GRIP 2013 - Sunday Intros and Dinner

Dinner with friends.  Lots of friends.  Yes, we're at LaRoche College in Pittsburgh for the GRIP Sunday night dinner and orientation.  It was great seeing some friends from last year.  I'm really looking forward to talking with some others since I saw them across the room.  And I believe that Elissa said that  about one-third of this year's attendees were also here last year.  

 

I met Tina Lyons before dinner and we sat together.  She's the amazing lady who has been working hours and hours working on the FGS conference that begins just one month from today.  She has been the primary blogger on the FGS conference blog.  I'm so glad she can take a week off from her busy schedule to come to this. 

Susan and Stephen also ate with us.  They were both here last year and they are from West Virginia.  Sarah also came by.  She's my across-the-hall dorm friend from Texas.  She not only stops for cemeteries, she stops for old bridges (as part of her job.)  Can you believe?

Becky and Shelley filled out our table tonight. I didn't talk as much with them as they were at the other end.  But there will be lots of time, and many more meals.

Here are our "fearless leaders": the two ladies who had the idea of GRIP and who take very good care of us for the week we are here. Debbie Deal is on the left and Elissa Powell is on the right.  Thank you very much, ladies. 

 

LaRoche College was generous with door prizes again.  I  really wanted the mascot for my dorm room.

But the biggest news for the night was the announcement of next year's classes.  Unfortunately I was unable to get all of the correct information; so I'll wait to post until I have it.  But you will be pleased to know that of the six classes, two are similar to this year's and last year.  I believe two instructors who are here this year are working on new courses for 2014 and two courses are completely new with new instructors.  Decisions!  Decisions!!

It really rained during dinner and while Debbie and Elissa were talking.  But Elissa assured us that the weather was going to be nice for us.  And, guess what?  It stopped raining before we left the dining hall to walk back to the dorm.  I hope all of her predictions are "right on" like this one was.

I'm still having a little trouble connecting to the internet; at least through google.  But I found a way to get to blogger anyway, so that's why you can see this post.  I hope I can continue to do it this way, since it works. 

I'm going to look over the notebook with tomorrow's class information and do a little catching up on some other stuff.  But I expect to be here tomorrow night, although I'll be later.  There's going to be a great talk by Michael Hait:  What is a "reasonably exhaustive search?"  See you tomorrow.