I haven't been so lucky finding time to post much this week. (See why I wasn't up for NaBloPoMo this year? See why it was such an accomplishment that I did it the past three years? When I have to work this conference every November? Accolades! I need accolades!)

Despite the ridiculous amount of work at this one with about twice the special events we normally hold, I did manage to come up with some successes throughout the week. Here are thirteen of them.

  1. Avoided a potentially negative and whiny meeting experience by passing out gifts.
  2. Kept my mouth shut when I handed an attendee a bag full of the most swag I'd ever been able to acquire sponsors for at this event and she peered in and said, "What, no HIGHLIGHTER?!?!?"
  3. Was able to spend less than a quarter of my per diem by swiping free food whenever possible and simply not having time to eat. I didn't even bring half of the money; I just put it in the bank to help pay for the extra day care I need while out of town. (Note to self: when practice marriage is over, remember these are things people without kids and pets do not have to worry about.)
  4. Managed not to say the word "assword" throughout my the length of both my presentations to the Assembly of Delegates and the Business Meeting. (Wasn't so lucky with the Board of Directors, though.)
  5. Did not react when Board of Directors members sitting on the front row of the Business Meeting snickered and waved while I talked about the password.
  6. Grabbed what I thought was my hotel key in the early, early morning and went quickly across the hall to get ice. Then when I went back to my door, looked down and saw I was holding a pick card. You may not think this is a good thing, but consider that I stopped myself from my original impulse to go out for the ice in my underwear since it was so early and so close.
  7. Managed to direct and pull off a major fundraiser while simultaneously dealing with a medical emergency in the bathroom.
  8. Had dinner at a Michael Symon restaurant where one meal cost three days' per diem. But since I averaged one meal per day for the rest of the week, it pretty much evened out in the end. Then a lovely friend offered to pay anyway and all I had to do was promis to visit him at the beach and return the favor (which I totally would have done for free, shhh). Also: totally worth the cost. Yummy.
  9. Found an outfit in my suitcase that had been there since last year's conference. Realized I don't travel that much. But it's a comfortable outfit so, it's a win.
  10. Successfully "tweeted" a conference. Managed to avoid taking three showers a day to wash off that filthy feeling.
  11. Helped judge an essay contest and managed to avoid becoming drunk with power. Now excuse me while I show all the contest applicants about the spots they missed while washing my car. *insert evil laughter here*
  12. Did not get sick and have to stay behind in the hotel an extra couple of days because I was too weak to crawl into a cab and get to the airport. (Wasn't so lucky on this front last year.)
  13. Managed to subsist on fewer than one Diet Coke and NO candy per day.
If that last one's not an accomplishment, I don't know what is.