Back At It Once Again....

Well, after a hiatus from my blogging, I feel like getting back into it.  Since my last post, my summer has literally zipped right by.  I find it so hard to believe that we've already seen the 4th of July, Labor Day and Halloween pass by.  We're now looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Last week as I walked into Walmart to pick up a few things, I began to hum along to the music that was playing overhead.  It only took me a few minutes to realize that the tune I was humming was "Jingle Bells!"  Really?  How is it that the Thanksgiving holiday is always skipped right over and we jump to the Christmas season--and this is all before Halloween! 
The month of November is the month for people to really look at what they have to be thankful for.  I've noticed on Face Book, a few people will write about what they are thankful for, on a daily basis.  Each day they stop and think about what they have, or whom they know, or what's going on in their lives and actually state those thoughts for the world to see.  No matter how minuscule or possibly silly it would seem to you and I, they truly are thankful for them.  Do you do that too?  I'm guilty myself for not doing so.  Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for everything about my life.  I'm just terrible at making myself stop my busy daily routine to think about it and appreciate everything about my life. 
I've been quite busy with my business, Tastefully Simple.  Especially the last few weeks.  This is a great time to host parties, as people like to be stocked up on snacks and such for the holiday get-togethers with friends and family.  So my schedule has kept me on the move.  I have recently done a couple of craft fairs as well.  Tastefully Simple has a wide selection of gift collections also and my customers are taking advantage of that. 
I know that I have two more parties before Christmas and then my party schedule slows way down as people are trying to relax and recuperate from the hustle and bustle of the season.

REWIND:
At the end of July, myself and about 25 other friends gathered in Blackhawk, Iowa for a weekend of camping and mud volleyball.  Most of us had tents and we were set up in the yard of my friends' Mom, Mickie.  She has a lot of yard and we took up most of it with our tents.  It was a blast!  The heat was relentless but the evening cooled down and all had a great time. 

Our mini tent city.  Mine is on the left, the beige top and green bottom. 

Our team....I'm in the front, center. 

Throughout the course of the summer months, as you all heard on the news, the Omaha/Council Bluffs area was dealing with Mother Nature and the wrath of the flooding that hampered our area for the better part of 4 months.  I-29 was literally under water and had to be shutdown.  I-680 that is part of the metro on the north side was also shutdown due to water.  Homes and businesses near the airport (Eppley Airfield) where I work, were also under water.  The airport took extra precautions early on and put sand bags all around the terminal and other structures that are an integral part of aviation.  This was done in anticipation of the levees (that surround the airfield) breaking and the Mighty Missouri making it's way onto the airport property. 



The sandbags around our bag room.

We survived without any water getting onto the airfield.  The airport authority employees were to thank for that.  They kept a twenty-four vigil on the levees and made repairs to sink holes or weak area on the levee walls whenever necessary.  We heard many comments from pilots and passengers both regarding what they saw from the air upon arrival into Omaha.  The water literally surrounded the airport.  The end of our runways are just to the inside of the levees and the planes flew directly over the Missouri and the flooded areas. 
Once the water subsided and the sand bags were removed, we still found ourselves walking the same paths that we had to with the sand bags in place.  They had been there for so long, it became habit to go around them, even when they were gone!  We're so glad it's behind us.  The interstates are now repaired and open and things seem to be getting back to normal. 

I hope you continue to tune in and I'll try to keep this updated.  Luv ya!




Ladies Night

Every once in a while I do an event or party with my friend Tammy.  She is a representative for Lia Sophia jewelry.  Hostess's have had a dual party in the past and we each present our products (mine is Tastefully Simple) and share the night and the customers.  It's a win win situation for all involved.  So, today was no exception. 

On Thursday nights at Nebraska Brewing Co., it's Ladies Night.  Tammy has for some time, been taking her jewelry one Thursday night a month, to the brewery.  This last week, she asked the manager if I could join her.  He thought it was a great idea!  So we met there and set up our things at adjoining tables for all to browse and shop.  Graduation and Mother's Day are just a couple reasons like to shop this time of year.  Our products make great gift ideas. 

Me and Tammy sitting in front of some barrels of aging beer.

The brewing process happens here.



Here is the main bar area.  There is ample seating in the loft, where I'm standing to take this picture, and also to the right in a larger restaurant style area. 

The front of the brewery.  It's located at Shadow Lake shopping plaza. 


We enjoyed some fresh ale ourselves.  For the ladies the special was any draw beer (on tap) for $ .75/glass.  Can't beat that!  We also ordered food as we were there right over supper time.  I had the Drunk'n Chicken Strips and Tammy ate the Mushroom and Swiss burger with Sweet Potato Fries.  Very tasty! 
Many people walking by would stop and shop or simple browse and keep walking.  We were able to get many more contacts for our business besides each having a few sales so it was worth it for us.

Another TSOT

TSOT.  Are you wondering just what that stands for?  Tastefully Simple On Tour.  Each year, prior to the spring and summer catalog coming out, regional conferences are held for consultants in different locations to introduce the new product line and also to jazz up our recruiting, selling and party strategies.  For the last two years, this conference has been held in Omaha.  This year the closest location to me was in Kansas City, MO.  Here are the last two posts from the prior two years.
The schedule for the conference had things kicking off at three in the afternoon this past Friday.  So Teri, my sponsor, and I left Omaha in her car around eleven.  We arrived at the Downtown Holiday Inn, across the street from where the conference was being held at the Marriott Downtown, right at two thirty.  After we checked in and left our belongings in our room, we walked over to register and got seated in time for everything to start.
We heard from a couple of consultant speakers, watched as several were recognized for having the top team sales either in their respective region or overall, and also cheered on those that were on a million dollar team.  Then....the most anticipated part of the entire conference:  unveiling's of the new products coming out in the spring/summer catalog for March!!!  Because this conference is happening simultaneously in many cities both last weekend and this weekend, they showed a video of employees from HQ (headquarters) as they introduced and showed many ways of using the products.  Very similar to what we do at home parties.  Some items have been brought back from last years' catalog because of being so popular.  The others were brand new.  It's going to be good!
Then at 6:30 PM, it was time for our dinner.  It featured some of the new products with a cash bar including some of our new drink buckets.  Wow....so yummy!  Then it was back to the other hotel where we were staying.  I was exhausted as I'd been up since 3 AM for work.  (I had left early in order to go to Kansas City) 
The next morning started out with breakfast at 7.  At 8 AM, there was a leader session of which I attended.  At 9, the doors opened and we welcomed the other consultants back in for general session.  Not long after getting started with some announcements, we were surprised to see Jill, the founder and CEO, come running in from a side door!  What a surprise!  She never tells which conference she will show up to.  We were all cheering and excited!  It's an honor to listen to her speak as she gets us revved up for the new season.  She's sincere in her pep talks and speaks from the heart; as she says, " I love you to the moon!"  It was so great and never gets old seeing her at these conferences.  I'm waiting for her book, Simply Shine,  to arrive this week and will be reading it from cover to cover.

There is always a theme to each conference.  This one was "Raise the Roof".  It's so inspiring to take home information that we've heard from either Jill or the guest consultant speakers as they share with us just what works for them in their own business. 
The rest of the morning was similar to the day before with more recognitions followed by lunch.  Again, we got to sample yet more of the new product line.  It's very difficult to stay awake after eating so much food!  We definitely don't go hungry at these meals!
We finished our day at 4:30 and left with some of the new items in hand.  They usually give us all a few of the new things to take home to make for friends and family. 
Teri and I had a good time reconnecting with people we've met at the other conferences.  We left KC at roughly 5PM that day.  Our drive to Omaha would seem long (even though it's only 3 hours total) only because we'd been sitting all day and still had full tummy's from all the food they gave us!

Leadership Conference 2011, Day 4

Before going to bed last night, I had to figure out just what flights we'd be on to fly home today.  We flew standby so we didn't have any confirmed seats.  No problem.  On the way to Nashville, we flew through Chicago's Midway airport.  Easy and only one stop.  That's the way we had originally planned to get home again as well.  But I knew before we left Omaha that the flights were filling up quickly.  Sunday is one of our busiest days of travel at Southwest.  But not to worry....
We had many choices actually.  Going through St. Louis was my first choice, however.  Even though we weren't going to be able to go non stop from Nashville, there was an alternate routing through there if we went to Birmingham, Alabama first.  All the flights from Nashville to Birmingham, Birmingham to St. Louis, and St. Louis to Omaha had more than 30 seats open on them.  Ding ding ding!!!  Sold!  Works for me!  So our flight out of Nashville was leaving at 12:05 PM.  Not too bad. 
After breakfast this morning we still had one more speaker, Jill (CEO and founder) herself.  She was going to be sending us all off from conference with her own encouragement and well wishes.  Some people had already left because of their flight schedules.  We knew we'd have to leave the hotel by 10AM to have ample time to check in.  We were hoping that we wouldn't miss out on hearing Jill speak.  As it turned out, we heard alot of her speech but did have to leave before she finished.  I'm hoping that we didn't miss too much!
Others had been filtering out during the morning as well. 
It had been an inspiring conference and filled me with new vigor.  Besides the speakers that we heard for inspiration, I got a list of books that I can read as well to help me work my business.  I'm excited to start on the list!   
There are always incentives for us as consultants to do well.  Some look so far out of reach but does give me reason to do as well as I can. 

Jill....CEO and founder of Tastefully Simple

It was nice to get home again, as always.  My cats survived thanks to my friend Trisa.  Next trip....Kansas City in February.  Yep...you guessed it.  Another conference for Tastefully Simple!

Leadership Conference 2011, Day 3

Saturday was our short day for sessions.  After having our breakfast, we again met in the Presidential Ballroom for a few announcements.  It was then followed by three Leader Spotlights. These were presented by our very own consultants that have been in this business for more than 8 years each.  They all have very large teams and two of them have advanced into the highest level of leadership that they can.  So all of them were fun to listen to.  We heard how they have consistently dreamt, believed and worked their business to get it where it is today.  All of them have earned many trips with Jill (CEO and founder) and many of the HQ team. 

We also learned of some new tools that we as consultants will be able to use with our web sites and parties to make everything a little more efficient.  It's getting better and better all the time! 

We finished up at 1:00 PM for the day.  The rest of the day belonged to us to allow us to get out and see some Nashville sights.  Teri (my sponsor) and I headed back to our room; she for a nap and I to get on my lap top.  Then at 4:00 PM we took a bus down town.  That's where we would be able to sight-see.  Many of the places I was hoping to see, such as the Grand Ole Opry and Country Music Hall of Fame, were closed already but we made due.  I'll have to make another trip to see the ones I missed!

The bus dropped us off at one of two locations.  We could either be dropped off at the Ryman Auditorium or at the Wildhorse Saloon.  We chose the Wildhorse.  It was closer to the shopping area we wanted to get to.  Broadway was very nearby and it was already busy with tourists and regulars alike that had ventured out for the night.  The temperature wasn't bad, lingering in the upper 40's. 

Walking into the shops that had once been under water from the floods last spring, made me wonder how long it must have taken to get their businesses back into shape.  Everything (in my eyes) appeared as if nothing had happened!  The wood floors looked just as rustic as they must have been the day they were put down.  I don't know...but everything looked awesome!  It was fun to see all the little knick knacks, coffee mugs, key chains, hats and t-shirts that one could purchase as a souvenir of Music City.  I chose a couple of shirts, a coffee mug for myself and my friend that had been taking care of my cats. We were starving and had thought some good BBQ would be our first choice of food.  We saw one restaurant with a line out the door and down the sidewalk.  Alrighty then, no thanks.  So we kept walking and shopping.  We saw lots of people taking advantage of a carriage ride.  It looked like fun but we didn't do it.  I did get a picture of one of them. 

One of several horse-drawn carriages that we saw traveling around.  This is Tom and his horse Bill.

As we walked around and saw so many places to eat, we finally came upon one without a line!  So we stepped in to see if we could be seated right away.  It would be about 45 minutes....and there was no line!  Really?  Okay, we'll wait.  We were starving!  A mere 20 minutes later, we were seated.  (I thought so...the girl at the door was being a little bit snobby...)  We were in Rippy's Ribs and BBQ.  It was quaint with live music and many TV sets going all over.  People of all ages were enjoying the food and atmosphere.  We were even asked to take pictures of a group of about 10 people that had been waiting to go to a hockey game featuring the local Nashville team, The Nashville Predators.  There were many people wearing jerseys in support of the team. 


Rippy's Ribs and BBQ....we ate here.  Not bad for a little old hole-in-the-wall joint.

From there, as we meandered in and out of various shops, we found a dueling piano bar, The Big Bang Bar.  There was hardly anyone there but it was early.  We sat for awhile and before we knew it, it was packed!  People were having bachelorette parties and birthday celebrations.  So we stayed.  However, I wasn't overly impressed by the young piano players.  The older songs just weren't familiar to them.  But the ones they knew, they did perform well.  

The piano players at The Big Bang Dueling Piano Bar.  They were young guys so they had a hard time with some of the older songs that had been requested.  I've honestly heard better right here in Omaha. 

Walking down the street I spotted the Ernest Tubb Record Shop.  My own Dad loves to listen to his records and also play Ernest Tubb music on his accordion.  I knew he would appreciate this photo.  In the background is the infamous Batman Building.  We didn't go inside but now I wish we had.  The pictures from the link of the web site make it look pretty neat.  Shoot.....oh well.


On Broadway, Ernest Tubb's Record Shop.  The building on the left is called The Batman Building because of the spires.  I see why they call it that.  It's neat to see from the freeway.  Here is another popular song of Ernest Tubb's.

One of the last stores we visited (not sure of the name) had many novelty items as well.  Not only shirts, hats and the like, but also kitchen items, rugs, belts and cute pet dishes and treats.  There we saw a line of people forming.  We hadn't noticed the signs as we entered detailing the visit of the ever famous Wanda Jackson later that very night.  And she had just performed at the Ryman Auditorium prior to her planned visit.  An older gentleman heard me asking about her and explained to me just who she is.  (I had no idea!)  Well, I know now! 

Wanda Jackson....she had just performed at the Ryman Auditorium, the former home of the Grand Ole Opry.  Wanda was in this little shop that we were shopping in, after her performance to sign autographs.  Apparently, she used to date Elvis Presley and even toured with him!   

It had been a great evening of walking and shopping.  It reminded me a bit of Fremont Street in Las Vegas.  The streets were barricaded and there were hundreds of people milling around all over.  We walked to the Ryman and waited for a bus to arrive and take us back to our hotel.  We were exhaused and ready to sit!  We still had an early morning the next day and then we'd be heading back home.  Phwew!!! 
                                    

Leadership Conference 2011, Day 2

All of our meals for this weekend were provided to us. Including breakfast if people actually got up to enjoy it.  Breakfast was being served from 7:30AM-8:45AM.  Sessions would start at 9:00AM sharp.  They had "hot seat" drawings for those that were on time and in their seat!  Prizes were given to the people whose names had been called.  Being the early riser that I am, I made sure to get there for breakfast!  There was always a huge selection and undoubtedly, something for everyone. 
Our Friday session started with announcements followed by a "Welcome" from our Founder and CEO, Jill Blashak-Strahan.  Later, a keynote speaker, Robin Creasman, a motivational speaker, was our next guest speaker.  He has done and see it all when it comes to meeting and knowing well known performers.  It was fun to listen to him tell his stories and make the jokes about different things.  Watch the video on the link I provided; it tells alot about his experiences.  I thought he was an awesome speaker!  He told us how we can use different tools to make our business grow and to become the Rock star that we can become. 

Robin Creasman with a few consultants on stage singing with him. 

Robin....

After lunch, we attended different breakout sessions in different rooms, with keynote speakers from our own Tastefully Simple consultants.  We had the opportunity to pre-register for these sessions before conferences to ensure a reserved seat.  I'm glad I did.  I happened to be in a session that had Kim Schultz as the guest speaker.  You can read about her here and here.  She is a multi-talented person and had the entire class involved in improv demonstrations.  Me included.  She has an improv studio in New York and Minneapolis both.  The class was packed and had a line outside the door in case there was room for more inside. 
It was great and so much fun to see how people let down their own personal walls in order to be in front of perfect strangers. 
That night, we had our awards celebration dinner.  When we arrived, music was being provided by Melissa Greener of Nashville.  I had never heard of her and quite honestly, I wasn't overly impressed.  Just sayin'. 
She was performing while we ate our huge meal.  It was delicious as usual!  Here's what we had:

Top plate:...dessert- Mini caramel tartelette with a shortbread crust and a zest of sea salt, Key lime pie with graham cracker crust and toasted meringue and raspberry coulis, New York style cheesecake.  Yummy!

Bottom plate....salad- Mixed green salad with Radicchio, Asian pears, spicy peanuts and Lemongrass Dressing.  Yummy!

 And because I was so involved in my salad, when they brought the main course, I forgot to get a picture of the plate!  It was beautiful and just as yummy!  It was:  Fillet of beef with Merlot wine, Grilled shrimp with roasted garlic butter, mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables.  Needless to say, we were very full when we got done! 

Once dinner was over, awards were given out, just like National Conference last summer.  Then back to our rooms we went.  It had been a long day and I was ready to kick my shoes off and relax.  Tomorrow would be another activity-filled day with a busy agenda.

On the way back to our room, I got a picture of many of the hundreds of pretty lighted decorations that hang from the huge, tall ceiling in the hotel.  Isn't it pretty?

                                                   

Leadership Conference 2011, Day 1

Now that I'm a Team Leader for Tastefully Simple, I'm eligible to attend leadership conferences.  I became a leader last summer after signing my fifth recruit.  The conference was held in Nashville, TN.  Each year it's in a different city.  This year it was held  at a beautiful resort and conference facility, The Gaylord Opryland Resort and Conference Center.

I attended along with my own sponsor, Teri.  She and I flew on SWA early yesterday morning.  We arrived in Nashville about 10 AM.  We, along with hundreds of other consultants, rode by bus to our hotel.  We could register anytime during the day and things would kick off that night.  So once we had gotten checked in to our room, we had the afternoon to explore the resort and get some food.  We were in awe over the size of the hotel.  Just finding our way to our room required a map, which we carried with us for the rest of the day!  The place was huge!  I was taking pictures constantly!    

Looking into and area known as Delta Island.  It's right in the center of the resort.  We saw that there were still Christmas decorations hanging all over.  It was beautiful!

Delta Island

Looking towards the section of the hotel called Cascades.   

In the rotunda of the hotel.....No, I don't know the chic. 

A waterfall that has a walkway under it. 

Many little water fountains that have lights inside them.

 

This area was near our section of the hotel....Delta. 

That night we were all to meet in the Presidential Portico of the resort (near where all our conferences were being held) in order to get on buses that would take us downtown.  We were heading to the Wildhorse Saloon.  (if you click on the bar and restaurant tab for the web site, scroll to the bottom and you'll see photos of the inside of the saloon.)  The entire facility has three levels in it which are all open, like an auditorium, and all face the dance floor and stage.  There are pool tables on the second and third levels, a couple of dart boards and if you look up at the ceiling, you'll see life sized (fake) horses that appear as though they are running wild across the ceiling--upside down!  It's very neat!    

As we came through the door, (it was closed to the public for our group of about 600 people!), we were greeted by ALL the employees, each one holding and shaking, a very large cow bell, and they were cheering for us!  We were giving them high-fives as we literally ran in to find a good spot to sit!  Once we were all in and seated, Jill, our CEO and owner of Tastefully Simple, spoke along with a couple others.  Two large tables had been set up, buffet style, for all of us to fill up our plates.  It consisted of brisket, sliced beef, salads, potatoes, baked beans, vegetables and pie.  We had our choice of a molasses BBQ sauce or a mustard based sauce to use on the meat.  It was the best BBQ I've ever had!   

 Then we were treated to a concert by a duo called LoCash Cowboys.  I had never heard them before but I loved their style!  We had fun line dancing and simply just standing down in front of the stage taking many pictures.  It was fun because they interacted with all of us alot.  They have a great band as well. 

Chris and Preston

Preston was taking pictures of us and "twittering" them after he took them!  I was very close to the stage!

One of the many bars inside...

The other two levels....

The main bar.

Signage out front.

We danced and sang and partied.  The last bus was leaving at 10 PM.  If we wanted a free ride, that's what we needed to be on!  Otherwise, transportation was up to us!  I rode the bus. 

 It had been a great night and I met several people that I'd see all weekend.  Sometime I'd like to come back to Nashville and visit the other museums and the Grand Ole Opry.  I knew we'd never have time on this trip. 

It's a beautiful city and has come back greatly from the terrible flood from last year in May.  The resort we stayed at had once been under water as well and had their grand re-opening last November.  You would never know it now by looking around at all the beautiful flowers and decor inside.  Many of the pictures in the previous link show places we actually saw and sidewalks that we walked on that had been under water too.  It's amazing how strong so many people can be when they come together to work as one unit in times of need.