Wonewok Day 1

I am writing this blog from Park Rapids, MN, home of 3M's resort... WONEWOK!

I was here 8 years ago, and have always wanted to come back.  I got my wish!

I boarded the bus in St. Paul this morning with 48 of my co-workers, which included 3 of my closest friends; Tim, Jeremy and Thomas.  The bus ride took about 4 hours, but passed quickly because we played games and stuff like that.

We arrived at Wonewok around 11AM.  After departing the bus, we went to a welcome meeting, followed by a tasty lunch. 

After lunch, I went to find my room in the lodge.  They remodeled since last time I was there, so I was really amazed at how different the lodge rooms looked. One word:  GORGEOUS.  I have a bedroom, bathroom, and parlor, all surrounded by huge windows looking into the woods.

Bedroom area:

 Parlor looking into the bedroom:

Bathroom:

(See the square sticked out from the building??  That's all MY room!!) 

The afternoon was open recreation, so I signed up for cross-country skiing lessons, something I've always wanted to try!  About 10 of my coworkers joined me, but I quickly found myself trailing behind, feeling sort of lost in the woods.  The skiing was fun, but difficult.  I fell down... a lot.  Definitely a good workout!  I eventually caught up with my coworkers, and huddled around a big toasty bonfire before making the trek back to the lodge. 

Click for a larger view!

Front row:  Andy, Chris, Renee, Vivek, Karen, Tim

Back row: Char, Mike, Bruce, Mark, Paul

Skiing across the lake... one of the few moments I was upright :)

After skiing, I went to a jewelry making class.  Since I already know how to make jewelry, I basically went just to get some free beads.  I ended up making a cool necklace.  There were TONS of beads to choose from and it was so fun to see what other people created!

Then, it was time for dinner.  Instead of the Wonewok staff waiting on us hand-and-foot (which is what they normally do), we were left to cook our own dinner!  What a blast!  We were divided into 4 teams, and each team made an international dish with the help of a Wonewok chef.  Such fun!  My team made Pork Sate with Peanut Sauce, and Paella.   My friend Jeremy and I teamed up to make the peanut sauce for the pork, and it turned out great!   The other teams were making things such as fajitas, cannelloni, mixed drinks, and dessert.  When all of the teams were done, we had a beautiful buffet spread out before us.  Everything was delicious, except for the dessert, which tasted like lemon pledge.  Glad I wasn't on that team!

The Red Team:

Getting some tips from the chef:

My awesome friend Jeremy, rockin' the peanut sauce:

The spread!

A great dinner!

The last event tonight was Karaoke!  Whoo!  I thought people would be really shy about it, but many people got up to sing.  The most memorable performance was delivered by my best pal Tim.  He serenaded me with "Take My Breath Away"... which prompted an award for most entertaining performance.

So here I sit in my gorgeous lodge room, ready to put a photo slideshow together of today's activities.  Our VP will use it in the morning during his presentation, so I have my work cut out for me!  With that said, I must go!

I can't wait for tomorrow!
Renee