Encouragement:: Do I Go Left or Right?

 

Have you ever watched that movie Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow?  Oh my goodness, you definitely must rent it.  It’s all about what your life would have been like if you had turned left vs. turning right and visa versa.

Have you ever thought, this isn’t the way I thought my life was going to be?  I thought I was going to be doing this or that.

When I was a little girl, I thought I was going to be an archeologist.  True story.  I was fascinated with history and King Tut.  We even named one of our family dogs Tut for King Tut.

I grew up in Hawaii, went to college in Kansas, but secretly wanted to Texas.  I didn’t want to disappoint my Dad who went to Kansas (KU) so I went there.  Ended up back in Hawaii because of a boy.  Decided on a whim to move to California knowing just one person.  Started temping at advertising agencies and stumbled into events.  Met my husband and have a beautiful soon to be middle schooler.

Now I have my own events company.

I sometimes find myself thinking…what if.  What if I went to Texas and didn’t go back to Hawaii for that boy.  Would I be in California?  I don’t think so.

I intended to be an archeologist.  Now I plan parties, conferences and tradeshows, I'm a wife and a mama.  I think I’ve ended up where I was intended to be.

How about you?  What’s your story?  What do you think would have happened if you turned left vs. right?

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Color Crush:: The Peony

I had planned to do the typical color crush that I do every Wednesday, and then something facinating happened.

My sister and I bought my mom some peonies (from Safeway) to brighten up her day while she was in the hospital.  They were the most beautiful hot pink color with a bright yellow center.  These flowers were so gorgeous they catched everyone's attention.  Some thought there was no way they were real.  Others didn't know what type of flowers they were.  What was facinating was how the color changed.  They transformed in front of our eyes...from hot pint to a very pale yellow. 

The best part of these flowers is the joy that they brought to my mom.

What's In Your Carry-On with Alison Hotchkiss

Today with have Alison Hotchkiss, owner of Alison Events.  I thought it would be fun to have a fellow event planner join our group of savvy travelers.  (Especially since we do travel a ton.)  I've been admirer of Alison Events work for a while.  The events they produce are serious stunners.  She just relaunched her website and your jaw will drop when you take a look at her gallery of events.  

Ms. Alison is a definitely a jetsetter.  Here events have taken her all over Europe and the United States.  Last year she traveled over 90,000 miles.  I'm confindent in saying that she knows what works and doesn't work with her carry-on bag.

Confession time: when I saw her list of items...I went out and bought the Marc Jacobs backpack and brought it with me to Arizona this past week.  I didn't want to check anything, so I packed my purse in my suitcase.  This backpack was awesome.  It's unbelievable the amount of stuff it held.  

Alison has her staples that she travels with.  Here are just some of her must haves.

1// My Marc Jacobs Backpack

2// Canon 5D Mark II for amazing picture taking

3// Sunglasses which are a must

4// Bose noise cancelling headphones with extra batteries.

5// Mophie Juice Pack to keep my iPhone charged

6// Dr. Hauschkas lip balm

7// A good book (currently reading The Girl Who Played With Fire) and of course my favorite magazines; Travel & Leisure, Dwell, and US Weekly.

Happy Memorial Day

Hope you all are enjoying this long weekend spending time with friends and family.  Today is a day to remember all those who have served and still serving our country.  Cheers to all of you today.

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Sunday Coffee Sippin'

Happy Sunday - happy long weekend.  I'm still in Arizona, but heading back to the bay area this afternoon.  Kinda excited to hug by guys this afternoon.  I've been dreaming of a vacation and I would love to plop myself on that lounge chair in the photo below.

It's been a crazy few days, but Mom is doing better.  My sister and I were able to sneak away Saturday morning and take a walk.  Oh that was nice.  We also stopped by my friend Rebecca's (of Fresh Chick Designs) store - Petite Party Studio.  It was so fun to catch up with her and her partner in crime, Shannon.  By the way, if you are ever in Gilbert, AZ, you have to pop by her start because she has the most darling party supplies.  There is something about touching and feeling vs. just seeing online.

Loving the sophistication of this black and gold party via 100 Layer Cake.

A few lessons from Wit & Whistle on how to keep house plants alive.  Yep - I need that.

Create because you can.  A little push that we all need via Jasmine Star.

Lavender Scones, I'm to be making these over the weekend.

Wanna spruce up your backyard?  Poppytalk shares some ideas.

Have you checked out Verily Magazine yet?

In case you missed What's In Apartment 34's Carry-On Bag, you can check it out here.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

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