I was very apprehensive about going last year. But I took the plunge, drove from Ohio to Texas, and had a fantastic time. Met a whole bunch of fantastic people, had lots of fun, and made great new ossim friends! I highly recommend attending the meetup. Driving there I don’t recommend so much.
Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! I know it would be great, just gotta get over the being shy/nervous. And it is somehow reassuring to know that there will be other first-timers. I’m off to check flights and crunch numbers 
whatever funds u have to move around, or anyway to make it to the meetup>> DOO IT. welcome to the boards… I kno ull have a blast…
Yeah Bay-baaay yeah!! (See, how many people around you would even know that you’d made an Austin Powers reference in your first post heading? At a Meetup…oh, about 93% will.) 
Do It!
Hey, I think I can come for the meetup, I am very lucky to have a conference for work in Austin Texas, right before the meetup … i.e. free airplane ticket to Texas. I don’t post very much, but I am an avid listener and am so looking forward to meeting all the people I hear about on the podcast.
Cool! The more the merrier!
Sweet! looking forward to meeting you as well!
The more the merrier! It’s going to be a gigantic meetup this year, aloft is gonna explode of geekness and goodness.
Hey yourself! Welcome to the forum, Trish!
These guys are the friendliest people on the interwebs, fo shizzle!
I’ll be another meetup virgin, i’m super stoked too.
See you in North Mexico!
Awesome first post! I am excited to meet you, Trish!
Seconded!
dooooooo eeeeeeeeeet!!!
Exactly! Thank you
I will SO be there… im just saying. Texas shall fear the wrath!! but hopefully not of snow. I dont drive well in the snow.
Been listening for years, first real post. Hopefully I will be able to come to the meetup. Waiting to see if the prices of flights go down any.
Welcome Scouter Ron! I sympathize on the flight prices. They were on the high side from Chicago to Dallas too. I think I did pretty well, but only after 8 weeks of monitoring prices. Hope you’re able to make it!
If you look around on the forum you’ll be able to find the original meetup thread for 2009, where I had on more than one occasion claimed that I wouldn’t be coming to the meetup. Financial matters aside, I was terrified that I wouldn’t fit in, once again being the complete social reject that I’d been so many times before.
Damn, was I wrong about that. This group is so inviting, they pulled me out of my socially-frightened shell, and made me feel accepted for the first time in my life. I think back to that version of me who was wary of taking a chance on this group and I chuckle, because now I can’t imagine not having my Alpaca friends! The way I figure it, if I can do it, anyone can! 
So, in the immortal words of Audra, do eet!
Thanks again for all of your words of encouragement! It’s weird that I feel connected to a group of people I don’t know based solely on our love of a podcast. But not weird. Ya know?
Do it? I DID IT! Flight booked. Hotel reserved. I can’t wait to meet all of you.
And may I say, WOOT!!!
AWESOME!
Hi, getting my plans together for my trip to Texas for work conference in Austin and the meetup all in one week (Yeah!)
My question is do we need to rent a car for the Meetup (not sure if this belongs in the other post about the hotel). I am planning on staying around the hotel most of the time, and can just take a taxi from the airport, but am pretty sure Dallas is not public transit friendly. However, would rather not rent a car if I have to.
Just curious to see what other people are planning…
Best,
Alice