Lemonade and Thanksgiving

I haven't posted in awhile, I know. I've been a little preoccupied with posting about my health on a little blog I started up for that specific purpose. It is:

I Make Lemonade

I figured a good name for the website was "When Life Gives Me Lemons..." and the website is "I Make Lemonade." Clever. I know. :)

So, I'm pretty sure I have rheumatoid arthritis, and it sucks. That's been the focal point of my life for the last month. If you have any experience or advice, I'd love to hear about it! I started the blog to journal the physical challenges and growth, as well as the emotional challenges and growth. Turns out, there will be some relationship challenges and growth as well. So, check it out if you want. You might end up thinking I'm a total weenie after reading it, but that's okay. I know I'm a tough girl...I'm just trying to be really honest in my journaling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Patrick and I are driving down to Phoenix to spend Thanksgiving with my parents and siblings. I'm excited to see them. We were last down there for Christmas last year. This time of year, I miss the heat sooooo much! We'll be down there from Wednesday through Sunday, then Patrick will drive back to Utah Sunday so he can be back to work on Monday. Monday morning I fly to Denver to help open a new restaurant. I thoroughly enjoy training, so I'm quite excited about this opportunity. I'm hopefully finding a camera soon, so I'll post pictures of the adventures I'll be having over the next 3 weeks. :)

Me at a Halloween Party

Not the greatest picture, but it gives you an idea of the look I went for. :)

Summit 2008

Saturday I went to my Mary Kay area's Summit Conference in downtown Salt Lake City. I'm glad I went. The recognition part got a little old, but that's mostly because I hadn't eaten breakfast and my head was throbbing. I'm sure if I was one of the people who had worked my butt off and was getting recognized, I would have been super excited to keep clapping and cheering. :) (Just a little perspective there!)

The training part of it was really good. I've always loved training. Deanna Spillman was one of our trainers, and I absolutely love hearing from her. She is so to-the-point about everything, and I love it.

For lunch, my Director, Amy Walker, and I went to Thaifoon to eat. I love eating there on days when I don't work. It's just funny to have my coworkers serve me. :) The food was great. It was Amy's first time there, so it was a good culinary experience.

My favorite part of the whole day was the very end. A Director's 8 year old daughter sang a song for all of us. I can't remember what it was called, but holy cow!! Her voice was beautiful. She was so confident. She was so adorable. She was just amazing. I totally teared up. I can't wait to have my own kids around that age who have talents, personality, and so much to share with the world. It made me think of my own nephews and nieces, two of which are in that age range, and they are so stinkin' smart and talented. I can't wait to see them all in Phoenix for Thanksgiving.

A couple of inspirational points I took to heart from Summit:

*Am I a Victim or a Victor?
This idea was first presented to me months ago by a person I met during the Usana Conference in Salt Lake City. What was to him a business presentation of the company turned out to be a totally philosophical and spiritual conversation about life. It was a conversation I will always cherish and that I think of often when thinking about my own Mary Kay business.

*Be consistent with customer service.
Something I know I need to work on.

*Let go of something, even just ONE thing, that is taking away from time I spend on my business, like tv, internet, etc.

*Dream, Dream, Dream, Dream, Dream!!!!!!

*Set detailed goals.
Vision without action is fantasy.
Action without vision produces drudgery.
Action with viction results in Victory.

*My goals:
1. Red Jacket by end of November 2008
2. Team Leader & On Target for Car by end of January 2009
3. Submit DIQ by end of March 2009
4. Debut as a Director by June 15th 2009

So, that was the highlight of my weekend. Grocery shopping with Patrick was fun, too, but didn't light the fire under my bum like Summit did. :)

Please Pray for Molasses

Here's a link to an online blogger-friend's post about her sweet dog. Check it out, and say a little prayer for Mo.

Molasses

Post 100!!!!

This is my 100th post in my blog! That's pretty awesome! And what a perfect number for such an important post:


Today is the day to vote! Go do it! Personally, I need to get in the shower first, then I'll head over. I hear the middle of the day is usually the best time to go. :)

Use your voice...cast your vote!

More Shoes!

For the one Halloween party I was able to go to this year, I dressed up as a pin-up girl. My camera is down and out, so I didn't get any pictures. :( When I get a new camera, I'll dress up again, just so I can post a picture. I looked good. Patrick was in heaven. I had a navy dress with white polka dots, red wedged heels, pearl necklace and earrings, and I watched a ton of YouTube videos on how to do pin-up style hair, so I rolled my bangs, pinned up the sides of my hair, and curled it all. It took forever, but it paid off! Everyone said I looked fabulous. Oh, and let's not forget the eyeliner with wings and the beautiful red lipstick. :)

So, now that Patrick has seen that I can pull off the pin-up look really well, I'm going to have to start adding this style to my wardrobe. I don't know about you, but I think SHOES are a fabulous place to start!!!

Patrick says I need these shoes.

I'd be okay with that. :)

I Like:

Cosette
by Gabriella Rocha

I really like these too:

I Like:

Calypso
by Sofft

Patrick likes these:

I Like:

Devyn
by Gabriella Rocha

I think these are FUN:

I Like:

Marquee
by Nine West

Another one Patrick likes:

I Like:

Felicia
by Fitzwell

He LOVES these too:

I Like:

Abbey
by rsvp

I love the polka dots and the height of the heel on this shoe:

I Like:

Heaven
by Gabriella Rocha

This is an awesome shoe. I could buy this shoe in about 5 different colors or patterns!

I Like:

Sherene
by Naturalizer

I liked this shoe, although it looks a little puffy. :)

I Like:

Alexys
by Gabriella Rocha

And last but not least, Patrick likes these. I think they're awesome!

I Like:

Cristal
by Gabriella Rocha

So, someday when I have a ton of excess money laying around, I'll buy a bunch of super sexy shoes that could be used in a more pin-upy wardrobe. :)

A bibbin, A bobbin

Just the other day I was contemplating how in the heck does a bobbin work? I've used sewing machines all my life, but never really put too much thought into the mechanics of it all. As long as I could thread the machine and get the stitch width and tension right, I was good to go.

Interestingly enough, I just found a gif of a bobbin in motion that explains it all! Here it is!!


Makes perfect sense now, doesn't it?!

A Couple of TALENTED Friends

Josh Steadman

One of Josh's pieces you'll find on his blog. This is beautiful.

Will Varner
Will's artwork is all copyrighted really well, so click on his name to check it out. He actually painted one of our old boss's wall in the backyard with a beautiful mural. He does great work. I particularly love the piece titled Peace.



I had the privilege of working with both of these guys at Outback Therapeutic Expeditions. Not only were they fabulous coworkers, talented in affecting teenagers' lives in a positive way, but they are both talented artists as well. Just click on their names to check out some of their great work!!

Elliot and Molly's adoption profile...please take a look

Please visit this site to see an amazing family
adopting through LDS family services

Getting the word out and increasing the exposure of their adoption profile is a great way to help Elliot and Molly on their journey to adoption. These are some of the best kind of people I know. Intelligent, funny, sincere, kind, loving, strong, giving, faithful, and loyal. I am blessed to know both of them.

Please take a minute to check out their profile and post a link on your blog to help spread the word. Thanks!!