Had another speaking event this past Tuesday...In New Jersey!  

Huge and constant thanks to my hubby for keeping me on time and organized. I would not navigate airports near as well without his help. Hubby likes to say that I would forget my head, if it was not attached. And he’s correct.
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We got bumped up to 1st class on the way up. That was VERY nice! Unfortunately, on the way home we had to fly business…AND we could not sit together. The gentleman that was on my right was a blessing! I confessed that I do not fly well and he tried to entertain me during the take off and landing. 

I got off the plane (into the tube connecting the plane to the terminal) and thought, "hmmmm....seems a bit chilly in here". We were in the terminal after only a few seconds and it felt fine in there. Then we went to get our hotel shuttle. I stepped out to get on the train/monorail that would take me there. Stepping out to get on the train I felt the weather outside. SHEESH! Someone write the NJ tourist bureau and let them know it's April! It was 28 degrees outside! The Florida native is in below freezing weather! 

When I packed for this event I remembered everything…except a coat. Thankfully, hubby was there to remember the necessities. I don’t think about these things at home. You don’t really need a coat at home. You go from home to car to building for desired activity. Then you reverse the order at the end of the day. All of these places have climate control so no big deal. Ummm…28 degree weather convinces you that it is a big deal in some places.

I have to say that I am enjoying having a ‘car service’. My driver makes sure I get to my events on time and all I have to do is ride in the car. It’s very nice!

The event went well, I think. I had more people than ever before stop to talk to me afterward. All of them said that they enjoyed my story and thought I did well.

Thank you to Frank for giving me the idea of how to handle stumbling in my speech. The, “What you are seeing here is a live demonstration of a ‘brain fog’ moment” seemed to amuse the audience. The audience was also amused by the anecdotes of my dealing with the cold. I told them I appreciated them changing the forecast right before I arrived. The weather channel initially showed a possibility of ‘flurries’. Hubby correctly pointed out that the native Floridian doesn't do ‘flurries’ unless they are from a restaurant.

All in all, I think I am getting used to the public speaking. I don’t really remember having serious nerves before the event. I was anxious about some changes that hubby and I made to the speech but nothing serious. I am getting more and more comfortable in front of people.

The flight home had a bit of turbulence. It was unpleasant but I survived. I did not have hubby next to me so I did not have a hand to crush. It reinforced my opinion that I need to invest in a squishy stuffed animal for rocky flights.

I will admit I got some nice sunrise shots on the way up to NJ.  Thank you to the flight attendant who convinced me to look out the window!