Everything he posts is exactly my style. Seriously. We're kindred-style-spirits.
Go check it out! :)
(Especially his latest post on Paris. I mean, seriously, right?! I think we would be friends.)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
A New Thing!
I am so fortunate to work with some of the most amazing, talented, and godly women around! This past weekend we had our Arbonne Area Manager retreat, and all the AMs and above gathered in Gatlinburg for lots and lots of training, a bit of fun, and little sleep. And it was all so worth the puffy eyes and 15 cups of tea I'm having to drink now to stay awake right now
(j/k. kinda.).
Here's all the lovely gals in our group.
I pretty much filled an entire notebook with thoughts from all of the great trainers and speakers we had, but here's a few of the main ideas I took away from it:
* Take great pride in incremental successes - celebrate every small step along your journey!
* When you work, work. When you don't work, don't work. This may sound obvious, but it was pretty revolutionary for me. That's one of the hardest things for entrepreneurs and those of us who work from home to do - set boundaries. It's easy for me to weave a phone call here and there throughout my day, or to let work seep into the times when i'm supposed to be hanging out with my husband or spending time with friends. I'm making a point to very on purpose and focused with my work time during the day, and turning off or ignoring the phone when I'm supposed to be taking time off. This means cutting back on Facebook and internet time (darn you, Pinterest and your crafty ideas!), no Netflix while I'm folding clothes or cleaning house (amazing how quicker I can fold a towel when I'm not distracted by an episode of Dr. Who), and generally being more mindful of where my minutes of the day go.
"Mind your minutes, and the hours will take care of themselves."
* Find out where your team members want to go and help them achieve that, rather than dragging them along behind you and getting frustrated when they're not living up to your goals for them. This one's a bit more specific to network marketing, but it just goes to show good communication is necessary for every aspect of life. My biggest realization is that I was doing a great job of starting and training people in my business, and a very poor job of following through with them over time. I was getting frustrated when people weren't living up to what I thought their goals should be, rather than listening to why their goals had changed, what they really wanted, and what they really needed from me. I'm a pretty horrible leader if I have no idea where the people following me actually want to go, right?
And, finally, my guiding thought for the year, in my business and in life:
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:18-19
(at the Dixie Stampede in our western garb.)
Sunday, January 15, 2012
A visual tour of 2011
So, here's a quick recap of the last year, in pictures, because I'm lazy.
Spent a week in Washington, DC. I heart museums!
Met Martha Stewart. (Um, so awesome!)
Finished up my job at McCallie School at the end of July. Promptly got a Kindle and started to catch up on years' worth of leisure reading.
Went on a all-expenses paid trip to the Bahamas with the bestie, courtesy of Arbonne!
Built an incredible team of Arbonne ladies! So proud of them!
Spent some time with another bestie in one of my favorite places - Los Angeles, California!
Wrapped up the year with a quiet Christmas at home and added a new dish to our yearly "must-haves" - Figgy pudding! It was so good!
It was a busy year and very full year, but in a good way. Can't wait to see what God has in store for us in 2012!
And then it was 2012
So, years ago, I was a writer. I blogged. I wrote for newspapers. I wrote for websites. I wrote long, boring papers for grad school. I blogged some more.
And then I ran out of words.
But after I ran out of words, I discovered I was good at other things, too. I started my own business, and then I ran out of time, too, because I was working really hard at two jobs. But after about a year, I got to quit my desk job, and work from home, just running my little business.
And then I stopped writing altogether. I kind of forgot how. And why.
And suddenly it was 2012.
I don't really believe in new year's resolutions, so I'm not going to resolve to start blogging every day again or anything. But I've got some fun crafty ideas to share, and maybe some theological discussions, a few fun trips to take this year, and perhaps even some business ideas to hash out. And so, if anyone cares and would like to join me, please do! I'd love to do life together with you, even if just in a small, shallow, internet-based sort of way.
Here's to discovering new places, new things, and new ideas together in 2012. :)
Friday, September 17, 2010
life as we know it
I've been a bad blogger. Life sort of got in the way, which is ok, of course, because we all know life is more important than the internet.
*crickets chirping*
Don't we?
Anyway, here's what I've been up to lately:
Speaking of creative energy, these are the blogs I've been loving lately:
And just to avoid posting a blog with no pictures. . .
do yourself a favor, and go watch this.
*crickets chirping*
Don't we?
Anyway, here's what I've been up to lately:
- Mostly, working two jobs. I started working as an Independent Arbonne Consultant in July, and it's been a lot of fun. If you don't know what Arbonne is, it's basically natural, botanically based skincare & wellness products that rock your face off. Well, not your face, really, just your wrinkles. Anyways, it's awesome, but starting any new business is certainly time-consuming. If you want some great products that work & aren't going to kill you with chemicals, I can hook you up.
- Enjoying the (slightly) cooler end-of-summer outdoors. Until the ragweed ruined everything. I'm hoping fall gets here soon.
- Watching Firefly. I went through the whole season and the movie in a couple of days. How did I not know about this sooner? I have some serious geek love for this show.
Speaking of creative energy, these are the blogs I've been loving lately:
- http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/ So much amazing fashion inspiration.
- http://www.newdressaday.com/ This girl makes me want to sew.
- http://www.clothedmuch.com/ A minimalist, Mormon fashion blogger.
And just to avoid posting a blog with no pictures. . .
do yourself a favor, and go watch this.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Summer of Stories: Marshmallows & the Eternal Flame
In addition to the snowball incident, my friends Rachel and Anna and I had more than our share of adventures. There was the popcorn incident. There was the goldfish swallowing incident. There was the time Rachel passed out on me in the student union. One of the most memorable adventures, though, was the night we roasted marshmallows over the Eternal Flame.
Our school mascot was/is the Flames. As in fire. It's supposed to be all pentecostal and charismatic, I guess, but I've always thought it to be lacking. I think we used to be the Vikings back in the 1950s, but I guess it was too violent. Or too Nordic. I don't know.
So, because of the mascot we had this fountain with a gas-lit "eternal" flame in the middle. Only it wasn't eternal, because I think it blew out more often than it was actually lit. Anyway, on one particularly cold night, Anna and Rachel and I observed the fact that we had an extra bag of marshmallows, for whatever reason. We also observed that, if we bent a couple of metal clothes-hangers, we'd have the perfect equipment for roasting said marshmallows.
And thus it began.
The eternal flame was right across the street from our dorm, so we bundled up, slipped on hoodies for anonymity, and strolled nonchalantly over to the fountain. It being below freezing, the fountain had been emptied and was quite dry, so we proceeded to climb inside and begin roasting our 'mallows. Now, this sort of adventure was highly frowned upon by campus security, so every time a patrol drove by we had to lay down inside the fountain to avoid detection.
We successfully roasted and consumed several petroleum-flavored marshmallows, upping our carcinogen levels for the next few weeks. We figured that we didn't smoke or drink, so a marshmallow or two probably wasn't going to overwhelm our bodies defenses.
There may have also been a few Native American-style fire dances around the flame. To stay warm, of course.
As a refresher, here's the three of us, pre-roast:
Our school mascot was/is the Flames. As in fire. It's supposed to be all pentecostal and charismatic, I guess, but I've always thought it to be lacking. I think we used to be the Vikings back in the 1950s, but I guess it was too violent. Or too Nordic. I don't know.
So, because of the mascot we had this fountain with a gas-lit "eternal" flame in the middle. Only it wasn't eternal, because I think it blew out more often than it was actually lit. Anyway, on one particularly cold night, Anna and Rachel and I observed the fact that we had an extra bag of marshmallows, for whatever reason. We also observed that, if we bent a couple of metal clothes-hangers, we'd have the perfect equipment for roasting said marshmallows.
And thus it began.
The eternal flame was right across the street from our dorm, so we bundled up, slipped on hoodies for anonymity, and strolled nonchalantly over to the fountain. It being below freezing, the fountain had been emptied and was quite dry, so we proceeded to climb inside and begin roasting our 'mallows. Now, this sort of adventure was highly frowned upon by campus security, so every time a patrol drove by we had to lay down inside the fountain to avoid detection.
We successfully roasted and consumed several petroleum-flavored marshmallows, upping our carcinogen levels for the next few weeks. We figured that we didn't smoke or drink, so a marshmallow or two probably wasn't going to overwhelm our bodies defenses.
There may have also been a few Native American-style fire dances around the flame. To stay warm, of course.
As a refresher, here's the three of us, pre-roast:
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Summer of Stories: The "Snowball Incident"
Rachel, Me & Anna, incognito.My friends Rachel and Anna and I were destined to be friends in college. We all entered our college experience as members of the Freshman Honor Corps, a group of study-focused individuals (read: nerds) that spent the semester taking challenging courses together and participating in crazy team-building activities. Rachel and I became fast friends and became known as "the Rachels" (I miss you, other half!), and Anna frequently joined us on our adventures.
And we had many adventures, or rather, adventurous mishaps. The most infamous of these was the Snowball Incident of 2003, which began with us innocently enjoying a particularly heavy January snowfall, sliding around in the parking lots and making snow balls out of the fresh piles accumulating on commuters' cars. This progressed to a full-on snowball fight, after which, in a rush of pink-nosed giddiness, we decided to take our snowball fight into one of the dorms and ambush our friend Jackie.
So, we began the journey from our current parking lot across campus to Jackie's dorm, carrying our carefully-packed snowballs. Attempting to outdo the rest of us, Rachel kept rolling her snowball into each patch of fresh snow we encountered. The snowball was the size of a tennis ball, then a softball, then a small cantaloupe. Right before we ran into the dorm, she took advantage of one more undisturbed spot of snow, primly located in the dormitory's landscape area. The snowball was now rather bowling ball-sized; it was no longer white, but was covered in a fresh layer of mulch and dirt from the landscape area. A slushy landscape ball, if you will.
The three of us ran up the stairs, knocked on Jackie's door, and waited. She opened the door, hair freshly washed and dried and a clean outfit on. Anna and I threw our dainty snowballs. Splat. Splat. We all kinda giggled. We looked at Rachel, and she threw the monster. SPLOOSH.
It landed on Jackie's head and kind of slid down the side of her face. And then we feared for our lives, so we ran.
Jackie didn't speak to us for weeks. It took lots of apologies and "please forgive us" cards before we could be friendly again. We even volunteered to come shampoo the dirt out of her carpet.
I've never laughed so hard in my entire life. I haven't seen or talked to Jackie in years, but as for Anna and Rachel and I, that snowball cemented our friendship.
And we had many adventures, or rather, adventurous mishaps. The most infamous of these was the Snowball Incident of 2003, which began with us innocently enjoying a particularly heavy January snowfall, sliding around in the parking lots and making snow balls out of the fresh piles accumulating on commuters' cars. This progressed to a full-on snowball fight, after which, in a rush of pink-nosed giddiness, we decided to take our snowball fight into one of the dorms and ambush our friend Jackie.
So, we began the journey from our current parking lot across campus to Jackie's dorm, carrying our carefully-packed snowballs. Attempting to outdo the rest of us, Rachel kept rolling her snowball into each patch of fresh snow we encountered. The snowball was the size of a tennis ball, then a softball, then a small cantaloupe. Right before we ran into the dorm, she took advantage of one more undisturbed spot of snow, primly located in the dormitory's landscape area. The snowball was now rather bowling ball-sized; it was no longer white, but was covered in a fresh layer of mulch and dirt from the landscape area. A slushy landscape ball, if you will.
The three of us ran up the stairs, knocked on Jackie's door, and waited. She opened the door, hair freshly washed and dried and a clean outfit on. Anna and I threw our dainty snowballs. Splat. Splat. We all kinda giggled. We looked at Rachel, and she threw the monster. SPLOOSH.
It landed on Jackie's head and kind of slid down the side of her face. And then we feared for our lives, so we ran.
Jackie didn't speak to us for weeks. It took lots of apologies and "please forgive us" cards before we could be friendly again. We even volunteered to come shampoo the dirt out of her carpet.
I've never laughed so hard in my entire life. I haven't seen or talked to Jackie in years, but as for Anna and Rachel and I, that snowball cemented our friendship.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)