Amy Goes On A Business Trip

So, I recently went back to IL to train some new employees in my department at Wolfram. It was my 1st time to do some things:

1st time to go on a business trip
1st time to rent a car
1st time to stay in hotel by myself
1st time to be away from Kenny for more than 3 nights since we have been married.

So... the trip out there was really smooth.. I flew American Airlines to Chicago and then connected to Champaign. When I arrived there however, it was a strange feeling... Kenny and I moved from there 4 months ago and I have alot of memories attached to IL. It felt weird to be there w/out Kenny.. but I kept going.. on to Atlanta Bread Co. to pick up a salad before heading to Wolfram. Once I got to Wolfram it was time to say some hello's and get busy... I formulated a training schedule that I really wanted to stick to and achieve my training goals. I found myself really nervous when I first arrived.. it was like my 1st day or something. I think it is because I have been working from home and barely interacting with people face to face.. plus I felt pressure to impress since Wolfram footed the bill for the entire trip.

So after meeting the new employees that I previously interviewed over the phone and hired, it was on to the 1st day of training and then leave for the day at 5ish pm. I was so excited because I was going to meet Eileen and Martin at their house to chill out and then go out to dinner. We had a great time... Eileen and I were able to talk and catch up while sharing a bottle of wine.. then we proceeded to dinner at Cowboy Monkey once Martin got home and had super good times.

So Wed-Friday was more training and even more training.. I was so tired of talking by the end of each day but it also felt really great to be there and feel important and needed. The 1st couple of days I felt really jazzed up and independent but then by the 3d day I became very home sick.
The days went by pretty fast since I was so busy but nights w/out Kenny were much harder.

I did however get to have dinner with Justin & Maggie at Pasha and I got to spend alot of quality time with Eileen & Martin and Eileen's parents as they were also in town from NY. They sure were sweet to let me tag along and eat dinner and hangout with them. I also got to see Kerry at Checkered Moon, get my haircut, check on our house & meet with Eddie- our Realtor. I also got to hang out with my friend Jay and Staci from Wolfram at Staci's house where she and her boyfriend cooked steaks, potatoes, bread, and prepared a salad. It was sooo yummy and great to catch up with them.

Then.. the flight home was not as smooth as my flight from Champaign to Chicago was canceled so I had to get rebooked on NW and fly into Detroit and then connect to Raleigh.. it was a little stressful and even when I was waiting for the plane in Detroit they changed it at the last minute so by the time we all got on the plane I spent $5 on a glass of wine and it was the best $5 wine ever.. ha. Then when I arrived after 11pm and Kenny picked me up we went to Waffle House to talk and enjoy some time together before heading home.

So here are some photos (I took very few) from the week:
My hotel room at the Hawthorne Suites
Me & Eileen
Clovis expressing his fondness for Peanut Butter
A delicious dinner that Eileen made..
Justin & Maggie
Our house.. we decided to drop the price to $170,000.. the lowest yet.
Staci's dog Buddy looking outside to make sure no one gets out of line.