A start to a new Ambassador year!

Tonight another successful Chamber Ambassador year is ending and tomorrow a fresh new start will begin! We had our final Ambassador Quarterly Meeting for the 2010-2011 year at Billiards on Broadway in downtown Columbia. We thanked Keri Tipton for being a great chair over the past year! We all worked together so well making sure all of the ribbon cuttings were covered that I feel like we were a great team.... "we" meaning each and every one  of the Ambassadors! As I gave Keri her "Ambassador Chair" pin (you receive this pin after you have served your 1-year term) I feel like I am ready to take on the 2011-2012 year! Tomorrow will mark my 3rd year as a Chamber of Commerce Ambassador and I can say that the Ambassadors are a wonderful group of people and they know how to have fun! Thank you Keri for all you have done..... you have been a great leader!

Hawthorn Bank.... Thank you!

Words can not describe how happy and honored I am to have a bank that not only supports what we do but more importantly someone we can call family! They posted this ad in the Columbia Daily Tribune last night. Thank you Hawthorn Bank and the wonderful staff that are along side each of it's business customers encouraging them to achieve success. Matt Williams and Ann Colgrove are amazing bankers that we call great friends. Thank you for taking this journey of life and business with us!

A nice little surprise....

Wednesday June 29, 2011~ What a nice little surprise I received this afternoon! The card said "Congratulations! We are very proud of your accomplishments... Love Mom & Dad". I love hydrangeas!

 They even sent Brandon some flowers too! Mom is always so thoughtful and knows how to make you smile... might be flowers, a simple e-mail or just a phone call to hear her voice. I wouldn't be who I am today without amazing parents who gave me a strong work ethic and encourage me to do the things I want in life. I can't imagine life without my family..... I am very blessed to have them! Thanks momma!

106th Chamber Annual Awards Banquet

Tuesday June 21, 2011~ The Chamber of Commerce held their 106th Awards Banquet at the University Club. We thanked Paul Land, our current chair of the Chamber and welcomed our incoming chair, Vicki Russell. At a special pre-event happy hour Paul gave each of the co-chairs a really nice plaque for their service to our Chamber over the 2010-2011 year.

Brandon had surprised me with my family coming for the evening. My mom and dad rode with him....

then my brother-in-law, sister and nephew showed up too!

Wild man Larry Atterberry was the emcee for the evening! What a hoot! 

It was an honor to be named The Debin Benish Outstanding Businesswoman Award! This award was given by Delta Systems, Mr. Benish and past recipient, Karen Miller!

I was glad that my family could be there! 

The current and past recipients of The Debin Benish Outstanding Businesswoman Award! I am truly honored to be among some wonderful business women in our community!

I am so grateful that Nancy Fay nominated me for this award and I didn't have a clue at all! If Brandon hadn't surprised me with my family I would have totally been surprised. Thank you Nancy!

Rest In Peace Maxer Doodle

Tuesday June 14, 2011~ Today was a sad day. We had to put our oldest Min Pin to sleep. Max had lived a good life and will forever be in our hearts. He and sissy (Mattie) had been in the hospital for the previous 5 days and they were the most concerned with Max. He had end stage kidney failure and his future wasn't looking good. We were able to bring him home on Monday evening and I stayed by his side for the next 24 hours. It was a hard decision to make but one that needed to be done because his health was failing fast.

Mattie stayed by his side through it all. She was his protector and let him know he wasn't alone. It was very sweet and she misses him so much.

He may be gone from our sight but never from our heart. We miss you a lot bubby. Until we meet again..... June 26, 1997 - June 14, 2011

The Innocence Gala

Saturday June 4, 2011~ This is Kate Stull, my date, for the Innocence Gala! I was asked by Kari Laudano, owner of Logistique Studio, LLC to be the MC for the evening. What an experience! Most of my Chamber of Commerce friends have never seen me in anything other than blue jeans and cowboy boots and I got all dressed up in a real dress for this black-tie event!

Kari and her husband Matt

Kate Stull & Nancy Fay

 Tom & Kim Trabue

 Gene & Shelly Devore

Antowne Fisher was the special guest for the evening! It was such a fun experience and I am glad that Kari asked me to be a part of this amazing evening! A special thanks to all of my friends who came to support me and to help support the Rainbow House! 

Athena Awards

Thursday April 21, 2011~ The Women's Network held the 16th Annual Athena Awards program at the University Club. I can't be more proud of Karen Miller (2011 Athena Leadership Award) and Shelly Devore (2011 Athena Young Professional Award)! They are both very deserving individuals and I was very excited to be there to celebrate with them! They are both true leaders in our community.... way to go ladies!

A well deserved Hero Award - Chuck Everitt

Tuesday April 12, 2011~ Today a very deserving individual received the 2011 Hero Award given by the Voluntary Action Center. Chuck has dedicated the past 39 years to building and re-building the CYFL (Columbia Youth Football League) so that all kids could learn the art of playing a sport and balancing education.

I had the pleasure of nominating Chuck for this award and when I learned that he had won it was so hard to keep it quite! As many of you know, I am a Chamber of Commerce Ambassador with Chuck and see or talk to him almost everyday. I knew I had a good chance of getting him to go to the awards program because we had a ribbon cutting to kick it off and he knew he was nominated. He thought he was nominated for a different category (there was 7 total) and when he didn't win the award he thought he would win I like to never got him to sit still. He was fidgeting all around and wanted to go outside but I was able to get him to stay. He was so surprised when the very last award was his! The look on his face was priceless and I am so glad that I was able to share this special day for him! He truly deserved this honor.

 I am so proud of you Chuckles! Glad that you can be recognized for all you have done in our community! You have made a difference!

Midway Outdoor Flea Market is OPEN!

Saturday April 9, 2011 ~ Today was the opening day of Midway Outdoor Flea Market for the 2011 season! We had 15 vendors and lots of customers which was nice to kick things off! We started this business in August 2010 and was a huge hit so we decided to continue it this year!

Basically we charge vendors $20 for a 20' x 20' space to sell antiques, collectibles, fresh produce, crafts, household goods, garage sale items and more. We own the property where the flea market is located so it was a win-win situation for us and it gets people to come to Midway! Brandon and I have a lot of fun junkin' each weekend with our other wonderful vendors!

 This year we created a big sign to put on the outer road of I-70 to get some of the people traveling on I-70 to stop and see what we have. If you're ever in the area stop on by (weather permitting of course... if it's raining we are closed) and say hello! We are located at 6783 W Hwy 40 Columbia, MO 65202 and open every Saturday at 7:00 am - 4:00 pm from April - November.

Walt Disney Hometown - Marceline, MO

Sunday April 3, 2011 ~ I have always wanted to go to Marceline, MO to see Walt Disney's Hometown. So we loaded up in the truck and headed North! The museum is in the old train depot that Walt would enter through as a kid as well as when he would come back home as an adult to visit.

Kay owns the museum and the old Walt Disney homestead and land. She grew up with Walt Disney and she never knew there was even lines when she went to Disneyland! She is wonderful at telling the history of Walt Disney. She is a wonderful person!

This is the only thing you can take a picture of in the museum. It was a perfect fit as this Mickey is called "All Aboard Mickey". This Mickey was designed by Ollie Johnson, one of Disney's legendary artists know as "The Nine Old Men". This All Aboard Mickey was one of 75 specially designed Mickey's (to celebrate his 75th birthday in 2003) that toured the United States before being up for auction. The owner brought him to the museum.

This is the old Walt Disney homestead. The Disney family moved into this home in 1906 when Walt was 4 years old.

This was Walt's Dreaming Tree. The large cottonwood tree is still standing (barely after it was hit by lighting) where Walt and his sister Ruth would play as kids. This tree was an inspiration to Walt and drew from these memories in his Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony cartoons. When he traveled back to Marceline, MO he would always make time to reflect under this tree.

This was Walt's Happy Place. Many years later they replaced Walt's barn with this one and had a barn rising! When you go inside you are asked to leave a message or a memory....

So of course we left our mark! I have loved Mickey Mouse since Brandon's dad and step-mom took us to Walt Disney World in 1994. That was the first time I have ever flown and always wanted to go back. Walt Disney theme parks were designed from his hometown of Marceline, MO.

"To tell the truth, more things of importance happened to me in Marceline than ever happened since or are likely to in the future" Walt Disney