Last weekend, I had the pleasure of traveling to Philadelphia and New York for some work and some fun. I am very lucky, however, as work and fun so often intermingle.

My long weekend started in Philadelphia, tailgating at a Phillies game. GT‘s publisher, Fran Gallagher, and his wife, Michele, were there, as well as GT‘s Kim Krol and Courtney Centeno, some of their friends and my GT Chicago connection, Lou Atsaves. We played bags, grilled and trash-talked a bit about the upcoming Stanley Cup Finals, which at the time was not set as the Chicago Blackhawks versus the Philadelphia Flyers. Finally, we saw the Phillies lose to the Boston Red Sox, in a one-hitter.

As I wrote last week, on Sunday, Louie and I went to see the Yankees play the Mets at Citi Field. Prior to that, we loaded the GT truck with the necessary supplies for Monday’s wine survey event. On Monday, Louie and I transported everything to the event.

Later in the day, we joined the GT staff at Delmonico’s for a little post-event relaxation. I reconnected with more GT staffers, their friends and other friends of GT. We shared laughs, stories, wine and appetizers. This was a really great weekend.

First and foremost, on the business end, the event was successful. Everyone contributed and did a wonderful job. Not to be overlooked, however, is all of the fun and the great memories. I can go to a baseball game, a restaurant or a city any time I want. Doing these with great friends and sharing the moments, the stories and the laughs is what makes memories. On Tuesday morning, I left Philadelphia with a bunch of new, great memories.

— John Wroblewski, distribution specialist