Another weekend come and gone, another great weekend in the books, another Sunday night getting ready for the week ahead! It’s rainy and gray in Calgary this evening and seems like the perfect time to recap a wonderful weekend away with my co-workers!
Although I’ve been training at Fifth Avenue Club for more than a year, this was only my first staff retreat because I missed last year’s as I was kayaking with Survive & Thrive, so I was pretty pumped to get the chance to go and experience a weekend away with the team. We drove out in clumps of cars to Canmore (just west of Calgary and an awesome little mountain town) and got settled into our chalets and kicked things off with a session Friday night. Although it made for a long day after work and other errands before we’d left the city, it was great to have everyone out there (including 2 very new staff – one hired only a day before we left!).
Tough to complain about anything when this is your view! π I loved the located of the complex and staying in little separate living spaces of 3-4 people was perfect. Most of us called it a night between 11:30 and 12; I hit the hay around 11 in anticipation of a morning 12 mile run.
I woke up to clear skies after rain throughout the week and the day before and was glad I was up early; mornings in the mountains (even in town and not ON the mountains) is SO worth an early alarm clock time! It was a blast finding my way around trails and winding up the hill to the Three Sisters Parkway where I looked down on the sleepy town in the wee morning hours.
I love the act of running, especially when it’s silent and still. For the beginning I had some music playing and then suddenly became aware of the silence around me. I kept my headphones in but turned the tunes off and listened to silence. I noticed huge deer and birds and felt like I was running right under those striking mountains in such a close and real way.
In a while I switched on Francis Chan, one of my favorite pastors to listen to while I run, and was so inspired and convicted while running about my life. More on that specifically in a post later this week, but I was challenged and hopefully changed – that’s my part now to take some action. After a few half-way point self-timers, I kept moving and finished the run in time to shower, make some coffee and breakfast with the girls and join the team at 9 am for our first session of the day.
After a few sessions to kick the day off and then lunch, Rae and I prepped for our afternoon activities. We played a little thumbball,
did some commonalities in partners, talked through the yurt circle and then Rae lead the group out (blind!) to a nearby field for the Blind Maze.
I love facilitating team building activities like these and it was interesting to observe everyone in the maze and how they reacted to the experience.
After our activities, most of us walked into town and strolled Main Street. There are a ton of neat stores to explore and the weather held off until the end when it started spitting a bit. The rest of the night was spent with a great meal, an awesome session getting to know more about each other’s strengths (so valuable in a team and work setting!) and some evening nail painting. π
It was a great weekend retreating as staff and we officially wrapped up Sunday morning. Thanks to the team for all coming out and to Darren and Vanessa for organizing the event! We have a great culture at our gym and I know that the community we experience, even with all the ups and downs of regular workplace life, is pretty unique and valuable, and I am very thankful for that.
In fact, I’m ready for work Monday morning! Which means I better hit the hay! After a rainy afternoon and a dinner out with a good friend, Edith, I chatted with my parents on the phone for a while and am now ready to hit the hay. It was a great week of training and work and a solid weekend of the same.
I’ll be back to chat about the things I’m learning these days as God teaches me about being lazy – marathon training and all. Hope you guys all had a great weekend!
Does your work have an annual retreat or conference? How close are you to your workplace and what’s the culture like there?
Off to bed! Live well & be well friends,
Bonnie
wow what an awesome time you had! That’s really nice Bonnie. Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures!
The views were absolutely breathtaking and yes would be worth an early rise!!!!
I also love running when its still an all you can hear is nature around …you warms my heart.
My fit wknd:
Fri-30min XFit wrkout; 20min sauna; 2hr Zumba Fitness event
Sat-Speed-o-run 5k on the beach (my first beach race!!!); Day 1 burpee challenge (20)
Sun-8.8mi bike ride (road); 90min Bikram Yoga; Day 2 burpee challenge (25)
Way to go with your workouts, JuJu! Rockin’ it! π
Another mountain retreat? I’m so jealous. Still missing all my new friends from Blend2013.
Our office, sadly, does not have any kind of team-building activities β unless you count the coed rec league softball team some of us put together. That’s fun … but at the office, we all kind of keep our heads down and get the paper out on a daily basis.
Yes! I’m still missing everyone from BLEND too! – you included, Arlene. π Your coed softball team sounds fun! That’s neat you guys organized that. π
what a beautiful VIEW!!!!
we don’t really have a work place haha but for Gary – he does a lot of group functions to build teamwork and bonding experiences.
Yes – gorgeous setting, hey? π I’ve worked on my own a lot like you two; it’s nice to be on a team again although there are always pros to being your own boss. π
That retreat looks and sounds amazing!!
The idea of a blind maze sort-of freaks me out – that is a LOT of trust!!!
It’s a LOT of trust but more learning about yourself, actually…it’s a pretty neat and revealing exercise! No one was harmed in the making of that blind maze either. π Thanks for your comment, Kim!
I once had a team building at a Dave & Busters. (an adult game center) It was so much fun! They had us go around w/coworkers and beat video games… #bestworkdayever
xoxo from Trinidad
looks like so much fun! I love Canmore. Such a lovely, gorgeous little town <3