At most things, where it is a corporate seminar/exhibition you are pretty much on the go all the time. From sun up to sun down and if it’s like MK Seminar you have something each night until midnight.
Seminar is the company’s event that highlights the acheivments of the past MK year (July 1-June 30) and the different awards are too numerous to name here, but there are alot… alot of jewelry and prizes and money given out. Because Seminar is so popular, they actually have 5 different sessions back to back to back to back to back. Jen is in the Pearl Seminar and the dates rotate around each year as not to penalize any one group as the end of the month bears some weight. The Seminars dates are reduced to “Days”… Instead of Wenesday July 19th, it is reduced to Day 0.
So, my last post was about Day 0 and that day is the get-into-town day. There are some things, such as tours of the corporate office and manufacturing plant, buses breaking down, however, can happen any day. I have manufacturing plant pictures on my 35mm camera… you’ll get the good ones at a later date on the photoblog.
So we are on to Day 1 DUN-DUNNN-DUNNNNNNNNNN more specifically, Opening Ceremony. There are two places you can sit… Arena or Hall A. Arena is where all the live action stuff happens and Hall A has HUGE video screens which show the action. We have always been in the Arena…
See those people on the floor seating… those are the top units in the Pearl Seminar. Mary Kay has their own dance company called Friends of Tyme… more on them on Day 2 for Awards Night. But the whole Seminar starts off with the Friends of Tyme coming out and doing a number and wowing the audience.
A number of different people spoke about a variety of topics… they showed the Habitat House that MK built for Hurricane Katrina relief. It was neat to see that the workers were all corporate people and no… it was not a pink house!
If the company ever offers an incentive, such as a luncheon… you have to win it! This was the first year that we did not earn a luncheon… and we were stuck with chicken salad sub. It was actually better this year than last year and we met a consultant from Eugene, OR.
Okay, stop giving me that blank stare… Eugene OR! People! Okay, in running… US running, Eugene OR is mecca. There is a university there called The University of Oregon where many great runners made their college career. Without getting all fanatical about it, one gentleman by the name of Steve Prefontaine (one of my role models for life and running) was a product of U of O. Also Bill Bowerman… used his waffle iron to revolutionize running shoes and in the process created a company called… you may have heard of it: NIKE. Pre was Nike’s first athelete. Anyway, she offered her guest room plus her husband’s connections for ticket to the Prefontaine Classic… one of the country’s biggest running events.
In the afternoon, it was the General Session and then I broke off for the husband class. Apparently I missed a great speech while in the husband class. I didn’t need to be in the husband class… I support my wife and know the advantages of this business… I wish I had seen Stacy James speak… darn it.
So, Day 1 comes to an end… at least the company part of it. This is the night of our National Area awards. Our National Area is a smaller grouping with in our Seminar. Our National is Sylvia Kalicak (she’ll be featured below) and so we were going to the Special K National Area Awards night… hence the tuxedo. The dinner was held in the Hyatt and so there was no traveling… dinner was excellent (as always) but the big thing is the National Area Awards. Here is a picture of me and Jen on the Awards stage…
A handful of the husbands wear tuxedos and to make the whole affair even more top notch, we escort the winners up the stage steps and help them down. So that is what I did for most of the evening… sometimes taking pictures. Until it was time for the Mr. Mary Kay award. As a way to recognize the husbands, the directors nominate who they feel should get the award and vote. Last year’s winner was the AWESOME Craig C., his wife holds the top spot in the National Area and will be a National one day. Craig has many qualities that I want learn, I hold him in high regard.
Well, he wasn’t there… he is working in Iraq right now and was unable to make it back to the States… he’ll be there a little while longer but his wife says that he is safe, so that is good. Anyway, they were talking about this particular husband and I was sort of listening, sort of thinking the best angle to get the shot. I have named myself as the Offical Un-Official Camera man of Awards night, so I wanted to get a great shot. Well, that was thrown all out of the window when they announce me as this year’s Special K National Area Mr. Mary Kay!
That’s right, your very own P3 was “crowned” with the title. They had me sit in the “Queen’s Chair” but I didn’t get a tiara. I did receive a certificate and also a framed certificate that had my picture plus 5 or 6 of people’s affirmations on why I should get the award… it was so awesome. I was able to do an impromptu speech to the audience. Jen spoke a few words about me… it was very touching. Ahh, life is good. Here is a picture of me on the throne.
That cute little number to my right is Sylvia and the Hot little number to my left is Jen!
So Jen was one of the Top Ten units in her national area and I was Mr. Mary Kay for the area… SAH-WEET-TAH
PLANET3RRY 