Hey again,

So, after yesturday's blog I went back to my room to find Noah bouncing off the walls he was so excited. He and my wife went to Discovery Cove where he got to swim with the dolphins and was pull across the water for a while by dolphins. I got some really nice picutres of him swimming and kissing the dolphins.

Then, Noah, Holly and I went to Magic Kingdom until 1 a.m. We rode as many rides as we could ride in one night. You know they close the parks at 11 p.m., but if you're staying in one of these hotels they'll let you stay until 1. Then, I got up this morning at 6:30 to hear Lou Holtz. He was great.

He gave a motivational speech that was really moving. He spoke about the choices we make, how you treat other people, how you ought to live your life, and how we all pretty much determine our own success. I agreed with him.

Afterward, I went over to get a book signed by Lou Holtz in the Exhibit Hall and noticed the line wasn't moving because he was personalizing each message. He stayed long after he was scheduled so that he could sign everyones book. So, that was really nice.

I decided to check out the Exhibit Hall. Among other things, I bought a new camera. I really liked the presentation I saw last year in San Diego by one of the exhibitors ( I can't remember the name) but I didn't buy the camera then and as soon as I got back to the office I kicked myself for not buying it Then, I kicked myself even harder this year when they were, of course, a little more expensive, but I had to have them.

I had an Exhibitor Advisory Council this morning too. It went pretty well, they are all looking forward to Baltimore next year and they gave us a bunch of new ideas.

So, then I went to pick up Squirt from Animal Kingdom and now I'm headed out to the pool with her. This hotel has a slide for the kids so we thought we'd check that out. Then, it'll be nap time for me and Kendal because tonight is the Premier Celebration and I'm really looking forward to that.

I'll let you know how everything goes!

Talk to you soon,
Paul

Hey there,

I'm Paul, the AGD Annual Meetings Council chairperson. I'm down here in Florida enjoying this great Orlando meeting, and I thought you all might like to hear about it.

Yesterday started with a really nice speech from Capt. James Lovell of Apollo 13. It was a fantastic way to start out the meeting, and it really put things into perspective later in the day when we experienced a glitch with the microphones in the House of Delegates. At least we weren't in space making potentially fatal decisions; it was just that no one could hear us - which may have been for the best!

After the Opening Session, we all crowded around Mickey and Minnie to watch the ribbon cutting and opening of the Exhibit Hall. It's hard not to just follow Mickey around with a smile.

Later on in the day I ran into some old classmates that I haven't seen since our 20 year reunion. Crazy! Then, I just spent some time popping in and out of lectures. All the courses here--one lecture about tissue management was interesting, and then a course on products under $1000 was really great. Oh, and a photography lecture that looked like it offered a good amount of information.

Then, on the governance side, there's been a lot of talk about the elections. The AGD has one of its first contested elections in a long time. I think every election should be contested - there's so many great people in the AGD, but this is our first in a while.

While I'm walking around indoors, Holly, my wife, took our kids Noah and Kendal to MGM. This hotel is great--they have a boat that takes you right to the MGM, so the kids really liked that. When they came back from the park, it started raining so Noah wanted to go swimming. He kept saying there was no lightning - so he wanted to swim.

So, then it was off to the Welcome Reception in the Exhibit Hall with free food for all the attendees. It went well. There were lots of folks in the hall so the exhibitors must have been pleased. I got to speak with a couple of them that were getting ready to take their Fellowship Exam the next day - they were so nervous! They kept asking me what I studied and what they should be doing. They weren't sure they studied enough. I just told them if they took the course offered by Region 17 (Military) here at the meeting the day before and had reviewed the study guide (not skim, but review) that they'd be fine.

Well, that's just about enough of me talking. If you're here in Orlando with me, you guys should let me know what you're up to, what you think, or what courses you're taking. If your not here, let me know why not.

I'm headed to the Student Happy Hour tonight and then Magic Kingdom with the kids. Tomorrow, I have a Disney Character Breakfast and a meeting with a group of Exhibitors to find out how they're liking it -- I'll let you know how everything goes!

Talk to you soon,

Paul