Is it really over?

Well, it's three days past Christmas, and I think we're officially done with our busy schedule. We're not doing anything in particular for New Years Eve, so it'll be pretty quiet around here.

First things first. Happy and sad announcements...

I want to express my heartfelt sympathy to Julie and Andrew Schumacher, and Julie's family, for the loss of her grandmother at Christmas. I only had the chance to talk with her a couple times over the years. However, seeing that she was a strong polish woman with amazing vitality, made me love her immediately. I know you will miss her completely. We're praying for your family.

Next, on the opposite spectrum, I want to give a big Congratulations to Mike and Jackie Krutz on their wedding! The were married in November, in Texas. Yesterday, Dave and Yvonne Krutz put on a beautiful reception for them, at the Lambeau Field Atrium, for all of us who weren't at the wedding, to be able to celebrate with them. We had a great time, and are so glad to be part of such a great group of friends. Congrats!

We also celebrated Shelly Stock's soon-to-be motherhood, with a baby shower in Wayside. Despite a very nerve-wracking drive through the dense fog, we all showed up, and had a wonderful time. I had a blast playing the 1950's version of Baby Bingo, with many terms we have no clue about now. I even won! Woohoo! Thanks to her calling "enema" I got bingo. :) Boy, time's have changed. Congrats again to Shelly.

Back to Christmas. On Christmas Day, we started at noon, at Carol Puyleart's house with a delicious meal. We all took part in our gift exchange, which is always a great time. I ended up with adorable condiment dishes, which Julie S brought. We are so blessed to have such a great family. They're always so fun to catch up with.

From there, we headed down to Neenah, for some family time at the Kiel's house. Aristana had a blast playing with the kids, and the adults chatted away the whole evening.

On the 26th, we joined the Tesch side of the family for tree hopping. We started out at the Puyleart's again, and worked on finishing up their leftovers. Next, was Sharen's (and Chuck's)apartment. Aristana had a blast staring at the white, lit, spinning Christmas tree in the bedroom, and the upside-down tree in the living room. Not to mention, the huge array of snacks kept her going too.

...and again, we are left saying, "I can't believe it's over already." I just have to say, if you are one of those people who says "I can't wait for Christmas to be over!," then you need to seriously re-evaluate your life and priorities. This special time of year is meant to be joyous. We are celebrating the birth of our savior. Allowing yourself to get caught up in the commercialism of the holiday, is your own fault. It IS stressful. It IS hectic. But NEVER EVER EVER EVER should we lose sight of the very reason we celebrate the holiday in the first place. We owe it to ourselves, our families, and especially our children to have fun, and remember that there is magic in this beautiful season! We grow up so fast, and forget that there are people who count on us to make it special!

Thank you to each and every one of you who helped make this the best Christmas yet. I thank God for the health and happiness of Aristana...nothing else matters! I am still in awe, every day, that God would trust us with his child. I love this little girl so much!!!

Christmas Eve

Hello and blessings on your Christmas! Christmas Eve and Christmas Day seem to come so fast, and pass by just as quickly. The excitement seems to bring out an inner child, if only for two days of the year. I think having a child makes it that much more fun too!

Aristana still hasn't fully grasped the concept of Santa yet. She knows what he looks like, and that he brings presents. However, unfortunately, she still doesn't understand the "he knows if you've been bad or good" part. So no bribery quite yet. Maybe next year...

Funny story... On Dec 23rd morning, having been snowed in too much already this winter, we went to the mall. We had a great time in the play area, and shopping at Old Navy. She really was a great shopping buddy! We were having a treat in the food court, which was pretty packed, when Aristana gasped loudly, and followed with "Mama!," like something was wrong. She had everyone's attention around her, when I asked what was wrong. She pointed to the television and said, "Mama! Joe Biden on TV!" She was treated to a bunch of giggles, and people smiling at her. Then, the camera panned back to the African-American news caster, prompting her to follow with, "Mama! Barack Obama on TV!" With red cheeks, I smiled at those looking on at the situation. What a girl. By the way, if you would like to see her politics video, I will try to add it to this blog. If you don't see it, you can see it on my Facebook profile, or look up "Aristana Politics" on youtube.com. I'm working with dial-up, mainly, so I might not get the video on here right away.

Anyway, we started our Christmas eve, at Mike's parents' house for lunch. Shelly and Rob are in town, so It was great to see Shelly's baby bump. I'm so excited for them! Nate, Matty, Abby, Rod and Barb rounded out the family list. We had a great lunch and opened our gifts. I got some gift cards for clothing! Woohoo! I have a great problem that my clothes are not fitting very well anymore, and my clothing choices are really starting to disappear.

Aristana got books, DVDs, clothing(she has the opposite issue. She hit a growth spurt in the last few weeks, and until yesterday, only had four shirts that covered her belly, since it seems her torso is growing taller...not necessarily her legs. For fun of looking back at this blog, I'll list her sizes. Shirts-3T, Pants-2T, Skirts-12months, PJ's-3T, Dresses 2T-3T. She's not so proportionate, I guess. She also got food, dishes, and pots and pans for her kitchen. She also got a Fisher Price Farmyard bowling set, and a few other things.

We continued on to church. Considering Aristana woke up early, and hadn't had a nap by this time, she and I spent the service in the "quiet room." It's great to go to services at Zion. I love that church, and the people there!

Finally, we did a quick version of show and tell, after church, since we whipped through opening gifts so fast, earlier. From there, we drove back to Green Bay, to have dinner at my father, and step-mother's house. We all brought our favorite food to make, so there was quite an array of choices.

We had a great time, with Dad, Nancy, Adam, Steph, Kevin, Cliff, Sarah, Paloma, Atticus, Hattie, and their dog Trixie. I love the laid back atmosphere of that family. It's truly eat, drink and be merry! Unfortunately, Lauren couldn't make it this year, so that was a bummer. Hopefully next year, the two boys that Cliff and Sarah are adopting from Haiti will be there to celebrate with us! We can't wait to see you, Keenan and Miles!

We opened even more gifts, and Aristana was so excited to receive a kid's acoustic guitar. Now she can play hers, while Dad plays his.

Now, it's 11:30 pm, and I should really hit the sack, so we can do this again tomorrow. We start at Mike's aunt and uncle's house, at noon. Next, off to Neenah, to my brother's house. Then, the 26th brings some shopping, and tree hopping in the evening. Finally, on the 27th, we have Shelly's baby shower in the morning, then a wedding reception in the evening.

Sorry again, for being so boring. On that note, enjoy the rest of your year, and I'm sure I'll post again soon!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Again, I have fallen behind at keeping up my blog. Time flies so fast, and with that, Aristana grows just as fast. By the time I blog, I've missed so many things. I'll try to recap.

As you know from my last couple entries, I was in Florida at the end of November. I returned a few days prior to Thanksgiving, which we hosted at our house. I look back at the memories of spending holidays at my Grandma Threse and Grandpa Greg Omernick's house. It was something I always looked forward to. Now as the years have passed, and they're no longer with us, it's sometimes difficult to keep traditions going. I am so honored to have had my family over, to celebrate. I practiced making a turkey a couple months back, so I had everything ready. Not to toot my own horn, but everything was delicious...TOOT TOOT!

A few days later, Aristana turned two, and I had some jewelry shows, which kept me busy. Aristana is such a motivation in my lia sophia business, and gives me a much needed pep rally before I go out to work. Before every show, we sing and dance to the song "Unwritten" by Natasha Beddingfield. Then, we both shout, "I am amazing!" She follows up with a "Mama mazin!" It's really powerful, and after doing my presentation once when she wasn't home, I truly missed it.

That next weekend, we celebrated Aristana's 2nd birthday. Can you believe it? I cannot believe she's two already. Yet part of me can't believe she's only two. Weird. We had a party at the Guesthouse Inn, in Bellevue, where everyone could go swimming, in the nice heated pool, while the snow fell outside the large windows. It was such a nice time, and we really enjoyed seeing everyone again. I wish I would have been able to talk with the guests a little more, but pretty much knew going into it, that I'd be the "errand girl." Anyone looking for a great winter birthday idea, this is it. We had a party with about 80 guest, including swimming, and a meal, for about $150. Mama Mazin? I think so ;)

Aristana was able to indulge in her first Green Bay Gamblers hockey game this past week too. She really had a great time, and loved the box seats. I sure hope she doesn't think that box seats are the norm. Unfortunately, just
as we were about to leave, she tripped down the steps, and hit a plastic arm rest on the way. The hockey players may have been fighting, but she looked like she took the hits.

A few more shows, some Christmas shopping, our weekly trip to the Little Gym, and we are now in the present tense.

We are looking forward to spending more time with our families in the next couple weeks. Mike's sister and brother-in-law, Shelly and Rob, will be coming up from the St. Louis area too. We are so excited to see the baby bump, and let Aristana feel it too. I can't wait for our new niece or nephew to arrive! I think holidays will continue to get more exciting, as the years go by.

Whew! I'm finally caught up! Until next time...hopefully sooner than later. Have a very blessed Christmas, and remember to sing Happy Birthday to our savior Jesus Christ!

~Maggie

On the way home

I have had such a great trip! I set some goals for myself, that I knew would be difficult to achieve:
- $800 in sales.
- four bookings
- two potential recruits

Here's what I'm at so far:
-1400 in sales (expecting more orders)
-four bookings (three in Jax, one in Orlando, & 2 more potentials)
-I gave out 5 recruiting packets

Things went so well! I had a great time in Jax. I went to dinner with Nate Bryhan at the Mellow Mushroom, and had some great pizza! The next day was my show. Katerina, my recruit from my last trip, came along with me, so I got to know her a little better. The show was lots of fun. about four of them were at the last show, and I was really looking forward to seeing them again. If I was single w/ no kids, I'd want to have them as my friends. I love listening to their stories of dating, and they always welcome me as a friend. I'll be seeing them again in March. Julie had a nice show, good sales, and lots of bookings.

Then next day, I had a nice drive to Orlando, and the temp got up to 65 degrees. Everyone was wearing jackets. I laughed, but realized I too was friggin freezing after a little bit. I had the heat on in my room the entire time I was in Orlando.

I ended up selling about another $400 in jewelry, creating another show, and getting a show booked at the Crabby Bills restaurant at the Clarion Hotel in Orlando, in March. Also, the owner of the restaurant asked for some catalogs to hand out at Thanksgiving. However, I just checked my voicemail, and she called to let me know that she already has a couple hundred in orders...in one day! I had no intentions of bringing out the lia sophia in Orlando, but it ended up being a huge chunk of my stay. Also, I have two potential recruits in Orlando now, as well.

Jonathan came to the hotel when I checked in, and we went over to Animal Kingdom. We rode Expedition Everest twice, and checked out the bats, tigers, and a couple animals I can't name. We saw the Nemo show too, which was very cute! We rode "Dinosaur," which was much better this time. It scared me pretty bad last time...yeah, I know...grow up.

From there, we headed to Epcot. My toes were numb by this point, and we were both shivering. I remember hanging out in the Disney shops, trying to get my share of the air conditioning, but this time, it was completely opposite. It was so cold! We rode the newly renovated Spaceship Earth, Mexico ride, and Maelstrom in Norway. We also went to the Seas with Nemo and friends.

After that, we went to the Boardwalk resort to go to Jellyrolls! Anyone who knows me well, knows that my favorite place to be, other than home, is Jellyrolls. We had such a great time, as always, and I kept thinking of all the people I'd love to have there with me. I only requested two songs this time, but left before either were played. I fell in love with the beer "Landshark." It's Jimmy Buffett's beer, and is brewed in none other than Jacksonville. Guess where I'll have to go, next time I'm in Jax?.?.? It's kind of like Corona or Bud Light Lime. Yummy!

Saturday, I recovered for a little, in the morning. I did some more lia sophia work, then met up with Jonathan again. This time, we hung out at the Hollywood Studios, and went on my two favorites...Tower of Terror and Rockin Rollercoaster. We also went on the Backlot Tour, where Jonathan's new beau works. He's really nice, and has eyes to die for. Good luck Jonathan! For dinner, I had an awesome meal of coconut shrimp, garlic mashed potatoes, and hush puppies. The best part? It was comped. The owner of the restaurant picked up the tab, because I gave her a deal on the jewelry. It was reeeeeally good.

So now, here I am, living in the Memphis airport. I just watched the Jets spank the Titans (did I mention that I'm in Tennessee?). It was great to see the Titans lose.

Okay, done for now. Talk to you later!

Okay, so things were great after Detroit. I got my own seat on the flight to Jacksonville, in a reeeeally comfy seat.

Then, knowing I'd probably end up with a Yaris or something, since I'm cheap, they gave me a free upgrade to a Volvo! I can't really figure out how to use it, aside from driving, since there are so many fun things on it. I'll have to spend the evening reading the owners manual.

Next, after taking two wrong turns, I made it to my hotel. While checking in at the hotel, the fire alarm went off, and the fire department stopped by. Nothing but excitement.

I got to go to dinner with Nate Bryhan, so it was good to see him again.

Well, I'm going to practice for my show now. See you later!

Heading Back to FL

I’m warning you. This may bore you to death. When I sit around, waiting for the plane, I write everything on my mind. Even I get bored! You may not want to waste your time.
So here I am at the Austin Straubel Airport, about ½ hour from boarding. I’m heading back to Jacksonville for another show, and to spend some time with a couple great friends. I have a whole different mindset this time, understanding better, my goals and my approach. I have learned a lot about goal setting since the beginning of my journey with lia Sophia. My goals for this trip are to get an $800 show, four bookings, and two potential recruits. It’s a stretch, but that’s the fun of accomplishing goals, right? I wish people understood how great it is to host a show. Somehow, explaining that a hostess gets an average of $400 in free jewelry, and many other bonus items, doesn’t get through to ladies. They’ll spend over $200 on their order, for a few things, but are afraid the hostess specials are too good to be true. THEY’RE NOT!
I am so glad to be a part of this company. I am looking forward to the future, and finding out where I’m going. I think I want to blog my goals, so I feel more accountable…and less likely to lower the standards.
I will have seven team members by July
I will average over $3000 in sales each month, from July on forward.
I will attend Success Camp in January
I will attend conference in June
I will earn the company trip for one this year.
I will receive the Ruby level for the 2010 conference (tracking June’09-May’10)
I will receive the Ruby level for sales for the 2010 conference (tracking June’09-May’10)
Earn a $30,000 income in 2010.
I’m sure I will have more as time goes by, but this is what I’m shooting for at this time.
We’re getting ready to board. See you in Detroit!
So, I’m in Detroit. I remember a few years ago, this airport being a s***hole. It was old and filthy. In a few places, I’m actually reminded of Disney. They have a really nice fountain in the concourse I arrived at. One of the walkways plays sounds of a thunderstorm, while you’re walking through a tunnel with lighting on the walls and ceiling that matches. They also have a tram running right through it all. Oh yeah, not to mention the cue lines at the restaurants, and the high prices for food.

We're good to go!

Ironically (and expected), Aristana started to feel better only a few days after going to the Childrens Hospital. She pulled this on us a few times before, so we didn't get our hopes up too high. However, this time, she just kept on getting better. We're at almost three weeks now, with normal diapers! Her specialist decided to cancel the scopes, since the risks now outweigh the benefits. Thank you Jesus!

On a new note...we did end up going to urgent care today... Apparently we just can't stay away. Aristana was dancing in her room, and spinning like the wild girl she is. She tripped over her rug, and her eye/upper cheek met with the knob on her bottom dresser drawer. Things are looking good, and we just need to watch her. She even knows how to say "shiner" now. :) We stopped by the lab after, to say hi to Amanda, Mel, and Pam. She got all tattooed up, and was content once again.

Thank you again for all your prayers. Hopefully we are truly at the end of a two month ordeal!