When We Say We Will, We Do!

We are just a few weeks away from out next big fundraiser and Mason and I have been handling things all on our own. With that said, I don't have much to share today except to leave you with our family motto (one of them anyway) that Mason is coming to know very well, When we say we will, we do. It's not always convenient, and sometimes the weather doesn't cooperate - here is a shot of Mason and I on Friday, in the pouring rain in front of Save Mart, handing out flyers and selling tickets to the Celebrity Chef Challenge coming up on March 6th. Neither of us wanted to go, it was miserable outside, but what do we know?  When we say we will, we do. Have a great week!

Happy President's Day!

Mason serving appetizers

It's Monday and it's a holiday for most of us. Dave and Mason are off, but I'm working. I'm not complaining though, we all slept in and had a leisurely morning.

Mason and I are working getting prepared for the next big fundraiser we have coming up on March 6th. We are asking for donations for the raffle and auction, and something special, we are handcrafting cake plates to be included as part of the "Bake Sale Raffle." We will back goodies and instead of just raffling off a paper plate of cookies or cupcakes, they will come on a handcrafted cake plate. Just what is that? It's a pretty plate with an ornate candlestick glued to the bottom to make a cake plate! They are super inexpensive to make and really build the value in the bake sale. Pretty neat, huh? This photo is from the fundraiser at Bootleggers last Monday - it was a huge success!

Other than that, just business as usual, physical therapy for my ankle, I have to visit the dentist for a broken tooth, and Mason and I have to deliver some thank you notes to retailers who donated water to Mason's football team. What are you up to this week?

Let It Go Already!

For those of you who know me well, you know I don’t like to be late - technically, on time is late. I’m a “get there 10-15 minutes early” kind of gal and that goes for posting my blog. There are times in life when we just have to let go of the rules and regulations we impose upon ourselves and let things be. On Monday, there was no school but I had to work and Mason and I had lots to do to get ready for his Early Valentines Day Dinner fundraiser at a local restaurant. Mason did some fundraising and one of his targets is a local auto dealership (a big one) who is the big sponsor for the Auburn Rodeo. We learned this year that the rodeo will not be happening this year so Mason and I decided to see if the auto dealership would allocate some of those sponsorship funds to his kitchen project. We stopped in on Friday and the manager was not there but he asked that Mason come back today. We went back and wouldn’t you know, we missed him again! Well, our day would not wait so we headed off to get Mason prepping at the restaurant for dinner and no sooner did we get to work, the manager called and asked us to come back. We did and Mason gave him a very cohesive presentation, he made a point of noting that they have extra money due to the rodeo canceling - the manager found this quite impressive. As it turns out, this gentleman is an Auburn native. His family still lives here and he attended Alta Vista school when he was little. He told Mason to please call him back on Thursday and he will have good news for him! How cool is that? Mason had a little bit of time to relax before the big night and then it was time to go. We were hoping to sell 100 tickets and at $40 a ticket, that was proving difficult. We changed that plan to 50 and by Friday, we were only at 30 tickets sold. We decided to move ahead and as is usually the case, we had 48 people in attendance and it was a lovely, lovely evening. Several kids from school were there working serving appetizers, salads, and main courses. We had 3 kinds of chocolate fondue for dessert and live piano music. In the end, we made $1630 for the school kitchen in addition to a $500 donation from one of our guests - an evening generating $2130 for the AVCCS Kitchen Project was a resounding success.  I will post pictures when I get them back, but for now, we are gearing up for fundraiser number two, the Celebrity Chef Challenge coming up on March 6, 2014.

Did I share with you all Mason’s speech to one of our local Rotary Clubs? He did a 30 minute speech which I edited down to just over 11 minutes, it’s clear he is a natural public speaker. If you want to watch, here is the link.

I’m working like crazy trying to generate business selling real estate. One of the things I have been doing is writing a column for our local paper. My column is called “Love Where You Live” and I touch on all kinds of real estate related topics, such things as Am I ready to buy my first home? VA Loans, and Help for Homeowners. Interestingly, there still is help for homeowners in terms of loan mods, principal reductions, incentives to short sell, and more. With that, time to get the next article written and go sell some tickets to the next fundraiser. Have a great week!

Why Not Me? Why Not You? Why Not Us?

Welcome to Monday! 

 

I am certain we are always harder on ourselves than other people are on us, but let me ask you, how much confidence do you really have in yourself? Watching the Super Bowl, Russell Wilson said (and the story was told about him many times yesterday) that his dad asked him, “Why not you Russell? Why not you?” He could have said, “Because I’m too small, because my arm isn’t strong enough…” he could have said to his father all the things his critics were telling him, but he didn’t. He held on to his dream and let his father’s voice echo in his head, “Why not you Russell?” This in turn became, “Why not me?” To his team, “Why not us?” So who are you? Are you like Russell Wilson or are you the one who caves in to the critics. Dave suggested that some people succeed to spite their critics. Okay, I suppose the "Tell me I can't and I'll show you I will!" isn't a bad thing, but why are we not all simply lifting each other up? I preach to Mason almost daily, "Are you a friend people want? Do you lift your friends up by encouraging them, or are you being the kid who will say, "Yours sucks, mines better!" Well, the truth of the matter is, he's a boy and a very competitive boy at that, he has to work to remember to not compete but to lift his friends up. It is my hope that by starting this message with him now, by the time he gets it, it will have shaped him to be someone who lifts others up and encourages them to ask, "Why not me?"

 

I’ve been the one who listens to all the people who say things like, “You can’t be an actress, you are not the right type, you are not tall enough, you are not thin enough, and you are not like a model.” “College isn’t really for you, eh, er, I mean, you are not really the college type.” “It would just be good if you could follow something through, you never follow through.” “Oh no, she has an idea, you know what that means, it’s gonna cost me money.”  Where does one find the strength to not listen to those naysayers while still loving them, and still have the gumption to ask, “Why not me? I can do it, I can be it, I’m enough.” Do you feel like you are enough? I don’t. I also don’t think that many women do, especially women who are wives and mothers. As women who feel so much responsibility for the lives of others, it is incredibly difficult to focus on anything else. Heck, truth be told, we can’t focus on any one thing because there are so many one things to do, how is it possible to focus on just one at a time? From keeping up with the housewifery, the kids school work, after school schedules, medical and dental appointments, grocery shopping, in my case, real estate that I am trying to do more of while working for another top producing agent, and more…so I’m told to drop some of these things and focus on me, my business, what I want. Really?

 

And where does talent play into this equation? Dave brought up the example of the people who audition for American Idol, the people who can not sing. Is it a good idea to encourage these people and set them up for failure? I would say in life, this example is more an exception than a rule. We live in a society that is not one of encouragement but of competition and the belief that we can make people stronger by continually knocking them down - some people, yes, others, no. And to the singing point, certainly not everyone can sing, as I well know! But could we encourage one to sing for pleasure yet say, "Singing may not be your professional calling - how can you craft a career around music so you can be in the environment that you love and feel successful?" Again, it's all in how it's done, and keeping the message positive.

 

So let me be very clear, I am not complaining. What I am hoping my message will come across as is this, if we really see big things and lots of potential in someone, why don't we focus on growing that? Let's not focus on the failures, or what appears to be shortcomings, let's focus on continuing to encourage the ideas for success - no matter what someone else might judge or evaluate. Many will say without failure, success is impossible. I don't know if that's true, but I can attest to plenty of failure. Russell Wilson held on to the voices that were encouraging him and he dismissed those that told him he wasn't good enough, big enough, strong enough, or enough enough. Let's all take a moment today to first acknowledge that we are enough and can be anything that we want, and second, find someone else to lift up and encourage - really make it matter, touch them, look them in the eye and make sure you have their attention and lift them up. Be the voice they can hold on to next time someone tells them they are not enough. Happy Monday. 

Post Op Pain in the Foot!

"Ouch!"

Happy Monday Friends!

Three days ago I had surgery on my ankle and foot, I’m doing okay but for the record, my surgeon is crazy! He may be medically brilliant but like every other surgeon I’ve slept with (yes, I’m technically sleeping while I am with them!), has fed me the same lines, “Oh, it’s a cinch…a simple procedure really…you’ll be on your feet in 48-72 hours…no, seriously, you’ll bounce right back.” To which I have replied, “Yeah? Have you had this procedure?” and the answer 100% of the time has been, “Well, no…” with that look that speaks volumes to the fact that their authority may have just been called in to question. I have plenty of faith in my doctors, but I just don’t buy that they can tell me how easy recovery will be when they have not been through it themselves. So, I’m fine, but really sore, swollen, and gimpy. I am not weight bearing yet but just this morning I was able to gain my balance by putting a bit of weight on my toes. I know me, I’ll be back at my normal pace in no time and one really good thing that comes out of being immobilized is I feel a surge of motivation to get active. 

Mason having fun on Good Day Sacramento

Mason did his spot on Good Day Sacramento on Tuesday and as usual, he had the morning anchors cracking up! You can see the clip here and if you are in the Sacramento area, you can tune in on Wednesday, February 5th to see him talking about his kitchen fundraisers on Fox 40 Mornings. As much as Mason likes cooking, he loves doing the live demos and television appearances. We have been brainstorming some other creative ideas to raise money for the kitchen project and Mason has a few that are so good, I selfishly don’t want to use them for the kitchen project. I know, isn’t that terrible of me?! I’ve been keeping a log of ideas and processes for fundraising ideas. I see how many young people need to raise money to reach their goals, or get to a great music program, travel to Washington DC for a school history trip, and so many other really great opportunities - opportunities that cost money. I see the real opportunity in the education the child gets by being able to create the means to get where they want to go. Now that’s a real gift! If you have some creative thoughts and ideas about how to raise money, I would love to hear them. I keep sharing with Mason that if you have a cause you feel strongly about, and you share why it is important people will support you, in their way, they will help you succeed. I’m certain Mason will succeed, not only because he feels so passionately about this project, but because he is simply not afraid to ask for help - just think about that, he isn’t afraid to ask for help. What could you accomplish if you knew you could have all the help you needed?

Hand painted flower pot up for grabs!

So today my goal is to get my hair washed and done. Laughing! Seriously, having to stand on one foot, in the shower, not getting my post-op foot wet while closing my eyes to put my head back to wash my hair - well, that’s a bit of a task! Dave will help me (Yep, that’s me leading by example!), but what does that look like? I don’t think I want to know, but I have to wash my hair, so off I go, asking for help and hopefully I will be ready to get something done by noon today! Stop waiting, stop wishing, stop complaining and start taking positive action. This is a day to get things done, so ask for help if you need it and live it for all it’s worth. Happy Monday!

PS Before you get back to your day, visit www.masonpartak.com and enter to win Mason's hand painted flower pot and candy to make your own cookie bouquet for Valentine's Day! Just leave a comment on the first post on the home page and you are in to win! Enter before February 5th.

The California Draught and History Lessons at Folsom Lake

Rattlesnake Bar Suspension Bridge 1866 & 2014

Happy Monday!

The California draught and history lessons took us out to the very low Folsom Lake today. As is true with all manmade dams, there was once small towns and cities under all the water that is suppose to be there. We went in through Rattlesnake Bar and the most noteworthy structure we saw was the remains of the Rattlesnake Bar Suspension Bridge dated pre 1866. All that is left of it now are the stone abutments, but even with only the stones still standing, there are other signs of the bridge like cables and other stones that were used to secure the bridge. There was a plethora of geology principles right there, so easy to see, and just fascinating to experience in real time, right now. Mason and Dave had a blast bouncing from loose, soft silty sand to super tall rock formations that just begged to be climbed. And climb they did! I couldn't tell who was 10 and who was 50, we were just beings playing on a holiday Monday. Check out this photo of Mason on what's left of the bridge today right alongside the image from 1866, pretty cool, huh?

Now I am off and running, but it won't be for long, this week is a bit of a sprint. I am taking care of details before I have surgery on my foot and ankle on Thursday. My doctor has assured me that I won't be down long and I will only need to use crutches for a couple of days, I hope he is right. Tomorrow Mason will be on Good Day Sacramento and he is still raising money for his school kitchen, I want to thank those of you who sent in gift cards and bought tickets to his upcoming fundraisers. A few of you just made a cash donation and that's awesome! It certainly takes a village and mine is the best ever! Thank you!

I hope you had a lovely long weekend, I know we did. The only really downer was that the San Francisco 49ers lost their playoff game against Seattle. I'm not going to dwell on the negative, but it really did suck! And what am I going to say now? Yep, there's always next year. Have a great week, until next Monday.

2014 - We're In It!

Happy Monday! We are well in to the new year and so far it's going great. I spent last weekend with Julie in Angels Camp and guess what we did while we were there? Nothing. Yep, we stayed in, ate good food, pampered ourselves with all the fixin's we have at home and never find the time to use, we sat in the hot tub, drank some really good wine, watched two really bad movies (Laughing, Redbox is like a box of chocolates...), and mostly we got caught up with each other. Julie and I met at the start of 5th grade, we were 10 years old so you can see, this is a friendship that truly has earned, and deserves this kind of special attention.

On other fronts, we are in fundraising mode but working at double-speed. With two big events happening within a month of each other, you can imagine what a monumental task this is. The good news is that they are very different in nature and only one includes the auction/raffle component. If you would like to help with that, a gift card from any fast food place or Starbucks would be super cool! Those $5 or $10 contributions are easy to do and they make for lots more prizes to draw a ticket for. No pressure, I just know so many family and friends would like to help but not living nearby, just don't know what they can do. :) Speaking of Mason's school kitchen, I have a meeting with the facilities people for the school district this morning and I'm hopeful the news will be, "Yes, we can..." Instead of, "No, that's not possible...." Send me some good ju-ju and keep your fingers crossed!

I suppose I could ramble on, but I will leave you with my big "Congratulations!" To the San Francisco 49ers! They won yesterday against the Carolina Panthers and if they can keep their heads in the winning mode, they can work the same kind of winning magic in Seattle on Sunday.

Have a great week and say "yes" more than you say "no" this week. Good things happen when you say yes!