My personal top ten things from the conference. I invites other to do the same.  See you all in Cleveland. Gregg B.

10. The Opening Ceremony (after 13 conferences, it still thrills me beyond imagination)
9. Watching Vicki as she realized she won Member of the year
8. 34 people in the hot tub at 1 am
7. Meeting Jerome from Detroit , MI
6. Steve Kaufman at karaoke -- like watching Clark Kent stepping into a phone booth, tuxedo and all (we need to talk about the white socks, Steve)
5. The two guest speakers -- like a one-two punch to your soul
4. The great lunch specials
3. I'll never complain about the heat in NYC ever again (I believe one day hit 118)
2. Tammy seems to make every conference better
1. Seeing old friends and making new ones

Pam Mertz
10. Getting very little sleep and really not caring at all.
9. Hearing covert stutterers tell thier story and shed some fears and remembering where I was only 3 years ago and of course crying
8. Being interviewed by a doctoral student about my journey with covert stuttering, complete with free stuttering and heartfelt emotions
7. Getting dressed up and enjoying the Saturday banquet, including pitstops in various different places
6. Having dinner with new and old friends Friday night in "town" and trying bang bang chicken and shrimp for the first time
5. Having Gary, an SLP from Oregon, seek me out to meet me and let me know he has included a piece from an article I wrote on his graduate class final exam. Wow!
4. Meeting people for the first time who I have communicated with on Facebook. I felt like I already knew them.
3. Spending time with new friends at the pool until wee hours of the morning, one new friend in particular, who touched my heart.
2. Doing a workshop about dealing with fears and getting thumbs-up from very influential SLPs who were in the audience. That was so affirming.
1. Being recognized with award for 2009 Volunteer of the Year and being overcome with joy and tears at the same time. I was shocked and honored
 

stacmacfitz
1. Meeting up again with my buddies from conventions past and picking up just where we left off.
2. Seeing how many First Timers there were. I have a feeling they are hooked. :)
3. Meeting new people.
4. Attending one of the kids' workshops and hearing about what they had put on their t-shirts. Good job!
5. Seeing a proud dad sing "Hero" to his little girl at Karaoke night.
6. When the teens tore up those words that used to bring them down, at the closing ceremony...powerful stuff, guys!
7. That beautiful resort with a wonderful, educated staff, that handled stuttering with grace and patience
8. The fact that the little coffee shop didn't change their procedure and asked me my name for my coffee order! It was a stuttering convention, but that made it a 'real world' situation, too.
9. Being able to pick up free information at the registration desk, to take home so the educating can continue
10. Seeing the spouses, parents, siblings and other loved ones who don't stutter, coming to support the ones you love.
11. Do I only get 10?

Vicki Schutter's top ten:
10. Doug Scott being at the conference again after 8 years. It was just like old times!
9. Talking with old and new friends at dinner Wed. night.
8. Getting a massage at the spa … aaaaaaaaaaaaah!
7. The opening night reception – always fun!
6. Both keynote speakers
5. Being given the Member of the Year A ward – especially with Doug on one side of me and Paula on the other, with a flattering speech (who the hell are they talking about?) written by my friend and mentor, Lee Reeves.
4. Calling my mother and telling her about the a ward .
3. Having dinner with some old and new friends Friday night at the Capital Grille.
2. The banquet and dancing!
1. Having Cleveland to look for ward to next year!

Joseph Diaz' TOP list in no particular order.....

• Stephanie Nicolai. Newest Teen Advisory member, she ROCKED the Board meeting!
• BOTH Keynote Speakers. The best pair in NSA history.
• Thursday's Chapter Leader meeting.
• The Westin Hotel!
• Two guys that were in wheel chairs. Don't remember there names.  I applaud both of them.
• Jay Jones-Doyle, his late Saturday workshop with 80! in attendance.  Without saying a word his exuberates said it all....
• Barry Liben, his late afternoon speech to the parents of teens. His moment of truth. He just told his story with the NSA. From why to why not.
• All the award winners!
• My #1 has to go to Tammy Flores! Can you believe years ago she applied for this job not knowing anything about stuttering. She has turned this association skyward. You remember just a few years ago she had to make announcements in front of us at a conference. We heard her knees shake from the back roll...... Did any of you see that this year? Not at all. Simply, she finds the hotel, makes the deal, tells us when/where/cost, ask for workshop presenters, the magic happens. How easy for us to attend. Thank you Tammy for being yourself.
• Now lets finish the year strong. Mid summer, ease into fall. Let's just
  tell people we or I stutter. It can be that simple.

Steven Kaufman, NSA LI Chapter Leader Top Ten

10. The pulsating feeling of your heart beating as your plane crosses Sun Devil Stadium and realizing you're finally touching down at Sky Harbor International, and officially welcoming your arrival to the NSA conference.

9. The moment you walk through the lobby and hear a teammate call you name, and the smile breaks out enthusiastically as you run up to give them a big embrace.

8. The meeting of so many first-timers who are now so happy to have found the tremendously brilliant radiance of this organization, and within an hour, have so many texts and emails to respond to.

7. The continuous rush of teammates who are checking in and laughing...you just want to watch and take it all in and still you don't believe that they're really here!

6. All the impromptu social gatherings at lunch and dinner which lead to more spontaneous activities and some hilarious moments (such as having a digital camera accidentally dropped into a glass of beer, the person whose camera it was will remains nameless..you just had to have been there LOL.

5. The kickoff with the debut of the Thursday morning workshops where we all learn from each other. I firmly believe one of the best attributes of this conference is that no matter what, we can always learn from one another, regardless of how old we are or where we are going. I learn just as much from the veterans as I do from the youngsters and teens, and first-timers.

4. The karaoke: It all started one Thursday night in Parsippany and has snowballed into an annual event. Who can forget a young girl singing Linkin Park's "Numb," three children with "You Give Love A Bad Name," Bill Parry evoking the smooth baritones of Francis Albert Sinatra, and then there's some teammate with a Yankees jacket over a tuxedo......

3. The late nights spent at the pool, just laughing, crying, talking about life and stuttering, followed by our hopes and dreams. We triumph together, and we rebound together.

2. The night out at the D-Backs game and the awards ceremony, and the keynote speakers. Yes, I know I'm squeezing in all three here...but in a cool way, it's karma that the night the NSA shows up, the D-Backs win 9-0, the pitcher throws a complete-game shutout, and teammates Gregg Benedict, Vicki Schutter, Pam Mertz, Alex Rosenbaum, and Kenny Butler are all recognized. I am honored to spend time with each of them.

1. And finally, the banquet-the dancing, both fast and slow, the camaraderie, the joys of just having a good time and most importantly, knowing we have a place where we BELONG. The closing ceremony said it best: WE ARE BEAUTIFUL. And to know that, it's the sexiest thing in the world.