Reflections on a Job Well Done

The last 2 weeks of my time have been taken up with planning a birthday party for the 90-year-old founder of our company. What started as a simple afternoon gathering for roughly 50 VIPs exploded into a 2-part happy hour/media event replete with the local mayor and was attended by about 350 people. It was the largest function I have ever handled. This is how it went:

4:00 am - wake up freaking out about the entire event. I'd just had a nightmare about it turning into this weird public circus and me completely missing it because I was too busy fighting with my mother. But all my high school and rocker friends were there, so it wasn't a completely horrible dream. Try to calm my nerves and go back to sleep.

6:00 - wake up again, an hour earlier than need be, but no sense in fighting a bundle of nerves and excitement.

7:45 - arrive at work with with less than 7 hours till go-time, too many messages and too many emails to make sense of, forget to grab coffee.

10:00 - realize I also forgot to pick up the flowers for the centerpieces, run to the wholesaler, wonder about filler flowers, give up, spend $30 and rush back to work.

11:45 - decide I want a grilled cheese sandwich and fries for lunch, run into the Executive Chef in the Café who is dying to show me the cake for our party later...can't find the cake. I refuse to panic, and he buys my lunch.

1:10 pm - finish tying up last minute details, hear that the cake arrived but has the wrong message on it. Decide to let it go and check on the progress of my cocktail party setup.

1:30 - 2 hours to go-time...cocktail party room is nowhere near ready. Hustle the crew...realize the OTHER room isn't set-up properly either. Make jokes about getting bitchy. Instead, smile sweetly and things get pulled together immediately. Even find a free second to flirt with the bartenders.

3:00 - 30 minutes to go-time, don my high heeled boots. Guests begin to arrive. Watch the reunion unfold in the lobby. Meet the inspiration for our iconic toy. Feel honored.

3:30 - wrangle the guests, set them loose on the bar and appetizers. Having put Part 1 to bed, check on progress of Part 2.

4:00 - Chef brings my team tasty appetizers and the news that the CEO gave me props for pulling it all together. Peek inside the cocktail party, hear that they'll be breaking in 15 minutes. Shovel down the rest of my "dinner" and inform the AV crew to cue the music in 10 minutes. Greet the mayor.

4:15 - people begin sneaking in to the party, I steal a cupcake.

4:30 - guest of honor and entourage make way into the main hall. Doors open to the rest of the crowd. Revel in a moment of pride at the sheer numbers of people, make a joke to my VP about knowing how to throw a party.

5:00 - presentations wrap up, birthday song sung, mingle mingle mingle. Someone wants to discuss logistics of an event taking place next week. Tell him we'll deal with it tomorrow.

5:30 - guest of honor's assistant drags me to meet him, am repeatedly complimented on my smile and the fine outcome, give profuse thanks to my entire crew.

5:40 - chat with the chef about my own birthday festivities in 7 days...I think I'm in for a great surprise.

6:00 - run 2 miles.

7:00 - come home and pass out.

8:30 - shower.

9:30 - breathe a sigh of relief that the day is finally over.

I'm more exhausted than I have any right to be. But that just means I need to go to bed now. With a smile on my face and a fantasy about my own party next week.