This past winter was extraordinary. Friends and colleagues in every region lodged complaints against the long, cold winter. Though there is no doubt that global warming contributed to these extreme conditions, some of us are accustomed to experiencing large variations in the weather each year. One of the classic jokes in Calgary is if you don’t like the weather, wait 20 minutes.

More than 25 years ago, the Calgary Chapter of the Alpha Omega International Dental Fraternity hosted the International President and his wife Dr. Sidney and Susan Tourial in mid-October. The Tourials hail from Atlanta, so they expected their visit to the Canadian Rockies to be special. And indeed, it was. They arrived on the same day as an early snowstorm, bringing with it a tremendous blizzard and feet of snow. We hunkered down for the strongest of the storm, and, when it subsided, we drove them up to see Banff and Lake Louise. With the fresh snowfall all around us, it was a gorgeous scene, truly postcard magic.

Susan later cautioned the incoming President, Dr. Lionel Greenburg, and his wife, Robin, about the weather in Calgary. She told them she had never been so cold in her whole life. So they decided to visit Calgary in August that following year. Calgary greeted the Los Angeles couple with its first snowfall in August in 42 years! When Robin Greenburg told us that she had never been so cold in her whole life, all we could do was laugh at the irony.

The next year, Dr. Bernie and Dee Stone came to visit us from Cleveland. They understood the conditions winter can bring and, without concern for the weather, chose to visit us in November. Calgary greeted them with sunshine and highs in the mid-70s. We wore shorts! As long as I can remember, unpredictable weather has been a part of my everyday life in Calgary.

This year, my team and I will attend AGD2018 in New Orleans, where I will be a proud recipient of a Fellowship award from AGD. I have worked hard to earn this honor. Last year, after keeping my continuing education (CE) at the highest levels every year since I graduated in 1987 and achieving over 500 hours of CE (I now have over 2,000 recorded hours), I passed my AGD Fellowship Examination.

As we prepare for our first ever trip to New Orleans (in June nonetheless!), we anticipate it will be hot and muggy, and we cannot wait! Given our background with travel and weather, we are choosing to assume nothing. Should we pack shorts or sweaters? Maybe both?! Regardless of the weather, I am confident AGD2018 will be an absolute blast!

I hope I will see many of you there! If you see me, stop me and say hello.