Prosthodontic meeting in Chicago

Wednesday night I drove to Chicago after I got done with school. Wyatt went to Cedar Falls with Daddy on Wednesday morning, and Grandma Muffy is watching him until Friday when Aaron brings him back to Iowa City. Wednesday night was an interesting drive to say the least. On my way, I called to let the hotel know that I would be checking in later. Well, they told me my reservation wasn't until Thursday night. Um. Yikes. So... I called Aaron in a panic, and he told me not to worry about it and he took care of it all. What a problem solver I married!!! He actually got me a better room for a cheaper price than I had originally booked. What can I say? He's good! So here is my room at the Westin Chicago River North. It's no Marriott... :)

I even have an iMac computer in my room - too bad that Mac's don't have SD card readers built in like PC's do, or I would have posted last night. I couldn't even get Facebook to work right on the Mac. But... I also couldn't get the wireless to work on my laptop last night, so I couldn't blog then. Tonight the wireless works on my computer - I don't think I did anything differently!

I even have a fainting couch in my room. The view is of downtown Chicago.

A king-size bed all to myself! :)

Anyway, this morning we headed down to check in to the American Prosthodontic Society meeting around 7:15. They had a continental breakfast, then the program began at 8 am. We listened to speakers all morning, then we went to the business luncheon (so boring) and then had more speakers until 5:40 pm!!! My brain was fried after all of that. Some were very interesting, some were boring, and some of it was a little overwhelming. There are just so many systems out there in restorative dentistry, and there are different indications for the use of each of them. But it was kind of exciting to see some of the potential for improving smiles - yes, I'm kind of a nerd. :) I had a few funny moments today when I kind of put my foot in my mouth with some things I said. At breakfast, one of the APS members asked me if I was planning to do Pros. I said no at first, then I said "Well, I plan to DO pros (crowns, bridges, dentures, etc.), I just don't plan on specializing in pros." I think I could have been a little more polite about it - I kind of laughed when people asked if I was planning on specializing in pros. I just don't want to spend 3-5 years of my life waxing teeth and being made to feel like an idiot. At another point in the day, one of my instructors from the dental school came over to talk to my classmate Christi. She looked at me and didn't recognize me at first. So then I said, "Well, I'm not pregnant anymore." And I motioned an outline of a belly. (I worked with this instructor when I was pregnant last year) I guess you had to be there. Sometimes it's awkward to make small talk with instructors outside of the dental school. :)

Anyway, Christi and I went to Harry Caray's restaurant for dinner tonight. It's literally a block from our hotel, so we just walked. I went there with Aaron's family when we came to Chicago before for an Iowa Hawkeye football game, so I knew it was good! We were not disappointed tonight - great food, and we had a chance to unwind after a long day. We got dessert to go, and I have been relaxing in the hotel room since.

I miss Aaron and Wyatt so much!!! Tomorrow is a shorter day, and then I will head back to Iowa City.