no drama in florida, just speed.

so at the beginning of the month i had yet another amazing experience, thanks to my always entertaining, yet somewhat stressful, career choice.

starting on halloween until nov 3 i attended a training event for one of my clients on a ranch in florida.

now, i did not grow up on a farm so i didn't learn how to drive a tractor as soon as i could walk. the biggest yard i ever had as a kid was when i was in preschool through 1st grade so i never learned to drive a lawn tractor. and my family does not hunt so i never learned to drive an atv. or a golf cart either, despite my parents' new found fascination with the little white ball.

well, i now know how to drive all of those things and then some. it was fantastic. it was also hilarious. as one of a handful of women present, i'm sure i amused my fair share of the rest of the folks attending the training, especially as they watched me adjust every seat for my 5'2" self.

i made sure to test all the equipment to its fullest. just ask the poor guy next to me in the photo. brian, a dude from another agency, had to tell me that he had back problems. i say "had to" because i think my driving scared him since i had the pedal all the way down on the floor. before you think that i was foolhardy, let me assure you that every safety precaution was taken. our seatbelts were on. i told brian to hang on.

(and yes, cynthia, i am wearing my no drama t-shirt in this photo. everyone thought it was funny given the circumstances.)

my agency colleagues and i had a blast. the funniest part however had nothing to do with the training. the hotel we were staying at was a part of one of the most swanky hotel chains out there.

picture this: folks dressed like me in t-shirts, work boots, work pants, all covered in a fine layer of dust and grime coming back from a day at the ranch. we did that every day at around 4:30, just as the rich folks were settling in for their cocktails! sweet.

i didn't mention the other funny part of this trip: our day started at 6:30 am. not my finest hour for sure, but i did it. we were all exhausted by 10 pm. so much for the stereotype of the crazy partying agency folks. the other people at the training went out to the peelers, bars, clubs, you name it. not us. we worked. we had a couple of beers while working, but that was the extent of our wild and crazy glamorous lifestyle.

too bad my yard is small. i would love a riding lawn tractor now.