On the way home, we stopped and I took pictures. First off is Downtown Pagosa Springs and various views of the river walk. Oh, and lots of chipmunks. They were a riot. Next are Treasure Falls and the western side of Wolf Creek Pass. Last of all, the Great Divide, at the top of Wolf Creek Pass. There were lots of beetle killed trees, and we contemplated what it would be like if this part of the state caught fire. Not a good thing. I would have taken more pictures, but my camera batteries died.
Busy, Hectic Week
This week was something else. Monday I spent catching up on all the email from the weekend and met with Sandi Hansen of Edison Learning. She is working with our school district to help bring up our educational scores on the Colorado student assessment tests. (TCAP).
Tuesday was meeting day from hell. Dan and I had a Southeastern Workforce Investment Board meeting in La Junta. This was also the day that Colorado tried to blow all of it’s topsoil to Kansas. We had miles of dirt fog. So much dirt in the air that we couldn’t see. Tumbleweeds were passing us and we were going 65! It took 1 gallon of gas to get to La Junta and 3 to get home due to the wind.
At the meeting, we discussed the workforce/employment issues in our region. The map showing the regions can be found here. We also had a really good presentation on Demographics for regions 6 and 14, which is what we are according to the state. It was very interesting and we actually got to solve a question that the Demographers had. There was a statistical blip that they didn’t understand and I looked at it and knew in an instant what it was. There was a burst of households in the 44 to 65 yr range. They didn’t get it and I explained that it was the grandchildren coming to Huerfano County to occupy their grandparents houses. The reason I knew that was that I’m one of those. I escaped the big city, Littleton, to come down to Walsenburg to raise my family in a low cost, low crime/stress area.
After that meeting, we drove home, grabbed dinner and then headed to the board meeting. This was the first regular board meeting for RE-1 in February. All others had been special meetings and/or workshops. We got a lot accomplished and once again, there is more on that meeting on my other blog.
Wednesday should have been quiet. I got some stuff done around the office and then went to meet with David Benson around 4pm. He and his partner, Iris Williams are working to help our school district with trust issues. We have a situation whereby nearly 100% of the district dislikes/distrusts one person. Not healthy, and it is causing major issues. It was a really good discussion and we talked till nearly 5pm. Afterwards, I went to the library and then went to work to pick up Dan. We had to be to Peakview by 6pm to see a 4th grade play called the Emerald Egg. That was fun.
Thursday we were up early and went with my parents to Colorado Springs. Dad had his cancer checkup. Dan drove us home as Dad was a little loopy from the pain meds. We stopped at Romero’s for lunch. Yummm!
Friday was just as early a start. I had a State Youth Council meeting to be at in Denver. The weather was bit nasty, so we left early. The meeting was very good. More info on that over on Untapped Potential. We drove home through bands of snow. We were going to stop in Pueblo for dinner, but with the snow, we changed our minds. Good thing we did as there was a huge car pileup accident due to the snow.
Friday was also Daniel’s 22nd birthday. 🙂
Saturday was sort of a stay in bed type day. We slept in, relaxed and did as little as possible. 🙂 Better yet, we went to Wonderful House in Trinidad with my parents. It was my parents way of thanking Dan for driving. They even promised him that he could bring a date if he wanted, or if he didn’t, they have this daughter…. that they’d set up as a blind date for him. ROFLOL!! Needless to say, there were a bunch of blind date jokes all evening.
Today is catch-up day. Dan has gone into work for the day and I’m writing blog posts, reading emails and cleaning house. Wheee!
For more school board adventures, check out my other blog, Untapped Potential
My busy week!
I have been trying to get into the swing of being the school board president. Aieeee!!! Lots of meetings. Tuesday Dawn and I went to a meeting at Trinidad State Junior College. TSJC. I wrote about it here. It was neat to meet the Lt. Gov and to see Felix again. Felix Lopez is on the Southeast Workforce Investment Board with Dan and so we see him at meetings.
I also went with Dan to the Colorado Rural Workforce Consortium Winter Meeting. That was up in Colorado Springs. Three days of Workforce info. Lots of good stuff to think about, process and put into use. One big thing they are starting is the Virtual Workforce Office. They are putting them in public libraries where there are no workforce offices. This is really interesting and the possibilities are expanding.
Next week is not slowing down, and so I am spending the weekend getting over the last of my ‘cold’. I had an asthma attack that settled in my lungs. I sound like I’m breathing through a sponge. ugh. Of course, the weather deities are having fun. Woke up to about 6 inches of snow this morning. Brrrr!
Of Vail and conferences and rain
Dan and I headed off to Vail for a workforce conference on Wednesday. We headed off at the crack of dawn and actually got there 45 minutes early. Whewwww! First up on the agenda was an opening speech by Governor Ritter. It was short, sweet and to the point. He signed three bills into law that had to do with business.
After that, we got the registration mixup fixed and got all of my conference stuff. 🙂 We got settled in our room which was great. The bed was huge, and there was a fireplace in the room. LOL… granted it was about 85 there. Oh, and the bathroom. A bath and a shower. :):):)
We went to a workshop, and then at dinner we had a speaker who was really good. Sarah Michel. After dinner, we were so tired that we soaked in the tub and then went to bed.
Thursday started WAY TOO EARLY. Up at 6am, breakfast by 7am and in the conference room with 150 other people by 8am. This was the WIB (Workforce Investment Board) workshop. It was for all the workforce regions: their chairmen, members, etc. I got to go because Dan felt I should go and Taryn agreed. The WIB is involved in getting a new Colorado Workforce Council up and running. Lots of politics. Lots of egos, tempers, ideas and worries to work through. Since I was a rather late addition, I got put on the ‘left over’ table. Not a bad thing, and pretty soon, those of us on that table joined in with other tables that were missing people. I jokingly called our table the ‘Group W’ table. For a bunch of misfits, we really worked well together.
We worked for 8 hour on Thursday. It was tough, exciting and exhausting. After we finished, Dan and I went out to dinner at a place called Garfields. It was good food and after dinner we walked around downtown Vail. Then we headed for the hotub! Wheee!!!! a whirlpool no less. We were back in the room by 9 and asleep by 10pm.
Up early again, and in the conference by 7:30am. More hard work, but very worth it by the time we finished. When it was done, we went down and had lunch. The group Chicken Lips was speaking/performing during lunch. They were a motivational comedy group. Hilarious! Had a great time and laughed, oh did we laugh! After lunch, we packed up and headed home. It was just starting to rain as we left Vail. Idaho Springs was a downpour! Rain stood on the highway and some of the puddles were so deep that we had to slow way down to get through them. It cleared up a time or two near Denver, but we had more rain all the way home. We got home around 6pm. Once we unpacked and said our hellos, we headed for bed. It was meant to be a nap, but… We woke up at 10am this morning.
Spent most of the day with Stefan and Anabell. 🙂 They had dinner with my parents, but we are now watching movies and Morgan is painting Anabell’s toenails and fingernails. 🙂 Best part of the day besides spending time with S&A,… I Got A Job!!!! I will be cooking for La Plaza!!! Oh, and Ian got a job too as a waiter. happygotajobdance!!!!!
Tomorrow I’m making runza for dinner. Yum!!!