San Antonio & Stacia's Nerdiness

As I type I am sitting poolside in San Antonio, TX. Remember that nursing award I told you guys about on Facebook a few months ago?  Well this is my reward! A scholarship to attend a conference here in TX for implementing Evidence Based Practice in Quality Improvement for Nursing.  I am so incredibly grateful for this opportunity from my hospital, and I can be certain that there are many more people within the institution whom are far more deserving, but I can assure you that I've enjoyed every minute of my conference & can't wait to bring home what I've learned. (Oh that's right my PICU friends...  Be ready for me and all of my QI fabulousness. You're excited. I can just tell. ;)). All that being said though, I don't do "alone" well. At. All. I miss my family so much it's painful!!  Nearly 15 years together and it's a very rare night for us to spend apart. I don't think it's EVER been five days/ four nights!!  I can't wait to go home tomorrow. But although the conference is over, there are no flights going out to little ole' Vermont tonight, so I guess I've gotta sit by the pool.  Sigh. Guess I'll take one for the team. ;)

So what have I been doing while I'm here?  Well I won't bore you with the details of my conference. Research posters, data collection, Just Culture, and healthcare quality improvement may get me excited, but I don't expect it to for most of you. lol!  (Hence my Nerdiness). But I will share with you my limited Texas experience. 

First of all, a couple of pictures from my conference. These Texans are hard core!

Yeah... That would be a presenter in a full on cowgirl dress. Complete with sequins, fringe, boots, & hat. Hilarious. 

And let's not forget the mariachi band that serenaded us on day two!  These guys were super cute. ;)

Up until now, I've spent most of my time attending lectures, but in the evenings I've gotten to venture out a little bit. The hotel I'm in is situated on the Riverwalk, so it's been nice to have a place to wander. It's also nice that this makes it hard for even directionally-challenged folks like me to get lost. ;). (Freaked the hell out of Matt that I was going out walking. In the city. ALONE!  But I survived!)  If you aren't familiar with San Antonio, the city was essentially built around the river. Makes for a nice stroll. 

I also got a chance to walk to the Alamo. That was pretty cool. 

Aside from that I've just been embracing my inner geek. The kids and I spent plenty of time on face-time, but let's face it, it's not the same. And we spent most of that time looking up Natalie's nostrils. LOL!  

Goofballs. ;)

I'm really excited to get home & see my family tomorrow. Until then though, I'm going to try my best to enjoy the alone time. I'm not very good at it. But I'll try!