I’ve been ignoring you. I’m so, so sorry.
I want to blog, I really do. I would blog every day if I didn’t have, well, a whole mountain of other responsibilities to take care of first. You know, things like a full-time job and family activities and picking up special dog food at the vet’s office for Earl the pug and making sure my 10-year-old gets his Valentines ready for class on Friday. (His level of enthusiasm for this particular task has dropped quite a bit since he was in, say, first grade, by the way.)
Did you just say you wish I would post another photo of Earl the pug because, well, he’s just so darn adorable? I’m so glad you mentioned that!
Okay, where was I?
Oh, that’s right … this time of year is, hands-down, my busiest time of year at work. Yes, even more so than Thanksgiving. This is the time of year when I am literally freaked out to realize there are only five weeks to go before my annual poultry convention. The clock is ticking way too quickly.
My office runs the 2nd largest poultry show in the U.S. – the Midwest Poultry Federation Convention. We bring over 2,100 people – poultry farmers, processing companies and vendors – into the Saint Paul for three days in March, where they mix, mingle and network with well over 200 exhibiting companies and poultry speakers from around the world.
It’s my job to make sure all the teeny-tiniest of details are set, that all these folks have hotel rooms (or at least know where to go to book their rooms), that speakers have all the information they need to make the trip, that food is ordered and hospitality receptions are set and oodles of signage is created and the website is constantly updated and the mobile app for the show is ready, and so on and so forth.
I know, isn’t it awesome?
If you are a geeky, organized planner like me, you love this kind of job. However, it doesn’t mean I don’t go completely crazy some days – or collapse exhausted on the couch at 9 p.m. at night sometimes. (And then feel just a little guilty because I could still be getting work done, which would save me some time the next day.)
I do sort of/kind of get a brief respite, starting tomorrow. I’m heading to sunny Florida for the National Turkey Federation‘s annual convention. This is good for several reasons:
1) It’s supposed to be sunny and A LOT nicer than any weather we’ve had here in Minnesota since, oh, about August. I seriously may kiss the snow-free ground when I arrive.
2) I get to hang out with all my turkey peeps, going to different education sessions and committee meetings. (Okay, while that’s true and education is all good, it’s really the evening socializing that’s the most fun. Let’s be completely honest about that.)
3) I pretend that my own convention isn’t five weeks away and I won’t have a pile of work to come home to. You’re probably thinking it’s not a good idea to pretend, that it may, in fact, lead to more stress. But I think it actually energizes me for when I come back. A short rest before … complete and under chaos ensues.
The only thing weird about this little trip is that the convention is at Disneyworld – and I will be there without Joe. Want to know my little secret on this? Joe has NO IDEA I’m going to Disneyworld this week … I didn’t want him to feel bad that he doesn’t get to go. He just knows I’m headed to Orlando but hasn’t made the connection. (He’s a 10-year-old boy so it’s pretty easy to sneak this past him as he doesn’t pay too much attention to anything that doesn’t directly affect his Minecraft time.) Don’t feel too sorry for him, though – Teacher Man and I are taking him to the Florida Keys on spring break, so we’re going to have plenty of family bonding time in the sun after my crazy five weeks of work ends.
On that note, I promise I won’t be on ignore forever. I will write again. Stay tuned – and in the meantime, you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter, if you are so inclined. Gobble, gobble! 🙂
