When you think back to your childhood, what kind of memories stand out to you? One for me would be the annual South Dakota Academy of Family Physicians conference out in the hills. Does that seem like a weird memory for someone who has no medical experience to enjoy?? Well, believe it or not, this conference holds a special place in my heart! We’ve been coming since I was very little, and it was always something to look forward to.

For the longest time, we had the conference in Spearfish, and the hotel we stayed at wasn’t anything super, super fancy, but man we LOVED it. It had this huge open space and game room where all of us kids would hang out and play games the whole weekend. There were always super fun activities to do for the kids, and we probably looked forward to the conference more than the adults did.

About the time I started high school, they started holding the conference in Deadwood at the Lodge. The hotel is SO nice! And guess where we were this week!? That’s right! Back at the conference! It was the first time I had been to it since my dad won Doctor of the Year back in 2012, but all the memories came rushing back.

This year, I was helping Carletta make sure things ran smoothly, and watching the kids with the events for them. They had a pool party just like we did, had a bubble lady come in and show them some cool things to do with bubbles, and had their own movie night. Watching the friendships form reminded me of all the friends I made at conferences past. It was so great to relive some of those memories and see it from another perspective.

I also made a lot more memories this year, because I learned some of what goes into the conference, and how much work it takes to make it a success. I met lots of new people, and a lot of others who said they remembered me from when I was little, but I just smiled and nodded because I didn’t remember them. 😂 I got to be an ultrasound model, which was kind of interesting. I basically let half a dozen doctors and med students scan my body for three hours. In case anyone was wondering, there’s nothing wrong with my internal organs – I got about 20 different opinions, so I’m confident I’m a healthy girl!

And at the end of the busy week, my parents and I went for a 6 mile hike on a trail close to the hotel. It was covered in snow and it was clear it was not a very busy trail in the winter time, as it was all fresh snow, but it was great. It was quiet, beautiful weather, and it gave me the opportunity to relax my mind and absorb everything that went down this weekend.

Overall, it was a busy weekend with very little sleep, but I loved every second of it. I love to learn new things and always ready to learn more, so this was a fun opportunity for me. Hoping to come back next year as well and continue to make lifelong memories at this conference!

Until next time! 🙂

Megan Reiffenberger