Flying Solo

I just got back from my first ever, Business trip! Now, I've gone to many conferences and seminars, etc. for Church or John's work, but, never before have I gone on a trip for MY work! I was so excited to go. The Shade Clothing headquarters is in Salt Lake City, Utah. Before this trip I had only been in Utah at the Four Corners. (Where it looks just like Arizona!)

Salt Lake City

We had managers meetings and training. I was able to meet all the people in corporate who I talk to on the phone or E-mail regularly. It was fun to put faces with names.

The Gateway, really cute area. This fountain is outside the Shade store, and was put there when the Olimpics were held in Salt Lake!

Now, when I was young , I always wanted to be a flight attendant. (or as we politically incorrectly called it back in the day: Airline Stewardess) when I grew up. Up until the very first time I actually flew, and experienced severe motion sickness! John loves to fly, and has actually taken a flying lesson, and if we could afford it he would have his pilots license. I LOVE to travel, but, I hate to fly. Dramamine helps!

And to start my trip off, my hair gel didn't make it through airport security! Even though there wasn't much in the two bottles, the bottle sizes were bigger than allowed. They threw them away. :( I use two kinds of hair gels because one makes my hair too "Crunchy" and one makes it too soft. So, I mix them. I'm sure curly headed people get this. I thought: I hope they like frizzy hair in Utah, cause I could end up looking like Rosanna RosannaDanna! (from an old SNL skit) And my flight didn't leave for over an hour and a half after it was supposed to. Not a great start, but, it turned out to be a great trip anyway.

I also thought I would love having a hotel room all to myself. With four kids you don't get much quiet time. I didn't. I couldn't really sleep. My brothers are Police officers who have always warned me about sleeping on the first floor in apartment buildings, hotels, etc. because of the possibility of window break ins, that you don't get on higher floors. My hotel room was on the first floor and my window, (which was unlocked when I checked into the room, which I quickly rectified!) faced a chain link fence and then a parking lot. So, needless to say, being a woman alone in a strange city I didn't feel all that safe. Which didn't lead to much sleep. But, I was fine.

Where the Phoenix Suns rivals, The Utah Jazz play!

The meetings were great. I learned a lot. And the manager who hired me, Emily, now lives in Utah. So, she picked me up at the airport, and we got to hang out together both during the meetings and outside of them. It was great to see her again. We have a lot of fun together. And it was good for her to have this Arizona contact again. She misses it here, and we all miss her!

Me and Em!

So, over all, my first Business trip was a great experience! I'm so glad I got to go. If you had told me a year ago, when I was a stay at home mom (like I'd been for the 18 years before that) that I'd be managing a clothing store, working full time, taking business trips I would have laughed in your face. Okay, maybe not in your face, because I'm too polite for that. But I would have laughed! And I'm still laughing about it!