UDA

To begin my adventure I must rewind time a bit. I live in the basement apt of Joe and Sara Melling. Ok so Joe and Sara own several houses and one is in Riverton. They needed a dining room table and 6 chairs to me taken to Riverton house. Since I was going to the Utah Dental Association dental convention on Feb 14-15 I said I could take it. So Tues night Sara and I loaded the large table and 6 chairs into my little Ranger. We tarped and it and tied it down.

Then Wed morning I woke early because I needed to get to West Kearns elementary to teach my friend Andrea's 6th grade class about biofilm, bacteria and brushing by noon. I start on my way and got to Parowan and needed to pull over and adjust the tarp because the wind was so bad it was wipping it off the chairs. The weather forecast stated the probability of snow so that is why we tarped it. Then I had to stop and Panguitch turn-off for another adjustment. It was so annoying. So by time I made it to SLC I was tired of the table and chairs, the wind and not being able to see in my blind spot.

I get to the elementary school and had school lunch with Andrea. It was so fun! I have not had school lunch for such a long time. After lunch I presented my lecutre about brushing flossing and overall good oral hygiene as well and the evil caries causing bacteria. It was a lot of fun. Her kids were so great. They listened and showed respect. In return they got toothpaste, floss and toothbrush. I really enjoyed teaching them.

After school Andrea and I headed down to Riverton to deliver the table. I had to go from 3600 S to about 12600 S so not too far. Well just at that moment SLC was experiencing a severe blizzard. The wind was horrific. The snow drifts were deep and I was sliding all over the place. At one point I was merging onto Bangater Highway and I fishtailed. I knew I was safe but worried about the table and chairs falling out causing an accident and hurting someone else. So I swore and prayed to God in the same breath. I hope He understood. After a white nuckle drive and 1,000 prayers later I made it to Rivertong and unloaded the table. The table and chairs--which had soft suede seats, were covered in snow. Throughout the day with all the wind the tarp had ripped. The gaping holes and continued wind allowed 5 inches of snow to fall onto the fabric charis. I was freaking out. Now Alethea (Sara's sis) is holing up in the Riverton house for a little while but has not supplied. I could not find a towel or anything to dry the table and chairs off with. So I ended up leaving them dripping in the garage. The ironic thing here is all the time I spent adjusting the tarp and making sure it was secure and it ended up being ripped to shreds anyway...ha ha ha.

Thurs and Fri were much better. Thrus commute was a little iffy but I made it! UDA put on a good convention. I was planning on going to the lecture given my Ester Wilkins. Ester is a guru of Dental Hygiene. She is 400 years old and instead of a power point she used an overhead with tranperancies that she had written on. I was taken back to dental meds class with Dr Soderberg and after a moment of respective silence I got up and left. I just did not have enough love for this dear old woman who has been a pioneer for dental hygiene.

As I left I realized once again that I am a dental hygienist freak. In school I felt this way. I am older. I am fatter. I dont wear Dickies scrubs. I dont have cute hair--just a pony tail or french braid is my style. I dont have the cute silverless smile that the traditional dental hygienist does. When I was in school this really bothered me. I was nervous about getting a job because I did not look like a RDH. But I did get a job and while one my Drs would not have hired me because of my looks, luckily the other two out voted him! I feel like I have contributed to the dental profession. I have worked hard and treated a lot of perio. So it was wierd for me to feel this insecurity again. After I relaxed I laughed and chalked it up to Mair being Mair. So the classes I attended at the conference were very rewarding for me and I enjoyed them very much. I learned a lot and so even though I was one of the few RDH in attendance I got my moneys worth...