Pre-Thanksgiving Schenanigans

Last weekend, I got to travel to Asheville, NC with many other friends at school to the NCSOS Fall Conference (North Carolina State Optometric Society).  Students are allowed to attend for free, and we got to sit in on Continuing Education (CE) lectures, and look at booths set up by various venders at the Vision Expo.  It was a great time filled with meeting lots of doctors and reps from the NC area.  I even met an Alcon rep who had her wedding reception at the same place Tyler and I did.  Some of our teachers from SCO were teaching some of the CE courses, so we got to listen to them!

The meeting was held at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC.  What a beautiful place!  The scenery was gorgeous and so was the weather.  Only the first morning there was cold.  Within the Grove Park Inn is a Dueling Piano Bar called Elaine's.  We met some of our teachers there on Saturday night and had a ton of fun!  There were also some neat gifts shops with local handmade crafts where I was able to get some Christmas shopping done!

In the giant fireplace with Dr. Scott Ensor, Dr. Pam Schnell, and my friend Jeanne

Hotel and travel Buddies :)

Lovely backdrop

The beautiful construction of the Grove Park Inn

Jeanne won a cheese basket the first night of the Vision Expo

At the dueling piano bar

They'll write something on the window if you pay them money.  Yeah for optometry jokes!

Me and Jeanne

Don't know why we allowed Dr. Ensor's request to come to fruition.   He doesn't even give us pharm grades anymore.  But hey, we at least made him laugh.

Apparently, we let Dr. Walker rule, too.

I had forgotten something, and had to come back.  Love that some staff doctors paid $22 to have them write this on the window after we had left!  Oh dear.

Last night, Tyler and I went to see his school's production of Twelfth Night by Shakespeare.  We found it quite ironic that all the actors were female (because St. Mary's is an all-girl school) when in Shakespeare's day, all the actors were male.  They did a very, very good job.  Pictured below is Tyler with on of his former students, Dakota.  I got to see her perform in their production of The Wizard of Oz last year.  I love attending high school plays because you get to see so much young talent!

Tyler and Dakota, who played Olivia in Twelfth Night

Now it's time to finish cleaning the apartment to prepare for Thanksgiving.  I bought all the necessities at the very crowded grocery store today.  But I would say that I did quite well!  I managed to save $23 with coupons and deals.  The big purchase was obviously the full turkey that I'm going to tackle roasting for the first time this year!  I also got items needed to make a white turkey chili with all the left over bird!  Please pray for me in this endeavor.  :)