Something Blue

I co-hosted a fabulous shower at my house this weekend in honor of my dear friend. The theme: "Something Blue".  We had such a great time with the Tiffany inspired decorations. I just love any party where you can go to extremes with girl-y details and giggle about newlyweds! Best of wishes to the future Mr. & Mrs. C! 

Thank you Touch of Toni for the flower arrangements and decorating touches!

Special thanks to Georgetown Cupcakes (our favorite!) for these delicious treats!

Whats up Doc?

Congratulations to my baby sister on her graduation from Veterinary School.  She was officially "hooded" on Saturday, May 12th, and took her oath as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM).  It was quite a moving ceremony. I learned a great deal about the symbolism of academic regalia apparel and the pomp and circumstance for the proper protocol, titles, and practices.  All of which made me beam even more for all that she has evolved to be through so much hard work. This is not a degree that is conferred lightly. 


My entire family came together in Florida for the weekend to celebrate.  We toasted her accomplishment at a reception, in her honor, Saturday night.  We also enjoyed a little family fun time at the gorgeous Orlando World Center which served as an awesome venue for the big event. 


I couldn't be more elated about this huge milestone. My sister has known she wanted to be a vet since she was 6 and has been working toward this goal her whole life.  Her journey has been an amazing one from her under grad at our Alma Matter UF to living on a tropical island for 2 years.  After all he hard work, she deserves this more than anyone I know! She is an talented Doctor and an amazing woman! 

Leadership

After 9 months, I graduated from Leadership Southern Maryland, along with 34 of my esteemed classmates.  What did I learn on this amazing journey? Each program a new lesson on complex issues affecting our community.  Multi-culturalism, the Chesapeake watershed and environmental impacts, regional health and human services issues, education challenges, economic impacts and homelessness and so much more about our tri-county area. However, the most importantly I learned a lot about myself and the differences I can make for the greater good.  It is each of our responsibilities as a Leader to use our resources, strengths, and energies to make a difference in our communities and our world. 

And. It. Starts. Now.    

I have made a few personal commitments (bucket-list type stuff) that I plan to follow up on.  More about that later. For now, I will leave you with:

18 Lessons in Leadership

1. Leadership means sometimes people are mad at you.

2. When they stop bringing you problems, you've stopped leading.

3. Be wary of experts who posses more data than judgement.

4. Challenge the pros - learn from them, but don't fear them.

5. Never neglect the details, especially when others are.

6. Be bold. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

7. Question reality - scratch the surface of all assumptions.

8. Organizations don't accomplish anything. Invest in and empower individuals. 

9. Organizational charts/titles only label people. Go with performance and teams. 

10. Keep ego and position separate. Every job gets obsolete. 

11. Don't chase fads. Sometimes an unapologetic directive beats paralyzing discussion. 

12. Perpetual optimism is powerful. Cynicism is destructive. 

13. In employees look for intelligence, judgement, and the ability to anticipate. 

14. Great leaders are great simplifiers who can articulate goals we understand. 

15. If you are 40-70% sure, go with your gut. Taking no action has risk, too.  

16. Put power where outcomes are produced, not where they are measured.

17. Have fun, take leave, be with family - you'll live longer and better.

18. Be prepared to be lonely. The buck really does stop here. 

The Big Easy

Once a year ,my besties and I pick a spot somewhere in the US to spend a weekend of pure girlie nonsense and shenanigans. We did just that last weekend in The Big Easy, and NOLA may never be the same. I just love these women, they are like home to me :-)

What a beautiful Easter we had with the family. I am so blessed that my husband's family is so wonderful and help make holidays so special, even when my parents are hundreds of miles away.  These special holidays make me so proud of the religious education we have been fortunate enough to give our children. Both of my boys understand what we are celebrating on Easter and all the sacrifices He made so that our sins were forgiven.  Jackson's full on committal to Lent this season was also quite celebration on Thursday...bring on the cheese!

Double Digits Scaventure

We wished a very happy 10th birthday to my sweet angel boy, Jackson.  The older the boys get, the more tricky their parties become in terms, of entertainment.  Luckily, my husband and I are pros!  We organized a "Scaventure" birthday party with 10 boys.  A sleep over with a scavenger hunt adventure (aka "scaventure") in and around our house, in the woods, in the neighborhood, on the golf course. It was histerical and the teams had a blast! The double digits is are a milestone and I could not be more proud or more in love with my littlest angel.

Easter Prepping

photo courtesy of Just So Lovely 

I've fallen victim once again to the unattainable creative perfection of Pinterest. The buffet of ideas for this weekend's  Easter dinner has made the family's celebration even more delicious. Found this lovely idea from Lizette and plan to recreate for my table. 

Photo courtesy of Crystal Eats

Special thanks to my sweet friend over at Crystal Eats for lending her ware so that my table setting for 18, will be complete. She also dished some gluten free recipes options that will leave my family clucking well past brunch! Can't wait to try the almond pâté for my vegan guests. 

Politically Correct

Admittedly, I have always enjoyed following politics, studying the branches of the government, and democracy in general.  When it comes to Marketing as a profession, I am sure my fellow PR Pros will agree, there is no more intense relationship building or marketing effort than those led by Professional Lobbyist. Last week I enjoyed learning more about this fast paced occupation while shadowing a Lobbiest around for a day in Annapolis.  It was very eye opening!  

St Patty's Day 8K

After 6 weeks of training, I ran an 8k in Washington, DC last Sunday with a group of girlfriends. We are all Moms and have found that running is great "me" time!  If you can sneak in a post-race celebration cocktails and a beautiful afternoon in DC, well then, what's not to love? 

What was in my run pouch?  iPhone w/ playlist, cash, and lip gloss of course!

Is this thing on?

The Glam Mom is back after a brief interruption!  Thank you to GoDaddy for helping me resolve a lost password and unaccessible 4-year-old email address.   Did ya miss me?

Awkward & Awesome Thursday

Awkward

• A six-point parking job while your boss waits (patiently) so that the two of you can walk into the meeting you are approx 5 minutes late for.
• Wearing fur and wool one day and 67 degrees the next
• Explaining to the Nanny that you absolutely knew the 4th grade report on Lord Calvert was due the next day, regardless of how unprepared it looks.  And regardless that it was Monday and you had all weekend to work on it. 
• Knowing that same Nanny was a huge help on Saturday night when you and the husband decided a date night was a good idea ....yeah, no time for school reports.
• Emceeing the Armed Forces Interoperability Symposium calm, cool, and collected with spray paint from the Maryland history costume all over my hands. 
• A speedo at the Polar Plunge this weekend #skrinkage
• Asking my husband if we could have a commercial previewing party this weekend...crickets. 
• My husband's 'fun-loving' buddy hacking my Facebook and posting the lyrics "Sardines...hey...and Pork and Beans" . #stepawayfromthesmartphone  
• Using hash tags in your blog posts

Awesome

• Making costumes for my kids and work on school projects together... this is the closest thing this boy mom gets to playing dress up  :-) 
• Raising awareness and much needed funds for the local soup kitchen at our 2nd Polar Plunge in the Bay
• A well received ice-breaker at the podium in front of 200 IT Engineers. "Hope you all enjoyed your lunch and had a chance to discuss your picks for this weekend's big Baseball Championship" -yeah, I love sports too
• A long chat with my baby sister on Saturday. Love her.
• Cleaning and organizing the (family) iPad that has way too many kids games. 
• Cool new app for fashion lovers and husbands everywhere:  Tie Right 

Lord Calvert 

Wool and Fur

That's a wrap

Sometimes only a classic will do.

Girlfriends come in all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and geographical locations. I am blessed with many amazing women in my life who I feel privileged to call a girlfriend. Though sometimes, only a classic will do.  In  the past 2 years my long time girl friends and I have all been transplanted like little blossoming flowers from Wyoming to Kentucky - Maryland to Florida.  I miss them dearly, but it certainly makes for interesting getaways, and an even better sisterhood of the traveling...everything!  To make sure we don't miss out on the clothes swaps that we used to enjoy on any given Saturday, we enjoy a shipping label or 4 throughout the year. Especially generous is my dear friend *L* who recently abandoned the corporate world for a life better spent in martini-splashed domestic bliss! [can you hear the dripping jealousy?].  

Lucky for me!  Her gorgeous designer labeled suits have found a good home in MD! 

The second cool factor about a *L* is her new home in Lexington, KY.  After a couple of visits, I fell in love with this booming city where horses and Ralph Lauren alike, must go for inspiration.   The outfit I styled today has made me think of my beloved friend all day. Somewhat, because the pants and top are hers. Mostly, because her graceful, fun style and personality are part of who I am today. She is my classic. She is my home.