I have to be honest and say that I was not looking forward to the company retreat our HR department decided to put together. The last thing I wanted was to take time out of my busy schedule to go out to some mountain retreat center and "get to know" my co-workers better.

My attitude totally changed when we pulled up to Sugar Hollow Retreat and I was surrounded by the mot peaceful surroundings you could imagine. The mountain views were amazing, there was a large lake close by (which I found to be called Wataugua Lake) and I could also see that there were hiking trails. I began to wonder if they would miss me if I played "hookie" and went on a nature hike instead of hiking on over to the main lodge.

I decided I valued my job enough to participate in the first retreat activity. I thought it was going to be one of those icebreaker games these events are infamous for, but we were all left in the dark since HR decided to keep the itinerary secret.

It turns out that we were to have a little cooking competition. We were split into groups, bosses with subordinates, marketing with IT, HR decided that we all needed to work together hands on for a project to see what the results were.

The competition was hilarious to say the least. The IT guys wanted to make sure they knew the optimum boiling temperature for the pasta, while those in marketing were busy trying to come up with a winning name that would "wow" the rest of the retreat members, even if the food wasn't gourmet quality.

It was a lot of fun, and we actually learned more about teamwork than what some outside consultant could tell us.

The next day we took some of the same principles from the night before and teamed up different members from different teams to try to problem solve some of the current workflow issues we have been having.

By taking the time out together, away from the office and in a home like setting, we were able to connect on a deeper level and solve some of the issues that needed to be taken care of.

During my free time, I hiked on he trails and spent some time re-connecting with nature - I really needed to stop and smell the flowers. Some of us also took some time out to check out the waterfalls that are in the area.

Overall, it was a great retreat. The staff was helpful and professional, the atmosphere phenomenal and I'm glad I went and participated - Afterall, there's nothing quite like job security, is there?

Thanks for a great retreat and hope to be back soon!

Carl Smith