Okay, not a “date” exactly….

Rewind a bit.

Coming off of spring break was no joke. Exams, travel, freak snow-storm, 6am workouts, lunch with Warren Buffett. No big. Wait whaaaaat?

Last semester, I applied for a trip to Omaha, Nebraska through my university’s college of business. Our school was one of the few selected by Warren Buffett to travel to Omaha, tour three of his Berkshire Hathaway companies, attend a Q & A session with Warren himself, followed by lunch with Mr. Buffett at a local Omaha restaurant. For a business student, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. And after an application, essay, and interview process…I was one of the 20 students selected to go. :)

(If you don’t know who Warren Buffett is, don’t worry. I didn’t either until my first semester in the business college. Mr. Buffett is a self-made billionaire/legendary investor/genius businessman.  Berkshire Hathaway’s subsidiary companies include Dairy Queen, Geico, Pampered Chef, Heinz, See’s Candies, and Oriental Trading Company.)

Last Thursday was a travel day, and Omaha greeted us with grey dreary skies. We explored downtown Omaha & ate dinner at a local brewery.

**Eating clean on this trip was a struggle. I knew I’d have to pack some of my own snacks so I came prepared with apples, bananas, almonds, walnuts, quest bars and oatmeal. But dinners with the group would probably require some sacrifices**

Coming into the trip, I didn’t know any of my peers. We might have had a class together, but for the most part we were strangers. Our first night was free to explore downtown Omaha and the Old Marketplace. I found a mostly healthy menu item: Raspberry chicken with feta & pine nuts, vegetables and wild rice.

Friday was the big day! We dressed business professional and I felt like newscaster in my three-quarter sleeve blazer and high-waisted pencil skirt. We were instructed to dress “conservatively” which in my mind equates to “frumpy.” There are SO many adorable options for dressing professionally and feminine, but I guess I’ll be saving those for my big-time sports marketing days.

I am so grateful to have been selected to attend this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Mr. Buffett answered our questions for two and a half hours before treating us to lunch at a local restaurant. Afterwards we toured the Oriental Trading Company’s fulfillment plant and talked to the CEO (who did an episode of Undercover Boss!).

I most enjoyed what Mr. Buffett had to say about passion. He is 83 years old, perfectly capable of having a more-than-comfortable retirement. Yet he continues to come to work everyday because it brings him joy. He loves what he does! I want that. I came home from the trip more excited than ever to kick-start my own career (starting with an impulse buy of sports marketing textbooks….never thought I’d be spending my “fun money” on textbooks!).

I will say though…this trip really threw off my schedule. Waking up extra early, no gym time, little physical activity, relying on restaurants for meals, skipping normal snack times. Because I’m following the LiveFit training program and clean-eating nutrition plan, this was alittle quite stressful. It’s only three days, but I like my routine! Straying from my workout schedule and diet plan brings me such anxiety and I realize it’s absolutely ridiculous. I should be focusing on the amazing opportunity I am presented with instead of how I’m going to burn off the extra cheese and rice I had with dinner. It’s something I continue to work on.

Time for this girl to crawl in bed. My alarm is set for 5:02am. Early riser = early bedtime! I do love my morning workouts. The gym is wonderfully empty and sometimes they even play country music. Goodnight Friends <3