2016 State of the Tower
Author: Rhed al'Tere
I wanted to take a moment to reflect on this past year in a more informal manner than will come out with the Annual Report. It's been a busy, full year for TarValon.Net and for me as Amyrlin, Trainee or otherwise.
In 2015, two Officers retired, Ubahsur Sedai and Serenla Sedai, and were replaced by Cassie Sedai and Toral Gaidin, respectively. We've had several Director-level replacements as well. While it's always sad to see previous Officers and Directors leaving the Admin team, it's also exciting to have fresh faces.
Our events went well this year. At Anni, I was raised fully to Amyrlin Seat, in a touching ceremony. The groups surprised me with a multitude of gifts -- so many I was afraid I'd not be able to get them all in the car! The Greens gave me a beautiful metal dragon sculpture that hangs in my spare room/office/library/craft room; SDS gave me a treasure chest with a bottle of rum. The Blues saved me from hauling anything home with me and adopted an elephant in my name. The Browns gifted me a piece of original artwork and a t-shirt. I was very touched by all the gifts I received, and felt very accepted by the groups as I stepped into my role. At JordanCon, we had a swift toast, joined by Team Jordan and other special guests who all felt right at home with our group. I'm always proud of my TarValon.Net group -- we welcome our guests without completely smothering them. Fall Ball was also a hit! Though some were doubtful about going to Duluth, Minnesota, in fall (me included!), it was a beautiful weekend full of good food and good friends.
This year I've made it a goal to reach out to members, whether through congratulations or sympathy or just "I'm thinking of you." I've received only good feedback from my efforts, so I'll continue these efforts into 2016. One of my favorite parts of sending cards is getting to use my Amyrlin seal. It was gifted to Eleyan when she was still Amrylin, and she thought it over for a long time and decided it was a gift to the position rather than a personal gift, and she passed it on to me at Anni. I have used it often this past year, and it makes me feel super official every time I do.
I started a Wheel of Time re-readathon in January, and I'm happy to say I've kept up with that through the year! I may have lagged behind, but I plan on finishing out 2015 on schedule -- if not a little ahead for 2016. We've completed through book 6 (Lord of Chaos), and will pick up Crown of Swords starting January 3. If you're interested in jumping in, check out the Book 14 forum for the reading schedule.
All in all, it's been an exciting and productive year for TarValon.Net, and for me, and I'm very much looking forward to 2016 and everything we can accomplish next year!
