Sort of a Bummer

I mentioned in a blog entry a couple of months back that the police dept. I work for is an accreditted agency through the Commission on Accredidation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).  Every 3 years we undergo a process where assessors come to our agency from CALEA to check and make sure that we are still abiding by all the standards.  Our process late last year went very well and our department will attend the CALEA Conference to get their official recognition in March.  Our department will take one police officer, one supervisor and one civilian employee to the conference which, this year, is being held in Mobile, AL.  I was selected to represent the department as the civilian employee.  Unfortunately, the conference is being held from March 21-24 this year.  Had it been any other weekend I would get to take the trip.  But this year I can't go.  It's for a good reason though.  On March 24 my parents will be celebrating their 50th Anniversary, and that's more important than the CALEA Conference.  In three years I will request to go again, and hopefully I'll be selected.  But this not this year.