Hello. Thank you all for coming and celebrating the installation of the new officers of NALS of Tucson and So. AZ (NTSA for short)! I am honored to be your incoming president. You may wonder how I got to this point when actually you voted me in as “Secretary” last April. At that time we did not have a “president elect” so Audrey Saxton asked me to consider taking that position. I said yes; it was approved and the rest is history!
So here we are. In the press box at Kino Sports Plex. Why? Because I love baseball!! I love the team-work that it takes to play the game; the initiative and direction that the players take to move a man around the bases. I love the opportunities that baseball provides individuals and how that translates into everyday life. In everyday life you get to step up to the plate. Swing for the fences. Hit a home run. There is teamwork in everyday life and sometimes a triple play!
Getting yourself out of the house, having fun hanging out with people you have things in common with, and getting an education at the same time, is just one of the many residual benefits of membership and participation in NALS activities.
As I prepare to travel to Cincinnati Ohio next month for my first ever NALS Education Conference & National Forum, I am taking stock of all the opportunities that I’ll have to earn the most CLE ever offered at one conference -- and I’m almost feeling guilty about it! (But not quite…) On top of all the CLE sessions, I’ll also be rooming with a NALS member from Texas whom I befriended at the Region 8 conference earlier this year and I’ll be attending the 60s-themed Foundation Gala and special riverboat dinner cruise. Where else can you have so much fun while learning and networking than a NALS event?
When I accepted the nomination for President Elect for this association, I felt a lot of things – first I felt excitement, then apprehension, then fear. After the elections were over, and even though I ran unopposed, I felt these same feelings all over again. But it was thanks to the encouragement of my fellow NALS members that I was sure I wouldn’t have to worry about failing. Just simply rising to the challenge would be accomplishment enough.
I often find myself worrying if I’m doing enough for our association, if I’m reaching the members in a way that provides value or leadership, and I even doubt at times whether I was the right person for the job. But at the end of the day, after I’ve conducted a board or general meeting, after I’ve delivered a box of school supplies which our association helped purchase for kids in need, or after I collapse from fatigue after a golf tournament which helped to raise thousands of dollars for a local charity and for our scholarship program, I have learned to let it be. The sum of our parts are greater than our whole, and the parts of our whole association are great. As long as I maintain my focus on this truth, then my own individual contributions then amount to much more in the grander scheme.
Just when you think you know something, you find out you really don’t. After over a decade working in the legal arena, and the past several years supporting a busy litigation practice for three attorneys, I thought I had come to understand in the ins and outs of the anatomy of a lawsuit --- experts, discovery, and the regular gamut of the day to day life of litigation --- pretty well. And then I had to consider filing a lawsuit myself.
From Daniel Defoe in 1726, to Benjamin Franklin in 1789, to Margaret Mitchell in 1936, authors through time have sardonically offered some version of the proverb that there is nothing certain in life other than death and taxes. I offer the additional point that at least you can predict the latter.
For those who don’t already know, my family (and more significantly, my daughters) recently suffered a tragic loss when my daughters’ father was killed on the evening of Mother’s Day on May 8th. He was on his motorcycle headed to work at the state prison when another driver in a small SUV pulled out in front of him at an intersection. He had the right of way, was wearing a helmet and a reflective safety vest, and was doing all the right things as he traveled, but even taking all the best precautions cannot prevent anothers’ inattention behind the wheel. He died a very short time later from massive internal injuries while en route to the hospital.
Time sure flies when you’re having fun! I wanted to start out this month’s message by sending a big THANKS to everyone who attended and helped out with our Awards & Appreciation Banquet (aka “Casino Night”). The event was a huge success and everyone who attended had a great time. And I also want to congratulate NALS member Thelma Gonzales, PLS, for winning the NTSA 2010 Award of Excellence alongside Boss of the Year Award winner, Barry Corey, Esq., of DeConcini, McDonald, Yetwin & Lacy. We were able to give out $1,000 in scholarships this year much thanks to the success of last year’s golf tournament and fundraiser.
A number of our members just returned from a wonderful NALS of Arizona Spring Conference in beautiful Prescott. NALS of Yavapai County did a great job putting together a superior list of educational
Well, here it is. My last message as your president. This has been an emotional rollercoaster year for me with two deaths in my family, the loss of my best friend’s mother, plus the loss of Gail Folsom, Jill Hale’s mom.
The good news was that I watched my oldest daughter graduate from Louisiana Tech University with honors both on the volleyball court and in the classroom. She took her first trip to Europe in hopes of landing a position for the upcoming pro volleyball season.
And my youngest daughter continues to go to college and was promoted in her work place to a full-time management position. She amazes me every day with her professionalism at work, her maturity, and the caring and concerns she has for her friends. Both of my girls were raised in NALS…it has been a part of their lives since they were babies.
And even for myself, I have done a tremendous amount of traveling both for NALS and for my next favorite thing in the world….volleyball. I was blessed to stay healthy all year, compete on a number of different teams throughout the country and bring home a lot of hardware at every tournament.
And when I look back on the year, the good and the bad, I realize that there was one common thread in every event ... the presence of my NALS PALS and the CRAZY AZs! And that is one of the best things about our association. Little did I know that when I joined Tucson Legal Secretaries Association in May of 1982, 29 years later, I’d still be here and that I would have met so many incredible, intelligent, and beautiful women, all members of NALS.
WOW! Can you believe it is already March?! Time sure does fly by when you’re having fun! And while I had a blast at the NALS of Arizona’s Winter Conference held right here in our own backyard, I love the month of MARCH. We have St. Patrick’s Day, I have a bunch of friends and family with March birthdays and to top it off, it’s MARCH MADNESS time too!
And now for a quick educational moment. Our next CLE After Hours and General Membership Meeting is March 17th (St. Patty’s Day), and we are going to have a GREEN OUT! (See the flyer on Page 5.) Originally, the color associated with Saint Patrick was blue, but over the years, the color green and its association with St. Patrick's Day have become synonymous. St. Patrick is said to have used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of St. Patrick’s Day.
And now back to a little business. Did you know that Arizona’s three chapters along with the State Association are entertaining the idea of changing our logos. Yep! Please read further in this issue for the reasoning behind the change and take a look at the proposed changes. The Board will be discussing this at our March Board Meeting and will also hear comments from our membership Please contact any member of the Board to give us your thoughts on the proposed logos.
Hope to see you there or at one of our upcoming events:
March 10-13 NALS Professional Development & Education Conference (Tulsa OK)
March 17 CLE After Hours: Imagining a Greater Tucson
April 8 Awards & Appreciation Banquet
April 29-30 NALS of Arizona Spring Education Conference (Prescott AZ)
June 3-4 NALS Region 8 Education Conference (Sonoma County CA)
June 10 NALS of Tucson & So. AZ 2nd Annual Charity Golf Tournament
Hope to see you soon!
Christine F. Clayton, PP, PLS, CERT
President (2010-2011)
NALS of Tucson & So. AZ
You are cordially invited to this month’s MARDI GRAS Celebration and membership informational meeting. This is for everyone -- seasoned members, new members, and guests. There will be great door prizes, raffle items, and just a ton of fun. And with that, we are going to cover some fun facts of Mardi Gras and other miscellaneous fun facts:
The origins of Mardi Gras can be traced to Medieval Europe, though we have no written record of how that really transformed into the current Mardi Gras of today, but the origins of the Mardi Gras we celebrate today -- with Kings, Mardi Gras colors, and brass bands -- are traced to New Orleans. A French-Canadian explorer, Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville, landed on a plot of ground 60 miles directly south of New Orleans in 1699 and called it “Pointe due Mardi Gras.”
In numerology circles, there are three double-digit numbers called Master numbers, and 11 is one of those special numerals – a power number. Yes, this is my volleyball uniform number and there's a reason for it.
The master numbers require time, maturity and great effort to integrate into one's personality. and 11 is the most intuitive of all numbers. It represents illumination, charisma, and leadership. It walks the edge between greatness and self- destruction.
Eleven is a very spiritual number and this year will see new blessings and new beginnings. In November, we'll embrace 11/11/11. Next year, we'll enjoy 12/12/12. And that will be it — until 2/2/22.
So why not take this opportunity to recommit yourself not only to NALS and the education being offered in just about every avenue you can think of -- online, webinars, in-person monthly CLE at our local meetings and twice-a-year state conferences. There is a wealth of information and opportunities for our members and it is virtually at our fingertips.
This 1/1/11, I have decided it is time to recommit myself to myself. (Yeah, I know, funny sentence, but think about it). Recommit yourself to yourself. When you think about it, it's actually very simple. Of course, as women (and sometimes men), we put everybody in front of us -- our bosses, family, children, etc. Take a look at yourself and think about what has been missing. Quality time with your family? That 60 minutes of cardio we should all get to keep us healthy? Meditation time? Heck, something as simple as fresh fruits and vegetables. Go ahead, try to eat five servings of fruits and veggies a day and see how you feel. (I'm now having mine delivered to my house via Matt's Organics.) Just making these small changes and really recommitting myself to myself is huge. I feel more energetic and most of all, ready to take on life's everyday challenges, be it work or play.
Commitment pays off in the end. And speaking of commitment, CONGRATULATIONS TO NALS OF TUCSON & SO. ARIZONA! And thanks to Melissa Fuca, Audrey Saxton, Thelma Gonzales, and all of the other volunteers that helped with last year's golf tournament. Our golf tournament was submitted to the Jett Awards and we won! How awesome is that?! I'm totally jazzed about this and so excited for our association which will be recognized nationally at the Tulsa Conference in March.
And with that, I'm out. I will hopefully see you all at the upcoming CLE After Hours on Thursday, January 20, 2010.
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