The trip is considered a success – the project work was done without incident and was quite productive. I won’t go into detail as to what that involved, but suffice to say we’re all happy with the results. My coworkers in London made the trip even better than I had expected – welcoming me both to their office and to their country. They were all very friendly and I really enjoyed getting to meet them all and enjoy a few pints with them as well. My friend and coworker, Ashraf, made sure to take me to Bodeans BBQ for lunch. He had me try the Soho Special and… it was amazing. If you like BBQ you owe it to yourself to give this sandwich a try – it’s fantastic.

Sadly – I did not get much time to play tourist. It’s definitely sad that I didn’t get to get out and see the (many!) sights and visit the many wonderful museums, but it gives me something to look forward to for my next trip across the pond. I definitely want to take Ann and go be tourists for a while.

The trip was fantastic, but I am definitely glad to be back home. There’s just no substitute for sleeping in my own bed.

Those of you who follow me on Twitter know I’m embarking on a journey across the pond to visit the ExactTarget Global headquarters in London.  A project I’m working on requires my presence in London to meet with a vendor, which I really can’t say is such a bad thing.

This is, however, my first international trip.  Ever. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit nervous for this very reason.

I’ve asked advice from lots of people and have made all of the arrangements (several of them thanks to the WONDERFUL people in our London office who helped out!) needed to make it a smooth trip.  I’m as ready for this trip as one man can be.  I’m still nervous.

I’ll have loads of fun I’m sure, and I consider myself lucky to get a free trip to London.  That certainly doesn’t happen every day – I will take advantage of it.

Any advice on things I should definitely do when I have some free time?

I was in Denver with my wife and my immediate family for my cousin Mike’s wedding.  I’ve grown fond of big family get-togethers as I have several cousins who are not too far off from my age.  I’m sure when I was younger I was seen as the annoying younger cousin, but now that I’ve gotten older I relate to them a lot more.  It was good to get to see them and talk to them, and in general to spend time with my family.  Besides – there was an open bar and live band – how can you not have at least a LITTLE fun with that?

Besides the wedding and activities associated with it, the weekend was quite fun. We stayed at a hotel in downtown Denver, on the 16th street mall. I found it to be great that, for the most part, we could walk anywhere we needed to go. We walked to the church for the wedding, and walked to the hotel where the reception was held. I like being able to walk places as I feel I get a little more exercise, but I also see the area more and it allows me to soak in the atmosphere.

For dinner our first night we went to the Paramount Cafe for some burgers. Ann was having a huge craving for a greasy juicy cheeseburger.  Who am I to complain?! Plus – they had Fat Tire on tap.

While I didn’t get MUCH time to explore the city and see all there is to do, I certainly had enough time to know that I like it there and would very much like to return someday.  Preferably when I’ve got time to explore.

I’ve been very fortunate the past year and a half. I’ve been able to do quite a bit of travel – both for business and pleasure – to places I had not previously visited.

I’ve always wanted to travel and see new places and things. It’s exciting to explore new areas, see and do new things, and experience new climates and habitats.

Within the past year and a half I’ve spent time in Baltimore, Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Monterrey, Carmel Valley, San Simeon, Tampa Bay and – of course – Indianapolis.  Tomorrow I will be adding Denver to that list.

And now soon I will perhaps be adding my first international destination to the list.  I’m not sure I’d normally choose Israel as the first international destination I’d travel to, but I certainly will not pass up the opportunity if it fully materializes.

Now I just need to get my passport sorted out and I’ll be all set….