The Best Christmas Letter. Ever.

This is one of the many annual newsletters that have been enclosed in the Christmas cards that I've received this year. It is without question the best one I've ever gotten. It speaks for itself:

Dear Friends,

As I begin to think about sending out Christmas Cards, the thoughts of "Should I do it this year…do I have all the addresses…I've never been one to write much in my cards, should I mention what my family's been up to the past year?..." go through my head. I begin to feel overwhelmed by the effort. I get tired of trying to organize so many activities over the holidays, the parties, the gifts, travel or not. . .it is all so much work. Many of you probably think similar things and for some of you, it's no effort at all. Unfortunately, however you look at it, I felt compelled for the first time in my life to write a letter this year. It may be a little sappy but deal with it anyway!

One thing is for sure at some point during the holidays it crosses our mind that another year has gone by and we never find the time to stay in touch with many of our friends and family members that we still hold dear in our hearts. It doesn't mean we don't indulge ourselves with memories of the people from our past that we never get to see anymore.

So much occurs throughout the year that sometimes we just don't feel like taking the time to send out Christmas cards knowing that our loved ones will understand. Through the years some of you (including myself) have experienced pain through the loss of a loved one, troubles within the family, financial instability, relocation or some other difficult occurrence. Some of you have experienced the joy of opening your home and hearts to adoption, giving birth, promotion at work, the excitement of beginning a new career (which can be a little nerve wracking too) or some other moment that brought happiness into your hearts.

We all have experienced joy and disappointment at some point with friends or family members but we can always count on one thing. The people whose paths have crossed ours and those experiences we have shared with one another, whether joy or pain, have contributed in part to who we are today. If only we had realized it at the time. Home truly amazing it is to encounter people in our lives that add to what we may be missing in ourselves.

Christmas is simply, a special time of year no matter what your belief. We all grew up learning the meaning of Christmas and how important it is to spend time with your friends and family while attempting to set any differences aside (often with our family members of course).
Maybe it's my kids that have made me sentimental over the years or maybe it's just part of growing older. Whatever the case may be, my sincere wish for each and everyone of you is to have a wonderful holiday season and may you discover and enjoy the importance of the people you once knew from your past, know in your present and will meet in your future.

Merry Christmas 2008
Joy to you and yours,

I Don't Even LIKE Tuna!

Having a four day weekend is always a blessing and a curse - a blessing, of course, because there is more time to be able to spend on the things that we enjoy. A curse, because there are so many productive hours that seem to slip away into the past without getting anything accomplished.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I was able to indulge in both sides of the four-day-weekend coin. Spending Thursday with my family was a treat, especially playing "hide and seek" with a 3 year old that has boundless energy and a face too cute to say "no" to (especially when she snuggles up to you and says "Please Aunt Beth, more hide seek"). It's impossible to turn that down!

And then I was left with the task of cleaning out and reorganizing my pantry. I've been putting this off for quite some time because I was afraid of how long it would take. And I ended up being right. In order to do this project properly, I had to unload and move 2 other bookcases before even starting on the pantry. My pantry is a free-standing cabinet that has been housed in the closet of my spare bedroom since the day I bought it. I still have no idea why I put it there, instead of in it's more appropriate place, in the dining area. So, to set everything right, I ended up rotating 3 pieces of furniture, including unloading and then reloading each piece.

I know that my pantry is no different than anyone else's in that when I get home from the grocery store, I put things in where they will fit, as opposed to where they belong. This always makes for a big mess and an eventual treasure hunt when the time finally comes to see what's really in there. And what did I find? A shocking array of things that I had forgotten about:

• A case of Pria bars - still good to eat and now heading to work to be stashed in my desk
• 5 cans of corn - apparently there was a good deal at some point
• Multiple boxes and bags of already opened sugar - I wonder what I was wanting to bake?
• Microwave popcorn - so much that it makes me wince
• Tuna, in many forms - steak, canned, pouch - and I HATE tuna

I have no idea what might have possessed me to buy any tuna in the first place, let alone that much. I don't even know what to do with it, how to cook it, or eat it, or not gag from it. But, I guess that I willl be eating some type of a tuna-corn casserole in my near future. I can hardly wait!

And in Other News. . .

I can't believe that it's been five months since my last blog post. What the heck have I been doing? A lot, actually. Some of it fun, some of it not fun, but all of it necessary! So, now it's time to get back on all of my bandwagons and move forward with all things, well, ME! (And other people, too, if I fell they warrant some attention). To start things off, how about a quick-list of recent developments, and then, I promise I'll post a little more often!

• I'm kicking some serious ass in the family's NFL blackout pool
• Just finished a very cute book written by a former co-worker called "We Met At Starbucks". I was looking for another title entirely and came across this little gem.
• Went away for a weekend in Breckenridge with some of the greatest ladies EVER! Learned a ton and made a few new friends, too.
• Have started planning a trip to Costa Rica for my cousin's 40th birthday party. If you think my family gets crazy when we get together stateside, hang on to your hats for those time when we escape the borders!
• Actually took the time to put all of my books in order according to the Dewey Decimal system. I know - I'm a freak, but lets not fight it anymore and just run with it. I'm scared to admit how many duplicates I found. I was surprised to find that Jeffrey Gitomer books falls into different sections. See, I really do learn things, even when I'm being weird.
• Listed out all of the current projects I'm working on for Slumber Parties. Um, yeah - that needs to be prioritized a little better, cause it's really LONG!
• Also have been making a list of the trips that I need to take next year, as well as the ones I want to take. Is it bad to be gone from your day job at least a couple of days per month all year long? I guess it depends on who's keeping track.
• Set a new goal for myself at a meeting last night that seriously makes me want to vomit - but that's the point of goals. If they don't make you queasy, then they aren't hard enough!
• Came across a Meme on another blog that I plan on pulling in this week. Please - somebody hold me to this!

OK, enough of the quick-list, since I have to get a presentation finished for a meeting tomorrow night. Then I need to start on the ones I'm doing on Sunday night, and then. . .you get the idea!

What I Wouldn't Give for a Yugo

Not sure how anyone else is feeling these days, but I'm about sick and tired of having to hand over a c-note just to fill up my gas tank. I'm scared to run a Quicken report to see exactly how much I've spent in the last month.

Now, clearly, part of the problem is that I don't live my life in one small little area of a suburban town - I actually go out and get things done outside of my own neighborhood. And this practice is rapidly changing, NOT because I want, but because I'm being forced to.

The biggest problem of all, however, is my HUGE car - I drive a Ford Expedition. This thing goes through gas like nothing I've ever experienced. Ever. The last time I put a full tank of gas in, it cost me $91 and some change. Ouch!! There are, of course, some options to remedy this problem:
1. Get rid of the big tank and go back to a much smaller sedan - this one won't work because the whole reason I got it was to be able to expand my business and carry more stock for parties.
2. Get rid of the business, thus getting rid of the reason to justify a big car - not gonna happen. I like my business too much and can't imagine not being a part of it. My business has truly become part of my personal identity and I have met a lot of great people. I've met my closest friends through this business, the best friends I've had in my adult life.
3. Start looking for a small, second car. Yep, I think this is the option that I am going to go for. Maybe even a hybrid [gasp]! There's really no need to drive my big car on days when I don't have a party, so this seems to be the best solution. And, I'll get a multi-car discount.

So, now I get to try and find a smaller sedan - something that will get me from Point A to Point B without having to take out a loan.

Anybody got a Yugo for sale?

Hey, it's NOT Kansas here, Dorothy

It's always exciting when the town that I grew up in makes the news. Usually it's because of the achievements of one of the sports teams, or because Eastman Kodak made some great decision that affects KCD (Kodak Colorado Division).

Today, however, is not a fun time to be in the news. We have made national news today. A class EF3 or EF4 tornado went through the east side of town right around lunchtime, causing a lot of destruction. This story is pretty much the only thing on the local news tonight.

As much as I feel the need to drive up there to check on my family, I know that I won't be allowed in, as Governor Ritter has declared a state of emergency on the town and all of the roads have been closed - you can get out, but you can't get in. Interestingly, several S.W.A.T. teams happened to be in town today for a training course - I think they are getting more training than they were betting on.

One of the daycare centers sustained heavy damage, but thankfully, all of the children had been evacuated prior to being hit.

According to reports and pictures, this thing was absolutely HUGE. Approximately 3/4 to 1 MILE wide, traveling at about 50 miles an hour. It's been a little hard watching all of the news reports and seeing the destruction of some of the historic buildings and businesses. Most of the damage occured on the east side of town, as well as part of Main St. The old sugar beet factory, which had been turned into a pool hall, is now partially a crumbled pile of bricks.

As the evening wears on, I know that there will be more to write about and share, so I'll update again in a little while.

The More Things Change. . .

The More They Stay The Same.

It's amazing how no matter how many people filter through, no matter how many years pass, things really stay the same. And this is a good "staying the same".

I had a LOT of drive time this afternoon between work and home [Note to self: Make sure you put your flash drive in your bag BEFORE you head home for the weekend - had to go all the way back for it]. This might have been a bad thing, except I'm getting very comfortable driving and talking on my cell phone at the same time. Yes, Dad, I always use my headset. So, during my extended travels, I was able to talk to three clients to confirm parties next week, a fellow distributor to plan an outing this weekend and pump each other up for our weekend shows, and get caught up with 2 of my cousins.

So where does the whole "The More Things Change" thing come in? My cousin's boyfriend's sister's son (did you follow that? Read it again if you got lost.) is graduating this year from the same high school as me. She got the announcement in the mail this week. I was asking her what the design looked like for this year's class, in particular, I was curious about whether the kids were still using a rather prominent element that came to be 2 years prior to my older sister's announcements were chosen. The class of 1987 had a lot of interesting characters that made up the student body. One of the boys was quite memorable, not only for his fun, wild ways and gregarious personality, but also for his artistic inclinations. My high school's mascot is the Wizard, which is incredibly unique, and has an interesting story all it's own. But, I digress. During his senior year, this young man decided that his legacy to his classmates would be to hand draw the artwork for the commencement announcements. It is a stunning drawing of a Wizard in long robes, wearing the "traditional" hat and holding a lightening bolt in one hand and a crystal ball in the other. Ever since it's first appearance, that beautiful drawing has "made the cut" and been included in the announcements. Not by mandate of the school, but by vote of each year's senior class. And the class of 2008 kept up the tradition.

It's good to know that no matter how many years pass, or how many seniors "make it to the blue chairs", that there is still something special that continues from year to year. So memorable is this piece of art, that when I finally made it home later today, I felt compelled to pull out my senior year scrapbook and look at it again.

Can it Possibly Get Any Better??

I got back yesterday from National Convention in New Orleans and am just SHOCKED at how much better and better my business opportunity keeps getting.

Aside from the sheer joy of spending an entire weekend away with the best ladies I've ever met in my life and the fun that was had out on Bourbon Street, it was also a surreal experience watching so many people get recognized for so many incredible accomplishments. Seriously jaw dropping what some of the distributors are getting done.

And the new things to work towards are also no less fantastic. I've been working today to reevaluate all of my goals for 2008 and beyond because of the changes. I love the feel of that fire when it gets lit!!