Texas SRD 2005

[Guest guest]

I have been reading all the reports that have been coming in about our WONDERFUL Srd in San Angelo this past weekend and have told myself for two days now that I was going to come in here and share my thoughts...and it just hasn't happened yet...so, I think I'd just better 'make time' to MAKE IT HAPPEN before anymore time gets away from me.

I don't even know WHERE to start as I am afraid I am going to forget something.

First off, let me express my gratitude to Betty {Minor} and EVERYONE else that had ANY part in all of the preparations in making SRD happen at all...there is NO WAY that ANYONE could have done a better job...it was AWESOME and there is NO WAY that any of us could know [to fully appreciate] ALL the HARD WORK that goes into making something that ASTRONIMICAL happen to begin with....JOB WELL DONE!!!!

We always leave 'early' and try to get to wherever the SRD is taking place in time to do everything we want to get done...and yet each year [this was my 3rd], I come home feeling like there was so much more I/we could have done!!!

WHO said there is nothing to do in San Angelo.....WRONG!!!...even getting there on Wednesday, we were sooooooooooooo BUSY that I never got an opportunity to check out all the 'local shops' and 'points of interest' for tourists visiting San Angelo....{as a matter of fact, we were already well out of town before I realized that we had left town and NOT gone to look at the 'photos taken at the sessions' as we had intended to do on Sunday morning...and THAT I deeply regret!!!...but, oh well...}

Anyway....we got there at about 5 on Wednesday and checked into the motel...[yes, WE were the ones that got placed in a room with 'no a/c' and being told that was 'all they had available' even though we realized when we started walking around to check out the 'atrium, etc', that we were almost the ONLY ONES there at that time]. So, after we 'worked out', went to eat and made a "WalMart stop", we got back to our room to find that it was STILL 80+ degrees...so, we had to change rooms!! (After that, our rooms/suite were GREAT...it was just the weirdest layout for a motel/hotel that I have EVER seen!!!...I could not help but have empathy for those who I know have a harder time going up and down stairs than I do...cuz there was NO WAY you could do ANYTHING in that motel without going up and down stairs to do it!)

Btw...back to the thought of 'working out'...did not ANYONE else [besides Amber and I...with Rita as our guest] take advantage of the fact that there was a CURVES within walking distance of our motels/convention center....NO ONE has mentioned it...and we did not see anyone we knew in the 2 times we were there...so, I'm assuming that no one else 'checked it out' while there....it was a BEAUTIFUL CURVES and the staff was soooooooo friendly. After we arrived in town, Amber and I felt the need to work out because we had sat for the many hours 'riding' AND we knew we needed to take ANY opportunity to workout...(we also managed a workout on Thursday to start the day).

Then, Amber and I spent the afternoon over at the Coliseum [that we have nicknamed 'the GIANT IGLOO']...meeting with Betty, Tim {King of the Road} and Elaine in going thru music and being ready for the sessions....and checking out the piano. We were FREEZING TO DEATH when we left there...(I had worn crop pants and opened toed sandals...not knowing that it was going to be THAT COLD!!!...but, I'll assure you that THAT was the LAST TIME I wore opened toe shoes or short sleeves to that Coliseum and I always had my jacket handy IF I needed it!!!)....however, my fingers felt like they were gonna crack and break off a few times when I hit the keys (I keep DREAMING that 'someday' I am gonna figure out how to keep piano keys WARM and 'get rich' patenting the idea...HA!!!!)

We were late arriving at the 'check in' activities on Thursday evening as we have family that lives there and 'dinner' after they got off work was the only opportunity we were going to have to get with them while we were in town.

BUT, once we got to the 'greeting center' it was GREAT to see 'familiar' faces and be able to begin to introduce Amber to TOPS friends 'from afar'...[this was her first year...and one that she will not soon (if ever) forget]....AND it was GREAT to visit with the TEXAS TOP'ers that came to the Clarion atrium Thursday night.

As you all experienced for yourselves, Friday and Saturday were busy, Busy, BUSY IF you took advantage of the GREAT lineup of speakers for the seminars...it all started off Friday morning with a BEAUTIFUL walk around the 'river' [i took some pictures just to show the 'surroundings' and never DREAMED till I saw the pictures that the 'beauty that God provided with HIS nature' would reflect so well in those pictures]...anyway, it was a GREAT way to start the day...(we could not have had more PERFECT weather if we had been allowed to 'order it for the week')...the speakers at the sessions were Inspiring...Melody did a PHENOMENAL job with the 'web walkers' get together...and of course, the 'big sessions' were UNFORGETTABLE!!! As Betty so aptly put it...yes, it was 'long'...but WHAT PART of ANY Of it could we leave out and NOT miss SOMETHING that is so inspiring and encouraging to those of us as we struggle with our weight losses [and gains] and try to get to the same place that each of those on stage are at...[knowing that they have been where we are now].

Even though it was somewhat 'chaotic' when we all arrived at the "Roundhouse Party", it was SO MUCH FUN once the 'action began' on the dance floor...FUN FOR ALL AGES!!!

I guess no matter HOW EARLY we were to 'start the weekend', I'm not sure that there would EVER be enough time to do everything...if there were two things I could change it would be to have more time to 'visit' with all of you wonderful 'loopers' [i feel like I've seen you...or at least some of you...but, not really had time to "visit"].... AND, I would have like to have had time to check out some of the 'places of local interest'!

I don't think there were very many of us that were REALLY 'ready to leave for home' on Sunday morning.

We had a beautiful drive...both there and back...'signs of springtime' were EVERYWHERE...the beautiful flowers along the roadside, everything was 'green', we were reminded again that there really ARE "wide open spaces" once you get away from 'the big city'...baby calves and sheep and goats were so cute chasing after their mothers and we even had the surprise of seeing a herd of bison...what GREAT diversity our state offers, huh?

I am ALREADY looking forward to next year...I am sure that we are going to see MORE familiar faces on those walking across the stage next year.

I am SO PROUD [and a bit envious] of those of you who returned home from SRD with a LOSS...I am sad to say that it is NOT going to be the same for me...our weigh-in is not until tomorrow night [and I dread it], but, I already know from the way my scales are SCREAMING at me that the 'report' is not going to be good!...but, I came home, shook it off and am back on track.....NEXT WEEK's report WILL be better.

Hope I didn't forget anything...if you were not there, you missed out and YOU WERE MISSED and I hope/PRAY that you are making plans for April 7-8, 2006 and we'll see you there.

THANKS AGAIN...to ALL who made SRD, 2005 the wonderful memory that it will always be for Amber and I...looking forward to see y'all [and, hopefully 'others'] in Grapevine next April.

GREAT BIG TOPS HUGZ....

PS...one more thing...if you made it this far through my 'letter' [book...lol]...since Janet and Melody have said that the picture part of Texas Tops website is FULL...and since I don't know HOW to put pictures on it anyway, I have downloaded the pictures I took on a 'FREE' picture website and would LOVE for you to see them if you would like to...the way to enable you to do that would be to send you an 'invitation to view the website'...you will have to 'sign on' [for security reasons], but, there is no obligation to you beyond signing in to see the pictures. IF you would like to see the pictures, send me a 'personal email' at PlayN88Keyz@...... and PLEASE put in the 'SUBJECT' line "SRD pictures" so I can quickly spot your email and send the invitation to you...[i'm still trying to go through LOTS of email that accumulated while I was gone on the trip].