Building Bridges in Boston

I just got back from a couple of days in Boston. I went up for a training class with DHL Global. I really enjoyed the class and meeting my Boston coutnerparts. But the best part of this trip was meeting Deb. I believe Deborah Sweeney and I will be life long friends. It's amazing how you run into people who have lives that are as differnt from your as night and day, but at the core...are the same. We met on the hotel shuttle, only to find out that we were in town for the same class. I was returning from the T (the Boston subway), she was returning from Lloyd and Taylor. If this sounds like a sappy love story beginning, it kindove is. I found myself engaged to her less than 24 hours after we met. Funniest night I've experienced in a long time. We spent all day on Monday in class, went out to dinner Monday night, and stopped in the hotel lounge for a drink before going up to our rooms. Well, I should tell you before I go any further that Deb is a Jersey Girl, born and bred. So when a man approached us with questions as we took our seats in the lounge, Deb was all over him.

Man: "Are you ladies here for the review?"
Deb: "What reveue?"
Man: "The wedding band review."
Deb: "No, is there a problem with us being here?"
Bobbie: "We're here for the bands. We're engaged."

Too funny right, well it gets better. We had a few drinks and then left for the night. After Tuesday's class, Tom Powers, Domestic Manager of the Boston office--my counterpart, took me straight to the airport. I caught a flight out to ATL. (Which I will detail next as it was a nightmare trip.) Deb, who was in town for one more night, went out to dinner at the oldest still standing restaurant in the US, the Union Oyster House. After dinner, she stopped in the same hotel lounge for a nightcap. After sitting down at the bar, Deb was approached by a smiling man who asked where her fiance was. He had been sitting next us the night before and must have thought the whole scene was a riot. Did I mention we turned out to be the only 2 BRIDES who listened to the wedding bands that night. One exceptional band made me want to throw some kind of party. Deb said she felt like Simon Cowell all night. After the first two drinks, I felt more like Paula Abdul. It's been a while so I'm a little bit of a lightweight.