Citizen Police Academy Graduation Day
Posted on November 26, 2015 by Ching under Events, Things to Do.
It’s the end of another journey.
I was in Topeka for Citizen Police Academy graduation night but they were nice enough to make a certificate of completion for me and gave it to Brian.
Everyone also got a copy of our class photo which, incidentally, I’m not in either because I was, again, in Topeka that week. I promise I really did participate in the class. If it weren’t for work commitments, I wouldn’t have missed any of the sessions at all.
I am so grateful for all the things we learned and experienced in Citizen Police Academy. I will take the knowledge with me for years to come. The time I spent with Sgt. Hein, Sgt. Kimble, and all the other law enforcement officers who volunteered their time to teach our class has given me an even greater appreciation for law enforcement.
I’m not sure what it’s like in other areas of the nation/world but our law enforcement officers in Wichita and Sedgwick County are amazing. They are the some of the best people you will ever meet.
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Our Friends are Old and Throw Amazing Parties
Posted on November 25, 2015 by Ching under Events.
A sure sign that you’re old is when your friends start celebrating their 50th birthdays. Last month we celebrated Connie’s 50th birthday at the Kansas Star Casino. A couple of weeks ago Uncle Roy had a huge birthday bash complete with ping pong and shuffleboard.
Here are a few pictures from the event…
I didn’t get to have cake but I bet it was yummy!
I had a cookie. It was delicious.
I loved all of the personalized touches…
Including the poker chip drink tokens!
The table decorations and center pieces were very creative and consistent with the theme. Some tables had chalkboards. A couple of tables had a bit of a debate going.
Brian and I had a great time celebrating with the old man. I was going to say “celebrating with the birthday boy” but, at the tender age of 50, you are clearly no longer a boy.
Bonnie did such an amazing job of planning and hosting the event. Thank you to Bonnie and Roy for their generosity and for sharing the joy of Roy’s birthday celebration with us. The best part for me was seeing so many people I hadn’t seen in years.
And also seeing people we still see on the regular, though not as frequently as we used to. These people are know as the Dills.
Bonnie and Roy sure know how to throw a party. The parting gifts were great.
We dream of being Bonnie and Roy when we grow up. Brian and I will eventually get old and turn 50 but we will probably never be as cool.
Cheers to Uncle Roy on his 50th birthday!
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“A Day in the Life of Kelsey” and Team Building
Posted on November 24, 2015 by Ching under Events.
Since I was out of town on Veterans Day, I decided to shadow Kelsey on her birthday and experience a day in the life of a 25 year old. It’s been a lifetime ago for me so I can barely remember what it was like.
Step one was a leisurely breakfast at the hotel before heading to the mall for our MAC Cosmetics makeovers. This is what Kelsey had planned for her birthday/day off. She was nice enough to let me tag along and scheduled one for me as well.
They were so busy that day that we kept getting interrupted. It reminded me of why I don’t get makeup done at the mall. The end result was great, though. Misty did a fabulous job despite having to juggle customers and doing my makeup.
Here’s the finished product. For her birthday makeup Kelsey went completely glam, complete with fake eyelashes. I went pretty neutral but, even so, I felt like I had so much makeup on. I think it’s because I’m not used to wearing makeup.
Our next stop was downtown Kansas City. We had the rare opportunity to check out the PwC office there. The consultants didn’t get Veterans Day off so they camped out in one of the conference rooms and worked that day.
Good thing I was off that day because I don’t think I could have worked with the amazing view. I would have been day dreaming all day.
Not sure if you recall but it was super windy on Veterans Day. Kelsey and I got into a minor fender bender on the way to the hotel, which made us a bit late for our team building event. We weren’t the only ones late, though. The consultants worked late and got to the hotel much later than we did even after we waited for the Kansas City police officers to show up on the scene and release us.
We eventually made it to Top Golf. I’d never been there before. It’s really cool. Even though I sucked compared to everyone else, I still had a blast. I actually can’t wait to go back. I want to bring Brian there on a date.
You basically wave your club at this box thing that spits out a golf ball. You hit the golf ball as hard as you can while trying to make one of the targets. You earn points based on where your ball lands.
Radhika is a pro. She did the best out of all the women. She actually did better than most of the men, too.
This is a photo of Rahima getting ready to swing.
Here’s our two Project Managers: Andy (foreground) and Joey (background).
Since we were so late getting started we decided to cancel our dinner reservations and just eat at Top Golf instead. The food there is actually pretty good.
Here are some photos…
These donut things were delicious, specially with the dipping sauces. Serving the sauces in syringes was a clever touch.
Some people had already left by the time we remembered to take a group photo.
We all had so much fun that we ended up spending the entire evening at Top Golf. The time just flew by, though. It was a great team building experience.
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The Eve of Kelsey’s 25th Birthday
Posted on November 24, 2015 by Ching under Events.
Here are some pictures taken on the eve of Kelsey’s 25th birthday.
Kelsey hit the birthday jackpot. Her birthday is November 11, Veterans Day, one of the holidays we actually observe at work. She gets her day off every year without having to use a personal day or vacation. It’s a great holiday for a birthday because it’s not a major holiday; so unlike when your birthday falls on Valentines or Christmas, you don’t get gypped on presents. You get all of the perks and none of the downsides.
Kelsey and Radhika
I love hanging out with these two millennials. They make me feel not quite as old as I am. Although, they’re constantly giggling about something and I don’t quite understand it.
Me and the birthday girl.
Radhika, Ching, Kelsey, and Rahima
I don’t usually drink with coworkers but we were celebrating Kelsey’s birthday. I wasn’t going to be the lone party pooper.
They have this really yummy shark drink.
I have no idea where the mustaches came from.
Rahima and Me
We had our team building event in Kansas City on Veterans Day so I didn’t get to go home during the week. I pretty much just stayed up there (Lawrence on Monday and Tuesday night; and then Kansas City on Wednesday night) until Thursday. I had thought about going home on Tuesday and then driving back up for the team building activity on Wednesday but that was going to be way too much driving back and forth and didn’t make any sense. Plus, it’s not like Brian had Veterans Day off. He would be at work anyway so it wasn’t like I was going to see him. That made the decision wait until Thursday to come home much easier. And, I had the opportunity to hang out with these fine people and celebrate with Kelsey which wouldn’t have been possible had I gone home on Tuesday. It worked out great.
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First Time at the Eldridge
Posted on November 24, 2015 by Ching under Travel.
I had the opportunity to stay at the Eldridge in Lawrence a couple of weeks ago when I had to work in Topeka. I wouldn’t have stayed there were it not for everyone else staying there. I figured I should stay where everyone else is staying and take advantage of the opportunity to bond with my project teammates.
I was initially just going to stay in Wichita and call in to the meetings but our Project Manager convinced me that I needed to be onsite with the PwC Functional Lead Rahima (my counterpart) so that we could use the time in between meetings to prepare for the Enterprise Design (future state) workshops. I’m glad I decided to travel to Topeka that week, despite Wednesday being a holiday, because the time I was able to spend with Rahima proved truly valuable. We worked long hours but also had a great time since we all stayed in Lawrence.
I had a cute little room at the Eldridge with a great view of Mass Street. Here’s a picture of the separate sitting area that you walk into upon entering the room.
My room was small but comfortable. The room was just wide enough for the bed but I didn’t really spend much time there. Most of my time was spent at work.
This is the view from my hotel window. I didn’t really get to see it until Wednesday when I was off work because the entire time I was there I left well before the sun was up and didn’t get back to the hotel until late into the evening.
The hotel’s location is fantastic. There are lots of great restaurants and bars just right outside the door. The only thing I didn’t like about my room is that the ceiling fan wobbled and clicked and kept me up all night. Of course, it didn’t help that Joey, the PwC Project Manager, told me about the ghost in room 506. Incidentally, the PwC Project Director Pete actually got that room. He said he didn’t hear any funny noises and had no problems sleeping. I, on the other hand, because I’m highly susceptible to all forms of suggestion, dreamt that I had a ghost in my room and stayed up all night.
Anyway, I really like Lawrence and the Eldridge is a great hotel. I may have to go back and bring Brian. Perhaps on Valentines Day. It’ll be a lot like the time we stayed at the Oread over Valentines. It’s been a while since we’ve spent the weekend in Lawrence. It should be a lot of fun.
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