The Annual Property Management Retreat

Every year my department gathers all of it's property managers from across the country to meet in a chalet in Gatlinburg. We're a very eclectic group and it's always interesting to see what silliness will ensue.



I think the funniest story this year is the property manager who has been working for the company for over two years, has spoken with me countless times on the phone, and was at the retreat last year, but he just realized this retreat that I was Natalie Hoyt. He knew I was Natalie. But he thought the Natalie Hoyt that he spoke with on the phone to fix his purchase orders, send him leases, teach him MRI was a different Natalie. The Natalie that he met in person at the property management retreat was apparently some random Natalie from accounting...?



Does anyone know how to chum bream with a racoon? You learn a lot being sequestered in a cabin for four days



You also learn that drunk guys in a hot tub is hilarious. These boys spent a lot of time in the hot tub together...

We worked just a little bit



And played a whole lot



We managed to find the only go-kart track being run by crazy red necks. They were spraying water onto the course so that we would spin out and run into each other. One of our older property managers spent the entire time racing going in the wrong direction. One guy was hit so hard his glasses flew off his head. One girl was t-boned so hard she had a huge angry rash on her neck from the restraints. None of us escaped injury, and I'm still limping from the baseball sized welt on my leg. Best fun I ever had.



They're a good group of people. When they weren't chasing bears, making margaritas, riding bikes down mountains, or groping each other in the hot tub, they were waiting up with me for Jason to call one last time before he boarded the plane for Kuwait.



And like every good family, at the end of day we made the guys do the dishes.

I couldn't finish this post without some gratuitous doggy pictures



This was Jason on his four day leave right before he flew overseas. The dogs were so happy.



But now they're very sad. Does Sammy not look absolutely pitiful in this picture?



And I think Gus is about to cry here. He is not a photogenic pug. He looks like an old man. Or an Ewok.

We all miss Jason.