CASBO Conference 2014 - Sacramento, CA

When you decide that you want to write, in any platform, you have to figure out what your boundaries are when writing. Usually, I don't write about my job, but considering the fact that there are a few things coming up, I figured I would lightly touch on a few things that have been going on lately. 

In September, the boss who hired me moved on to another job and in November, a new boss was hired. She is the Chief Business Official at a neighboring district and she is now working for both districts. She used to work at our school and did my job under my old boss for quite sometime before moving up into her new position, and I've known her as the (now former) boss of my best friend and fellow blogger, Denise. 

Anyways, I was stoked, because I think she is great and it has worked out so well. She is teaching me a lot and has encouraged me to go back to school, which is what is on the horizon. 

Many of you know that my dream was to be a stay at home mom. To be able to raise my babies and invest in their lives. Unfortunately, life doesn't always work out the way we hope and I've decided that it is time to invest in my career. Both feet in. 

In order to do that, I need to go back to school. I am now going through the motions to enroll and complete a CBO training course so that I can further my career in school business. It is an exciting and scary time for me. I haven't done homework in a very long time. However, I'm ready to do this. If everything works out, I will start in July. 

Wednesday, before I left for the conference, I made sure to give my boy lots of kisses and snuggles!

Apart from the first year I was hired and last year, since I was pregnant, I've gone to the California School Business Officials (CASBO) Conference each year it was held. It is the largest gathering in of school business people in the state and it is an intense conference! Every minute is accounted for at the conference and we are non-stop from Wednesday to Saturday. 

This year was great. I'm not going to go into the actual information I learned, although plenty, because it's layered and would probably bore you to tears. Suffice it to say I learned a lot from it and I met a lot of great people! 

I just thought I'd share some of the fun parts of the conference. 

Overnight curls and make-up ready for the conference!

(Overnight curls -  Dry hair (or second day), curl hair, pin curls until completely cool. Unravel and spray with hairspray. Let dry completely. Brush curls gently and wrap in a loose bun on your head. Wake up, touch up a few curls with curling iron and boom! So easy.)

My outfit for Thursday. So many women get super fancy with heels and they are dying mid-day. There is a LOT of walking. My thoughts on conference style: Dress cute-casual with extra comfy shoes and make-up that makes you feel confident. Usually, the first day everyone is really fancy, the next they are in nice jeans and comfortable shoes and the last day they wear maxi skirts and dresses with flip flops. It's so funny. Never wear heels when at a conference! Dress professionally but comfortably. There is a ton of running around and you never know how many sessions you'll go to where there is standing room only. No bueno.

We had a Payroll/HR Luncheon and the speaker was Molly McGee Hewitt, who is the Director of CASBO. I was so excited to find out she was the keynote, mainly because I am a huge fan. She is one of those women that you meet and you just know she's a good, wholesome person. She has a great story and I've never heard one person say anything negative about her. I would love to be mentored by her someday. (And I totally fangirled when I met her.) She was a delight!

On Thursday night, there is a Gala that a lot of people attend. Basically it's food and games and dancing. There was a guy there from an entertainment company, I had the card, I need to dig it out of all my conference things. Anyways, he was amazing. I have never seen balloon animals so intricately done before. He made me an elephant (cause, duh), Mario, a ladybug, a leopard and Hello Kitty! 

They had to tear me away from this spin-the-wheel game. I kept hitting big on the number 1, that stack of yellow chips is mine. :)

Waiting for our balloon animals/figures!

#elephantsforlyfe

 

The yellow balloon animal was a Leopard, it sat on her shoulders and hugged her head! So cute.

A blurry picture of the entertainer. He was really kind. 

On Friday night, the businesses that help support CASBO and the CASBO Conference hold hospitality suites, where you can cruise through, network, eat food and drink. Some have music and some have activities. They are really fun! 

This is our group, all from neighboring cities in the same county, only one from a neighboring county. A great group of girls!

Here we are with a new friend. He is from TASBO (Texas Association of School Business Officials). He was really kind! 

My boss and I. When there is a major change at work, it can always be daunting because you don't know if you'll...mesh. We definitely mesh. She has been so encouraging to me about my career. I'm so thankful for her!

On the top floor of the Hyatt, one of the larger companies held their hospitality suite. You could see the capitol from both the balconies! 

Yes, I had a little bit of wine. It's rare but it DOES happen! I'm a Cabernet Sauvignon kind of gal. :)

The Capitol Building in Sacramento.

Then came my favorite part of the evening - Casino night! Obviously, no real money exchanged hands because of laws here in California. Each person got a ticket for 500 chips, which you could exchange for one raffle ticket. I have played Texas Hold 'Em every casino night that I've attended the conference. I always sit next to the same person, who has been CASBO President. He is really neat and he teaches me as we play. It is SO fun! 

I sent pictures to Bryan and my father-in-law Rick throughout the night, because #winning.

The pile just keeps on growing! :)

I ended up winning over 5500 chips, so I got a bunch of tickets! 

Everyone at our table was super impressed with my card shark skills. I had a moment there that I was losing because I was getting the worst cards. Lots of low numbers, off suit. It was annoying. Finally I stopped chasing any hands and soon, the cards started to show up for me. I love playing Texas Hold 'Em and my colleagues couldn't believe how good I was at it! I assured them that I would never play the same way with my own money because I work too hard for it. But, I've been known to make my father-in-law and Bryan play with change. 

These nights were late and it made getting up at 5:45 in the morning to get ready for the long day of sessions hard, but it was worth it. I packed in and soaked up as much information and knowledge as I could and had a lot of fun in between. 

Can't wait for next year!