Day 7: Last day in New York

Only a week in and I'm already a day behind on my blog! Yesterday was an easy going, very wet day. I headed over to hang out with Lindsay before she headed off to work. We ate at a little restaurant called Candle Cafe or something. It's a vegetarian place, so I was nervous. I got the paradise casserole which was comprised of sweet potatoes, black beans, and millet. Two of those are my absolute favorite so I gave it a chance - fricken delicious. I cannot explain the wonderfulness of that dish. The other items we ate weren't bad either but the tofu cheesecake will not be on my list of top 100 things to eat ever again, thats for sure. Besides the cheesecake, I would recommend trying a vegetarian restaurant. Lunch went late so I headed over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art alone while Lindsay went to do her duty as "lead server" hehe.
Now, i'm not a museum girl - but I tried. I strolled through the greek nude statues and a little bit of egyptian stuff. I even checked out the nude picture gallery; impressive but I wasn't ready for the history of porn portion, no matter how mild. No surprise, I ended up in the American wing staring at pictures of forests, civil war history, and camping pictures. While I am glad I got to the Met I have confirmed once again that museums just arent my thing.
Where I would have liked to spend more time was in Central Park.
 I passed by there on my way to the subway and it was beautiful but seeing as I was alone and it was raining I decided just to head over to Lindsay's workplace. There I sat for three hours, ordering appetizers and tea while chatting it up with the bartenders. Once Megan got off work she met me at the bar. From there we went and ate mexican food. For the second time in my life I was sorely disappointed by the prices and lack of burritos! Apparently nice mexican restaurants don't fancy tex mex - well I do! Either way, it was delicious. That night I did my third ever facial on Megan and I felt much more confident in my Mary Kay abilities - although I am still taking it slow. Last night in New York - very laid back, and successful. Sadly I do not have pictures right now, as I am not on my computer!! :)

Slow Down

Tonight is the night. My last night in town before I embark on my three month journey across our wonderful country!! I am so excited, but I have noticed a common theme in my life. I cannot just relax!! I find that I almost crave being busy. Let me tell you about my day. 7:45am wake up, surprise clean the house for Avery. 10am brunch with the best little cousin anyone could ever hope for. 1, change my own windshield wipers for the first time ever [thank you very much!]. 1:30 meeting with Mary Kay director to get my stuff together. 3 finish cleaning apartment, bring stuff over to storage unit. 5 pick up my wonderful besties from the airport as they somehow muster enough Vegas energy to run up and hug me. 6:30 Sam’s Club shopping with my papa followed by a delicious dinner where we were so graciously served by the beautiful Taylor. And finally, 9:30pm, my two very first facials!! I performed these facials on two of my best friends and let me tell you - they really opened my eyes to how difficult this will be!! I not only stumbled but I was also not exactly prepared. Thank God for friends to help me learn the ropes. Moral of the story - I need to slooow down! Speaking of slowing down, this girl got another speeding ticket yesterday!! As most of you are aware, I have a led foot. I may actually have a led leg. I get pulled over on a monthly basis. Thanks baby Jesus for making sure I got a cop with a good heart - he only wrote me up for 7 over so that it wouldn't go on my record. Some lookin out there buddy! Honestly, I have realized, I always over book myself. In a perfect world I should have waited to join Mary Kay but hey, sometimes we jump way before we see the bottom and we just have to take those leaps of faith in life. I have decided I will take it slow. This vacation is about taking life in and breathing life out. It's about stopping to smell the flowers and appreciating what's around me. Yes I am a busy girl, I enjoy having a full plate but at the end of the day I sometimes just want to take that plate and hurl it across a room and listen as the porcelain shatters into a million beautiful pieces. Before I take off tomorrow, I am going to take a deep breath, exhale, and drive away - reminding myself to do that each time I allow my mind to take off full throttle on some unnecessary escapade. Here’s to a slow three months. Because let's be honest, I may never have an opportunity not to be busy for a very long time after this summer. Exhale.

Mary Kay Consultant

I did it, I became a Mary Kay consultant. Tonight was my first business meeting and I got pinned as the newest member. I must admit, I was [and still am], a bit skeptical. The idea of selling products makes me nervous and downright self-conscious. Not only that, but I am not an extremely competitive person and prizes don't necessarily motivate me to work harder. However, faith and family do motivate me and those are the first two priorities in Mary Kay. Upon entering the room at the Country Inn I noticed these beautiful women welcoming me in, all giggles and smiles. They had been in the business over thirty years and each had pins with the number of profits they had scored. I wasn't sold. Listening to them jab about makeup and purses, hair do's and skirts, made me cringe a little. Then I started to listen closer. Their gossiping wasn't endless, nor was it pointless - it was meaningful. They weren't discussing these things in a caddy materialistic fashion but rather as a way to express their achievements and their strides to help women around them achieve the same things. When we went off to training I took notes as if I were studying for the GRE. Then I reread my notes and it hit me. 80 percent of the things we talked about consisted of faith, family, staying positive, helping women, empowering yourself, and then - only then - did the business aspect come in. I was shocked and quite honestly, sold. Not only that, but our director emphasized that you MUST do unto others as you would have done unto you. This meant that when you spoke to someone about Mary Kay that you should never, ever, steal another consultant’s client. In addition, if you do meet someone who already has a consultant and they decide they want to join as a team member - you send them back to their own consultant. I was shocked!! Here was a business whose motto was not only faith, family, then career - but also really and truly to follow the golden rule. She emphasized that what you put in you will get out tenfold, if only you are doing those things for the right reasons. To which she added you must pray about. You must make God a part of your daily decisions. Now - of course - God is not a belief that all Mary Kay team members hold. For a lot of people the endless monetary potential, the ridiculously flexible schedule, and the fact that family always comes first appeals much more. For me, though, the fact that God and family comes first - and that I am truly encouraged to stay positive, work hard, and use the golden rule really got me hooked. So, although I may not make a million bucks and I may not ever win a pink Cadillac [pink pickup please!] - I am excited to learn and to grow through Mary Kay for as long as I choose to be a part of the company.

 

Visit my website at www.marykay.com/hcarlson8 :)