Yesterday was pretty horrible. I’ve got one of those monster colds & coughs…potential sinus infection. I raided CVS on the way to work. My co-worker was about to go to Starbucks right as I pulled in to work, so I just hopped in and treated myself to a chai tea latte, as recommended by another co-worker and it was so yum. I was still pretty damn miserable the entire day, though, and I had a project I had to finish by 3:30. I got it done. I clocked out early and just waited for my sis to arrive from Bloomington. They finally arrived and got the grand tour. Then we were off to Whitestown. Apparently, I made a poor choice in scrapping my original directions, as the road I took eventually delivered us at a massive road block and detour. After much turning around and stopping for some directions, we finally arrived to my mentor’s house for the bonfire.

Aside from the exterior, his house was my dream house, exposed wood beams, hardwood floors, big & spacious, screened porch, and a kitchen to die for. My sister was snapping shots of his royal purple paint choice in the kitchen. She loved it. It’s a large, beautiful home surrounded by 150 acres of corn. He has his own bridge in the driveway, going over the creek that goes through the property. He had a lovely spot by the creek in lots of trees cleared out for the bonfire. It was heaven. And I could actually breathe outside.

But it got better. His dad (who was a dear) took us on this really long hayride all around the property. We were all just nestled in this pile of straw, and it was such a clear, beautiful night. One guy was like, “look, you can see the stars.” There were some little kids there who were adorable, and this one named Kyle, who not only shared my brother’s name but also his infectious laugh. It’s one of those super contagious laughs. His twin brother started looking for tigers in the woods hehe. It was great to see the pres of our company in a Carhartt jacket and John Deere hat. I told him it was just wrong.

After enjoying some hot apple cider and more fun around the campfire, we headed inside for some ping pong. I really wanted to play but I knew it would trigger a coughing spree, and so far, I’d done well at repressing them. The twin co-workers were awesome at ping pong. They got really competitive. It was awesome to see since they’re so seemingly mellow at work. Everyone was just having a great time. You could tell.

I spent most the latter part of the evening playing fetch with Charlie, the one-eyed 5 lbs poofball of cuteness with bad knees. (stole the pic from mentor’s work profile) He was going to be put down as a puppy due to all his issues, but my mentor’s g/f brought him home instead. Watching him slide around on the hardwood floors and shake his lil body after someone petted him was about the most adorable thing ever. I said he needed to visit the office more. I think any of us would have taken him home last night.

I was in the last batch to leave with the twins. I’m finally getting to know them a little better after this week. They’re really great guys and so creative. You should see what they can do with a jig saw. They’re really down to earth, too, and that makes it very easy to connect with them. But that’s the case with the vast majority of the people I work with.

It was such a fun night though. It really took me back to my roots. My sister said it was really worth the drive.

On a completely separate note, I’m finally going to Sarasota, FL. The flight is booked to leave Nov. 8. My mentor (pictured at open house) & I are getting shipped down there to do an insane amount of work in 4 days. I found out last night that it’s an even more insane amount than I realized. We will be taking pictures, getting video, and recording audio and attempting to put a lot of it together while we’re down there. I really hope I’m not sick. It’s gonna be a rush. The nervousness probably won’t set in til next week.

And in other news, Rach is in Ireland meeting Ben’s parents, and I’m debating if I’m too lazy to drive to Indy for that Halloween party tonight. I took down 2 glasses of green tea on the way home last night. I had to pull over on 52 to pour the second glass. In fact, I think I’ll get me another glass right now. I’m just taking it easy, trying to get better.