Summer officially started at Viget last week with the arrival of twelve interns ready to spend ten weeks walking our hallowed halls in all three locations, learning about our work and culture, creating new projects, competing for fabulous prizes, and revealing glimpses of the fun and action on their own internship blog.

We talk a lot about work-life balance around here. We proudly offer benefits like 15 paid days off (and more earned over time), 9 paid holidays, 2 community service days, and flex hours --  all to ensure that everyone has enough time to pursue their thousand-and-one hobbies, hang out with family and friends, and maybe even just relax. And we share informally all the time about our various extracurricular activities. Our tweets humble-brag about home-brewed beer, home-bred bees, and home-baked cookies. We hear tell at FLF of amateur tennis tournaments, family picnics, and puppies. And our Yammer feed last week featured an endless stream of unbearably adorable baby photos.

Viget is an awesome company with a strange name. It (roughly) means "flourishes" in Latin. But, unless you're a Latin scholar, knowing how to pronounce "Viget" can be difficult (and, even if you are, there is debate). So, in 2005 we created a website dedicated to teaching you how we have always said it, ever since it was just a code word selected by our original founder. And, while the old site served this purpose very well, it needed an update.

Hello Boulder friends. To celebrate the wonderful spring weather, we're organizing an event we're calling the "Tour de Avery". The idea is simple:

1. Grab your bike (or rent one from a B-cycle kiosk)
2. Meet by Boulder Creek
3. Ride the bike paths to everyone's favorite brewery
4. Maaaaaaybe cool off with a cold beer when you get there

If this sounds like it's your thing, come join us on June 6^th at 4pm by RSVP'ing here. The route to Avery is a total of 5 miles each way, and we'll be taking both the Boulder Creek and Goose Creek paths to get there:

Hope to see you there!

One thing that makes our annual Viget birthday celebration so memorable is having our entire team together in one place. We always make sure to capture countless photos, but this year we added a new twist by setting up our own photobooth and projecting the images as a real-time slideshow throughout the evening.

It was a total hit! The magic of the photobooth is that it appeals to hams and shyer folks alike. Since people can see and manipulate their images for themselves, they feel more in control and at ease -- whether they want to strike a pose or just smile. A few funny props and costume items encouraged everyone to get a little silly and we wound up with some truly unique shots. The booth also became an attraction in and of itself, drawing teams together for group shots -- but, more importantly, giving folks from any and all teams a chance to connect in fun, spontaneous ways.