It has been a few days since the last post.....mostly because I forgot to download the video of Michaels rock band performance last week and also forgot to bring that little connection deal to make that happen so I took only one picture during our trip to West VA. We went to a place called the Greenbrier and it was a company event for our top performing offices and the SLT (Senior Leadership team) is invited along. The Greenbrier is straight out of another day and time. It is simply spectacular.
We left Austin last Tuesday the 15th and drove to Houston. On our way we detoured through Elgin to take some pictures of a house that Rob had to appraise. We drove through a terrible rainstorm (it was red on the radar) in Hempstead but other than that, it was uneventful until we got to our room at the Marriott at the airport and that was when Rob realized that he left the little downloading connection thing for his camera at home. We had to get the photos back to his office so he goes to the business center and no luck. I call Steve B and ask if he has one that he could bring to the airport but it will not fit. Steve came up with the bright idea that Rob should go to Kinkos and get them to put the photos on a cd and then the next morning one of the Houston managers had an “aircard” for her computer and off they went.
Getting to West VA is a challenge but it was SO worth it. We checked in and were told that we were in a summer cottage. Being a Texas girl the word cottage sounds very much like cabin and I was apprehensive to say the least. Oh my goodness, was I ever wrong. The “cottage” was like a suite in a hotel and it had this huge front porch with rocking chairs etc. It was amazing. The downside is that the cottage was a 15 minute walk from the hotel but that was good until a later event. (you will read about it but not be surprised at all). Night one was “on our own”. We went to dinner at an onsite restaurant (the only one open that would allow blue jeans) and dropped $100 for soup and salad and the very best banana cream pie ever made. I had considered coming back with family because the grounds were so spectacular but that thought went away when we got the bill for the food.
Day two is business meeting in the morning for me. I scheduled a massage for Rob for his neck since I have been calling him peg head for a week or so since he has a terrible pain in his neck. I had a facial and massage later that day and Rob went to shoot clay things and to tour the “bunker” that is the underground place that the Greenbrier is built over. He loves that kind of thing and I .....don’t.....
I was, however, working my way up to almost a total panic attack about Friday. You see, Friday was the white water raft trip. I have no idea what the heck I was thinking when I signed us up for that but I was ready to bail at every moment. Got on the bus and the panic worked its way into my eyes. I had to keep wiping my eyes to keep everyone from knowing that I was crying. How hilarious is that? Me the two time cancer survivor and 30 plus surgeries victor and I was scared of a river raft? Oh, I know it is ridiculous but it is true. I did the whole God knows that I am here and He will protect me but the fear was winning. We needed to get there speedy quick or I was not going to get my little toe in that water. Anyway we get there and I hand pick Steve Barnes and Cindy Hamann to go in the second raft with Rob and I as we did not have enough people to fill two since a couple of our people did bail at the last minute. I was terrified and thought those two would help me J. So we get the whole lesson on water safety and blah, blah, blah.... I quickly get Steve Barnes to through my meds in his waterproof bag because I am totally terrified. Okay so then we get the lesson on the bathroom deal....go now in these port a potty like places and then....you guessed it....the rest of the day is au natural....in other words, if you need to pee you are supposed to do it in the river. How totally icky is that? There were seven school buses full of people headed down to the river and they were all going to be peeing in the river? I just decided not to think about it. Of course I stopped eating much real food at noon the day before to be sure that I did not have the other “issue” because that was simply not going to happen to me. No way.
So we get to the river and meet our guide. Steve handpicked the most seasoned guide and obviously updated him on my fear factor and I am sure that he was thinking....”great....a twenty pound overweight terrified Texas woman”....”why the heck is she here when she could and should be at the spa at the greenbrier”? But he did not say that. He had me sit right beside him in the back of the raft and Cindy was right in front of me. Rob and Steve were in the very front of the boat with only the HUGE medical supply kit between them. It did not make me feel better to see that. So I had gone and purchased the greatest rafting shoes ever at the last minute and was that a great thing as the shoes are the key to you not getting thrown into the water. Hard to believe but true....so we get in and learn which side of the raft we are on and and how to do whatever our captain commands. My stomach is growling since I have not really eaten since the day before and the sun is out in full force. I am covered in 80 spf sunscreen, have my bright yellow helmet on, my life jacket (that was only two days old.....I did resist the urge to ask if they were positive they worked....and my paddle......and am ready to get this over with. We go through a class one or two set of rapids. Mike, the guide, congratulates us like a kindergarten teacher would congratulate her class for walking single file. “You guys did a GREAT job on that run. Great team work, blah, blah, blah. We are all wet and alive so that is the good thing. Pretty soon we get to a part of the river that is slow and he tells us that we can get out and swim. Of course I start peppering him with questions about how the heck we get back in the raft and he says “I have this little ladder over here and blah blah blah”.... I start to think that I bet not too many people have peed in the water yet so now might be a good time to take a little swim. Off I go....the force was pretty hilarious. I hit the water and darn near died because I did not hold my nose. I am choking and spewing and look over at Mike the guide looking at me and I could read his mind “what the heck have I done that is so wrong that I end up with this one in my raft?”.....and it was about to get better......so I hold my own in the swimming part.... I even managed to figure out how to keep my large rear end from popping up behind me all of the time but then it became time to get back in the raft and I swam over to find the ladder and Mike was just a total liar. There was no ladder. There was one loop and you were supposed to put your foot in the loop and pull your self up and over the side of the raft. I had visions of them just tying me to the back and dragging me through all of the rapids. Fear not, though, Mike and Rob did a few heave ho’s and got me back into the raft and on we went. We even managed to get through a class three without losing anyone. I had my supersonic water rafting shoes so tight under the blown up things in the raft that before I would go over the edge the whole raft would have to turn over J. We turned around and saw one raft guide pop up like she was a piece of toast in one of those old toasters...up she went and back into the water. I told Mike that it would be must better for me if he did not do that. Mike did have all of his teeth (not all of the guides did) and he quickly told me not to worry that I would go before he did. Thanks, I said.
Lunch was sandwiches on the side of the river and was actually pretty good. Could be that I was starved from no food for 24 hours. Then we get back in and start at it again. A class 2 then three and then we come up on the only class 4 plus of the day (I am 99.99999% sure that Steve told me there would not be any).....and you can actually hear it before you see it. Oh man, oh man, was I scared. But there is not too much time to get scared when the current is rushing you off to a class 4 rapid. SO we shoot through there like a canon and come out of the other end screaming and high fiveing with our paddles like we were extreme sportspeople or something. Then there is a cliff that people are jumping off and, being the kid that he is, Rob jumps out of the raft (along with a like 70 year old grandmother and her 13 year old grandson) scrambles up the cliff and jumps in.
Pretty soon we come to an area where we can “body surf” through this rapid like deal and I jump in.....(holding my nose) of course.....and make it through just fine. It was even fun. Then I get to the other side and remember that Mike said to be sure to stay on top of the water because there are some big honkin rocks under the water. Oh my, the first thing to hit is my knee and then my foot slams into the rock. Oh man, I don’t even know what to say. It just “hurted soooo bad” but I persevered and made it back to the raft and stayed in for the rest of the day J. Besides the fact thatI was injured, all of that pee was racing down the river....and no, I did not pee in the river, I just could not do so. So I took my shoe off and everyone did the ooh aww....as the impact had bent my toenail on my big toe back and popped it off....not the whole toenail but enough. My knee just looked scratched up. By the time we got back to the hotel I though I was going to die of knee pain J. The great news for me is that I had pharmaceuticals and the even greater news is that I had Rob.
I spent all day yesterday in various airports with my leg up across Rob’s legs and ice on my knee. I know, I know......”something DOES always happen to me” but I had a blast doing it. No question that it will need an xray tomorrow, though. I bet that Mike is just very thankful that I did not show up again the next day.
We got back to Houston at 9PM and my sweet husband drove all the way home with me asleep in the passenger seat. We were in Houston and then he said “wake up Helen, we are turning into Lost Creek”. It simply does not get any better than this.
We left Austin last Tuesday the 15th and drove to Houston. On our way we detoured through Elgin to take some pictures of a house that Rob had to appraise. We drove through a terrible rainstorm (it was red on the radar) in Hempstead but other than that, it was uneventful until we got to our room at the Marriott at the airport and that was when Rob realized that he left the little downloading connection thing for his camera at home. We had to get the photos back to his office so he goes to the business center and no luck. I call Steve B and ask if he has one that he could bring to the airport but it will not fit. Steve came up with the bright idea that Rob should go to Kinkos and get them to put the photos on a cd and then the next morning one of the Houston managers had an “aircard” for her computer and off they went.
Getting to West VA is a challenge but it was SO worth it. We checked in and were told that we were in a summer cottage. Being a Texas girl the word cottage sounds very much like cabin and I was apprehensive to say the least. Oh my goodness, was I ever wrong. The “cottage” was like a suite in a hotel and it had this huge front porch with rocking chairs etc. It was amazing. The downside is that the cottage was a 15 minute walk from the hotel but that was good until a later event. (you will read about it but not be surprised at all). Night one was “on our own”. We went to dinner at an onsite restaurant (the only one open that would allow blue jeans) and dropped $100 for soup and salad and the very best banana cream pie ever made. I had considered coming back with family because the grounds were so spectacular but that thought went away when we got the bill for the food.
Day two is business meeting in the morning for me. I scheduled a massage for Rob for his neck since I have been calling him peg head for a week or so since he has a terrible pain in his neck. I had a facial and massage later that day and Rob went to shoot clay things and to tour the “bunker” that is the underground place that the Greenbrier is built over. He loves that kind of thing and I .....don’t.....
I was, however, working my way up to almost a total panic attack about Friday. You see, Friday was the white water raft trip. I have no idea what the heck I was thinking when I signed us up for that but I was ready to bail at every moment. Got on the bus and the panic worked its way into my eyes. I had to keep wiping my eyes to keep everyone from knowing that I was crying. How hilarious is that? Me the two time cancer survivor and 30 plus surgeries victor and I was scared of a river raft? Oh, I know it is ridiculous but it is true. I did the whole God knows that I am here and He will protect me but the fear was winning. We needed to get there speedy quick or I was not going to get my little toe in that water. Anyway we get there and I hand pick Steve Barnes and Cindy Hamann to go in the second raft with Rob and I as we did not have enough people to fill two since a couple of our people did bail at the last minute. I was terrified and thought those two would help me J. So we get the whole lesson on water safety and blah, blah, blah.... I quickly get Steve Barnes to through my meds in his waterproof bag because I am totally terrified. Okay so then we get the lesson on the bathroom deal....go now in these port a potty like places and then....you guessed it....the rest of the day is au natural....in other words, if you need to pee you are supposed to do it in the river. How totally icky is that? There were seven school buses full of people headed down to the river and they were all going to be peeing in the river? I just decided not to think about it. Of course I stopped eating much real food at noon the day before to be sure that I did not have the other “issue” because that was simply not going to happen to me. No way.
So we get to the river and meet our guide. Steve handpicked the most seasoned guide and obviously updated him on my fear factor and I am sure that he was thinking....”great....a twenty pound overweight terrified Texas woman”....”why the heck is she here when she could and should be at the spa at the greenbrier”? But he did not say that. He had me sit right beside him in the back of the raft and Cindy was right in front of me. Rob and Steve were in the very front of the boat with only the HUGE medical supply kit between them. It did not make me feel better to see that. So I had gone and purchased the greatest rafting shoes ever at the last minute and was that a great thing as the shoes are the key to you not getting thrown into the water. Hard to believe but true....so we get in and learn which side of the raft we are on and and how to do whatever our captain commands. My stomach is growling since I have not really eaten since the day before and the sun is out in full force. I am covered in 80 spf sunscreen, have my bright yellow helmet on, my life jacket (that was only two days old.....I did resist the urge to ask if they were positive they worked....and my paddle......and am ready to get this over with. We go through a class one or two set of rapids. Mike, the guide, congratulates us like a kindergarten teacher would congratulate her class for walking single file. “You guys did a GREAT job on that run. Great team work, blah, blah, blah. We are all wet and alive so that is the good thing. Pretty soon we get to a part of the river that is slow and he tells us that we can get out and swim. Of course I start peppering him with questions about how the heck we get back in the raft and he says “I have this little ladder over here and blah blah blah”.... I start to think that I bet not too many people have peed in the water yet so now might be a good time to take a little swim. Off I go....the force was pretty hilarious. I hit the water and darn near died because I did not hold my nose. I am choking and spewing and look over at Mike the guide looking at me and I could read his mind “what the heck have I done that is so wrong that I end up with this one in my raft?”.....and it was about to get better......so I hold my own in the swimming part.... I even managed to figure out how to keep my large rear end from popping up behind me all of the time but then it became time to get back in the raft and I swam over to find the ladder and Mike was just a total liar. There was no ladder. There was one loop and you were supposed to put your foot in the loop and pull your self up and over the side of the raft. I had visions of them just tying me to the back and dragging me through all of the rapids. Fear not, though, Mike and Rob did a few heave ho’s and got me back into the raft and on we went. We even managed to get through a class three without losing anyone. I had my supersonic water rafting shoes so tight under the blown up things in the raft that before I would go over the edge the whole raft would have to turn over J. We turned around and saw one raft guide pop up like she was a piece of toast in one of those old toasters...up she went and back into the water. I told Mike that it would be must better for me if he did not do that. Mike did have all of his teeth (not all of the guides did) and he quickly told me not to worry that I would go before he did. Thanks, I said.
Lunch was sandwiches on the side of the river and was actually pretty good. Could be that I was starved from no food for 24 hours. Then we get back in and start at it again. A class 2 then three and then we come up on the only class 4 plus of the day (I am 99.99999% sure that Steve told me there would not be any).....and you can actually hear it before you see it. Oh man, oh man, was I scared. But there is not too much time to get scared when the current is rushing you off to a class 4 rapid. SO we shoot through there like a canon and come out of the other end screaming and high fiveing with our paddles like we were extreme sportspeople or something. Then there is a cliff that people are jumping off and, being the kid that he is, Rob jumps out of the raft (along with a like 70 year old grandmother and her 13 year old grandson) scrambles up the cliff and jumps in.
Pretty soon we come to an area where we can “body surf” through this rapid like deal and I jump in.....(holding my nose) of course.....and make it through just fine. It was even fun. Then I get to the other side and remember that Mike said to be sure to stay on top of the water because there are some big honkin rocks under the water. Oh my, the first thing to hit is my knee and then my foot slams into the rock. Oh man, I don’t even know what to say. It just “hurted soooo bad” but I persevered and made it back to the raft and stayed in for the rest of the day J. Besides the fact thatI was injured, all of that pee was racing down the river....and no, I did not pee in the river, I just could not do so. So I took my shoe off and everyone did the ooh aww....as the impact had bent my toenail on my big toe back and popped it off....not the whole toenail but enough. My knee just looked scratched up. By the time we got back to the hotel I though I was going to die of knee pain J. The great news for me is that I had pharmaceuticals and the even greater news is that I had Rob.
I spent all day yesterday in various airports with my leg up across Rob’s legs and ice on my knee. I know, I know......”something DOES always happen to me” but I had a blast doing it. No question that it will need an xray tomorrow, though. I bet that Mike is just very thankful that I did not show up again the next day.
We got back to Houston at 9PM and my sweet husband drove all the way home with me asleep in the passenger seat. We were in Houston and then he said “wake up Helen, we are turning into Lost Creek”. It simply does not get any better than this.
No comments:
Post a Comment