Since we haven’t gotten to see each other much outside of work, Grace, Julia, and I (the only interns actually living together) decided to have all of the interns over to our house for a potluck on Thursday after work.  When Thursday afternoon finally arrived, everyone was eager for 5:00 to come so we could start the party.  The problem was… no one had actually gotten food to bring yet.  Including us…  No big deal, we would just make a collective trip to the grocery store to pick up some goodies.  One hour, three trips back inside and a couple bags of orange chicken and enchiladas (awesome combination, I know…) later, we had FINALLY made up our mind.  Disclaimer: I do not ever recommend going to the grocery store with 8 hungry, indecisive interns.  We all stayed civil, but I’m not gonna lie, I was eating the bag of chips in the check-out line way before I paid for them.  Once we finally got the potluck started, we had an absolute blast.  We took turns blasting our favorite music, told our pre-TOMS stories, stuffed our faces, and learned a few new things about each other.  Every time we get together I feel even luckier to have the opportunity to work among such an incredible, diverse group of people, and this time was certainly no exception.  After the potluck, a few of us ventured to a local spot down the street and danced the night away.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

My TOMS Family,

Please read the first three words of this letter again. Yes, i truly feel as if TOMS is a family, and from day one, i have done everything possible to treat each person with the same love and respect that i would my immediate family members. I have also watched as each of you has shown incredible compassion, patience, and support to one another with the same pride i expect a proud parent experiences seeing their kids get along. This environment we have fostered together is called “culture” in most business management books…”

An office full of young, like-minded, intelligent, funny, passionate, and creative individuals, all working toward a greater goal of making a positive impact on the world is formula for something really special.  We can’t deny that the TOMS culture is one of the best reasons we each work here. And just like strong families spend quality time together, the TOMS family does too- an annual company retreat to the snowy mountains outside of L.A. provides time for us to relax together, laugh together, learn way too much about each other, and create lasting memories.

As I was riding a lift mid-day Friday with a co-worker, we started chatting about how appropriate a ski trip is for TOMS. When you see a colleague charging down a mountain- fearless, fast, aggressive- you know that same dedication is translated in to their work. When you hear of someone who insisted they weren’t getting on any sort of ski or board… and then later tells you about how much fun they had cross-country skiing, you know that same willingness to go out on a limb translates to how they embrace new challenges back at HQ. These people are go-getters, not only at TOMS, but in so many aspects of their life… and each of us are inspiring each other to push just a little further.

We return to the office today, with the rain pouring hard, the in-boxes full, our bodies exhausted, with a few more inside jokes, a ton of great new photos, boxes of left over hot chocolate in the kitchen, an even greater sense of family.

Now if only we can convince Blake to make this a SEMI-annual company retreat….

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Happy Holidays from HQ, G. Travel safe!

Where do you take your TOMS? Upload your photos on the TOMS website! http://www.TOMSshoes.com/Flag

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I have no idea what’s inside it. The people I would expect to know have no idea what’s inside it. There must be something epic inside that big mystery box and it’s killing us to not know. Today it sounded like something was being sanded and there might’ve been a drill as well.

Apparently it’s dangerous… and might have something to do with baby dinosaurs?

Or maybe we’re all getting kittens as a Holiday bonus?

WHAT IS INSIDE THIS BOX?! Tell us what you think… your guess is as good as mine…

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

And the neon orange sole is pretty sick. Don’t you think?

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The weekend starts this evening here at HQ. We will screen print some t-shirts, eat some delicious dinner and get a chance to hear what’s new and exciting in everyone’s lives.

Tomorrow, the team is volunteering with Coastal Clean Up in the morning and finishing up the day with an awesome picnic on the beach! Can’t wait to share the beauty of the Santa Monica coast with so many people who have never been here.

Its wonderful to know our family of Shoe Drop volunteers continues to grow every year. Having personally been on a Shoe Drop myself in 2008, I know the experience of personally giving a child his or her first pair of shoes- a pair that fit, a pair they love- is undeniably a life changing experience… something you can only imagine until you have the wonderful opportunity to share in that moment. But each of our experiences as a Shoe Drop volunteer are uniquely different too, which makes me so eager to chat with other volunteers this weekend!

With less than 12 hours to go, all of us at TOMS are looking forward to their arrival. We’ll be tweeting this weekend too, so make sure to follow Friends of TOMS on Twitter @FriendsofTOMS.

- Kelli

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.