Friday, August 18, 2017

Friday, August 18, 2017

Tonight's picture was taken in August of 2005. Mattie was in Los Angeles visiting my parents. We took Mattie to Griffith Park and he want on the pony rides. Mattie was timid about riding, but with Peter's support, he tried it and loved it. You can see Peter's arm behind Mattie. Peter literally walked along side Mattie and the pony! In fact, Mattie loved adventure, and fortunately he had Peter to help him experience such things as pony rides, rollercoasters, and other things. Unlike the both of them, I am risk adverse and cautious about jumping into most activities without more data.  


Quote of the day: Either you run the day, or the day runs you. ~ Jim Rohn

When we woke up this morning, we opened up the curtains of our room to this sight. Palm Springs has very beautiful terrain, with its incredible mountains, blue skies, and the palm trees dotting the desert scenes.  

Our session at the conference was at 3pm today, so in the morning, we strolled around downtown Palm Springs. Keep in mind that it was like 110 degrees outside! How we didn't melt on this walk is beyond me. We discovered that Palm Springs has a Walk of Starts. Which is in essence a walk of fame where "Golden Palm Stars," honoring various people who have lived in the greater Palm Springs area, are embedded in the sidewalk pavement. This Walk was created in 1992. 

My mom and I posed for a photo with Frank Sinatra's star. Peter and I are both Frank Sinatra fans and our wedding song, was made famous by Frank.... "The Way you look tonight."

During our downtown stroll, we came across a statue of Lucille Ball. This statue, was created in 1995. Ball served as Honorary Mayor of Rancho Mirage from 1958-1965 and again from 1971 until the city became incorporated in 1973. She joined three other stars who were honorary mayors of valley cities, including Bob Hope (Palm Springs), Frank Sinatra (Cathedral City), and Bing Crosby (Palm Desert). 

We held hands with Sonny Bono today. Bono was the mayor of Palm Springs, from 1988 to 1992, and congressman for California's 44th district from 1995 until his death in 1998. Of course most people know Sonny Bono because he was married to Cher. 

Literally as we were walking, we would jump into a store, just to get air conditioning. Yet because of the intense heat, you could barely feel the air! In any case, in this one store ALL the bug items caught our attention. If Mattie were alive, he would have definitely wanted a bug key chain or bracelet! Mattie loved seeing my reaction to bugs, and I think my negative reaction inspired him to LOVE the bugs even more. He got a chuckle out of my fear. 

We presented today for an hour. Given that it was at 3pm, I was surprised that around 200 people attended. The Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses (APHON) was the first professional organization to endorse the Standards. It was wonderful to see how many attendees were familiar with the Standards, wanted to learn more, and were eager to participate. The Association today also officially announced that Mattie Miracle will be offering three evidence based practice research grants to APHON members. Grants will be awarded to members who specifically want to address the implementation of the Standards. Mattie Miracle was created in 2009, and today was the first opportunity in with my parents were able to see us present officially at a professional conference. I think it was a very powerful and meaningful experience for them. 

We went to another wonderful restaurant tonight called Miro's. It is voted the best restaurant in Palm Springs. The beauty of Palm Springs is it has plenty of culture, but NOT a lot of people and congestion at this time of year. Of course being 110 degrees outside explains the lack of crowds, but I find it delightful!