The Madness of March

As the expression goes, time flies when you're having fun.  Apparently I've been having a whole lot of fun lately, due to the fact that I haven't taken time to update my beloved blog in ALMOST a month!  March has been a bit mad, indeed- since my last post, I've traveled to a handful of different states (a mix of business AND pleasure) & spent some time with some of my favorite people.  

Our month started off with a goodbye.  My traveling salesman fiance & I bid farewell to his company car- The Baltima (code for "Baller Altima"), and began the (tedious) process of researching, test driving & negotiating cars- only one of which we would call our own.  One of the things I love about making purchases & decisions with Doug is that I know we've made 1) the most educated decision possible, and 2) we've secured the purchase at a price we can afford, and in most cases, even snagged a deal on.  The man negotiates like no one I've ever seen... much to the "delight" of whoever finds themself selling to this young man. I even learn patience along the way- because "impulse purchases" are not something we're familiar with.  An all around good learning experience for me, I'd say.          

This snapshot was taken at 8:00pm on a Saturday, just before we drove the car off the lot, after 3 hours of wheeling, dealing & paperwork.  8:00pm was 3 hours after the dealership closed. Who looks happier- Doug, or his car salesman? 

Next up: Work Trip to Park City, Utah. I am so grateful to have a job that I love, with a  wonderful company & coworkers who have become dear friends.  The fact that I get to travel for my job is such an added bonus.  I've been able to meet people, visit places, & do things I probably wouldn't have otherwise experienced, which is such a blessing.  It didn't take me long to recognize how fortunate I was to have such a job so early in my career.  As a result, I make a conscious effort to never become desensitized to the opportunities I have to see new things & meet new people.    

Having said that, our meeting planning team plans an annual incentive trip for close to 300 of our top customers, suppliers, & Dot employees.  This year, we hosted the program in Park City, Utah at the Montage Deer Valley Resort.  It was an incredible property, and we arrived at the end of a huge snowstorm that dumped over 20 inches of snow- a literal winter wonderland. 

Meeting Planner Photo Opp!  Chelsea, Sara & I couldn't pass up the chance to pose in front of the most enormous snow drift we'd ever seen.

If the stars have have aligned for us once, they've aligned for us 1,000 times.  Sarah was in Salt Lake City for spring break, and was scheduled to fly out the day I arrived.  Thanks to that massive snowstorm I mentioned above, her flight was cancelled, and our SECOND visit in 2011 came to be!  We enjoyed a lovely slumber party... at the Montage.  

I wasn't the only one who was thrilled to see Sarah!  Sara & Sarah have become friends over the past year, as well- which I love.  Not only was our meeting planning team delighted to see & spend some time with Sarah Clancy- we also LOVED having the extra set of hands in our work room ALLLLLL afternoon Saturday.  That's right- we put her to work. 

My boss, Cathie, showing Sarah the ropes of preparing room drops.  I'm pretty sure up to this point, Sarah was under the impression that my job consisted of nothing but sweet perks, cheerful colleagues, etc.  The afternoon she spent with us in our workroom gave her a more realistic perspective to the... shall we say- unsexy side of meeting planning.  We'll leave it at that, in the spirit of the half full glass we're working with here.  :)

As I mentioned earlier, one of my favorite things about my job is meeting & working with incredible people around the country.  During our program at the Montage- Tricia & Jose were two of the staff members at the hotel that we worked closely with.  They were awesome, and went above & beyond to make sure our team had everything we need to put together a successful event for our attendees.  Before we left, we snapped a picture together on one of the patios at the hotel. 



Sara (how cute is her baby bump?!) and Monte- the "ambasador" of the Montage.  I wanted him to stay & play with us ALL day- he was completely lovable & adorable. 



The smores fire pit on the back patio of the hotel. Sara & I discovered this on our last day of the trip during our break.  Seriously, who needs apre ski when you can gorge yourself on smores (different flavored marshmallows!) & hot chocolate?   

In going with the theme of wonderful people- meet Carol Wilhoit.  She is married to one of Doug's customers, Kenny, from Chattanooga, TN. I've gotten to know them through their attendance on several of the Dot trips.  Last summer they even invited Doug & I to spend the weekend with them at their home in TN!  We had an amazing time & learned the true defintion of southern hospitality during our visit with them.  I was SO excited when I found out they'd be joining us in Park City.  :)

Carol's "other half"- Kenny Wilhoit. Doug actually sent me this picture from Kenny's office during a meeting.  If you look really close- you can see our save the date magnet on the side of Kenny's desk... which it looks like he's pretty excited about! We're crossing our fingers they'll be able to help us celebrate on October 29!  If they're able to make it- we can promise you Kenny will be the life of the party.  :)

Road Trip!! to Le Claire, Iowa to visit MR & MRS. JACKSON!

Doug & I packed our bags & road tripped north for some long-overdue time with Jen & Tim.  The Jackson's were the perfect host & hostess & we enjoyed every bit of time with them- though as always, it didn't seem long enough.  It was so fun to see their adorable house, stocked with awesome wedding gifts & decorated with pictures from their beautiful wedding.   In case you're wondering, yes, it's still very surreal to me that my little sister is old enough to be MARRIED & have a house of her own- but I'm slowly getting used to the idea.  After all, Tim is a dream boat brother in law, so I'm counting my blessings that he's part of our family now.  Here is a photo-recap of time with them, which, to be honest, doesn't begin to capture how much fun we had. 

Tim's dream came true during our visit, as he made his innagural visit to Bierstube, the local German Bar in Le Claire.  Their menu features an array of brews & a sausage/weinerschnizel offering that I imagine would give some large, bearded German man butterflies.  The next time you see Tim, ask to describe the bar using his German accent- you won't be disappointed.

The boys getting ready for our dinner date on Saturday.  Of course, the biggest decision to make before a night out is... what to wear.  Though it's hard to tell from this picture, Tim & Doug are shown modeling ties purchased during Tim's trip to Korea.... which are sparkly.  Needless to say, these ties were not part of the "perfect outfits" the guys landed on for the evening. 

During our LOVELY dinner date at Stevenson's in Le Claire. 

No lovely dinner date is complete without the infamous "bra napkin trick," which Doug so graciously shared with Tim at the end of dinner.  The trick has been passed down from Doug's grandpa, Sylvester, and has quite a success rate with impressing people who experience it for the first time.  Tim caught on quickly to the art of making a bra out of a dinner napkin- yet another reminder for Jen of what a lucky woman she is.



Last stop of the night: Sneaky Pete's in downtown Le Claire!  Conveniently located between Stevenson's & the Jackson casa- we just couldn't pass it up on our way home.  This quaint little watering hole serves their cocktails out of Mason Jars.  Need we say more?   

 

Tim went out on a limb & told the bartender to surprise him.  She presented him with a few minutes later with her speciality: The Sneaky Pete. 

Rounding out the Madness of March...

Ethan came to visit!  I LOVED having my brother spend a few days with us in St. Louis.  I'd like to think one of the reasons Ethan has grown into such a fine young man is the fact he grew up in a home with three sisters.  I think this fact is also the reason he & Doug (& Tim, too) have hit it off so well.  My goals for his trip were to spend some quality time with him, get him out on the golf course with Doug, & feed him as many delicious, home cooked meals in hopes he'd return again soon.  Mission(s) accomplished.

The first night of Ethan's visit happend to coincide with some awesome spring weather, so we grilled steaks for dinner.  As you can see, Doug's infamous headband headlight came in handy for yet another night of grilling...

The second night of Ethan's visit happened to be U of I's first game of the NCAA tournament.  We accommodated this momentous occasion by moving dinner to the man cave, so the guys could watch the game in high def on the big tv.  Dinner was even timed so that they could fix their plates upstairs during half time, as to not miss a single second of the action.  I can't help but think these two gentlemen are living the life.  :)



Whew!  There you have it- March in a nutshell.  The only thing I'm missing is a picture from my dad's visit!  The MO Valley Basketball Tournament is hosted every year in St. Louis, so we took in his alama mater's (SIU-C) first round victory of the tournament with him.  Now all I need are visits from my mom & Anna to round out the family time!  I feel really fortunate to have spent such great time with my family over the past month. 

As I wrap up this post, I'm hopeful that spring is OFFICIALLY here, which would mean all sorts of fun activities to blog about!  The return of bike rides on Grant's Trail, the Kirkwood Farmer's market being open, outdoor happy hours, open sunroofs & reading on our patio?  YES. PLEASE!!  Stay tuned...