My Journey:

OK, so it's July and I'm a little late for my June entry.  I'll add one for July later, but June was very busy.  I spent a week at a conference in Las Vegas, and actually celebrated my 40th birthday while I was there.  Now, how many people get to spend their 40th birthday in Vegas, with the hotel & airfare, paid for by their employer.

Now, the whole reason I was in Vegas was to attend the yearly Networkers conference, which is sponsored by Cisco.  That is what I teach at Davenport University, so it is very beneficial for me to attend.  It's also fun.  For the second year in a row, the Customer Appreciation Event at the end of the conference happened to be on my birthday, so it's almost as if Cisco is throwing me a birthday party.  So what if most people there don't know it's my birthday.

So, what else is going on in my life these days?  Well, I have pretty much received my final four questions for my comprehensive exam, and I now have six weeks to write a sixty page paper (total) to answer the four questions.  That's fifteen pages per question, and ten pages per week.  Now... the tricky part is that one week I will be in training in San Jose (OK, so I can write in my hotel room at night, so long as I can take my research material along), and the following week I will be driving to Richmond, Virginia for a conference & some sightseeing.  The highlight of this trip for me will be a stop at Gettysburg (never been there) for a chance to see the graves of Lucius & Minard Decker, brothers who were killed there and are buried side-by-side.  I intend to visit the location where their regiment was fighting that day as well.  I've done some research, but will need to plan this out before I go so I know where to visit.  So, it looks like a busy summer.

Another great highlight is a new special person in my life.  She helped me have a fantastic holiday weekend, celebrate my brother's graduation (Chris), and have enjoyed getting to know her.  This will also keep me extra busy this summer, but adds a great deal of fun & enjoyment to my life.  I'm looking forward to it.

last modified July 5, 2005

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