CHERUBS 2009 Conference???

[mariluornelas]

yep yep... san antonio sounds great!!!
jeje (my city is too small and boring)

[KimberlySwitzer]

Im excited!! Do you have any dates in mind Dawn?

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

Sometime in July, no date set yet. Will probably depend on the best rate we can get for a conference room.

[KimberlySwitzer]

I vote for anytime other than the first weekend I have a weekend long country concert then and Tim McGraw is going, I cannot wait!!!

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

LOL, Kim. Because of the 4th of July holiday here that's not an option for us anyway so you're safe on that weekend!

[KimberlySwitzer]

YAY, that makes me even more excited!!

[MelissaKelly]

Well, like I said, I know little to nothing about San Antonio other than the river walk, but I can try and help out. Let me know what you need.

Did you look at Corpus Christi at all? I guarantee it's less expensive than SA and it's smaller, which can be nicer for people traveling here. I'm being pushy, I'll admit, but I know I can deliver a lot of support from this town and I don't have any contacts in SA, medical or personal.

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

Mel, we're open to different towns. Let's pull together and see what each place offers. Here is what we go by in selecting towns:

- CDH hospital (in case one of the cherubs get sick)
- Airport
- Tourist attractions, especially for kids (which we sorely lacked in Raleigh... won't make that mistake again!)
- A good deal on a hotel conference room
- Affordable hotel rooms (families have to pay for their own rooms)
- Non-smoking rooms (cherubs lungs are delicate - they can have smoking rooms, just far away from the cherubs please)
- Decent weather (we can't deal with 100 degree weather for some of these kids who aren't used to it)


I will admit this past conference I did not do such a hot job with the hotel! I swear when I booked them last spring they were not under construction, the pool was fine, they were much more accommodating! By summer it all went down hill and we were very disappointed. We will be much careful with the hotel for next year.

The weather and the attractions are appealing for San Antonio and Dr. Lally gave us 3 hospitals there capable of dealing with CDH kids. So that's why I was liking that town. But we are open to different towns!

Let's just decide by the beginning of the year at the latest - we have a lot of work to do!

[MelissaKelly]

Fair enough.

I'll grant that the tourist stuff is better in SA (they have seaworld and all that), but as I mentioned we do have the Texas State Aquarium, beaches and a nice bay front (they rent out neat family size bikes and stuff and it's not so big that it's unmanageable for little kids). We also have a baseball team (I'm really not into sports, I think they're AAA? I could find out) if people were interested in that.

We have an international airport and an awesome hospital (where Michael lived for almost his first year), and I'm very well acquainted with all six of the critical care specialists that run it, preparing them for possible cherub guests would be no problem.

All of Corpus Christi's restaurants are non-smoking and I would be happy to look into the hotels if you'd like. As far as weather, anywhere in Texas in July is going to be hot. =) CC is about the same as SA, just windier.

I'm happy to help, wherever you choose. Let me know what you need. I could take pictures of a few spots and make some calls to get ideas on pricing, if you want.

[Chris and TracyMeats]

I was bummed it was not in CA, but we will have to see what goes on in July to go to Texas. If you are going to have it in Texas, I think you should have it in a location that some members are familiar with and can help plan. I think if Mel is willing to pitch in a lot of hard work, Corpus Christi could be awesome!! I got on a Corpus Christi website and the aquarium, the USS Lexington, and the beach sounds great and good activities for the kids. My boys love aquariums and would love to see a beach!! Like Mel said, they have a great hospital, for look how well Michael is doing!! How far is San Antonio from you Mel?

I do have to ask--when is hurricane season it Texas? I am totally afraid of being caught in a natural disaster.