Workin' for the weekend

I bet everyone forgot I had a blog...it's been nearly two weeks since I last wrote! I completely apologize, but Florida has been keeping me busy. :) Between at least 40 hours a week at work, maintaining a flourishing social life, and keeping in touch with people at home, I barely have time for anything else.

Soooooo, let's recap! The last couple of weeks at SunFest have been slightly hectic. I finally have enough projects on my plate to keep me busy all the time. I hate leaving work with unfinished projects, but so much of my work happens over a continuous period of time so that's how it goes. I have been doing A LOT with ticket consignment, skyboxes and group ticketing. Thankfully my co-workers have showed have some awesome ways to keep organized, so I don't freak out. I've also been doing a lot of sponsor contracting. Stacey recently taught me how to convert proposals into actual contracts, which is so important in this industry. I'm definitely starting to like the work more and more. On the music front, our line-up is almost complete. We are still looking for our Sunday headliner, after our main lead fell through last week. I'll keep you posted!

The last couple weekends here have been a lot of fun too. We all went to Dr. Feel Good's a couple weeks ago after work on Friday. That is definitely the perfect place for a post-work drink. Good music, relaxing atmosphere, and partially outdoors. Plus they let us bring over whole pizzas from the local joint. It cracks me up that virtually every pizza place in South Florida sells New York style pizza. I swear, everyone hear is a New Yorker! There are hardly any native Floridians. I also had my first karaoke experience in Florida that same night. We went to this funky little outdoor place in Lake Worth called South Shores where I sang Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." I have no idea why I picked that song, seeing as it lasts more than six minutes! I would have been mortified without my cheering crowd. :)

A couple weekends ago was also the Garlic Festival in Delray Beach. What an amazing idea for a festival...everyone loves garlic! There were lots of different garlic foods, beer, unique vendors, and great entertainment. I bought this sweet necklace that was carved out of a sprial shell and into a medallion. We call it my Florida necklace. We saw Blues Traveler that night, and they were amazing! Plus it was pouring outside, which made the experience that more fun. The only downside was the disgusting porter potties. But I've had plenty of experience with those at Bonnaroo, so I was all good.

This past weekend was a lot more low key. I had some friends over to grill on Friday night. It was a lot of fun to take advantage of the beautiful weather and be able to grill in February. My friend Kate and I made a "Lake Worth Playlist" on my iPod, so that we always have the perfect music when people come over. On Saturday, we went to a beautiful restaurant at the marina and then to the Rum Bar in Palm Beach Gardens. The Run Bar is the ultimate Florida scene. Just check out the pictures below!

Other than that, I've gone to the beach at least four times in the last two weeks...I'm so spoiled! Kate and I actually rode bikes down to the Lake Worth Beach this past weekend. Everyone down here uses beach cruisers, which are these completely laid back bikes with wide handle bars. So we rode down the street on these bikes, while wearing sun dresses and backpacks. I felt exactly like one of the girls in the movie Now and Then, circa 1972. It was hilarious. I'm definitely getting some good Florida color too. :)

Also, exciting on a personal level, I applied for my first job this week! It's such a nerve-racking experience, but a good kind of nerve-racking. Right now I'm looking strictly in the Chicagoland area, primarily in events and developmental work. Paul Jamieson, the Executive Director at SunFest, grew up in Illinois and still has a few contacts there, so he's helping me along. But I'm ALWAYS willing to take leads...let me know if you come across anything you think I would like. :)

Now for the best part...PICTURES!

Kate and I at Dr. Feel Good's...perfect way to celebrate the end of a hard work week.

Eating New Yawk style pizza with some native New Yawkers. :)

Right before my karaoke debut. Check out my enthusiastic crowd!

Two thumbs up for Garlic Fest!

The girls at the Garlic Festival. I look super creepy in this picture...my apologies.

Kate in a homemade garlic clove hat...haha, love it!

Check out the background...Blues Traveler anyone??? Also, notice that we're soaked. It poured that night!

One of the many marinas.

The epitome of a Floridian hangout...The Rum Bar.

Kickin' back, relaxin', and enjoying the bonfire. :)

All right, that's it for now. Keep the letters coming! A special thanks to those who sent Valentine's...I loved them.

Until next time, peace and love.

Back to paradise

Hey-o! I have been back from my trip to Chicago for over a week now, and let me tell you, the adjustment was not hard. I swear, everyday since I have been back has been absolutely perfect...sunny and between 75-85 degrees. Having the sun out all the time really does put you in a good mood. Like today, I got a quick break from work for lunch, and just walking outside made all tension disappear. It's like a natural mood elevator. :)

This past week was really heavy in meetings at SunFest. I got to interact with so many sponsors, as well as clients who use SunFest as a way to entertain their employees/donors. Even though I usually don't have a lot to contribute (seeing as how I know the least of everyone), I get a lot out of it by watching the interaction and learning from it. I've also become an office pro...I can laminate, copy, mail or update anything you need. :) Really exciting this last week...we booked our first MAJOR headliner!!! I'm not supposed to say until we give our big announcement in March, but trust me, you all know this person. Exciting! More sweet artist info to come. :)

I also got back into the swing of my Florida social life this week. I went with Ash and some of her friends from work to Dr. Feel Good's (the Motley Crue/Vince Neil bar) on Friday. I really liked the atmosphere, except that the poor waitresses have to wear these incredibly skimpy outfits that make them look uncomfortable. And it's full of 80s rocker wannabes (a.k.a. 40 year old women with tattoos of Billy Idol...haha, kind of). It has fun live music though.

Saturday was the perfect beach day! I went with Ashley, Reiny, and Ashley's friend Tracey from work. We brought Brinkly, and Tracey brought her 4-month old puppy Roxy. Both of the dogs loved the water, and Brink didn't stop running up and down the beach for nearly 2 hours. We walked along the beach, laid out, listened to sweet beach music on an iPod dock and drank Coronas. It was like a commercial. :) Aaaaaand (here's the kicker) a manatee came really close to shore! I went in the water to get closer and was about 10 feet away. It was amazing!!!

I also got to see one of my favorite muscians that night...Tim Reynolds. If you don't know Tim, he's Dave Matthews solo counterpart. So when Dave goes on tour without the band, he usually brings Tim and they rock out. Tim Reynolds is basically a guitar god. It's so interesting seeing celebrities in person because it's never like you imagine. Tim only came up to my shoulder (hilarious) and his hair was this long scraggly style. He came out wearing a blue sparkly cape...so dramatic. He had a British or Irish accent and kept mumbling stuff into the microphone that no one could understand. He definitely had his fair share of whatever before the show, I'm sure. Ha! He and his band (TR3) played a lot of stuff, both their own and covers. And Tim sang! (He never sings...) He's got a pretty good voice though. And he played his guitar with his teeth during their cover of Prince's Purple Rain. All in all, a crazy show.

Sunday was devoted to the Superbowl, of course. However, the Superbowl in South Florida is sweet! We made margaritas and hung out on Ashley's new patio furniture. Then we had tons of food and drinks over at the neighbors while we watched the game outside. Outside at night in February in a t-shirt...I know! We also played flippy cup, which cracked me up because I'm the only one who's been in college for awhile. The game itself was insane. Most of my friends here are from New York so they were pumped up. And when the Giants won, it was mayhem! Very good Superbowl in my opinion.

Here's some pictures from the week for your enjoyment:

Where I spent my Saturday...Palm Beach. :)

A view of the other side of the beach. You can see Brinkly in the background if you look closely.

A pic of Tim Reynolds at his show at the Bamboo Room. Sorry it's so dark!


Part of the Superbowl crew (from L to R: Tracey, Danielle, Sweatpants Mike, Chris, Neil, Kate, Ashley, plus the dog Rodman)

Tuba (Neighbor Kevin's super nice Turkish girlfriend) and Kate (big Giants fan!)

Close-up of neighbor Greg and I (He makes a mean chicken parm. :))

All right, that's all I've got for now. Keep in touch! I love the emails and the cards and the voicemails...keep them coming! And I truly apologize if I don't get back to you right away...I'm surprisingly busy here. :)

Until next time, peace and love.

Can't forget the ones I love

This week I got to see people from home for the first time since I've been in Florida -- all right, all right, I've only been here for 3 weeks...but I missed everyone! :) I was actually in Chicago for the ever amazing IPRA conference (Illinois Parks and Recreation Association). I went to "better myself as a professional," a.k.a. network with professionals in the field as well as people I already knew. Hey! ANYONE can be a connection.

I flew into O'Hare on Wednesday night, and after a four hour delay, I came back to -25 degree windchill. I don't know how you all are surviving right now because it was downright miserable. Pat's family was wonderful enough to pick me up at the airport at 11 p.m., as well as run inside the airport to bring me winter clothes because I was stupid enough not to bring any to Florida. The Elsey's also fed me and put me up for the night. Royal treatment! :)

I went into the city with Pat's mom in the morning and took a cab to the hotel downtown. That day I got to see my parents, my RST friends and Pat. I love Florida and the people down here, but it's always nice to see my favorites. I got lots of hugs and squeals (thank you, Niki Royce). Definitely can't beat that.

The highlights of the week/weekend included: Seeing all of my RST friends (U of I, EIU and ISU), U of I Alumni event at the University Club, the amazing IPRA socials ($5 Corona all you can drink/$10 all you can drink with dueling pianos for entertainment), keynote speaker Richard Louv (author of Last Child in the Woods...read it!), making Pat go shopping at Macy's where an entire floor is devoted to shoes (amazing!), reconnecting with a friend of the family and visiting his sweet condo downtown, having people refer to me as the "Florida girl," having my Dad introduce me as the "snow bird," jumping on my parent's bed while they were sleeping, the closing social at the Field Museum, and, of course, spending some QT with Pat.

It was a fantastic week, and aside from the weather, I was reluctant to leave on Sunday. But now that I'm back in Florida, I remember how amazing that can be too. Plus, next time I see my favorites, they will be visiting ME on Spring Break. That will be a week for the books, especially since I get that entire week off from work at SunFest. :) (They are too good to me there...)

Here are some pictures from Chicago for your enjoyment:

Some of my favorite girls getting a little crazy at the Dueling Pianos Social.
(From L to R: Niki, Brittany, Amy, Me)

We matched. But it was an accident, I swear. I got dressed first at least. :)

Here's a big portion of the U of I kids, complete with our academic advisor Becca and the two dueling piano guys (a.k.a. the only guys in the picture who look old).

Having a little too much fun on the escalator...

Pat and I at the Field Museum for the closing event of IPRA 2008.

That's all for now. So sorry for the delayed blog this week! Please continue to write (snail mail is my favorite :)) and call!!!

Until next time, peace and love.

Learning it from the locals

I've been in Florida for two weeks now and I've got to be honest...it's growing on me. Everyone I talk to from home has complained about the frigid weather while I sit in the 80 degrees on the beach. It's wonderful to be able to wear sandals and sundresses to work in January. In fact, I've worn sandals every day that I have been here. Please don't be jealous. :)

My internship with SunFest is chugging right along. I am continuing to work primarily on sponsorship, learning about everything from leads to contracts to the all important personal relationship. While much of the work I'm doing is office oriented and tedious, I'm getting a great idea of what's involved with funding a big event. I was able to sit in on a conference call with WaMu the other day. WaMu is SunFest's bigger sponsor and is in the process of renewing their contract with us. We have a multi-year partnership, so it's very important that the agreement we come to is something that both parties are comfortable with. This past week I got to the see my boss Stacey negotiate her way through a huge contract. I've learned that you definitely have to be assertive in those situations!

I've also had a pretty exciting introduction to the social life in South Florida. I went with my neighbor Greg and friend Neil to the local's favorite establishment in Lake Worth...Harry's. It's like scuzzy version of Cheers, where everybody knows your name. But it was a lot of fun, and they have the best jukebox around. :)

This past Friday I went to a sweet little concert venue/bar called the Bamboo Room. The place seats less than 300 people but brings in some of the greatest underground musical groups. This week we saw Oteil and the Peacemakers. They are the solo project of the bassist for the Allman Brothers. It was so much fun and so chic, and I will definitely be returning. In fact, Tim Reynolds, sideman for Dave Matthews is playing there in two weeks. He is incredibly talented, and I am soooo excited!

We also had QUITE the eventful evening after the show on Friday night. And by eventful, I mean crazy and scary. But that is another story for another time. Give me a call if you want to hear because it's so much better when I actually tell it rather than write it.

Here are some pictures for everyone to enjoy:

Here is the outside of my office building. SunFest is located on Clematis St., directly downtown in WPB. There's everything from office buildings to restaurants to bars like Dr. Feel Good's, the new bar and grill owned by Vince Neil, lead singer of the Motley Crue. :)

This is the downstairs front office at SunFest. Notice all the sweet commemorative SunFest prints!

Here is the upstairs office. Don't you love how the walls are all different colors? Pink walls!!! :)

Here is a snapshot of my office. See all of the work I have on my desk?!?! :)

Here are my friends Neil and Greg. Neil is in the red and Greg is in the blue. Greg is practically an established local himself, living in South Florida for nearly 15 years.

This is me with Jimmy, one of the infamous bartenders at Harry's. He even let me take a picture behind the bar with the very interesting decor.

Here's my wonderful roommate Ashley and her boyfriend Reiny. They are the best!

Kate and I at the Oteil and the Peacemakers concert. No idea why I'm so smiley.

Some of the crew with Oteil. From L to R: Sweatpants Mike (that's his nickname, obviously), Kate, Oteil, Greg, Ash.

Our new friend Stace posing with some of the interesting street artwork. Ha!

Okay, well that's it for now! I will try to keep this blog up on at least a weekly basis. :) Please continue to e-mail, snail mail and call. I love hearing from everyone! Also, I will be in Chicago from this Wednesday night (January 23rd) through Sunday morning (the 27th) for the IPRA conference. If you're at the conference or in the area, please give me a call, and we can meet up. Ahhh, I'm so excited to see everyone!!! Love and miss you all.

Until next time, peace and love.

Home away from home

It's official...I'm a Florida girl for the next 4 1/2 months! I moved down to West Palm Beach just over a week ago, and I love it. :) It definitely took me a few days to get adjusted, especially once Pat and my parents headed back to Illinois. But my roommate Ashley, her boyfriend Reinhart and my neighbors have been wonderful at making me feel at home. Plus I've got a wonderful new doggy...Brinkly! She's adorable and a great companion, except when she wants to play fetch. That dog just won't quit!

My house is in Lake Worth, FL, just about 6 miles south of WPB. It is super cute, complete with a backyard and all. The town of Lake Worth is awesome too. It's very laid back compared to surrounding areas and is full of surfers and skateboarders...much more my style than the ritzy areas of Palm Beach.

Here are some pictures of the house and of Brinkly...

Here's the front of our house. Can you tell that my roommate Ashley is a HUGE Gator fan?

View from the front door. Very Floridian style! :)

Our house was built in the 1950s, hence the design of the kitchen

Although it's pretty small, I love the bathroom. The showerhead is aaaaamazing!

Here is one side of my bedroom. Um, yes, it's pink! :) Ashley did a wonderful job of decorating for me.

Here's another side of my room. I have a lovely view of the backyard...so pretty!

One side of the backyard. There's a little table, a grill and a fire pit. :)

We even have a hammock and a mango tree! :)

Last but not least...Brinkly! (I woke her up from a nap, so she wasn't happy when I took this picture...)

I also started my internship with SunFest on Wednesday. For those of you who don't know what SunFest is, it's Florida's largest music and arts festival. SunFest is by far the biggest event I have ever worked with, $4 million big...almost overwhelming, but mostly a great experience. I am getting to see things on such a larger scale which is awesome, seeing how this is exactly what I want to do.

I am working on the sponsorship and ticketing side of things. My co-workers are giving me a broad range of experiences, which I definitely appreciate and am trying to embrace. I get to go to meetings with sponsors where we have to negotiate contracts worth tens of thousands of dollars. I am also in charge of ticket distribution for the event. It's kind of scary having that much responsibility and keeping track of all the thousands of valuable items. Of course I do the staff, committee and board meetings, as well as your usual office stuff. But that's all part of the gig. :)

Other than work, I have been making some fantastic new friends! Ashley and my neighbors are basically BFFs, so they are always around and would do anything for us. One of our neighbors, Kevin, is sue chef at the Ritz-Carlton, so you know I'm in for a good few months. :) Our other neighbor, Greg, took me out last night with his friends Kate and Neil. We went out for drinks at the Sundy House (completely ritzy and amazing!) and saw an awesome jam band (Perpetual Groove) in Delray Beach. I love the new experiences and the new friends. Can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of my time here!

Oh, and my tan is rockin'! :)

I love you and miss you all! Please write:

Shannon Smith

1418 North N Street

Lake Worth, FL 33460

Until next time, peace and love.