Can you believe it is only a little over 30 days until the annual RMASFAA conference in Wichita and just over 100 shopping days until the holidays! If you haven't registered for the conference yet, don't delay. It's going to be an outstanding conference where you'll have the opportunity to hear dynamic speakers, attend timely interest and technical sessions and get a chance to relax and visit with your colleagues. Compared to other organizations, the $135 you will spend on registration is a great value. One of our greatest strengths in RMASFAA is the training we provide for our membership.

Some states are gearing up for high school counselor training workshops. This opportunity allows us to educate others who have contact with our students about federal and state programs, inform them of changes that have occurred in the application process since last year and ask them to impress upon the students to APPLY EARLY.

During the stressful days of fall enrollment, a lot of people wrote on the FINAID-L list serve about their students who walked in with FAFSA in hand and wanted to know if they could pick up their funds that day. Although frustrating, I need to remember that when it happens at my school that it's not just my students who don't apply early or complete the form accurately, but this same phenomenon is happening to my colleagues across the region.

All of the states in our region are participating in Decentralized Training on Policies and Procedures. Mark down the dates for your state and again take advantage of some excellent training in your area. The following dates have been scheduled for training:

As I wind down my year as president, I want you to know how much I appreciate your confidence in me. It has been my privilege to serve as president and be RMASFAA's representative at NASFAA and other places. My only disappointment has been that I was not able to visit each state due to other conflicts such as implementing a new software program. Everywhere I went, your friendships surrounded me. Thanks for being a special part of my life this year.

RMASFAA still needs a few good volunteers to serve on committees. If you've been thinking about volunteering but just put it off or haven't felt you were needed, contact our incoming president, Darry Voigt and talk to him about where you can share your expertise. Our organization is strong because of all the many volunteers that serve the membership.

As I close this issue, I want to share excerpts from something one of my dear friends sent to me. Unfortunately, I don't know the author so I can't give proper credit:

Things to ponder: "Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask, "how are you?," do you hear the reply? When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? You'd better slow down. Don't dance so fast! Time is short and the music won't last. When you run so fast to get somewhere, you miss half the fun of getting there. When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift... thrown away. Life is not a race. Do take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over."

My friends, don't put off the fun things until you have time. Life has a way of getting in the way. Show people you care by a smile, a hug, a note to tell them they are special to you or that you appreciate all the things they do.

See you in Wichita, October 14th. Toto and I will be disappointed if you're not there!

P.S. You're on your own with shopping for the holidays! Of course, if you give me an unlimited bank account, I could be your personal shopper!