What a Week!

One of the things I love most about working in collegiate recreation is our national association.  It has given me a chance to find mentors in those that have come before me, make connections with people my age, and mentor the next generation of recreation professionals.  Each year, we have a national conference where we get together to network, learn and (of course) have fun!

This past week, I got to go to Tampa for the 2012 National Conference and it was one of the best I've ever been to!  This is my sixth conference, and it definitely rivals Minneapolis for the spot as my favorite.  Everything was close by, the weather was great and some of my best NIRSA friends were there to make the week great!

I had a lot going on this week... it was one of my busiest conferences yet.  The highlight for me was getting the chance, as the chair of an award committee, to present this year's award winners in front of the entire association at the opening session.  I was nervous, but I got tons of compliments on my presentation and it was amazing to get to finish my role as the conference chair by meeting and honoring this year's winners.

I had a presentation just about every day, and I felt like I was busy the whole time.  This is the first year that I've ever been so tired that the latest I stayed out was 1:00 am, which is fairly early when you find out the next day that the people you started the night with were out until 3:00 am or 5:00 am... thank goodness I went home before then!

I came home with a crappy cold, and part of me wishes that the conference was longer so I didn't have to go back to work tomorrow, but at the same time, it was such an amazing chance to get a break from work.  It's amazing how there can be people in your life who you can see once a year, and yet, they are some of the people who you feel know you better than some of the people that see you every day.

I'm sure the next few weeks will be filled with reminiscent emails as we approach the summer, and it's kind of sad to me that there are so many people that I don't see more than once a year, at a 4 day conference, but this is going to bring me back to work energized, renewed and ready to finish up our last 5 weeks of school.