I was leaving a meeting or gathering with a large group of my co-workers. We went outside to this large recreational area. There was a volleyball court, a large putt-putt course, and an open stage where a band was performing. Between the sports venues and the flat ground and the stage and seating up high on the side of a large hill, there was a maze of pathways, stairs, and landings with tables (where people could sit and eat or chat). It was elaborate and inviting and beautiful with all the green grass, stone, and natural furnishings.
I was waiting at the building entrance for a friend, Victoria B (a former co-worker), I think. She had to go back in for something and was going to be right back. I remember thinking that I was getting impatient waiting for her. A few minutes later, I was asked to move along because a large wedding party was coming out and wanted their pictures taken. I decided to go on out to the stage and hope to see Victoria there eventually. As I was making my way to our crowd of co-workers, Victoria was already there. I wasn't confused as to how she got there before me; I was just happy that she wasn't going to walk out of the building and wonder why I'd left her.
Victoria was all excited about who was going to be live on the open stage. So, we started making our way up the maze of pathways up to the stage. I lost Victoria again as we were climbing...mostly because I kept looking around at all of the people and the beautiful surroundings. But I wasn't all that worried. The music started and everyone began dancing. Not just the basic rocking back and forth from foot to foot thing, but really getting into it, spinning and leaping and moving out whole bodies to the music. It was so liberating.
Eventually, I wanted to get back with my friends, but I couldn't find any of them. I was standing on a high landing and could see most of the people below, but they were all strangers to me. I remember specifically looking for orange, like maybe one of my friends was wearing orange.
The next think I know, I'm naked and getting into one of the personal hot tubs on a landing overlooking the sports. I was going to take advantage of the alone time to totally relax. No one joined me, but there were others around, doing their own forms of relaxation.
After awhile, I decided it was late and I was going to return to my room. After getting dressed and starting down the maze of pathways, I finally ran into one of my friends, Tim B (actually, he's the parent of a kid I taught a couple of years ago, also the older brother of a classmate). We were talking about our 'missed calls'. I had three. One was a hang-up from a number I didn't recognize. One was from a guy I was maybe going to date, wishing me a Happy New Year. (Strangely, I don't have any idea who this was.) And one was from my former division manager, telling me she loves me, thanking me for my hard work, and wishing my a Happy New Year. I remember her message being colorful and sparkly. My friend had a similar message from my former branch manager. We were making fun of them...the messages.
Then I was trying to figure out what time it was, so maybe I could call the date guy back. I looked at three different clocks and got three different times. And they weren't even close; they were HOURS different. Finally, I decided it was too late and I'd call him in the morning.
As I was returning to the hotel, I ran into my co-workers. They were all sitting together in a common area of the hotel, discussing other co-workers. Apparently, we sent a team of three 'south' for work. We just got word that two of them were killed in the line of duty. Bear in mind, our line of work does not normally entail someone being killed in the line of duty. But I don't remember that crossing my mind. I was just trying to wrack my brain trying to remember who we sent 'south'. Then I overheard someone say that John M (a co-worker) was the only survivor and he was due back in town in the next day or two.
The next thing I remember, I'm in a cubicle with Sher G (a co-worker) and Jennifer B (a co-worker) looking at maps. They were large poster board sizes of paper and very colorful. Each one was for a cul-de-sac of six homes, three different styles. In looking at the maps closely, instead of solid colors, each 'color' was actually a pattern. It was very intricate and interesting. Our job was to try to fit the different pages together, matching up the street names, etc. We were not having a whole lot of success at this.
