U-Turn…

In my last post I talked about returning to college to finish my undergrad…well, there’s been an interesting turn of events…

All the things were going along swimmingly. I had collected requested all my past college transcripts to be sent to Liberty, I filled out my FAFSA (in hopes of some academic scholarships more than anything), started looking at the courses I would need to complete. I was fully gearing up.

And then came the weird hurdles.

In some report the school ran, it showed I attended a college back in Arizona in the early 90’s. Everest College. Only thing is, I had never attended a school called Everest.

Liberty insisted I needed to retrieve the transcript from them or I would need to get a letter from the school saying that I never attended.

I thought, “easy peasy.” How hard could that be? Until I discovered the school had closed in 2015. Now what?

I went back to Liberty, which to my surprise, was little help along the way. They directed me to go to the AZ Board of Secondary Education, where Everest’s records would have likely been turned over to upon its closure. Great.

So on to that entity where I proceeded to jump through a number of hoops. I filled out an application, paid $10 and then waited for their response. That led to another application and finally, a return email letting me know there was no record of me attending Everest.

You don’t say…

In the meantime, Frank and I were preparing to meet an old friend and her husband down in Savannah for a weekend.

Laurie and Rob moved to Florida from Utah about a year ago and Savannah is a half-way point for us. Plus it’s my favorite Southern city. Win-win.

I decided to set aside my frustrations over trying to get into school and just enjoy the weekend.

Laurie and I share a looooooonnnnnggggg history. I met Laurie when I was pregnant with Jake. About 26 years ago. Boy that is really a life time…

Laurie was a Mary Kay director and I was just starting my Mary Kay business, hoping to leave my job that required me to travel nearly every week, week after week. I wanted to be home with my newborn boy.

I liked Laurie. I liked her meeting and her training style. After the first meeting I asked one of the ladies how I could get to know Laurie. They shared that if I earned a “red jacket” I would get more training time with her. “How do I do that?” I asked. “You find three other people who want to sell Mary Kay with you.” Done…

The next month, I had three new team members and I was in a “red jacket” and staying after for training.

Training eventually became after meeting dinners, and I as went on to earn my first free car, Laurie and my friendship began to grown.

Eventually, a lot of things would transpire that led me to stop my MK business, but I never stopped using the product, loving what the company stands for, and being friends with Laurie.

So there we are, after a number of years apart, hanging out in Savannah and she’s trying to be so “good” and not bombard me with all things Mary Kay.

It’s never been much of a secret that Laurie wanted me to once again dive in to the business of MK. But it’s equally important to her that I never felt pressured by her and that I always know our friendship comes first. All things I know and appreciate.

I just never thought I would entertain the idea.

But then I started thinking. Why has there been so many obstacles in applying for school? And why do I feel a buzz of excitement when I ask Laurie about her MK business and she shares all the things I remember so well about it. The fun it is, the way it has sustained her through so many ups and downs in life, the friendships she has because of it. And I found myself thinking… “what if?”

What if I took the next six months and put a pause on school?

What if I decided to spend my free time outside of my day job doing something fun with girlfriends, sharing something I really love?

What if…

The one thing that Mary Kay has always done for me is to give me a vehicle to dream. I realized I really don’t dream much these days.

I work, and work hard. I use a lot of brain power all day long. That fulfills my analytical side, but the rest of my time, I’ve been searching. Searching for something to fill my heart, my passion.

And that was it. I decided to throw my hat back in the ring. To have some fun. To build a little something that gives others around me an opportunity to learn to dream, too.

Mary Kay was a brilliant woman. Not just a brilliant business woman. She truly loved women and wanted to create a vehicle for all women to not only dream bigger for themselves, but to achieve those dreams. And this year is the 60th anniversary of the start of it all.

I remember my first go I felt a little nervous telling people that I was selling “lipstick”. I have no discomfort in that today, because I know what I am offering is so much more than just that.

It feels good to ‘come home’ in a sense — there’s a comfort I feel in being a part of something so familiar, but there’s also an excitement of what could be.

I’m not sure where this will lead. I’m not sure what I want long-term, but for now, I’m excited to have some fun, be around super positive people, and have something to look forward to as my day job winds down in the evenings.

So, if you’re needing some pampering/TLC, give me a shout. I’d love to share what Mary Kay and I have to offer.