1. To capture special moments, like your child’s first steps or your grandfather blowing out the candles on his birthday cake.
2. You witness something amazing, like a tornado!
3. You meet someone famous!
4. While on a road trip, you see a funny sign.
5. To document something, like the damage from a car accident.
6. To journal your life’s moments, taking photos of things that make you happy or things you wish to remember.  You can collect these to tell a story to pass down to your children or grandchildren.

What other reasons do you know of to carry a camera every day?

Have you missed a photo moment because you didn’t have a camera with you?

I have so many fond memories of the stadium, it’s just hard to see it go.

When I was a little girl, all I wanted to be when I grew up was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. Once I was old enough to audition, I made my way to Texas Stadium for try-outs, which were held in the Stadium Club.  I had no formal dance experience but was a cheerleader and loved to dance with my friends so I figured I had a shot.  There were tons of beautiful girls at the audition, many of them with killer legs and long flowing hair.  But that didn’t discourage me as I had a dream to fulfill.  When my group was called to the stage, I introduced myself with a clear energetic voice and a huge smile. But then they started the music for us to freestyle dance to and I immediately froze.  Fear struck and I didn’t know what to do, so I just swayed a little to the music feeling like a fool. It was like an alien had suddenly taken over my body.  It was no surprise my name was not on the call-back list, although I did check the list just to see if they liked me for my smile and enthusiastic attitude.

When I was in high school, our football team was really good. We always made playoffs. When the Marcus vs. Lewisville games became too big to be played at our shared stadium, they moved the games to Texas Stadium. Those games were always special, not only because we were playing our biggest rivals, but because we were playing at the home of the current Super Bowl champions, so the atmosphere of the stadium just made it amazing.  I also attended many of our high school playoff games at the stadium.

When I was in college, I worked at Texas Stadium in the sales & catering department. It was a great time to work there as the Cowboys had just won three recent Super Bowls (1992, 1993, & 1995) and the team was hot. Working at Texas Stadium was a blast. Everyone I worked with had a passion for the team so they were fun to work with and like me, had a spring in their step just being there. Every time I arrived at the stadium to work, I could feel the energy, and it was empowering. It put a smile on my face each and every time I was there. Working at Texas Stadium was one of the best jobs I’ve had. I loved the energy of the stadium, even when the stadium was empty – I could still hear the whistles from the refs, the players congratulating each other, the fans cheering on their favorite team. I also made many great friends working there.

And then there were the games. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend several games, both in the stands and in the suite of the company I currently work for. But of all the games I attended, the last one was bitter-sweet. I was there for the final home game at Texas Stadium (December 20, 2008). I honestly didn’t watch all of the game. As I sat in the company suite, I just sat looking out the windows, trying to capture to memory all the little things that made the stadium so great. The star in the middle of the field. The names on the Ring of Honor. The individual light bulbs in the scoreboard. The uncomfortable navy blue seats I’ve sat in so many times. The smell in the air. The teams lined up on the sides, the cheerleaders kicking their boots towards the sky, and all the loyal fans with their painted faces, blue and silver wigs, wearing jerseys from the best players from years past. The tunnel the players exited to – the tunnel where I once officed across the hall from the player’s locker room. I remembered all the great times I had at the stadium when I was in high school, the fun times I had while working there, I even laughed to myself as I glanced across to the windows of the stadium club, remembering my failed cheerleader tryout attempt. And I had one final chance to look up towards God from inside the stadium through that famous hole in the roof.  After the game ended and the ceremony closed with a final video to say goodbye, it was Tom Landry who was shown turning off the lights.

Reflecting on the past makes me realize that I have many great memories of Texas Stadium. While the stadium now sits in a pile of rubble, I recognize that I will still have the friends and the memories of great times past.

Thank you Texas Stadium for the many memories and smiles you brought me.

Here are some of the highlights of her speech:

Key Tips for Marketers:
1. Know who is purchasing your products. Those purchasing may not be the ones using the products. For example, wives often purchase their husband’s toiletries.
2. Offering more products doesn’t always mean more sales. Increasing SKUs does not always equal an increase in sales.
3. It is key to understand the hearts and minds of your customers. Understand why people do what they do and know how to inspire them.
4. Marketing is an art, not a science. Marketing is not measuring ROI and analytics. Marketing is the art of causing someone to do something – getting someone to act. People act on feelings and emotions, not knowledge. Rhonda’s example was about dessert. Most of us like dessert. Most of us know that sugar is bad for us and causes weight gain. But we still eat dessert because we like it and it makes us happy.

What it takes to be a leader and advance your career:
1. To be a leader in a company, you must sharpen your skills. You must understand three things to be a strong leader in your company:
        a. Sales
        b. Operations
        c. Finance
2. You need to have a deep understanding of people and have the ability to get along well with others. You also need to know how to get out of the way.
3. Excellent communication skills – you must be able to effectively communicate to your leaders, your support team, the team right beside you, and your customers.
4. Have the courage to speak the truth, even when it’s difficult. Always speak with honesty and integrity.
5. And finally, get rid of your control issues. You can only control three things:
        a. Your thoughts – you can control what you think
        b. Your words – you can control what you say
        c. Your actions – you can control what you do
        Remember that these three things are a reflection of who you are.

Thanks to Rhonda for sharing her insight and knowledge with us. After 26 years with Mary Kay she will be retiring this summer, but has exciting plans for the future.

The DFW AMA hosts the Executive Luncheon the 3rd Wednesday of each month and is open to all. Visit the DFW AMA website for upcoming luncheons, special interest groups, and networking events.

One of the sharks on Shark Tank is Barbara Corcoran.  I really like her. She always has great questions for the entrepreneurs and she has a great eye for smart ideas. Reading her bio on the ABC website I found that she authored a book.  So, being a curious student of life, I jumped out to buy it. (I bought the first release Use What You’ve Got, but her book has also been re-released with the title: If You Don’t Have Big Breasts, Put Ribbons on Your Pigtails).

Barbara’s book is presented in a unique format – she enlightens us with funny stories from her childhood (she is one of 10! children), the lessons she learned from her mother growing up, and then explains how those lessons translate into the workplace.

I found Barbara’s book both entertaining and informative. She started her career with $1,000 given to her and turned it into a five billion dollar company. Her story is one that tells how hard work, having a good business sense, hiring the best team and keeping them motivated can lead to success.

She covers the highs and the lows of her career, from the extravagant parties she held to celebrate the hard work of her team, to the time where she froze giving her opening remarks of a presentation in front of an audience of 800 people, which unexpectedly, led to one of her greatest finds. 

Simply, Barbara was fearless as a child and grew to be a fearless successful leader.  Her book is easy to read, quite comical at times (she wrote her full name in wet concrete and didn’t think she’d get caught), and teaches how to be successful, all in one.  Not only would this book be great for anyone in real estate, it would also benefit entrepreneurs and corporate leaders, anyone in sales, marketing, or human resources. She even provides a bonus section titled “What I wish every salesperson knew” in the final pages of the book.

Finally, I applaud Barbara’s mother, Florence Corcoran, for believing in each of her 10 kids and celebrating their individuality – what a great role model. She saw the talent in each of her children and encouraged them to practice what they were great at.  Her lessons are now valuable to us all.

Have you read Barbara’s book and have a favorite chapter? Do you have a book similar to Barbara’s that you recommend?

• Shyam Patel (Twitter @shyampatel) was the first presenter to take stage. His high energy speech addressed the overload of Internet content with The Next Epidemic – Mind Obesity.
• Jasmin Brand (Twitter @brandpointe ) entertained the crowd by discussing What Social Media and Ike Turner Have in Common.
• Mike Orren (Twitter @mikeorren) persuaded us to take an Improv class with his speech Stop Thinking and say, “Yes, and…”: Why Everyone Should Take an Improv Class.
• Laura Vatalaro (Twitter @lvgraphics) promoted eco-friendly practices and sustainability in print, design and marketing in her speech Go Green Graphic Design.
• My friend Mike Merrill (Twitter @mikedmerrill) loves bacon. He really loves bacon. He closed the show by visually tantalizing us with his presentation For the Love of Bacon – American’s Cult Meme.

It was a different yet interesting kind of event. It really got me thinking, if I had the stage for just 5 minutes, what would I present?

What are you passionate about? What would you present if you only had 5 minutes?

I came home from work two days after watching the movie and found with my daughter sitting at the computer doing homework and Rudy running around the house like normal, excited that I’m home. But in the corner of my eye was white fluff and yellow foam all over my living room (I’m thinking – I’ve never bought a dog toy made with foam?). Yellow foam = not good. Upon further investigation, I learned Rudy ate the sofa.

Ok, so it wasn’t that bad. Luckily, he pulled out the cushion and only chewed the inside part of the cushion, not the outside edge. So, with a little maneuvering, I was able to put the couch back together with minimal damage. Unfortunately, he didn’t forget that there was a fun foam filled pillow sitting there and he was just waiting for the next move. Another day came, another day with a living room covered in sofa foam. So I grabbed the cayenne pepper and sprinkled just a dash of pepper to the foam to deter him from eating it again. He left it alone, he didn’t like the pepper.

Several months later, the curious Rudy was back. With a full bowl of water, he attacked the sofa yet again. This time chewing a huge chunk off the yellow foam and was busted having a grand time tossing his foam treasures in the air for a solitude game of catch. This time, I thought it may be wise to try another ingredient from the spice cabinet. The first thing I see? Tabasco sauce.

So here is where my weekend came to a screeching halt. While spicing up the side panel of the sofa cushion with some added flavor, I forgot that foam has a tendency to bounce. So I’m sprinkling away, rubbing in the hot sauce with my fingers and them BAM! Tabasco sauce comes springing off the foam and splashes into my eye. Let me tell you – this was not a pleasant scene. I’m now instinctively rubbing my eyes (I forgot there was Tabasco sauce on both of my hands), I’m using my hands to cup water from the kitchen sink, but now BOTH of my eyes are burning because I forgot to wash my hands first and my eyelids are ON FIRE! My eye is burning, my eyelids are now burning, and I’m yelling yet laughing at Rudy because this was his fault. After about 10 minutes and with clean hands, the pain finally began to go away. Another 45 minutes with ice packs on my eyes did the trick.

So, let’s recap here the lessons learned from this event:

1. Don’t assume your dog forgot where he left his fun toy. He’s just waiting for the right time to take advantage of you being out of the room.
2. Don’t go putting Tabasco in your eye. Enough said.
3. It’s probably best to wear goggles when putting Tabasco sauce on foam or anything that has a tendency to spring back at you.
4. Putting Tabasco on your sofa makes the entire house smell somewhat spicy for several weeks.
5. My dog may be a relative of Marley after all. But we love him anyways.

What lessons have you learned from your pet? Do you have a similar pet story to share?

This time of year always reminds me of a scary evening I had a few years ago.  I was driving home alone from a friend’s house at 2am – and I was being followed.

The car behind me got my attention because the driver was almost riding my bumper.  We were traveling on a five lane highway at 65 mph with plenty of room to spare.  I moved over a lane to avoid the driver, realizing that it was 2am on a holiday weekend and it was possibly a drunk driver.  The vehicle moved over in my lane, and I sped up to remain at a safe distance ahead of the car, but continued to keep an eye on it.  I switched lanes a few times and the vehicle behind me continued to stay on my trail.  I knew of an upcoming exit where there was no stop light and I had the opportunity to return to the highway without stopping if necessary.  Luckily, traffic was light, so I planned on darting over the 2 lanes to make the exit at the last second.  The other car darted over too. I sped up on the service road and returned back to the highway, the car followed.  It’s official, someone is trailing me and I have less than a quarter tank of gas.  I grabbed my cell phone and called my friend to let him know what was going on.   

Knowing the area well, I knew of a spot close by where the local police sit to radar speeding cars on the highway.  I floor it, hoping that if they were there, I’d grab their attention and get pulled over.  This time, there was no cop (there’s some irony for you).  I’m now headed to an area where there is little activity at night as it is mostly a corporate and freight area, and there is not a safe place to stop.  So I called 911 and informed the police what was going on.  I exited to take yet another highway and sped up again to see if I could lose my follower. The car disappears from my rear-view mirror.  I drove about a mile until I saw lights from a speeding car approach and there the car is again, back on my tail. The third highway had no traffic.  It’s just me, my follower, and the shadows of empty office buildings. 

For some reason, the vehicle moved over a lane.  I hit the brakes and the car went flying by.  I relayed the model, color, and license plate of the car to the police. But then, the driver hit the brakes too, so we were both sitting at a standstill in the middle of the highway.  The police informed me they were setting up a road block ahead and that I needed to proceed down the highway. I darted back into high gear as the car again followed.  Sure enough, a few miles ahead, there were about eight cop cars that jumped out from the darkness to pull the car over.  I was directed by one cop to a safe area around the corner while they checked the driver out.  Another officer brought me the driver’s license of my follower and asked if I knew the driver.  I did not.  The officers told me I could continue on my way and that they were going to retain the driver for questioning and possible testing for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.  I drove home, but didn’t sleep a wink that night.

The reason I share this story is to hope you will consider these safety tips when traveling:

1. Keep your cell phone charged and within reach in case you need to make an emergency call.
2. Keep your gas tank at a safe fuel level and don’t drive on a near empty tank, especially at night.
3. Tell a friend that you will call or text them when you get home so they know you are home safe.
4. Call the police if you think you are being followed.  I told this story to a friend who said she never would have thought to call the police because she would be so panicked and freaked out.
5. Consider getting your windows tinted.  My front door windows didn’t have tint and I was driving with my hair in a high ponytail.  It was easy to see that I was a young woman driving alone.

Have you ever experienced something scary like this?  Do you have any additional tips to share?

Function: noun

The exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically: the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business.  (http://www.merriam-webster.com)

I was recently at a professional networking event and met a lovely woman who had just moved to town.  She just launched her own consulting firm and was looking for connections and asking about additional local groups for other networking opportunities.  We had a short conversation about what we each did, exchanged business cards and I offered to connect with her afterwards to provide additional online links to other networking events in the area that may be of interest to her.  She was pleasant and professional and thanked me for offering to help.

About an hour later, the same woman approached me holding two alcoholic drinks – one in each hand.  We carried on a brief conversation which quickly turned ugly.  The woman had apparently been drinking as she was swaying, speaking very sloppy and was literally spitting in my face.  I kept taking steps backwards as she kept taking steps forward, getting closer and closer to me until I was cornered.  I quickly excused myself and told her it was nice chatting with her.  As I was leaving the event, I noticed she was taking shots at the bar and had become quite obnoxious.  

So, if I may offer one piece of advice when you are planning to network in a professional environment, be sure to know what your alcohol limit is and stop when you get there.  One or two alcoholic drinks over the course of the evening to help take the edge off is typically ok, however becoming drunk at such an event shows your unprofessionalism and others will take note. Your personal brand is on the line.

So, here is what I decided.  I am a mom, a pet owner (aka - zoo keeper), a marketer, and a consumer.  I’ve decided that as a mom, I have my experiences and insights to share with family and friends who have little kids and I can answer questions I seem to get frequently.  As a pet owner, I will share some of the mishaps and funny stories that never seem to be in short supply.  And I might jump in with a few thoughts about the business world.  

I’m glad you’ve checked in.  I hope you check back to see what’s going on and hopefully I will entertain and inspire the readers of my blog, and I look forward to reading your comments as well.  This is my little community, so grab a bag of chips, some salsa, a cold drink, and enjoy the conversation.

Kristy

So I got to thinking about other famous Kristys!  Here is a list of all I could think of:

• Christie Brinkley – Model
• Agatha Christie – Author
• Kristi Yamaguchi – Figure skater
• Christie Hefner – Daughter of Hugh Hefner
• Christie’s – Auction House
• Corpus Christi – Coastal City in Texas
• Kristy, Are You Doing Okay? – Song by The Offspring
• Christy Turlington – Model
• Kristy Swanson – Actress
• Steve Christie – NFL Player, retired
• Christy – Book by Catherine Marshall

Ok, now famous Hoovers! (My last name can be considered a person, a place, and a thing!)

• President Herbert Hoover – 31^st President of the United States
• J. Edgar Hoover – First Director of the FBI
• Hoover Dam – Dam located in on the border of Arizona and Nevada
• Hoover’s Online
• Hoover Vacuum

According to HowManyOfMe.com, there are 15 Kristy Hoovers in the U.S.

So, who were you named after?  How did you choose your children’s names?