7. Two Trips To St. Louis
In addition to spending time with our friends, Patty & Mark, in Branson during June, Paula and I made trips to visit them in St. Louis at both the start and end the year.
On the 2nd weekend of February we headed to the "Gateway To The West" for our first visit of 2019.
On Saturday afternoon, Mark and I went to the Enterprise Center to see the hockey game between the Predators and the Blues.
Unfortunately, the Blues won 3-2. It was the 5th victory in the middle of what would be a 11 winning game streak.
Nine months later, the weekend before Thanksgiving, once again, we crossed the "Might Missisip" to see our friends for the third time in 2019.
This was a pretty quick trip but it took me to my favorite (non-Disney related) entertainment venue twice.
On Friday night we went to The Fox Theater to see the a capella group Straight No Chaser.
The next afternoon we returned to The Fabulous Fox to enjoy a concert by Manheim Steamroller.
Although it was in the middle of November, I consider that weekend the unofficial start of the 2019 Christmas season for us.
The details of the entire visit is in this post link:November Highlights
6. Water Day
Sometimes, the combination of spontaneity with a plan, make for a day that will be talked about for years to come. That may be the case for this instance.
On Friday May 25, our grandchildren came to visit us. It was a beautiful, rather warm, afternoon. While we were playing with the kids outside, Aria suggested that we get some water balloons.
Eventually, this led to my making a quick run to the local Dollar Store for some outdoor water play supplies and a memorable afternoon with the kids. The fun ranged from them breaking balloons over their Papa's head...
...to sitting in a make shift tub.
It was just a few hours with some rather in expensive things bought at a Dollar Store but the memory of hanging with the kids in our front yard that day is priceless.
5. James' Reboot
In terms of number of details, this is probably the shortest of all my memories. But please, please, please, do not let that diminish the degree of importance in regard to both looking back as well as forward.
The reason for the brevity of words is that, while it's a top 5 memory, it's not my story to tell.
In July, after a rough first half of the year, my son, James, made a decision that has turned his life around.
There was, and still is, a very strong spiritual aspect to his "reboot". As 2019 came to an end he was in the "best place" he's been in for several years.
That's about as much detail as I'm going to go into.
Of all the memories on this list this is the one that, going forward, will without a doubt, have a "pebble in the pond" effect on both James and his family, and subsequently the rest of us. I mean that in a very optimistic positive way.
Paula and I just want to convey to James how proud we are of him and the courage he's shown in making some difficult changes and that we love him very much.
4. On The Road With Color Street
Seven times during the last five months of 2019, Paula and I set up her Color Street booth at 8 vendor events.
Five were at 2 venues in nearby Bowling Green, 2 were in towns over an hour away, and one just half a mile away from our house. Each one was a unique learning experience.
The first one was outdoors at the end of July in the middle of the hottest heat wave of the summer. The heat index was in triple digits. It made the first time effort exhausting. This is what the set up looked like that day.
There are so many moments and memories connected to these vendor events.
Sales and potential customer contacts were the primary reasons for setting up. But there were secondary benefits as well. Among them were learning to create a better booth and help customers more efficiently. A perfect example of that progress is a picture of the booth at the last event of the year on December 15.
Paula's Nail Haven presence at vendor events has improved greatly in just 5 months.
My favorite thing about the vendor events was working with my wife. The teamwork required to pull off any degree of success has transcended to the dynamics of our marriage. I don't recommend doing this kind of thing for everyone. But for us it has had a positive effect on our relationship.
I'll have more about how a product that's 95% dry nail polish has changed our lives later in this post.
3. Fall Break In The Smokies
Four out of the last five years, Paula and I have spent time in the Smoky Mountains of east Tennessee.
This year we went during the 2nd weekend of October along with James and Brandi. Some of Brandi's family was there too. It was the first time in 10 years we'd been there with more than just another couple.
It was so great to be in our favorite vacation spot with our grand children.
We went with them to the Pirates Voyage dinner show and treated them to a pirate makeover.
Then we had the joy of watching them being enthralled by the show.
We got to play miniature golf and went to The Island with them. Took them to the Frizzled Chicken Farmhouse to for breakfast as well.
In addition to all of that, I had the opportunity to visit the newest Gatlinburg attraction: The Sky Bridge.
My in-depth report about our long weekend can be found in a 4 part YNN blog post series entitled "Fall Break Getaway."
The combination of the two things I just mentioned makes the October trip to the Smokies the 3rd best memory of 2019.
2. SOKY's Got Talent
I don't know if this runner-up memory would have ever happened without my performing at the Edmonson County Library. It gave me the confidence to sign up to be part of the 2nd annual SOKY's Got Talent a fund raising competition for the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center.
I auditioned at SKYPac on July 20; the same day as Paula's first Color Street vendor event.
Getting to perform on both the Capitol Arts theater and SKYPAC stages for the semi-finals and finals, respectively would have been enough for me. Winning the "Runner-Up" award within my age category was the cherry on top.
I wrote posts about my progress and you can find them in this blog in the months of July, August, and September.
The time and effort I put into my SOKY's Got Talent performances was the most intensely focused and creative effort I've made in a long time.
If you had told me when I started that I would place in the competition it would have exceeded my expectations.
I consider the overall experience my greatest personal accomplishment in 2019. It is a memory that, as I write this, inspires me to try again in 2020. And this time, be good enough to win.
Well, I'm up to the thing that I consider the #1 on my list for 2019. Before I tell you what it is, I will tell you what it is not. It is not a single event or a road trip. It's not actually a memory. It is a turning point.
The #1 thing I'll always remember about
2019 is...
1. Paula Starts A Business
Although I do remember the day in April when my wife told me that she was going to spend $150 to buy her Color Street starter kit and become a "stylist" I don't think I realized what she was telling me.
I thought she was just going to "dabble" in selling the nail tabs enough to support her own interest; the way she'd been doing with Doterra oils for the last couple of years.
But this was going to be more involved than what she had been doing with essential oils. It was going to be a means to prepare for our future.
Over the next couple of months I would see her go into setting up her new business with commitment and intensity.
Not ever having been involved in direct sales before she had to learn things from the ground up. She spent nearly every free minute at night and on the weekends watching and learning about things that she'd never done before.
She was "living" outside her comfort zone but didn't let it get the best of her. She was in it for the "long haul"; determined to succeed from the start.
Of course I wanted to support my wife in what was obviously something very important to her.
I didn't really understand what this career as a stylist was all about but I volunteered to help in any way I could.
This turned out to be a good choice. I became her shipping clerk and creative adviser. I helped her come up with her new and interesting ways to interact with her Facebook group.
As I've already mentioned earlier in this countdown, I also became her helper for vendor events.
I could go on and on with the details but I'm not sure they would convey just why I have made Paula's getting involved with Color Street my #1 take away from this past year.
Let me attempt to do that by telling you that, at the end of 2019 and going into 2020, Color Street has permeated our lives. It is everywhere for us.
This means it effects something as minor as what's setting on the couch in our living room (nail sets that are yet to be added to the inventory) to major decisions such as how we are going to spend our vacation in 2020 (going to Las Vegas for the national conference?) and most things in between.
I am impressed with the brand Paula has built over a short 8 months. Whenever I see evidence of it I am as proud of her as I can be. I admire her more than I can tell you.
With that I must say that as I write this post, her efforts in 2019 are starting to show results.
I will continue to do what I can to support her because with her determination and drive, there's no telling where Color Street will take us in 2020.
So there you have my top 19 take aways from the last year of the 2nd decade of the 21st century.
Thank you for taking this journey with me. Sometime I think taking a look back helps us gain a little perspective on what lies ahead.
I look forward to sharing with you the adventures and stories of my life as 2020 plays out. That should start as soon as I get the darn cast off my foot. See you next time. God Bless.
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