St. Jude Miracles on the Red

Our St. Jude gala was a smashing success this year!  We decided on the ABCs of Cancer for our theme, we went with family style food service, and we put the auction inside the room.  Lots of planning and preparing went into this event and it showed!  We raised $360,000!

Decorations crew!

Our team!

Got my hair did for the event!  2 things I love: getting my hair done and a braid.

The company Neil works for sponsored a table.

Here we are in front of the ABC wall.  We made a replica of the one that is at the actual hospital.

I am so happy the McGuires were able to join us!

Good looking crew!

LAC and Bryce

LAC!  you never LAC fun with us!

The McGuires bought my Festive Favor auction item!  So sweet!

Cousin Sister Friend Time + Tech + The Festive Favor

We got to head over to Ruston for a wonderful evening of cousin sister friend time!  (That's what SK calls her time with Lillian)   We stayed with the Smarts ad snuggles Lillian!  We love our girl!

This is her little valentine we gave her!

It's a superhero care bear and a book that says "my niece the superhero!"

Sweetest!

Swaddled and sweeter!

 I got up bright and early and headed to Tech!  Judith (Neil's cousin's wife) is a professor at Tech and was doing a really awesome project with her upper level communications class.  They were assigned a small business to look over their marketing and social media and to give pitch to the small business!

I was honored to be part of it!  My group of 4 guys contacted me and they really knew everything about my business and the ins and outs of the stats and numbers.  I was impressed!  They gave suggestions...one of which I have got to use! ---a more professional way to take my pictures!

I gave each of them a festive favor that says "Thanks a latte for all of your hard work!"  It was a Starbucks gift card!

 I was finished pretty quickly so I met SK and Rebecca at the trampoline park and then we all met Nana at Uptown Downtown for a yummy lunch! 

We got on the road shortly after to get the boys from school. What a fun little night in Ruston!

BREWtifiul Bash

Rebecca and I were talking one day about having a fun bash with lots of "beautiful" things.  We basically brainstormed and the Holiday BREWtifiul Bash was born!  While getting a pedicure, I started texting people to see if they'd be interested in having a booth at the bash.  Literally everyone said yes!  We had a few randoms write me off the Facebook event, word of mouth from other vendors, and pretty soon I had 17 vendors!  I was worried leading up to it if anyone would come and we ended up having over 150 people attend!  How cool is that!?  I was so proud of the success of the event! Leigh started screaming when she pulled in the parking lot and it was FULL! :)

What is really wonderful is seeing true friends who want you to succeed walk through the door.  Friends who asked what they could do to help without expecting a thing in return.  I just love our community and how it supports locals and their businesses.

Our flyer was so cool!  We added several vendors after it was made.

We were even featured in the new Lola Magazine.

I felt like a movie star getting my hair and brows done the day of the event.

So proud of my table!  As Don pointed out, I had my booth in the middle of the room.

Amy checked everyone in and made sure we were timely with our door prizes.  It was funny that mostly men  or vendors won the door prizes!

So glad my SIL set up her R+F!

Trying to get a picture of Neil and me and Dad got in.  

Here's a picture of most of the vendors.  Some left before we got to the picture.

Father's Day

We got to spend Father's Day weekend at Aunt Catherine's house.  She is in Ireland for 2 weeks so we had the privilege of using her fabulous pool, house, and lake.  It was so nice to have veg out weekend.

We arrived on Friday evening.  Nana and Granddad had already gone to the grocery and had lots of meals planned.  Win!

I know 3 little kids who LOVE their daddy.

Too much!

Beau and the boys came out to the lake on Saturday to swim and tube.  I was the designated person to tube with all the kids.  FUN!  I am not really that fun though.  I am nervous the whole time that we are going to bump heads, bite our tongues, or fly off.  I am a basket case,

The boys sang "We will rock you" like champs. So serious and so cute!

Nana and SK and B

I made the fabulous dessert for our Father's Day meal.  Grilled peaches with cinnamon/sugar butter melted on it.  Served over vanilla bean ice cream.

The Festive Favor does it again!  My dad's Father's Day gift.  He said "I don't eat Pop Tarts."  #itsthethoughtthatcounts

Business Boutique

I have the most supportive and encouraging husband around.  He is the sweetest, too.  Anyway, he listens to Dave Ramsey podcasts and heard about the Christy Wright Business Boutique.  He looked into it, told me about it, and we decided I should attend.   Since I was able to stay with Leslie, it made the weekend very affordable!  I learned so much and am so grateful to Neil for holding down the fort so I could learn how to build my business!

I didn't really know what I was walking into.  I knew it was going to be a bunch of women trying to learn about building their businesses, but I had no idea what I would get!  1,600 women from all over...even 1 woman from Kenya were there to learn.  The speakers were GREAT and 1 was the best one I have ever heard in my life.  Her name was Christine Caine.  I met a friend right when I got there and we ate lunch together both days.  She was a mom, grandmother, and from LA!  fate!

The first countdown until it started.  It was a HUGE event!

Great speakers and interviews with women business owners like The Elf on the Shelf creator, Chanda Bell.

Love this! "Fear isn't a sign you're doing something bad, it's  sign you're doing something BOLD!"

My fave speaker taking us to church!  Christine Caine!

I was exhausted after the first day as Leslie knew I would be so she cooked!  She is the most wonderful chef and hostess!

All from scratch!

She even made shortbread from scratch and whipped cream!! omg! Heaven.

So, I had 2 shirts made with my logo on them.  I thought I would wear one on Friday and one on Saturday of the conference.  Well as I looked at photos of other events and NO ONE had on their business stuff I decided against it.  After day 1, I built up my confidence and wore it!  Stepping out of your comfort zone is scary!

Me representing my business!

Me and Annie F. Downs...she was hilarious and the MC of the event.

me with my friend, Ava

After the second day, Leslie, Amanda, and me all went to Bishop Arts and looked around and ate dinner.  We saw this bench and felt it was a great way to end my trip to Dallas!

These 2 are some of the most supportive friends a girl could ask for!  They give me ideas, listen to business ideas, and support me!  How wonderful to have such great friends!

We went to Leslie's friend, Kate Weiser's, chocolate store.  Fab.