I am so excited for the National Stuttering Association Conference! We leave tomorrow for St. Petersburg, Florida! There are so many things that I can’t wait to do! I can’t wait to meet up with 800 other people who stutter. I look forward to going to some great workshops. I can’t wait to hangout out by the pool to watch the 4th of July fireworks show with all of my friends, and going out to the bars at night to experience what the St. Petersburg night life has to offer. I can’t wait for the banquet where I will dance the night away with all of my NSA friends. I can’t wait to order food at a restaurant with all of my friends and watch the facial expressions from the waitress when she realizes that we all stutter. I can’t wait to have great conversations about stuttering, and where life has taken us over the past year. I can’t wait to go to the beach with all of my NSA friends! This is the one event that I look forward to the most all year
A message to first timers! This will be a turning point your life. I remember, very vividly, my first conference in Parsippany, New Jersey. I remember finding it very difficult at first to come out of my shell and start talking to people. If I see you walking around alone, I will come up to you to introduce myself! You will be happy that I did! I will introduce you to all of my friends and we will have a great conversation. I encourage you to introduce yourself to everyone you see, and proudly tell everyone that you are a person who stutters! You will meet hundreds upon hundreds of other people who stutter who have had similar experiences to you. You will lounge out by the pool with all of your fellow stuttering friends as we watch fireworks and celebrate the 4th of July. You will sit around in the hotel lobby in little alcove areas and talk about stuttering and life in general. You will dance the night away at the banquet as DJ Stutter spins beats for us. You will meet life long friends! You can meet me too! Come and find me! I’ll have my sea green stuttering bracelet on, along with my dark blue autism awareness bracelet! You’ll see me talking with friends outside the conference workshops, and you’ll see me presenting my workshop,”Getting the Word Out” on Saturday afternoon!
This is a very short list because I want to hear from you guys!
For all of you conference regulars, what are you looking forward to most about this conference?
For all of you first timers, what are you looking forward to? What are you most nervous about?
i wish i could afford to go to this for 2013. 🙁 i would love to meet other stutterers.
The NSA does offer financial assistance. There is more information on their website. http://www.westutter.org