Friday, February 6, 2009

Baby Expo Part One

I drove up to Milwaukee today because I'm speaking at the BABY EXPO in the morning. I wasn't paying attention and missed my exit. I realized I missed it when I started seeing signs for Green Bay and Fond du Lac. Oops. Thankfully I was able to get off the highway backtrack before I hit Canada. I parked in the garage, grabbed my suitcase (which has 4 outfits in it because I don't know what to wear and I'm just dorky like that) and headed for the elevator. I pressed "2" because that's the floor that has the skywalk over to the hotel. As soon as I pressed the button, the lit-up "2" went off; the doors never closed. I tried again. I pressed "2". The number lit up and then turned off immediately once again. I looked up and lo and behold, I'm already on level 2. Right there is the skywalk. RIGHT THERE! Duh.

I went to the lobby to check in and the hotel didn't have a reservation for me. Hmmm, I was supposed to be here today, right? Right? I quickly tried to remember the date. Yep, I'm supposed to be here now. Hmmm. I asked the hotel clerk if it was under the event organizer's name. "Nope", she informed me. She's already checked in and there was only one room under her name. I started thinking that perhaps I'd dreamed the whole thing. No, I assured myself. My picture is definitely on their website. I'm sure I'm supposed to be speaking here tomorrow.

Well, long story short - I did have a room, the hotel messed up, the event organizer fixed it so it's all good.

Last week, Vicki, the organizer, had mentioned going out to eat this evening, so she called me tonight and asked if I still wanted to grab a bite. Are you kidding? Going for food that isn't prepared by me? No kids? No husbands? Uhhh yeah! We went across the street to a little Italian place where I devoured a whole pile of gnocchi. I had to restrain myself from licking my plate. Seriously, it was yummy1 Vicki, on the other hand, had been feeling a little sick from the stress of organizing this whole event and didn't have much of an appetite. I think she ate 2 bites of her ravioli. I felt so bad for her. (And no, I didn't scarf down her remaining ravioli.) This is the first year for Milwaukee to host this Baby Expo. She's got a ton of interesting and unique vendors, goody bags, giveaways, and an awesome speaker with laryngitis. How can you beat that? Plus, the event is free! So if you're anywhere near Milwaukee come on out tomorrow or Sunday! HERE'S THE INFO.

As always, here are pictures of my room...




2 beds this time. I think I may have to jump between them. Kidding, just kidding. No really.



View from my window of tropical downtown Milwaukee. (It was really was tropical today! It got up to 40, I think!)






OK, I'm going to bed early tonight and praying I have my voice back in the morning.

Oh yeah - my giveaway for an HP Photosmart wireless printer is still going on HERE.

15 comments:

  1. I'm envious.. you get to sleep in a hotel room ALL ALONE... I would love just one night away from my daughter and the pets for a niced quiet uninterrupted nights sleep. I can dream!

    I hope your voice is better tomorrow!

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  2. Wish I could make it over from Madison tomorrow! If you have any free time while you're in Milwaukee, there's a Titanic exhibit at the museum that's supposed to be fantastic! Good luck, feel better and knock their socks off tomorrow!

    Blessings, Carolynn

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  3. Why is it that I have to imagine Milwaukee looking like the set from Laverne & Shirley? Totally can't bring myself to think of it as up-to-date!

    Bottles going by on a conveyor belt, a glove on top of one of them...

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  4. bless your heart.....hang in there...preferably between the beds...

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  5. I'm proud of you for not eating her food! LOL!! I bet it was hard! Hope things go well today and you have your voice for tomorrow.

    Anita in Indiana

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  6. Hope you didn't bang a shin jumping between the beds.

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  7. Hope by the time you read this, you are feeling better and have your voice back. I actually know someone who lives in Fon Du Lac, believe it not!

    Have fun at the Expo. They are going to love you, just as all of us dorks stuck back home love you!

    Can't wait to hear about it! Sleep in tomorrow if you can...

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  8. I think somebody made a new rule this year - Everyone invited to speak publicly this year will have laryngitis the week of the event.
    We just had the Super Bowl here in the Tampa area, and my favorite female news announcer struggled with her voice throughout the entire week. This week we're having the State Fair and Gasparillo and my favorite male announcer is having the same problem, (albeit his mouth was full from sampling all the nifty treats at the State Fair while we watched. I had to wipe the drool from my mouth several times... imagine, bacon dipped in chocolate mmmmm). Then my favorite blogger goes off to her speaking engagement with, you guessed it, laryngitis. And then to top it off I have to read about her eating a whole plate of gnocci when I just made a big old pot of baked potato/cheddar cheese soup, so Italian is out of the question for at least 2 more nights. Hope you find your voice before you get up to the podium today. If not, I'm sure you'll find a way to "entertain the troops." You are a woman of much resiliancy!
    God Bless you...

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  9. Hope everything goes well for you at the Expo. I wish I lived closer, I'd love to come!

    Thanks for always posting pictures of your hotel room. I love to see what all of the different hotels do with their rooms!

    Drive safely!

    Donna in PA :)

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  10. Oh yum, gnocchi! One of my favorites! I do hope you get your voice back. I got my flu shot this year and (fingers crossed) so far I haven't been sick. Of course now that I have said that I am going to get really really ill.

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  11. Your own house is a baby expo. They should have it there. But, then again, there would be a husband involved. (What am I saying? I am one!)

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  12. I would kill to have two beds to hop between. When I have a hot flash, there would be another cool bed waiting for me.

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  13. You have got to try and get pictures of the new Marquette interchange downtown and post them. It is amazing to see 5 layers of highway intertwining. Have a great time in our fair city, Milwaukee and we hope you can come back during the summer to all of great festivals we have during the summer. I wish I could make it to see you this weekend but I found about this event when it was too late for me to change plans. Have your promoter do more local advertising. Hope your voice is back.

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  14. mmmm, gnocchi. I could really go for some gnocchi right about now. Have you ever had the REALLY good gnocchi from The Village (before they took it off the menu -- spinach gnocchi with cream sauce and prosciutto YUM)?

    Good luck with your speaking. Wish I could make it. Although I technically have nothing on the calendar tomorrow, I still have church and choir and running to do. Hey -- who's teaching your Sunday School class?

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  15. Okay that's funny - your room looks 99% identical to the room I got at the Hyatt across from Woodfield for our reunion. But the question is....did your honor bar have one of those handy dandy "intimacy kit" thingies that upon first glance looked like a tin of Altoids?

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