Coeur D'Alene

Good fortune smiled down upon our family almost two years ago when Dylan got the job he does right now. The company treats their employees very, very well, and sometimes the spouses get in on the fun. We've shared some good times with the people in this company here in Scottsdale and on trips. My favorite time thus far, though, was this past weekend in Idaho.

We left Dylan in Tucson for training on Monday, and he wrapped up on Thursday afternoon. I departed work on time on Thursday and headed straight to the hangar, where I arrived about 14 seconds before Dylan and John. They got the plane ready, and we gobbled down some sandwiches before the other passengers arrived. It was wheels-up by 5:30. 

When we arrived in Idaho it was pretty late, but not too late to stock up on all the beer in town. We checked into our cabin on the golf course where everybody had a king-sized bed and their own en-suite bathroom and patio. Luxury! We ended the night with plenty of laughs around the campfire.

The next day was spent over at the boss's lake house. We took a booze cruise around the lake before tying up and stopping for snacks and drinks. At night, the seven of us staying at the cabin had dinner at the club and a quick dip in the hot tub to close out the night. 

Saturday morning was yoga at the club for the ladies. A few of us headed back to the lake house where D and I took a cruise on the kayaks. I squeezed in a nap in the afternoon, and we all headed into town to stop for some drinks and a nice dinner. I made it through one round of Cards Against Humanity around the campfire before I had to call it a night.

Dylan took too long to join the photo, so they starting snapping shots of my imaginary friend and me.

Oh, there he is!

The view off our private balcony.

Peace and tranquility. I already miss this place!

D and Sarah.

For some reason everyone cheered me on to pose with a flower. I don't know why, but I think it had something to do with too much Tito's Handmade Vodka.

Drinks on the lake.

Our accommodations for the weekend. Ahhhh

My goal was to go down the slide and run across the blue thing to the trampoline, but I couldn't brave the cold water. What a failure...

Chilling at the lake house.

Fran and I sampled huckleberry mojitos from almost everywhere.

Relaxing on the dock.

Searching for moose on the river.

Getting drinks at a bar in town. When the band didn't show up, Sarah and I took matters into our own hands.

These two are a riot!

Our farewell dinner at Cedars.

By Sunday morning, our cabin had become headquarters for the upcoming corporate retreat. It was time to say farewell to Fantasy Land for the three spouses on the weekend getaway. We packed our bags for our flight on Southwest out of Spokane, like the regular people that we are. Dining at the private club, enjoying all the amenities of the lake house, flying on the corporate jet, and the endless drinks made from top-shelf vodka are now just a memory from a very, very good weekend. Dylan was worried that I might not enjoy myself on this trip since I'm a weirdo introvert and we were sharing a house with people that I had only met a few times. His worries were unnecessary. His co-workers are a fantastic bunch, and I had a really, really great time. It was a getaway that was desperately needed, and I am so grateful that this company is part of our life.

As far as the employees who stayed behind for the retreat? Well, we left them with cases of beer stacked to the ceiling and, as the boss said, "enough tequila to kill a horse." Care packages and snacks were ready to be delivered to each house and cabin, and the welcome dinner was tonight. They've lined up massages and tee times and zip-lining and fly-fishing and have all the fun things at the lake house at their disposal. D has moved to a different house on the lake and will be sleeping in a twin-size bunk bed...but even so, I think it's safe to say he won't miss the grind of home a whole lot this week. He will finally (FINALLY) be back home in a few days, and by then I'll definitely be ready to get on with regular life.