This is Me from the Greatest Showman Soundtrack

What are you doing, eating, drinking, wearing?  I'm not being nosy, but Gavin is.  The thing about Gavin is that he is genuinely interested in the answers to those questions and he will always share his own situation in response.  I first met Gavin over 3 years ago when I was in Carmel, Indiana training his company on our software.  I only spoke to him for a few minutes, but he left an immediate impression on me. He had completely embraced the product and enforced adoption with his vendors and users.  I was so excited about him and his enthusiasm that I told my Marketing team that he would be an excellent candidate to record a testimonial.  When he told me years later that he once ran for office in his town, I wasn't at all surprised.  I was however surprised that he didn't win the election.

Several years later, Gavin took a more active role with my product and before I knew it, he had found me on LinkedIn, Facebook, and someone even found my cell phone number.  Again, I know you are thinking this guy is super nosy and possibly a little creepy, but I assure you he isn't!  A couple years ago I texted him Merry Christmas.  He responded with a picture of his family in their matching Christmas jammies.  I responded with a picture of me and the kids wearing the EXACT SAME JAMMIES.  They are from Target, so this isn't totally farfetched, but to quote a movie that I haven't actually seen, but somehow still know this:  "Did we just become best friends?!"

If friendship were a superpower, Gavin would be known as SuperFriend.  He truly cares about his friends and he has quite literally become one of my very best friends, which is funny because I haven't seen Gavin in person in over three years.  He has been doing video messages and FaceTime calls before those things became mainstream.  He checks in on me regularly and sends me funny memes or tags me in funny posts. One day he happened to check in on me when I was especially down in the dumps about something.  Or someone.  It was probably a guy. I am always in the dumps about some guy.  Gavin sent me a link to a song and told me to cheer up.  The song was This Is Me and it did cheer me up.  Thanks Buddy!

Pretty Girls by Iggy Azalea feat. Britney Spears

I was on my third work trip in the first 3 months back to work.  I was getting the hang of things and starting to see the benefits of work travel.  It was a quick 1-day in and out of Dallas to train a new client.  I had an afternoon flight and a cute outfit for traveling.  I was staying in my favorite Aloft in Plano and I was excited for the getaway.  I get to the Fastbreak counter for my rental car.  They hand me my agreement and I am off to look for my car.  I look at the number.  I look at the car.  I look at the number.  I look at the car.  It's a red Mustang convertible.  I asked them if they were serious and they said yes and would I like for them to show me how to put the top down?  Would I ever!  When I rolled into the parking lot at work the next day, you can bet that I caused quite a stir.  We took some pictures because we simply had to.  As I drove back to return the car the very next day, I made sure to put the top down.  When I rolled into the return section, I had Pretty Girls blaring with the top down and my blonde hair blowing in the wind.  The agent burst out laughing and asked if I had enjoyed myself.  What kind of question is that.  We're just so pretty. 

In the Ayer by Flo Rida

Much like what happens in Vegas, much of the story of the party bus unfortunately stays on the party bus. It was that kind of night.  I can safely share some of it without consequence.  At least I hope I can.  We are going back a couple years in time now from the Karaoke annual summit.  I find it hard to believe that I now have 4 summits under my belt and with any luck, many many more!  The 2017 summit was a bit smaller, but no less fun. As always, there were new teammates to meet in person and dear friends to see.  I flew in on the heels of a storm.  Literally.  I had been in Tahoe for 4 days, which culminated in an 11 hour journey home, followed by a very early flight to Dallas the next morning. Let the fun begin!
We were staying in the decidedly less hip Hyatt House, which meant no cool hotel bar, which meant all the fun was basically deferred to the night of the .... dun dun dun.... party bus.  I had spent a few days cultivating my dear friend Karen's 40th birthday party playlists.  With a few minor tweaks, it was perfect for the party bus.  Or so i thought.... at some point in the evening folks were taking over my playlist.  The good news about that is that Leann asked me to play In the Ayer and then hopped up to the front of the bus to shake and shimmy and it was such a delight to see!  It is no wonder her daughter is a champion cheerleader - she gets it all from her mother.  Her gorgeous, sweet, fun, mother with some serious moves! 
Other fun memories from the evening included a couple hilarious snapchat videos with Mychael, hijacking Mychael's snapchat with LaShanta, LaShanta bowling everyone's turn because she thought we may as well get our money's worth, deep conversations with Igor, and minibar bottles with Anne while solving all of the problems, of course.  I know these were only snippets, and the allowable snippets at that, but na-na-na-na, my team is the bestest team. 

Billionaire by Travie McCoy

As Heather put it:  "my heart is full".  It's the perfect description for how I feel following the annual team summit.  It's weeks like these that make me long for the days when I worked in the office....but then I remember all the perks of working from home.  The annual summit is the opportunity, once a year, for all of us to come together for a week of learning and team building.  This year was the biggest summit yet and dare I say, the best?  It was so well organized, interesting and entertaining content, and the entertainment! Best of all though, I think we would all agree, was the bonding.

So many delightful conversations with so many wonderful people.  The laughter was contagious and plentiful.  It's unbelievable really that I truly like and respect everyone on my team and even more unbelievable that we all seem to feel this way about each other!  This year, instead of staying in the (oh so hip) Aloft, we stayed in the suites.  First of all, these places are gorgeous.  Second of all, we had suite mates and instead of having to meet in the hotel bar, we could invite people over to our suite.  Fun! My roomie and I have a common affliction, namely FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out.  We are always the last to leave a party, the last to admit defeat.  This meant we stayed up way too late talking each night.  It was wonderful.

This year's event was a showstopper.  I didn't think we could top the party bus....I loved the Escape Room, but Karaoke and a custom version of Friends in Low Places really takes the cake.  There were quite a few highlights, but there is one in particular that stands out in my mind and will forever transport me to the good feelings of the summit.  It was Heather's rendition of Billionaire.  She was standing up there singing in her sweet voice...she absolutely nailed the Travie McCoy verses....and the audience ate it up.  We were seeing a whole new side of Heather and we were loving it.  Best night.

Dance (A$$) by Big Sean

It was a brisk 40 degrees in late January in Carmel, IN.  You pronounce it with the emphasis on the CAR, not the MEL, like you would in California.  I was on a work trip.  Before we left the client site, we had asked for a dinner recommendation.  The client recommended something (which was great) and then turned to his employee and reminded him that they had “sports” later that night.  I inquired which sport they might be participating in, in the middle of winter.  Somewhat sheepishly he replied:  Darts.  And beer.  Yes, I know that sounds like the punchline to the evening, but it’s important to the overall story!  My co-worker and I had just finished dinner and opted for a stroll around downtown Carmel.  As you do in 40 degree weather.  She suggested one more round, so we ducked into a bar.

It was a neighborhood kind of bar, but most noticeably to this Californian, people were smoking.  Inside the bar.  It cost me $40 in dry cleaning to get the smell out of my coat later. I go up to the bar to procure drinks and order something I see on tap. Maybe a Stella?  The bartender says they are out of it.  I try something else.  No dice.  I finally request a Coors Light.  Do they have Coors Light?!  Success!  I bring the beers over to my co worker and we cheers.  A couple polite young (very young!) Indiana gentlemen ask if we might like to play darts with them.  I look at my co worker and shrug and say I could go for some “sports”.  They look at us quizzically, but we are on.  Girls vs. Boys.  And we proceed to kick some ass. I had never played in my life, but somehow I get 5 bulls-eyes during that round.  We later swapped partners and had a completely excellent evening full of bulls-eyes, beers, hilarious conversation, and excellent music on the jukebox.  At one point in the evening, someone asked whose coat was taking up a bar stool.  I said it (the fur lined, suede, fur collar, belted jacket I bought in Spain) was mine.  He said OF COURSE it is mine.  It’s the “I’m from California and it’s going to be cold but I want to look fabulous” coat.  And that’s exactly what I was going for with it.  

We got a ride back to the hotel from the nice young gentlemen and I showed my age because there was a song playing that I had never ever heard.  It’s not really my genre and I definitely can’t play it around the kids.  It has the word Ass in the name of the song for goodness sake.  He was blasting it as we barreled down the main strip in downtown Carmel in his (jeep? I think?).  I’m still in touch with the nice young men and they definitely give the name to Midwestern manners, except I suppose for the song with the word Ass in it. 

Electric Love by the Borns

I was sitting in the Aloft Hotel with 2 of my co-workers, having just the best time.  Anne H and I had just spent hours upon hours talking and catching up.  I'm not even kidding.  We talked all the way to the airport, waiting for our plane, the 3 1/2 hour flight to Dallas, and the Uber ride to the hotel.  Would you believe we weren't done yet?  Upon arriving at the Aloft, we proceeded to the hotel bar to catch up with our co-workers.  I cannot tell you what a treat it is to attend the annual team summit. I work from home exclusively, but once in a while it's really nice to see all of the people I normally only hear on the phone.  Add to that the complete freedom from responsibility (read: 2 tiny humans who rely on me for absolutely everything) and I was in heaven.

Anne, James S and I enjoyed some well deserved cocktails and talked (and talked). No shop talk, just fun, goofy, gossipy goodness.  James told us all about the very fancy sneakers he was contemplating purchasing for his upcoming wedding.  I was initially shocked at the price tag on said sneakers, until I remembered the price tag on my wedding dress.  Seemed fair, not to mention the shoes are pretty snazzy.  We discussed in great detail the foot pop, a la the Princess Diaries, he absolutely must perform to showcase the red soles!  While we were chatting, I of course noticed the music playing in the bar because of course I did.  The Aloft is a very hip hotel, with a pool table in the lobby, techno playing in the elevator, you get the picture.  Electric Love was the perfect fit for the ambience in the hotel and especially in the moment.  It's catchy and addicting and cheerful and oh so hip.  Nice job Aloft.  You put me in the perfect moment surrounded by the perfect people to enjoy it.  I'd like to say we closed down the bar and we probably did.  I was having too much fun to notice, soon to be followed by 2 more nights just like it!

Stolen Dance by Milky Chance

I was sitting at a table at Seasons 52 with my new boss, her boss, and 2 new colleagues.  It was the last night of my work trip to Dallas. I had traveled to Dallas to start my new (old) job, after a 4 1/2 year hiatus as a stay-at-home mom. It was positively the most adult experience I had in years.  It was my first overnight away from Lila, so it had been at least 18 months since I had spent a night by myself.  I was in heaven.  When I first learned I needed to go back to work full-time, I was honestly panicked.  I felt sad, I felt guilty.  Then when I was sitting in the airport on my way to Dallas holding nothing but my purse (no kids, no diaper bag, no stroller, no snacks), I felt guilty in an entirely different way because I was enjoying myself so darn much!!  I didn't realize how much I needed this break and how ready I actually was to recapture some sense of who I was as an individual, not just the mother of my darling children. It would take some getting used to, but I was well on my way.

It was an exciting 3 days of training and seeing faces new and old.  I was excited to be back at such a great company amongst some really great people.  The days were long and tiring in a completely different way.  The nights were beyond fun.  I didn't have to cook, clean up, or deal with any of the nighttime routine.  I could watch a show in my bed.  I could take a glass of wine up to my room.  I got to go out to dinners at grown up restaurants that didn't serve chicken nuggets and no one was picking off of my plate or asking for something.  I got to hang out at the hotel bar and talk to other adults.  I got to dress up in my fantastic new work clothes and I looked and felt like a million bucks. Sitting in Seasons 52, I was immensely enjoying my dinner and heard this song playing overhead.  I figured out what it was later that evening and downloaded it. I listened to it obsessively all the way home on the plane and waiting for my bags at baggage claim.  One year later, it still reminds me of the start of a new adventure and a new phase of my life.

1985 by Bowling for Soup

In August 2009, I started working at OpsTechnology in San Francisco and it was, to date, the best job I have ever had.  I loved everything about it, from the location (Union Square), to the environment (start-up, no cubicles, and amazingly, absolutely no pressure to work late), to my co-workers.  What really made the job so great though was my boss Melissa K.  In fact, what put me over the top during the interview process was when she told me she enjoyed coming to work so much that she practically skipped to work.  I later found out she didn't mean this in the slightest, but it meant a lot to me.  I did honestly come to work smiling every day, as I walked past Macy's, stopped by the flower vendor each Monday to purchase a bouquet for myself, and settled in for a week of interesting, challenging work.

One day, Melissa told us that her friend Steve M from Chicago had sent her another mystery mix CD.  Steve would put together mixes, but he wouldn't label them or tell her the track or artist names.  It was up to her to figure out (or not).  Apparently it was something fun she offered to her employees to do.  As you can imagine, this was totally up my alley and I jumped at the chance to play Name that Tune!  It was easy enough to do while working because I would just put my headphones on and listen to the CD.  If I knew the song, it was easy enough to write it down and continue working.  If I didn't, I had to take a second to figure it out.  I couldn't use Shazam because, well, I had a Blackberry at the time and also because I couldn't go interrupting other people's work.  I had to google lyrics and I was really good at it.  It was also fun because I was introduced to some new songs, such as 1985.  It always reminds me of working at Ops, in that office on Geary St, and how contented I was that year.  2009, that is.