My friends, it is time for the big show. The 13th Annual NNPCW Leadership Event, Many Hands, One Spirit: Confronting Prejudice Through Education and Social Action, begins Wednesday. But the action really starts today, with my five-hour journey to Chicago accompanied only by a plethora of boxes. As staff, we spend almost an entire year planning and preparing for this week. So Brianne and I are both extremely excited for the days to come. Be thinking of both of us as we travel today from different places.

With the blog this year, I’m going to try something new. Starting tomorrow, a series of guest bloggers will post to Network Notes. They will share with you their perspectives and experiences at Many Hands, One Spirit, from the food we eat in the cafeteria to the workshop activities we do on Friday. I will try my best to ensure that a new person posts every day, so that you can experience the Leadership Event through the eyes of its participants. So come back often!

One final note—I picked up my rental car this morning, and Avis gave me a white Chevy Impala. Yeah, baby, I’m drivin’ a cop car. I’m hoping that people will slow down when they see me drive by. Do you ever do that, and then feel stupid when you realize it is just an average person in an Impala? My Grandpa Rice has one of those cars, and he always said that it could beat out my ‘Stang in any drag race. Well, Grandpa, now that I’ve driven an Impala, I can say this—it may or may not be a faster car, but my baby is sure a whole lot more fun to drive!

So for those of you looking for me at the airport in the next couple of days, just watch for the cop car with Kentucky plates.

“Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!” --Psalm 30:10

Kelsey