Flew into Boston yesterday with just a slight delay due to those beautiful thunderheads in the above pictures I took from the plane. It was drizzling just a tad and slightly humid. While waiting for my shuttle to the hotel, I heard some real horror stories from people who flew Northwest. Most had all their flights cancelled. What a nightmare! I am so glad I was not flying Northwest!

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Arrived at the hotel and had a surprise waiting in my room – a beautiful birthday bouquet of flowers from one of the sponsors at the convention!  I had just enough time to change and head to the convention center for the Welcome Dinner and Reception.  The entertainment for the evening was Chicago.  Sing with me, “If you leave me now, you’ll take away the biggest part of me.” 

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Here are some pictures of the evening:

Today, I was in meetings all day.  But the highlight of the day was our keynote speaker, George H.W. Bush. He is one funny guy and looking quite dapper for 83 years old! More pictures from today’s events:

Quote of the day from GHW Bush: “Sure, I was once president, but now I have three more important roles: husband, father and grandfather.”

  

I have been laughing out loud enjoying Anita Renfroe’s book The Purse-Driven Life.   Anita is a Christian comedian whose perspective on women and midlife is just a crack up!  She is one funny woman!  

She had this quote in her book and I thought I would share it:

Buttprints in the Sand

“One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.

But then some stranger prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord, “What have we here?”
Those prints are large and round and neat,
“But Lord they are too big for feet.”

“My child,” He said in somber tones,
“For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait.”

“You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know.
So I got tired, I got fed up,
and there I dropped you on your butt.”

“Because in life, there comes a time,
when one must fight, and one must climb.
When one must rise and take a stand,
or leave their butt prints in the sand.”

She goes on to say:

But, the Bible is as clear on the long-suffering and compassionate nature of God. He is patient with us and carries us so many more times than we may ever know. I just want to be ready for the time when He invites me to walk again.

This morning I am leaving for Boston to attend our company’s annual National Conference.  There will be several thousand financial planners at this conference and it will be held at the Boston Convention Center.  Our keynote speaker will be former president George H.W. Bush. 

We will be in meetings all day and then we have different events each evening with a gala formal banquet on the last night of the convention.  What all this means is that I have to pack two outfits for each day! So, I decided to share how I usually pack for this trip. 

I pick two base colors that I am going to wear and work my outfits around those colors.  My two base colors this week will be black and tan.   I have decided that I am going to wear mainly capris this week with one skirt thrown in for good measure along with my formal evening dress for the last evening.

I use the floor in my spare room as my staging area.  I lay my clothes out in two rows.  The top row is for the evening outfits. The second row is for the daytime outfits.  Now that I have my outfits chosen, I figure out what accessories I will need for each and I mean all accessories, i.e. bra, underwear, jewelry, belt, handbag, shoes, wrap, etc. I start with my toes and work my way up to my head. 

I have my extra outfit in my carry on bag, just in case! My carry on bag also has my laptop, camera, iPod, headphones, book and jewelry.  I NEVER pack my jewelry in my checked bags! One bad experience by my boss lady cured me of that!  ALL my liquids are packed in ziplock baggies whether in my carry on or checked bags. 

Two final comments on packing.  The first picture in the first collage is my suitcase lined with a scented drawer liner!  I don’t like the smell of plastic on my clothes!  Finally, see that last picture in the second collage?  That is colorful yarn attached to the handle of my bag so that I can identify it when it comes out at baggage claim.

The conference officially ends on Thursday evening.  Steve will be joining me on Wednesday and we will be staying till Sunday. We will be touring around Boston with a jaunt over to Cape Cod.   Steve and I enjoy Boston and are looking forward to seeing more of this great city!

Of course, I will be blogging while in Boston! I hope to have pictures to share during my time there.  Hope you have a great week!

Today is my birthday (#44) which means its my twin brother’s birthday as well! Happy Birthday Leonard! You are my friend, my brother and I love you very much. What God has allowed us to experience together and apart in life has made us who we are today. The trials, the valleys, the mountain peaks and the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ is beyond what anyone can imagine. I thank him daily for you. May God richly bless you and lovely Mandy as you now get to enter the world of parenthood.

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Happy, Happy Birthday to us!

 

Jesus, I am Resting, Resting

 

Jean Sophia Pigott
1845-1882

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Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole.

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Refrain:

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.

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O, how great Thy loving kindness,
Vaster, broader than the sea!
O, how marvelous Thy goodness,
Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Belovèd,
Know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of promise,
And have made it mine.

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Refrain

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Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed!

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Refrain

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Ever lift Thy face upon me
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting ‘neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory,
Sunshine of my Father’s face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting,
Fill me with Thy grace.

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Refrain