The Windy City

Usually it takes me at least two weeks to unpack my suitcase from a trip, but recently I unpack it within a day or two... only to get it back down and packed a week later.  Ironic?  I think so.

Lately, it's been go, go, go in my world.  At times it's great and at other times I'm seriously tired.  Trust me, I'm not old, but I have noticed that I don't bounce back from trips the way I used to.  Perhaps it's because I'm traveling more, but perhaps not.  Regardless, it's starting to take it's toll.  Thank goodness after next week I have over a month before I see another plane.

However, the point of this post wasn't to complain but rather to share a recap from my most recent trip to Chicago.  I tried taking as many pictures as possible to document my time there, which was primarily spent in the hotel at the EVENT Marketing Summit.  I had an awesome time, despite not knowing a soul and hope to go back next year.

For those of you who don't know, I am a Marketing Manager and spend a lot of my time planning events (meetings and trade shows) for my company.  This conference inspired me to really think outside of the box with what I do and to challenge myself to take experiential marketing to the next level.  The insights shared from major brands touched on strategies beyond event marketing and it was completely inspiring.

See for yourself.

Tour Chicago by bike

The General Session

Quickmobile's booth- they make event apps

These pods are fully customizable and can be dropped off anywhere- The Body Shop chose NYC as it's test ground and did make overs right in the heart of the Big Apple

At the conference with my new, very short haircut

It's Wine o'clock Somewhere

This past weekend marked the first annual Princess Anne Wine Classic in Virginia Beach and I l.o.v.e.d. it.

Let's be honest- I'm a fan of wine so no one had to twist my arm to go, but it's always nice when you spend money on an activity and end up really enjoying yourself.

The Noblemen put this on and are known for hosting quite a few social fundraisers throughout the year.  This was the first event of theirs I've attended, and with all proceeds going back into the local community I was happy to support their cause one bottle glass at a time.

Little did I know that my fellow wine supporter and date to this day o' fun, Gillian, was a newbie to the world of wine festivals.  I would have never guessed this because she loves wine with all her heart and soul... but tis true.  When we approached the first tent she asked what we were supposed to do and it was quite shocking.  All the comments about my preparedness and general know-how started to make more sense.  See,  I'm used to attending these sorts of things with big groups of friends and my typical contribution is minimal- as in I show up and maybe prepare a small snack to share (if that!).  Last year I had to step up my game because the mother hen of our group, Elizabeth, was way-pregnant (is that bad to say?) and I was trying to help her out by taking on some of the prep work.  I ended up making chicken salad, purchased some cheeses, and packed a super cute cooler with all the random things we may need- even down to hand sanitizer.  From that festival on I became a new person.  Similarly, I brought a cooler packed with a variety of cheese and crackers, fruit... and of course, whatever utensils there was the slightest chance we might have needed.  It felt good to plan ahead and pack well enough that we didn't need to do anything but taste, taste, and taste some more wine.

Shortly into arriving (as in three tents "in") it started to rain... hard.  Thank goodness for the food tent and two folding chairs we somehow managed to snag to wait out the storm.  Oh, and did I mention the bottle of wine Gillian ran back through the rain for?  No?  Well definitely thank goodness for that.  We chatted with quite a few people, ate, and decided that should the rain persist we would just have to buy a bottle from a random tent we hadn't tasted from yet and move our party of two to the car.  Fortunately for us, the rain did let up and we didn't have to take such drastic measures.  It sounds crazy, but I wasn't about to let the newbie's first experience be lamo.

The best part about this whole thing was that once the rain stopped we were more fascinated with the horses in the stable than the vendor tents so by the time we picked up where we'd left off we realized there only30 more minutes of tasting.  Tough break, I know.  Didn't matter to us though, the day was full of good company, good wine, and good food.  

 

I'm awful

I really am awful when it comes to care taking.  I like to think that's not the case, but anything over 24 hours and you've lost my interest.  Don't get me wrong... for those first 24 hrs you feel like a king/queen, but after that you've lost your status.  My concern has a limit and it's called time.

This makes me embarrassed and concerned for so many reasons.

1. I'd like to have kids (well maybe just one) at some point and I realize their issues/needs can't be contained to a single day.  Bummer.
2. I have friends and family members that stay at home and have a gift for care taking and I can't even be patient with Jake and his broken foot for two weeks.  It's true.  I'm way over this injury and he still has at least another two weeks to go.  kill.me.now.
3. My brief concern for people and their needs is a bit selfish and highlights how truly impatient I am.
4. The truth is, if Jake didn't wait hand and foot on me each time I got sick I'd be devastated.  There is something about being on the receiving end of this treatment that makes you feel better.  Can you say hypocrite?
5. This behavior isn't earning me much credit in the wife department- well just in general, I wouldn't even be appealing as a roommate at this rate.  I don't clean up after myself, I don't like to clean up after others, I'm not a good cook, I enjoy 'me' time, if I could have sole control over the tv I would and I wouldn't think twice about it... oh, and you can add not being overly sympathetic for others in times of need to the list.