It seems he was a little confused about what he had to do. Thank goodness our Master of Ceremonies, the very serious Mac Barron, was able to step in and take over.

Here are some highlights of the morning.

Mac Barron was an awesome host

the audience was so engaged

the youngest participants

Capt Jeff and the SWAGsters

On the U meets in the Catholic Spotlight

The Catholic Hack table

Aren't these two the cutest? Ever? Sarah Bauer and Chris Sansone.

These are just some highlights from the morning. Unfortunately for me, I heard most of the conference from just outside the main hall. I was wandering around making sure stuff was secure and things were running smoothly. Don’t feel sorry for me. I can watch the addresses from the links at SQPN.com, but in the meantime I was able to enjoy a different aspect of the conference, like getting to talk to some really cool people. This last picture of Sarah was taken just a few moments after she autographed her CD for my daughter, Christy, who remains bitter about not going to the CNMC. [next year for sure, Christy]

Note the fork in David’s pocket. Breakfast was a bit rushed, and our fearless leader had a lot to keep up with. At least he’s a good sport. What a calm guy in the midst of chaos.

The vendors and sponsors were already at the Skyroom setting up. I really liked the way they were layed out. I think people really enjoyed going to see what was going on.

There’s Bill Moyer. And then Guadalupe Radio.

Our guys trying to figure out how to put togehter the SQPN backdrop. I think there might have been a call to Greg Willits at some point.

And finally, the incomparable, Linda “The Forger” Nielsen, running some magic to make sure all the numbers were crunched right. She’s smiling. That’s a good thing, right?

Some of us, however, had more pressing things on our minds, like getting some real dinner. While we pretended to eat the hors d’ouevres (and they were very tasty), having had a light lunch, and then “hosting” the meet-n-greet and trying to make sure we touched base with everyone, sitting down to eat was an enticing thought.

Father Roderick, however, distractable as ever, disappeared and we had to chase him down! We finally threatened to leave him behind, and that motivated him. It’s a good thing he runs marathons.

When I called him on it, I turned around to find that Fr. Seraphim was equally tied to the technology, only, sometimes you still have to do things OldSchool, and he had to pull out an ACTUAL PAPER! I know. Shocking.

Patrick Madrid even got into the game when he went to join the ustream audience. The laptop ustreaming became an entity, too!

And of course, our hosts, Chris, Helen, and Nicholas from The Catholic Company.

Participant #1: Hi, I’m Bob.

Participant #2: Good to meet you. I’m Barb.

empty and awkward small talk

Barb: Oh my goodness, you’re Bicycle Bob! ! !

Bob: And you’re BarbInNebraska! ! !

animated and engaged conversation

It went like that all night!

My husband was watching on ustream and I got a text message shortly after this…”I saw you drinking that margarita.” Busted!

We went to the Alamo to film the last piece for the CNMC opener. Of course, I used the opportunity for a little tourist action, and had Inge take this picture of me to prove I was there, but the real attraction was the people watching. Check out the bride in bright blue Crocs!

Of course, it was entertaining to watch Mac and Katherine filming. The shaved ice vendors were pretty put out. Ha! I don’t know why; they made some money.

And Stephanie and I got to watch Jude!

The Alamo guard was a little agitated, and was watching the filming with a little trepidation. You’d think people never took video at the Alamo. Of course, chances are people didn’t take video of themselves running around! Ha!

I accompanied Mac to a drugstore to get a knee brace. He had to film the last segment of a short film to open the CNMC, so I teased him about making a pilgrimage to CVS in the middle of the lovely Riverwalk. Everyone else was enjoying their beers or margaritas in the shade. My question is, what is a CVS doing in the middle of this awesome tourist a-trap-tion?

The board meeting was ustreamed, but I understand Fr. Roderick drowned out the discussion with country music. That’s a good thing, because y’all know how scandalous Mac can get.

Really, what is the obsession with country music, Father?

We had an impromptu lunch before the board meeting, and invited the folks hanging around in the lobby to join us for some sandwiches. We had a good time getting to know each other, and reconnecting with friends from last year.

It seems like a whole new batch of people arrived at the same time, and it was great fun to just start going up to people previously recognizable only as avatars. Here are Reid Hjelmaas from MyCatholicVoice, along with Pat and Nick Padley from In Between Sundays, and Steve Nelson from On the U. Lisa Henley, CatholicMom, was so giddy with joy! We spent the weekend taking the same picture and trading out so we could be in the shots, too. What a sweetheart!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a geekfest without podcasting. Everyone was connected at all times. Father Roderick, Inge Loots, Jeff Young -the Catholic Foodie, and Stephanie Weaks. They saw us and brought out the ustream!