I recently went to Seattle on a work trip.  It’s always great going back to the Emerald City.  I grew up a couple of hours north of Seattle and spent a year of my 20’s living in the city.  I had an apartment next to the Ballard Bridge and an underground parking spot.  I thought I was going to live there for a long time, but life can throw you a better curveball than Felix Hernandez and I ended up moving to Sacramento to pursue other interests.

I have some great friends and memories in Seattle; whether it was seeing the 1995 Mariners win a 1 game playoff against the Angels, getting engaged to my wonderful wife on the Bainbridge ferry, or sitting in one of my favorite places in the world at Gas Works Park with some Ivar’s fish and chips.  The city holds a special place in my heart.  Plus, you can’t beat the music.  No matter where you go, or what business you visit, there’s always a good chance you hear alternative music from the 1990’s.  It’s the city’s unofficial soundtrack.

I don’t usually write about my job, probably because I spend a third or more of my life doing it; but, since the purpose of Dad vs. Human is to document my life so I don’t forget details and events, I’ll write about my job…a little.

Like I said, my trip to Seattle was a work trip.  I was selected for a special program.  Out of roughly 2,000 people in my company with my title, 200 were selected to be a part of this program.  Out of those 200 people, six were selected to go to Seattle.  I was one of the six selected.  It was a huge honor.  We got to spend time with our Executive Vice President, tour headquarters, share and collaborate on what we worked on during our program, and we had some fun sightseeing and taking the underground tour in Seattle.  Did you know Seattle is about 2-3 stories higher than it originally was because of toilets and a fire?  Neither did I.

I work in sales for a wireless company, but not just any wireless company…the best wireless company in the country!  T-Mobile!  It’s a great job and I’ve been doing it the last 12 years.  My company takes great care of me and our customers.  I get to help people develop their own careers, I make a good living, have great benefits, and I have developed many great relationships.  During the last 5 years, my peers and I have helped change the wireless industry for good and it has been an amazing ride.  The best part, is we won’t stop!  We’re going to keep easing the pains of being a wireless customer!  It is a privilege to do what I do.

My job has allowed me to do so many things in the past decade; get out of debt, buy a house, provide for a family, and basically, achieve any goal I set out to do.  Most important, it gives me the work life balance to do the things I enjoy doing with the other 16 hours of my day and the means to do them.

My work trip was a good one.  We got some stuff done, I took in some familiar sights and sounds, I saw some friends I hadn’t seen in years, Seth and Elisabeth, and I missed my ladies back home.  Until next time, Seattle.