After covering the window and glass industries for going on 15 years, I have attended a variety of conferences and have met not only people in the industry but at times I have been fortunate enough to meet their better halves as well. Many spouses travel to sometimes “exotic” locations to accompany their spouses to gatherings such as meetings of the American Architectural Manufacturers Association, Window and Door Manufacturers Association and Moulding and Millwork Producers Association. Well, this week my husband Cory traveled with me to the “exotic” location of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., to be my “plus one” at the Northeast Window and Door Association’s (NWDA) Summer Meeting.

Of all the places I have been, why did he choose this locale? Well, mainly it’s because the city is near our hometowns. (If you know the area, Nanticoke for me and Pittston for him). So we piled our three kids in the car, dropped them off at his sister’s house, and headed to the NWDA meeting.

When I told my boss that Cory wanted to come with me she thought it would be great for him to see “what I do.” Now I didn’t make him sit through the sessions but he did accompany me to the cocktail party and breakfast.

He heard me talk work and kids with Steve O’Brien at WTS Paradigm and when I snuck away to discuss a possible article with one window exec, Steve and Cory talked a little baseball. He heard me talk to Ken Lazer at Royal Building Products about the local Polish fare that we love—namely pierogies. Later, I switched back to the window world and stopped Fenetech’s Tibor Ternai to make sure he saw the recent video newscast, which focused on his company’s recent users conference. And when Joshua Snyder at O’Sullivan Films asked me what I knew about the upcoming IWF conference I was happy to share my knowledge. (If you want to learn more, read our story and learn more about DWM’s door and window symposium that will be held on August 21.)

My husband is a little quieter than I am, but he held his own with the industry folks. An accountant by trade, he did marvel that he couldn’t “do what I do.” Yes, it is so difficult to travel to difference places and meet great people, and cover a constantly evolving industry (note sarcasm here).

I’d love for Cory to accompany me again sometime, and here’s hoping that next trip is Hawaii.

Before I leave, I want to digress a little and pose a question to you. While at NWDA I asked O’Brien how work was going and he talked about how much fun he has everyday. He then asked Cory and I if we have “fun at work.” When I asked why his employer offers such a great experience one of his answers is that he gets to do different things on a daily basis and work with different people. He truly does seem to be having fun. How much fun do you have at work and why? I would love to hear from you. Email me at ttaffera@glass.com or post a comment here.

I have fun at work for a variety of reasons, but this week, I have to admit, it’s because I was able to spend a little extra time with my husband while also doing what I love.