The Event World

I sit here in the San Francisco airport on my way to Eugene, OR to work another event. This type of event work that I am about to do isn’t my favorite but it sometimes offers a good change of pace. I’m not in charge of anything. I don’t have any stress. I just do what I am told and pick things up and put them down. I’m still oddly strong for someone who doesn’t work out regularly and is plus size but then again I am always lifting something. The event world is not for the faint of heart. I almost killed my in-laws when they came to help me out while my husband was away. Needless to say it was way more physical than they were expecting. I think I surprise people when they see me since I am plus sized. I don’t move like someone who is as big as me. I can walk all day and I’m pretty strong and usually keep up with the boys just fine. The event world is mostly men so I usually feel like I have to keep up with them or I won’t be taken seriously.

I really love the work I do. My work is a mixture of sitting at a computer for hours/days at a time then being on-site at an event picking up heavy objects and walking an average of 10-12 miles a day at an event. My record is about 15 miles in one day. I will let you in a secret. If you are walking a lot, multiple days in a row then switch your shoes out each day. I always bring two or more pairs of shoes with me to an event so I can switch them out each day. It gives your feet a little rest as they sit just a little bit differently in each shoe. Your feet stay a little happier. Thanks Jamie for that tip!

I really love to plan an event and put all the pieces of the puzzle together. I think I like the planning more than actual event day. It gives me great satisfaction to check things off my to-do list. Some of my to-do lists for the larger events are huge so there is a real sense of accomplishment when an event is over. Most of the time it’s my husband, Whit, and myself at an event but at the larger ones I hire a few contractors to help us out. Some of my helpers know how I get in my own head and get to worrying about all the little details that they try to remind me to take a moment to smell the roses. There was this event in Lake Havasu City, AZ that we were timing and the sunrise was just incredible. They pulled me out of my trailer so I could just take a minute to enjoy it. It’s hard to remind myself that life is not about the destination it is about the journey. I get so focused on what is coming up and what I have to do that I get tunnel vision and forget what this is all supposed to be about. What’s the point of working for myself and doing what I love if I don’t stop to enjoy it once and awhile?