end-of-year activities

:: Thursday was our end-of-year activities at work, and there is so much to tell! It was a full day, beginning with the company-wide meeting from 8:00 - 1:00. Then lunch together, and after a few hours of work, off to our end-of-year party at the Civic Center. I'm going to post a lot of detail here, so that I remember it later for my scrapbook journaling!

:: Thursday morning, we arrived at Beltway at 7:45 a.m. and found seats. The program began promptly at 8:00. The theme for the day was Life Fitness: Mind, Body, and Soul. Basically, the premise is that we can not be completely healthy unless all three aspects of our life are the best that they can be. The dress code for the day was workout clothes, so it was fun to see everyone all decked out in shorts, sweats, and tennis shoes. Throughout the day, we did a 15 minute stretching routine all together, and then a bit later a 30 minute cardio routine. For some, this was not an easy task. It was fun doing it all as a group. We also had a speaker named R.T. Kendall. He is 75 years old, and a very Godly man. His talk was very interesting, and the information he shared was inspiring. We also watched a video talk by Jim Collins about the success of companies. After hearing everything and doing a little sweating, we had small group discussions and then a catered box lunch. A highlight of the day was when our CEO, Kris, gifted every single employee with a brand new Kindle!!!!!! Super excited about that, being such a big reader!!!!! What an amazing gift.

:: Some things I took away from the meeting, that I want to begin doing starting now: I want to up my intensity of workouts so that I can see some stronger results; I want to find a "read the bible in a year" plan and follow it to the best of my ability; and I want to create a daily pocket of quiet to spend with my thoughts.

:: After our meeting, we all headed back to the office for a few hours of work...it was pretty fun to be there in our sweats!!

:: We arrived at the Civic Center at 6:30 for our party...first up, we got our professional photo taken. It was formal dress code, and Chris and I looked very cute. I will post the photo when I get it from the photographer. Hopefully it turned out good, because we did not take any other photos that night. This year's party was very different from the others we have had. Instead of a band or gambling tables or any other sort of entertainment, this party was more of a celebration honoring the year of the Sabbatical. After mingling with some hor d'oerves, the toasts began. A few of the executives gave a toast, and each one began the toast by sabering a bottle of champaigne. Fun!! From there, we ate dinner and it was pretty yummy. Coconut shrimp, shrimp cocktail, salad, beef that was DELISH, baked potatoes, and two different desserts. We sat with our good friends Mark and Lori, Angie and Billy, Angie, and Victor and Lucinda.

:: The program was a great tribute to the Sabbatical experience. It consisted of four videos of people sharing stories from the experience; a "man in the office" collage of videos with questions about the Sabbatical year; presentations of awards and stories from executive presenters. I think it was very well done, and I enjoyed every bit of it. I was actually one of the four who had a video made, so it was a bit weird to watch myself on the big screen. I hope what I tried to convey came across sincerely, and that at least some people were able to relate to what I shared.

:: They did the Employee of the Year award differently this year...the supervisors nominated people, and then the executives voted on who they wanted. They chose two people: Scott Carnett and Craig Loper.

:: Salesman of the Year was Paul Stone.

:: At the end of the evening, our CEO had one final gift...every employee received an envelope that contained $200 in crisp bills. With this money, Kris wants us to pray about it, and then give it to someone we feel would be blessed by it. Someone who direly needs it. Everyone in the room was stunned...it was silent for a brief moment as people tried to soak in what he had said. He decided to take the $30,000 that is usually spent on entertainment (band, gambling, prizes, et), and give it to us so that we can pass it on to those in need. As we were blessed during out Sabbatical year, so we will now bless others. Pay it forward. If you are interested, there is a section on the Sabbatical blog for every employee to blog about what they do with the $200. It should be interesting reading!!! Follow this link...read the description, and then continue scrolling down to see all the responses...

:: What a wonderful, blessed year it has been. What transformation I see around me. What transformation I see within myself. I am excited to see where the next year takes us all!!!