Just a few balls in the air...3 to be exact.

Yep, it's Sunday night. Anyone really following had to know, I'm pretty good about posting on Sunday nights. Why I'm not sure...but it's a good way for me to think about my focus for the week. And yes, it changes about 17 times during the week. I think that's part of my 'She appears to be super organized yet I'm pretty sure she's bat shit crazy facade'. 

My friend Shawna came to town Friday night until this morning and we had a great time together. From dinner Friday night to drinking wine watching SATC movies last night (she'd never seen EITHER of them - I didn't know what to think) and all the random running around in between - we had fun! Farmers Market shopping, mainstream retail shopping and then off to the Antique malls on a hunt for props. No major finds were made but we had fun poking around at things. I'm pretty sure half my childhood is in the antique mall. Either that means I am getting OLD or my mother really did have a knack for keeping things that might be worth something someday. One item sparked a very interesting convo with my brother! 

Today was spent on many different things - which seems to be the case with me these days. And after getting frustrated with things on many levels, I decided I need to focus on what's important. I wish I was in the position to be only focusing on just ONE thing but that's not my nature - I really work better with having to take on MORE than one thing at a time. So I decided to have 3 balls in the air at one time - each one has a different opportunity for my future. They say you're supposed to share things with people so you can stay accountable. Yep, you guessed it - I'm sharing with you. 

Ball #1 - My future business. Simply Divine. It's time to start making decisions and getting lists made of things that need done. In 9 months, I will be making the big ol move. Like an expectant mother, I need to prepare. Spent some time today getting back to my first client about her wedding on Sept. 1. 

Ball #2 - Silpada. I've been a rep for 7.5 years now and haven't done a show this year. And as I was going through jewels and the new catalog - I realized how much I miss it. Time to get back on the wagon and have some jewelry parties. New jewels are FAB - check them out @ www.mysilpada.com/sarah.vonnahme. Retired party next Monday night. Can't wait! 

Ball #3 - Body by Vi. First Challenge Party tomorrow night! Excited to finally get this rolling. Scared b/c I have no clue what I'm doing. Trying to figure out how to reply to a girl in Chicago right now who wants to sign up for a kit! Better get it together Sarah. 

I'm going to get SO good at juggling all 3 balls I'm either going to soon be a STAR at the circus or amazing entertainment at children's birthday parties! 

Here's to the side show! Cheers! :) 

The Ones...

Ahh, being single and living alone gives me plenty of time to think. To daydream. To wonder. To have faith. To enjoy this quiet, lovely life while I have it. And appreciate everything about it because someday - I know it will change. 


I think about the men I've allowed into my life, even if just a little bit. And as great as the attention is or the small thrill of getting a text from one of them is - I know that it's ok to not have them in my life more. There's the one who is rebounding in and out of an interesting (that's my nice word for f*cked up) relationship. We've already played this game. Two years ago. And I shut him out of my life then and am only looking to be friends again now. He messed that deal up. I don't hold a grudge, but I also don't put up with bullish*t. There's the one I've never met in person but have had fun texting and checking out on FB. But he's not consistent, doesn't seem very interested (maybe he is but is flaky - NO clue) and I somehow know, he's not the right guy for me. Just something about that interaction. There's the one I once worked with when he had a girlfriend a few years back, he's now single and sent me a text out of the blue last year. We've been saying we'll get together for a drink for that long now. It's never happened. He can be a bit of a butthead and we only text randomly. He hasn't brought up getting together lately (we've texted once since February) so I wonder why he popped up out of the blue again a few weeks ago. Then there's the one I did let in more than others. And he broke my heart more than once. And although I am happy I put an end to that roller coaster again, the random texts would be nice. But just too heartbreaking to bear. His loss. NOT mine.  


All of these men are just for fun guys and/or guy friends. Yeah, it's great to have someone to text back and forth - but seriously? That gets old after awhile. And I'm usually the girl who tells it like it is - and apparently some guys don't appreciate that. Which is usually when we stop texting back and forth. I wish sometimes I wasn't so much like that but it's who I am. I recently had my friend's husband tell me (this was after a lot of beer) that when he first met me, he thought I was annoying because I would say what I thought and tell it like it was. And now this is the thing he loves about me most. I'm still on the fence if this is a good thing or a bad thing? I stood up at their wedding never knowing this. Hmmm...hurts just a bit. (Yes, I have feelings. And they get hurt too. Even if I'm a sarcastic bitch most of the time. I have a big heart.) So still figuring that one out. 


Then there's the one I don't have much interaction with. We don't text, call each other or even write on FB pages. Neither of us will even LIKE anything on the other's page. We've hung out once and seen each other one other time for like 10 minutes (or interacted, as we had each saw the other person a couple days before that...with no interaction). So it could be lack of interest on his part. Or something else entirely. I don't know. He just makes me smile. And he had a shit-eatin grin on his face the day I saw and chatted with him. And he's the one I completely try not to think about much. Because all of my thinking is planning and I don't want to plan anything with this one. Usually the plans in my head are the ones that don't come true. 


And I'd really like to see how this one plays out. In real life. :) 

Domain names, tax id's and registration - OH MY!

Ahh, midway through the week. Can't complain, right? Well I've been married to my couch for the past day and a half - so it could be better, yet it could be worse. I'm not completely dying over here but have definitely felt better. It's been a few days of resting, sleeping, TV watching and excessive pinning. Oh, and trying to start a forum for a couple of girlfriends and myself to have a book club and recipe exchange (since we aren't able to get together as we don't live in the same place!). You'd think that wouldn't be too hard - but apparently I'm less than brilliant and it's kicking my ass. 


Even though my future business location hasn't been decided yet - there are still things I can work on to get the ball rolling. Like, buying a domain name. I have one picked out and just need to pull that trigger. Thankfully a fellow business lady is helping me go through this process - or I'd probably have dropped like $500 for no reason. Now it's just going to be $90 for a year. Not bad, right? Then I need to get my business name registered with the Secretary of State - which isn't too hard but I think costs like $50. My parents have done this before and another friend has recently so again, bases covered on what to do. And then I need to get a sales tax ID so I can start buying as a business not a consumer. No clue on this front. It can't be too hard though, right?!? 


Yet, as I've been laying around watching insane amounts of One Tree Hill in reruns, I've been spending time on Pinterest. I cannot wait to test out new and different ideas I find to decorate weddings and events. I have SO many ideas and no time/space to test them out and mess around with them. It will be amazing when I'm actually getting paid to do something I love. Nope, won't be a million dollars but will feel like it when I'm not sitting at a desk helping feed the poor. Ahh. Exciting. 


A few other exciting things. 
It might actually rain here in Iowa tonight. After this insane heat...it was 106 today at 5pm, seriously driving me NUTS...everyone is SO excited to hear it's even in the forecast. And looks cloudy towards the north (and I think raining up there) but it better take care of business down here too. 
One of my best girlfriends is coming to town this weekend! YAY! I can't tell you the last time Shawna and I hung out. And I get to tell her about all these fabulous plans. We'll hit the Farmers Market (IF it's not 100 degrees out...neither of us like melting in public), then do the antiquing thing in search of props for her photography business, drinks, food, and plenty of laughter. Can't wait! 


Hope the rest of your week is fabulous! :) 

It's good to have options, right?!?

Happy Monday! 


Ahh, a lot can change in a week. Or even a day. Really a span of a few hours can change things. And that's what happened this weekend. 


I had my meeting with the man who owns the building on State Street (aka Main Street) on Saturday morning. It was great to meet him and go over different details, talk about the potential timeline, the rent price (which was about what I thought it would be) and actually get to go into the building to check it out. The last part sounds super glamorous, right? Well - if you like ceilings falling in, subfloor that has holes in it, HUGE dead wasps all over and cobwebs. (If you know me, you can picture me walking around - I had to hide the fear on my face!) It's going to be a gorgeous a building once it's done. The man has an impeccable eye for detail. There's so much potential there. Despite all the work that needs done - I got a couple chills just picturing it. Timeline is another story. The owner needs to sit down and figure out how long it would take him to get it done. Based on everything, most people's opinions say a year. *sigh*


Are you wondering where options fall in? 


Rewind to Friday night. Hit up the good old Palo Alto County Fair to watch Mitch (Meredith's son, my new nephew) show his first bottle calf. Well, despite hauling as much ass as possible to make it - I walked into the pavilion just as Mitch & Pat were leading the calf out. Fail. It's all good though, Mitch didn't care too much - he had a huge fan club showing. Hung out there for a bit, caught a few glimpses of something else that makes me smile and then headed off to dinner with the family. This is where my Dad drops on me that he has another building option for me. I'm sorry - what?!? My DAD has been checking things out for me? Ok, I'll listen. You never know what's going to happen. 


Where is this building? Well, not on State Street. But it's on actual North Main in Algona. And it's attached to the hall where Pat & Meredith had their wedding reception. Hmmm. I'm willing to check it out. Need to keep the options open. Oh Dan. The man with the connections. Gets the key from the guy looking to rent it and we check it out on our own. (PS - my dad is straight from doing chores. For all you non-farm kids out there that means he was done feeding the cows for the day. So we checked it out with him in his boots, smelling like a lot of cow shit!) It's 2800 sq. feet, has a "showroom", a couple of offices, a back room the size of the showroom - with it's own entrance and garage door for easy loading/unloading. Does it need a face lift? You better believe it. As much work as the State Street option? Not at all. Do I get the same chills I do for the other building? Not really. But I do see the HUGE potential this location has for me. Attached to venue could be HUGE, especially for a place that does 12-16 weddings a year on average (2012 has been big - they have 18. BTW - Algona's population is 5,500), plus a multitude of other events. Talked with the yet another man about a building. Got some details and my dad thinks he can talk him down in price if I'm really interested. The potential there is fabulous. And I can make anything look pretty, right? :) 


So - now I have decisions to make. Going to wait and hear about the timeline from the first guy. But not going to wait forever. Might have the option to open even earlier than when I move back there. (At least Saturdays, that is. Have to love having family willing to step in and help out!) If that doesn't make me shit my pants a little bit, I don't know what will?!? 


After processing all this on a few hours of sleep (why wouldn't I close the bar down in West Bend on Friday night with Beth and Latto?) - had lunch with Meredith to go over all of it. Man, I can't tell you how good it is to sit with someone and hash it all out. And then, I needed a nap.


Crap. I better stock up on cold sore meds. I tend to get one every time I get REALLY stressed out. And when I say one, I mean one over and over and over again.


Have a great week everyone! :)  

It's time to make decisions...

Happy Sunday Night?!? 


Right. I don't think those words go well together either. For now. I can't wait for the day when I don't get crabby to have to go to work on Monday. It's going to happen. Sooner rather than later. 100% For Sure time frame has yet to be determined...but I have a good idea in my mind. I'll let you all know after I meet with the man who owns a building on Saturday. Here's hoping it all goes the way I want it to! 


I think I've been a little overwhelmed by everything lately. Don't get me wrong - I'm excited beyond belief to be taking the steps to living the life of my dreams. It's just a lot to process and make decisions about. So excited, scared to death, anxious, happy, blah blah blah - the list goes on about all of things I feel about this change. I'm not going to let the fear stop me from doing what I want. I'm addicted to fabulous quotes and here's one I'm digging. (and yes, I have spent WAY too much time on Pinterest in the past 24 hours)


"Decide you want it more than you are afraid of it" ~Bill Cosby


Decision made. I want it. BAD. More than anything so far in my life. Yep, scared out of my mind. So many things that might happen, could happen, could NOT happen. *sigh* But it's not going to stop me. Just have to keep working on everything. And make my dreams a reality. 


I've also had the issue of doing it 'alone'. I've done many things on my own in my life and I'm a pretty strong lady for taking things on by myself. Yet I realize as I work through things and as much as I try to do myself - I'm SO not alone. Family & friends have a lot of faith and belief in me and what I'm working on. And offering to help with the things I'm not as good at or as interested in taking care of (and this list is HUGE - I like the fun/creative parts of everything NOT the business/financial/bookwork side of it all). Thankfully I have a sister who's a CPA, a brother who's a loan officer, another sister who knows more about my computer than I EVER will and parents who have been self employed their entire lives and have a wealth of knowledge. And other friends who own their own businesses that know a bunch of things I need as well. And everyone is so willing to offer help. So, I'm not in this alone. At all. :) 


Now I need to sleep on potential domain names. Thought I had one picked and now I'm between two. I'll pick one, I promise. Just want to make sure it's the "right" one. 


Have a fabulous week! 

Just another Tuesday...

Hope everyone is enjoying the week so far :) It's almost Hump Day...

My weekend was fabulous! It was great to spend most of it with Brooke & Libby. We have fun every time we get together. Road sodas in hand we headed to Saylorville lake on Saturday afternoon to go boating on Libby's boat. I haven't boated in a few years and I was MUCH more sober and smart this time around. I actually put on sunscreen. So this porcelain princess didn't fry and make herself miserable like the last time. Score for that. And in true Brooke & Libby fashion - they talked me into something AGAIN. I went tubing behind the boat for the first time in my life! It was a blast. The 3 of us could fit on it together so we were back there screaming and laughing like we were 12 years old. But my 31 year old body was feeling it BIG TIME on Sunday. Holy shit. Might be one of the last things I let them talk me into. Who am I kidding? There will be something next time. I just know it. Bitches. 

Got a few new books from Amazon as well. If you're a Bethenny Frankel fan - you have to read her new book, Skinnydipping. It's fantastic! If you aren't a Bethenny Frankel fan, I am sorry for your life. I think she's hilarious, tells-it-as-it-is, motivated, woman. And she's real. You see the bullshit in her life along with all the roses - I like knowing and seeing it all. One of her other books, A Place of Yes, is one of my favorites. Finally a book that I can relate to and read to help better myself. (I struggle big time with books like this - I get distracted and bored easily but this one held my attention, which is hard with my self diagnosed ADHD) Highly recommend! And I also got the $100 Startup - starting out as a good read. It's just not a book I will devour in a day like I did the first. (No one appears to be falling in love in this one!)  

The week has started off pretty well. Which is good since I slept just north of awful on Sunday night. I needed the chiropractor more than I needed to eat yesterday - and not just from tubing (he laughed when I told him I did it!) but because I was due for my monthly appointment. Popped pretty much everything from my neck to my ass. Damn, he does might fine work - I walked out feeling human again. Had dinner with some girlfriends and told them about my plans. Of course they are excited for me, but sad to have me move. I mean, who wouldn't want to live near me all the time? :) Bahahahaha - I flatter myself. Then we went to Magic Mike. With all the hype the movie got, I expected a little more. Don't get me wrong - it was good, but not GREAT. I think of how much hype the first Sex and the City movie got and that delivered it all (it was on E! yesterday after my appointment - you bet your ass I sat and watched it). 

Ooh Ooh Ooh - I talked with the man who owns the building I have my eye on in Algona yesterday too. AND...I'm going to meet with him next weekend when I'm back home to discuss my plans/ideas with him and see if what I think fits in with his timeline and mine too. YAY!  I'll have to squeeze him in between watching my new nephew show his bottle calf at the county fair and seeing my best friend from high school who's back from Dallas for the weekend. :) You know I'l find time for this one! Now I just gotta get my shit together! 

Big Happy Birthday to my brother in law Zach today and my brother Pat tomorrow! :)

Night all! 

Already excited for the weekend!

You have to love short work weeks, right? Well for the most part it's great - but usually just means the other 4 aren't going to be much fun. This week that is VERY true. Nothing like a great post 4th of July argument with a client over the phone to make a girl REALLY ready for the weekend. Yeah, we'll just say he seems a bit confused about where he and his son "live" right now. And whether or not the son's mom is his mom or just a "friend" they are staying with. Meh, we'll just send out an investigator to figure that one out (she is the mom, no worries there!) - apparently we weren't going to get anywhere over the phone today since I was trying to complicate things. Right sir - that'd be federal food assistance policy just being a pain in the ass again. Barf :)


Ahh, not much happening on the future business front this week. Still waiting for a call back from the owner of the building I'm interested in. I'll chalk it up to vacation (and my message probably sounded like a crazy lady ramble as well...that's me!) and call back next week if I hear nothing by then. Want to know price, timeline, etc. I have worked out a tentative timeline in my mind now so need to know if that's going to work. Working on different things instead. Research on other businesses similar in the general area to see what I'm up against. A little Body by Vi lunch to get that rolling. Major house cleaning overhaul. Finally got my office and spare bedroom in order so I can USE both of them now. Tornado Sarah cleanup complete. Phew. I've thrown away and recycled a TON of stuff. Amazing feeling. 


And it's all in time for....GLAM girls weekend, Round 2! Brooke (of the fabulous Brooklyn's Photography in Omaha) is coming to town. She ran the Omaha GLAM store this season and I wish I got to spend more time over there with her. Lots of phone conversations though. And texts. And pics. And of course she's coming not only to see me, but to see Libby (Libby & Jean) too! Libby has ran the Jordan Creek GLAM store for the past couple of years. I'm the girl who gets to GLAM part time (ran the store in 2010) but pretty much marry the store for 4 months even if not there around the clock. Yes, I have issues. You should know this by now. We're going to check out the Farmers Market, World Market, maybe a little boating, definitely cocktails and who knows what else? I'm EXCITED! 


These are the 2 girls who talked me into getting a Mac when in Omaha in May. Seriously, bought one within 1 hour at Nebraska Furniture Mart. They both blog. So I started blogging. (You need to check them both out - www.libbyandjean.blogspot.com & www.brooklynsphotography.com) Young entrepreneurs like myself that want more out of life. Oh yeah, and Brooke has been bugging me about Twitter - so I got on Twitter yesterday. Now if I only knew something about it. HA! 


Enjoy your weekend! I'll be sure to post pictures next week...once I figure out how to successfully do that. Crap...I really should have gotten a spray tan tonight. There's always tomorrow! 

Taking out the Trash...

Happy 4th of July Eve! 


I apparently need to pay attention to how often I do (don't - is really the better word) post something. Just noticed it's been almost a week - not sure where the time goes most nights after work, that's sad! Fixing that real quick. Yet you might get more annoyed hearing from me more often. Meh, even if you do. You'll get over it. :) 


So, even as far as I've come in my life in the past year - I still have work to do. And one of the things is letting in men that do not deserve one second of my thoughts during the day. As much as I want to meet someone, fall in love and have that big ol happy ending - I tend to let in the WRONG ones. And fall hard without them even knowing I actually fall. Have you heard the song by Zac Brown Band - As She's Walking Away? If not, listen to it. (I love them!) If so, just change that She to He and you've got my whole dating past over the last couple years or so. Wonderful song? Yes. Pathetic way to live your life? Again - yes. Sigh.


I have a tendency to be totally gun shy when it comes to telling a guy I'm interested in them. I have friends that say you just need to tell them that you like them because guys don't get it and don't know until you actually draw the picture for them. Others say, if he's not calling/texting/seeing you - he's not into you and move on. UGH. Total opposite ends of the spectrum and makes me nuts. I wish I knew what was the 'right' way to think and act - but I have NOT ONE SINGLE F*CKING CLUE. I consider myself more than dating challenged - I think I'm completely dating handicapped. Pretty much a walking disaster which is why I usually avoid it altogether. Easier? You bet. A lot more lonely? Without a doubt. 


So, there was someone I let in last year. A man a little younger than myself but had many of the things I finally figured out I was looking for in a man. Or so I thought. He ended up breaking my heart more than once - and didn't even know it - and decided to "see" someone else instead of me because she lived closer. Seemed like the lamest reason to NOT get to know someone you had chemistry with but I dealt with it. Cut him out of my life for a good few months, then went back to talking again and then had him tell me he couldn't talk to me so he didn't ruin his chance with this girl. I don't know her, she doesn't know me - but I'd kinda like to punch her. So he reappears in my life a few weeks ago thru FB and it was driving me crazy. Mainly b/c I kept wondering What the f****ck? So after a brief and ridiculously boring text convo and nothing much more after that (best part of it - the lame excuse that his "friend" was asking about me at the bar and he looked me up and his "friend" must have requested me), a few tears and a little reassurance of him being really shitty in general - I deleted him. And then told him why I did it over text. I was a very mature lady about it too. And he came back with, Ok. Yep. Not worth my time. After a bottle of wine that night - I almost told him to F*ck Off. Yet didn't. There will be a time for that. I just have a feeling...then maybe I'll punch him instead of her. 


Some days taking out the trash in your life, really just makes more room for the good stuff they say is just around the corner. Right? Either way - life has been a little easier since Saturday. Just making room for the good stuff...