My 31^st birthday… What an awesome day! My mom took Aristana the evening of the 26^th, so I could have most of today to myself. It was such a great gift!

I slept in until 8:00ish. After a couple of “Happy Birthday!” phone calls, I got ready to head out. First, I went to get my nails done. I’m getting more girly, so I love getting my nails done now. Next, I headed out to the Atlanta Bread Company, where I ordered an iced tea, and WI-FI. I looked at the new lia Sophia catalogs, and figured out what I wanted to order first.

My dad stopped by about an hour and a half into my camping out. We hung out for about an hour, and he went on his way. It was great to spend some time with him again.

I stayed at ABC for another hour and a half, ordering Penne pasta with pesto sauce, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, and chicken. YUM! Lots of leftovers to take home.

I went home for a little bit, to find two boxes waiting at my front door, from lia sophia. My first official order from the new catalog arrived, along with the order from my show. Awesome…

I left the house around 3:30, and went over to Looks Unlimited in Ashwaubenon, to get a hair cut. Cheryl, my beautician, also gives scalp massages… I love that part!

From there, I met Mike at Tucsons, for dinner. Again, lots of leftovers to take home.

Now I’m at my mom’s house, back to normal, getting ready for another early morning tomorrow. I’ll be heading up to Sturgeon Bay, to sell my mom’s artwork at the farmers’ market. 364 more days until I get to do this again! At least I have enough leftovers to last for a few days.

A BIG THANKS to everyone for the birthday wishes, cards, and gifts. I appreciate everything!

And the Winners Are...

Thank you to everyone who participated in my "lia sophia Big Giveaway & Last Chance" show. I have finally completed the drawing. As a reminder, entries were earned by:
RSVPing (Yes or No): 1
Coming to the show: 1
Bringing a guest or outside order: 3
Placing an order: 3
For each $50.00 spent: 3
Booking a show: 10

*Note: If you won an actual jewelry piece, from the current catalog, it will be given/shipped to you, at the end of July. I will need them for shows until that time.

Door Prizes (Collectors Piece, and extra goodies):
Renee Natzke
Kriss Kiel
Molly Bubolz

$5.00 Gift Certificate Winners:
Bev Schumacher
Carol Schultz
Marlis Hinz
Molly Bubolz (2)
Renee Natzke (2)
Yvonne Krutz

$10.00 Gift Certificate Winners:
Julie Schumacher
Shelly Pagel
Yvonne Krutz

$25.00 Gift Certificate Winners:
Kris Schumacher
Kriss Kiel
Lauren Kiel
Renee Natzke
Roxanne Siekmann
Lisa Arentz

Hostess Bonus Item Purchase Privilege:
Heather Natzke
Julie Puyleart
Kriss Kiel

Eclectic Necklace, Page 9 in the current catalog:
Kriss Kiel

Mingle Necklace, Page 9 in the current catalog:
Mary Kresal

Midas Touch Set (Earrings & Necklace) Page 25 in the current catalog:
Julie Schumacher

Sea Grass Necklace, Page 32 in the current catalog:
Lisa Arentz

Soleil Necklace, Page 34 in the current catalog:
Shelly Maertz

Minted Earrings, Page 44 in the current catalog:
Sarah Kinate

Euphoria Necklace, Page 53 in the current catalog:
Lauren Kiel

Bellagio Bracelet Collectors Piece: Sarah Dufresne

Splendor Earrings Collectors Piece: Molly Bubolz

Concerto Bracelet Collectors Piece: Deb Grothman

CONGRATS TO YOU ALL! If you don't hear from me within the next few days, with arrangements to get the item to you, I will be sending it to you, in the mail.

Thank you all! I will be planning on doing this giveaway show about every six months. I'll see you at the next one, in January!

Maggie

Conference Day 2

2008-06-12

It’s 6:30am, and I’m hanging out here, in the Hyatt lobby area, informing you, the imaginary person who reads my blog, of my whereabouts.

Okay, lia Sophia really knows how to put on a show! The events officially started last night, at the US Cellular Arena, in downtown Milwaukee. I thought we were going there to spend three hours clapping for all the advisors and managers who made something of this past year. I didn’t know that I’d leave, feeling that I was at some sort of concert.

First, we got to meet the Kiam family, and the lia Sophia “big guys.” I love Tory! He’s adorable… He refers to himself as the C.H.O. of lia Sophia (Chief Hugging Officer). Everyone who got an award got a b

ig hug from Tory. Jen W and I decided that we too, will hug Tory next year.

Next, music started, and a lady with a beautiful voice (but in a very interesting and elaborate costume) began to sing. All of a sudden, we realized that it was a Circue Du Soleil act. It was spectacular. I don’t ever get too dramatic about entertainment, but this was on a whole other level. The strength and abilities of these people are truly amazing.

Next, they had a surprise entertainer for us. Anita Renfroe, a comedienne, and absolutely hilarious. I actually pulled a tiny muscle in my chest, from laughing so hard. She sang a song about moms, that was to die for. Click here to see it on Youtube. Her act revolved around motherhood…so in an arena consisting of about 98% women, it was a riot.

Our featured speaker today, was Stacy London, from TLC's "What Not To Wear." She is just as AWESOME as she seems on the show. She is also a fantastic speaker!

Okay, today we had some breakout sessions, some raffles, a tornado warning, torrential downpour, a close call with a lightening bolt, and a bus driver who took us 45 minutes out of the way... we ended our evening with dinner (again, we were one out of three buses, and ended up going all the way to the airport, instead of dinner), then Comedy Sportz. Good times... I was able to get on a different bus, on the way back.

Comedy Sportz was a blast, being with our team. It's always so fun going with a group. Also, they had a bunch of those mirrors that make your body look different. In the bathroom, they had one that made you look reeeeally skinny. It was awesome! You can see, that we were having fun with it. I know, I didn't want to leave the bathroom. Jen W would've taken the mirror, but couldn't fit it under her shirt. Oh well.

Conference Day 1

Day one, lia Sophia conference

Pam, Mel, Julie, Jen, Barb, Susan and I met in Allouez, and all headed down to Milwaukee, for the 2008 lia sophia conference. I am so blessed to be involved with such a great group of ladies!

So far, we attended a presentation by Pat Pearson. It was pretty informative…although I found myself zoning quite a bit. I haven’t been to school, or any situation where I was there for the specific purpose of learning, in quite a while. I am a complete airhead today… I went walking down the streets of Milwaukee today, by myself, practically saying “easy target” with my lia Sophia badge and big blue bag. About two blocks down, I decided that I really didn’t know where I was going, and pictured being the star of a CSI or Law & Order show. I know I’m paranoid, but now that I have a family to be responsible to, I think of those things more. Although, I am probably more likely to be attacked by a pole or wall, as I walk into it, at the rate I’m going today.

I really think that I’m not getting enough vitamins right now, because I really am having a rough time with fatigue and just feeling “off.”

Weight Update - 06/08/08

51 Pounds Down / 109 to go!

It's been a rough week, considering I didn't lose the three pounds until yesterday. Plateaus, even short ones, are horrible! But, WOOHOO! I broke the 50 pound milestone!

As always, the struggles are there. For instance, any of you who know "Zestys," know that they have awesome custard. The problem is, they have awesome custard less than a block away from our house....and directly on our walking path. So far, since reopening on June 1st, we haven't eaten there...and I'm pretty positive that I'll be okay.

Update... one of my goals was to fit comfortably in a seat at Miller Park... we went to the Brewer game on June 1st, and my bum fit happily in the seat!!! It seems funny to be excited about something like that, but it definitely put a huge smile on my face!

My clothes, even the ones I've purchased since surgery, are getting very loose. I started using a belt on my jeans that were having trouble staying on. Now, however, I'm having to make new holes in my belts. What a tough issue to have, huh? Believe me, I praise God every time I have trouble finding something to wear.

I'll talk again soon...Bye

I'm Hangin' Tough!

I'm like totally in my middle school mode again. I just got tickets for the New Kids on the Block concert, in October!!! Woohoo! Whoever thought they'd be getting back together again? Not only are they "back on the block," but their concerts are actually selling out! We got main floor tickets, so we should be close enough for them to hear us screaming like pre-teens again. My sister, my kind-of-cousin (twice removed, once put back, through marriage - in law) and I will be going. I am giddy...actually giddy! I no longer want to marry any of them, but the New Kids were honestly my first love, and it will be so awesome to relive that for a few hours. Wow, I am such a dork!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

We piled in the van at 7am, traded Aristana for Nate, and picked up Jeremy & Heather. After picking up Lis in Cedarburg, we were on our way to Miller Park, for a game that would be decided in the first few innings, against the Houston Astros.

We met Ben, Bill, Jeremy and Amanda, and had an awesome tailgate party, in perfect weather, with perfect parking, right in front of the big Miller Park sign. It was Ryan Braun Bobble Head Day, so we each got a fun gift to bring home with us. The Brew Crew managed to hit great, sometimes two at-bats in an inning... beating the Astros, 10 to 1.

During the third inning, I got up to walk around and get something to eat. I had to watch Ryan Braun's homer on a TV, inside the "Fan Zone" (gift shop). However, I did manage to stand field level, behind home plate for a bit, and saw another home run, this time from Russell Branyan.

After the game, we tailgated again, played catch, and just waited for the cars to clear from the lot. It was a long day, but again, perfect. We really couldn't have asked for a better day...maybe better seats, but not a better day.