I've been in Seattle since Friday. The last time I was here it was 1992 and Grunge was all the rage. I'm here on company business visiting the mother ship, and attending a Summit and Conference until next Friday. Initially, I wasn't thrilled about having to miss this weekend at home because my folks returned home from the Philippines on Saturday, and Super Bowl Sunday is a really fun family event with Matt's clan. Who works while the Super Bowl is on? Yeah, that would be us.
But all is not as horrible as it could be. The hotel we are staying at in downtown Seattle has free concierge service from Nordstroms. All you have to do is call the "special" number, order what you want, and it will appear in your room. How sweet is that? I get to sleep in a heavenly bed, and I'm on the 27th floor and have a view of the City and Lake. Gorgeous!
I spent Friday going on 2 video shoots for Channel 10. One of the interviewees was Chris, one of my old buddies at a previous job. It was one of those unexpected pleasant surprises. On Saturday and Sunday, I spent time with my fellow Enthusiast Evangelists, an international group of very talented, warm, and funny people. Honestly, in the month I have been here at "the Evil Empire" all the people I have met have been incredibly welcoming and helpful. Perhaps, I'm still in the Honeymoon phase, but no matter, I'm really enjoying meeting some really cool folks who are really no different than you and I.
On Friday night, I made a special point to meet in person one of my fellow and favorite bloggers, Marybeth of Attraversiamo: Crossing Over. Here we are having a Cosmo at a fun Irish pub. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're girls. We have to have fun and fruity drinks even if we are at an Irish place. I have to say that it was really fabulous to spend time with Marybeth, and get to know her better. Now, when Marybeth tells me a funny story on email, I can now picture what her laugh looks like behind the lol.
For those of you who have developed relationships with other bloggers whom you've never met in person, mind you, the first meeting feels like you're seeing an old friend, when in fact you've actually just met for the first time. Marybeth and I shared laughs and stories. We ate, drank, and were merry. She even took me to the very first Starbucks. It was liking walking into the small garage where Hewlett and Packard began their empire.
This is what I love about technology and blogging, you get to meet kindred spirits, and be a part of something that has meaning. I didn't get to watch the Super Bowl with Matt, and see my parents this weekend, but I did get to spend time with some new friends and make happy memories.
