Friday, March 16, 2018

Qualtrics X4 Summit 2018

I did it! I survived the Qualtrics X4 Summit 2018! And I think I'm almost recovered...

It's such a joy to be a part of a company that puts on such an astonishing, inspiring event. And such an honor to get to show off our products to 7,000 of our customers and prospects - and in the process also get to hear from Ariana Huffington, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Angela Duckworth, Tony Hawk, and so many more deep thinkers with amazing stories. It was a heck of a week up in Salt Lake City.

I know you've been wondering how big a stage and room has to be to host 7,000 people. The answer is - really big. Here's a photo of me practicing our session from only halfway back - the room was twice this deep! And the screen was simply dazzling.

Cramming in the green room the night before our mainstage presentations
It was such a joy to get to present our products to so many clients and prospects!
Qualtrics Text Analysis, my pride and joy

This year I purposed to attend all of the mainstage presentations and it was an amazing experience. Usually I'm so busy and exhausted prepping sessions that I don't get to enjoy the luminaries we bring in to learn from. This year I said - no way! Here's me and several of my close coworkers enjoying the mainstage.

And we never miss the Qualtrics concert! This year it was... Maroon 5! So fun, so entertaining, and we had such great seats. An excellent payoff for a very full week's work.


But wait, there's more! The capstone to every X4 Summit is ski day and this year's was the most amazing ever. Through some polite and persistent asking, I was able to be one of the Qualtrics ski buddies for our Future of Experience Management crew which meant...

...I got to ski all day with Jonny Moseley!!!!

Now... if you don't know who Jonny Moseley is, shame on you. We need to hang out and ski together more. Jonny is the 1998 gold medalist in Olympic Moguls and he is amazing. We skied bumps. all. day.

I'm still sore.
The faithful few who made it to the end of our amazing ski day!
We couldn't bear to break for lunch, so we had a picnic on the snow!
Check out this class act - even replying to my thank-you tweet!

It was an amazing, exhausting, fantastic, crazy week. I'm so proud of Qualtrics and the experiences we were able to give our customers - it really is an all-in effort for the whole company to pull off a conference this amazing. When the going gets tough, we show just what we're made of.

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Miniature Children No Longer

It's no secret that my birth children are of diminutive stature. Steve and I take the blame entirely - we were both exceedingly late bloomers and our poor boys inherited all that and then some. Fortunately, they're both large of spirit if not of stature, so they take it all in stride, but we find it continually humorous that our Chinese daughter continues to lead the family in height-by-age.

There are plenty of benefits to being a late bloomer. For example, clothes last longer because one doesn't grow out of them. But over the past few months I've noticed that the boys pants are magically transforming into clamdiggers. We recently updated our height chart and, check it out, Ben has grown a full 5" in the last year! No wonder that boy takes so many naps!

So, of course, we had to do another back-to-back-to-back measurement test and it has finally happened... my boys have surpassed me in stature.

Well done, boys, well done.


Sunday, March 4, 2018

Powder Mountain Trip

by Sasha

I went on a ski vacation for a race.My mom decided that since I have a race at powder mountain we could go early and have a Minny vacation.So me,my mom,Ben, and my grandparents went we left right after school on Thursday.My grandparents were already there when me and my two brothers we went to go grab our stuff for the car ride.When we were ready we got in the car and drove to pick my mom up.It was an hour and a half to get to our condo but before we went to our condo we stopped at
Nordic valley and me and my mom skied a few runs before we went inside to get food.My brother and grandparents were waiting inside the lodge for us for dinner my mom had a pastrami hamburger with curly fries and some tea.I had a normal hamburger with curly fries and milk chocolate after we were done eating we got in the car me and mom changed out of our ski stuff when mom and buddy were putting our skis in the sky box they had a few problems.But Ben helped them and we were on the road again to our condo.

We got to the place about seven had a few struggles finding the condo but we figured it out we parked the car unloaded it and unpacked me and mom got the upstairs bedroom my grandparents got the downstairs one and my brother got the pull out bed we put our food in the cabinets and then chilled until it was time for me to go to bed.I read a chapter of my book turned the lights off and went to sleep.The next day me mom and buddy went skiing at powder mountain we left the condo about 9:00 and got there about 9:30 we got our passes at the office.I used my 5th grade yeti pass why mom was getting the passes me and buddy went to find a person who could get my pole guards of my poles because the switched Saturday to GS.

When mom came into the shop the people were still working on my poles so me and mom went to search for our Powder mountain sticker we found an awesome flower sticker.Once my poles were done mom went to drop of the sticker and pole guards in the car so I followed buddy and sat on a bench while he went potty.After buddy came out he told me to go find mom so I went mom was over by the map looking at it I went over to her and put my skis on while we were waiting for buddy to come over.While we were waiting a guy came over to mom and asked what you doing she said that she was looking at where to go.He said that there were a few places to go that he thought was fun by the time he was done talking to mom buddy had come out and was getting his skis on.

The first run we went through the tress mom was ahead of me and buddy why she was skiing since there was so much powder mom couldn't see this rock and she hit it.When she hit it she did the full flip and she landed on her but with her tails in the ground. When I came around to mom she asked me to come close to her skis and see if anything is wrong with them.At first I thought that some wax was scrapped off her skis but she said that wax isn't supposed to be on her skis then she asked buddy to see what it was then she realized that it as pet-ex that scrapped of her skis.I asked if it was something bad she said it wasn't it might just affect her skiing.When we got to the bottom of the lift while we were waiting for buddy she popped of her ski to look at the damage.

Some people asked if everything was okay mom said that she hit a rock and some pet-ex scrapped off.We did a few more runs on that lift when mom asked if we were hungry I said that I was hungry and cold.So when we got off mom said that there's a lodge at the top of a lift but we have to ski down and get on it. so we went on another run towards the lift the run had some sweet powder.When we got to the lift mom told me that they were in a storm and they wouldn't let anybody on the same exact lift we were at. So they all piled into a groomer and it took them to the top.When we got to the top of the lift we went inside and ordered food.Buddy ordered a small bowl of chili,mom ordered tacos a pork taco and a chicken taco,I ordered nachos with a drink.Why they were still ordering mom told me to go find a spot upstairs and get my drink.

I found a good spot so mom told me to go put my helmet in a basket and I hung my coat.Then she asked to see if our food was done so I went back down the stairs grabbed all our food and took it back up the stairs.When I put our food down Buddy said he'll pay me a dollar if I would go back down and get utensils.So I did it because it was worth it if I was getting a dollar.While we ate my mom spotted one of her friends from work.So he talked to him and asked why he's here he said that for the weekend he was on a ski vacation and my mom told him that we were up here for my race.We were eating when buddy talked to this group of Canadians and they were speaking french.He asked them where they from and told them how he's been to Canada before it was cool and he asked them how they like Utah and they said they liked it(I think).

After we were done eating we decided to do some runs the first run me and mom went down through the trees and Buddy stayed on the smooth. we were through and waited for Buddy to come down cause we were pretty fast through the trees if you know us.After a few runs Buddy said he was done and he'll meet us at the lodge.So we looked at the map when we reached the top and decided to make our way over to marry's.when we went on the flat track we headed over to the handle toe mom said she'll hold my poles since it was my first time sitting on this kind.The first time I went on I fell and a guy said he did that his first time.The second time I was fine and held on real tight on with my hands. It was pretty easy getting off all you had to do was stand up and slide the thing from out under your bum.

When mom got off I told her thanks for holding my poles and we headed off into the trail.We went into the trees witch led us into a gully and we skied down that and guess what the run we did led us to the same lift.After a few runs me and mom took a path to the car we popped of our skis and walked to the car.I put my skis on the ground by the car and went inside the car to start changing out of my ski stuff my mom changed out of her boots and said I'll be right back i'm going to go get buddy you can keep changing out of your stuff.When mom came back I helped her put the skis and poles in the sky box and got in the car and buckled up and we were on our way back to the condo.When we got back we carried our stuff up to the room and got some food and chilled out for a little bit.Then we decide ed to go to the hot tub so we changed into our swimsuits.Except that I only brought the top of mine so I just wore my underwear.

When we got to where the hot tub was we had a little confusion but we figured it out.When I used the pink key to open the gate to the hot tub we went over and guess what the hot tub was only warm not hot.So we went back to the condo on the way back Grammy said to a person that the hot tub wasn't hot.The person said that the hot tub was warm all week and worked for them.So when we got back to the condo buddy called the person who was in charge.The person said she'll call the attendant guy to check the hot tub and if he knows anything about it.After ten minutes the person called buddy back and said  that the attendant said that the water level in the hot tub was low so he put snow in it and it would warm up.

So we waited for a little bit then Buddy said he'll pay me if I go check on the hot tub and so I did I ran the whole way there checked the temperature and ran all the way back.When I got back he said that was quick I told him I ran all the way there and back he asked what the temperature was I said it was as warm as a bath.So we decided to wait a little longer like half an hour more so I plopped down on the couch and looked at my fire kindle.After half an hour me buddy and mom went to check on the hot tub and guess what it was the same temperature when I checked.So mom decided we could go to the sauna so we used the key to open the building and the saunas were in the bathroom so Buddy couldn't come to the sauna with us so he went in the boys bathroom sauna.So we said we'll see each other back at the condo so me and mom went to our sauna in the girls bathroom.

I went to the condo early from the sauna and mom took her shower there When I got back I went upstairs to one change out of my swimsuit and too see what was on TV.When I went to channel five the Olympics were on so I went downstairs and told mom and she said that he'll try to make it work on this TV.So mom called the attendant talked with her and fixed the TV.So Buddy went out to go buy some pizza and salad.When Buddy came back we watched the Olympics and eat and after a little while it was time for me too go to bed.So I went up stairs got everything ready for toommorow for my race changed into my longies and went to bed.Me and mom had to wake up at six forty five in the morning so we got ready grabbed me a granola bar and a banana to eat in the car and we were off.

We got there late so we had to rush I wore the wrong jacket so I had to change into my ski team jacket and wait for my coach at the lift.The worst thing that happened was I missed inspection so my friends and coach told me about it and I was okay.Everybody missed my first run but it was okay because I had two mom and Ben were free skiing while we were waiting for my inspection.Grammy and Buddy were at the Bottom of the course siting in chairs.I did my second run got a good time and then we went free skiing down to the car so me,mom,and Ben went up the gondola lift we were all in different ones when we all got to the top we started skiing down to the bottom where the car was picked up Buddy and Grammy at the lodge got our sticker and was off in the car on our way home thank you for reading this.  


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