This was also her first time on a plane. She did wonderfully, and entertained everyone on all four planes with her cooing and gurgling and smiling.
When we arrived, this sign in the convention center welcomed us!
The first thing we did when we got to the hotel was check out the bed. Luckily it met with the approval of even the harshest critic. (Kennedy did in fact have her own crib, complete with baby toiletries supplied by the hotel... but I confess she ended up spending more time in the real bed with me.)
Another exciting part of the trip was all the fun restaurants we got to try out. Here we are at a great Thai place, sitting on the floor. Of course, that's pretty much par for the course with Kennedy.
She enjoyed the breakfast buffet at our hotel, as well.
It was cooler there than it is in Florida, so Kennedy got a chance to show off her fun winter gear. This owl hat got appreciative comments from every passerby we met. (It is pretty adorable...)
And this heavy-duty snow suit did its job but was not as much fun to wear. (You know it's bad if Kennedy isn't smiling, she smiles all the time!)
The conference itself was also fun. It's the first time I've been and not presented, so it was like a little vacation for me, catching up with colleagues from other places, seeing old friends, etc. We went to a few talks, although Kennedy's newfound trick of "talking" loudly prevented much more attendance.
My biggest disappointment was the fact that, for liability reasons, Kennedy was not allowed in the exhibit hall - which is one of the reasons to go to the conference in the first place! I know it's their policy and all, but it was frustrating and discouraging to me. A friend, in protest, photoshopped this picture:
(I'm thinking of posting it on ACTFL's facebook page...!)
As usual, Kennedy behaved wonderfully and was the ideal travel companion. I am, however, glad that I'm not planning any more trips for the near future!
