Overdue Update

2006-05-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

Things at the Southern Bulb Co. rarely slow down, so it seems almost impossible to take the time to write in-depth details of our travels in which we have the awesome privilege of sharing our bulbs with others. Fortunately, I took the time one Saturday, several weeks ago, to update my personal journal on the events of mid-March through April and while, yes, it is now May, I figure better late than never!

March 16:

Ah, California. The Golden State. So warm and… beachy. Beachy? Yes, beachy. Or so I thought. After barely surviving the cold in New York and the cooling temperatures on the return to Texas, I desperately looked forward to “fun in the sun” during our scheduled visit to Los Angeles where we were to meet our new friend Keith and his son Darren. Just my luck, though, the temperature was “unseasonably cold;” fortunately, we had an amazing visit, wonderful food, and excellent company to keep my mind off of the chilly conditions.

The same night that we arrived in LA, Chris, Ben and I headed to Chris’ hometown of Bakersfield. Chris assured me that it is ALWAYS warm and rarely rains in Bakersfield and encouraged me to look forward to more pleasant weather in the area. Oh, uh huh, riiiight. It was cold and, you got it, raining on the drive in… neat. Here again, though, our wonderful host (this time Mr. Wiesinger) more than compensated for the uncomfortable climate. Though the visit was short, I quickly grew to love Bakersfield and will forever remember eating the cow tongue (yes, people, I’m disgusting and should be banished from eating until the end of time) and also remember the trip to Café (not club!) Med.

Our next stop was D.C. where we attended a conference with the Society of American Florists (SAF). Due to an extended layover in Phoenix, we didn’t get to DC and into the hotel until almost 2, only to wake up at 4:30 for a six a.m. prayer breakfast. Now, you have to realize that 4 o’clock is early by anyone’s standards. But, it’s when you take into account the fact that 4 a.m. Eastern Time is 1 a.m. Pacific, that you realize just how exhausted we were after a weekend on-the-go followed by a three hour long time change. I definitely had to drag myself out of bed and remained tired for a majority of the day. Thankfully, Zac was there with his ever-energetic personality to keep Chris and I awake and take up the slack where we simply couldn’t find the strength to be the go-getters we normally are.

Since that trip we have been to Virginia, where we came across some of THE coolest, most incredibly fun women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I hope to see them again in August at the National Garden Writers convention!

This past weekend was actually spent in Fort Worth meeting with a friend of Brad’s and attending a conference with the Southern Gardener Historic Society. This trip, like every one we have taken, was incredibly memorable and a ton of fun! This one, though, was particularly special because everyone (except Zac L ) was there. We made a lot of new friends, but also had the privilege of seeing some old ones as well. To a certain individual with the initials G.G…. it was great seeing you… not sure if I should protect your privacy, so I’ll only mention initials until given further notice.

May 12

On this Friday following a rather crazy two weeks, I am enjoying the fact that just outside the office, across our beautiful bulb-filled field, there are brilliantly-colored blooming Parrot Gladiolus. I find myself constantly changing my mind when it comes to “favorite” bulbs as I went from Roman Hyacinth to Byzantine Gladiolus (which I affectionately refer to as B. Glads!) and am now leaning towards the Parrots. Of course, with so many to choose from, I’m guessing I’ll change my mind as each different bulb blooms in its respective season.

Best trip EVER (by the Queen of Universal Statements)

2006-03-16T12:38:00.000-08:00

OK, fine, I have to admit that I wasn’t completely 100% excited about the trip to New York. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I LOVE New York, but when you are so tired that the one thing in the world you want is sleep and you know that you’re traveling to the city that NEVER sleeps, a part of you wants to refuse the offer and stay at home. Fortunately, I was forced, well not forced, but obligated to go, as this was a trip for business, not for pleasure.

Day 1:

I go to bed at midnight and wake up at 2 to finish packing and get dressed to meet Chris and Brad at the office. I drudgingly make my way around the house, all the while reminding myself to focus on positive things. So, I tell myself that Chris had promised that as soon as we left town we would drive through McDonald’s for breakfast. This seems like such a small thing, but for a girl who loves food, I knew that the savory mixture of yogurt, fruit, and granola that is the McDonald’s parfait (a must if you’ve yet to try one!) would start the morning off right.

Oh, but things couldn’t have gone that smoothly… we paid for our breakfast at the elusive “first window” only to find out at the second stop that, alas, they were fresh out of parfaits, which was funny because they had only just opened… oh well! So we pulled into a gas station where I had my heart, and my stomach, set on a granola bar only to find out that, you got it, they had none. At long last, I decided on the next best thing and walked back to the car to enjoy my peanut butter crackers in silence.

A few hours later, we arrived at the airport in Shreveport. My brief nap had caused some serious mascara smudging, so I decided to make a “quick” stop in the restroom. So, there I was, freshening up, looking forward to some resting time before we had to board the plane, when an announcement was made that the flight to Atlanta (where we were scheduled to land before heading to New York) was about to leave; a last call if you will. Had anyone been in the restroom at the time, they would have certainly appreciated the look on my face as I grabbed my bags and ran for the door. My dearest Brad was standing there waiting on me, and he gave me just enough time to switch from high heels to flip flops so we could run to our terminal. Poor Chris must have been so stressed out… sorry!

Several tired hours later, we were in New York and we made our way to the exquisite Gansevoort hotel. We unpacked, sat around for a bit, and then, after having to remind the boys that I get hungry every two hours, we made our way downstairs to the Ono Sushi bar where we had an absolutely amazing meal.

Day 2:

We had initially planned on sightseeing, but realized that our efforts would be better spent working on the website which we did, all…day… long. It was actually a lot of fun though, so I’m totally not complaining! We did take a break long enough to go to a nearby diner, creatively – and accurately – named The Diner, and had a very nice lunch.

After ingesting my turkey burger, I headed back to the Gansevoort where I made my way to the amazingly tranquil G-Spa to have my hair done.

Now this, for me, is where things get serious. I could go on and on… and on… about how much I enjoyed my experience. I’m 23 years old and, thus, have had my hair washed at least a million times, but this wash was unlike any other. Even the way that the women dried my hair was unbelievable. Somewhere between the curling and the styling I realized why, exactly, it was that I was so thoroughly enjoying my time at G-Spa. I was being pampered – a first for a small town girl from Texas.

Though I honestly could have stayed there forever, I realized that I had been there for a solid two hours which left me with a whopping 20 minutes to take a shower and do my makeup. Thankfully, Chris and Brad were incredibly patient, and they allowed me all the time I needed. My white dress was the finishing touch and, though I knew it would only last a night, I kind of, sort of, as cheesy as it sounds, felt like, sigh, I’ll say it, a princess.

So off we were to Lotus Space where we would meet the House and Garden people. I had already prefaced the event by telling myself that it probably wouldn’t be a super huge deal and to just go with whatever happened. Not a big deal? Amanda, seriously… it was huge! Red carpet, velvet ropes, the whole deal. For about 30 seconds I felt out of my league, like everyone would somehow know that I didn’t belong, that I was a counterfeit socialite and that I really belonged back in the Piney Woods of East Texas. Then I reminded myself what Brad and Chris had instilled in me throughout the entire week: “own it.” So, I did, and thank goodness for that! I met so many amazing individuals that night and feel blessed to have had the opportunity to come in contact with such great people.

Dinner followed the portrait exhibit and Chris and I had a lovely time wining and dining with some of our new friends. The food at Sapa was AMAZING and was second only to the surrounding company. The last memorable moment of the evening is when Chris and I had the great fortune of meeting Andrew and Robbin… I love those guys and hope they’ll make their way to Texas very soon ;)

Day 3:
We decided to take a later flight so we could have lunch at the Hard Rock Café with Andrew and Robbin. The time passed by too quickly, as it often does when you’re having fun, and before long we were off to catch a cab to head to Atlanta.

And, so, you know how you always hear about those memorable cab rides when you swear you see your entire life flash before your eyes because, though you can’t be sure, you’re almost positive you won’t make it out alive. Yeah… definitely had that experience on the way to the airport. I was so incredibly car sick that I thought, or at least hoped, that I would pass out. Fortunately, deliria had kicked in by this point and I found every commercial on the radio to be the funniest thing I’d ever heard, so a majority of the ride was spent laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my face.

The comedy of errors continues as we rode on a cramped plan through quite a bit of turbulence. I failed to mention that by the time we were actually on the plane, I was starving… STARVING I SAY! Midway through the flight, I grabbed Brad’s seat (he was seated directily in front of me) and yelled “FOOOOOD.” I think I scared some of the other passengers, but it was comedic relief for the people who were panicking over the turbulence.

We finally made it to Atlanta where we hopped on a shuttle so we could get some rest before heading to Shreveport.

Day 4:

The fourth and final day was one of mass hysteria as Chris, Brad, and all reached the breaking point where EVERYTHING was hysterical. Day four can more or less be summarized in only one line: Stranded in Shreveport, enough said…