Hello all!

This past week was PASS Summit 2017, a super crazy/awesome week!  So many great things happened this week and I finally have the chance to sit down and blog about them.

First, it is always one of the best week’s of my year when I get to see so many #SQLFamily members all week long.  I  love being able to pass by in the halls and shake hands/hug and catch up.  We get coffee together, breakfast/lunch/dinner together, and it makes what used to be so nerve wracking for me, so much easier.  My first Summit, I was so hesitant to put myself out there and talk with folks, but this being my 4th trip to Summit, I no longer have that hesitation.  I love meeting new people, introducing myself by saying “I’m that guy who wears flip flops year round”(Even in the snow on Friday in Seattle).  Meeting everybody, and expanding my network of #SQLFamily has helped me progress in life more than I thought I could!  It’s been nothing short of a blessing to be involved in such a wonderful community.

Second, I was chosen as an Idera ACE for 2018! (B) How freaking awesome is that!?  I was so stunned/shocked/humbled when I was chosen. I saw the others whom were chosen, and the ones before me and I instantly had that feeling of “not worthy”.  It has been so much fun working with the crew at Idera(Zoe, and Liz are amazing!).  I look forward to going to more events this year and giving back to the community that has given me so much already.  Thank you Idera!  #IderaRocks

Third, I was selected to participate in Speaker Idol this year.  If you are not familiar with Speaker Idol, think of American Idol.  You are given 5 minutes to present on a topic to a room full of people.  You are judged by an expert panel of judges afterwards.  This is such a hard thing to prepare for, I love to talk and its hard to reel myself in.  I did not advance past the first round but, I received such amazing feedback from everybody that I will only get better.  My co-worker Jeremy Frye did advance..matter of fact, HE WON!  He did an amazing topic and has such a calm demeanor that he keeps you on the edge of your seat to see what happens next.  To all of the participants this year, you all did an amazing job!  To all of the judges, thank you all for your time this week and providing all of us with invaluable feedback.

Fourth, this year I got to be something completely different than past years at Summit.  I got to work our booth for RDX!  I spoke to many, many people about what we offer through RDX and discussed alot of Azure topics with folks as well.  I was already registered for Summit prior to starting with RDX, so when I asked if it would be okay to stop by the booth and was told, “Absolutely, let us know when and we will schedule a tweet to let folks know” I felt like a celebrity!  Thank you to the entire RDX team that came to Summit, you guys made this week so much more fun!

Many of the #SQLFamily were unable to attend this year due to Halloween with their children(a reason that nobody could be upset with), or due to Intersections in Vegas(Still not upset!).  I missed each of you terribly and I hope our paths cross sooner than later!  Here are some photos from the week!