day. It was our first of many field trips. We visited the settlement of Cahokia, which in its' prime rivaled in population cities like London, England and Paris, France. The mound we climbed up to this morning was thought to be a very sacred place, probably considered a temple. The surrounding area was filled with smaller mounds, which other structures would be built upon (shelters, storages, etc.).

This afternoon we visited Ste. Genevieve, about 60 miles south of St. Louis. This was also a very early settlement, which was moved a few times in history due to flooding of the Mississippi. It's a very quaint town, almost New Englandish in a way. Perfect with the changing of the leaves!

Tomorrow, we'll be back in class...the next two days will cover Tribal Affairs. I'll keep posting!

Beer, shopping, and hockey

Here we are, at the brewery...post-tour watering hole. This was actually my second time visiting Anheuser-Busch and I have to say, it is one of the highlights of St. Louis. Plus, got to see 3 places listed on the National Historic Register, which fits in quite nicely with what we've been studying these past couple of days in Cultural Resources Management.

That was Saturday afternoon. Saturday morning was spent working on taking the Myers-Briggs test (I'm a ISFJ!), our book review, and starting up our HOBB (home office back brief). Saturday night we went to dinner at Lombardo's, a really good Italian place (but be warned...if you order appetizers and a salad, you won't be able to eat your main course!!). We had a pretty good storm roll through the city last night; I hear we didn't get much rain back home in LR!

Sunday was a day of sleeping in, shopping, and hockey! Oh, and also catching up back home with all the phone calls--I have to say thanks to Cat, Andrea, Cherilyn, and Karyn...you guys rock and thanks for calling!! I must say, I had a grand time shopping today with our course facilitator, Judy Morrison; most of you know that I don't like shopping, but at least this experience was enjoyable. I was able to get some really good buys at Eddie Bauer, the one store I would max a credit card out if ever given the opportunity.

The hockey game was a great time too--my first professional hockey game! I hate to say it, but the Blues lost (to a really good team, though--the Red Wings). No big fights and really no bloodshed, so maybe in the rabid-hockey-fan world, it wasn't such a great game. I had fun, though, and would go again if I had the chance.

Tomorrow we're off to Cahokia, one of the oldest settlements/burial sites in North America. It's our first field trip and I'm looking forward to actually spending some time out of this hotel! We should have good weather for it too.

Well, that's about it for now. Gotta get some sleep. Take care all and talk with everyone soon!

Weekend activities

OK...it's really late and it's been a long day, but I wanted to send out a quick update (I'll have another post with pictures soon!).

We finished our Cultural Resources section of the class on Friday afternon; tomorrow, we'll be working on our first HOBBs (home office back briefs) and also a book review. I think there may be a push to go see the Arch in the afternoon...but I believe it might be raining, so we'll see what happens. Tonight, a group of us went to the movies; some went to see the 2nd Zorro movie, while others went to see Jarhead. I went to the latter and have to say it was a very good movie. Without giving away too much detail, it was a great representation of what a person can go through in a situation like that; I can only begin to imagine...

We actually have Sunday off; I know in the evening we'll be headed to the Blues and Red Wings game, (my first professional hockey game!), but I think I may be sleeping otherwise!! Although, someone mentioned checking out Missouri wine country...so much to do, so little time!!

As always, hope everyone is doing well!! Good night!

A day of "firsts"

Well, here we are...smack dab in the middle of the Hyatt lobby. Take a good look because these are the people I'll be spending most of the next 11 months with! Today was a fairly good day--lots of info shared. One point they told us was to keep our "homes" updated on the activities we do and what we're going through...I think this blog is great for doing just that.

UPDATE...A lot of people have requested a who's who, so here's the list of the group and where they're from, left to right, BOTTOM ROW: Randy Campbell; Barbara Blumeris; Dana Needham; Joan Lanier; Maria Chin; TOP ROW: Jason Needham; Alicia Kirchner; Martin Gonzalez; Clarke Hemphill; Vechere Lamply; Shawneen O'Neill; and Jeremy Weber.

We had our 1st group dinner tonight at one of St. Louis' brew pubs called Schlafly. If you're interested, their web site is www.schlafly.com

Good food, but I didn't try any beers. Well, it's been a day of firsts. Hope everyone is doing good and I'll keep on posting (although, I wouldn't be expecting a post every night...a girl's gotta get some rest, ya' know!)