Day 55 -- Surprise!

We have come to Miami for the REEA (Real Estate Educators Association) national convention, and it has been vague to me why we are at this meeting.  Bill told me a couple of months ago that he had to come to this meeting on behalf of the Texas Real Estate Commission to accept some kind of award or something on behalf of the commission.  He never could tell me exactly what the award was and he told me he thought they were sending him as a kind of farewell thank you for his service with the commission as his term expires this year, and so he will leave them unless reappointed by the governor.  He has served for 12 years so that is a long time, and he is grateful for that privilege.  So as I have done for years, I came with him as the "trailing spouse" to yet another real estate convention--and I don't mind because I like to travel and am ready and packed whenever he's got to go somewhere.  He told me the main thing he had to attend was the installation and award ceremony on Saturday morning so we got up early and got ourselves ready and went to the 8:00 a.m. general session.  Because I know nothing about this organization nor any of the people in it, I just followed along and listened to the litany of all the things about the REEA organization and its leadership, etc. etc.  I'm kind of following along with the agenda we were given, and it comes time for awards and they give the first one to a real estate online company for their adaptation of their courses to comply with the new Texas updated rules (which are created by the recommendations of the Education Standards Advisory Committee which I  chair and which the commissioners have to ok, Bill one of those people.  I thought that was really nice that the company got an award for that.  Next was an award named for some previous person who has died named Larry Outlaw I think, and the person who is presenting award is talking and a powerpoint is going, and suddenly, my picture flashing up on the large screen powerpoint presentation.  It takes a minute for me to realize that I am personally being given a national award from this national real estate educator's association for my work on the TREC education standards advisory committee which I have chaired since its inception 4 years ago!  I am called to the stage and given a beautiful award for the work that has been done by the ESAC committee under my chairmanship to revise and update the required real estate courses in Texas for licensure in Texas and for our requirements for instructor training.  My dear husband and closest friends had kept this secret for some months in order to get me here to Miami to receive the award.  I am still having a hard time believing it and certainly feel like my whole committee earned the award, not just me.  What a crazy and unbelievable thing to happen to me, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to serve with a great committee whose contributions to real estate education are honored. So, as it turns out, the whole Miami trip was for me to receive the award and for this I thank all the TREC leadership and education department who made this surprise happen!

After all that hoopla this morning, Bill and I got out and explored a little more of the Miami area.  We decided to go to Little Havana area of town because Bill had promised to bring some people cigars.  It was a busy little area of town and reminded us a great deal of Mexico.  He found the cigars and that's really about all we did down there.

Little Havana

The art in Little Havana is part of the culture

Next we drop out to the edge of the Everglades, but there really wasn't much to see so we didn't linger.  On the way back to the hotel, we had to drive by the Marlin's baseball arena, and they were about to have a game with the Cubs.  Traffic was somewhat crazy.  They have a beautiful ball park from the outside and it is right downtown Miami

Miami Marlin's stadium

For dinner we went to Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant in Miami Beach--it was wonderful!  Two of the TREC staff from the Education Department went with us and we had a great time!

Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant

Lobster, shrimp and stone crab legs

How do you go about eating this thing?