The blog is on the move.....

Well the blog has already moved!  This blog is currently tied to my old email address, and the address to the blog was not so fitting for describing US, as it was just ME, so I have created a new address and all new blog entries from now moving forward can be found at: http://dancingthehokeypokey.blogspot.com 

See you there!!

Back to life, Back to reality...

Getting back to reality has been rough - turns out, even rougher than we expected, but this too shall pass.  There have been some fun things since returning, however! :)  Tuesday night after getting back from Mexico on Monday night, Patrice and Avi came over and were so sweet to bring such a sweet gift!  We loved spending time with them in Mexico and the gift was so very unnecessary - we are so lucky to have them as friends, personally to me, Patrice has proven even more how amazing of a friend as she is one of those friends you know will always be there through the good and the bad times, and Evan and I are both so lucky to have such great friends like that in our lives. 

When they came over, they brought their sweet 6 month old puppy Yogi.  He is absolutely adorable!! Sweet Yogi and Bella met for the first time, and it was love at first sight!!

Wednesday night I had girls' dinner night out, catching up with more sweet friends. Thursday was a bit of a rock road (and not in the ice cream sorta way) , but as my Mr Helmsing (my Senior High School Government/Economics teacher) taught me on the first day of my Senior year, there is only one thing that is really important in the "real world" and if you remember the wise words of Bob Marley, you will always have something to fall back on...  "Don't worry about a thing, 'Cause every little thing gonna be all right. Singin': "Don't worry about a thing, 'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!" So as crazy as it sometimes seem, I have been able to sit back and take those words to heart. 

Friday was a bit of a hectic day, but I decided after a few errands that a little ice cream was MUCH needed.  We stopped at Bruster's and luckily for Bella she was also with us - I wasn't sure if they still had them, but they surely did - we ordered a "puppy cup" for Bella, and boy oh boy did she go to town... 

Anddddd it's gone in seconds...

Friday night we had a great night out to dinner and drinks with our other sweet friends / neighbors Amy and Evan. No, I am not kidding. This really happens. Yes, Amy is from Alabama, and their last name starts with an R. Amy and I have become close friends over the past several months as we now live in the same neighborhood. They also have been there for us when needed, and I am constantly reminded that friends make the world go round (as do family!!!)!

While we have quickly been snapped back to reality, on the bright side, business is great and busy!! More fun business news is shortly around the corner as well!! I guess both good and bad-  when it rains it pours!  I'll just keep singing Bob Marley along my way! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Last couple days in Cabo - until next time, Paradise!

I got a few more pictures from dinner at Flora Farms with Avi and Patrice - I absolutely loved the place! Thankfully (due to the driving conditions) we took the suggestion of others and got there before sun down to experience the surroundings fully as well as ensure we got there safely :)

Patrice and I at dinner..

The last few days in Cabo were fabulous and quite relaxing and fun!! We took Avi and Patrice to the airport after breakfast on Saturday, got back to the house, changed, and hit the golf course!!  I have decided golf is a whole different world in Paradise!  I mean how could you not love to play no matter how well you hit the balls when you are surrounded by such beauty?!

If anyone heard on the news who was jailed while we were in Cabo, and knows whose house this is, will find it funny to see that they were putting what looked like jail bars up on these windows when we passed the house on the golf course! :)

An absolutely beautiful sunset after a fun day on the golf course!!

We had an adventurous and absolutely delicious dinner at the club, including the run away golf cart incident, and came home to see a fireworks show at the hotel next door! It was a fun surprise!

Sunday was another beautiful day of golf in the morning!

I want my own "cheif" in the backyard now!! I now call throwing away things chief - like, "Evan, can you please chief this junk piece of mail for me" -  I just think its such a fabulous concept and great use of space!

Right before the 18th hole we had out "last shot" before out last shot - which was also the last shot of the trip - "arriba, abajo, al centro - let's drinko!"

After our last round of golf we had lunch and some pool / beach time - the waves were enormous!

The last night we had plans of going out to dinner, but were tired and felt like staying close to home so we ate at the club.  It was a special treat to walk up to the club for dinner and see Irvin who used to work at the club (prior to his serious accident) eating dinner at the club with a family that has a house on property as well as his own family.  It was such a special moment.  All of the staff was so excited to get to spend time with him one at a time, and it was so special to see him at the table while they all enjoyed a friendly and nice dinner!  I love that people keep bringing him back on property for everyone to spend time with and see!  It is remarkable to see his progress in person after knowing all he has gone through!

On Monday we left for the airport late morning for a noon flight.  It's always hard to leave paradise, but always such a special treat to get to spend time there! The wonderful staff there that have now become friends and we know each other on a first name basis are always so sweet and overly accommodating.  They each made sure to come over to give us hugs before we left! They also make it feel that much more like paradise!

Just another day in Paradise...

We have had a great few days in Cabo with Patrice and Avi. This morning after breakfast we took them to the airport and Evan and I have had today together, as well as tomorrow and we have to leave paradise on Monday! We have a busy few months ahead of us, but it's always sad to leave here!
The other day we went into Cabo since Patrice and Avi had never been. About 20 seconds after making a smarty remark about the sign that said to pay before returning to car (making fun of Julie and my "incident" last summer), mr perfect Evan had us stuck outside the parking garage!! Of course with three cars growing in number to 5 behind us-there was no backing out and going in a new gate at this point! He pressed the help button, to of course get a guy that spoke no English on the other side of the speaker....


About 8 minutes later the sweet man on the other side of the speaker was out at the gate to help us in... Maybe EBob won't make fun of us anymore!! :)


We spent time relaxing by the pool- Evan apparently meditating in the pool..


I fell asleep for a little bit and woke up looking around to see where he was and he was across the pool hanging out with the college students on spring break! At least they were from The University of Alabama!


On the way out to dinner one night...


We went to flora farms and absolutely loved it!! We will be sure to go back again- the property was amazing and such a great atmosphere. The only downside was the service at the very end got very slow and then not until after they brought the check did they mention the credit card machine was down. It was still so good I'd go back in a second! The picture turned out dark and you can hardly see Avi and Patrice but I loved the tree!!


We sat right in front of the band..


On the way to dinner again last night before Patrice and Avi left...


The weather has been different than I have ever experienced here- it has been perfectly BEAUTIFUL in the mornings until about 1:45 and then from 2-530 it's overcast/ almost what would seem cloudy at home but just a thin constant layer and then beautiful again from 530 until sunset- even the staff has agreed the weather has been odd but as long as its not raining all is good!! :)
One more day and a half in Paradise and then it's back to reality! Hope everyone is having a great weekend!



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Apparently my sinuses and Cabo don't get along well?!

We made it to paradise yesterday right before lunch time, had lunch at the Club, then had a fun day settling into relaxation mode.


Unfortunately although I absolutely love Cabo, apparently my sinuses most definitely do not! I woke up this morning with a sinus infection!!! :( Luckily I learned my lesson when I was here a year and a half ago and now travel with antibiotics and plenty of mucinex. Hopefully I can kick it quickly with antibiotics and over the counter stuff. Luckily I don't feel all that awful so I'm still able to have fun!
Yesterday we went to the park for a little bit, a few hoops, and Evan practiced his golf (yes, with the kiddie set- Maggie could have beat him!!) I probably should go practice too, though. They have a left handed set- I should probably practice on the tennis balls before I lose all the balls Betti left me to play with! :)


This morning involved some serious whale watching, binoculars were also involved..


Then I headed to the steam room in the locker room- thankfully all alone this time! :)
Then we headed to the beach for a walk...





and relaxation by the pool! The outdoor pursuits guys were pretty excited when Evan said he wanted to ride on the slip n' slide they were working on perfecting!! They were so excited, thatit apparently took 3 guys to water it to get it ready ...


After Evan and Avi went a few times, Patrice also decided to go for it...


The last time Evan went down the slip n' slide it ended with a flop onto the beach and what was possibly a concussion!! I was a bit nervous when he wanted to go again! Thankfully this time he has perfected his "landing" skills!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wppH9y-fNXc

Tonight we are heading to doc's for dinner- then another day of fun in the sun tomorrow! Have a good night!! xoxo

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Location:Mexico

I love my job!!

This weekend I was in Nashville for our national Rodan and Fields convention. It was an absolute blast!! My friends Jodi, Amy, and I drove up Friday morning in order to make it for the opening presentation at 1pm. The car ride flew by! I can't remember the last time I took an all girls "road trip" but it was an absolute blast from the second we got in the car to the second they dropped me off at home again this afternoon. This weekend's sessions were not only inspirational but so incredibly educational. I am reminded over and over again, what a gift I have been given to work for such an amazing company, with such amazing products that truly sell themselves and have the clinical research and the before as after picture of real life results to prove it- my neighbor's before an after anti age pictures are on the cover and first page of the new brochure- so fun!! These two amazing and loving doctors have basically written several prescriptions and handed them to me to dispense- what a dream come true for so many who suffer and who want to prevent certain skin problems, including myself!

We kicked off the weekend with the opening presentation and got to meet a super fun and sweet fellow teammate who I have talked to and emailed with several times but never met in person, sweet Jenn to the left of me- she is seriously one of the funniest people I have ever met!

The next day we had break out sessions in "smaller" groups of 200ish per room. I was running a little late, as we all lost track of time with 3 girls getting ready in one room- most definitely expected. My coworker Victoria tried to save me a seat but it got taken when the speaker started before I get there. I snuck in the room to the very front to realize there was no longer a seat at V's table, but luckily there were 2 at the table right by her so I sat down and started paying attention to the speaker. At the end of the speaker while we waited for the next to enter the room I turned toward the table to introduce myself as I had had my back to them so that I could face the speaker from my seat at the round table. As I turned around, I realized the girl straight across the table from me looked SO SO SO familiar I just couldn't place it- she then exclaimed "oh my gosh, hey Amy!!!!" I admitted to her that she looked so familiar but I'm totally at a loss, she said "Phi Beta" and I said "oh my gosh. Amanda!!" WHAT AN INSANELY SMALL WORLD. Here I am at a work convention, accidentally at the wrong table in Nashville with 3 THOUSAND other people and a sorority sister from my chapter who I hadn't seen in 8-9 years is sitting across the table from me!?? It's incredible how things work out. She has only been working with R+F for a month and half, but was able to make it to convention! Amanda was two years older than me in the chapter an quite honestly we did not have a lot in common, but we were both on the Chapter board at the same time and knew each other pretty well through that, as well as her living in the house, the first year I lived in the house.

Amanda and I took a picture before I headed to lunch with Amy and she went to lunch with a friend from Chicago, but we ran into each other again twice, in passing throughout the weekend, exchanged business cards and promised to stay in touch and be there for other through the ups and downs of business - that's what sisters are for right?!?

With 3000 people there it's a bit difficult for the doctors to get out in the crowd and schmooze but I was lucky enough to get the perfect opportunity to catch Dr Katie Rodan and her sweet husband Amnom as I came off the stage from being a guinea pig during one of the great speakers! People were shocked and confused when the two of them jumped up and gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek - they go as far as having security just for them during events so that people don't create a total mob around them! It's hard for me to see these two amazingly sweet and great people as more than a great mutual friend after spending the weekend with them in Beaver Creek.

The beautiful doctors speaking and giving us some new great information... As Dr Katie said "like the little black dress, great skin never goes out of style!" - so very true!!

I am truly so lucky to have such an amazing group of friends in my life that made the weekend such an absolute blast, that support me whole heartily, who help coach me, and who introduced me to these life changing products that are taking the country and world by a huge storm!!

My amazing team, so sweet and fun.. The company allows us to have more fun than should even be allowed when I comes to work!

Although I had an amazing time in Nashville with my amazing friends both brand new friends, close current friends, and a sister from long ago that will always be my sister, I was pretty happy to get back home and see Evan and Bella. I did miss them although a "girls' trip" is always refreshing!!

Bella and I got some serious cuddles in this evening...

We had some girl talk, where she told me all the fun things her and daddy went and did while I was gone and how she ate what seems to be an entire pack of treats and one of every other treat in the house.

And of course LOTS of sweet kisses!!

Tomorrow will be filled with laundry and a lot of packing, before we head to Cabo on Tuesday morning!! I am sooooooo excited to get to paradise and relax! I was hesitant on going to convention and then only having one day to turn around and get to Mexico, but I couldn't be happier that I went and foresee much relaxation and fun in my near future! We already got an email saying we have been upgraded for free, so I'd say we are off to a pretty good start :)

Sorry for such a long post, this is one of those that I will want to have to look back on and is really mostly documenting for myself so if I'm having a bad week with work etc, I can be reminded about all the fun and enthusiasm that often comes with the job I love so much!!! Hope everyone has a great week! XOXO

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Chop, Chop, Chop

This week's theme seems to have been "chop, chop, chop".  It started off with Bella getting WAY too short of a haircut.  We took her somewhere new, because it was becoming a hassle this go round to get her in with our usual lady - let's just say, lesson learned. We measured Bella's hair the night before her haircut, and her back hair was about 5 inches long.  I asked them to take off about an inch to inch and a half - Bella now has a full HALF an inch of hair..... of course she's still cute, and same personality, but I am pretty sure she was even effected by it the first day and seemed more shy and to herself. She has now bounced back to her playful self!  Her hair will grow back, and she will again be a fluffy dog, but at least we know she isn't nearly as big of a dog as people were convinced she was by all the hair!
Here is Bella posing after getting home from her traumatizing hair cut (probably more traumatizing to me than her!)

Today, I at the last minute decided I needed a haircut, we have a lot coming up in the next few weeks and I figured if I was going to get one any time soon, now was the time.  I wanted to try a new place anyway, that a friend of mine recommended, because I have yet to find someone to cut my hair that I am attached to.  (I am FULLY attached to my color girl, however, but that is all she does, no cuts at all!) So this morning I called the place I have been wanting to try and they actually had a cancellation at a perfect time for me so I took it.  She asked what I wanted and I just said a "good trim", and that the only rule is that I still have to be able to pull it back to work out, etc.  WELL, let's now make that too short of a haircut, round two around here this week!! I swore I was never a "bob" person, but I believe I now am the proud wearer of a "bob". I can not remember ever having hair that sits so far from my shoulders - AHHHH.  The good news is (he may just be being nice, but Evan likes it, and cousin Abby also approved of it) When I pull it back into a pony tail, which I shockingly can do, I basically have a ping pong ball of a pony tail - oh well - it too shall grow back, and I guess Bella and I now officially have gotten our "summer cuts"!You can't really tell how short it actually is in this picture of the two short haired girls, because it is shorter in the back a bit. making it a "bob", but I promise, it is significantly shorter! Who knows, maybe I will like it and end up keeping it this way!

The third "chop, chop, chop" has been taking place across the cul de sac from us.  They probably cleared out at least 10-15 big hearty trees.  It made me so sad to see them hauling them off.  Our house vibrated for 3 days straight due to all the chopping of trees.  Come to find out it actually was not approved by the neighborhood which is a big no, no around here, especially because many of the trees were planted when the neighborhood was built to create privacy between houses.  That being said, looks like I have now earned myself a spot on the neighborhood architectural committee.  Basically I will be on the board that approves or denies changes to landscape or any additions to houses, decks, etc, as well as if someone decides to paint the outside of their house, they have to run it past this board for approval on the color before painting.  It sounds right up my ally, and can only help me as the looks of the houses around us will only help our property value as the market improves!  I will know for sure if I will be the one filling a vacancy on the board next week.  Sorry for the long post - We are currently all hunkered down in the basement as a storm passes through.  Looks like we may even be sleeping in the basement as the lines of tornadoes are still all the way back to Birmingham and as close as 15 miles away. Thank goodness we chose a house with a basement!  Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! :)