Show Time

The big moment is just a memory now. What a morning! Making that final turn down Tahquart Boulevard, I saw the Koffi House and flipped a u-turn to get some iced coffee. A big ball of fire peeked over the horizon in the distance. Blue skies, blinding sun, and light traffic. A smooth start to our day. We landed front row parking. With my large tote in hand, I strolled over to the Andreas in the Renaissance Hotel. Since we checked it out last night, I headed right toward it.

We began to set up. I glanced on the floor and saw that the cable wasn’t what I was expecting. But then again, I had not idea of what to expect. LaDonna immediately began searching for tech support. The dongle I brought wasn’t compatible with their system.

Inside, I was a bundle of nerves. The jitters weren’t the caffeine. Soon Eric came in. He asked for a coworker to bring in their adapter. At first they thought my computer wasn’t working. My tension grew. They determined the cable wasn’t working. Soon Tom came by. He oversees it all. This isn’t good. They must have seen it in my expression. They were calm and reassured me that everything will be fine. Eric begins running a new cable and taping it down.

The final test run. Yea! One step closer. Our display sign didn’t have our session up. LaDonna was on it. She needed a picture with us in front of it so she could tweet it. About 8:05, we get the thumbs up. A volunteer snaps a shot for us. We are back to waiting.

Slowly the room began to fill. Friendly faces everywhere. Some I knew and some I didn’t. There were some big stakes in the room too. I couldn’t believe it. The room was full. People began sitting on the floor. Soon the “Session is Full” sign was posted on the doors and shut. Wow! Show time!

It was an amazing experience. None I’ve felt before. Halfway through the presentation, LaDonna says were out of time. The jitters kicked in again. I moseyed over to pull up a clip and glanced at the time. We were fine. This was her first run. She too had the jitters. It all worked out incredibly well. People shared words of support and great pleasure.

Later that night, our superintendent asked us to present to a group of district office leaders. How do you say no? So Wednesday afterwork we will be doing this one more time. All the hard work paid off.

It was a long day. I barely had any energy left. I was tapped. Maybe after doing this more often, it must get easier. I walked away feeling relieved, excited and exhausted.