Stratequate

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE my job?

Oh, only a million times, you say?

Well, I'm going to say it again!

I get to work part-time from home, write, AND meet all kinds of awesome people from the area -- what's not to love (aside from the internet trolls, of course)?! One more thing to add to the list? My awesome, awesome bosses sent all of the writers to Vegas for a meeting!

WHAT?!

It was a short Wednesday-Friday trip, but it was so nice to get away with Brandon for a few nights and meet my bosses/co-workers.

Our meeting/accommodations were all at the Stratosphere, which none of us had ever been to and weren't terribly impressed with... however, from the look/sound of things, Brandon and I lucked out to have a fairly clean room without any bugs :/ Anyway, the term coined from the trip was "Stratequate" (Stratosphere + adequate).

On Wednesday evening, we spent most of our time at the Level 107 lounge, where we all visited, chatted, drank a little too much, and enjoyed the amazing views of the Strip. Since Jackson had a hard time sleeping the night before, Brandon and I were both exhausted and decided to turn in after our group dinner at the Stratosphere's Italian restaurant.

A few of the first arrival's mandatory prom picture. 

I talk to this girl several times a week, so it was great to finally meet her!

More writers making their way to the lounge!

VEGS!

Thursday morning was our writer's breakfast/meeting on the 104th floor, which was extremely informative and exciting -- it's so cool to hear about the impact of our work and where it is headed in person (vs. over email). After the meeting, Brandon and I decided to do a little shopping/gambling and started heading south on the strip, where we spent the majority of our time playing the penny slots at Circus Circus before it was time to get ready for our group dinner. 

Craziest. Thing. Ever.

Our catered group dinner was supposed to be held again on the 104th floor (amazing views, btw), so we all met up there, sat around visiting and drinking wine, and were then interrupted by fire alarms and a recording telling us there was an emergency situation being investigated. The same exact thing happened during breakfast and the waiters reassured us that it happens all the time, so we just went about visiting. 20 minutes later, the alarm and emergency recording FINALLY ceased, and a recorded woman's voice came over the intercom repeatedly telling us the situation was handled and to go about our business. After 5 minutes of that, it was once again quiet, but the lights continued to flash. 

By this time, everyone had empty stomachs and a pretty good wine buzz (since the alarm was going, the elevators were halted and several members of our party were stranded on the ground floor), and they finally decided to go ahead and begin serving the salad. Right as everyone began to eat, a security guard came running into our room telling us we needed to evacuate immediately. 

Umm, what?! 

A few of the guys (including my husband) ran to grab the remaining bottles of wine (which we were told was a big no) and we were lectured on the elevator about actually obeying alarms and evacuating when they go off... even though the waiters told us not to worry because it happens all the time.

We later found out that there was some sort of a leak upstairs, but we were all starving and wound up eating once again at the Stratosphere's Italian restaurant.. After dinner, half of our party headed to the Strip, and several of us met in the casino bar to chat for a bit before heading to our rooms.

Right before we were evacuated (the orb-ish looking thing in front of us is one of the lights from the alarm). 

On Friday morning, Brandon and I slowly rolled out of bed, got ready, checked out, and headed to the stratequate buffet on the ground floor (actually, I kid about it being stratequate -- it was actually pretty tasty!). Since we had a ton of time to kill before our 5:30 flight, we played the penny slots, walked a ways down the Strip, shopped, and rested before heading to the airport. 

When in Vegas, you eat ALL the breakfast foods. 

Our time in Vegas was definitely fun and memorable, but I was so glad to get home to our little guy, who had been hanging out with grammy and grandpa during our trip!

This trip reminded me of just how blessed I am to live in such a beautiful state, work for such an awesome company, and have such amazing parents who were willing to watch our little goober for us for two nights (he was very good for them, in case you were wondering).

Until next time, Vegas!