This was my 4th year as a conference attendee....and it made me think back...

To Patrick, and when he taught me how to sex itty bitty molts.

To Anette, and how much fun I have with her and how dedicated she is to the ATS.

To Christian trying to kill me in a rental car the first year we met.

To Wade and his ever-amusing opening remarks every single year.

To Rick and Carla, and how they make the raffle so incredibly entertaining.

About all the amazing people I have met, and the valuable info I have learned over the years.

And of course there are others....June, Ollie, Jen and Chris.....too many to list!

Thank you all, board members and other attendees, for making this something I can't imagine missing for a single year. You all make this hobby that much more fun!

Until next year.....

I wasn't trying, since you lived. Did I tell you about the year I made Zach car sick?! Brown power was blue...

No problem Molly, I hope to see you for the next 4 and more.

Funny, he did the same thing to me too at my first conference. Must be some sort initiation ritual to test if a newbie is "worthy"

I am on my way home and suffering heavy conference withdrawal symptoms!

I had a blast, I just got home about a hour ago, cant wait to go through my pics and see others.
Thanks everyone for the good times!

We had a decent time,and I apologize if we were extremely anti social.We were busy with Kelly's family for a couple of days,as it was her birthday and they are from Southern Az.I also realized that my social anxiety issues are not any better than they used to be,and it caused me to not talk to a few certain people that I meant too.Beer cures this,but after the Friday night smoking area blowout I just flat out decided to not drink anymore during the trip.I was a hot puking mess on Saturday,that's for sure...But at least I didn't loose my shorts................

Many, if not most of us are introverted. It reminds me of a movie quote... "You hate people!" "But I love gatherings. Isn't it ironic?"

I missed any oddness this year.

In a nutshell........This was conference was a BLAST!!!Deb and I had so much fun AGAIN it's hard to express!!Met some wonderful people (Brett and Kelly,Chad,Mary,Tom)there was many more but my memory isn't what it used to be

We're amazed at how well the Staff does at putting this together year after year!!!You all need a good pat on the back for it!!!Thank You so VERY MUCH for all you do to make this an enjoyable time for all of us!! CHEERS!!!

I've got an Idea....lets do this again next year!!!

I had a lot of fun, it was awesome to finally meet everyone! Thanks to everyone who makes it possible!

I agree with Kev, let's do it next year! -Chad

I had a blast again as always and I'd like to thank all of the attendees. You make our jobs much easier by being so friendly and understanding, overlooking all our glitches without a grumble and understanding that we can't control the weather.

I heard comments from the hotel staff about how much more they enjoy our conference compared to the usual "corporate"
events that they host. We are much friendlier, happier and more appreciative in their eyes. Kudos to all of you for representing the ATS and our hobby in such a positive manner.

okay, I will start putting my quarters in my Piggy bank NOW- cant beleive I've missed another one!

If you want to get really suicidal try following Christian on a Kari blacklighting adventure!

Chris and I had a blast as well!! There were a lot of folks that we were looking forward to meeting, and we're happy to say that, once again, we've come away from another conference with even more friends! We can't wait until next year!!

Also, on a related note - I'd like to express my deepest, heartfelt appreciation to the attendees that stopped by my table at the end of the raffle and donated some (and in a couple cases ALL) of their winnings to help out my dear friend who lost the majority of her collection. I'm terrible with names (just ask Jamie...aka Brittany ), so I apologize for not being able to single you all out, but you know who you are, and I am very thankful. I'm sure Ariel will be too when she comes by tomorrow to pick everything up. This is the kindness and generosity that makes this hobby - and the folks of the ATS - a true pleasure and honor to know.

See you all next year!!
Jen

After our first conference (this year was the 6th), Kaylin was so happy because for the first time she could play with bugs and not be the weird girl. That year the whole family came and while John and Maegan said they had enough fun to last them a lifetime, Kaylin and I have looked forward to every conference since then. Through the ATS I have made some of the best friends I have ever had, who have actually become more like family than actual people i'm related too.

This was the best conference for me. Getting over my shyness, I guess. Like Ollie, I would like to thank participants/members for all the things they did, like donating to the raffle, donating to picnic, running the children's table, selling tickets, helping with the T shirt sales and more I can't remember. Dawn said that the public thanked her for having children activities. ATS ROCKS! Yep definitely do it next year.

We had a blast!! The folks who put the conference together work hard to get it right but it's the attendees that really make it what it is. I've been saying spider folks are the coolest people around and each year that gets reinforced. It was great seeing some old friends and making a bunch of new ones.

Thanks to everyone who attended and I hope those who couldn't make it this year find a way next year!

I already miss you guys. I had so much fun this year, my third conference was by far the best. Thank you to everyone at the ATS who made it possible, to the dealers at the Spider Mall for putting up with my indecisiveness, to the people who taught me new ways to pronounce scientific names, to my friends old and new for making me laugh until I almost cried, and to the tarantulas of course for inspiring this awesome get together (even though the wild ones refused to pose for photos for me).

We also had a great time! It was so wonderful to see everyone! *And* I even made it up the hill (with help!)

Thanks to everyone who makes this Conference happen!

Clerks! Great movie Christian!

It's where I learned to shift. Or drive...

I'm glad to hear folks enjoyed themselves!