LuLaRoe Leadership Training May 2016

Like I have mentioned before, I have started a business selling LuLaRoe clothes one year ago, this month.  I have enjoyed every minute of it.  I have built a team and rank as a Trainer.  This was the first Leadership Training I was invited to and it did not disappoint!!  
I flew into Burbank on Wednesday night, had my friend Katie pick me up and then met up with Carolyn.  We roomed together and of course, had to get In-N-Out immediately!!

The next morning we woke up super early and got bussed to Downtown LA for some JOIA shopping.  JOIA is a wholesale jewelry/accessory store.  It is HUGE!!  I didn't even go through a third of the store.  I stayed right in all the jewelry and stayed under budget!

After we shopped and were exhausted, we headed back to the hotel for registration and got ready for our TEAM time.  

My amazing sponsor, Carolyn, made reservations for our team at the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel!  It was so beautiful and perfect.  She treated us to lunch (which I got breakfast since I hadn't eaten until this time) and showered us with gifts!!  I also got my first trainer, TIEKS as well.  It was such a fun day!!  The weather was unbelievable, of course, and I am ready to move back!! 

That night, LuLaRoe had a huge kick-off ceremony for us.  We danced non-stop, there were food booths all over for us to eat at, a wonderful musical number, and Deanne spoke to us expressing her gratitude for all of us.  She grew up in Pasadena, I think that's why we had the conference there.  It was a great day.  Carolyn said it was one of the best days she's ever had.  I have to agree...it was definitely up there!!!  

Day 2 included a trip to the newest warehouse in Corona.  I couldn't believe how we didn't hit any traffic any of the times we were bussed somewhere.  It was a LLR miracle.  

 DeAnne personally gave us all of our bonus checks for the month of April.  All I can say is WOW!!  What an amazing company.  I pinch myself everyday feeling so blessed to be a part of it.

We helped curate the bins.  When a consultant places an order, there are people who pull the order.  In order not to get duplicates, the items are curated and spread throughout each bin.  We helped separate the prints!  It was really nice to see the behind the scenes work.  Thank you to all of the warehouse workers for getting us our orders!!

They let all the consultants who attended pull our own order!

The rest of the day we had team building activities, dinner at BJ's, and more team time with our upline.  It was a long day, but of course, worth it!

Day 3 we stayed in Pasadena and had trainings all day.  We had amazing speakers that included Jeff Stutz, Alan Ayers, Les Brown and a couple of DeAnne's daughters.   

One exercise we did had half of the group stand up around this huge ballroom and have the other half of the room go around and write nice things.  At first it was a little uncomfortable since nobody knew anyone, but it got better as I talked to the people who passed by and wrote on my paper. 

 There was a guy taking polaroids of all of us.  I love this activity and think it could be used in many different settings.  

We took several pictures on the way to and from the conference and the hotel.  We walked a lot that day.  

That night, LLR and The Alison Show, hosted a 70's dance party at The Rose.  We had so much fun.  I haven't danced like that in a long time.  Sometimes it's nice to just let loose.  

Being our last night, we had to take our North Carolina friend, Penny, to In-N-Out...yes, again!!  I mean, really, can you ever have enough??

We ended the night driving past the Father of the Bride house.  It was five minutes from where we were staying and it was magical.  I wish we could have gone during the day.  The picture is super blurry so don't zoom!!  

Leaving this training really made me appreciate my life and how hard I have worked in this company.  I realized a big part of my "WHY" is to help those on my team become successful.  I saw firsthand how this company is changing people's lives and I can't wait to see what the (near) future has in store for me!!

Turning 31

When I turned 30, I had kind of a hard time accepting that I was THIRTY.  But this year, turning 31, I decided to change my perspective around and consider myself super lucky that I was getting older instead of the alternative...dead!  I have a lot to be thankful for and turning 31 is definitely up there!!
My mom and Annie came the week of my birthday!!  

We ate lots of yummy food, did some home improvements, and had late night karaoke/dance parties.  

Just a pic on the way to preschool!

A favorite donut shop I always take my family to is DaVinci's.  I won't say how many times we went, but if you lived close by, you'd be going all the time too! ;)

On Tuesday, my actual birthday, we started the morning by going out to breakfast at Egg Harbor Cafe, going to Home Depot to buy a drill and went home to hang up all my pictures around the apartment!! When we went to pick up Charlotte from ballet, we were able to watch her entire recital performance.  It made me sad that I wouldn't be watching the real thing, but it was still sweet and I had to hold back the tears.  I just can't believe she is my child.  It's amazing!!

After we picked Charlotte up, we headed to Sprinkles for Sprinkles sundaes.  If you haven't had them, they are pretty much heaven in a paper cup!!

I am so boring, but every birthday I always choose Cheesecake Factory.  We are such chain people but I love their menu, the brown bread and the cheesecake!!!  See, I told you we ate lots of great food!

Grateful my hubby could sneak away and come to dinner with us!

That night, Annie helped me out with a LuLaRoe birthday giveaway for my Instagram account.  I don't know if you can watch the video, but if not, click here.  

During the week, my mom also painted a little half wall with chalkboard paint.  I attempted, but my first stroke ended up BAD!!  So she did it all.  Thank goodness for moms!!!

It was really nice having them here, especially for my birthday.  Josh has been super busy lately and it would have been a sad week if I didn't have company!!  Thanks for coming, Mom and Annie.  It's always a party!!

Mother's Day 2016

I returned home from Nashville the night before Mother's Day and I was so excited to see my baby girl and Josh.  I woke up to a yummy breakfast and some fun gifts!!

Charlotte made me a plate at preschool, which we have displayed on an easel.  

Josh bought me an Apple Watch as my Mother's Day and Birthday gift.  I've been wanting one since they came out.  They are so worth every penny.  I love not having to carry around my phone!

Charlotte and I wore matching LuLaRoe dresses to church, which everyone loved.  I am taking advantage of these years she wants to match me!!  I am so grateful for this family of mine.  I love them more than I can express.  I love being a mom more and more every day.  Some days may be more tough than others, but each day I learn more.  It's crazy to think that my love for these two can get stronger, but it does.  Every day! Being a mother and this family of mine is my greatest achievement!!  

LuLaRoe Inspire Tour - Nashville

I haven't blogged in VERY LONG time, but I thought my weekend in Nashville was blog worthy and I hope this will inspire me to blog more regularly! 

I have been selling LuLaRoe for a year now (year mark was May 1), and I finally attended my first formal training! Since the location was in Nashville, my friends and I decided to make a weekend out of it. On Thursday afternoon, Carolyn and Melanie drove from Charlotte to pick me and Leanna (Carolyn's sister) up and head to Nashville. I met up with my Charlotte friends for lunch and then dropped off Charlotte with Emily Lusk. It worked out really well, considering Josh was on his way home from California for work. 

We got in the car and headed to pick up Leanna. We made it to Nashville pretty late. We went to the hotel bar where an impromptu LuLaRoe legging party was happening. We hung out for a bit, met some other consultants, and then made it to our room. We were all exhausted mommies!! 

The next morning, Melanie and I headed to the Concierge Lounge for breakfast and then downstairs for the training. It was so incredibly inspirational (hence the title of the tour...INSPIRE)! I feel really fortunate to be part of a company that is so much bigger than just selling a product. This company is literally changing people's lives, marriages, finances, and dreams!! I was so emotional the first half of the conference. Every story and background told, I was in awe. I couldn't believe how amazing these clothes were that they were transforming people!! These clothes make woman of every size, shape and story feel empowered, special and BEAUTIFUL! They are truly magical. The founder of LuLaRoe, DeAnne Stidham, talked about her journey how she got to where she is today. It was incredible. She has worked so hard and is now reaping the rewards. 

During our lunch break, we walked down Broadway to the Tin Roof restaurant. The food was great and the live music was awesome!! Such a pleasant experience. To me, it was the equivalent of the Las Vegas Strip. But with live music! 😉 It was so nice to connect with the other three girls and really be able to see how this has impacted our lives. 

When we came back, we discussed leadership and what it means to be a leader. In January, I hit the rank of Trainer. I worked really hard and have been so pleased with the team that I have. The women on my team have all signed up for different reasons. They are all so self-sufficient and know the company so well. I've been really impressed to see each of them grow in the company.  I love seeing their success due of all the hard work they've put into their businesses. I learn from them all the time and will continue to watch them grow and build teams of their own. I love being a trainer and helping others navigate their way along their LuLaRoe journey! I have a great sponsor, Carolyn, who has really shown me the ropes and has been patient with ALL of my questions over the last year! 

After the training, we took a picture with DeAnne. It was like waiting in line at Disneyland to take a picture with a princess. I am so grateful to her for sharing this company and wanting other women to succeed like she has.

 

For dinner, we went down Broadway again to the Acme bar (yes, everything is a bar). The food was, once again, great! We were joined by a few more people I knew from Charlotte and Sam Schultz (Sammy's pie shakes in Provo ring a bell?) who works on all the LuLaRoe events. We all went to a Saloon for line dancing. But these people were GOOD. I was put to shame. It was fun watching and just being in a cool environment. Afterward, some of us went back to the room. It was a long, emotionally-draining day. We chatted more and made our plans for Saturday!

Saturday morning came and we headed to Five Daughters Bakery for breakfast. Wow!!! These cronuts were DELICIOUS!!! The whole bakery was adorable. We sat outside and talked and ate. 

After which, we headed to Reese Witherspoon's store, Draper James. Carolyn got me hooked on following their Instagram a few months back. The cutest store, for reals! 

The whole area where we were was adorable!  Like I always say, I could move there. haha.  On our way home, we went through Franklin and Brentwood (which we didn't coming TO Nashville), so we ended up getting on the wrong freeway and going to Alabama.  Of course we had to stop at the first rest stop and document what had happened.  We ended up going all the way down through Birmingham and then straight to Atlanta.  It was longer, but gave us more time to chat!!  

It was such a fun trip.  Thanks to all these lovely ladies who made the trip a blast.  Four was a perfect number!!  I can't wait to go back to Nashville and see everything else the city has to offer.