thirty-one...a fun, new opportunity!

so a little less than two weeks ago, i decided to become an independent consultant for thirty-one gifts. they have fun and adorable purses, totes, organizing totes, and kid stuff. so far, i've done pretty well for my first few days. i placed my first "party order" yesterday (which means it had to be at least $200) and i've had a few other orders as well. here are a few of the cute products that i received in my enrollment kit...this is the picnic thermal tote in impressionist dot...i just love this pattern!

this is the all-in-one organizer in circle celebration (accented with the scarf in impressionist dot).

and this is the zipper pouch in chains ahoy...when i saw this in the catalog, i had no idea it was going to be so big. it's perfect for the beach or pool or even makeup!

this is just a few items i received in my enrollment kit, and i was so excited the night my big pink box arrived! i couldn't wait for jon to get home, so i could share everything with him. being the awesome husband that he is, he sat and listened to me talk about each product. his comment was, "wow, these are really durable fabrics they use for the products!" this, of course, coming from my husband who works with pool cover material, so he's all about durable fabrics that will last a long time!



friday night i attended a celebrate & connect bimonthly meeting here in charleston. i had a great time meeting new people that also sell thirty-one products, and it was great to see so many of the new products and patterns from the new catalog. by the time i got home after hearing great tips and stories about selling the products, i was even more excited about this great new opportunity my sister introduced me to! i even received a free product at the meeting...

this is the mini retro metro bag in taupe.

i love doing something that is completely different from my normal job, being able to make money from something that is lots of fun, and getting to enjoy such great products! each time i go out now, i have to make a decision on which bag to take with me!

on another note...(a much needed!!!) vacation is only 10 days away!!!!

new challenges

today presented me with many (and i mean lots and lots!!!) challenges at work...and tonight i decided to present myself with a new challenge outside of work! after talking to my sister about her awesome experience with her thirty-one business, i've decided to challenge myself with a new "business." i've given up some of my accounting work that i was doing on the side in the last few weeks, and i guess i just couldn't quite come to terms with the thought of not having a little extra work in addition to my regular job.

i'm excited because this will be something completely different from my everyday job in the accounting world at hire quest. i'm definitely not a sales person or presentations person, but thirty-one products seem to sell themselves so i'm hoping it will work out well! i plan to make a list of goals for myself and my new "business" in the next few days, so i will be working towards something and not just doing it to be doing it! i can't wait to share my experiences and goals in the coming days, weeks, and months!

ready for a vacation....

this week has been HELL at work. although, it is january so i guess i should expect nothing less! this was my first year preparing the nearly 19,000 w-2's that i must send out in the next couple of weeks. i finally have everything balanced and ready to print after some extremely long days this past week. now it's time to get all of the other monthly work completed.

luckily there is a light at the end of the long (stress filled work) tunnel...jon and i are going to jamaica on february 10th!!! my company puts on an annual conference for all of our franchise owners each year, and this year it's in jamaica! neither jon nor i have ever been there, so we are both really excited about visiting a new tropical place (and of course relaxing and getting away for a few days)!!!

we've been trying to catch up with friends that we haven't seen since before christmas, so last night we had katherine, tee, and amy over to hang out! the boys ended up playing jon's new playstation 3 (he's been wanting it for a couple years now, but i wasn't so sure if i could handle a playstation 3 addicted husband!!!) and having a blast! they were actually kind of cute in the their chairs in front of the tv talking about the game they were playing! of course, the girls chatted and caught up on all the recent happenings while the boys played!

speaking of catching up, katherine is having a baby!!! theodore tobias mappus the 5th aka tucker is due on april 15th! i'm so excited for them and can't wait to meet their baby boy!

getting pregnant seems to be the thing to do right now!!! our friends rachel and aaron are also pregnant and are expecting their bundle of joy in june! they are going to wait for the surprise on the day baby bowman is born, and i can't wait to find out if it's a boy or girl!

babies, babies everywhere! i must say, i think we might be getting a little baby fever but not enough to go all in yet!!! it will happen soon enough! :)

hello 2011 and goodbye 2010

2011 has arrived in full swing! i must say i was kind of happy to see the end of 2010. it had been one hell of a year! there were ups and downs, some good and some bad, but overall i'm just ready for a new year to begin!

we rang in 2011 with kris and anne (jon's brother and his future wife!) and had a low key night at their house with some great food and drinks, champagne, and rock band!

today is a working day for me thanks to the end of the year. it's time to prepare the w-2's for the almost 20,000 employees that we have throughout the country. this year is my first time doing it, so i've been a little nervous about it. so far it's going well though! i'm camped out at the kitchen table with my computer and work stuff spread out and jon is relaxing on the couch watching batman on his new playstation 3 and new television!

here's to a prosperous, fun filled, exciting, adventuresome, and productive 2011! happy new year!