A Wedding

A lesbian wedding took place near the Convention Center today at 1 o’clock; all delegates were invited to attend. A group of friends and I had a lunch reservation, so we did not attend the wedding; however, we did stop in at the reception for a few minutes during the dinner break.

Starbucks

Sitting in Starbucks…have to pay for wireless here, though, so I’m typing in Word and will post it when I get back to the Convention Center. An hour left of dinner break…we really should have cut dinner break shorter. Oh well.

Is Bermuda a Country or a State?

One of the easy-pass petitions today involved making Bermuda part of the Northeastern Jurisdiction. The jurisdiction has been sending pastors and resources there for several years; this petition formalizes this relationship. An issue was raised, however, because the Disciplinary paragraph being amended listed several states. We were worried that people less familiar with the US might believe Bermuda to be a state. So we added the words "the country of" immediately in front of "Bermuda." We easily voted for this amendment. Just afterwards, one of our delegates from the British Methodist Church pointed out that Bermuda is not a country...it's a protectorate of Great Britain. Oops. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the best and the brightest of the United Methodist Church.

Higher Education Night

Tonight was Higher Education Night, sponsored by several groups (the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, the Council of Bishops, etc.) to recognize Methodist Colleges, Seminaries, etc. The dinner was excellent (nice salad, chicken crusted with spicy tortilla, and an excellent chocolate cake), and the schools came together to form a student choir that performed excellently...great songs, the highlight of which was "Wade in the Water," including choreography. The night was very enjoyable...and now we're back in plenary. The Minority Report on the Task Force is now being presented...so we'll be another twelve thousand hours.

Area Night

Tonight, we were entertained by Texans during "Area Night." The main session featured the Texas Boys' Choir, sponsored by a Fine Arts Academy in the area. They were really good...nice arrangement of "Amazing Grace" to a different but familiar tune, some scat music, a Broadway medley featuring "Beauty and the Beast" and "Do You Hear the People Sing?" from "Les Miserables," and "Poor Wayfarin' Stranger," which I know from a CD of Kristin Chenoweth's. They closed with an arrangement of "Irish Blessing." Very Texan, that one. (That was sarcasm, for those of you who don't know me well. But very loving sarcasm.) Anyways, the boys' choir was great.
We were sent out to a receptioin with REALLY good food and great performers...the young lady who was the voice of Jessie from "Toy Story" (Devon Dawson) and the Fort Worth Opry Cowgirls and the Lydia Patterson Institute Mariachis, based in El Paso.
They did a very nice job with it and I'm still enjoying the food. We're heading back toward legislative committee, and we might be staying later than anticipated because the shuttles might be running later than anticipated to help the committees finish late. So I'll see you on the other side...

Morning Workout

I did manage to drag myselff out of bed this morning at 5 am to go work out in the newly-found Fitness Room. It served the purpose of waking me up; hopefully it won't make me sore later but instead more energized.

Entertaining Myself for the Morning

I’m guessing I’ll get to the Convention Center around 9:45. Depending on how long the line is for credentials, I could have a while before the Orientation for Women Delegates. And I have no internet in the Convention Center. How will I survive, you wonder? Won’t I die of boredom? (In case you couldn’t tell, I’m rather bored right now sitting on the bus. So you’re lucky enough to read the rambling results of my boredom.) The answer is: No! I shall not die of boredom! For my father has been kind enough to loan me his laptop, and I have been intelligent enough to bring with me several CDs and DVDs. Not to mention that there are people in the Convention Center, and I should start getting to know folks. It’s truly starting to begin; the last few days have felt more like just another rehearsal for the YPA team, but know life is getting good…and I’m really excited!
But wait! The shuttle didn’t take as long as I thought it would; we’ll be at the Convention Center just after 9:30. Happily, my hotel is the last stop. That means that return trips will take forever but that morning trips won’t take long at all. I can use the time on the return trip to blog about the evening, so it will work out.

Yay for Fitness Center!

The Hotel’s Fitness Center has finally been located. I have no idea how I missed it, only that I didn’t see it mentioned in the guest book and didn’t look hard enough at the signs in the lobby. While eating breakfast, I saw a sign that looked promising and followed it to an elliptical. Life is good; I will be able to wake up in the mornings.

Panera

We're in Panera, the king of all bread companies and free Wi-fi. Life is good! I got a baker's dozen of Asiago Bagels, so I'm set for the next several days and I'm VERY excited about it. So far, this blog has been rather frivolous. Please know that delegate duties start tomorrow and I will be able to update you more about actual legislation and work. But for know, this is a very happy girl with asiago cheese in her mouth signing off.

Shopping

This is labeled "Fun" very reluctantly. Know this: I hate shopping. Passionately. The average forty-year-old male enjoys shopping more than I do. But I needed a top for the shopping. Annie and her "adopted sister," who attends TCU, threw clothes at me and forced me into all sorts of stuff. The shirt we finally settled on is cute, I suppose. And it should come through on camera really well. So there it is. Annie took me shopping. And now I am totally exhausted by my shopping trip. The rest of the team members are in their rooms, but I'm not staying at this hotel...so I'm stuck in the lobby until we leave for dinner. But it gave me a chance to catch up on blogging, so all is fair.

Lunch

The YPA Team with Jay, Hank, Julie, and Mike were able to enjoy a leisurely lunch at Mi Cocina, a Tex-Mex restaurant. I had some very good fajitas (the pico de gallo was awesome), and Matt was thrilled, as he got to eat my guacemole (which I hate). Jay gave us some suggestions for our speeches, and we chatted about what still needed to happen. We discussed the rest of the day and then left the restaurant without dessert. But Matt didn't eat all of his fajitas, so I ended up with a few extras and survived the terror. Hank carries around chocolate bars with him in his backpack, so when I get desperate, I know where to go.