Traverse City, Here We Come

My husband is on his way up to Traverse City this morning, to the Grand Traverse Resort (a lovely place, by the way) for his 8th HOSA State Conference. I'll head up tomorrow with Jamie (a friend of ours, one of Mark's groomsmen, who I would link to, but is a big ole blog quitter). Here are ten reasons why I really love going to the conference:
1. Mark and I had just started dating when he got this job - and I've never missed a State Conference. It's definitely one of those experiences that you can't understand until you've been there to see it - and I love that I've been to every one of them with Mark.
2. We stay in the super suite on the 15th floor - and I get my very own king-sized bed and jacuzzi tub for the first 3 nights. (Mark stays in a separate room, for some very good reasons I won't get into here *smile*)
3. Mark's best friends come to help him out - and seriously - if you judge a man by his friends (and really, you shouldn't judge people at all, but if you did) - Mark is the best guy in the world. He attracts some of the most genuine people I've ever known. It's really fun to hang out with them for a few days each year.
4. I get to coordinate the power point slides for the huge (over 1000 people) sessions each night - I know it doesn't sound like much fun, but it is when you try to flash a slide with the word "poop" on it without anyone noticing. Ah, sophisticated adult humor.
5. Saturday morning, I get hooked up with a 50-minute massage. Oh, bliss.
6. GREAT food. We eat at Traverse City staple restaurants like Don's Drive In, Ponderosa, Red Mesa Grill, and TraVino. I know you're jealous.
7. The teachers can be really fun - I've known some of them for almost 8 years now.
8. If it's nice - we can play tennis and walk around the golf courses. If it's not - we go to the pool, play ping pong, and hit the workout room. And play tennis at the indoor courts. (All on Saturday, after the conference is over, of course...)
9. It gets me out of my own stressful job for a couple of days, and lets me focus on making Mark's job easier and more enjoyable for him.
10. It's such a cool, tangible way to show love and support for people you care about. Coming to work at his conference is really (pardon my use of a slightly cliche phrase) speaking his love language.

I won't be back in town until Sunday, so my blog will be a little slow for the next few days. Enjoy your weekend!!