Gala Day and Our Return

Well, we're back. And have been for quite some time. But we've been busy. Our last night in San Diego was pretty fun. We attended the ESRI Conference Gala together - free of charge because Dr. Hung gave me his ticket! The theme of the gala was El Corazon de Mexico. Eh.

But before I get to that, I have to post pictures of our hotel elevator. Because John really got a kick out of the thing and made me take pictures of it -


When it was first installed, it was the fastest elevator EVER. When it was first installed.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of pictures from the gala because I was having some real lighting issues that were frustrating me. We also spent much of our time waiting in line for various things. But we got to watch some of the sunset over the bay while eating dinner -

One of the things we stood in line for was a free caricature. I've been wanting a caricature of us FOREVER but I can never justify paying for one, especially since John and I are both such exceptional artists ourselves. (If I do say so myself...) But I'm glad I never bought one because this one was free.

The artist did a REALLY good job on John. I didn't have my glasses on that night, so of course this looks a little different, but I thought the artist captured my eyebrows and nose pretty well. I also thought that he flattered me very much with his drawing. ;)

Fun Fact - He did this with a black crayola marker.
We also stood in line for a joint-tarot reading. It was pretty fun. Our favorite parts include:
John - A positive thing he brings to the relationship is his ability to "weather the storm." The card reader didn't say that I was "the storm" but it's no secret that I can be a bit tempestuous...
John - Challenges he brings to the relationship include that he focuses a lot of his attention and time on the esoteric (BINGO!) and that he can have a little bit of a split personality. (She didn't even know he was a Gemini - she got that from a CARD!)
Erica - The reader said that I'm very sure of myself and that I know what I'm about but I especially know what I'm not about. I thought that her emphasis on the word "not" was right on the money for me. She called this a positive for the relationship; in my experience, it has been a good thing, but it's also brought about some pretty big challenges and obstacles to be overcome...

There were fireworks at the gala, but they happened during our reading and I didn't want to be rude running off to take some pictures. So sadly, no fireworks pictures tonight.

We rushed home after the gala (literally RAN much of the way) so that John (and I, I suppose) could catch the new episode of Futurama. The next morning, John had to help "tear down" the conference. I spent the morning saying goodbye to the bay, checking out some of the shops that I had been curious about during the trip, and being harassed by young and old men alike. I guess I looked particularly attractive walking around and sweating in the heat. (Looks of annoyance only seemed to enhance that attraction.)

We took the hotel shuttle to the airport along with another lady who attended the conference. Sort of. She said that her company sent her a whole bunch to do while she was gone, so she ended up spending much of the week in her hotel room processing data. Bummer!

Here are some pics that John took from the plane -

We had a TERRIBLE time flying home. Delays, overbooked flights, chaotic gates, annoying passengers... Seriously sucky. But we were SO relieved when we saw John's parents at the airport and realized that finally, we were getting to go home! We had an awesome time the next day just relaxing in Kingwood with the parentals and with the dog. Pools rule.

Since we've been back, I've been working the mornings in the library and spending the afternoons cooking and cleaning while John spends practically all day every day working on his thesis. I'm really proud of him and can't wait to congratulate him when it's all over!

Stay tuned!