Home again
February 24, 2008 by Scott in Family, Work
Yesterday was a long day. We slept in at the hotel and got ready and packed to go home. We dropped the rental car off and rode the bus back to the airport. We got through security pretty quickly and had a lot of time before we needed to board our plane. We ate at the Macaroni Grill in the airport. Our flight was delayed about 45 minutes or so because of bad weather in Salt Lake City. It was a beautiful day in Chicago, the best of all the days we were there. The flight was really “bumpy”, but we got to see the “Bee Movie” during it. It was alright. We flew on Delta. We got to SLC and left for Kemmerer.
The boys were excited to see us. Holly and Kasey gave us a tour of their house and Ben showed us where he slept, played and ate while he was there. Ben didn’t want to go home. He had been spoiled by his aunt and uncle and had a lot of fun. He didn’t want it to end. 
We drove home and got home really late.
It was a great trip / vacation. We’re going to plan another trip to Chicago soon.
Chicago, Work and Wicked
February 23, 2008 by Scott in Family, Work
Friday I went to the office to work with my co-workers. It was fun to be in an office again. Since I work from home, the only communication that I have with my work is through email, chat or telephone. We spent a lot of time getting familiar with all the tools, services and products that we offer. We got a lot of questions answered and a lot of brainstorming done. It was very productive and I hope that my boss feels that it was money well spent.
Heidi and I went to the John Hancock building (Big John) to go to the Hancock Observatory. Since we didn’t have a lot of time to spend in Chicago, it seemed like the best place to go to see all of it. It’s on the 94th floor and has windows all the way around. Heidi got some really good pictures of the beautiful views. We went downstairs and ate at the Cheesecake Factory.
Then we went to the Oriental Theatre to see Wicked. The theater was beautiful, with ornate carvings covering almost every square inch of the walls and ceiling. The play itself was so much better than I ever expected. I was entertained the entire time. The cast was amazing and their voices were superb. It was a great evening and I really enjoyed myself, as did Heidi.
We’re back at the hotel now and it’s very late.
Chicago, Day 1 and 2
February 21, 2008 by Scott in Family, Work
The flight was pretty good. Nothing exciting happened, anyways. I hate going through security at airports. You practically have to get completely undressed. I guess it’s okay since we’re “safe” knowing everyone had to do the same thing, I guess. Anyways, Heidi is the driver of the rental car, so she got to see what driving in the big city is all about. Cafe Ba Ba Reeba was delicious! We ordered chorizo, salchichon, jamon serrano, bread with tomato spread, manchego cheese, patatas alioli, chicken paella and flan and chocolate mousse for dessert. Heidi really enjoyed it and so did I. It brought back a lot of memories of my two years in Spain.
Today I met my boss and co-workers. It was really nice to see faces to go along with the names and voices. I also enjoyed seeing their mannerisms and personalities. We spent some time discussing our business then went to meet with one of our partner businesses. We visited their offices, then we went to visit the data center where our servers are. I was really surprised and excited to find that the data center is the same that Google uses as one of theirs. It was like Fort Knox. It was this huge concrete building covered with air conditioners, about the size of a few football fields. There was an entrance to get our name badges and hand over our IDs. There were two glass tubes with biometric scanners that allowed one person in or out at a time. The sound inside was like an airport. Thousands upon thousands of servers. The huge area in the middle was Google’s. It was awesome. Our servers were in a secure area in a remote corner of the building. It looked pretty insignificant compared to Google’s thousands of servers, but still very impressive. We went back to our partner’s offices and spent some more time discussing things that we would like to happen.
We then went to Giordano’s for some Chicago-style pizza. Heidi met us there and we were all impressed that she was able to find it without a map. The pizza was delicious! The best I’ve ever had. We’re now back at the hotel getting ready for bed.
Chicago, Here we come!
February 20, 2008 by Scott in Family, Work
Heidi has been packing for several days. Holly and Kasey volunteered to watch Ben and Tyler at their house in Kemmerer, Wyoming. Thank you Kasey and Holly! We’re going to meet Holly in Park City so we can get to the airport and she can drive the boys to WY. We’re flying on American Airlines to Chicago O’Hare. Heidi made reservations for dinner at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba in Chicago. I’m excited because it’s a Spanish Tapas and Paella restaurant. Yummy. We’ll see if it’s any good.
Happy 27th Birthday, Heidi!
February 12, 2008 by Scott in Family
Today is Heidi’s 27th Birthday. I am going to take Heidi to Chicago Wednesday, February 20, 2008 to Saturday, February 23, 2008. I will have to work and be in meetings Thursday and Friday, but we will be going to see the Broadway musical Wicked at the Oriental Theater in Chicago on Friday night. Happy Birthday, Heidi!
Chicago Trip Cancelled
February 7, 2008 by Scott in Work
I was supposed to go to Chicago today, for some company meetings at Braintree headquarters, but because of the snow storms and the airport being closed all day yesterday, it was cancelled. So, I’ll find out soon when I will be going.
Happy 6th Anniversary!
February 4, 2008 by Scott in Family
Heidi and I recently celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. It was on the 19th of January, but because Tyler got sick, we had to change our plans from going on our yearly stay at the “Castle” that weekend to this past weekend. Heidi’s parents volunteered to watch the boys while we went and literally slept for 12 or 13 hours. It was a nice break from our crazy boys. We stay at the Castle Creek Inn every year. I took Heidi there for our honeymoon, so we’ve gone seven years in a row. Heidi took me to Cafe Madrid, a Spanish restaurant with authentic Spanish cuisine for dinner on Friday night. It was delicious and the best $100 meal I’ve ever eaten (probably the only $100 meal I’ve ever eaten). We had chorizo, jamon serano, lomo, manchego cheese, seafood croquetas, Spanish bread, Spanish salads, Solomillo de Buey al Queso Picon de Tresviso, and Salmon con Setas y Tomillo a la Pimienta Verde. We went to a big fabric store Saturday after checking out of the inn and found fabric that we will be using in our downstairs for drapery and pillows. We’ll post pictures when it’s all done. We listened to President Hinckley’s funeral service on KSL radio on the way home. The boys had been very good for Heidi’s mom and dad and were excited for us to come home.
