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.