...going naked...yup, its come to this... i mean i am in Southern California

i mean naked in the sense of transparency of course :)...well, i went there...classic marketing grabber...yet, to do this i have to be real, i haven't a filter anymore...that doesn't mean being rude.. just have to write it like it is...if i have to leave a legacy...in business and life...be real...don't leave any elephants in the room... it's crazy how we don't mind being out there with brashness, but really getting down and being real friends is awkward...we don't want to be the one to tell the emperor he is naked...leaves you vulnerable..hence  a double backstory today.... hey you are here ...it will all get to the point in a bit...and it is sort of an explanation why I have had a minor diversion...main reason argghh... darn wifi..has me behind..and broken three chargers...my only angst with apple products..

>>>the backstory to the backstory.....lol..ok, bear with me..<<

i started this career as a hippiebeachartist chick wearing jeans and long hair...gees....I guess I have come full circle...

side trip to the Grand Canyon...my first time..

I started in business and college early..16.. had my first major corporate design gig at 20...  had a compulsion for work, family and life... all the while looking like I was 12... it worked in my favor, the little hippie chick with the baby face....no one suspected the inner crazy :) compelled designer and business savvy person...trained in both architecture and graphics...it has been an amazing adventure...

yet motherhood, yes, has been my greatest job...4 kiddos that are as individual as you can think, but all solid people...the journey is over for "active" parenting...now, it is more like being the example of how to live life and just having their back...so cool-the transition egads...has had its bumps...

I had a sudden schism in my life, my partner in the midst...well-had to say goodbye before the journey was complete...damn the beast of cancer...the good part, well he saw the kids become adults and knew his youngest was accepted to the school of her dreams...she not only made to france once, but twice..and even to hong kong..

so dropping my youngest off in southern california as she embarks on her professional career in film after graduating from SCAD  this past June...we went literally cross country working on the kick off to [ i am small ] and her being my producer... 

yes, got her to hollywood...sign is in the background but too darn sunny...

and that has seen detours and bumps..geez... i need my wifi!

and...yes, the backstory sometimes becomes the main event...

i admit, I am my own version of ADD, but gotta live life...realize the moment...

so diversion is part of my daily experience

you don't run across people by accident...and without reason...

>>>the backstory to the story<<<

my husband and I were in the construction industry, it has a special place in my heart...in 2009 the industry was devastated...it was also the year my life was devastated...i was told after my husband  and business partner died, well get an office job...you are attractive, you will get married again....people trivialized my tragedy... i admired those who not only dug in, but reconfigured themselves to meet the changing market....in our early days  in construction... a stone company based in Virginia had the back of this very quirky designer who always looked for products that no one had...had crazy ideas of what could be done with stone in the landscape....Luck Stone.....especially Michael Weiss, who at the time ran the shop/store in charlotte....he believed in us...and never said no or can't ...but how can we help...

every home show we went on to win, every magazine, every time I could...they were my first and usually my only call, because they came through...and believed in us when we started from scratch...in a used van...and no equipment...just a passion and skill....so not surprisingly...they pushed through the most recent challenges in the building industry that crushed many companies....funny thing is that culture...surrounding yourself with like minded individuals who say never die...well they succeed..sometimes they have to reenvision  themselves...but like me they are still standing...

when starting out on [ i am small ] i was connecting with all my social media friends getting referrals and trying to plan out the journey... in the midst I ran across a friend of a friend from Luck Stone... a builder from Maryland..who despite great challenges not only held it together when the down turn came, but thrived...and is back at the top of his game...and a leader in his profession.....Patrick Hagan....of Hagan and Hamilton Builders...well Patrick has a long story...it cannot be told without shining light on his compulsion to give back...the dots start to be connected...for a reason...

...stay tuned for part 2...