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.