Last week was rough. It was my first week writing for 8 clients and I felt the work load for the first time. I know part of what was so crazy was the learning curve of the new position, plus learning how to balance working at home with my responsibilities to my family. I know both things will take an adjustment period and I'll get there :)
Added to that I ended up being a Thirty-One vendor at my son's school on Friday night. The school was having their annual "Fall Fest" and decided to combine Fall Fest with their Holiday Boutique. I committed to being a vendor in September, long before I knew I'd be working.
By Thursday afternoon I was a ball of stress. The learning curve at work meant I'd spent 3 entire days on the computer, and away from my family, without having a lot of billable hours to show for it. I was extremely edgy and frustrated, plus had to get ready for Friday night's event.
All I could think about all week was getting through Friday night . . .
Friday morning I had two things to do and figured I'd knock them out quickly and actually be able to get to the gym for the first time in nearly a month. Both things took longer than expected, but I was ok with it because one ended up involving an hour long phone conversation with a friend. The other was a quick errand that turned into a friend making me lunch and getting some time to chat with her. The two things I thought would be done by 9:30, leaving me 3 hours until I had to pick up my daughter, took me until 12:30 :) Like I said, it was all good because there was time to chat with friends in there :)
Friday my husband took a half day of vacation so I could start setting up my booth as soon as I picked my son up from school and dropped him off at home. My husband also took the kids around to play games while I worked.
The evening was not a great business success. In fact, I didn't make a single sale. I'm hoping to follow up and be able to get some parties (or at least some orders) from the people who entered my raffle, but otherwise it was pretty discouraging. My only consolation was that the vendor fee went to my son's PTO, which is pretty fabulous!
At some point during the week I'd asked on Facebook if anybody in my neighborhood wanted to recommend a reasonably priced hair stylist because I hadn't had my hair cut or highlighted in 6mo and it's driving me crazy. The lady who normally does my hair is about 30 minutes away and only works Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays so it's nearly impossible for me to see her these days because of my kids' school schedules.
At one point during the evening a friend of mine, who is on the school's PTO (also the one who invited me in for lunch when I stopped by to pick a table up from her that morning) asked me how business was going. I told her it wasn't going well.
A little while later my wonderful friend said, "I bought you a raffle ticket for a hair cut". I thought it was extremely sweet since she said she'd seen my Facebook post.
As I was loading my Thirty-One display into my car I saw a friend from my Moms in Prayer group that I hadn't seen all year. I got to spend some time catching up with her and my heart soared. Being able to talk to her for the first time since last spring felt WONDERFUL and totally made my night.
After we'd talked for about 30 minutes a lady I know from when our sons were in Kindergarten last year came over and said "Congratulations, girl!". I didn't know what she was talking about. She told me I'd won the raffle!!! I had missed the announcement while talking to my friend! As I walked to the PTO booth to claim it I ran into the PTO/sandwich making/bought me a raffle ticket friend who had already claimed my prize for me since she thought I'd left :) The night got even better!!!
After I was holding my prize I telling my friend how excited I was and the back story as to why our mutual friend (my sandwich making friend also is from my MIP group) bought me the raffle ticket and I said, "God cares about my hair!" She reminded me that God knows every hair on my head and I said, "I know! I just didn't know he cared about the COLOR of it!"
By now I was almost giddy because I was able to visit with a friend I hadn't seen in months AND I won the raffle (I'm absolutely one of those "I never win anything" people)
I finally got home and was able to sit down & rest for the first time all day (seemingly the first time all week). I fell onto the couch, grabbed my phone and started looking at Facebook. One of the first messages I saw was a post to a friend's wall saying "Auntie Barb says 'Congratulations'". That definitely made me curious. I went to my friend's wall and saw a lot of Congratulations messages. I was able to figure out what had happened . . . SHE GOT ENGAGED!! :) This friend was one of my flower girls (along with her sister) when I got married in 2004. Her dad and my husband grew up together. My husband was at the hospital the day she was born. She calls my husband "Uncle". Her dad is a pastor and performed our wedding. Her mom is a good friend of mine. Her Great-Grandma's legacy inspires me. Words can't express how THRILLED I was for her.
I went into the office where my husband was on the computer and told him she'd gotten engaged. Since he held her the day she was born I knew he'd want to know. As soon as I told him I went to sit back down. I hadn't even made my way to the couch when my phone rang. Caller ID said it was my friend, the soon-to-be-Mother-of-the-Bride. I picked up the phone saying "Hello Mother-of-the Bride! I just saw on Facebook!" I was greeted with "Well, actually . . . it's the Bride!" She had called us herself because she wanted us to know :) Her mom was able to witness her daughter's engagement so she used her mom's phone after her battery had run out making other calls.
In just an hour my Friday evening went from discouraging to one of the best nights in a long time :)
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