EFAM 2013

July 27-31 was EFAM 2013

the International Association of Administrative Professionals

held it in Anaheim, CA this year.

There were morning speakers in massive ballrooms

break rooms set up with snacks&puzzles

and lots of sessions to fine-tune administrative skills.

The first night was the kick-off event

with lots of dancing&music and wine&appetizers

ending with a Beach Themed Dance Competition.

We all had tacky nametags to wear

showing off any certifications or "first-timer" status

and all the "older" admins were pretty silly&uppity.

Mostly, I enjoyed it.

I felt like a bit of a "youngster" but I was glad to attend

and I'm excited to get involved in the organization.

(some parts very much brought my back to my sorority glory days.)

Detroit To LA

A 1-hour Delay in Detroit

2 New Friends

1/2 a RelaxingPill

2 Stiff Drinks

and

I made it to LAX on Friday night.

Mom picked me up at the airport

and immediately threw the GPS at me.

"This thing won't put me on any major highways! Fix it!"

So I did.

And we got to the hotel in no time flat.

So happy to have my feet back on the ground.

I often forget, though, how much I love airports&flying.

BFF Sunday

waiting&working at Starbucks for Elise to get outa work

skipbo&beer in bed with my bff

GoogleBikingIdeas

Joe&I were riding our bikes to the gym yesterday

and a Google Maps car crossed in front of us.

I instinctually smiled at the towers sticking off the top

and shouted, "Am I gonna be on Google!?"

Then my mind went right into: How do I get that job!?

I love driving!

I'd be so good at that job!

Studdly Ears

My BFF has bought me some great earrings lately...

I love them all.

I always thought I was a dangly girl,

but I'm learning that I much prefer studs.

Paintjobs

Sometimes I'm motivated enough to paint my nails.

Numbered Arm

Good nights&mornings with great friends.

This cracked me up this morning.

Elise had written mine&Joe's phone numbers

on her arm last night

because she knew her phone was dying

and we had both gone missing

in the post-game drunken-haze.

Tigers' Sunset

Last night some of my sorority sisters met downtown for a Tigers game. We kicked the evening off with pitchers of beer and deep dish pizza at Pizzapapolis in Greektown then walked over to the park. Our seats were great - right behind the bullpen - though the sun shone right in my eyes with my lack of sunglasses. And we got to be on TV, which was pretty awesome. While Benoit was warming up, we all held our "Vote Benoit" signs up and shouted in the background of the camera shot. My silly BFF was on top of her anti-athletics game loudly questioning, "What's a BEN-Oh-IT?" ...the fans in front of us thought we were a pretty hilarious group of girls.

Once the sun went down and the Tigers won, we wandered over to Hockeytown for balcony drinks&dancing then went back to Pizzapapolis to pick up our left-overs and let Joe drive us home.

I woke up confused&cold backwards on my bed with three of my favorite girls asleep on my sectional couch ...using sweaters as blankets cause our wasted-selves had passed out unprepared. Slowly, we got ourselves together and had a giggle-filled drive back to our cars in the morning. I had to survive a miserable day of work with boozy-breath and a throbbing head, but the evening with my sisters was well worth it.



Dave

Syd&I went to a Dave Matthews Band Concert last night. I've never been to a DMB concert, but I've been to a concert at the same venue - DTE Energy Music Theater - before and I really love the outdoor space under the ski hill. We got to the show and realized we didn't have bottle openers for both the wine&beer we'd brought in the car, so we reverted back to our 16-year-old selves and improvised on opening them ...laughing so hard at our parking lot struggles. Finally, we got out and wandered through the rain into the show, stopping for beer&snacks before heading inside. As we walked up the hill toward the stage, a rainbow shot through the sky. "Bunni's at DMB tonight." I said quietly while smiling and snapping a pictures. As she show  went on, the clouds turned dark, and the rain continued through sunset, but the spirit of the event seeped through the air - making the rain seem so insignificant. I took off my shoes, closed my eyes, and danced to the music. At one point, I felt a pair of lips on mine - Bunni's brother had found me in the crowd and smiled huge at me as he walked back to his seat. What a reminiscent night to enjoy. The band was honestly amazing - so fun&lively with lots of lights&instruments - and we stayed until the very end. Getting out of the muddy field DTE calls a parking lot was quite the challenge. Everyone was getting stuck - including us - and the drive home through flooded streets seemed surreal, but - in the end - the late Tuesday night was well worth all the effort.

Wine Bottle Struggles

Rainbow&Clouds

Big Screen&Encore Time

Huge Croud&Wild Lights

Instruments&Lasers

Yahtzee In Bed

Joe&I have been having lots of "Us Time" lately.

With Jan's illness, we tend to stay out of her way

and quietly relax in our little attic home.

Last night we put on a movie

and played Yahtzee in bed.

Just the two of us.

Lately, through all the stress of current life

our moments alone are all I need.

Lake Superior Brewing Company

I've been going to the same sleepy, little town every summer since I can remember and I've been eating pizza at the Lake Superior Brewing Co. - affectionately called "The Dunes" - for nommy treats on every trip. Until a couple years ago, I'd never tasted the local brews, though. So when Joe&I were up there, we had to try a couple of them. Cabin Fever is what they're most known for (I think) ...it was average. I like the brown, but then again I usually like browns. Mostly, I like the scenery. It's a quirky, little pub with silly signs and a hippie vibe. No wonder I've turned out the way I have with summer towns&bars like this in my blood.