Costa Rica Midyear Meeting update

So now that everyone has received their registration materials, I am hopeful that your completed forms are on their way to the national office. When your registration form is received, you will receive a mailing which outlines all of the activities our travel partners, TAM Travel, has to offer you while visiting Costa Rica. Or you can go to the website - AAMLCostaRica2012.com - and click on activities on the right column, and check out all of the activities yourself! By the way, my thanks to my son-in-law, Preston Noon, for designing the website for us.

We will have representatives of TAM Travel at the meeting to assist you in planning activities if you wish to wait until you arrive in Costa Rica. There are a few activities which I strongly recommend if you have the time and inclination to participate. The Scarlet Macaw Sanctuary is simply breathtaking. It is combined with a boat ride and a trip through sugar fields, but when you arrive at the Sanctuary and you see these beautiful endangered birds up close and personal, it is a sight you will never forget. And although some of the injured ones are in cages, most of them fly freely in the Sanctuary and will stand three feet away with you jealously looking at the fresh fruit provided to you by the Sanctuary. It is a sight that should not be missed.

Of course Costa Rican coffee is reputed to be the best in the world (just ask them). We will have trips available to check out a coffee plantation and see how the beverage goes from beans to Starbucks. And not to encourage cigar smoking, but there is a local native rolling cigars for you in our hotel lobby. If you are into deep sea fishing, Costa Rica is renown as the best in the world. And the only West Coast marina is right next door to the hotel!

And how can I write a blog without mentioning golf. The course at the Marriott Los Suenos - La Iguana - is challenging, yet fun. And, of course, is in the middle of the rain forest. The registration forms are pouring in for the annual AAML Open Golf Tournament. If you are a beginner do not be afraid to join in. There are always many beginners in the group and they always have a great time. So don't let lack of experience scare you off: A scramble format (where everyone on your team hits the first ball and your team then selects the best ball from which to hit the second shot) means that it doesn't matter if you ever hit a good shot. There will always be someone on your team that will get you to the green safe and sound. And everyone can putt. So join and enjoy!

Remember that we recommend you take the party bus to and from the airport and hotel. Also, remember that your passport must NOT expire until three months after you arrive. Just to make it simple, make sure your passport does not expire until at least July 1, 2012.

Lots of things happening in the next several months. The AICPA / AAML conference in Las Vegas should need no introduction. My thanks to David Levy for doing such an incredible job year after year with this program. There is a link on the calendar for the registration form to the program, being held this year at the new Aria Resort on the strip, May 9 - 12. The superb Institute for Family Law Associates will be in Chicago June 21 - 24 (and my continued thanks to Tom Ries, Richard Jacobs, and Pat Lasher for organization and directing the program). And the next Negotiation Seminar has been set for July 13 - 14, also in Chicago (thanks to Cheryl Hepfer and Elizabeth Lindsey).

I am excited to be traveling to the Florida Chapter later this week for my first Executive Committee meeting. I am looking forward to seeing all of my Florida friends and Fellows. In the upcoming months I will be traveling to Missouri, Louisville, Savannah, Orlando. Las Vegas (for the AICPA conference), and my next Executive Committee meeting will be in mid May in Napa, California. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to get to know so many Fellows from across the country. We are truly blessed to have such great friends and fellows in our organization and I appreciate the profound hospitality always shown to me during my visits. Please stop by and say "hi" when I am in your town!

Ken