I attended the HRF conference along with my oldest daughter. It was a wonderful experience for both of us! I had invited my daughter (she lives halfway between my town in east TN and Tyler, TX), thinking she probably wouldn't accept since she has limited vacation time and doesn't have a yard to grow plants in but she did accept and has told me several times over, "I had a great time!" She loved sitting at dinner the first night, meeting the very nice "rose people", and hearing all of the conversations at our table. She was surprised to learn that there are people that have a *lot* more roses than me - ha ha. She really enjoyed Greg Grant's keynote, laughing mightily at times, learning a lot, and -- observing his Texas A & M ring -- noting what diehard alumni the Texas A&M folks are :). She was happy wandering the Tyler Rose Garden the next morning while I attended the workshops. The afternoon lectures were very informative. We got a kick out of the museum there - it's quite unusual. I also appreciated getting to speak with Malcolm Manners and Mike Shoup about a found rose I'm researching and the opportunity to get some specific advice from Anita Clevinger on pruning a rose in my yard that has been so unwieldy. That night, we found a great Tex-Mex restaurant in Tyler that had several vegan options, although it was the hottest "mild" salsa I've ever had in my life. The field trip to the American Rose Center in Shreveport the following day was another highlight - I came home with a rambler from the Anne Belovich collection. Perhaps the most poignant part of our time there was the talk by Peggy Martin - my daughter and I were completely smitten with her and as my daughter said, "I could listen to her talk all day." This past year has been a very painful one for me with the unexpected, sudden passing of my mother and then 10 days later, my brother-in-law; and then the loss of a job I loved with a federally-funded, 30-year, national nutrition education program that was cut by the current US Congress in the July 3, 2025 budget reconciliation bill without cause (so that the funds could be used for "other purposes"). So, I deeply appreciated the chance to attend this conference with my daughter, gain so much terrfic information, and make new friends. If you are reading this and were part of organizing the conference - bravo and a heartfelt, sincere thanks to you!