I had a chance to experience my second conference of the month this weekend. While it’s not typical for me as a busy mom to indulge in two conferences so close together, these two opportunities were too good to pass up. So, Daddy had soccer duty (four games in all) on Saturday while I headed out to the conference site, here in Fargo this time, ready to grow in knowledge of what it takes to thrive in the profession of communications.
I mentioned in a post-conference essay a few weeks ago that good food (and the luxury of not having to prepare meals) is among the wonderful perks of conference-going. The spring conference of the North Dakota Professional Communicators this weekend was no exception. The pasta bar at lunch and the London broil with seasoned potatoes and fresh green beans at the VIP Room for dinner really topped off the experience, not to mention the homemade dessert:
The conference ended with the presenting of the Communicator of Achievement Award, as well as other award-giving, in particular those for the 2010 NDPC Communications Contest. I was very pleased to learn that entries for my parenting columns received both first- and second-place honors. The first-place entry will go on to nationals. I felt honored to accept my awards and enjoyed watching fellow communicators receive theirs.
In case you missed them when they first appeared, here are two of the four columns (two per entry) that garnered the awards:
Stay or Go: A Mother’s Perspective on Valley Flooding
Twelve Days of Christmas and Chaos
And speaking of awards, I have been feeling terribly guilty because, while I have received various blogging awards from blogging friends in the last six months or so, I have yet to reciprocate. And even though these honors are perhaps less distinguised than the more formal sort, they are the way we bloggers give thumbs-up to one another and I definitely feel there are bloggers in my midst deserving of the same awards I’ve been so delighted to receive.
For example, last Friday, I received the “The Beautiful Blogger” award by Laura at Wavy Lines:
That made my day! So now I’d like to turn back to the blogosphere and award some of my most beautiful blogging friends the same. There are many worthy recipients. These are just a few that have brought a particular spark of beauty to my life lately. If you have a moment today, please visit them:
Liz @ Random Thoughts of a Lutheran Geek
Kim @ Kim’s Pondering Beyond Breast Cancer
Who in your life deserves an award this week?
Congrats on these well-deserved awards, Roxane! To consistently win awards for your column must be great affirmation. You sure are on the right track!
And glad the food was up to snuff. You can’t go wrong with a pasta bar. And that dessert you photographed…oh, my! 😛
Congratulations on your awards Rox! I’m so pleased for you. Many thanks for the beatiful blogger award – I’m truly touched!
Miss you,
Marie
Congratulations on your awards, Roxane! Your articles are wonderful! I sure hope you win at Nationals. 🙂
My cousin deserves an award this week! She and her husband just welcomed their first child, a girl, this weekend. It was a difficult pregnancy, bed rest and lots of worry, but mommy and baby are well, healthy, and happy. She definitely deserves an award for her strength and courage!
Christina, the dessert was even better than it looks. You don’t get homemade desserts all that often any more. Wish I could have shared it with you. 🙂
Marie, you’re welcome! Looking forward to seeing you soon.
And Laura, your cousin definitely deserves an award! Catholic convert Kimberly Hahn calls a pregnancy a “promotion,” which I just love. And it’s wonderful of you to recognize just how great a feat this is! 🙂 A new soul has just entered the world and the world will never be quite the same.
Roxane, Congrats on your prestigious awards. (that’s a hard word to spell!) Well earned! Well done! Thanks so much for honoring me with a Beautiful Blogger award.
Wow – what an accomplishment, Roxane! Congratulations on your column awards. I hope you do well at the national level as well. And congrats on your Beautiful Blogger award, too. 🙂
Mary and Shannon, thanks. 🙂
Roxane,
A delayed Congrats to you! How exciting…desserts and awards!! Enjoyed reading your parenting blog post today!
Blessings, k.
Congratulations on the well-deserved awards!!
That food sounds good. I was just at a conference where there was no breakfast, no dinner, and an icky lunch. It was a bummer. I like your blog…and your M,W,F watering schedule. 🙂
Thanks Jenny! Bummer about the conference. I don’t know that I’ve ever attended a conference with bad food, so I hope that was an exception to the rule and that the next one will be better.
Thanks for the award and congratulations on yours. One of these days I’ll have to get to a writing conference myself and see what get sparked.