Polo

I started working for the best State Farm agent in the business – Joe Liedl – in 2012.  This office is like nowhere I ever worked before.  Joe is the agent and two of his children – Ana and Tom – work with me in the office.  It’s a very family-friendly, all-for-one atmosphere.  Joe’s wife – Suzie – brings goodies for each team member on holidays (all of them!) and always remembers special days like birthdays and anniversaries. 

This is one of my favorite pictures of Joe & Suzie (taken at the Christmas party last year).  These two are a riot!!

After I had been working here a few weeks, Joe and his family went to Australia for a week.  I spent an entire week in the office by myself.  Guess what Joe & Suzie did?!  Before they left for the airport (and before I got to work that day) they dropped off gifts for me to open every day that they were gone.  Who does that?!  I was overwhelmed by their thoughtfulness.  One day it was a gift card for yogurt, one day it was a beautiful scarf and the last day was a bottle of wine.  I could go on for hours about how much I love this family! J

Joe and the family dogs....

I absolutely love coming to work every day.  I’ve learned such valuable lessons in every single State Farm office I’ve worked in.   I’m so glad those experiences led me to this one at this time in my life.  Because it’s such a tight-knit family, I’m able to pick Delanie up from school and bring her back to work with me some days.  She’s super comfortable here.  In fact, she often falls asleep on the floor behind my desk.  J

Back in September, Joe hosted a State Farm tent at a polo match in Independence, MN.  OK…..when you think of polo, you don’t think of Minnesota right??  Right!!  During the Fall, there is a horse farm about 25 minutes from our house that holds a weekly polo match.  It has a very laid-back vibe and most of the proceeds are donated to charity.  In fact, the horse farm is used during the week to rehabilitate people with special needs. 

On a gorgeous Fall day in September, Jim and I hopped into the truck with Delanie and headed to the match. 

Suzie had completely outdone herself with this setup!  She had coolers filled with cold drinks and a table stocked full of yummy eats. 

If you ever get the chance to watch a polo match, you should totally go!  It was incredible!  We sat on blankets and watched these beautiful horses running across the field.  We even stomped divots during half-time (hmmm….is it called half-time at a polo match???).  During another intermission, one of the team captains tossed out a gazillion silver dollar coins for the kids to find.  It looked like he was sprinkling glitter onto the field.  J

What a glorious adventure!  It was the perfect day to spend outside enjoying good food, great company and experiencing something only rural Minnesota can offer.