Ok, so my announcement is 6 days late.

I'm proud to announce that I received the coveted Microsoft MVP award for Visual Basic (currently the only MVP in Arkansas).  I'd first like to thank the Academy ... oh wait wrong speech again.  Actually I would like to thank the following people for their help and encouragement.  My apologies in advance if I neglected to mention you.

Northwest Arkansas .Net User Group - a great bunch that has been an exciting group to get to know and share with
Travis Doyle - for getting me interested and involved in starting the NWA DNUG
Caleb Jenkins - for being encouraging during his tenure of Tulsa DNUG President and Microsoft Developer Evangelist
Jay Smith - for bringing that spirit of friendly competition and taking over the building of the NWA DNUG and doing an awesome job
Jeremy Sharp - for being a terrific guy to hang out with
Chris Koenig - probably the number one person responsible in helping me get the MVP award
INETA - for being dumb enough to let me "mentor" other user group leaders
Zain Naboulsi - for being the crazy role playing geek
Phil Wheat - for hanging with me during some of my presentations
Omar Villareal - for letting me crash at his house
Dave McKinstry & Tim Rayburn - for always being willing to speak to our UG on their own dime
Peter DeBetta - for being the crazy SQL guy he is
.Net Rocks! - for allowing me to meet my hero from Carl & Gary's VB website
Josh Holmes - my golf partner
Cory Smith - for being my fellow VB'er and introducing me to the Microsoft VB team
Steve Walker - for being that totally awesome guy that we all know and love even if he disappears off the face of the earth every few months
Mark Leon Watson - for putting up with me on the We Are Microsoft Event
all my Twitterettes - for listening to me blather on about my boring life
all my Facebook friends - for accepting my friend invites
and lastly .... Ed Hickey for allowing me to be an MVP!