OOgiem - the general process you described is what I'm going to give a try. I set up a second calendar in Outlook that is strictly planning related. It's pretty much a tickler file that I can print to PDF and share with others on my team.

On the meeting planning, yep, have to get the hold dates out at the start of the year because I work in sales ops and planning. Working with sales leaders and sales managers is like herding cats (I can say that, I was once one of those people) and in order to avoid customer conflicts they like to have the meeting hold dates out as far as possible.

As an FYI to TesTeq: Big turkey with our family recipe rub, whipped sweet potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes, pumpkin cheesecake, some form of salad (brought by relatives), my grandmothers cranberries, stuffing, gravy and hot dinner rolls. If you find yourself in WI during Thanksgiving shoot me a message. The more the merrier!