Can I move now, please?

The view from my window

I took the red eye back from SUNNY, WARM San Diego on Friday night, arriving back in RAINY, COLD Rochester around 9:45am on Saturday. Really, what a wet, dark, cold slap in the face. San Diego is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, the weather was perfect (sunny, warm/hot, not humid), and the area we were staying in was very nice, and within short walking distance to many sites (the USS Midway and other historic ships/boats, Petco baseball stadium, the downtown area) and shopping venues (like the Seaport Village right next to the Manchester Grand Hyatt, where we were staying). 

The week was bittersweet as I attended my last NAGAP board meeting, and we were all feeling sad with the realization that this is the last time many of us would be together as a group for a while. Still, we managed to have many, many laughs. The conference itself was really worthwhile as well, and I am going back to work tomorrow feeling professionally refreshed and bursting with new ideas. One really cool aspect of the conference was the Thursday night off-site event on the USS Midway. I have never been on an aircraft carrier and it was truly amazing. Soooo interesting! With a growing awareness of my claustrophobia, I know there is now way I could ever be in the lower levels for a ship for months on end. It was amazing.

While there, one of my NAGAP friends married his partner of 18 years. We were all so honored to be able to share in Dave and Leo's special day, and it was a wonderful end to a wonderful week. Next year the conference will be in New Orleans, another place I have not been, so, budget willing, I'll see my friends again and we can pick up where we left off!