Bye Bye New Orleans

Sitting here in the airport terminal reminds me that I failed to fill in the remaining days of my trip after Day 2. It was a state caucus meeting straight to an NEA assembly meeting then to dinner practically every night. (Tommy's Italian Restaurant on Day 3, I had veal) and then bed to wake up and do it again. I guess now I realize why I feel wiped out and had no time to do some blogging.

The NEA RA meetings were long (10am-5 or 6pm). Who knew that sitting down would be so tiring..but it is. Well, considering I've been on the couch most of June laying down with nausea sitting up was a semi smooth transition. When I look at it that way the meetings weren't that particularly bad.

I took full advantage of the expectant mothers leather recliners they had set up. They reclined to a flat position which lent greatly to a solid nap. There were some men that tried to take advantage of the comfy chairs but quickly got strange looks, points and even words of disapproval from women (and men) passing by.

There were several fabulous and inspiring speeches from an author and recipients of ESP (education support professionals) and teacher of the year awards. We even had the governor of Maryland accept an award for his efforts in supporting public education. Let it be known the meetings weren't boring. There was always something going on; light witted humor, technical problems, extravagant ensembles and dramatic speakers coming to the mic. On top of all this, most often the two jumbo screens on both sides of the main stage projected these moments up for the 10,000 delegates of the NEA to see.

I have to say it was a fun experience for me and Baby Naylor to share together. I just entered my second trimester officially at 14 weeks. We learned that a big busy stage, lights, voting, loads of reading and re reading made us tired...forcing us to retreat to the expectant mother seats. In addition my morning sickness still hits me hard in the morning so I reluctantly bought a toaster and bread to stave off the nausea right after I get up. It was more economically sound than room service actually. The final lesson learned was Baby Naylor and I can't sit in the back of a big bus....this, unfortunately, pushed back my week of no throwing up even further. Luckily, I had Nancy (acting as mother on the trip) to help part the red sea of bus passengers in front of me so I could get off to the restroom in time. She busted through the restroom line for me too! She was amazing! It is now a great story to tell.

The highlight of the day was during lunch I realized the man playing the keyboard for the musical entertainment during the only 30 minutes break was indeed my chorus teacher from Andover High School. It's been 19 years since I started singing and then acting in My Fair Lady. He appeared to view me as familiar and once we spoke and I mentioned I was teaching art he was thrilled! He gave me a big hug and business card. I know have an opportunity to reconnect with a fine arts teacher of my past all thanks to the NEA. This totally made up for my rough start to the day.

The meeting ended on a high note at 6pm for the day and we raced off to dinner at Pat O'Brien's restaurant; apparently the famous Hurricane drinks were there. We started eating just as the clouds opened up for us to have rain drops join us for dinner...so much for outdoor dining. It felt nice! Monsoon season hasn't hit its peak yet in the desert so the weather was fine with me. We raced off to the ghost walking tour. Nancy & Darrin went back to the hotel while the remaining members of our group (Mindy, Kyla, Wren and myself) got in line for the tour. The rain had stopped and we enjoyed the historical ghost tour around the French Quarter until almost 11 at night. If you can walk, stand and love hearing about the history of a 200 year old city the Historical Ghost tour is for you. Our final stop was at the St. Peter's Cathedral. Our dogs were tired and we were off for our last day of meetings the next day.

The final meeting day had come and it was bittersweet. We went for a slightly extended lunch break to the Riverwalk and walked around the shops after we ate. About an hour later I was getting picked up by my brother-in-law's wife Sandy. She kindly drove across the causeway and into New Orleans to bring me back for a visit to their home in Covington.
I got a great tour of their home, chatted with their two kids Payton & John Grayson and they fed me a great home cooked meal. The kids took a night swim in the pool while I got to chat more everyone including Sandy's parents. They were so kind and I had a fun visit. John got me safely back to my hotel after a delicious apple cobbler dessert and I hit the hay hardcore. What a great day plus I got to sleep in.

Time to preboard...
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