We are off playing hooky in Lake Tahoe. I usually like to get away after the Manager's meeting for at least a day to recharge my batteries. I mentioned to Neil last week that I wanted to get away and that the Lakeside Inn had their Steak and Lobster Lodging special for $89. He said, as Neil always does, "Count us in!" We drove up this afternoon and stopped at the overlook at Emerald Bay and took a couple of pictures and then drove the rest of the way up to Tahoe and our hotel room. We checked in about 4:30 and rested for a couple of hours before meeting for drinks at 6:30. We got seated for dinner a little after 7 PM and spent the next 90 minutes gorging on steak, lobster, clam chowder, French onion soup, salad, baked potatoes and crème brulee for dessert. It was actually better than I expected, the lobster tail was large and succulent and the sirloin was lean and delicious. We spent a bit of time gambling with little luck and were back in the room by 10:00 PM. We will meet Neil and Lilly for breakfast at the crack of ten AM in the morning, preferring a leisurely morning. We will drive back around the north side of the lake and stop for a late lunch in Truckee at Jack's by the Tracks, a restaurant that Dad and Shirley know.
Halloween came and went this week and some of the younger staff members approached me about a costume contest. I did them one better and offered to get gift cards for best dressed cubicle/office and my assistant threw in a gold cup for the perpetual winner of best dish at the potluck. The Queen of Hearts won the best costume and our receptionist won for best cubicle with a Hansel and Gretel setup of candy and treats to lure young children into her lair. Darla won the best dish for a cat litter box cake that was pretty gross. The cake was made with food coloring and melted Tootsie Rolls. It may have won the cup, but not too many people tried it. Pete had a scoop. Also, you can see a picture of Sam's costume for Halloween. Jen was supposed to send me more pictures, but has been hosting her Mom and McKenny this weekend.
Also, this weekend I had another hole-in-one at Diamond Oaks. I could get used to this. My first one was in a tournament two years ago and it cost me $145, which wasn't bad as I had $150 paid to me out of our hole-in-one insurance at the club. This time it was just a social round with John, Steve and Paul (Ringo couldn't make it). I bought a pitcher of beer and lunch for the guys after the round and got out of there for less than $35. The last time I was pretty pumped up and shot an 84 which isn't very good when you factor in an eagle and then the birdie I had on the following hole. This year, I was more focused and ended up shooting my best round of the year with a 37+38= 75, net 62. I told Darla that if I'd shot a 72, I would have just quit as I would have shot a hole in one and a par round on the same day. What's left? She wasn't buying it either. I was really happy with the 75 and pleased with the ace. I hit a pitching wedge on the 116 yard fifth hole that hit the front of the green rolled toward the hole and we lost it in the shadows on the green. I knew it was close and when there was no ball on the green when we walked up to the hole, I knew it was in the hole. So now I've had two aces on the 5th hole at Diamond Oaks. Boyd has also had two there and Bob had one.
Darla's business is really doing well and she is now the number one recruiter in the company and on track to promote to a Sterling Manager hopefully next month. She is featured in the corporate magazine this month with an interview about her recent success and she gives all the glory to God in her interview. Also, she has been sought out for speaking engagements at the regional meetings and on the conference calls that Silpada does every week. I'm proud of her and looking forward to seeing her success begin to be seen in our checkbook. She is rebuilding her business after her recent health issues and it all takes time. I'm very proud of her.
Our office just completed our 10th straight month of beating our budget and as proud as I am, it all gets put into perspective when my CEO tells me that my budget was too low. We are carrying over our lunch winnings for both September and October and hopefully November and we will rent out a party room at the local bowling alley for our Holiday Party. I get $45 per employee for our celebration and I like to buy everyone $50 gift cards. The room has two alleys, five big screen TVs and it's own bar. It costs $150 an hour and we will rent it for two hours in December on Monday night.
We also are off to Mexico in December, the 14th-21st in Nuevo Vallarta. Dad and Shirley will be there from December 7th through the 21st and we will join them for their second week. Hopefully Darryl and Cheryl are able to make it out as well. We are bringing Neil and Lilly to stay in our two bedroom condo.
Well, that is it for this week. Darla is fast asleep in bed as she was up early this morning and I need to call it a day. I hope you are all well. Dad and Shirley will be back from their 28 day cruise in another week or so and I look forward to getting caught up with them. Be well. Ciao.
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