Getting Packed up

Don't ever let it be said that I, Tina Cipolla, am unorganized. I'm not. The proof appears over to the left of this text. This was my packing method for the camper. Each kid got his or her own plastic box for their belongings for this trip. Notice, if you will, that each box contains a label with each kid's name on it no less. Ok, ok, enough patting myself on the back. Charlie had some input for this idea.



We are leaving tomorrow. I spent today cleaning out the fridge, packing everyone's stuff, and getting myself ready to fly out to to CA for the new job that starts on the Monday after we return. Charlie picked up Meagan at the airport and we will be off tomorrow.



I'm getting very excited for this trip. It has been over 110 degrees all week in Phoenix and the heat is just oppressive. The temperatures are just ridiculous this time of year.



I think the kids are excited. They don't really know what to expect from this vacation. They are used to going to the beach for a week, and they are having a hard time picturing these national parks we keep telling them are so great. Michael had his last guitar lesson today before the trip and Roger, his teacher, asked where we were headed and when we told him Yellowstone, he told Mike that he saw a show on the Discovery Channel about Yellowstone that said the park sits atop the world's largest and most dangerous volcano. This got Mike's attention and as Roger went out the door, Mike asked "Mom, is that really true?" I didn't want to scare him, but I already knew this little factoid, so I told him, "yes it is true". Followed up, of course, with the statistical unlikelihood that it would go off while we were there. Truth be told, if it did go off, not much on this continent would be safe. But no sense dwelling on that unlikely scenario. To read about this Discovery Channel show go here: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/supervolcano/under/under.html



I can't wait to escape the heat. Our first stop tomorrow will be in Flagstaff where we will spend the day just chillin'. I will add another post then. Here is a picture of the camper, in case you haven't seen it.

Vacation schedule is set!

I finally sat down today and called all of the campgrounds and made our reservations for our trip. Here is our schedule:

Sun. Jul. 1: Phoenix to Flaggstaff. One night in Flaggstaff. http://www.flagstaffkoa.com/
Mon. Jul 2: Flaggstaff to Bryce Canyon Utah. http://www.brycecanyoncampgrounds.com/
Tues. Jul 3: Touring Bryce Canyon National Park http://www.nps.gov/brca/
Wed. Jul 4: Bryce Canyon to Provo Utah. http://www.eastbayrvpark.com/
Thurs. Jul 5: Provo thru Grand Teton and up to Cody Wyoming. http://www.koa.com/where/wy/50106/index.htm
Fri. Jul 6: Touring Yellwstone National Park http://www.nps.gov/yell/
Sat. Jul 7: Touring Grand Teton National Park http://www.nps.gov/grte/
Sun. Jul 8: Cody to Bear Lake, Idaho Utah http://koa.com/where/ut/44101/president.htm
Mon. Jul 9: Touring the Bear Lake area http://www.bearlake.com/index2.cfm
Tues. Jul 10: Bear Lake to Moab Utah http://www.moabkoa.com/
Wed. Jul 11: Touring Arches National Park http://www.nps.gov/arch/index.htm
Thurs. Jul 12: Moab to Flaggstaff http://www.nps.gov/grca/
Fri. Jul 13: Flaggstaff to Phoenix

This trip is going to be long, but it is going to be so much fun! I bought a new pair of Merrell hiking boots last week and I intend to wear them daily. We are going to look for one of those hiking backpacks for Claire. If anyone knows a source, I'd love to hear it.

As we do more planning, I will continue to update the blog.

Have a great weekend!

Vacaton planning and backyard landscaping

If you have been reading this blog since its inception (all 4 posts ago) you know that my initial idea for starting this was to report on our upcoming vacation during which we planned to go to Alaska with our kids. Well, when we realized just how much time we'd be spending in the car, we decided this was not the year for that trip. So instead we are now thinking that we will head up to the Wyoming/Montana area and take a trip through Yellowstone. The upside is that this is a do-able vacation for us. The downside is I spent so much time figuring out Alaska that now our vacation is two weeks out and I have no planning done for Yellowstone. So that is on this week's out-of-work-SAP-trainer agenda. Now if only I could find that blasted atlas...

In other news, the backyard landscaping project is well underway. For those of you who don't know, we own a new house. We got a quote from a landscaping company to do the front and back and we told the guy we wanted this most basic package. Are you ready? $17,000. Yes, sevenTEEN-thousand dollars. This guy was smoking something when he put the numbers together. So we are doing the project ourselves. I should say, my husband is doing the project himself, because thus far I have been worthless as far as moving the whole thing forward. Various male relatives have helped out with trenching and laying PVC sprinkler pipe. And they have my sympathy working in Phoenix in June on a landscaping job. For those of you unfamiliar with desert landscaping projects, you have lay an entire irrigation system under the soil for things like grass, trees and shrubs. A ditch-witch is required to do the digging, because the ground is like concrete. I'm planning to take some pictures of this project, and when I have time to research and figure it out, I will post one or two of them here.

I hope the rest of your weekend is fun, relaxing and peaceful,
Tina

The Presentation and the Job Search

Hello all. I found someone interested in working on the conference presentation with me, which is great. The downside is, he is in India. So I don't know that we will ever be able to present the thing together, but we are charging forward nonetheless and I suppose the worst case scenario is that that we can each present it on our own in locations that work for us. We joked that we could present it in places that are equally difficult for us to get to, and I said, OK, we'll limit ourselves to Europe, and the Arun suggested that instead we present the thing while on safari in Africa. Needless to say neither of these things are going to happen, but as Arun said, it is fun to dream.

So moving on to reality. Fact is, I don't have a job right now. I'm working hard on this situation though. I'm applying to jobs on a regular basis now. I'm also using my LinkedIn network to make contacts everyday. Something will happen eventually; it always does. Whenever I get down about looking for a job, I think of all of the incompetent people I have worked with over the years and tell myself, "if that idiot could get a job..." That always reminds me that things will be fine.

So in the meantime, if you know anyone looking for a very competent SAP Training Developer or garden variety instructional designer, let me know.

Have a great weekend!

Conference Idea

Today's thought for the day is that I have an idea for a conference presentation. I want to develop a presentation on the use of LinkedIn for use at professional conferences. I am hoping to find a collaborator. I put a question out on LinkedIn today looking for a collaborator and as of yet, I haven't found a volunteer.

My idea is to put together something that would introduce professionals to the use of LinkedIn and give some ideas on how to maximize its potential in the shortest period of time each day.

I'm on the job market right now, and the kids are out of school. This is a recipe for disaster. I better find a job fast. Alternatively, I can work on this conference presentation idea, so that the screaming and fighting doesn't drive me mad. For those of you who don't know this little factoid: my kids ages are 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. Nuff said.