Debra Brown: Howdy!

Hello from the lobby of the Sheraton Commodore Hotel in Cambridge! The trip from Texas to Boston for the Leadership an Evolving Vision conference at Harvard University was nice, with the airlines and hotel agents being very helpful. I met up with four other Raise Your Hands Texas members on the plane and in the taxi to the hotel between Dallas and Boston. A big Texas “howdy!” comes from my new professional friends, Belinda Cini from Round Rock, Daniel Garcia from Pflugerville, James Oliver from Brookesmith, and Kathryn Vighe from Dickenson. More trickled in all afternoon, but we haven’t met them yet. Like, me, each principal is thrilled to be attending the RYH Texas conference and is somewhat in awe that we are the lucky ones to get the opportunity to attend. The actual conference begins on Wednesday morning, bright and early.

Since we arrived and checked in without incident, there has been a little time today to see the local sights by foot. We’ve walked the short distance from the hotel to the site on campus where our session will take place. Of course we became a little turned around and traveled several blocks the wrong way. It wasn’t such a bad thing though because we were able to see many sites around the university that we otherwise might not have discovered. Already we have walked on the red brick sidewalks where famous historical figures walked long before us. Dates like 1662 and 1798 are common on the many historical markers all around us. We look like the tourists that we are, but we also feel like we belong here…seeing a part of our nation’s incredible history that we share with the native folks of Massachusetts.

Good (new) friends and a full evening of ‘just looking’ marked today. I have a picture, but it will have to wait for technology to work right for me so I can upload it to you. An exciting day is on the agenda for tomorrow. I’ll keep in touch.

Debra Brown