From Phoenix!

Hi all - I'm in Phoenix right now - day 4 of our 8 day expo! Its been very busy for the most part. We have very slow times too, but its been good. I've added quite a few new clients and I'm excited for what is to come! There are 3 groups that come in. The first is now gone and the 2nd is just arriving. The 3rd group comes on Saturday ... so we'll see how it all goes. Overall, its been a good experience so far ... getting my name out there and handing out lots of brochures/biz cards. But my favorite thing has been meeting my clients. Some of these ladies I've worked for for over 3 years and have never met. I've worked with them through hardships like cancer, losing family members, moving, divorces, and more and I've worked with them through blessings like marriages and babies, and successes and trials in their businesses too.l So now, I get to put a name and face together, and that is really fun and makes this really worthwhile for me. I expect to add most of my new clients AFTER I get home ... so that is when we will see how it all turns out! Will I go to the same conference next year?? Its in San Diego next January. That's the million dollar question for me right now... Will I go??? I'll post pictures of my at my booth tomorrow. I don't have the camera with me right now.

Not caught up yet ...

I'm not caught up but I'm working on it. I wanted you to know a bit about why I'm not caught up! Its a long wordy entry, so probably mostly for my journal than anything, but thought I'd share. First here are entries still to come:

• Christmas afternoon at my parents
• Christmas night with Steve's family
• An afternoon with Nyla and Biff
• Hanging out with the Lindseys
• Alyssa's EARS!
• My JAZZ Beat Drummer

And here is why I'm not caught up yet! I'm working like crazy right now on my business. If you don't know what I do, I run a virtual office business for Mary Kay Sales Directors. Directors are the women who train consultants. Most of them drive free cars - all pink Cadillacs are driven by directors or National Sales Directors (but not all directors have reached pink Cadillac level). Anyway, they hire my business to do letters, postcards, newsletters, websites, emails etc for their consultants plus some other stuff. I love what I do because directors are typically very positive, upbeat people. I enjoy watching them work toward goals and succeed. I love the challenge of trying to think of new ways to do things and balance all of that with meeting their needs and being a mom too. I do all of this out of my office. On a normal month, I mail between 3,000 and 4,000 postcards, 300-500 letters plus my staff maintains 20-25 websites and designs 20-25 newsletters and sends TONS of emails. I really enjoy it. Karianna (that I mention on my blog a lot) is my office assistant/house assistant/ babysitter. She's my personal assistant and I am so grateful to have her. She is a high school senior so she works 4 afternoons a week plus babysits one weekend night so that Steve and I can have our date night. My girls ADORE her and she ADORES them. Its basically a perfect situation.

Anyway, I started feeling a little bored with my business about a year ago (I've had it for almost 4 years now although I've done parts of it for closer to 7 years). I wasn't feeling the challenge that I originally loved. I wanted to change things up a bit. I felt like I was ready to REALLY grow. For the last 6-8 months I've bounced between 55 and 69 clients. So, how do I make it grow. Almost all of my business comes from word of mouth. And when I tried mailers 2 years ago ... it did NOTHING for me. So, how to grow???

Steve and I made a decision about 5 months ago for me to go to Mary Kay's Leadersihp Conference and have a booth at the Expo - the perfect way to help me grow. The Leadership Conference is for Directors and National Sales Directors only so everyone there is a potential client. I'm estimating 8,000+ women over 8 days will come through the expo. The Conference rotates around the country and this year it is in Phoenix which works well because I can drive there (instead of having to fly, rent a car and ship all my stuff) AND I can stay with Steve's sister and not have to worry about a hotel. BIG SAVINGS!

Its been a wild ride deciding to do this. Its a big investment and I'm still feeling like its pretty risky. But Steve supported it, so I made the arrangements and put money down on my booth ... just in time for Steve's company to stop paying them. I talked about backing out because its costing me a lot to go but, Steve supported me and said no. He really wants me to feel successful and enjoy my business and he knew this is the next step I need to take to try to make that happen.

I was really scared because of the money. I prayed that things would work out and that this big investment would all be ok. A few days before the final payment was due, one of my clients cancelled her services. She also happens to be the wife of the man who owns the Expo company. He called me the same day and asked if we could work a deal. He didn't want her to cancel my services so ... could I just continue working for her to pay off the rest of my booth? I jumped at the chance - yippee! Essentially, I will work for her for 10 months without her paying me - so that's like me paying for my booth over the next 10 months with no interest! How could I refuse? I cried because it just seemed so perfect. I emailed her and thanked her ... and she replied that she knew nothing about it and thanked me and her husband for it. What a blessing for both of us!

Anyway, so now we move forward a few months. We are in the final 8 days before I leave ... we are busier than ever! On a whim, in December, I decided to survey my customers and see what they like and don't like. I discovered that most were dissatisfied with the print quality... I guess they were smearing in the mailing process!! AGH! I had no idea. So, I scrambled, got bids from professional print shops for printing and mailing and finally found a print shop to at least do the printing for me instead of printing it myself. We'll still print the address side right now. Anyway, I sent off orders for almost 7,000 postcards on Monday of this week! Samples for the booth and enough for our mailings this month. I pick up the first batch of them today!! So, that has kept me really busy. Then you throw in, having our logo, booth and biz card designed and getting all that printed! We are getting a new payment system set up which is taking more time than I expected. We are getting forms for new clients and all kinds of other paperwork ready for the expo. We've scheduled everything we need for the expo - power, phone line, internet, rented a booth etc. Plus its the beginning of the year so we're creating receipts for all our clients for 2008 and dealing with any unresolved payments. As if that's not all enough to keep me busy ... I opted to sell an item at my booth as a way to bring people in. I chose a product called iRagz (http://www.iragz.com/). My neighbor started iRagz and this will be a good way to get his name out there. If you haven't heard of iRagz, they are cool. They are a cloth designed for cleaning your iPod, cell phones, computer screens, glasses, cameras, etc ... things that have lenses or screens that get dirty but scratch easily. They have cool designs on them so they aren't the blah brown or gray that you buy at a store and they go in this little plastic envelope. I keep one in my purse and my desk for my phone and computer. Anyway, we custom designed a bright pink iRagz with crowns, dollar signs and sparkles just for Mary Kay consultants and directors. Those are supposed to arrive from China today or tomorrow. What a week!!

We leave a week from tomorrow so I'm a little high stressed. But, I'm also very grateful for how things have worked out. Every time a problem comes up, something works out better than the original plan. And I've had amazing people to help me with all of this ... Steve has been so supportive and helpful! He's done so much for me! Karianna has rallied and been even GREATER than normal. I'm so grateful she's my assistant! A friend who is a graphic designer (but now a stay-at-home-mom) has done my design work and I'm SOOOO grateful to her! She's been amazing and I can't wait to post pictures of my finished booth! Here's my cool logo though! Thanks Tosha! This means SOOO much to me! And thanks to my parents and sister for being so patient with me when I get so stressed! And to my girls for just being my girls and loving me even when I'm working!

Wish me luck and keep me in your prayers that all this goes well. My goal is to double my current business. I can't add many more than that for newsletters and websites - don't have the staff in place. But I can add TONS of clients for the mailing services. So my dream is to add 100 clients for February and then add another 100 for March (I won't add more than 100 in one month). Here's dreaming!

Ta Da ... Christmas Morning!

Christmas morning, the girls snuck into our room and asked if it was time yet. Steve and I slowly drug ourselves out of bed. We do Christmas in our basement, in the game room. We put a tree down there just so Santa can visit and the girls can't see the tree and what's around it until we unlock the door to the basement. So ... here it is...

The girls waiting by the door for Steve to get ahead of us with the video camera.

The tree and the presents around it ... don't mind the fact that the tree has NO ornaments. I just didn't get it done this year ... oops! But remember, the tree upstairs in the living room is full decorated!

The girls dove into their stockings first - totally left the presents alone.

The girls all got a small set of Princess Polly Pockets! The little girls each got a set of markers! They love to color with markers! Alyssa discovered earrings ... for pierced ears! "Mom, does this mean I'm getting my ears pierced?" :)

And the presents began!

Alyssa got more earrings - Green M&M ones from mom and dad ... "this must mean I'm really getting my ears pierced!"

Taylor has already opened and is wearing her dress up earrings that came with her dress up clothes! She's almost as happy as can be. But she got happier whens he opened the Barbie Diamond Castle Carriage that plays music! That was her one thing she REALLY wanted! She also got a baby doll and dress up clothes plus some Barbies. By the way, yes, Taylor is the only one of the girls dressed - her choice. She didn't want to wear her pajamas anymore so she got on her typical outfit, a skirt, some tights and a shirt! Always a skirt!

Alyssa's guess ... a keyboard! Nope, its a pogo stick! She also got a MyMeeba which she really wanted and an art kit with lots of things to do - one a lot like the one she had seen me buy for her cousin Sarah. Alyssa LOVES art and creating. Her art kit also had a drawing book in it.

Jess in her new dress up shoes!

The main thing Jessica wanted was this big set of 5 Princesses (Polly Pockets). She was so excited. She tore right into them, and this is where she spent a big chunk of the morning. She also got a baby doll stroller, crib etc and some Barbies.

Steve in his Japanese robe to keep him warm. He has just opened a jewelry box that contained the top of a cymbal stand and a note that says its ready for his next gig! A little treasure hunt from me because wrapping cymbals STINKS! He got a new cymbal and I had it hidden in his cymbal bag in his music room! The next package was a box of some of the parts for his new F-15 remote controlled jet and a note telling him where it was hidden too! He loved it! Can't wait for the weather to cooperate for him to fly it ... but he's a bit nervous. Its a tough plane to fly (or so we've been told) and its FAST and expensive so if it crashes ... hmmmmmm... the joys of expensive toys! I think he'll do well though. They say the hard part is landing, and he's got that down REALLY well with his other plane. And its no good hanging downstairs. Let's see it in the air!

The aftermath ... what chaos. I'm just sitting down to clear a spot for me to open my presents. Steve took video of me opening my presents but no pictures. He gave me a new tiny laptop for Christmas - LOVE it ... it almost fits in my purse! But he really surprised me with a white gold and diamond necklace. I love you Steve! It was a great Christmas! The girls gave me a pack of gum (which Alyssa bought with her own money!) and new earphones and a armband to hold my iPod when I work out!

Finally ... Christmas Eve!

WARNING ... Lots of Pictures! :)

My sister Nyla and her husband Biff came from Texas this year for Christmas. So, we spent the better part of Christmas Eve with my family at my parents house. The girls and I went over in the morning to hang out for a bit. Then I left them and did some last minute shopping (being out of town for 5 days right before Christmas meant I hadn't gotten the little things done or had a chance to buy the food). Then Steve and I went back over for a big family dinner on Christmas Eve. It was GREAT! THANKS MOM!! AND RON! Ron deep fries a turkey for us - which we love! Got to find entertainment any way you can, right? Steve teases the girls a lot! Taylor's upside down this time!

Jessica gets a piggy back ride from Glen! Ronnie and Alyssa ... wondering about the presents and maybe playing with the train under the tree! Grandpa has a really nice train that goes around the tree! Its a Thomas Kincade train. All of us love it.

Traditions in my family ...

... a new ornament every year for every member of our family. If you've seen my tree or pictures of my tree in my living room, it is covered with misc ornaments. There is a mouse in a thimble from when I was 1 year old and a strawberry shortcake from when I was about 8. One from almost every year of my life is on that tree, plus one or more for Steve every year since we've been married and the girls since they arrived. One from a secret santa in 4th grade and one from my best friend in 6th grade and one from a co-worker at Glen Raven Mills when I worked there in high school. Some that I made as a child with my family or at school. And now, the girls make ornaments at school, home or other places and those join the collection too. It makes decorating the tree really special to me because its my memories.

... for as long as I can remember, we always opened one present on Christmas Eve. It was ALWAYS pajamas except one year in high school we had my mom's brother and his family there so she gave us all really cool Santa mugs instead. That tradition carries on again now that my parents are close to two of us. Normally after we open pajamas, we all put them on and listen to my dad read the Christmas story out of the Bible. We didn't listen to the Christmas story this year ... not sure why, but I missed it. We were probably busy getting ready to leave to go look at lights and just forgot until after we were gone. Sorry dad. It means a lot to me and I'm sorry we didn't get to do that this year. The kids did all get in their pajamas for a group picture of the 6 grandkids who live here.

Meghan and Jess waiting for present time.

My parents watch as everyone opens their present.

The group shot of grandkids in the pajamas. Taylor, Alyssa, Ronnie in the back row, Meghan, Jess and Glen in the front. Notice all the polka dots (Tay's are polka dot too!). Meghan loves polka dots and it has spread to my little girls too! What's the book ... "I belong in the zoo." Time for hugs and good nights with Merry Christmas wishes for all!

My parents with Taylor. Alyssa and Glen with Nyla.

LaNae with Jess and Taylor (and Tay is smiling!). Nyla with Taylor (and Tay is smiling AGAIN!)

Nyla with Jess.

Steve often lays down for a nap at my parents' house. Alyssa decided to snuggle with him. He's staying still to make it look like a candid picture ... but Alyssa is grinning for the camera!

Home Again ...

So this is old ... but when we got home from Vegas before Christmas, this is what we came home to! I actually got stuck in the street in front of Karianna's house and had to be pushed almost all the way to her corner because her street hadn't been plowed. It was CRAZY. I'm glad we weren't home when most of this fell - especially when they had to close Hwy 92 which is the one I was stuck on back in February due to white out conditions.

This is the most snow we've had during the holidays. I've never had to DIG out the presents under the trees out front. I think I pulled them up to the top about 4 times this year and they are buried again now. At one point they were so far buried I couldn't even find some of them when the lights were on. I'm sure the night I was trying to get them out of the snow the people watching our lights probably thought I was pretty funny. I'd stand and watch the area I thought they were in until I saw a flicker of lights under the snow and then I'd jump and grab the present quick before the light went out and I couldn't find it. I'd pull them up above the snow and then watch for the next one. Our poor blowups were hopeless ... the snow just kept weighing them down. Oh well. It will probably be March before we can even find them to put them away.

Steve said I'm not shoveling all that snow, so he went out and bought a snow blower a couple days after Christmas - had to put his name on a wait list because all 40 that Lowe's had THAT WEEK were gone! Guess he wasn't the only one out buying a snow blower! (this is actually our neighbor's snowblower but its exactly like ours ... he borrowed theirs to clear things before ours arrived). He loves this thing and gets up early to clear the driveway!

I like it too! I've used it a couple of times and its kind of fun! Not as good of a workout as shoveling, but that's ok.

Cute one!

Ok, so I know I'm behind on my posts - no Christmas yet! But I have to skip ahead to a cute story from Jessica today. Its one I didn't want to forget.

Jessica came downstairs this morning with Taylor's kindergarten poster - it has lots of pictures of Tay and one of our family on it. I thought she was bringing it for Taylor to take to school. I told Jess it could stay upstairs and she told me no that she wanted it because "I love my daddy and I miss him." She said that as she literally stroked the picture of him!! :)

Is that not cute? He's just at work and she saw him just last night but I thought it was just sweet! I had to take a picture of it! She's pointing at her daddy and telling me "I miss daddy." Excuse the wild hair ... hadn't gotten to hers yet.

Steve has always done this little "game" with the girls where he asks who their favorite daddy is. It always makes the girls smile and sometimes they answer that he is ... sometimes they play right back and tell him someone else - including me. :) I'd have to say this confirms it ... Steve is definitely Jessica's favorite daddy!! :) He's a great dad. The girls all love him so much and I'm so grateful that he is there for me and for them!