Last week was one where I blogged less than I have in a really long time.
When I first started NTTC, I would blog a few times a week or month, depending upon what I had to say… but for the past year or so I’ve been sharing with you guys close to five days a week.
Usually if I don’t write one of a few things has happened: 1) I’m sick. (Thankfully that rarely happens!) 2) I have that terrible blogger’s block where everything I write sounds awful or what happened last week 3) I was just too darn busy to do any writing.
The great part about #3 is that it usually gives me something great to write about upon my return. So, you’re in for a doozy.
Last week, I was involved in a competition. And in true NTTC fashion, I wasn’t at all prepared for this event and had procrastinated my prep time. Eeks!
Note: I’ll be a little vague in the details for you guys so I can just get to the gist. If not, this could be the world’s longest blog post EVER.
My company hosts an enormous employee sales pitch contest every year and all employees participate. If you win amongst your team, you have a chance to compete at the regional level and then you have a chance to progress from there to the finals.
When I heard I was moving onto the regional level, I was SERIOUSLY surprised. I’m not really a center stage kind of girl. I really prefer quiet parties to loud flashy events, and a nice, quiet thank you usually has me just as happy as seeing my name in lights. I think it may be a former fat girl thing, but center of attention is just not what I crave…
For last week’s competition, I had to just put that behind me. I’d be standing on a stage with a mic and had to work it. Oh, and here’s a fun twist… on Monday, they told us we were to dress up for the event. Since it’s a music-themed event, we were asked to dress up as our favorite artist.
Now… we all know that this girl is my favorite.
We all know she has made some pretty *interesting* fashion choices over the years, but I decided to go with her jeans and rock t-shirt look. Thank goodness, Kohl’s has their Rock n Republic line right now, because that’s where I went first!
I picked up a t-shirt and some two-toned jeans and planned to rock it out. This is what I looked like for work on Thursday…
I’d say the look was half Kelly / half groupie, but it worked… and a good costume/outfit + big crazy, curly hair can help a girl’s confidence, you know?
While I had to be at the event at 8am, I didn’t have to compete until 2pm. So… I had 6 hours to obsess think about it. I’d like to say that I was fully prepared but I wasn’t… so I used a lot of the day to perfect my pitch. Lots of time practicing… using my post-it “cheat” sheets I carried around in my pocket all day.
When it was finally time to go to the “green room,” I could have puked. I was so nervous. I took to singing OUT LOUD to the Stone Temple Pilots that were playing… Thank goodness Plush came on right before I went on. Gave me something else to focus on.
Then, before I knew it, I was miked up and on the little mini stage about to perform. Ever have one of those experiences you can’t really remember because you were that nervous? Yep, this was mine. I remember hearing my voice shake slightly, but that was about all I remember from the 5 minutes I performed, talking non-stop. I remember hitting a few of the key points I’d practiced and just staring at the guy who was on stage with me.
What I do remember is my boss saying, “You crushed it” as I walked off the stage. And crushed it, I did…
How about I won? This girl!
So what the heck does that mean? What in the world did I win?
Well…. This is where it gets good. I won a little bit of cash and prizes. Yay! But, that’s not the real prize…
In July, I get to compete in the finals in San Francisco… which includes a private concert for the winners.
Meaning, I get to see these guys…
and they will be performing here…
SERIOUSLY!
To make it even sweeter, I adore a lot of the other channel winners so I anticipate it’s going to be an amazing trip!
With my friend Jessica, who also won! Yay!
Also, I’ve never been to San Francisco! While I’m a little nervous about facing the next round of competition, I couldn’t be more excited to see a little bit of the city during this trip!
And, I’ll try to share as much as I can with you guys along the way… I mean, there will be shopping, and prepping, and so much fun along the way… how could I not share! xoxo
Have you ever been to Alcatraz? Are you a Neon Trees fan?
[…] when I told you guys that I won a big contest at work, and was being whisked away to San Francisco to compete in the final round? Well, it’s GO […]