Under the Wire!!/Upgrade/DTR/4K Wedding/ Sears to join IAV - 5/19/09

[Smartmarriages]

- CONFERENCE EARLY RATE CHANGES TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT
- EVEN MORE IMPORTANT: HOTEL
- CONCIERGE UPGRADE REMINDER
- ROOMMATES 
- HAVING (OR AVOIDING) THE DTR: DEFINE THE RELATIONSHIP TALK
- 4K  WEDDING FROM FIRST DANCE TWITTER/ELIZABETH THOMAS
- SEARS TO ADVOCATE MARRIAGE

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- CONFERENCE EARLY RATE CHANGES TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT
You got lucky.  It was just brought to my attention by a caller from
Michigan that the early bird rate is still available online.  I'm told by
Amedco that the guy who edits the website has been away. Rate will change
tonight at MIDNIGHT. So, get thee to the website and get in under the wire
and save $50 per registration.
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13th Annual Smart Marriages® Conference, The Shingle Creek,
Orlando, Florida, July 6-12, 2009 (General Conference July 8-11)
Pre-Conference Training Institutes July 6-8
Post-Conference Training Institutes July 12
 
Shingle Creek Resort: http://www.rosenshinglecreek.com/

To download a Conference Brochure, register Online, or for Exhibit
Information: http://www.smartmarriages.com/conferencedetails.html
 
List your program and resources on the Directory of Classes at
http://www.smartmarriages.com/directory_browse.html

Order conference audio & video CD/DVD/MP3s: 800-241-7785 or
http://www.iPlaybackSmartMarriages.com

Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education, LLC (CMFCE)
Diane Sollee, Director
5310 Belt Rd NW, Washington, DC 20015-1961
http://www.smartmarriages.com
202-362-3332


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- EVEN MORE IMPORTANT: HOTEL
Make your hotel reservation.  I just got a call from the hotel to discuss a
block reduction and rate change.  RESERVE NOW.
866-996-6338 while the Smart Marriages $115 rate is still available. Rumor
is that rate will go up to $185 a night.  At that point it starts to make
sense to rent a car and stay at the Red Roof Inn a few miles away.  See Avis
discount at smartmarriages.com   Let me know if you get told by the Rosen
Shingle Creek that the $115 rate is sold out.  - diane

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- CONCIERGE UPGRADE REMINDER

Several have asked, so I'm repeating this post:

> - SHINGLE CREEK CONCIERGE LEVEL/VIP CLUB UPGRADE
> 
> Smart Marriages guests can upgrade to the Concierge/VIP Level for $50 PER
> ROOM/PER NIGHT.  This includes access to the Concierge Club Lounge on the
> 14th floor from 6:30am - 10:30pm for ALL GUESTS staying in your room.  The
> VIP Club serves complimentary continental breakfast 6:30-10am, Happy Hour
> appetizers 6-7:30pm, and Dessert 9-10:30pm.  The honor bar is available
> 4-12pm. 
> 
> The upgrade also includes free Internet access in your hotel room and all
> public areas of the hotel except the meeting areas and free admission to the
> fitness center.  Note that per our contract Internet access in your hotel
> room is $9.95 per day and the fitness center is $20 per length of your stay.
> 
> To add this upgrade, call 866-996-6338.  This by the way, does nothing for
> Smart Marriages - we don't earn any extra perks or stars on our forehead. Just
> do it if you want to.  On a recent planning trip I did find the Club Lounge
> breakfast satisfying and, of course, very convenient. It included hard boiled
> eggs, oatmeal, fresh fruit and juices, great breads, lots of coffee.  The
> happy hour appetizers were also good.  I never got back to try the desserts.
> BUT the breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets in Café Oceola are incredible -
> great variety and I always hear stories from people about how the best parts
> of the conference were the people you met in the restaurants.

> Remember, it's the *in between* - what goes on in between sessions that can be
> so satisfying and productive.  It's an extremely friendly crowd.....introduce
> yourself, join a table.  This is another reason I encourage everyone to attend
> the BANQUETS - in this jam-packed seven days, the banquets are the one time we
> relax, catch our breath, and sit down to break bread with and get to know some
> of the wonderful people at the conference. Plus the speakers - John Gray (Mars
> and Venus in the Bedroom) and Gary Chapman (Five Languages of Apology) - and
> food are GREAT.  You must book banquets in advance, cannot add them at the
> conference. If you've already registered for the conference and you want to
> add banquets ($39) or the Fireproof Awards Luncheon on Wed ($26), call
> 651-789-3738 or email smc at cmehelp.com  - diane
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- ROOMMATES 

Also repeating this one as it's such a good idea.  Let me know if you've
already found roommates and would like to add more to your room.  These are
queen size beds, very easy to sleep 4 to a room and really save money.

> - ROOMMATES:
> Many of you have found roommates at past conferences.  It's a great way to
> save money, plus it's nice to have a conference buddy and many past
> roommates have become life-long friends.  Click here to put your name on the
> list: http://www.smartmarriages.com/roommates.html

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- HAVING (OR AVOIDING) THE DTR: DEFINE THE RELATIONSHIP TALK

Scott Stanley's blog: http://www.slidingvsdeciding.blogspot.com/

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- 4K  WEDDING FROM FIRST DANCE TWITTER/ELIZABETH THOMAS

> Adorable $4K wedding.  Hope it will inspire some of you.
> http://www.thisyounghouse.com/wedding-album/

I liked this one so much I've linked it from the Wedding Rituals page at
SmartMarriages.  I encourage you to encourage your adult kids to watch it as
they contemplate wedding plans.  This couple has given an amazing gift by
sharing the who/how/what of their truly wonderful wedding. - diane

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- SEARS TO ADVOCATE MARRIAGE

Sears to advocate marriage
Retiring chief justice will join think tank
By Walter C. Jones | Morris News Service
May 14, 2009

ATLANTA --- Georgia Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears announced Wednesday she
will join a think tank working on strengthening marriage and the Atlanta
office of a Chicago law firm when she steps down from the bench at the end
of June.

Morris News Service
Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears talks with University of
Georgia President Michael Adams before giving a lecture in April. Chief
Justice Sears plans to teach family law as a guest lecturer at the
university's law school.
Click photo for options

Chief Justice Sears, a Savannah native, had already announced her retirement
in October effective when her tenure as chief justice finishes June 30. The
53-year-old is the first woman and first black woman to serve on Georgia's
highest court, and she says she still has plenty she wants to do.

The first black, female supreme court chief justice in the country, Chief
Justice Sears' name had been mentioned as a possible successor to U.S.
Supreme Court Justice David Souter. She said she was flattered to but would
not comment further. She was not on a list of candidates identified by the
Associated Press on Wednesday.

FOR NOW, Chief Justice Sears intends to devote half her time to the
Institute for American Values, serving for a year in a post named for her
late brother, the William Thomas Sears Distinguished Fellow in Family Law.
Both her brothers were Naval Academy graduates, but Tommy Sears committed
suicide in 1997 after serving in Iraq and suffering pains from his divorce.

For the full article:

http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2009/05/14/met_523948.shtml