Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Happy Social Media Day! (Thanks @PRsarahevans)


Received my daily #Commentz today from Sarah Evans and as usual, got a lot out of the e-newsletter including the following list of tips:

From Sarah...last night I shared reflections from the past two weeks on lessons I learned (or re-learned).


Here they are in all their tweet-ready glory:

Those who work the hardest (and the longest) end up with more opportunities.

Always under promise and over deliver.

A good team makes all the difference.

If you wait until things are perfect, you'll never get anything done.

You can't forget to take care of yourself. (I need to remind myself of this OFTEN.)

Priorities REALLY matter. You can't always get everything done, but you better get the right
things done.

We all make mistakes. It's what we learn and how we change after that can redeem us.

Business titles shouldn't determine who receives your respect. You may end up reporting to those people someday.

When you know your values, it's easy(ier) to make big decisions. (Former mentor did great
exercise to help me w/ this.)

You don't become irrelevant if you go off-grid for 48 hours or more.

Recognize those who do an amazing job. There are many professionals who go above and beyond b/c they love their jobs.

Sometimes it truly is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Fun ways to reward and recognize your team via social media can really pay off. A team who tweets together, stays together???

PHOTO: From L to R - Kimberly, Sarah Evans, Me -- I met Sarah in March in Orlando after inviting her to attend a conference. She was one of our speakers. For the entire conference, I was incredibly sick and having major issues with being able to eat or just enjoy anything besides a warm bed.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Family Canoe Trip Down the Wekiwa

And we're off on our first family canoe ride

party in the front...business in the back
or is it the other way around?


gorgeous view along the way


she was a little uncertain at first and then she got the hang of it.


swimming in wekiwa springs for the first time

Saturday, June 26, 2010

GO USA!!!!!!!!!!!

USA!! Watching the World Cup this afternoon as the US Men's team takes on Ghana. So far, Ghana is up by one. I've had three heart attacks and my nail-biting awful habit has resumed. I might start smoking before this game is over. C'mon USA!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Celebrating Education - Reason #196 Why I Love My Job



On Thursday, June 24, I attended my fifth event focused on education at the Gaylord Palms Resort to honor and celebrate several teachers and students for their innovation and creativity in and out of the classroom. It is always a pleasure to be a part of this event and to see in one place what programmers like C-SPAN and MTV are doing to support education.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

All the Best to Dave and JEN!

Had to get a picture of Jen's t-shirt that she wore to lighthouse dinner and tour. I had such a great time in Jupiter hanging out with Jen of http://davejenadoptionjourney.blogspot.com/.
Here's to hoping they get the call very, very soon.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Happy Father's Day to My Mr. Wonderful and My Baby Girl's Father

Baby Girl gave her daddy gifts first thing in the morning. She made a bag with a tie on it that was full of cards, handprints, a little football and a book that had things about the baby girl and a thank you to dad for always being there for her.
Mr. Wonderful took this pic while playing all day on the beach. Even though he was under the weather, I just knew he would love spending the day with his baby girl on the beach. They swam in the ocean and played in the pool and in the sand. It was great to see the two of them just have fun together.
Family photo on Father's Day. I love you Mr. Wonderful. You are an amazing father!
(Rock Star mom and dad let us adopt their oldest daughter for this shot. We've watched her grow, grow and grow since she was a little baby.)


Saturday, June 19, 2010

Some INSPIRATION On writing from LG

"I believe that – if you are serious about a life of writing, or indeed about any creative form of expression – that you should take on this work like a holy calling. I became a writer the way other people become monks or nuns. I made a vow to writing, very young."

For more on writing, go to Elizabeth Gilbert's page.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Drops of Jupiter

I am attending my 5th PRSA Sunshine District Conference. This year, I'm the Chair of the Sunshine District which has been truly a privilege since this fabulous state of ours has some of the most talented and nicest PR people in all the world.

This year's conference is being held at the Jupiter Beach Resort that is conveniently off the Florida turnpike, right on the beach and a beautiful not too big place. Tonight, we kicked things off poolside at the bar with a brief presentation from Rosanna who is the Chair-Elect for the national board. Then, a gentlemen named Harvey Oyer talked to us about Florida history which sounds like a good time to "head to the restroom" but I'm so glad I was there. His presentation was insightful and even though I did learn my Florida history growing up here and even making the 4th grade pilgramage to the nation's oldest city and then later attending college there, I was surprised at how much I didn't know. It ended up being a well received presentation and even poolside with many distractions -- beach to the left, pool to the right, the bar in the middle with the TV on and other people who were not in our party, drinking it up. Transportation is key in our state along with agriculture, travel/tourism and medical science. So, thank you 1845 for coming around and marking the beginning of this great state even though we were matched with Iowa who was the free state and Florida was the slave state.

After the reception, I walked down to Jupiter Beach to check the beach scene and get my feet in the sand. There are actually rocks on the beach along the coast. I called Mr. Wonderful who was at Chinese Thursday with the gang and even the baby girl said, "Hi Mommy!" Miss them but as all mothers know, it's great to get some time away to blog, read, think, just be.

Jen Wakefield and I decided to grab some dinner...We weren't sure where to go so we drove 4 miles down the main road and headed to Outback to grab a bite. It really ended up being the perfect food to hit the spot. And Jen is so easy to talk to...I really enjoy hanging out with her despite the fact we've only really done it twice now.

So, I'm back in my room watching World Cup highlights and trying to wind down a bit before I call it a night. It has been a really wonderful day. Ready for the conference sessions, more networking and fun with my Sunshiners.

As baby girl would say, "Night, Night."

Monday, June 07, 2010

Celebrating In Heels and Flip Flops

So, the last couple of months have been non-stop with weekend celebrations and events and family visits and fun, fun, fun. Seriously, I thought I'd never make it after traveling to North Carolina and back on Memorial Day Weekend. I have worn almost all of my nice pairs of heels and taken my favorite flip flops to every one of the events.

To stay present and make it through each big celebration, I have to consciously push through the exhaustion of really feeling these moments and remember that there are sweet memories being made. My next several posts will be a lot of the photos that were taken and what I remember from my whirlwind tour of the last couple weeks that included long drives as I mentioned previously and a whole weekend built around my father-in-law getting married for the third time. So many memories and so much love and so much to celebrate. Not sure if CELEBRATING OTHERS is a hobby but I have officially deemed it as one of mine. I absolutely love to celebrate other people...Whether it's the big stuff or the small stuff. It's all about celebrating life!

Saturday, June 05, 2010

Celebrating The Union of Ted and Teala



Last April, we were introduced to Teala. She and my fab father-in-law started dating and have been inseparable. So, in January or somewhere around that time, he let us all know that they were planning to be married in June. We began this journey in March when the engagement became official. Then, June was here before we knew it. On Friday afternoon, the girls met for lunch at Biscotti's in Avalon. Later that evening, we met everyone at the home of J&C to kick things off right. Family members, friends old and new as well as great weather, came together to make a memorable time for everyone. To Ted and Teala!

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Bye Bye For Now North Carolina

She couldn't wait to get on this golf cart. Our last day in North Carolina, she finally got to hang out with the very cool and cute, Justice. Next year, I have a feeling she'll be driving it.