This is the way my partner thinks...

So we (Lawton and I tagged teamed) saved this woman about $8,000 a year for her insurance policies. This woman is an obgyn... so she really didn't even realize she was paying a ridiculous amount of money.
Lawton says to me today, "We saved her a new boat every year for her insurance, she should deliver one of your babies for free... in 15 years."

I thought it was funny.

Quick Update

In my favorite thing: A list (with bullet points-yay!).

• I went a Monster Truck Show this weekend. Don't judge me. (And I had fun. Kind of. Okay, the company was great.)
• Extreme Makeover: Crew Edition=FM Women's Crew and our introduction to all the changes went over without a hitch! It was a fabulous evening and we had 12 girls! I was so excited and I cannot wait to see what the Lord will be doing with this group in the future.
• I have had such great times with my girlfriends this week... and there is still so much more to come!
  
• I am getting to the point where I am burning out and feeling sick and not able to get better (this is a usual occurrence for me and my body's response when I am doing too much!)
• I may or may not be thinking about giving something in my schedule "up" but have no idea how I will decide...
  
• I am going to Metro Cross Seekers tonight (a young adult group at McGregor Baptist church). I have never been there and I am interested in seeing how it is... plus I am going with some amazing girls that I can't wait to spend time with!
• Had lunch with my Dad, sister and brother today. I love moments like this where I look up and realize how lucky I am that I live near all my family. Not to mention that we like each other enough to get together.
  
• My house is so settled... with exception of my second bedroom which has become a storage unit.
• I was semi (think not even like half)- asked out to lunch on Sunday by a guy at church. And I was sorta freaked out. Like scared. What has happened to me and will I ever really be ready to date? Will God give me peace when its a good time or is it okay for me to just be a freak?
  
• Work is so busy!!
  
• I am so looking forward to a Kentucky Derby Party this weekend. Picture this: girlfriends, dresses, heels, BIG HATS, cocktails and good food. Blissss.

And I shall leave you with this.

"Therefore, prepare you minds for action: be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ' Be holy, because I am holy.' "
1Peter 1:13-16

Ramblings.

Last night I had a little cocktail party and a couple of my dear friends came over. Renee came over early and helped make food and put things on my wall. I have a ton of photographs that are framed. We were going through them all and it is funny to think of how far I have come since I probably put those pictures in the frames. Or how far we have all come.
[Translation. "How far I have come"= How many of these people I never talk to anymore. "how far we have all come"= the clothes, hairstyles and men we have disposed of since...]
Either way, I am in desperate need of updating my photos.I still have my best friends from high school that I will be friends with forever. But I have made a few new close friendships and met a lot of great people over the past year. It's weird to think that my friends from Crew have only been my friends for a year. I have met a lot of amazing people, got really close with a couple people and gained a best friend and accountability partner out of the group. I am excited to see what God has in store with this mission trip to Haiti in June.
Anyway, I'm getting off topic. So I had some of my girlfriends over and ended up staying up late with Tiffany and Jen talking about photography. I took two years of photography class in high school. I know what a good shot looks like and can critique a photograph. Obtaining a good shot is a different story. I am loving being behind the camera. And I feel like between Jen and Tiff and Maria, I am getting a MAJOR crash course in order to be prepared for May 8th. May 8th is the date when Maria and I are shooting a wedding together in Bonita. I am excited. And super nervous/anxious/down right scared. This is some girls wedding day and I am partially responsible for making sure her moments are captured. Maybe I'm in over my head.

Operation OBC Day One

I kinda started big for day one.
Well actually, it got to 9pm and I had not done anything all day so I went to my back up plan. It was probably the one thing I told Hallie I would accomplish in this thirty days and since I had nothing else I did this.
So there is this guy in Crew that talks to me all the time. He kind of gravitates towards me at any and every event. He constantly chats me on facebook. He came to my birthday party. (The last one doesn't seem huge, its just that only my close family and friends were there early and he was too. Then I kind of ditched him when we went somewhere else, which was awful of me.) I have had numerous people make jokes out his 'attraction'. I felt obligated to nip this in the bud. (Mostly because I have been known to make up relationships in my head and I didn't want this guy doing the same thing.)
So I did what only a respectable girl like myself would do.
I facebook chatted him.
First, I apologized for my birthday and the whole ditch thing. He told me he tried to get my number from my friend who was still in spot A but she wouldn't give it out (that's loyalty). He said he had kind of forgotten about it until now. (phew)
[Now was the hard part, how do I bring this up without making him feel dumb or me look like a total idiot- I had a knot in my stomach.] So I said, I also want to say I hope I didn't ever string you along. And he questioned what I was talking about. I mentioned a couple things that would lead me to believe what I believe (including him telling my friend that he has been "working on 'this' for months"). He justified. I said I just wanted to clarify and make sure there were no miscommunications. He told me if he wanted to ask me out, he would, ask me out. Okayyyy.
So I kind of felt like an idiot. For a second. And then realized defense is defense, you play as hard or as dirty as you want. I sure would. Then, I felt liberated. I felt so good that this wasn't hanging over my head and I wouldn't have to cringe every time he was around thinking he might be thinking something else.
Either way, it was an awkward situation, but I did it, got through it and feel great!
Day one felt great and I am off to today's challenge...

OBC

Out of the Box Challenge hereinafter will be known as 'OBC'.

My dear friend Hallie (whom I am so eagerly awaiting to visit in NYC for the fourth of July) and I were speaking this evening. At first glance, people would not think we are very much alike... and a lot of people who know us, probably don't think we are a lot alike. And we may very well not be... but we do have a different connection. A deeper one. I have known Hal since eighth grade (it was a great first impression- I was playing soccer in the rain and ran after a ball and slipped in a mud puddle in the neighborhood- and by mud puddle I mean ditch filled with muddy rain water). Over the years we have gotten increasingly closer. There were/are times where we can't stand each other. Actually probably at least once a visit. And I have just come to the realization that it is because we are so much alike.
We were both raised by crazy counselor mothers who would dissect our every thought. As a result, we are over-analytical, critical and left with severe emotional issues. When I act, I like to figure out why I act, why I react, what its "stemming" from and what sort of previous incident is greased to the bottom of this layered cake 'issue'. When I can't figure it out, I go to her. I tell her my issues and we unfold it together. She asks me the questions I have been locking in the back of my head. She doesn't tell me what I want to hear, she doesn't tell me anything really... she gives me the tools to figure it out myself. She is a great counselor.
We have different issues... I am an over-committer- enslaved to my 'priorities' or engagements, she is a flake- fleeting and unpredictable. She lives in New York City and I live in sunny consistent Fort Myers, Fl. She has endured pain and loss and administered strength- a reaction unimaginable for me. We have different beliefs- different views of God- different views of life.

There is a point, I promise.

So tonight she tells me she reads my blog and we are kind of whining about life and work and guys, etc. Then she says we need to push harder and step back from our everyday lives. (I was confused at this point too.) I ask my questions and she says, we need to try things we don't usually attempt (probably because we are too busy over-analyzing and if we truly come to a conclusion that its a good idea, the opportunity has escaped). We conclude to establish the OBC. Out of the Box Challenge will be a 30 day challenge to do something that requires us to step out of the box, feel awkward or out of place- at least once a day. No matter how big or small. We won't tell people about it, just blog about. And we will keep each other accountable, encouraged and find the lessons in the midst of the pain, stomach knots, and/or rejections. We're doing this and we are going to learn a lot... experience a lot... and hopefully step out with some new perspective.
This shall be interesting.

It's an age old question...

Can a man and a woman just be friends?

My best friend and business partner, Lawton and I are that. But people don't seem to believe it or accept it. I had a client the other day refer to him as my husband. We don't even have the same last name. Hello?
We talk about everything- from business to guys to girls to friends to God. But is it only a relationship that will be short-lived? Once I get married or he gets married will our friendship die and be focused more on a partnership? I feel like our partnership survives because we are such good friends. We really trust each other and we want the best for each other.
A lot of my friends will tease me and tell me that we'll end up marrying each other. And don't get me wrong, he is a great guy, I just can't imagine marrying him. (Even though I have been known to call him my work husband.)
I do know that having a partnership and a friendship with a man is great practice for marriage. It's deeper and different than having a boyfriend- there are money problems, disagreements, confrontations without fear of being dumped, compromises, and other experiences that have made him almost like part of my family.
If the answer is no, then my next question is why? Will my husband or his wife feel intimidated by our friendship? Since I doubt I have met my husband yet, will it threaten my husband that Lawton has known me longer or already knows my quirks, moods and buttons?
AND how will that work if him and I cannot maintain our friendship when I get married? When I get married, I don't want anything to take away from my marriage, so I will have to accept that... and what about the business? Why didn't these questions pop into my head before we became partners? And does it really matter?
Who knows the answers to these questions...I don't have an answer... and I really can't foresee an answer... Its all up to God and clearly isn't worth my worries...

Signature Style

As a business woman and the president of a company (I just made myself sound way cooler than I really am), I feel as though it is my job put myself in a position to stand out. I long to claim my femininity in an industry full of middle aged boring men. The CEO of a communications company once told me that I was different than what he though of as an insurance agent. That he pictured an insurance agent as a middle aged man (probably with a terrible suit) and dust within his wrinkles. I'll go ahead and add in that this man probably has salt-and-pepper hair, a boring leather briefcase and a diligent, lackluster personality. I am very, very, very far from that. I am young and fun, love fun clothes and suits, great shoes, have an adorable blue leather briefcase, I don't have wrinkles and have an...overwhelming personality! As we are approaching our 1 year anniversary as a company, I am mentally reviewing the many experiences, the life changing accident, the lessons and allllll the things I would do differently the next year.
Which leads me to my subject of the day, personal branding.
In The Devil Wears Prada (the book, not the movie), Miranda Priestly wears a Hermes scarf everyday. She incorporates it in her outfit in creative ways each day. Rev Run sends emails to his friends at the end of ever show as he lounges in a bubble bath surrounded by candles. Michelle Obama and Jackie Kennedy had their style of pencil skirts, sleeveless dresses and pearls (that was hard to describe, but you know their style). Serial killers are defined and named by the way they kill their victims or something they leave at the scene. Donald Trump has horrible hair and the "You're Fired" line. Lisa Sheppard of Remax has the picture of her around town with that awesome hat.
I googled personal branding and found this definition on Wikipedia:
Personal branding is the process whereby people and their careers are marked as brands.
I want a signature thing.
I was thinking something simple... something meaningful... or something not meaningful at all. Just something to do, before my company grows to be huge and I have lots of employees.
I don't necessarily want it to define me, but for someone to think, oh, she always does that.
I don't really have any ideas or suggestions and haven't figured out if I want it to be something in my signature, my emails or something I wear.
Regardless, it shall be fabulous.

Dear Staff

(my first all staff e-mail regarding new Accurate Insurance Agency regulations)

Dear Staff,

If you (man) come to the office without shaving your face, that gives me the idea that you probably showered and got dressed and came to work. If I (woman) took a shower, got dressed and came to work, I would have wet hair in a bun and no makeup on. Therefore, if it is 'acceptable' for you to come in like that, is it acceptable for me to come in without makeup and with wet hair?

I understand you don't like to shave. I don't like to spend 30 minutes blow drying and straightening my hair. I don't like spending 10 minutes on makeup (not to mention the thousands of dollars I spend...).

You think a three day beard looks sexy. You. are. not. Patrick. Dempsey. It looks sloppy and horrible with your nice button down shirt, pin-striped slacks or slightly homosexual square toed dress shoes.

Also, if you are too lazy to shave your face, you are probably too lazy to be a good insurance agent. (Which isn't the case, but is what I would think if you were trying to sell me something.)

Please wake up and realize this is unacceptable. Just as it would be unacceptable for me to come in straight out the shower.

Best Regards,

Management

Love You. Hate You.

I have a love / hate relationship with many things. (And come to think of it, people as well.)

One most recent relationship is working from home. I used to loathe working from home when I had roommates. Now that I live alone, it is much easier and enjoyable. I am trying to figure out my schedule for the next few months so that Lawton and I are on the same page, and I am really not sure how often I want to work from home. Lets do some Pros and Cons.

Pros:
I can sleep in an extra hour. I get to work in my pajamas. I can do my hair throughout the day and let it air dry. I don't have to put on make-up or shoes. I don't have obnoxious realtors in my ear. I don't smell Chinese, Mexican or fast food throughout the day. I don't have to deal with Lawton (in person). I can do laundry, watch tv (or dvd's since I don't have cable), listen (and sing!) to MY music as loud as I want, or clean in the midst of my day. I can cook or prepare my lunch and not worry about having salad dressing or silverware. I can light candles. I save $2 by not crossing over to Cape Coral. I save gas (and consequently, the world). I can workout on my lunch break (just throwing it out there...).

Cons:
I find myself on facebook far too much. I don't feel as "together" when I am not dressed. I don't have access to every file I may need. I can't print (although this isn't a HUGE deal but can be super annoying). I do laundry, or clean in the midst of my day, which distracts me. People seem to think that when I 'work from home' that means I have the day off and can babysit or go to lunch/coffee/hangout (mostly because I do those things...). I'm not as motivated. When I work from home I don't usually go outside all day... which leaves me feeling sad when its already too late. I am a slave to my phone.

I am really not sure if I figured anything out through that. Regardless, I had to put it out there...

Sorry I haven't returned your call.

My blog is like a friend of mine I haven't talked to in awhile. I keep thinking, I have to blog about this, I have to update! I wanna put this picture up! Its like my friend that keeps calling me and I am too busy to talk or return her call... I am just going to do a simple update in the form of a list.

-I love, love, love living alone. This was the greatest choice ever. I love the independence of it... how it allows me to be selfish... and its like my little escape. Not to mention is my ongoing project- I feel like I am at Target or Bed, Bath and Beyond every day buying something new!
-I am going to be a bridesmaid! And so it begins, one of my best friends just got engaged last Friday night. Tiffany and I have been friends since high school- I used to drive her to school every day Junior year (because she is 6 months younger than me). She has a daughter who is almost one (ahh!), Keegan. Keegan and I get to spend a lot of time together since I am one of Tiff's friends that can actually take care of children (thanks Maria). Keegan is my "pseudo niece" and only pseudo so I don't take anything away from my dear Kyla (I am a tiny bit partial)... but I am Aunt LeLe to her. I am the only local bridesmaid of Tiff's, so I know it is going to be some serious work, lots of fun, and great practice!
- Women's Crew is now at my house. My Monday night "bible study"/girls night in is now held at my house. There have been some changes within leadership and I am so pumped for the future of the group. I love being hospitable, albeit I allow myself to get way too stressed out.
- Accurate Insurance is a constant struggle. I haven't prayed enough about this... but we have gone through so many set backs, sometimes I get discouraged and wonder if this is truly what I should be doing. And other times, I think, these are just little hills, show perseverance Alicia and it will be so worth it in the future. Either way, it is hard.
- Outback is okay. I love working like 1 night a week. But I rarely work that seldom- its usually 2 or 3 times a week. I know I am there for a reason, and I know its good for me to be around so many non-believers... I just get sick of working 60 hour weeks. Not to mention hearing language and talk about things that make my skin crawl.
- Maria has started yet another business. She know has a photography biz, shameless plug, www.mariaglassford.com and I am hopefully going to be able to help her with it! It would be awesome to work with my sister in something like this that could be on the side and so fun!
- My babies keep growing, and I am not happy about it. Jonah is so big and he understands things... Carter is still the coolest kid around (and has been dubbed this by our entire church pretty much)... Kyla is such an adorable princess with quite the attitude and a love for boys (my girl!)... Kevin has a love for teaching- or telling you about things if you give him the opportunity, he will go on and on forever... Sean is such a loving boy, he's naive, caring and generous. As much as I hate to see them getting older, I can't wait to see the people they become. (And again, I can't imagine the love I will have for my own children, thinking of the LOVE I have for these five...)
- I am blessed beyond words. I was going to say with my friends and family, but realized I am blessed all around. I have the most amazing girlfriends, sister and Lawton. They are all so unique and different, I can't imagine them not in my life.
- I am loving my relationship with my mother and can't wait for season to end. My Mom and I are getting along great, and I really feel like she is becoming a friend... not as paranoid as before (or at least doesn't express it) and truly interested in learning more about me- in depths. I can't wait for season to end so my Dad isn't so busy and we can gallivant around on sunny summer days and go to lunch... I love the freedom he has during the summer.
- I am taking 4 trips this summer. Ahhhh! I will talk about this more later, but I am going to Wisconsin, Virginia, Haiti and New York City! (And most likely weekend visits to Ft. Lauderdale and Venice)
- I am starting to focus on my habits... eating habits, exercise habits, cleaning habits, hygienic habits, working habits... and try to get my life to a place where I am content and at peace.
- I know more than I give myself credit for. It's amazing to me the verses and lessons that pop into my head when I am going through something or am searching for advice for a friend. I am at a place where God or the Word is the first thing I turn to when I am hurting or confused. Still working on this... but its great to look back at 5 months ago when I knew where nothing was in the Bible!
- Renee is really moving. I think. But probably won't know for another month. This has been a roller coaster ride in itself... God finally spoke to her and her husband this past week. That was HUGE answered prayer- Praise the Lord!

That's all I have for now. But there is more to come my dear friend, I've got a lot on my mind...