Here and Now.

At home at last. The last of the trips and major events planned before Jr. arrives are finally done. I only have 19 more "work" days, with three days of conferences and planning days thrown in for good measure. I just got home from Calgary, where I must say I was the recipient of some great hosts, a very professionally run conference with over a 1000 delegates from across Canada, and experienced both a "night at the ranch" (read sliced beef and beans for dinner and really loud country music repleat with line dancing lessons which I did not partake of) and then a full on, but scaled back, "an evening at the rodeo". The rodeo was awesome. Calgary knows how to put on a show, and we got a sampling of the best - bareback riding, bucking broncos, bull riding, barrel racing, trick riding, a first nations hoop dancer, and the gem of them all - mutton busting.

Between conference days, trying to grab meals, and just having some down time, I didn't really do a heck of a lot. I got some visiting in with some cousins, and tried to grab a few cat naps the other times I had a few moments. My energy definitely isn't what it was, and being in a strange bed doesn't really help the old sleeping patterns either. Last night it was blissful to be back at home, in my own bed, beside my man, and getting way too much affection from the cats.

Lots of big ideas, some of which I will try to perculote through a few posts. For those of you with kids, may be worth checking out this free online book about educating the "net generation". I have spent most of today trying to get back in to the swing of this work thing.

Baby is definitely getting bigger, and the more you talk to women who have had kids, you realize that every experience is unique (with some common ground) and that everything is a bit of an unknown of what part of the experience package you will call your own. Got me a pair of birks from the net, so my feet are much happier. If I spent the first 7.5 months with cold feet, I have now swung in the opposite direction and have hot feet all the time. That, and heartburn once a week something fierce.