2016 started out at a pretty fast pace. It seems that my schedule is always full, and I am constantly preparing for the next big event. Well, some of them aren’t really big, but that’s not to say that they aren’t important.
I just returned from a 3 day trip to San Angelo. My company sent me there on Wednesday to do an evaluation. It is a four hour drive. I arrived around 1:00pm and met with the man whom I was going to be evaluating. The evaluation was scheduled for Thursday, and it consisted of him performing a set of predetermined tasks to demonstrate his knowledge and proficiency of maintaining an electronic system. In my line of work, we do these evaluations all the time. Usually, however, it is all done in the course of a day, without need of overnight accommodations.
I had never been to San Angelo before; I was pleasantly surprised at the size and ease of getting around. The population sign indicated that there were around 92,000 people who live there. I was told that the oil industry played a big part in the development of the town.
The oil industry in Texas is not doing very well right now. Many companies are laying off large numbers of people; some companies are going out of business. I am sure those facts are hurting the town of San Angelo. It may also explain why I got such a nice room for a moderate price. And I was pleasantly surprised how little traffic there was during the morning commute.
The man that I was sent to give an evaluation was very congenial, and we had great conversations about our kids. He is a single dad with two adolescent boys. They sound like great kids, and it seems he is doing a good job teaching them responsibility and the value of hard work.
I briefly met two other electronics technicians on Thursday. They were also very friendly and seemed passionate about their job. I would say there is a nice crew of technicians at San Angelo Regional Airport.
The hotel I stayed at was new and very well appointed. The bed was extremely comfortable, and the staff was friendly and seemed genuinely concerned about my experience.
Overall, the trip out of town provided some much needed time to catch up on some reading and some sewing. Yes, I took my sewing machine with me. After my projects were complete I even had some time to relax.
Unfortunately, as I was packing to come back home on Friday, I received a phone call from a friend informing me of a death in the family. That made it a very long drive home.
I was looking forward to a relaxing 3-day weekend at home, but instead, my weekend has been spent assisting with funeral arrangements. I hardly had time to get this week’s post out, but here it is; better late than never.
Loss is always hard. It is hard to watch your loved ones grieve, too. Although Friday was a very long day, with lots of driving, I believe that getting out of town for just a couple of days was key to helping me get through this tough time. My next week will hard to get through but we are all supporting one another.
Today was not your typical Valentine’s Day, but having the family together is always nice. My husband cooked a bunch of fabulous food and we were able to just enjoy being together.
I hope that your Valentine’s Day was special. I like to think of it as a day to celebrate love. When you’re a child, your first Valentines are your parents. When you get older, romantic love is what most people focus on for Valentine’s Day. But if you are blessed to have children of your own, you get to play the other role of being your child’s first Valentine. The love of a child is so pure and innocent; I think it is the best kind of love.
May your next week flow smoothly, be full of sunshine, and smiles.
Psalms 91:1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
