I'm Home!

Well, I'm back from Portland! After three days of trying to make a good impression at the conference & sleeping on a friend's futon, I am super glad to be home. :) However, the conference itself was a good learning experience & it was great to see my friends from college (who let me stay with them). Here are the highlights:

• The president of my institution took us younger employees out to dinner last night.
• I spent both nights with a yellow lab (Gallatin) at the foot of my bed, a black lab (Kayden) on the doggie bed next to my bed, and a Chesapeake Bay retriever (Spencer) on a couch nearby. Plus, there was a newfie (Porter) living downstairs.
• Catching up with friends who I haven't seen since way back when.
• All of the neat stuff that I learned about my new field.
• The caramel macchiato that my friend made for me, free of charge, at her coffee shop yesterday morning.
• The peppermint mocha that I got (with a gift card!) at the I-95 rest stop on the way home today.
• Finally getting to check out Portland. I've been meaning to for years, mostly with ex-boyfriends: was planning to take NY Ex there for Christmas two years ago & was supposed to attend a wedding there with South Boston Ex in June. Cheers to seeing it with friends & on my own!