Memorable Micky

We’re nearing the end of one of our longest Workshop of a Lifetime weeks—four workshops in five days! But while we’re tired, Sara and I commented after the workshop last night that after spending time with Micky and her family and friends, we felt energized and refreshed. Isn’t that what happens so often at workshops?

We could tell the minute we met Micky that she was a tenderhearted woman—her eyes filled with tears when she greeted us, and she got emotional a couple of other times throughout the night, specifically when she shared her Stampin’ Story and talked about how grateful she was that she had a business that not only allowed but actually encouraged making family a priority. You could tell her family is, indeed, her top priority. Micky has five children: three grown children (one of her daughters is also a demonstrator) and five-year-old caboose twin boys! Her husband, Todd, is her biggest cheerleader—he actually made swaps for the group meeting and attended both meetings, as well as dinner. And his swap was great; I’m going to copy it and use it myself!

In addition to being tenderhearted, Micky is also young at heart. As we chatted, she talked about street skating and roller blading with the twins; she definitely exudes energy. Throughout her group meeting and workshop, she was enthusiastic and happy, quick to help whenever she could.

This is actually Micky’s second time as a demonstrator. She joined a few years ago for the discount, and then after her boys were born and she was looking for a job that would provide flexibility, she realized the potential and signed up again last November—this time with the goal of building a strong, vibrant business. When her boys head off for school, she starts working, and she’s got a great start! Her upline helped her with the group meeting, and it ran like clockwork. We did a Make & Take (I even learned a new technique!), shared stories, swapped, and took photos.

After the group meeting, we went to dinner with Micky, her family, and her upline and her family. We went to PopEye’s, so I was expecting fried chicken and biscuits. But this was a different PopEye’s—a huge restaurant (it seats something like 600!) on the shore of gorgeous Lake Geneva! Dinner was delicious and, as always, the company was superb as well. What a treat it’s been to get to know so many demonstrators and their families on a more personal level!

 

After dinner we headed back to Micky’s, where we enjoyed a wonderful workshop. Micky was worried that it would be crowded—she has a cozy living room, and she’d taken out the furniture and set up three tables and a demonstration desk. It worked perfectly! We were surrounded with lots of family photographs (Micky’s hobby is photography, and she’s matted all her photos on hand-stamped mats before framing them!) that created a lovely, warm atmosphere.

Micky had a great group of guests, from all areas of her life—neighbors, family , friends, and co-workers. Most of them were familiar with stamping, so we completed the Make & Take projects with no problem. She got four bookings (woo hoo!), and her sales were the highest that we’re aware of (we don’t always know the total because some workshop don’t close the same night). We left, as I mentioned, feeling happy, refreshed, and excited—it’s amazing what a workshop can do!

Coopers and Cornfields

We left Bloomington yesterday and set out for the next workshop—Karen Cooper’s. Karen had said she lives out in the middle of farming country, and as we drove, I began to understand exactly what she meant. We drove through miles and miles of Chocolate Chip, not-yet-planted cornfields, broken up occasionally by a tidy farmhouse, nestled amid a few trees and surrounded (sometimes) by a white picket fence. It was Americana like I have never imagined, and it set a wonderful tone for the day. We sensed we were going to be meeting hardworking people who lived a simple life to the fullest. . . .

Before heading to Karen’s, we checked into the White House, a charming bed and breakfast a few miles from her home. We’ve spent most of our time in larger chain hotels, so this was a nice change of pace. I did have to borrow a hair dryer from the owner (I didn’t even think to pack one!), and we tiptoed around a little more quietly than we would in a hotel, but it was fun to chat with the other guests at breakfast and experience the personal service you get at a good B&B.

After settling in, we headed for Karen’s. We overshot her home a little, stopping first at what turned out to be the house next door (really down the road a bit), which was the office of the family’s farming and trucking company. Gary (Karen’s husband) pointed us in the right direction and told us he’d have to tease Karen because, after all the suspense and excitement, he got to meet us first!

When we finally arrived, we were greeted with warmth, love, and excitement. Most of Karen’s nine girls were just heading out on a field trip (Karen homeschools them, which was a wonderful topic of discussion for us, since I homeschooled my girls as well), so I got to meet them before they left. Shortly after that, the group meeting began—Karen’s first ever! Her upline drove down from Wisconsin, and they put together a wonderful experience (treats, Make & Takes, stories, photos, etc.) for the 25-plus demonstrators there. Demonstrators had driven from all over (Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, etc.) to come, and it was delightful to meet them.

After the group meeting, Sara and I enjoyed an absolutely priceless dinner with Karen, Gary, and one of their older daughters, who works in the family office. We had rib-eye steak (from a cow they raised themselves), a tasty salad I’ve never had, and—of course—home-grown corn! Simple but so delicious! And the company was even more enjoyable than the food. (Did you know there were several different varieties of corn? Sara and I do now!)

Guests started arriving before 6:30, and we had a fabulous workshop! We laughed until we cried a couple of times, and thoroughly enjoyed stamping and fun and conversation with people who you just sensed were genuine and decent. Karen got five bookings (woo hoo!) and decent sales (I think).

The guests enjoyed the projects (we are still featuring the April Two-Step into Spring promotion) and an evening of fun with friends!

And I loved being there! Growing up, my dad taught us to work hard and play hard, and that’s one of the things I believe in—I could tell last night that I was with people who understood and shared that philosophy! I had to duck in the bathroom at one point and wipe my eyes because I was so touched by the spirit of warmth and generosity I felt from Karen, her family, and the people who came to her home. What an honor to be there!

And that’s what I love so much about workshops—not just these Workshops of a Lifetime, but any workshop—the opportunity to enter someone’s home, get to know them on a very personal level, and connect in a way that doesn’t happen anywhere else. I will never forget Karen Cooper and her family—or any of the other demonstrators who have achieved a Workshop of a Lifetime—because they have welcomed me into their lives in a very personal way.

Computer Problems

Had a great time last night with Karen Cooper and her friends, but can't post because I'm having problems with my computer--and now I've got to run to Micky's Workshop of a Lifetime! Thanks for your patience--I'll post tonight (I hope) about Karen and tomorrow about Micky. Check back!

April in April--How Appropriate!

Totally enjoyed my day with April yesterday! She put a lot of time and effort into her events. She’s never attended or seen a workshop (she signed up after attending a club), so she was kind of flying by the seat of her pants, and she did awesome! She does do a monthly club, and she is definitely a natural at demonstrating; she made it look easy and fun. Her laugh alone is infectious, and she had us all giggling just because she was laughing!

We met first at her home for lunch and had a wonderful time getting to know each other better. Her husband and dear friend, Mel, also joined us. After lunch we went to the hotel, where both the workshop and her opportunity event were held.

April had lots of samples on display, and her projects are gorgeous. She claims she doesn’t really create well, but she sure copies beautifully! I related to her as she told her Stampin’ Story, because that’s the way I am—I can’t draw a stick figure to save me, but I love being inspired by others’ ideas. She also loves the social aspect of Stampin’ Up!, the opportunity to meet people, stamp together, and share the rewards and fulfillment that come from creativity—some of the very reasons I started Stampin’ Up! years ago.

The workshop went well. She had invited three of her club members to come to the workshop—as long as they brought six guests! What a great approach! There was a nice mix of newbies (they called themselves stamping virgins) and stamping veterans, who knew exactly what they were doing.

April was excited to finally see a workshop in action—talk about pressure—so I’m hoping I did a decent job of demonstrating a duplicatable, effective workshop. (I followed the Basic Workshop template we provide on our Demonstrator Web Site.) Her husband did pull out the video camera, and I’ve discovered I’m allergic to video cameras!  A couple of other demonstrators have also taped their events, and I find myself making all sorts of mistakes that I don’t normally make. Sigh. I did tell her that if she wanted a great performance, the camera needed to stay off, so at least she had been warned! (smile)

I don’t think she got a single booking, and I felt badly about that; my goal for each workshop is at least two bookings! But she did get names and contact information—from both her demonstrator event and workshop—so I’m crossing my fingers that as she follows up, she’ll be able to schedule a few bookings and maybe even get a recruit or two. I have heard from a few of the previous Workshop of a Lifetime achievers, and they have had some recruits from the events we’ve held. . . woo hoo!

This is the first workshop I’ve done solo (Sara flies in today for the rest of the workshops this week), but April and Mel were so helpful, I didn’t feel like I was alone at all! And her husband, Terry, was a huge help too (except for when he pulled out that darn video camera!). It was just a wonderful day, full of lots of fun stamping and great people!

The Wedding Weekend

It’s been a perfect weekend, from beginning to end, with lots of tender moments, wonderful memories, and love. As I look back over everything that’s happened the past few days, I wouldn’t change a single thing (except that I might wear flats instead of heels when we walked around to take photos!)

I expected that Friday I’d be at home, getting ready for Shanna’s shower, while Shanna ran a few last-minute errands getting ready for her wedding. I was pleasantly surprised when she ended up spending all day at home. (Jared’s family had flown in from Florida and were staying in downtown Salt Lake City, about 30 minutes from where we live, so he spent most of the day with them.)

 Mom Pat and Shalae came and went throughout the day, and together we all finished up the favors (Sage had done much of the work for the favors and invites, and we pitched in to finish), did a little decorating (in Elegant Eggplant, of course—Shanna’s wedding color), and wrapped up some loose ends. But, for maybe the first time ever, we weren’t rushing around like mad right before an event started—everything was done on time! The day was so peaceful and fun!

The shower itself was also loads of fun. We had box dinners (catered by Dear Lizzie), played a game (choose a ribbon and then introduce yourself and talk about Shanna and Jared while you wrapped the ribbon around your finger—most everyone talked much longer than the ribbon lasted!), and opened presents.

You can tell by the photos (and I only posted a few) that it was definitely a bridal shower! It was fun to be together with family and to get to know some of Shanna’s friends a little better. Many of her mission companions came, and they told some great stories!

After the shower ended, things quieted down, and by the end of the evening, it was just Shanna and me. I will cherish forever the entire day, but especially those last few minutes while I hemmed Jared’s pants and ironed her clothes, she packed, and we shared the last few minutes of Shanna’s last day of being single.

We got up about 3 a.m. Saturday morning (well, some of us never slept!) to do hair and make-up and final preparations. We giggled together as we worked on her hair and got ready. We had to be at the temple around 6 a.m.; the ceremony was scheduled for 7! It was a sweet experience to spend those moments in the temple, helping her get dressed, touching up make-up, just the two of us together.

When she walked into the sealing room with Jared (as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe couples are sealed together not just for time, but for eternity, so we call weddings performed in a temple “sealings”), I didn’t start crying right away. (Aren’t you proud of me?) It took me a few minutes, but it was a very special moment to be there with all our family. What a tremendous blessing!

After the ceremony, we took lots of photos around the temple and on the temple grounds, and then we had a brunch at 10 a.m., and everything was finished by noon! And it’s a good thing, too—we were all exhausted because the day had started so early! I think everyone who wanted to headed home to take a long nap!

I haven’t shown you the announcement, and I wanted to do that—Jon took the photos for it (I think I mentioned that on an earlier post), and Sean designed it. It was beautiful! 

I don’t have a lot of photos of the wedding; my mind was on other things. . . . but the photographer took hundreds of photos, I’m sure.  I’ll try to get a link to his site when he posts those, so you can check them out if you’d like.

 

We did get a couple of snapshots that I've posted here so you can at least get an idea of how beautiful the bride was and handsome the groom was!

The Gardner family (girls, sons-in-law, and grandchildren—minus the Brown grandchildren, who stayed in Savannah because it was such a quick trip) and the Bridegan family (Jared’s parents, two brothers and one sister, and their spouses and grandchildren) came over last night for dinner. We’d only seen each other briefly during the past two days, and it was fun getting to know each other a little better. The kids ran around indoors and out, and the adults chatted and laughed. It was a perfect way to end a perfect weekend!

Last night, after everyone left and I headed to bed, I almost didn’t turn off the lights downstairs. I found myself automatically thinking, “Oh, Shanna will turn them off when she gets home.” And then this morning, I tiptoed quietly when I got out of bed, because her bedroom is. . . .was. . . . right under ours, and I didn’t want to wake her up.

I’m sure there will be moments like those in the coming days, moments when I remember that my baby girl is now married, starting off on a new adventure, one that I won’t be as much a part of as I have been in the past. Tears will, of course, be shed, but more often I’m sure I’ll feel a sense of pride and happiness that she’s in love and happy and moving forward, hand in hand with Jared. I love you, Shanna. . . .