Blog-Name Dropping and My Great Weekend

Rather than finishing my breakfast or getting in the shower, I decided to post this morning. :) Lucky you!

First of all, I have found a couple of blogs that put a smile on my face. There is the sailor-element to both of these, so for the tender eyes, just don't go there. For those of you who are as crusty and crass as I can be, check them out!!

Pacing the Panic Room (You may have seen the weekly pregnancy pictures the author takes of his wife...they're awesome photos and it's a great idea! Also, the author is an awesome photographer, so check out his work and send him good vibes for some job prospects!!!)

Scary Mommy (I've only read a couple of the posts, but dang, she's funny!)

And, lastly (since I really need a shower...), I had a great weekend. We had our area Career Conference with Mary Kay on Friday and Saturday. I've always enjoyed Career Conference...lots of great training and motivation. I especially love hearing from other women who came from much more difficult circumstances than I and have just conquered the world. Those women amaze and inspire me!

I'm also super excited about the company's Great Start program where new Beauty Consultants who sign an agreement ($100) are eligible to get a $100 rebate when they place a $600 wholesale order by the end of April. On top of that, they get $100 in free full size product, $113.50 in a free color look customized just for them, $56.50 in free samples, free personal website for 6 months, free catalogs, and the Starter Kit, alone, comes with over $300 in full size product. It's freaking amazing!!! My hope is that anyone I know takes a moment to look at the info and open their mind to the potential of the opportunity. :) It has blessed my life more than I could tell!!

I've made the decision to earn my first free car with Mary Kay. This is a huge goal, one of the best kinds - it's big enough to scare me! :) So, send me some good energy as I work toward this goal!!

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. :)

General Conference Thoughts

I was doing my daily blog reading and a friend of mine, Jon, was posting his notes on the morning session of the LDS General Conference. His notes are on his blog Pitching In and Catching On. I think it's great that Jon took the time to log the highlights of the talks given.

So, I found myself inspired to tune into Conference. I LOVE modern technology. As a child, we would watch Conference on tv at home, and usually get dressed and watch the Sunday morning session at church via satellite transmission. Now, you can watch Conference live on the internet. That is amazing and wonderful.

I'm not the best at making sure I watch all of Conference, but I do make an effort to listen to or watch what I can. And the bits and pieces I see or hear always move me.

One of my fond memories of Conference is watching my dad and brothers get ready on Saturday evening and go to the Priesthood Session at 7pm. They had a tradition of going to the session together and going out for dessert afterward. As a teenager, it seemed like such a sacrifice for my brothers to miss out on a fun and exciting weekend night to do something churchy, but I realize now, as an adult, what a great opportunity it was for them.

I savor every occasion I had and will ever have to spend time with my dad, especially when those occasions include something where we can be united in our faith and knowledge that we are an eternal family. Now that my dad is older, and a grandfather, he is so much more open about sharing his love for the gospel and Jesus Christ with us. He did share it when we were younger, too, but I'm sure his perspective of eternal families is so much more rich and comprehensive with such a beautiful growing family.

My parents, Jack and Lola, December 2007

My dad is becoming more and more like his dad, my grandpa Mecham. Years ago, at a family gathering, we were all over at the church playing volleyball, and my grandpa sat down next to me, watching everyone play. In that room sat my grandpa, my dad and his siblings, their children, and their children. Four generations of such a beautiful and wonderful family playing volleyball together. I asked my grandpa what it was like, to see his posterity all gathered together in one room. He got teary-eyed and expressed the great love he has for all of us and his great desire for each and every family member to live a righteous life and to be an eternal family. Seeing my cute old grandpa tear up with love for his family and legacy quite obviously made me tear up. I'll never forget that moment. I love him dearly.

So, opportunities to be reminded of my family, our values, and my great love for it all are always welcome. Here's one little quote from Conference that I liked:

Faith, hope, and charity lead us to abound in good works.

I hope to always live a life that includes good works. I truly believe that when it's all boiled down, that is what matters...being unselfish and doing what we can to bless the lives of others. That's when we are blessed the most.

Conference

I was able to watch the LDS conference both sessions on Saturday and part of Sunday afternoon. I'm really glad I made it a priority to watch it. A few things I observed and heard made an impression on me.

The most tender and heart-warming thing I experienced was watching Elder Wirthlin giving his talk, and towards the middle, his age set in and he started shaking noticeably. Elder Nelson came up behind him and helped steady him as he finished his carefully prepared talk. It brought me to tears to see how age has taken its toll on Elder Wirthlin's body, but not his spirit or love of the gospel. And to see the fellowship from Elder Nelson was a firm testament of what the gospel and the love of Christ is all about.

Of all the talks I heard, that is the one that made the biggest impression.