Have you ever wondered what it feels like to live with 30 of your coworkers?
For Expensify, that’s crossed off our bucket list! We do our annual (totally optional) offshore abroad, but it’s never been on this level in size and scope (not to mention, we don’t all live together under one roof on the offshore). Last week, we spent seven days in the Upper Peninsula, Michigan eating, working, sleeping, and then some; fun was just the tip of the iceberg.
From arriving at the local airport on the 8-seater Cessna Grand Caravan to hiking the Black River Falls, we had a blast in the Ironwood area and couldn’t have been more surprised with the welcome we received from our hosts Chris and Anne at the Powder Hound Lodge. Here are a few snapshots illustrate a day in the life of our week in the Upper Peninsula.
*Photos by Robert Chen
Our new home for the week
8 AM (sometimes 10 AM): We start off each (most) day(s) bright and early with a team breakfast. On this particular day, Anne from Powder Hound made us the works: bacon, eggs, pancakes, sausage, and buttered toast. Yum!
Starting the day started with animated breakfast. Hot sauce anyone?
9 AM: After breakfast, the team is ready to tackle the day’s work for a solid few hours. Just look at that concentration, everybody is in the zone!
The spacious living area was big enough for all 30 of us, and then some!
12 PM: Lunch is served! In this photo, we took over a local restaurant downtown serving delicious organic Italian food. Gotta support the local businesses while we’re here (sorry, Burger King!)
Which one of these is not an Expensifier?
2 PM: Once we finish lunch, we go back to work in the lodge on most days with a few breaks in between. Wednesday was a special case – the local Expensifiers decided to take the SF team out to explore Michigan’s beautiful outdoors.
Team Expensify hike victoriously to Rainbow Falls
*On the Black River Parkway Falls hiking trail
David pausing for a break. /swag
*Contemplating life while enjoying Lake Superior
6 PM: Every night we’d have something fun to do. Whether it’s a job fair happy hour, a company-wide barbecue or something else, there were plenty of things to keep us occupied.
*David giving a quick thanks to all our Job Fair attendees!
*Hanging out at the company barbecue
11 PM: We’re a pretty work-hard-play-hard kind of team, so it’s not unusual to see some of us working until 10 or 11PM. But when the laptops close, it’s time to have some fun!
Supporting the local bars in nearby Hurley, WI
*Expensifiers have a number of talents, including fire throwing!
Although the trip was optional, everyone was excited for the week-long retreat/meet-and-greet that created some irreplaceable memories. The team’s excitement and enthusiasm for crazy things like this is what makes us love what we do and all the amazing people we work with!
Next stop, Portugal – we’re ready for ya!
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