the best conference of 'o9

january was so long ago, that it almost doesn't qualify for 'o9.
january is often such an insignificant month, don't you think?
and yet, i've already mentioned my january trip THREE TIMES in this year-in-review.

it was THAT good.

the whole reason i went to New Orleans was to attend the annual Hampton Inn conference, a yearly gathering of GMs and executives and themed dinners. i *love* conference. i love the chance to get away from my little town at the end of the earth and play cosmopolitan girl. i love exploring new airports (okay, not really). i love missing my family a little bit.

conference has taken place in Las Vegas and D.C. and Orlando. and New Orleans. (any guesses for 2010? it's BIG. y'all.)

i am a bit of a conference dork, in that i love the general sessions and the motivational speakers. i love being recognized as one of the top performing managers in my brand. i love navigating buffet lines with my GM friends from all over north carolina and more.



the underlying theme of conference this year was "building your circle of friends." my circle and i have taken this idea and run with it this year. my circle had become my sanity, my sounding board, my mentors and best friends. i appreciate Hampton for lighting the spark that fueled even greater connections with contemporaries i already liked and admired. for creating friendships among acquaintances.



the best of 2oo9

the best night out of o9

it was a day that transitioned into a night.
it was a "college reuinion."
it was a creative Saturday.













the best of 2oo9

the best article of o9

i can't recall one singular article that bore sharing this past year. i am an admitted "news snacker" - one who gets their news in snippets and tweets and sound bytes. what can i say? i've always loved the intro paragraph.

i will say that i spent the most time reading up on H1N1, and the pros and cons of vaccination. i am a child of Public Health Iliterally - my father retired from the Centers for Disease Control.)

i vaccinate.

the best of 2oo9

best restaurant experience of 'o9

small town living = limited "dining out" experience :( for three foodies like the ericksons, that can be a real challenge.

however,

for the (almost) ten years that we've lived near wilmington, we've talked about stopping at a place called Flaming Amy's Burrito Barn. a few months back, jack was off at a birthday party, and matty and i found ourselves in Amy's neighborhood (sorry, jack!)

wow. the burrito barn did NOT disappoint. the burritos were the size of my head! and i could have subsisted entirely on their bottomless chips and salsa bar. oh, yes. a salsa bar. ginger lime salsa. wasabi salsa. black bean salsa. chipotle salsa.

and, for 45 minutes, matty and i relished a meal together. the two of us. no crayons or DS games at the table. no "finish your dinner," or "you have to go to the bathroom NOW?" (does anyone else have children who are fascinated with using restaurant bathrooms?)

Amy, we will be back. soon. with our 8 1/2 year old foodie in tow. after all, someone's got to help us get to the bottom of that bottomless basket of chips!

the best of 2oo9

the best trip of 'o9

i had two.

the first: new orleans. where i fell back in love with myself.
the second: walt disney world. where i fell back in love with my family.

the best of 2oo9