Nicole and I spent the Saturday night in Charlottesville Virginia while Dinah watched the boys. We started the day visiting a couple vineyards along route 29. I think this one was my favorite http://www.barboursvillewine.com We ended up at 200 South Street Inn around 4pm and that's where you got the Nap and Dinner photo's below. We did a quick tour of the University of Virginia campus and hit another vineyard before getting back home at 3pm today. More soon...

Blue light

Dinner

Before dinner

Nap

These are my new Ugg slippers sent from Adam, Linda and Gil. They picked them up at some swanky Oscars party last weekend and sent them out east with a whole box filled with other jiggy products. My feet are totally LA now. Thanks a bunch guys...More later... 

Happy Anniversary to us. Thanks everyone for the cards and gifts. We had a couple drinks and a nice dinner tonight. More later... 

My group at AARP Services held a web site re-design construction tour or open house. We are counting down the days when the new and improved www.aarp.org will make it's appearance and we now have a staff of 48 working deligently to make it happen. This whole process has taken over a year to complete and once we launch, we start making more improvements. The web site is steadly becoming a primary driver for AARP's communications and commerce activities and has temendous support from all levels of the organization. I was really happy with the event and show of support we got from my bosses, the President of AARP Services and the Chief Communications Officer at AARP. Our online usability room was done up like a real constructions zone and we invited most of our internal clients to come look at all the work that had been done and learn about what happens next. It's Nicole's and my wedding anniversary today and we are going out for a quick dinner tonight then back to put the kids to bed. More later... 

Early nap in hall

Still sleepy

Ok so it snowed a little. Woke up this morning to a beautiful coat of white all over the trees and lawn. This is a shot from our side door heading out to the driveway. The snow barely stuck to the roads but it sure did a number on the trees. It's sunny now so most of this will be gone by the time I get home tonight. More soon... 

Sam and Dylan enjoying a snack before bed. They are in their camo sweat shirts and cowboy hats that JuJu brought them the last time she visited. Mom is behind me doing all sorts of wacky things to make them laugh. Gotta go to bed. More later.. 

Wso meeting

David

No Snow...

Ok, I think this snow thing isn't going to work out. I've seen a flake or two but once again, the local weather stations blew this way out of proportion causing schools to close and people to stay home from work. This is not good for productivity.

So Adam didn't get the Oscar last night but neither did Martin Scorsese for the fifth time. That's pretty good company but I know he wanted it, who wouldn't? The important point was that he looked pretty funky, had a great attitude in the interviews and rocked the house. He probably also had a great time at the party's afterwards. He'll get one eventually but it might take another shot or two. He has it in him.

More soon...

It's suppose to snow a whole bunch tonight and tomorrow depending on how a storm from the south tracks up the coast. Their are a ton of little things that determine a good snowfall in this area but it appears they may all come together in the next 24 hours to create havoc. I'm posting this picture of me and the boys that Blanca took last Friday. I rarely get in the pictures because I'm taking them so here I am. All the snow in the background is gone now but soon to be replaced. Nicole and I are going to nestle in and watch the Oscar's tonight and cross our fingers that Adam wins. The odds are in his favor this afternoon at the official gaming sites with the Phantom of the Opera a close second. I usually hate these award shows but when your brother in-law is up for a golden bald statue and performing, it becomes a little more exciting. I'll be sure to post a champagne toast to ol Adam tonight after he brings home the gold. More later... 

I got home around 9:30am this morning and Blanca and the boys were enjoying the fresh layer of snow. Sam came out to the cab where I was getting my bags and paying the driver to tell me that I was in a "taxi car". We played around for a while and now they are off to Chuckie Cheese for an early lunch and some running around. It's nice to come home to these smiling little faces.

Early lines

Airport

A funky lamp at the place we had dinner tonight. I had dinner with Robert and Eric from Sallie Mae and Bruce from NASDAQ. Good food and lots of people watching on Ocean Blvd. I have a 6:50am flight and need to go to sleep. I'm looking forward to bringing the boys to work with me tomorrow afternoon for a couple hours. I need to do some office cleaning and I think they can help, not.. 

Cleavlander

Southbeach

E-business executive meeting

A 9 am start time for the the meeting and we have a good size group this year. I guess the Florida meeting is always better attended than the summer and fall versions in the northeast. We are in nice meeting room at the corporate offices of Royal Caribbean Cruise lines with a great view of the ships in port today.

I'll try to get some south beach shots up this evening.

More later...




Mark Carpenter
General Manager and Director
Web Strategy and Operations
www.aarp.org
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Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld (www.BlackBerry.net)

I'm not liking the fact that my e-mail postings are not being posted to this blog in a timely fashion. Hopefully my morning post will show up shortly because blogs are useless if they aren't timely.

More soon...

A flower from the grounds of the Sheraton Biscayne Bay where I'm staying. It's a nice reminder that spring is only a few weeks away in Washington DC. I have meetings all day tomorrow but will have dinner in South Beach tomorrow night. Good times... 

E-business council

Dinner