Jamie Thingelstad

Finished cycling 11.6 miles in 62.6 minutes. First time outside on the bike this year. Very nice and lovely ride around the lakes. 🚴‍♂️

When I visited our new Warsaw office I was able to meet several brand new TeamSPS members as well as many of our Kyiv-based team that I hadn’t seen since before the pandemic. I also was able to bring the SPS Growth Cup there as part of the office opening celebration!

Here is the Growth Cup safely laying in its very rugged case ready as I received instructions on handling and the mechanics of the case.

We loaded any empty space in the trunk up with a bunch of t-shirts and challenge coins from Cyberweek 2024!

Growth Cup is bag checked and being dropped off at the oversized luggage drop in MSP. Delta says the Growth Cup is oversized luggage and decides it needs its own $400 ticket to fly to Warsaw. My suitcase is next to the growth cup for comparison — the Growth Cup case is very big!

Growth Cup comes out of normal baggage claim in Warsaw rotating around the carousel. We’ve arrived!

Yuri wheeling the Growth Cup to his vehicle.

Luckily Yuri drives a relatively large Land Rover but even then we have to lower the rear seats and are just able to slide it in. Eugene sitting next to it!

Growth Cup has arrived safely into Warsaw co-working space and ready for special event!

And it is all worth it — TeamSPS Eastern European team in our Warsaw office! 💙

The only picture of me with the Growth Cup — moving it from the office to my hotel room for the 4am departure to the airport to return home. Note the small Poland sticker — that fell off almost immediately.

When returning the KLM gate agent needed a weight for the package. I let her know I didn’t think it would fit on the conveyer. She said it has to be weighed. So I hoist it on the belt and have to hold it but I’m told I cannot be touching it. I finally tip it slightly toward the side and we get a weight. Interestingly KLM doesn’t feel a need to charge the Growth Cup extra and sends me to oversize luggage check.

When checking the Growth Cup in Warsaw they scan it and the security guard gives me an odd look and asks what this is. “It is a trophy” I say. He replies “Yeah, but for what?”. I tell him “It is a tradition at our company to celebrate growth.” He looks at me with a very dismissive look and moves on. There are no photos allowed in this room. And I realize after the fact that I’ve been locked in here with the Growth Cup until the security guy decides I’m safe to move along. He buzzes me out.

No pictures were allowed in secure area — AI generated version of scene.

KLM didn’t charge for the cup but they also decided to hurl it around with abandon it seems. The Growth Cup is received with a damaged wheel. I suspect it has been dropped on the wheel and smartly I think the wheel is intended to break before the case. It expands the wheel enclosure and can no longer spin. As I drag the Growth Cup with one wheel working and one wheel completely stuck it is signficantly less fun to travel with this. Plus, the carpet is sanding the wheel down creating a flat spot. Getting Growth Cup from MSP International Arrivals to the Lyft picking me up is trying.

I’ve been sharing some photos on the family text of the Growth Cup journey and my daughter responds:

I love that you’re traveling with the growth cup
It’s so cute
You’re it’s protector and guardian abroad 🥰😝

She’s right — I feel like the Guardian of the Growth Cup. Physically and metaphorically.

Growth cup in baggage claim at MSP, taking a little break from dragging it along.

Growth Cup loaded into the back of the Lyft on the way home.

Growth Cup chilling out in the garage waiting to head back into the office.

I decided that it should become a tradition that the Growth Cup gets a sticker when it goes places. It had previously been to Australia when our CEO took it with him on a trip, so I took care of that one and also applied a Poland one. The case doesn’t hold a sticker well, but so far well-made vinyl stickers seem okay.

I wonder where the Growth Cup will go next…

The tulips are blooming and looking amazing at the Arboretum.

Finished 2.34 mile walk in 50 minutes (21.37 min/mile). Walked around a new lake when visiting Quinn’s new apartment. Nice apartment and nice lake! 🚶‍♂️

Happy Star Wars Day — May the 4th be with you!