Wow! What A Performance!

About 6 months ago, I purchased tickets to the Broadway show Book of Mormon. For those of you who don’t know much about Broadway, this is the number one show right now. Tickets were sold out within minutes & going on Stubhub for $500-$2000! I was able to purchase tickets early and for a discounted rate! So, I bought 60! With a sold out show, and the rave reviews, I knew this was going to be a great event! We had a huge group of members there, all dressed up for the theater! We had great seats in the Mezzanine & enjoyed a wonderful show! We all were cracking up through the “Hello” song & left the theater in high spirits. Afterwards, a group of us went for a drink at a nearby pub. It was a lot of fun watching the performance and seeing a couple jaw drops from others who were surprised at how far they took some of the jokes. Overall it was a wonderful experience. My favorite part would probably have to be the number of people we ran into afterwards who commented how lucky we were to get tickets. It really made me realize what a treat to be able to bring 60 members to a show that no one else could get tickets to! Events And Adventures Santa Clara

Holy Guacamole! What a night!

The new member icebreaker was full! We reserved a big area at the Marriott Marquis bar, thinking there would be plenty of space to share, and we used all of it! It was a dark and stormy night, pouring rain, cold weather, and strong winds… and one of the largest icebreakers we have had in a while! What a good group of people to face the storm and come hang out and meet other newbies. There were over 40 people, or maybe it was over 50… Anyways, everyone was so outgoing and friendly, it was hard to do introductions! Everyone was introducing themselves before Bryan and I could even get to them. They all participated in the icebreaker & really came alive during our games. Man, what a great group of new members we have. I am definitely looking forward to seeing them all again in the future! Events And Adventures San Francisco

Cirque du Soleil "Amaluna"

It's time for a moment of truth. While I know that there are many fans and it is generally loved, I'm not a lover of Cirque.  The production values are great and the music always fun and wonderful, but it's never thrilled me. Thankfully, I was able to see it through E&A eyes last Wednesday.

I booked the great rate through Cirque months ahead of time, and was able to even get a special deal for food, drinks, and a CD soundtrack souvenir of a previous Cirque show.  What made it "over the top" for me wasn't the incredible feats of gymnastics (although the balancing act was truly elegant and exciting)  or the incredible costumes (someone please make me the lizard tail costume!) but the excitement and wonderful from the E&A peeps. Most were cold before entering the tent but the childlike anticipation in the group trumped any concerns over the weather.  

I arrived to my seat late, and enjoyed the first half, but was surprised by the uncontrollable gasps and cheers from the great people around me.  I asked Jeff about what he thought.  He turned to me, jaw still gaping in wonder, and told me that this was his first show and that he hadn't even heard of Cirque before E&A. "I never knew such things were even possible." He said.  Whether or not it was their first visit, the smiles, energy, and pep in everyone's step showed that everyone had a great time.  "How did you enjoy it?" someone asked me. "It was a great time.  Will be glad to do Cirque with you all again soon." Events And Adventures San Francisco

Another Awesome Trip To New York!

Traveling with E&A is awesome. Not only do they do all the planning work, but we get to hang out with members of the other cities. I had such a great time! For many of us it was our first time in New York City. I got to experience the city with friends not only from Dallas but also Minneapolis, San Jose and Vancouver. I met a bunch of new friends from other cities too. I love that E&A scheduled the best stuff for us. Carnegie Deli, Radio City and the Rockettes, Hop on & off bus tour, boat tour around Manhattan Island with a fabulous narrator that knew, well, everything about the city’s history. The holiday lights are awe-inspiring. We had time to do our own thing, too. We got discount tickets for Broadway shows. Spiderman Rocked! Visited the Empire State & Rockefeller buildings-WOW. Sat in the audience of my first TV show. Really cool. We ate all kinds of delicious food (think I’ll be paying for that for a while). How can you stop when it’s EVERYWHERE? Thank you so much for a great trip! I’ll remember it forever! 
Events And Adventures Travel

Special Friends Made Through Events And Adventures!

E&A has definitely been a great time in my life. I have met some really awesome friends that I am so thankful for. For Thanksgiving, I spent the weekend not working at all (which is probably a first, and really only because I didn’t have any cell service or wifi). Instead, I was tucked away in a friends cabin near Pinecrest. It was a small group of 4, but we have all become extremely close. We met through E&A and have been close friends over the last 4 years. Charles & Stacy have always been dear to me (I even preformed their wedding ceremony), and this last weekend really helped me remember the great relationships that E&A creates. The fact that we all were brought together again and spent Thanksgiving weekend in their cabin was something that you can’t do with just anyone. You have to truly like the people! We drank wine, we ate TONS, watched movies, talked, and played Cards Against Humanity. Thanksgiving was special this year because of the friends I made through E&A. Events And Adventures Santa Clara

Goodwill Toward Men And Bottomless Mimosas

There are many words I'd use to describe brunch (tasty, slow, hangover cure), but until a weekend ago, connected, trusting, and meaningful weren't among them.   

It all started like any other: perfect local French bistro, a diverse and fun group of ladies (and me), lots of coffee and bottomless mimosas, and entertaining conversation about favorite books, good movies, plans for the holidays. You know, typical stuff.  So the sharing continued: pet owners, volunteering, children,  and then, perhaps a bit more unusual, a member shared her love for boxing.  Not watching, actual study and participation in the sport.  She brought up an observation about how men and women act differently to each other in the ring and how they behave afterwards.  

Then in a wonderful way it got personal.  The different stories, the passion for their work, or maybe we just had a place and moment where we felt comfortable and more difficult questions were shared."How do you know to trust someone out on the street when your heart wants to help but your mind knows it's probably not a good idea?" "How do we keep the experience of sharing/caring when it's necessary to protect ourselves as well." "Sometimes a simple smile to someone on BART can make a world of difference in a better way." We all nodded and sighed a little. We all felt a bit more calm, confident, and ready for the day. Goodwill toward men and bottomless mimosas. Perfect. Events And Adventures San Francisco

It's Holiday Beer Fest Time!

We were kids in a holiday candy store.  Well, beer store that is.  All of us at E&A had a great time at the Holiday Beer Fest, but I never thought it would be a team effort.  It started with me saying I wanted to try a beer from every maker (there were over 50 local, national, and international, brewers at the event). Despite comments that it couldn't happen, I soon realized why they were saying it: the makers were pouring full glasses of their beverage and everyone just assumed they had to drink it all.  I shared my "rule:" small sips, try it a second time if you like it, pour the rest out.  Only when you have a favorite do you drink the entire cupful. "What? We can pour it out?" were their replies.  Of course, it is even encouraged. Soon we were working the space like a swarm of eager bees. "I'll try the IPA while you get the Porter. Don't bother with the brown ale over there, but the pinot barrel aged stout, is incredible." Now we all got to experience many more tastes, styles, and didn't have to be afraid to try something new.

The laughs, fun, and teamwork continued through the night.  After a quick picture with the Beer Santa, It was almost immediate when everyone felt tired and ready to leave. Now, it was sharing cab rides home, walking each other to the bus stops, and keeping a close eye on each other.  We all left with an expanded beer palette, smiles from the memories, and closer and better friends.  Events And Adventures San Francisco