Howdy, Austin!

Welcome to another fabulous entry by a fabulous newly 21 year old! This past week, I was in a different type of office, heading to Texas for the first time for my first ever business conference. Saying that I didn't know what to expect from what a business conference would like like is an understatement. I was thinking anything from a school assembly to a ted talk vibe, and it probably landed squarely in the middle. But overall, I had a great time and was able to network with so many cool people in a rare, unique, memorable context.

Austin is a really incredible city! I was expecting yeehaw - which I fully acknowledge was crazy looking back. Haha Austin actually reminded me of a more quaint Chicago, where the contrast between partyland and quiet city was insane. I feel like depending on the street you walk down, Austin can be so many things to so many people. And for those of you who know me well, you know that that's my favorite kind of city. I love a place that offers a hobby and a home for every kind of person, cities like Chicago, London, Seattle.

But what did I actually do and learn while in the blue bonnet state? (I think that's what it is, at least according to the Uber driver who passionately drove me around explaining all of the incredible landmarks and things I "had to do" while there". For those of you who are interested in traveling to Austin, since part of me feels like this is half a travel blog, those things were:

• Swimming in Barton Springs (10/10 recommend as this is the one thing that I had time to do and it was incredible), an all-natural spring lake pool embodied by greenery

• Visiting the governor's house and capitol building

• Visiting the bat bridge?! Too be honest I still don't know what this is but at the same time I do know that I will be regretting not going for the rest of my life.

• Getting barbeque/tex mex (I will be dreaming of elote/southwest style corn for a year after that but in all seriousness, highly recommend Ironworks, Terry's, and Coopers)

• UT Austin (I'll have to save this for the next time I'm there because apparently, the UT Austin library has the first picture ever taken by a camera - thanks uber driver:)

I spent most of the time, however, immersed in the corporate life. Still not explicitly mentioning the company that I work for, but I will say they went all out to make us feel welcome. We stayed in an incredible hotel, where I got to experience working on the pool deck (which I will say is my new favorite place to work). We were delivered gift bags of merch (I am now flaunting many new shirts, pens, backpacks .... the whole 9 yards). We enjoyed delicious food (reference the Tex Mex point above), rented out a Ping Pong bar (and to the shock of every single one of my readers, I actually won...TWICE), and had three days of meetings....that were actually fun?! I know I'm as surprised as you but between a captain crunch birthday party with captain crunch flavored ice cream (oops I guess there will be a lot of hints), brand mascots, and fun games like The Price is Right and Family Feud, it actually didn't feel like a meeting at all. We also got to sample some new innovation items which were by large delicious (so keep an eye on the shelves in 2023) and meet some special guests who may or may not have been Jerry Rice and Eli Manning. I know that I do not have the reputation of knowing much about football, and I definitely do not- but I did know Jerry from Dancing with the Stars of all things LOL. So without giving away everything, I had a pretty great time doing what business does best- networking, networking, networking.

As what I think I took away from this week, I definitely think it is to listen to one's social battery and keep an eye on it. Meeting so many people in Austin was so memorable and important, but by Thursday, I was ready to settle in for a nap and not talk to anyone for days. It's also hard to deal with the repetition of the classic elevator pitch. By the end of the trip, I had the following key words memorized and monotone in my head: 'Sharon, Seattle, Unexpected, Communication, and Haggen". I learned that it's important to always spruce things up and take yourself out of your comfort zone, but also to take some time to listen to your needs and what you need. And to focus on yourself and what you need, because I've learned that business conferences can be a bit like interviews where you feel inferior or like you're competing with all 200 other people in the room for the best story. I did make some amazing connections mainly because I loosened the reigns, was true to myself, pushed myself, and enjoyed myself. There's nothing like meeting people in person that you've been talking to for weeks on Zoom and getting to hug them and give them a good ole business handshake:)

I fully think the trip was one for the books, and I met some incredible people. The one con of meeting those incredible people though was how many of them there were...and unfortunately, four days later, I have COVID (for the first time...nothing like getting it 2.5 years late to the party). So I'm going to go stare at my TV some more and catch up on some Love Island USA, make some lasagna, and do some other COVID stuff. Any suggestions? I'll see you next week!