Best January in History

Forgive me for not blogging sooner. I have so much to share, but very little free time has kept me from doing so. That and the fact that January was a jam-packed month of family, friends, special events, and memories that will last a lifetime... and I just didn't know how to put it all into words without sounding super cheesy. It's impossible. Last month was almost too good to be true. But I have pictures to prove it actually did happen! First, let's start with the awards ceremony and the most shocking surprise visit....

My company sent me to a conference hosted by THCA (Texas Health Care Association) for all activity professionals in the state of Texas. I knew that I had been nominated as Activity Professional of the Year, but I also knew that I would be up against other women who had been in the field for 10, 20, 30 years. Needless to say, I didn't get my hopes up. I was just grateful to be nominated and looking forward to reading through the scrapbook put together by my co-workers; it included many letters of recommendation for this award and I have always been motivated by words of affirmation. I was very encouraged by the sessions I attended at the conference - I learned a LOT and was very inspired by a few of the speakers. The awards banquet was held on the second night of the conference, so I got all dressed up and met my administrator in the lobby of the hotel beforehand. We found our table in the banquet room, and familiar faces started to trickle in... a couple owners of the company, a few co-workers... and they casually greeted me and sat down at our table. As if it was normal that they were there. I didn't ask any questions, but continued on by eating my salad and nervously sipping my water. Halfway through my salad, something made me turn around in my chair. And there he was....

Cowboy hat and all! This would have been cute either way since it was his first time to Texas, but Nicole and Mom were inspired by the banquet's country western theme. I did a double-take, but when I turned back around he was still there.... along with Nicole, my Mom and Dad, Firas (who coordinated this whole thing with my close friend and co-worker Brandon as well as my administrator), three of my most active residents, and another co-worker and her daughter. I was speechless. And by speechless, I mean I was crying and said, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe you're actually here" over and over again. I won't ramble on about the rest of the ceremony, but I did win the award for Activity Professional of the Year. It's a huge honor, and I am greatly humbled by it. It makes me want to work even harder to advance this profession and challenge others to think outside the box when it comes to providing activity programs for long term care. I now can't imagine receiving that award without my family there beside me. They even called my Mom and Dad to the front to present the award to me. It was a very special night. One that I will never, ever forget!





The surprises kept coming... my boss told me that I had the rest of the week off, and my family told me that Mom, Nicole, and Charlie would be staying until Saturday! My Dad, being the most supportive and amazing Dad that he is, had to fly back the next morning. He came just for the ceremony and to spend the evening together, which meant so much to me. And if you're wondering where Deirdre is in this story, she already had a vacation planned to Austin the very next week! Blog post to come on that exciting trip, too!


The rest of the week was wonderful.... the four of us stayed at the downtown Marriott, and enjoyed....

A whole lot of this little cowboy...

Austin eats.... I finally succeeded in finding (delicious) empanadas for my Mom!

The sunset at Oasis, which Firas has been (strongly) encouraging me to take my family to ever since we started dating.... good thing I finally gave in, it was quite a hit!

A whole lot of relaxing, a little bit of exploring, and the best company in the world. I was so thankful to have them here to celebrate both the award and my birthday. I have said it a hundred times already, but THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I am a lucky girl to have such an incredible family, boyfriend, friends, and staff.