setting up for spring 09 trunk show

well...it's that time again...hard to believe sometimes...this is when i notice how time flies...
didn't i just do this for winter 08?

for those of you unaware of what i do...part of the time...are my trunk shows...
four times a year...i set up in my home...basically a boutique shop...of about 400 pieces of clothing...and then i have appointments set up with women...one on one...to help them find the perfect outfits...

the great part is that these clothes...designed by a designer out of new york...are exclusive...in that...you will not find them in any boutiques or malls anywhere...women love the uniqueness of the clothing as well as the quality...

as much as the set-up takes out of me...i really enjoy the set-up of the trunk shows...

it starts by fed-ex dropping off anywhere from nine to eleven 50 lb boxes at my doorstep...i then proceed to unpack and setup the store...it is an all day back breaking event...

but the final product...well...it is pretty spectacular...the women that have come to prior shows are amazed that my home...once a living room...is now truly...a boutique shop...and it has to be...to make it "pretty" for the women to look at the clothing...

for a full year now...i joined forces with a good friend of mine...a...which has made the set-up a little easier...because now there are two of us...and...i have someone to talk to...during the set-up...

last year...we used my home...and this year...we are switching it up...and using her home...and we have added a new component to our shows...which is an educational piece...to hopefully get some new clients in...and be true consultants to them....

our first educational event will be a champagne fashion-ar (think seminar) with a color consultant teaching them all about color...and what works for each of them with their skin tone eye & hair color...we already are at standing room only for this event...so that is pretty exciting!

it was definately a good decision on our part to implement this...we also have created some nice goodie bags for the ladies...which i think they will be pleasantly surprised with...

and hello...did someone say bubbly??

if you would like to view the collection... feel free...there is actually a runway fashion show you are able to view...there are still some spots open for appointments...so feel free to let me know if you are interested...we are showing through march 4th...

http://www.worthny.com

and...for all you fashionista's out there...i have a monthly newsletter as well...that i would be happy to add you to the mailer...just let me know!

one of my favorite quotes...
"a girl should be two things: classy and fabulous" coco channel

the best kind of friends...

last nite as i sat on my couch...i had one of those moments...where you just reflect on what you have...

for me...one of the most incredible blessings in my life...are my friends...i truly hit the mother load on that...

what made me think of my friends...well...it was a week of full friendship mode...amongst a busy hectic week...

it was different things...that made up the whole...so to speak...

started with a roadtrip with my girlfriend l...we decided to drive up together to spend time with my best friend & sister-in-law..we both got beautified by the hair expert...and then met up with another true gem of a friend...for a wonderful dinner...and then proceeded to talk late into the evening...4 close friends...caring about each other

the next moment came when i called up my girl d...who lives way to far away...but as soon as she heard my voice...we just picked up where we last left off...i had not spoken to her in well over a month...but our friendship is that close...that it doesn't matter...no time is lost between us...

yesterday...i celebrated my girlfriend m's birthday...a day in the city...full of shopping...and then a fabulous dinner...where we talked and caught up...and shared...

came home to get a phone call from my good friend c...just catching up...on my day...and his...

then i check my answering machine...and there were messages...from friends...from different states...just calling to say hello...

it was overwhelming...

what i know...is that friendship like any relationship...takes work...it takes time...it takes sacrifice...

but..it is so well worth it...

as i think back over the years...there were always adjustments that needed to be made...some got married...so the relationship changed in timing get togethers...only harder then...when friends started becoming parents...but the common thread among my friends and me...were that both sides saw the need to make it work...to work within the paramaters of each individual...

i do not know what i would be like without my friends...they have loved me, encouraged me, pushed me, rallied around me, cried with me, laughed with me...and been there for me...
i just hope that i have been able to give a little of that back to them...

born to run...

when i was in high school...a few years ago... ;o) ok...it has been longer than that...more like 29 years since i graduated...one of the things that i loved to do was to run...

i was on the track team...but only in long distance...somehow i was able to discipline my stride and last for the long runs...the short distances were a joke...i was just a little slow turtle...

for fun (yes...at that time it was) i would jog five miles a day...part of it was to keep in shape for the track meets...but when i ran...i always felt like there was nothing i couldn't do...and i truly enjoyed it...

as the years went by...and i started working...getting pulled into corporate america...my running started to become less and less of a priority...until one day...i completely stopped...

there have been many times that i have wanted to start it back up again...but i somehow convinced myself that i wasn't a runner...which...really...when i think about it...is...well...a crock...being that i know i used to run...

time and age got in the way...and i found myself reasoning with myself...i was really not born a runner and at this point...lacked the physical endurance and stamina that runners possess...

plus...i had a whole lot of other reasons for why i could not run...

if only i had a good pair of running shoes...
if only i had more time to run...
if only i had an mp3 player so i could listen to music while i ran...

if only, if only, if only...

i am so tired of "if only"

the thing is...my reasons...were just excuses...was i afraid that i would fail?
for me...i just needed to start...so...i started reasoning that i could take up running...

i realized that all these "reasons" were thinly disguised excuses to avoid the work that i knew running was going to be...
i didn't want to extend myself beyond my comfort zone...
i didn't want to strain every muscle in my body...
i didn't want to take time out of my already busy days and devote it to running...
i liked to talk about running "one day" but i didn't actually want to do it...

so, eventually i laid all my excuses and ventured out for that first run...well...actually i cleared off all the stuff that had accumulated on top of my treadmill...
i already had my ipod...full of more songs than a year of running would need...
i invested in a good pair of running shoes...
and i started...
it was grueling and humbling...
and surprisingly, i loved it...

as i was running the other day...well actually more walking then running...i thought about how much my attitude has changed since i started...if there is a day that goes by that i can't do it...i crave it...well...crave may be a bit strong of a word...but i do find myself looking forward to it...

as i thought about all the excuses i once used to avoid running...i was so glad that i eventually stopped hiding behind them and took the plunge...

the weather keeps me inside...but i am finding myself looking forward to spring...when i will be able to take it outside...and enjoy the beautiful places around my home...perfect for running...

this whole ordeal made me think of other areas in my life...this year has really been a break through for me...analyzing and thinking through why i do things that i do...or don't do things that i want to do...it has allowed me to step out...so to speak...but more than that...i have found myself doing a lot of things that i may not have done if i was still stuck in that "scared" mode...

perhaps you have been hiding behind some excuses of your own lately...maybe your excuses involve exercise...like mine did...or maybe they involve other things like why you can't give up a bad habit, why you aren't able to forgive someone, or why you are continuing in a sin God has been convicting you of...maybe you have been letting excuses keep you from an intimate relationship with God...

even as you read these words...maybe God is impressing on your heart that there is something you need to do...but you have been letting excuses serve as a barrier between knowing it and actually doing it...

i invite you to remove the excuses in your life...too choose one excuse today and begin to tear it down...taking just one brick out of the wall...over the next days and weeks...choose more bricks to remove...until one day...nothing is standing between you and that scary thing you know you need to do...

i am glad i stopped listening to my own excuses and accepted the invitation to venture beyond my comfort zone...

what i know...is that we are all born to run...as long as we grip the Father's hand with all our might and stop letting excuses keep us from taking that first step...

everything's amazing...nobody's happy...

everything we look at in life...it all boils down to perspective...

this is comedian louis ck...pointing out our spoiled generation...pretty funny!

everything's amazing...nobody's happy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jETv3NURwLc&NR=1

God knows you...

oh Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
You know when i sit and when i rise;
You perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
You are familiar with all my ways.
before a word is on my tongue
You know it completely, o Lord,
You hem me in - behind and before;
You have laid Your hand upon me.
such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
psalm 139:1-6

i believe there are times in our lives where we sometimes may feel like a nothing...
singles may feel it until they get married...
some married people may feel it until they have a baby...
some may feel it until they get that job of their dreams...

i had an interesting conversation with an old friend last week...he has truly been struggling with depression...and seriously wondering if anyone would notice if he dropped off the planet...

at times where i have felt like this in my life...my go to verse was the one listed above in psalm 139...

i can clearly point out times in my life where i had dreams in my heart that i thought were from God...and i started wondering if they were just my dreams...i wondered till i was wondered out...

have you ever felt like that?

in looking back...what i learned...these are the times...i think...where we as humans...need to be very careful...we get to the point where we may get the the wrong perception about God...about ourselves...and about our circumstances...

for me...it took a very simple situation that God showed me to break me out of my self-pity when i felt my life was going no where...in that situation...the lesson was clear...our perceptions determine our responses...

and...most of the time...our perceptions...are...well...shall we say...skewed?

psalm 139 shows me a very real and right picture of God, of myself...and my circumstances...the words gave me hope when i needed something to hold on too...the picture i see is God wanting us to understand that you and i are special and going somewhere...if we open up to Him...

sometimes i get a little overwhelmed when i think of how God knows us...knows me...
He understands us...
God knows us so well that He knows every word we will say...
He knows how we think...
He knows our dreams...
He knows out motives...
He knows our fears...
He knows exactly how we will respond...
He knows why we respond...
He knows us infinitely better that we know ourselves...
He knows the private things we think about in regards to our relationships, our jobs, ourselves...
He knows our deepest frustrations...
He knows our self-doubts...
He knows every corner, every cranny, every secret, and every closet...
He fully understands us...

this is incredible to me...and at the same time...frightening...if God knows that much about me...my response is to run and hide...because there are those things i am not proud of...

but God...in his incredible love for me...and for you...He knows all the deepest things in you...but...the difference is...He doesn't take these things to use them against you...He lays His hand on our lives...and protects...

what an incredible picture of our Father...

installing love...

a friend of mine sent this to me this week...just a cute little diddy...but the message is so strong...

i think that past hurts can keep us from moving forward if we let them...to move on...we need to let go of past experiences that left us hurt, vulnerable and scared...

i believe in love...i love seeing people in love...i love hearing stories of how two people fell in love...and i believe that love will finds its way back into my heart...

finding out that someone didn't love me the way i loved them...well...it hurt...but...it taught me alot about myself...and what i know about myself...is that i choose to focus on the beauty of being able to be in love...and give myself completely to someone...and not be afraid to take a chance on love...

one of my favorite quotes...

"better to have love and lost...than to have never loved at all"

here is the email i received:

"installing love"

Tech Support: Yes, ... how can I help you?

Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install LOVE. Can you guide me though the process?

Tech Support: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first?

Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?

Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?

Tech Support: What programs are running?

Customer: Let's see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge, and Resentment running right now.

Tech Support: No problem, Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self- Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off?

Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.

Customer: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?

Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.

Customer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error - Program not run on external components." What should I do?

Tech Support: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.

Customer: So, what should I do?

Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.

Customer: Okay, done.

Tech Support: Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?

Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually everything gets it at the proper time. So LOVE is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. LOVE is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.

my prayer...by pastor jon...

being a member of a rather large church...it is easy to sometimes get lost in the masses...the key...is to lock into smaller groups...

one of the smaller groups that i was a part of..was the choir and music department...i decided to take some time off from it...a few months...which now have turned into a few years...how did that happen?

there are those that want me back in...mostly my mom...she is always asking me when i will be back in choir...now she asks me which year i am planning to go back (talk about unnecessary pressure)...there are my close friends that are always calling and asking...and then there is pastor jon...the music pastor...

i have to admit...i do miss choir...the music department...all my friends there...but mostly...pastor jon...the music pastor...

being in this large church...pastor jon has always been the one i would go to...if i needed to talk to a pastor...in all the years that i have known him...he has always checked in with me...whether or not i was in choir...there is such an incredible feeling of belonging...when someone has thought of you...and is checking in...

yesterday...i received an email titled "my prayer" from pastor jon...

here are the contents of that email...be it short and sweet...

“O Lord, please being Elena back into her rightful place of choral ministry. Help her to understand there are souls in the balance (and that I miss her and would like to look her in the eye instead of having to see her through eyes in the back of my head). She is a good girl and needs to come back into the fold. In the meantime, bless all of her efforts. (Although You can bless them a little more if she comes back to choir.)Amen-- JL"

can there be anything sweeter? the reference to the eyes in the back of the head...is a joke between the two of us...where i sit...warming up the pew every sunday...is to pastor jon's back as he leads the church in song...he is always telling me i need to sit somewhere else so he can have a better view of me...and know that i am there...every sunday...

i replied to his email stating that this was quite the powerful prayer...and that i might need to post it on my blog...to which pastor jon replied...

(Follow Up Prayer)"O Lord, I am exceedingly grateful for my sister Elena’s response to my initial prayer and ask that as she comes back to choir (I speak this in faith) you will allow her to sell more trunks than ever before.This is my plea – let it be done.Amen"

these tiny moments...where out of a very busy schedule...time is made for a little connection...well they mean the world to me...pastor jon makes time for people...and it almost makes me want to go back to choir this week...but my schedule does not allow it at this time...and he realizes that...and respects it...but he still lets me know...that when the time is right...i am welcome...

follow-up...since blog was first posted...received response from pastor jon in regards to this post...

My Sister
Holy Cow! You weren’t kidding about putting that on your blog! Wow – I need to be careful what I write!
Thank you for your kind words – they humble me.
To put it in perspective, if I could boil my philosophy down to one sentence, it would be this:
“It needs to matter to someone if you don’t show up.
Elena, when you don’t show up, it matters to me."

no wonder i have so much respect for pastor jon! he is a true pastor...watching over his flock...