I'm Backkkkk

I just got back from my first business trip and I can honestly say it was a truly relaxing experience. 

I should probably explain that completely out of the blue statement I just made. First of all, I have to preface that this was my first business trip...ever. And while I was super excited about the prospect of traveling on my company's dime, I was also terrified of the client dinners The Boss had lined up. I was also petrified of socializing with my co-workers (aka I was afraid of getting drunk and exposing my secret blog to my boss). 

Not to mention I was super, super stressed right before we left for our big trip. Why so stressed you ask? Well, I had just gotten back from my trip to London where I was greeted with a truck load of work and as WG1 mentioned previously, we just moved out of our apartment in the sixth borough so I had to pack, pack and pack some more, hire movers, and then unpack, unpack and unpack some more all while simultaneously preparing for the biggest event my company does all year. Whew. So you can see why I was a teensy bit stressed.

As the marketing coordinator of my company I play a large part in all our company events. Most of these include small office parties, but each year we do one big event in Aspen, Colorado. I mean, this event is so big to us that I've been working on planning and coordinating since November. Huge, huge, huge. 

I flew into Aspen on Thursday and got right to work. Things I quickly discovered included the following: 

1. I am not made for living in the mountains. I missed the city after two days. 

2. High altitudes give me huge headaches.  

3. I told the VP of Marketing that she and I might have been separated at birth. To which she responded, 'Except I'm old enough to be your mother. But only if I had been a slutty teenager'. I discovered I really love her. Like a lot. 

4. Events are mega hard work. But totally satisfying when they are over. 

5. I love all my clients. I want them to all to be my bff and move to NYC. 

So as you might have guessed by my discoveries that I had an awesome time. The event was amazing. That is truly the only way I can describe it. None of our clients had any complaints. The tent looked amazing. We got great foot traffic. And I had a really, really fun time hanging out with my co-workers. I mean, I had always enjoyed the VP of Marketing's personality, but she and I discovered we have so much in common that it scared us. We adore country music, burgers & fries, and vampire sagas. What more can you ask for in a boss? Oh, and we love complaining about work. It bonds us. 

The Boss was surprisingly calm. She almost always finds something to freak out about. But really the event went so well that she couldn't find anything to yell at me or the VP of Marketing about. And as a treat, she took us out to dinner at a posh Italian restaurant (where I had some spectacular gnocchi) and she got drunk, cried, and told us that she couldn't have done it without us. Which, to tell you the truth, felt pretty damn great. 

To top it all off, I was smart enough to take a few vacation days after the event ended on Sunday, and I stayed in Aspen for a few extra days. It was great just being alone and experiencing a paradise in the mountains. I took a gondola ride up to the top of Aspen Mountain, got a massage, bought a super cute cowboy hat, and finally saw The Dark Knight. It was the perfect end to the perfect event. 

I came back to work today relaxed, calm, and happy. My gay, Cuban, and pushing 45-year-old best guy friend at work told me I hadn't looked so radiant in weeks (he then offered to get a pool going so I could get a massage monthly so I wasn't such a raging bitch when stressed). Such a sweetheart that one. 

So I'm enjoying my moment of relaxation and sheer bliss that the event is over. 

Next on my list: begin planning the Colorado event for 2009. I kid you not.