ODC-Oregon Dental Conference

I love Portland for all the blossoming trees they have. Many trees start blooming in March and continue on for a couple months-or until a hard rain comes and knocks them off.

This line of trees lines the sidewalk near David's house. I was walking over one day all grumpy and I looked up and the beauty worked to cheer me up. I had to stop and try to capture the smell and color of these lovely cheery blossoms.

Oregon Dental Conference was Thursday-Saturday this week. I attended all 3 days. Really really good classes! Saturday I had a 2 hour lunch. I decided to go over to the Saturday Market. I was so happy to see the lines and lines of trees along the waterfront were in full bloom.

Even though there was no rain it was still chilly. My cheeks look really cold and chubby.

This is the bridge slightly under the other big bridge. This one is for bikes and walkers and runners etc. This is the first time I walked over the Willamette River! It was amazing! I cannot believe I have not walked over a bridge in Portland yet.

The line of blossoming trees from the walking bridge. How pretty is this sky line? Maybe it is the river and the trees and then the sky line.

I found this bag at Sat Market. It is red corduroy and a canvas type of polka dot. For me this bag is perfect for work. I can take my book, my lunch, my purse etc all in there and the straps are strong and not too long. The bag is washable so I can set it down on the floor of train and know I can wash off the crud. I have been looking for such a bag for months. I am thrilled with my purchase.

This is the other side. It is a reversible bag. The polka dots are sewn to make pockets. So now the pockets are inside the bag. I loved it. There were so many other colors. There was a brown/green on I really wanted also. The young lady working the booth said that they would not be there on Sundays but every Sat. I had the suspicion that this lady and her mom who make the bags are LDS. So I willingly paid the $40 for this great bag that I could have made myself for cheaper but gotta support the troops right?

I almost always purchase flowers from Sat Market. But I did not want to hold the large bouquet during my last class. My plan was to get out of class at the scheduled 4:30 and get over to the market and purchase the flowers before they closed at 5. Well at 4:45 my speaker was still talking. I did not hear a thing he said after 4:30. So why did I stay? Well in Oregon to claim your CE you need a code. They do not give it to you until the end. I was staring down the woman with the code and willing her to just flash the code and then I could leave. Finally I got the code and walked over the bridge and made it to the flower stand at 4:59. They were long gone. I was crushed. Luckily I had the fragrance of the blossoms and the great walk over to take my mind off the pain of loosing the flowers.

All in all the ODC was wonderful. The Forensic Odontology class was gross and shocking and totally good. The posture class was the best ever! He had really really good info regarding posture for everyone. The CPR class was the same group who did it 2 years ago when I needed to certify. They are funny and make the long class fun. The speaker who went over was from Boston and specialized in children and adults with disabilities. He was amazing but long winded due to his passion for helping. I also took a class from the board of dentistry regarding record keeping. That was informative and useful to keep myself from being sued. I also attended a Oregon required class called Medical Emergencies. Two local oral surgeons presented that class. It was good and useful and a good reminder how to treat complications in the dental chair. All in all it was a wonderful conference and while I did not go peddling for a toothbrush I still feel like I got the maximum out of the conference.

PS. I did meet up with Natalie Carrigan from WSU. She has been dating a man since Jan. He recently went to SLC to meet her fam over General Conference. I am thrilled for her. She is working in Salem OR. Jessee Figura (WSU-curly curly curly hair) also works in Salem. It is a small world.