i have been Branded

well i always want to make Christmas gifts for my friends. but i am a very bad baker so that is out, i don't do crafts so that is out, i don't know how to make wine so that is out.... i did find what i thought looked like a fun and festive recipe to infuse alcohol and then serve as a holiday cocktail. this i thought i could actually pull off.

needing a label for my concoction... every great branding expert knows it has to start with a logo! so my talented husband not only created a beautiful logo. just for me! he applied it to my label and waa laa. i am branded.

i hope to somehow use it more in my life. i like it. it's pretty, i think.

Office Holiday Party!

an Office Holiday Party is such an iconic event, a must for any firm that specializes in Branding. we had ours' this last weekend and it was not only wonderfully fun, we had a photographer friend capture it in black & white!

we began with a few 'reindeer games' to kick the evening off.


we were all really quite surprised who ended up where on our "Naughty & Nice" list.


a toast to a wonderful team and a delicious dinner.


our five course prix fixe meal at Jen's Garden was elegantly perfect!


it is ALWAYS wonderful to see our lead man relax and enjoying great fun with his team.


the BrandNav girls show off being dressed up for the evening.


the entire BrandNav Team. we are sure, one of the absolute bests that there is!

Family Time is

good time.

it is just the best to be around my kids, it was only half of them but i enjoy the time so much. because i enjoy my children more than anything there is. i know they are not children, they are all adults but they are mine so i think it's okay that i refer to them as children.

i was pretty impressed with: THE SURVEILLANCE MASTER 5000. my son is now a boss at his job (o: (way to go on the promotion son) and this is the 007 style little tool he uses to know all that is going on at one time.


here is is making a spy like / boss like move. so calm and in control.


Michael loves Joe's scooter. it is very cool but made me super nervous, super super nervous....


Bella enjoyed watching Michael scream up and down the street on the scooter (from in between Bill's legs). Bella is a very fuuny, entertaining and cute dog. either she was snuggling or she was nervous.


yeah and then, whoops my son... made my fears come true... wet streets, speed, ugghhh. thankfully he hopped right up and acted like he was fine. (*v*) so he says.


my handsome husband hangs in the kitchen and enjoys the activity around him. he looks good here, i had to show it.


as Heidi, Joe and I pull together some things to consume.


sorry for no phone calls to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. i have NO phone service here at Mount Hermon. i do hope yours was wonderful!

thanks for reading!

BrandNav does OCC

my generous husband agreed to loan me his young and strong staff for the last day of collection for Operation Christmas Child. i admit i am much to busy to think of taking good pictures, but we have a few to share of the day and (i think) the fun they had.
the BrandNavigation girls are not only the three of the most wonderful young women i know. they also love to have fun and work hard, they are all the most attractive elves (Bill's new pet name for his staff).

then there is the 'hottie elf' (sorry he is taken) that was an immense blessing to Bill. loading that truck is very hard work and it was so nice to have another set of muscles.

it was a ton of work and just and much fun!

here is terra, working her little elf heart out!

here is our worker elf again and next to him is my right arm, "annette" she is my mom's age.... there are times i want to cut her off and put my mama in her place! i do know i could not do my job without her! obviously you can see from her hat, she is the head of us all.

our fearless leader, the most jovial elf of all. that hat... it just didn't work so well... we love him though and he brought tons of fun to the day!

the day ended with elf pivots, dancing, frolicking and 5239 shoe boxes. it was a good way for BrandNav to be away and work together.

oh boxes

this is what happens when you have a loaded truck trailer filled with shipping cartons, filled with shoe boxes and your count does not add up. you get to climb on top, gingerly crawl over the edges (hoping there is enough strength there to hold your weight) shimmying to the front of the trailer. to see and count if there are as many cartons in each row and there are in the rows you can see. all the while hoping there are not so that your count will somehow be correct!


it's a fun job with an interesting perspective!


sure enough, 16 in the two front rows rather than the 20 that i was ASSUMING! i know you would think i would count them as i load the trailer. now there is an idea....

i am pretty tired and going to bed. i am sure that i will dream i am a plane made out of a shoe box flying off to a special child in hopes of touching their heart.

i am ALMOST done. so close, just not quite. almost though. (o:

so....

i was on TV. it was at 6:45 a.m. so i am sure no one (other than my devoted husband) viewed it. he has urged me strongly to post it. i am uncomfortable with that but... one more box.... one more child... another life possibly changed...
the reason i did the interview.

click here and enjoy.

six days down, two to go.
thank you.

oh and p.s.
i never realized the size of my nose until this! oh my! so yeah, thanks Grandma (o:

x

shoe box...

packing has begun. we collected more than double of what we did on the first day last year yesterday, and more than we did on the second day last year, today. i am perplexed.... there is a recession going on, i do a horrible job at promoting the program in our area. it's not really my job, but then there is no one else to do it so I SHOULD... shyness or insecurity (unfortunately i have both!) are not the best personality traits to have in a ministry like this one.

regardless, i am perplexed. the American economy is in the tank yet shoe boxes for hurting children still come in. not only do they come in but they seem to come in abundantly. either i am going to be REALLY slow for the next few days or people are caring more and more every day about the atrocities that take place in our world and want to take the time, money and effort to do SOMETHING that makes a difference. they see these shoe boxes as a tangible way to touch the life of a child.

i do hope and believe it's the later. i had two volunteers tonight, that happen to be dear friends, that sat and packed eight shoe boxes. simply out of 'stuff' that different donors had dropped off throughout the day (stuff they didn't need or want, some leftovers, but were hoping we could use in some way..) with that 'stuff' these two women packed and FILLED eight wonderful shoe boxes that will touch the lives of eight more children. for that i am thankful. also that the Lord God is still on the throne and has the power to move through hearts above and beyond 'recession.'

64 cartons filled and ready to go. hopefully a few hundred more to go.
two days down, six to go, and yes, my back is sore.