Getting to know the family, on this side of 20

        I forgot to mention yesterday how much I enjoyed going to dinner with my cousin  Bobby the other night.  Like I've said before, I am loving my job, and really enjoy living with Big Bobby and Ann, but I don't have much social interaction outside of work here, and really don't get out of the house much besides my weekend trips, which have been happening quite consistently this fall...thank you college football. SO when little Bobby called to get food at the Pizza Peel, I was very excited.  We had really candid, really great conversation about everything.  Girls, guys, worries, family, and Faith were among the many topics that occupied our conversation.  Coming from a big family, closeness among the cousins has been cultivated in us since the beginning.  But in the past couple of years, I have really enjoyed getting to know personally some of my older cousins on a more adult level.  It is really special when you realize, these are the people that I would be LUCKY and honored to have as my friends, even if they weren't in my family.  Bobby is both an Excellent women's high school basketball coach, and a religion teacher at Charlotte Catholic.  I knew how much he loved coaching.  Seriously, he is talented, and the girls really respond to his coaching methods.  I honestly never thought about how invested he was in teaching these kids about faith, and helping these high schoolers struggle through figuring out where they stand from a spiritual standpoint. I've had this experience with several cousins in the past couple of years.  While I do miss the days of being carefree kids, and Carrie, Erin, Lander, and I being known as the 'little girls' (we're still pretty much referred to that way), I am really enjoying this new 'Adult'  where I am getting to know who everyone really is...whether that means finding out how dysfunctional we all are or not.    At the same token, growing up means dealing with different struggles and I want my family to know that I am praying for each of you.  
        On this whole family note, Uncle Bobby was at home for the first time right after work in I don't know how long.  We were testing out his new iPad and decided to watch a few YouTube videos.  Ann and Bobby both had great choices, and I wanted to share one of those with you now:

Ladies and Gentlemen: Georgia Congressman (D), Mr. Hank Johnson:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs23CjIWMgA

...and the "Brother and Sister Dental Odyssey":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig-pZ4OyidY

 

Enjoy!

 

 

       

Working and Tigers and Bears, Oh my!

        So tonight I'm going to play a little catch up.  Only because Friday was full of interesting little tidbits that I left out in the previous post.  I had to make my Friday night post short for two reasons: 1, because I had limited battery use while traveling, 2, because I had two very distracting friends in the front seat while I was trying write, and 3, because when I mentioned that I couldn't talk too much in the car because I needed to blog, Blake told me it was the dorkiest thing he had ever heard me say.  I will admit, It's a little embarrassing every time I have to say the words 'my' and 'blog' together.  So here is the rest of it...
        Friday started out as just one of those days...except a couple of hours earlier.  We had another Hood-Hargett monthly breakfast.  At this breakfast, there was no legendary Hugh McColl speaking, but there was a man named Chip Bell, a consultant based in Texas who essentially based his entire speech on customer service on his love affair with the the Jack Daniels distillery and how they keep their customers loyal.  He had some valid points, like involving your customers in your process.  Make them feel like their participation is specifically important to the success of your business.  Actively and personally seek feedback, and when you are seeking feedback, shy away from the defense mode.  Essentially, make your customer's feel like you are personally invested in them....I think.  His speech really wasn't the most memorable part of the entire breakfast.  The Jerald Melburg Gallery was the sponsor for this event, and the sponsor always has the opportunity to speak.  Mark Packer, better known for his work as the Packman- a sarcastic sports talk local radio celeb in Charlotte, has been MC'ing these events for seven years and as the MC, he must introduce the both the speaker and the sponsor.  Well, if any of you are familiar with Mr. Packer's tone, you would not be surprised that when he gets up to speak at these events, you can kind of feel the tension rise, like no one knows what he's about to say, and it could be get a little hairy.  Sure enough, it got hairy on Friday.  Mark Packer introduced the sponsor with a story about his latest trip to France, where he visited the Louvre.  He recalled the moment when he saw the Mona Lisa and said "Art, I just don't get it.  I mean that thing was tiny, and there were about 50 people standing around it!"  We got an email later that day that said the Hood Hargett Breakfast Club would be going in a different direction for their MC choice at any further Breakfast Club meetings.  A lesson in social graces for sure.  

        Sarah wasn't at work on Friday so it was just me in that big office, and I actually got a lot more done.  Will and I went to meet Mike Crum, Chief Operating Officer of Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, at the Mint Street lot where we would be designating space for a tailgate for 600 people from the CRVA.  They had a great idea to do their Christmas Party at the ACC Championship Game.  They are using the money they would spend on a big Christmas party and purchase a large block of tickets for their employees and family members instead.  The Baseball Lot is one that Will decided to purchase for the games so that we would have control over the use of it, so we have decided to use it for Tailgate space for clients like the CRVA.  Other than that, a large portion of Friday was spent on ticket programs (ones which, I found out today we might not be using).  I feel like this has been happening a lot lately.  Sarah and I will work on something for weeks, drafting it and getting it approved, and then changing it (upon request), redrafting it, changing it again, and then dropping whatever it is (upon suggestion).  I guess that is the life of the intern...use them as the guinea pig to see what works. 

       Like I mentioned, I went up to Chapel Hill this weekend, thanks to the generosity of Blake and Bridwell.  It was a nice trip, minus a couple of hours. Saturday there was this Clemson game.  Enough Said.  But on Saturday night, we stopped by Greensboro to have dinner with my parents.  Mom made Shrimp and Grits, which were awesome, and it was nice for my parents to get to meet some of my friends.  I did find myself laughing about nothing...for no reason at some points.  It was very awkward TV show moment of me, but I just couldn't help it.  I was waiting for either my friends or my family  to share SOMETHING with the other part of the group that I did not want shared...Luckily, that didn't happen too often.  Essentially, they just all agreed I was sort of a smart ass, and the conversation flowed naturally from there.  

        Kevin Conrad, Chris Conrad(the Conrads' cousins from Chicago), and Kevin's girlfriend  had come into town this past weekend for the Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers game this weekend, and Uncle Bobby managed to scramble up lots of tickets to the game, so we all tailgated and went to the Bears VS. Panthers game on Sunday.  After a bad weekend of football, at least from my perspective, I decided to forget about my home team loyalties and cheer for a winning team.  Go Bears.  Ryan and I got to sit in Club seats, which meant that we had the best seats in the house to watchwatch ANY more football for the rest of the weekend.  

        This week has been a busy one, even in just 2 days.  We had Meineke (Like actual members of the company) join us for our Monday bowl game meeting for the first time since I've been working.   I had almost forgotten that Meineke Car Care was an actual company, with an identity outside of the bowl, because this is the only experience I've had with Meineke...even though I've probably said and typed the words several hundred times over the past couple of months.  

        Colin, over in Raycom invited Sarah and I to sit in on their New Media meeting which was actually interesting, because it got some ideas flowing for things we can be doing better with Bowl and Championship media.  Last week I noticed that we have really dropped the ball on our attention to our social media pages, and so we've tried to be more intentional about our social media use this week. 
        Ticketing has been the other item on the agenda for the week.  And with a few new projects, I feel like I have gotten a crash course in Ticketing, mapping availability, and pricing over the past 2 days.  
        Alright, a police man just knocked on the door.  He had the wrong address...but bottom line, it's time to go to bed after a scare like that!

Home Sweet Greensboro, who knew?

        If someone could figure out how to do a time released coffee injection system, that would release coffee into your system approximately 15 minutes before your alarm system,  I think-i know- that the person would make a fortune.  It was one of those recurring thoughts this past week as I struggled not to yawn in meetings.  Something came over me, maybe change of seasons, maybe change of pace is starting to catch up with me, it's definitely not lack of sleep, but something made me extremely tired last week.  So if I could get hooked up to a coffee IV, I'd be all about it.
        On Thursday night, we had a going away party for Jeremy "Worm" Williams at Morehead St. Tavern.  Worm is one of the production guys in Raycom who is INCREDIBLY talented...so naturally he got snatched up by the UFC (that is Ultimate Fighting...eek...for those of you who aren't aware) to do production for them in Las Vegas.  Not a bad gig!  Anyways, he's that guy in the office that holds a special place in everyone's hearts.  Sarah and I were lucky enough to get close to him in a short period of time, so after the party, Jeremy, Sarah, Chris (an intern on the production team) and I all went out to dinner at Black Finn afterward.  We used our Extra Point Passes and got 3 FREE appetizers-well worth it.  It was really fun to have the last supper with Jeremy, and it's been so much fun to get to know him over the past couple of months-a small town, Ed Hardy loving boy from South Carolina who's gone on to do great things in his career. 
        This was the first weekend I had nothing to do-so naturally I slept in on Saturday.  I actually woke up earlier, realized that I would have nothing to do if I got out of bed and went right back to sleep.  Homesickness set in for the first time that morning, and so I decided to go up to Greensboro for the weekend.  Seeing my family was just what I needed this weekend, and as an added bonus, I got to see LANDER!  She's been out West and has finally returned home, at least temporarily.  I think she is in the process of being inherited by my family.  My mother is getting pedicures with her, they are cooking dinner together, and apparently starting sewing classes.  I'm starting to wonder if Barbara has gained a new favorite daughter.  After dinner, Mary Catherine, Lander and I went to see "You, Again".  Lander wanted me to go hang out with her friend Phil, but I really just wanted to be with my family, so I asked if she wouldn't mind us just going to see a movie instead.  By the time we got around to going to the movie, both of my parents had backed out-lame.  Overall, "You, Again" was relatively average acting, an OK plot, but still pretty funny I thought. 
        When we got back from the movie my parents were already asleep, so Lander convinced me to go meet up with Phil and his roommate, Tim, for a drink.  I reluctantly headed out, but ended up having a good time.  By the way, for all of my Clemson friends, Phil is the nephew of the owner of Spill the Beans- I know how much all of you will appreciate that!  We headed back to their house to play SCRABBLE (of all things-I know, just another crazy Saturday night...HA).  Naturally, I won the worlds longest word game, ever, but I will confess that Tim-who is an admittedly competitive scrabble player (and, on a side note, has FABULOUS taste in music)- gave me a helpful hint in the beginning that really changed the game for me, so I can't take all the credit...but I still kicked his butt.  And then we got a reality check when my Mom texted me at 3:45 in the morning, suggesting that Lander and I should probably not be out that late.  Honestly, we had no idea what time it was, but I have never felt more like a high school kid about to get grounded than at that moment. I am ashamed to say that I did not go to church the next morning...but Tim and Phil did, and out of all churches they attended my parents'!  That will be one of those stories my Mom will most likely not let me live down for a little while. 
        We were supposed to be at a golf tournament today in Kannapolis.  The plan was to meet at the office and carpool to The Club at Irish Creek for the 13th Annual Charlotte Sports Commission Golf Outing, so it made sense for me to stay in Greensboro for the night and just meet the group in Kannapolis.  I made great time this morning, in part, thanks to Mary Catherine who cooked me eggs-2 different kinds!  In fact we were supposed to meet at 10 AM but I was scheduled to pull in at the tournament at 9:20.  I was very happy that I was so punctual, and then I got the call.  The outing was canceled and it was just going to be another day at the office, meaning that instead of being 40 minutes early for work, I was going to be 45 minutes late.  It is not a good feeling to be stuck on the highway when all you can do is drive and watch

Weekend and Monday Shenanigans

WEEKEND:
         Weekends are a lot shorter when the weeks are guaranteed to be filled with work Monday-Friday. There have been some adjustments in lifestyle, not just for me but for most of my friends with fulltime jobs. I had to make excuses to not go out this weekend, not only because I do not currently have an income to fund those kinds of outings. At the end of the day, I am typically too tired to participate in any kind of social activity. Carrie and I haven't even spent significant time together and we are living in the same house!

        My mom was nice enough to come down on Saturday morning so that we could head to Anderson, SC to pick up the rest of my things from Susan's house. (For those of you who don't know, Susan is the head coach's assistant for men's basketball at Clemson...and acted as office mom for me while at Clemson). She has let me keep my stuff at her house for the past couple of weeks while I was figuring out where the heck I was going to end up. I had some bar stools that Coach Purnell had given me last year and, although I had no idea where I was going to put them, I wanted to keep them...simply for memory's sake. I also had loads of clothes at her house that made picking out an outfit a lot more difficult this morning now that my options are endless. On our way down to Clemson, my mom and I were in the middle of a conversation that did not lend itself to multitasking and I didn't realize that she had turned onto 77 instead of 85 until we reached Chester, SC. What a...town. Eventually we made it to Anderson and got my stuff and I got to say a sort of official goodbye to Susan!

Side Note: Susan told me I needed to stop apologizing for writing long posts...and for that I unapologetically write this extensive account of my weekend and beginning of my work week. 

        When we got back to Charlotte, my cousin little Bobby was at the house and we got to enjoy an awesome dinner with the Conrads and my mom. When Mom left Uncle Bobby, Aunt Ann and I all three thanked her for visiting "our home"...no one else expected me to thank her for visiting "my home" and Bobby got a kick out of it...I think it's safe to say that I've made myself at home here by now.
        On Sunday, I followed Uncle Bobby around for most of the day. In the morning we walked to Mass with him in the morning, where I almost passed out kneeling...who starts seeing spots and feeling nauseous while kneeling?! Anyways, Bobby asked me if I thought it was divine intervention, and I noted that I hoped God would intervene to the point causing embarrassment like throwing up during a service! After the service we got to meet several of his friends and one of his Clerk's family. All the kids at St. Ann's LOVE my uncle which is no surprise. Afterwards went to Belmont Abbey to take Ryan to school. Just when you think you’re done with college move-in day for good...circumstances change. I had no idea how beautiful the Campus is and I was really taken back when we drove up to the main chapel. Ryan has his own huge room, which was great, except for one thing- no air conditioning. But his teammates and coaches were so nice and laid back and Ann and Bobby got me a T shirt so I am ready to go watch Ry play when basketball season kicks up again! By the way, guess who Clemson gets to play in their exhibition game...wonder which T shirt I'll wear that night.

MONDAY:
        I got to work this morning completely disoriented for some reason even though I arrived 20 minutes early as usual...I was worried that I had missed the Monday staff meeting. Luckily, it was all paranoia and I was there in plenty of time. On the other hand, I didn't realize that the meeting would be held in the back conference room and that the meeting would end up being meetingS and would last from 9-11:30. Our office is one of the coldest in the building, only second to the back conference room. After my third straight meeting, I was almost numb. I am drinking coffee throughout the day, with the intention of keeping warm...but I think I need to come up with a better strategy because I may be overly wired throughout the day. I have always sided with bathrobes when it comes to the snuggy/bathrobe argument, but I am realizing that a bathrobe would probably be completely inappropriate to bring to work.
        All of the meetings were really informative though. In the first two, we got to meet with all of the staff associated with the two games, and here how deals were coming along as far as sponsorships, events, etc...if nothing else, this internship will certainly be a lesson in excellent business tactics. In the third meeting, Sarah and I got to meet with Frank, who heads up the promotions and media relations stuff (a lot of the promotional writing) about the 4 newsletters that we will be working on. We got to brainstorm ideas for each of the newsletters, and I realized that I think I enjoy coming up with ideas for things like that better than writing the actual stories!
        During one of the meetings we were discussing the need for ACC gear for our staff and I had an opportunity to bring up to Will our need for items to give away on the ACC Championship pages. Courtney, Abby, Sarah and I got to meet about these items today and will hopefully be ordering several things by the end of the week! Other than that, we finished up several smaller projects like the ticketing one I was working on with Will that ended up being much more small scale than I had originally anticipated, and a spreadsheet of consumers with balances owed. It was a stop and go kind of day.
        I FINALLY got to talk to Sallie tonight, after weeks of phone tag, about the most exciting news I’ve heard in a while…she and Caleb are moving to Nashville! Please pray for them as they take this leap of faith. Sallie will be working as a Medical Coordinator for a Presbyterian Medical Center specializing in patients with mental disabilities (Sallie, correct me if I’m wrong). I am so excited that the two of them will be starting their own life in a city that’s new for both of them! After my conversation with Sallie, I got to top the night off with dinner with Ann and Carrie at the Pizza Peel. It is this awesome restaurant in Charlotte that my aunt does artwork for and it has this bruschetta that is unmatched by any other I’ve had. I have been waiting to eat there since before I knew I was moving Charlotte, and tonight was the night when all of my culinary dreams came true.