The Alafia Ragnar Trail Relay was a super fun experience that took me completely out of my comfort zone. First of all, if I wasn't as healthy as I am right now, camping with Crohn's disease would have seriously freaked me out. Thankfully, I am not dealing with any symptoms, so it wasn't an issue. Secondly, even though I was camping with strangers (now I consider them new friends) and sharing a tent with a guy I only met a couple of weeks ago, my social anxiety was nonexistent because I felt welcomed and a part of the team, aka, Sloth Squad! Lastly, I had never done trail running before and this past weekend I did an extremely difficult mountain bike trail with cliffs, hills that seemed like mountains, and hairpin turns (it felt like I was running in another state) and I even ran a trail at night...in the dark with a head light! It was an amazing whirlwind of an adventure.
Unfortunately, I am not very good at trail running. I fell a total of four times and bruised my knees like a kid on the playground. I sprained my ankle on my first trail run. Somehow I managed to push through the pain and finish strong. I went straight to the first aid tent and had the medic tape my ankle tightly to limit its range of motion and offer support so that I could continue the relay. We had a onesie party at camp, porta potties became a way of life, and we became a part of the Ragnarian family!
I carpooled to the relay with two people on my team, The Sloth Squad. We left early on Saturday after we were finished with our legs of the race because we had to get back to Orlando while the rest of our team finished their last legs of the relay. Our team captain picked up our medals when they were done and I'm excited to get it from him Tuesday night at Ten10 Run Club.
I had to get back to Orlando to attend my company's holiday party. It was kind of a rush to get cleaned up from camping and running in order to be presentable at the semi formal event. I'm really glad my sister, Kelly, went with me as my plus one. We enjoyed the cocktail hour before the grand ballroom opened at the Orlando World Center Marriott. I introduced Kelly to co-workers, most of which were executive managers because that's who I work closest with. She got to meet George Smith, the co-founder of the company, which was neat. The International/Entertainment VP told Kelly and Mr. Smith about the Owner Contracts I'm working on for him. The party had a live band, a dance floor, a delicious buffet, and an open bar. I lost count of how many jack and cokes I enjoyed. I had an interesting conversation with our W/WW (water/wastewater) VP about running and triathlons. We are both typically quiet, but the alcohol made chatting more natural for both of us. lol. My supervisor even gossiped about office drama. I stayed seated for most of the night because my ankle was swollen and it hurt to walk, so walked with a limp. By the end of the night, I went to dance with a lady who asked me to go on the dance floor earlier. She danced all night long with her husband and others and was constantly pulling folks up on the dance floor with her. She introduced me to a guy on the dance floor and we danced together for a couple of songs. He twirled me!!! Seriously, I was twirled and I wasn't sure I was twirling correctly, but it was fun! I likely wasn't very graceful with my bum ankle though... not that I would have been more graceful without a bum ankle. Afterwards, Kelly said "Well, he was hot!".
The last few days have been a blast with very little sleep, which means it's time for a nap!
Showing posts with label party. Show all posts
Showing posts with label party. Show all posts
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Who Am I?
When I was invited to a divisional party after work tonight, I didn't even hesitate to RSVP. The party was at Gators Dockside in Lake Mary. It was super nice of the Water/Wastewater division to invite me even though I'm not technically a part of their division. I was there from the beginning to end, 4PM - 7PM. That's right, I didn't just eat and leave. I socialized and I actually enjoyed it! I would say about 50 people from the office showed up to enjoy free wings and beer.
I have been known to be socially awkward and quiet at times. However, I never once felt awkward or quiet tonight. So what were my go to topics of conversation? The NYC Marathon, of course. Oh yeah, and clowning was another popular topic. I even showed my clown skit graduation video to one of the VP's who found it extremely amusing. He didn't realize the clown picture at my desk was me. It was also fun hanging out with my supervisor whose favorite topic of conversation was her cats. She must have enjoyed hanging out with me too because she invited me to happy hour next time a few ladies in the office go out.
I have been known to be socially awkward and quiet at times. However, I never once felt awkward or quiet tonight. So what were my go to topics of conversation? The NYC Marathon, of course. Oh yeah, and clowning was another popular topic. I even showed my clown skit graduation video to one of the VP's who found it extremely amusing. He didn't realize the clown picture at my desk was me. It was also fun hanging out with my supervisor whose favorite topic of conversation was her cats. She must have enjoyed hanging out with me too because she invited me to happy hour next time a few ladies in the office go out.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
A Bachelorette Party
After work yesterday, I went out with a few ladies from the office for my supervisor's bachelorette party. We started the night with drinks and appetizers at Dexter's in Lake Mary (the same place I had my lunch interview with my supervisor and her supervisor). It's a completely different atmosphere at night. We all wore paper tiaras that said "Team Bride." I started the night with a Blue Moon.
Next, we walked over to World of Beer. This is where the fun really started. Everyone got another round of drinks. This time I got a Guinness! For some reason the Guinness made them inquire about my relationship status....Like only single women drink dark beer. I told them I am closer to becoming a rockstar than I am to being in a relationship. They laughed and inquired what my "type" is. I told them I don't really have a type and the one lady concluded that I'll bang anything. I'm pretty sure everyone else ordered their third round while I was still working on my Guinness. We chatted, laughed, and drank. We all had a Cinnamon Toast Crunch shot and then I followed that with a vodka tonic.
We chatted up some guys and the one bought the bachelorette a shot. We stopped drinking alcohol around 8:30pm and started drinking water. We eventually made our way back over to Dexter's. They had a live band playing, so we danced. The bachelorette even got a shout out from the band. They didn't mention anything about my lack of dancing skill, so I guess I blended pretty well. We were all sober by 11pm, so we called it a night.
I had a great night getting to know the ladies better. They are fun and super chill. I have mad respect for them because they are hard working women that know how to have responsible fun. Most are mothers and/or wives a little older than I am, but they aren't like any parent or spouse I've ever met. They define the role of mother/wife differently than other people in my life. It sounds weird. It's hard to explain, but I like it.
We chatted up some guys and the one bought the bachelorette a shot. We stopped drinking alcohol around 8:30pm and started drinking water. We eventually made our way back over to Dexter's. They had a live band playing, so we danced. The bachelorette even got a shout out from the band. They didn't mention anything about my lack of dancing skill, so I guess I blended pretty well. We were all sober by 11pm, so we called it a night.
I had a great night getting to know the ladies better. They are fun and super chill. I have mad respect for them because they are hard working women that know how to have responsible fun. Most are mothers and/or wives a little older than I am, but they aren't like any parent or spouse I've ever met. They define the role of mother/wife differently than other people in my life. It sounds weird. It's hard to explain, but I like it.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
My Trip To Sunrise
I left after work on Friday to go visit Taylor. It took me about three and a half hours to get there and it rained most of my drive down, which sucked. However, getting to see Taylor made it worth it. Wicked rain, wind, thunder and lighting accompanied me on the Turnpike, which slowed my pace. I arrived at Taylor's a little after 7:45pm. Then, Taylor, Kenny, Sean, Chelsea, and I went to P.F. Chang. Yeah, I was the fifth wheel, but I didn't mind. I had amazing kung pao chicken. We followed P.F. Chang with Funky Buddha Brewery. The brewery was awesome because they had their own micro brews on tap, plus they had numerous tables to play games at. You sign out games from the game room like Apples to Apples, Monopoly, etc... then you sit in the well lit bar area with music at a lower volume than a typical club so that you can play the games and drink their great brews. I fell in love with their Hop Gun IPA. I've never tasted a beer like it before and it makes me want to try more local breweries around Orlando. We closed the brewery and I'm not sure what time we got back to Taylor's place, but I know it was Saturday. I slept on their fold-out couch, which was surprisingly comfortable.
Saturday's wake up call came early because her birthday party started at 10am. By the time, we got up, got dressed, and folded up the couch bed Mrs. Conklin was knocking on the door. Slowly, people trickled in, Taylor's grandma and grandpa, Katrina, Kenny's sister's, Alisa and Emily, and CJ. It was storming, so we had to post pone the pool party. Taylor opened gifts and everyone snacked. Eventually, the storm let up enough for us to move the party to the pool only for another storm to chase us back into the apartment. We sang, ate cake, played games, and watched a movie. During this time a few people left and I went into Taylor and Kenny's room to take a nap while everyone else played another game. By the time I woke up it was time to go to the Game Room, which is like a knock off of Dave and Buster's. Mrs. Conklin, Taylor, Kenny, Sean, Alisa, and I went to the Game Room where we raced, shot things, played guitar hero, bowled, and played air hockey. I left in the middle of gaming because I wanted to get back home before midnight. I had a blast celebrating with Taylor, and I know it meant a lot to her that I came to celebrate with her. I love seeing her new place and where she calls home. Though I wish we would have gotten some time together without everyone else around... I'm just greedy like that I guess.
The friendship turd is now in my hands, so I get to think about how I want to enhance it this time.
Saturday's wake up call came early because her birthday party started at 10am. By the time, we got up, got dressed, and folded up the couch bed Mrs. Conklin was knocking on the door. Slowly, people trickled in, Taylor's grandma and grandpa, Katrina, Kenny's sister's, Alisa and Emily, and CJ. It was storming, so we had to post pone the pool party. Taylor opened gifts and everyone snacked. Eventually, the storm let up enough for us to move the party to the pool only for another storm to chase us back into the apartment. We sang, ate cake, played games, and watched a movie. During this time a few people left and I went into Taylor and Kenny's room to take a nap while everyone else played another game. By the time I woke up it was time to go to the Game Room, which is like a knock off of Dave and Buster's. Mrs. Conklin, Taylor, Kenny, Sean, Alisa, and I went to the Game Room where we raced, shot things, played guitar hero, bowled, and played air hockey. I left in the middle of gaming because I wanted to get back home before midnight. I had a blast celebrating with Taylor, and I know it meant a lot to her that I came to celebrate with her. I love seeing her new place and where she calls home. Though I wish we would have gotten some time together without everyone else around... I'm just greedy like that I guess.
The friendship turd is now in my hands, so I get to think about how I want to enhance it this time.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
What a Weekend
I got to the hotel in Sebring, FL around noon yesterday. Thankfully, I transported the glass center pieces in my trunk safely. Taylor was super ahead of schedule, so the tables were ready for the center pieces after I cleaned them. After putting some candles in them and setting up the candy table, I was able to take a three hour nap in our hotel room. While I napped Taylor waited for the cake to be delivered and greeted family and friends arriving to the hotel early to check in.
Taylor interrupted my nap briefly so that's when I gave her our friendship turd. She originally gifted this turd to me when she wrapped my toilet for Christmas a couple years ago. Basically, the friendship turd signifies that no matter what shit we're going through in life we'll always be there for each other. I told her when she moved that I'd give "The Turd" to her the next time I saw her. She requested that I put glitter on it first, so I painted it with glittery nail polish. Now the glittery friendship turd is in her possession and I'll get it back the next time I see her.
The party was amazing! The table decor, cake, and candy table were gorgeous. The open bar was open for the whole party from 6pm-10pm. I enjoyed whiskey and coke before I got on the dance floor. The DJ was so great that he even played the Hokey-Pokey for the kids. Taylor pointed out that her grandma dances better than I do and I couldn't argue. I especially loved dancing with the birthday lady to Love Shack by the B52's. I knew all of the immediate family, which were only a small percentage of all of the party guests. Except for the kids, I think there was only one other single person there besides me, which was obvious whenever slow songs polluted the air. It didn't bother me because that's when the bar area cleared out. The other single person was Taylor's cousin Samantha. I've hung out with Sam before and she's fun. It didn't surprise me when she asked me to dance with her on the final song of the night, which happened to be a slow one. We twirled, rocked back and forth and held hands. lol Then we joked about how we couldn't promise each other a kiss at the end of the night. Overall, the party was a hit. I regret not getting a picture of me in my dress because I think I looked damn good.
After I helped Taylor break down and clean up, we went up to Mr. and Mrs. Conklin's room to watch her open gifts. Before she opened mine, she predicted that I got her diapers. Does she know me or what! =) When Mr. Conklin saw the power lift bra, he requested that she put it on. My other gag gifts for her brought smiles and laughter. The gift opening was followed by an after-party in someone's hotel room. Drunk people can be funny as shit. We (Taylor, Kenny and I) didn't stay at the after-party long. I went to bed around midnight, but I was up in the bathroom throughout the night. Thank God for Poo-Pourii... it's a life saver in a hotel room. I ate breakfast with Taylor and her family this morning before loading the center pieces back in my car and heading home.
Taylor interrupted my nap briefly so that's when I gave her our friendship turd. She originally gifted this turd to me when she wrapped my toilet for Christmas a couple years ago. Basically, the friendship turd signifies that no matter what shit we're going through in life we'll always be there for each other. I told her when she moved that I'd give "The Turd" to her the next time I saw her. She requested that I put glitter on it first, so I painted it with glittery nail polish. Now the glittery friendship turd is in her possession and I'll get it back the next time I see her.
The party was amazing! The table decor, cake, and candy table were gorgeous. The open bar was open for the whole party from 6pm-10pm. I enjoyed whiskey and coke before I got on the dance floor. The DJ was so great that he even played the Hokey-Pokey for the kids. Taylor pointed out that her grandma dances better than I do and I couldn't argue. I especially loved dancing with the birthday lady to Love Shack by the B52's. I knew all of the immediate family, which were only a small percentage of all of the party guests. Except for the kids, I think there was only one other single person there besides me, which was obvious whenever slow songs polluted the air. It didn't bother me because that's when the bar area cleared out. The other single person was Taylor's cousin Samantha. I've hung out with Sam before and she's fun. It didn't surprise me when she asked me to dance with her on the final song of the night, which happened to be a slow one. We twirled, rocked back and forth and held hands. lol Then we joked about how we couldn't promise each other a kiss at the end of the night. Overall, the party was a hit. I regret not getting a picture of me in my dress because I think I looked damn good.
After I helped Taylor break down and clean up, we went up to Mr. and Mrs. Conklin's room to watch her open gifts. Before she opened mine, she predicted that I got her diapers. Does she know me or what! =) When Mr. Conklin saw the power lift bra, he requested that she put it on. My other gag gifts for her brought smiles and laughter. The gift opening was followed by an after-party in someone's hotel room. Drunk people can be funny as shit. We (Taylor, Kenny and I) didn't stay at the after-party long. I went to bed around midnight, but I was up in the bathroom throughout the night. Thank God for Poo-Pourii... it's a life saver in a hotel room. I ate breakfast with Taylor and her family this morning before loading the center pieces back in my car and heading home.
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