A lot of road to go...

Well, my hopes for this blog didn't quite pan out.  My goal was to document my journey through grad school and here I am, a recent graduate without much blogging to show for it.  On Saturday, May 12th, I not only celebrated my 32nd birthday (ugh), but also turned my tassel on the Master of Science in Entrepreneurship program at Southern Methodist University.  I ended up having the highest grade point average of my classmates, so I had the honor of sitting on stage and announcing my classmates' names as they crossed the stage.  I got a nice little intro where several hundred (thousands?) people heard about my business goals.

Just as I had intended to do, I have a solid business plan and a property I intend to purchase and operate as a historic special event venue.  Now I am just looking for an investor to put the down payment on the loan and get us started.  Yes, "us."  I have taken on a partner, another wedding planner, to have a minority ownership and to share in all the strife that a new start-up guarantees.  

Also in my blogging absence, I was appointed to the position of North Texas and Oklahoma state coordinator for the Association of Bridal Consultants.  It is my job to spread the word about ABC in the barren West Texas and Oklahoma areas (since D/FW has such a strong group of leaders, I won't have to do much there).  Once again, I missed the deadline for submitting sessions for national conference. I swear...I will do it for 2013.  I must...it is one of the things I should accomplish before attempting to apply for my Master Bridal Consultant title.  

As you can see, I am well on my way to "Master."  I've got my degree and now it's time to focus on the career so that I can feel worthy of a Master Bridal Consultant title.  Hold me accountable.

Finally, I leave you with the promo video I helped create for my program at SMU.  Enjoy!

{This Could Be the Year}

This could be the moment.  I've been waiting my whole life to show the world the cards I'm holdin'.

Ok, that was a lyric from Ryan Star, but "this is it" seems to be a recurring theme for 2012.  Is it the Mayan "end of the world" prophecy that has everyone wanting to enjoy the here and the now?  Either way I look at it, this is going to be a critical year for me and it all boils down to choices.  

Here are my choices

I choose to get my Master of Science in Entrepreneurship degree.

I choose to take over as the Texas state coordinator for the Association of Bridal Consultants.

I choose yoga over most other commitments when possible.

Related, I choose to get a hotter, and stronger, body that will help me through it all.

I choose to take a risk based on my own experience and work ethic to start a new business.

I choose not to fail.  

I choose healthy teeth and if that means an extra two minutes in my nightly shut down routine, so be it.  

I choose my dogs.  I will find a way to give them a great backyard and still maintain my independence in a part of town I love.

I choose to be kind to our environment, my own body, and animals by not eating them.

Now... if I could only find a choice that would help me sleep better that isn't an addictive drug, I'd be set.  

{Build It and They Will Come?}

I have a mentor.  And two or three professors.  And some random financial guy/SMU executive MBA grad that all keep telling me the same thing...

"Build new."

Yeah, they think the Queen of the Trinity (the 1890s Queen Anne style historic landmark I want to buy and turn into an event venue) is a money pit and not worth the effort.  I can't deny this advice any longer since it has come from so many reliable and trusted sources.  In my style, I'd like to weigh the pros and cons of buying the old Victorian mansion on a hill versus building a new structure for the same purpose.  Feel free to comment with more pros and cons or your opinion on either.  

Buy Historic and Renovate

Pros:

• History
• Charm
• Great details in the architecture
• Convenient location to downtown FW and D/FW airport
• Beautiful natural scenery
• Riverfront access to future Trinity River Vision Project (10+ years down the road)
• National historic landmark
• Renovations will allow me to create the look and feel I want inside and out
• Can garner support of local historians and investors who want to see a local treasure restored
• Incorporate green elements such as new HVAC and recommissioning the rainwater collection well
• Not many direct competitors who are historic, have a lot of outdoor space and green elements

Cons:

• Expensive listing price
• Lots, lots, lots of work (landscaping, demolition, new kitchen, new baths, new siding, paint, every single last thing) which means lots, lots, lots of money!
• Could get neighborhood complaints
• All kinds of zoning and code headaches from city
• The unexpected (what will we find under each layer?)
• Not enough indoor space for larger events

Build New

Pros:

• Build a ballroom (Fort Worth in particular has a need for larger event spaces that are not hotels)
• Choose every detail and material used
• Make it as eco-friendly and efficient as I can afford
• Find reclaimed materials to incorporate
• Can build to "look" old/historic
• Bypass historical landmark restrictions or code issues on old houses
• Form focus group and let local event professionals tell me what they'd like to see in their ideal venue...and do it!
• Instant value/equity in the asset (hopefully)

Cons:

• Finding ideal location could be difficult
• No support from local historians/investors
• Competes now with other newly built "wedding venues" instead of unique historic venues (sigh)
• Could get pricey to build it the exact way I would want it
• No history to use as a differentiator

{Shot in the Arm}

Attending the Business of Brides, the Association of Bridal Consultants' annual conference, is often referred to by experienced planners as getting a "shot in the arm."  Those of us who have been around a while may not come home with tons of new information, but usually return with a reinvigorated passion for our industry.  How many times have you felt bored or even angry with your profession?  In the emotionally-draining work wedding planners do, it's very easy to feel beaten down and ready to change careers.  

I just returned from the fabulous Tremont Grand Plaza hotel in Baltimore (see right) where the conference was held.  I got to hear from celebrity planner Diann Valentine and magazine maven Grace Ormonde.   I learned tips for what to do if a less-than-honest new planner steals your work, picked up a few new design ideas that dazzle guests and enhance their experience, and got to hear from the true green wedding goddess (who really knows her facts), Kate Harrison of the Green Bride Guide.  In addition, I connected with all my old friends that I see year after year and met several more than can benefit my future growth. 

This was my 8th Business of Brides.  I attended my first one in 2004 just after deciding to start a wedding business.  I didn't have a name or business cards, but was welcomed with open arms into the community.  After seeing all the new Master Bridal Consultants get their designations, I was reminded about this blog and the reason for its creation.  My "Road to Master" is not only for my graduate degree, but also to become a Master Bridal Consultant...one of the most difficult designations to earn and most widely respected in our industry worldwide.  So, I came up with a plan that I will layout here (thus being held accountable to it):

1. Submit seminar topics for the 2012 conference so that I might present
2. Become Texas state coordinator (my term starts March 2012)
3. Grow my membership in Texas
4. Put in bid to host a future Business of Brides conference in D/FW
5. Oh yeah, start my venue and plan fabulous weddings that I can submit with my portfolio

So, that's not so hard, right?  I told you the standards are pretty high for Master Bridal Consultants, so I gotta step up!  

The Best Medicine...

I must tell you, however, that the best medicine for rejuvenating a worn out wedding planner is the sincere appreciation of our clients.  On the Saturday just before flying out to Baltimore, I had the pleasure of coordinating a wedding in a small town outside of Austin.  It was a Tara Wilson Events-styled wedding in a beautiful backyard for one of the sweetest brides you could ever imagine (I would post pics here but you never know, it could be in a magazine soon!).  Not only was she easy-going and genuinely thankful, but she and her fiance were cute as a button and totally in love.

Just as we had set up the big "send off," I give the bride's dress one last adjustment, hand her bouquet over, and send them up the hill where guests are waiting to toss dried herbs on them.  They are walking and are about to be upon the guests when she stops, turns, and runs over to me with arms wide open.  I am embraced as she tells me how wonderful the day has been and how thankful she was to have me there.  I smile and send them up over the crest and into the barrage of herbs, but a tear comes to my eye once I am alone.  

It doesn't matter that I was on my feet for 6 hours the day before doing set up or that I had stayed up until midnight (and some the following day) assembling their favors.  It doesn't matter that we froze our fingers off at 7am that morning while setting up the tables or got splinters when moving the wood chargers.  Every ounce of energy and drop of sweat is completely justified when you have a client like that.  For all you event professionals reading this blog, may you be showered in appreciation for everything you do.  

{The Facebook Fast}

For the month of October, I took a fast from Facebook.  I found myself completely addicted and spending hours upon hours on Facebook when I should be doing more productive things like study or write in this here blog, so I thought I would challenge myself to stay completely off of Facebook for the entire month.  So far, I've only been tricked a couple of times into opening up the webpage due to a link on Twitter or by searching for a business on Google and only coming up with their Facebook page.  

I've been tagged in posts, tagged in pictures, and have multiple new friend requests that I can't see.  It was frustrating not being able to see what people wanted with me, what event invitations I was missing out on, and of course, what everyone else was up to.  I became more active on Twitter, but it isn't the same.  What I miss most about Facebook is the interaction.  I can change my status and get a whole conversation going.  Additionally, most of my "friend" friends are not on Twitter.  My Twitter feed is mostly comprised of industry peeps, industry celebs (why yes, Duff Goldman from the show Ace of Cakes DID give me a shout out!), and news organizations.  While it provides me lots of useful information to follow these fine people, I think most of them don't know or care about what is going on with my life.  Some Facebook friends, on the other hand, really do seem to care.  

There are loads of people I consider "friends" due to the amount of online interaction between us who, turns out, were really only Facebook friends.  During this month, I've not spoken to many of them out here in the real world.  I honestly feel some relationships may have been set back due to my being "offline" FB.  My closest friends have said they can't wait until November so they can know what the heck I'm up to these days.  

And yeah, they don't really like it when I say "you can follow me @GreenGalTX on Twitter."  

My Addiction

I do pride myself on the fact that I always checked my email BEFORE checking Facebook first thing in the morning.  75% of Facebook users log on there first before checking their email and spend 6 hours a day browsing the site according to a survey I made up for the purposes of this blog post.  I am in front of a computer for at least 10 hours of every day and a tab with Facebook open was always my default webpage. To exemplify the extent of my addiction to Facebook, let me tell you about a dream I had about a week into my fast:

I'm planning a wedding...in Switzerland.  The bride's name is Greta and I'm on my way to the venue, riding in the back of a horse-drawn wagon full of hay.  However, I realize that I need to get some important information from my email, so I pull out an iPad and turn it on.  Lo and behold, Facebook was already open! Being that I am in the middle of Switzerland in a wagon and no one is around, I stealthily sneak a peek at my newsfeed.  

Yes, I really had that dream.  It was a scene much like the one to the right, but it was me instead of that shaggy dog in the back.  And an iPad.  Sigh.

Anyway, my point is that the Fast did nothing but prove to myself that I have some self control and I can avoid Facebook if I want to (knowing is half the battle), but it really has not made me feel like I could do without it or afford to be on it less often.  I would miss so much in my friends' lives if I were to log off permanently.  Old friendships that were re-forged through the miracle of Facebook would be lost again.  I'd never be "in the know" on cool events.

My online life is an open book.  Read my info page and flip through some of my photos and you can pretty much know everything there is about me in 5-10 minutes.  This is both a good and a bad thing.  My long lost friends could catch up, but new friends gained an almost instantaneous intimacy that might have taken months or even years to cultivate.  I recently started dating someone this month and guess what?  We're not Facebook friends, at least not for another few days.  He's had to get to know me the old fashioned way...through Google chat and texting.  All joking aside, it's nice to be able to share facts about myself in the right circumstances and have him be continually surprised at my varied interests.  In a few days, all the mystery goes away when I get back on Facebook.  That is, unless I decide not to accept his friend request.  {mischievous grin}

{Falling Leaves}

No, this post is not about my favorite season, but about a lesson I learned yesterday during yoga.  The teacher read a quote from the Buddha.  I couldn't find it online, but it goes something like this:

Buddha says that life is like a tree with many colored leaves.  Each one is at a different stage of maturity.  As leaves die and fall off, they become compost that nourish the tree and help it to keep growing.  So, you see, it is necessary for some parts of your life to die in order for new growth to occur.  What activity or obligation is sucking the life out of your tree?  Perhaps it is time to let it die so you can move on and grow from the nourishment it will provide as it composts into the ground.  

We were asked to make an intention around this quote.  I had to think about a part of me I am holding onto to, but should let die.  The first thing that came to mind was my wedding planning business in Wisconsin, but I am already letting it go by selling it.  But is that all?  No, I still have memorabilia on the walls of my office and I have files and files of past clients' weddings.  So, this is what I chose to focus on.  It's time to purge the stuff that went with Top Shelf Weddings & Events (of course, I won't do this until the sale is final, but you get the idea).  

I am at a standstill with my new venture and I need motivation to move forward.  Perhaps by purging this old life, I can begin the new one.  And the experience of those leaves will nourish me as new buds sprout.  Or some some such other metaphor.  

{Fried Bubblegum}

If you live in North Texas, then you know exactly what the title is all about.  It's an award-winning new item sold at the State Fair of Texas.  It is an annual tradition for most North Texans to go to the fair every October from childhood to retirement.  Every year it's the same thing, with perhaps one or two vendors or bands switched out.  What makes this tradition so appealing and full of nostalgia?  I'll tell you a little bit of my favorite things divided into four distinct categories.

People watching

It's like "People of Walmart" meets the Failblog.  I saw so many teeny tiny shorts worn with knee high boots (cowboy, most often) that I almost got whiplash.  I saw tons of people who could have weighed tons (not really, but you get my point).  Children running everywhere or strapped to a leash or stroller.  Most often, people were walking and eating, eating and walking...which leads to my next subject...

Food

The whole point of the fair is to eat all the crap they serve.  Where else can you get this stuff unless you make it at home in your industrial deep fryer?  Between my parents and myself, we had the following:

 - Fried Bubblegum (really a bubblegum flavored marshmallow fried with a sticky sugary sauce on top)

 - 3 shots of wine ("tasting")

 - one veggie street taco

 - two Fletcher's corn dogs

 - fried shrimp basket with fries

 - two free Borden's ice cream cones  

 - one nutty bar 

 - three Shiner Bock beers

Exhibits

Typically we'd go through the automobile building, but none of us were particularly interested in new cars.  Plus, that always takes forever to walk through.  We did, however, participate in a Chevy exhibit outside where we got to test drive the new Sonic and then test drive any other vehicle they own (I took the Volt for a spin, it was cool!).  My dad had to drive a Camaro.  It was the first car he owned, and first one he wrecked as a teenager, so it will always hold a special place in his heart.

Dad talked us out of seeing all the arts and crafts that people submit for ribbons.  I did manage to convince them to see the large butter sculpture.  It's never usually that interesting, but it's, you know, a tradition.  In that strain, I got to see Elise and little Beauregard in the dairy area as well.  

In walking through the marketplace areas, we sampled chips and salsas, told a bunch of people "we aren't interested" and acquired very little in the way of random brochures and flyers.  An amazing feat!  Honestly, there are some things in the general store that I'd probably purchase and take home, but who wants to carry that stuff around or make a trip back there to get it at the end of the day when all you want to do is get in the car and take off your shoes?  

Of course, we paid our respects to Big Tex.  Boy, has he gotten chatty!  All he did was spout out advertisements and "thank yous" to sponsors while we were in his presence.  I don't think I even got a "Howdy, folks!"  He reminds me of my grandfather in the way he wears his jeans and boots, the shape of his face.

Rides

Immediately after we parked, we saw this ride that has the swinging seats and it goes in a circle.  But this ride goes up high in the air and spins!  My dad and I both agreed that we would ride this ride at the end of the day.  After we watched the parade, we made our way to the Midway.  Carnivals are typically high on sensory overload, but when it's on the scale of the State Fair, well, it's downright mesmerizing.  Blinking, blurry lights, "chingy" sounds, loud announcers, bustling kids, suspicious teenagers, sticky concrete.  

Many of the rides and attractions (like fun houses) have been there forever.  My dad pointed out several that my granddad always made a point to ride when they would go back in the 50s.  Can you imagine?  When I was younger, I did quite enjoy the fun houses.  Who were they kidding?  I can totally walk up this zig zag walkway and find my way through a series of mirrors.  It's not that hard!  Plus, it reminded me of Grease.  

We finally arrived at the ride, aptly named "Vertigo," ready for our maiden voyage on her dizzying swings.  Crap!  It's 12 coupons instead of 10.  Anyway, we got the one 50 cent coupon we needed and Dad and I boarded.  It was nothing crazy, but I have realized that in my older age, I have become more sensitive to motion sickness.  I got dizzy in the head, even when trying to find a focal point at each spin.  The moon was full and we got a view of it and the rest of the Midway, Fair Park, and Dallas.  Texas Star, the infamous Ferris wheel, shown bright.  

When we got down, we both admitted to feeling woozy and imbalanced.  I'm surprised my dad drove home because I don't think I could have.  After a quick pit stop at my parents' house in Grand Prairie, I headed home.  I still felt light headed from the effects of the Vertigo.  I just knew I'd have crazy dreams about the food, the lights, the experience; but I think I was just too worn out to dream!  So concludes another year of State Fair excitement.  Until next year!