The crazy amount of work drama that went on after that last blog (literally 10 minutes after I posted it) is insane.  I almost want to erase it because it reminds me of how pissed off I was.

Anywho. Everything resulting from the drama was great and full of warm fuzzies.  Thursday I was whisked off to Minneapolis for the presentation I worked my face off for for like 2 months almost.  When we got there we practiced in person one time - took our class picture (again with the warm fuzzies) and put together the presentation room and action!

Side story on the class picture.  We go up to this gorgeous roof deck on the top of my companies headquarters to take a photo of the whole group (60-70 of us??) and up there EVERYONE is enjoying a cocktail and I see all my pals I haven't seen in months and I'm gabbing and long story short I end up RIGHT smack dab in the front middle because I was not paying attention to my original plan of hiding in the back.  Then the big boss comes and stands right next to me.  Greattt!  I'm chugging like 6 gallons of water due to nerves and I'm sweating like crazy and he puts his arm around me.  Seriously one of the coolest guys I know (and not because he would touch a sweaty me).

The presentation went really well.  The judges were eating when we started so I was hoping they wouldn't take notes on how nervous I was.  After I gave my first part I looked at one of my superiors and he smiled and gave me a lil wink.  Cheesy I know but that took all my nerves away immediately.  My second part went a lot better.  As soon as we were done and all the questions were answered I felt literally like a weight was lifted.  I felt like a huge rock of stress was gone from my body.

Party time. I checked into my hotel, changed out of my fancy clothes and met two lovely gals from my team in the hotel bar for celebratory lemon drop shots and a few glasses of wine.  Everyone wanted to go to a bar for more drinks but I was starving (I offically ate not one bite of food till like 9pm in fear of throwing up) so I stayed with Mike and Lori and ate some really yummy food in the bar.

I was going to go up to bed after but I realized I am NEVER in Minn. so I decided to join my co-workers out for some drinks and fun times (fun times they were).  First place we went was Brits.  Totally english bar (as opposed to Boston's Irish Bars??) and they have a huge lawn on the roof deck where you can play all kinds of fun lawn games.  So fun.  I never know what to drink out there because I'm such a Sam girl (Summit is NOT Sam guys...). We stayed there for a bit and I had a heart to heart with one of my account leads on our walk to the next bar called The Local.  CS was my PIC that night and we decided to stick together.  We however went to the second location ( never go with a hippie to a second location!!!! ) and proceeded to drink more.  I had some great conversations about Alkaline Trio and Motion City Soundtrack (from Minneapolis) with my friends fiance and random conversations about Facebook friending.  On the way to the bathroom I found the kissing room (where yes people go inside this dark lit room and make out).  I'll leave the forum open to whether I did or did not go in there:)

Went back to the hotel with Mike and CS and absolutely crashed.  Too much wine, too much beer made me silly.  My electric toothbrush exploded and I didn't even take a picture of it (one of many photo ops I missed during the trip).  Seriously my toothbrush exploded when I turned it on.  The batterys shot out of the bottom and battery acid (CS who was my neighbor called and asked me what that noise was) went everywhere.

Woke up the next day of the All Staff Retreat a little hungover but mostly still going off adrenaline so it was all good.  I decided it would be a good idea to drink a bit of every beverage I could find after getting to the retreat - I bring you my bevy of bevvies:

Yes I drank all of those through out the day and  a few more coffees and like 6 Diet Cokes to boot.

The day was also full of warm fuzzies and one big cold un fuzzie but this is my blog and I've already talked about it too much.  I realized this day that I also am devoid of accepting compliments.  So many people were coming up to me telling me how great I did in the presentation the day before and I was stoked about it but I was never sure what to say in return.  What sounds better to senior management: being like yeah thanks!! I knew I'd kick ass, or like "Ehh I was so nervous"  (I chose the latter) but I'm sure it wasn't the best call.  

I grabbed dinner by myself that night because the other teams were all studying real hard for their presentation.  I so conveniently sat across from the Scientology Center of Minneapolis (which I have a picture of it but it's not working).  There was a sign outside that said "Are you curious about yourself?? Come in..".  No thanks crazy face.

The night ended with some drinks with my favorites in the hotel lobby and much needed sleep.  Next day I woke up at 4:30 to make my way back to Boston.  The guy who drove me to the hotel found it so amazing that I worked in PR and kept asking me if I knew Dog the Bounty Hunter.  I'm serious.  He told me he wrote him letters telling him he thought he would be a great bounty hunter.  OOO Minneapolis.

EDIT: One more addition I forgot (but Pat reminded me).  In addition to my many beverages I enjoyed that day - I got to experience Dunn Brothers Coffee.  No - not owned by my good friend P Dunn but he wishes.  There are quite a few of them - one across from the office and one was IN the library we had our retreat at.  I was Dunn Brothers-ed out.  So good.  They had sugar free coffee shots in all the good flavors and not just Hazelnut and French Vanilla.

Speaking of coffee I think my next blog may include my ode to Pumpkin Spice Coffee.

xok