Business Trip

"Business trip" sounds so grown up! I don't know why I have such a hard time believing I'm an adult considering I'm 30 years old, but I still think of myself as a 20-year old sometimes.

Anyhoo, this weekend I'm off on a business trip to Portland, OR. When I decided to stay at my job, I was put in charge of the industrial hearing test division of the company. Actually, there wasn't a division until I decided to stay, but that's being a bit pedantic. I'm in charge of making the industrial hearing test division of the company - I set up contracts, perform the tests, send out reports, etc. One of my official titles is Occupational Hearing Conservationist (OHC) and as such I decided to become a member of the National Hearing Conservation Association. Well, this week is the annual NHCA convention, and it is being held in Portland, OR. Hence, the business trip!

The last time I went to a convention was last April when I went to the American Academy of Audiology convention with my boss and his wife. They were having some insurance coding and billing classes, and since Insurance Biller is another one of my official titles, my boss decided I should attend. It was a lot of fun; I love staying in hotel rooms by myself, the classes were very educational (I spent more time in classes than my boss!), and I met a lot of interesting people. It's funny because it was during this convention that I found out that Adam liked me and our relationship started. Huh.

This time, I'm going by myself. I'm flying to Portland Wednesday morning and will be picked up by a woman with whom I've been talking about doing hearing tests for the various locations she has around the state. We're going to go out to lunch and will discuss what her expectations are and finalize prices and dates for the testing. With this contract, I'll be doing a lot of traveling! Yeah! I'm hoping to spend some time with my former mission companion Wednesday night, as well as a few other times when I don't have a class or NHCA event. Again, I love staying in hotel rooms by myself, so I'm really looking forward to that. I'm also excited because I'll be alone at the conference. This will enable me to meet a lot more people than if my boss and his wife were there. When they were with me last year, I talked to them most of the time. With them absent, I'll feel free to mingle and introduce myself to as many people as I want! I can't wait! Events like this really bring out the social butterfly in me that lays dormant a lot more than it used to.

The trip is coming at a good time. I'm starting to freak out just a little about how fast things are going with Anthony. He drops little comments about our life together that make me think his feelings are pretty strong, or that he's making some pretty big leaps. Either way, a little freaky. And a little nice. Sigh. Anyway, a little break will be nice; it will give me a little breathing room and a little time to think without him distracting me with his good looks and charm.

Speaking of, because it's my blog and I can bring up topics that aren't related to the post's title, I invited Anthony over to my mom's house this weekend to hang out with my family. My brother and his fiancee were down, so as many of us that were in town got together and played games. I was very impressed with how well Anthony fit in with my family. I know my mom was a little worried about how to communicate with him, but he's so easy-going and patient that it never seemed to be a problem. I was struck with how happy Anthony seems to be; not only does he make me (and others) laugh, but he laughs a lot. I like that. I'm a naturally happy person, so I like that he seems to be, too. I also noticed that Anthony is a bit competetive. I'm not sure if he's as competetive as our family, but he likes to win. So, he fits in with my family that way as well! It was a fun evening and I thoroughly enjoyed having him there. My family seemed to like him; my future sister-in-law said he was "a hoot" and "really good-looking". What else could you ask for? Okay, there's more, but I'm not there yet.

Back to the subject at hand, my trip to Portland, in case you've forgotten, I'll be gone 'til Sunday night. At one point, my flight was getting in around 6:30 pm. That would have been nice; I could have relaxed a little Sunday evening. The flight changed, though, and now I get home around 10:30 pm. This means I'll get home in time to go to bed, wake up, and go to work. Yeehaw! Oh well, I guess that's the price you pay for an all-expenses paid trip to a city you really enjoy!