All the Single Ladies

Unless you’re a consultant, it’s really hard to describe the relationship that you have with your coworkers. I know that people in other jobs are close to the people they work with, but consulting reaches a whole new level because you actually spend more time with these people than your own spouse. Actually, let’s back up – if I didn’t have such wonderful consulting teams over the past years I wouldn't even HAVE a spouse! James and I first met while on a project together in Albuquerque, NM, and grew so close – as friends, folks, nothing else until the end of the project – because we spent so much time working and socializing. We had more consultants at our wedding than a PeopleSoft conference, and mostly because they’re now who we consider our good friends.

It’s true that I eat more meals with these great people than without, I’ve traveled to more cities and countries with them than my own family, they know what I’m buying online way before James questions the transaction on the credit card, and they have in-depth experience with my food anxiety and know that they can’t ask to share with me or get away with an insufficient number of appetizers. I won’t sugarcoat it - the people on my current project team rock. I will choose to remain friends with these people long after the client has realized all the goals that we’re helping them to achieve with our blood, sweat, and tears. We may all live in different cities, but consulting friendships know no boundaries.

Our beautiful bachelorettes!

And when there is a celebration to be had we make sure we do it up right. Traditional “going out’ nights (i.e. Saturday) can’t apply when your friendships are bound by the 3-4-5 model. This week, we hosted a little bachelorette party for two very special brides-to-be on our team, Jen and Diksha. Considering the fact we had a client attending, and we had boys attending, and it was a Wednesday night, the party did not reach the epic proportions as, say, my bachelorette party in Austin last August. (When I can find some Mom-proof photos to share, I will have to blog about THAT night, one of my most favorite nights.) But I trust that Jen and Diksha’s gal pals in their respective home cities will do it up right, with inappropriate items taped to their veil and perhaps a “male entertainer” or two. (Just kidding.)

The night started out at a yummy tapas place near downtown St. Louis. Tapas restaurants usually make me nervous (see related comment above to my “food anxiety” about not getting enough to eat), and I go into primal mode and try to hoard food from the tiny little plates as they pass by. Fortunately this group knows that we better just order 2 – 3 plates of everything off the menu, so I am quite comfortable sharing this fabulous Spanish fare with them. (True story – I guess my accent causes “tapas” to sound an awful lot like “topless”, so some attendees were horrified when I told them we were starting the night at a “topless” place for the bachelorette party. Quick clarification followed!!)

After gorging ourselves on bacon wrapped figs and fried garlic and queso de cabra (to name a few dishes), the gals got a little “bridal survival” kit of goodies (including mini liquor bottles) and then a flashing tiara that was mandatory head gear for the night. All of the party had on beads to make sure everyone realized we were with these fab bachelorettes.

A subset of our good looking project team

The next and final stop was a bar named Big Daddy’s (no joke), located in what appeared to be a somewhat sketchy area of St. Louis (but then again, what part of that city does not have some sketch to it.) Big Daddy’s offered bottomless cups to the ladies for $5, plus other sorts of drink specials – all of which adds up to a low bar bill but a disastrous morning after. Perfect place for the party.

Long before anyone else was moving our group had hit the dance floor and was rocking out. It helped that the DJ was playing a good mix of 80s, 90s, and the 00s, including some songs that were older than our young intern. We didn’t refrain from teasing him about this, because it’s just part of the fun of having someone 21 years old on your team.

The Atlanta HRSD Crew, including our intern

When it was all said and done, we had danced off all the calories from our tapas, enjoyed some spirits, and (hopefully) gave the gals a fun “single ladies” night to remember – even if it was just a normal work week. Some guy at Big Daddy’s was totally confused and said “why, WHY, are you having a bachelorette party on a Wednesday night [insert judgmental look]?” All we could say was “we’re consultants, this is our life, these are our girls, and sometimes these things just have to go down on a Wednesday”.

Love this gal.