As everyone who has been reading the blog knows that hubby and I have been getting ready for this convention for weeks now. This year’s convention, was taking place in State College PA. Unfortunately the only way to get from Philadelphia to there is to take a MegaBus or a Greyhound, no train, or to have a driver or a ride. It worked out that the SSP was also co-presenting with me, so she was able to drive us. In order to do so, she came on Thursday night to sleep at our house, so that we can get off early on Friday.

Friday, we left at 6:45, despite hopes of getting out of the house at 6. The drive was fairly nice, other than sitting for a while, on the way the SSP and I, had a great conversation and Joe continued to work on convention stuff. We had only 1 stop to get drinks, gas and use the bathroom. We arrived at the hotel around 10:15am. Luckily we were able to park, get a room, and get settle quickly, in order for hubby to have registration open at 11. When we arrived, there were already quite a few people there waiting for things to begin. While hubby set up the induction loop system in the deafblind meeting I and my SSP manned the registration desk for the convention. The lobby of the hotel was very loud and very echo.

The first meeting was the Deafblind meeting at 1:30pm. We had about 15 participators join our meeting. 5 of those people were deafblind. The first part of the meeting was a presentation of what a SSP is? What does an SSP do? And how does a SSP help a deafblind person? It was nice as there was alot of discussion in this regard. We also talked about specific concerns that people had in PA in regards to deaf blindness. We also talked about the formation of an affiliation division. We adopted a constitution, took membership dues, and elected a board all in one meeting. Overall this meeting went well, very well. It’s a close net group that seems like we will work well together.

From that meeting we went to the board meeting, where more state wide issues were discussed. From here, I thought that there was to be a guide dog meeting; unfortunately the agenda had been changed, so there was a dinner break. At 6pm, there were too very important meetings schedule at the same time. Both the guide dog meeting and resolution. I had to be at the resolutions meeting because I had been asked to write up a deafblind resolution. So hubby and I were there, having had asked the other person who has been helping me with the guide dog issues to wait for us.

Unfortunately the resolution that I had written up, had been changed, and then there was some nit picking, that lasted over an hour. The resolution I wrote was to commend and promote the BVS SSP program. And although I did this, I could not let organizations or agencies go without being recognized. Of course as I already mentioned, I had asked the guide dog person to wait, and as soon as the resolution meeting was over, I ran to the guide dog meeting. But they did not wait for me, so by the time I arrived everything had been decided and I had no say in anything. It wasn’t that I wanted to run the show, but I wanted to help. Here I had helped and worked hard to get all of these guide dog users together, wanted to help, but I get completely pooped on. Got to love back stabbing people. That is all I will say from here, it’s apparently too fresh in my mind and heart, and I am just getting upset writing this. I don’t want to write something that is not appropriate, even though this is my space; I need to calm down in this regard.

From there we went to an auction. Since hubby was the treasurer, he needed to take money at the auction. So for several hours hubby and I, including my SSP, sat and helped with the auction. We in the end did not buy anything. I did get two very very pretty knit scarves from one of the chapters who was making and selling them.

Of course if you go to a convention like this, you do not go to sleep. We got to bed late, later than we had hoped, I would say around 12midnight.

Saturday, began early. Hubby and I had a nice little breakfast in the hospitality room, which the chapter in state college donated all of the food items. It was very very pleasant, with many food options. After a quick breakfast, hubby went down to complete the registrations. General session began at 8:30am. From 8:30am to noon, there were various speakers. Including a speech from the president, the national representative, the news line coordinator, and so on.

Lunch was an organized event, where the whole convention would eat together. We got all of our DB people together and sat at one table. I we tried to have a DB person in between two hearing persons, so that there would be repeaters. For lunch we had really good turkey or beef wraps, with fruit and pasta salad. The room was so loud, I finally just turned off my hearing aids, it was painful, nor could I hear anything going on, it just sounded like noise.

After lunch, all of us DB people, went back over to the meeting area, and had a small and quick discussion about the resolution again! Soon after we were forced to end our talk, because the general session wanted to begin again. In the afternoon, were more presentations and elections.

Hubby was not re-elected to the state affiliate treasurer position. He apparently did such a great job, but not well enough that they felt they needed to find someone else to do the position. Again, I will not say much more about that, because the wound is still too wide open.

After the general session ended at 4, hubby, I and my SSP headed over to the room, with all of the audio equipment, to set up the loop system for the banquet. We finished that an hour and half before the dinner began, in plenty of time to get changed. We changed and then got caught up by the elevators, as the hotel was packed by this point. We had been told that our convention and a wedding reception, had sold out the hotel, but we also learned that the Penn State University was having a swim meet too.

The banquet began at 7:00pm. Hubby and I sat at the head table for probably the last time; we were on one of the ends, so that my SSP could go back and forth from her table to mine to sign for me. The dinner was a whole wheat honey mustard chicken, twice baked potatoes, and carrots. It was kind of cool because all of the waiters, and the waitress, would talk directly to me, even though I could not hear any of them. They were of course interested in that someone was using sign with me. Some of them actually told my SSP I guess when I wasn’t around, that they were interested in sign, knew sign, or had a hard of hearing person in their family. The banquet was its typically affair, dinner, awards, speech from the national rep, and the president of the state affiliate. And then a big fundraising thing. Even one of the waiters who had been serving our table, donated. That is kind of cool!

The banquet ended around 10, most folks headed to the bar, others, like us headed to our rooms. I was exhausted and so was hubby. We were in bed as soon as we possibly could be.

Sunday

Began with a chapter breakfast. Unfortunately the room we were in, the same as the banquet the night before, but the room was so small. For the banquet we didn’t have enough seats, nor did we for the breakfast. For the meal we had eggs, which I did not, fries, bacon, English muffin, coffee, and OJ. I had oatmeal to substitute for the eggs. This was hard to manage as people were talking while we were eating, so in order to hear, I used the loop system, which worked well, but chewing didn’t help me hear anything either. So between eating and working hard to listen, my SSP would sign to me. She was also trying to eat too. Each chapter presented gave a report. Some chapters are more active than others. The students, parents, new guide dog and the new deafblind division all gave reports.

The first order of business was the SSP resolution discussion again! Yes once again, there was a lot of nit picking. People who should have been at the meeting on Friday, brought up concerns and issues all over again. Things that had been discussed on Friday that had been fixed, where hashed out all over again. In the end it was the last line that many people had issues. It was very sad, and many people who were not even deafblind voiced opposition to the resolution. We took a vote with the last line of the resolution included, and the vote was 13 to 13, so a tie. More discussion, more controversy. Then there was a motion made to remove the last line, and another vote was taken, this time there were 18 for the policy, and 8 against. So it did pass. Those people, who were opposed, were those who are my friends. And even though they did not mean to be in opposition to the policy to spite me, but it was hurtful. These were my friends; people who I had thought were supporting me, people who are in my same chapter. People I need to work with. People who have done a lot of back stabbing in this weekend. At some future point I will post the resolution.

After the drama resolution was over, the business meeting began, with many people leaving during. The room went from fairly full to only about 27 people. Hubby gave his last treasurers report. Then there were general updates on national, local and state issues. The meeting ended around 11:30. As soon as we were done, hubby tore down all of the audio equipment, and packed up. We had done a lot of packing of our room that morning before the breakfast and meeting, so we only needed to get a few things together. On the way home we took a young man, who also attends Temple University, he is like 20 years old. He lives close to us, and his mother was going to pick him up from our house. We left the hotel around 12:30pm, and arrived home at 4:30pm. We didn’t make any stops, but did go through a drive through for lunch.

When we arrived home, the weather had turned extremely cold and windy. We unloaded the car and everyone went there way. As if we had not just had an extremely busy weekend, we had a life group that same night too.

So at 5:30pm, our ride picked us up. It was going to be our last time getting together as a life group, a welcome baby, and a going away party all in one. The couple we have had our life groups at their home, just had a baby. They ordered pizza. Another person brought salad, and dessert. It was a very nice evening. I was able to hold the baby, and see them. We ended fairly early, as everyone was tired. We were home by 8:45.

I can’t really write much about that night, as by the time we got home, I was so exhausted, I don’t remember much. I do know that hubby put me to bed.

Thank goodness that whirl wind of a weekend is done and over with. Now on to more fun filled adventures..Stay tuned!