Sunflower Field

The 1st day of my 4-day birthday weekend, my mom and I headed towards Amish country, stopped at fresh markets, where I bought my favorite giant blackberries and a bouquet of flowers, and we found a beautiful sunflower field.

What I love about sunflowers is, the face of a sunflower always follows the sun. 

The market provides clippers and it is only $5 for as many sunflowers as you can hold in one hand. I found myself strolling through this sunflower field admiring their beauty. The flowers are so majestic and stand tall.

It was a lovely start to a long weekend and my flowers are so pretty on my patio. 

How It Feels To Turn 50

Fifty feels like contentment, which is something that would have made me hurl in my twenties. But 'contentment' is great, as is calm, tranquil, easygoing, relaxed and chilled. 

I know how I feel about most things in my life. - Author Unknown

I turn 50 this weekend and when I read this, I couldn't agree more. 

Being in a far better place in my life and accomplishing on my own (with God) what I have, reaching some pretty significant goals with buying my new home, losing weight and feeling great, and professionally, I can say 50 feels pretty awesome!

To think when I was 39 years old turning 40, I had a an elective partial hysterectomy as part of my 40's & fabulous life. That is a highly recommended decision. 

Turning 50, I bought a beautiful new home, which has become quite the entertainment destination and I've created a list of 50 things I want to do for my birthday/this summer, and having fun checking off my list. 

It's a beautiful place in life and I laugh at the 20's, 30's, and early 40's year old me who thought my life would most likely be over by 50, that I would be settled and matronly. I couldn't have been more wrong.

50's, I welcome you! I embrace you and I laugh in delight at this new & beautiful season in my life that is so unexpectedly serene and freeing and blessed.

Cheers to 50!

A Warm Summer Night

It was a warm summer night. After picking up my house and deck from the afternoons festivities, I retreated into my oasis and floated in the quiet.

The air still very warm, the sun hot on my skin, with a gentle breeze, I closed my eyes to feel the crescendo of summer wrapped around me and listened to the noises you don't notice when your eyes are open.

The soft splash of the water and the ripple it makes when I lift my toes out of the water. 

The sunshine sparkling off the water on a quiet evening. The sounds of the birds that have made this neighborhood their home with its massive trees, and the sound of my umbrella flapping ever so slightly in a breeze.

The water is warmed to walk right into, yet cool enough to refresh. 

My pool and floating chair is a perfect retreat on a very warm summer night.

A Spontaneous Day Trip

A spontaneous day trip turned into a surprisingly fun find!

One of my dearest girlfriends, Charlotte, from my youth is turning 50 years old two weeks after me. She said she created a list of 50 things she wants to do for herself for her birthday. I love that idea and so my list began.

#11 - Road trip to favorite winery.

Brooke and I picked a direction and made a day of it.

Giving myself grace, I enjoyed bread, crackers, and a bite of cheesecake. By the way, there is soft & warm brie under the apples, strawberries, and blueberries.

For Brooke, it started days before with finding a great pair of shoes. When she didn't have anything to wear with them, I said let's find something! In her pretty new top and matching shoes, Brooke is all matchy with her nails, watch, shorts and purse. 

A day in the sunshine, appetizers, dessert, and for me the delicious treat of Honey wine. This is what daughter/girlfriends days are made of. 

I knew if we headed north to the lake, we would find something along the way, which landed us in a beautiful, beach historical downtown, filled with flowers, quaint shops, lovely homes, a beach, and all the vacation feels.

It was a gorgeous day, delicious wine, quaint town, beach, and find. 

Shocking Twists

When my grandson, Rowan, was a newborn, Sofia would clobber him. She did not appreciate sharing the limelight.

They are best friends today. I had my babies last night and as we were snuggling on the couch at the end of the evening, watching Mickey Mouse, Rowan would reach over and pull her hair over and over.

I would say, "No, brothers" over and over. Sofia didn't mind at all. She's crazy about her brother and will often run over to tickle him to make him laugh. She's very protective of him and they are crazy about each other.

Laid back, totally chill, loves to smile, laugh, and be held and snuggled, he's content letting his sister be the boss and he doesn't seem to mind finding another toy to play with when everything he touches, his sister takes.

Rowan knows their special snacks cupboard at my house and it makes me smile when Sofia walks through the door asking, "a sUrPrIsE fOr mE!" and Rowan walks to their snacks cupboard and reaches up. He doesn't talk yet and I like knowing when he wants something. Reminds me of my childhood, walking through my grandma's door and her saying, "There's pop in the frig and cookies in the cookie jar."

Big Grammy

When my daughter, Mariah, was little and learning to talk, my mom wanted to be called Grammy. It became decades of laughter when Mariah wouldn't say Grammy; rather, Gaggy. It still makes me laugh. I remember walking into the bank where my mom worked and Mariah shouting, "GAGGY!" and my mom saying, "Would you please teach her to say Grammy!"

Sofia's name for me has changed by the month and she alternates different names how she refers to me. Sometimes I am Grinny, Ganny, Granny, Grandma, and she asks me what my name is and twice has called me Dawn. She is also at that age where she calls her mom & dad by their first name, which is so funny.

She has both me and my mom, two grandmas, and she has another name:  Big Grammy.

Go ahead and laugh!

When I first heard this, it felt like karma from when Mariah was little. We couldn't figure out which one Big Grammy was, with my mom taller than me.

Here, I'm the Grammy with the big house. My mom is Great Grammy.

Thank God my name forever changes and now she will just say the big house.

One day... my Mariah is going to be a grandma. I can only wait!

Employee Spotlight

One would think my being in sales, winning the Sales Person of the Year (2019) Award, and COVID throwing a major wrench in my events, that it would throw me off my game.

Nope.

[I'm laughing] I do say all the time in the office, "If your not first, your last." I've made a competition out of the COVID pandemic. There are still ways to compete for mental stimulation and personal challenge sake.

First, it was the how do you handle brides and event cancellations gracefully and become the advocate for brides who are devastated. I came up with four alternatives that made them feel they had the power of choice.

With the re-opening from quarantine and now the stinking mask mandate that is unraveling those who are hosting events, I've had to search out our county health department mandatory guidelines for doing events, write how they will look, and train my team. We've done a couple events and we've got it down to a science.

Corporate called. They want to know how I'm doing and when I shared what I've done, I've been asked to take photos, videos, and write out our processes to share across the country, because other locations just aren't getting it.

Oh, I was pleased at punch to share the details, down to staff training details, health department guidelines and signage, event set up, through staff temperature checks, to event processes through sanitizing after events.

Today on a nationwide sales team call with 150 locations, we were asked different questions how we were handling processes. A couple contributed semi-okay ideas, most shared how difficult it was, and many are increasing their rates. Dare I say that doing an event under COVID mandatory guidelines is actually easier on my staff then a full blown, highly detailed event. COVID keeps the processes simple.

I contributed solid content as to what I am doing now and shared detail to about 8 different things I am working on during this craziness. I didn't need to touch the re-opening process topic, because they were told I've done it and they would be receiving it. 

After my contribution after contribution after contribution and hearing my name time and time again across the county on today's call, I'm sure they are sick of me. 

Just wait until the August All Staff Call.

A VP from corporate (in another state) reached out to to have a phone conversation with me. That was surprising as the general manager has worked for the company for 10+ years and has never been contacted. 

Wait for it...

The monthly All Staff Call is all managers from 150 locations join a call and I am going to be the nationwide employee they are going to Spotlight with my initiative and thriving during a pandemic. Corporate called to let me know and to say thank you. 

WINNER WINNER!! 

Like I always say, "If your not first, your last."