Big Fat Sigh of Relief!

July was the busiest month I've had in a really long time, although there were a lot of fun filled days, it was no cake walk.  It's funny how life happens all at the same time, and while work was overwhelming, my personal life was non stop as well.  Francesca's Collections went public on July 22nd, and as you can imagine the months leading up to that were intense.  Being John's assistant(the CEO), I had a hand in it all.  And as much as I was doing, it paled in comparison to what they were doing.  And all the while that was happening, I was also secretly planning a party to celebrate the IPO once it was official.  I can't help but laugh at the fact that I played a role in any of it.  It blows my mind how much I've learned and grown in one little year of my life.  So I guess I'll start at the beginning of July with the obvious...

Independence Day!
We spent the fourth with Brad's family, where else but my favorite town...Galveston! I played washers for the first time in my whole life, and I won! That's a big feat considering I was playing two pros, Brad's uncle Jeff and his cousin's husband Austin.  Brad was on my team...and no surprise we were a good one.  We came home on the fourth without any firework shows because we had work the next day.  I guess that's the life of a grown up.

Engagement!
My dear friend Taryn got engaged, and I couldn't be more delighted! I'm so happy for her and Ben, they are a perfect match.  As a friend, there is no greater comfort than knowing that your friend is marrying someone who will love and take care of them, and I know this is the case with Ben. I get to be a bridesmaid and I can't wait.  Taryn is so cute, look how she asked me to be in her wedding! This wedding will no doubt be special.

The Calvert's come to Houston!
Since I was so busy, and my little sister was here for the summer, guess who trekked all the way down I-45?  Daddy, Mom, and Granny!  I was so excited for my family to come down here, especially Granny.  This was the first time she got to see our little home.  We decided to show them the town, and by that I mean Harwin and Galveston.  I rarely miss a weekend at the beach, and there was no way I was going to let my parents miss out on the magical little town of Galveston.  We went on a tour of the Bishop's Palace, which you have to see with your own two eyes.  It is so grand, it's hard to take it all in.  In fact, Granny got a little dizzy from looking up at the ceiling and had to sit down for a little bit.  After the tour we went shopping down the strand in all the cute shops, and stopped at my favorite La King's Candy Factory.  To finish it off, we stopped in Kemah on the way home so they could experience the boardwalk.  That weekend was a big blessing/stress reliever for me. Being away from my family never gets easier, I can't get enough time with them. 

Losing Weight!
Brad decided to do a triathlon in September with some of his work buddies. This is a bigger deal that what it sounds like, because Brad hasn't worked out in years.  Brad has put on some comfort weight since we started dating....don't think I'm talking crap about him because this is public information.  Brad is no stranger to poke fun at himself.  I thought it was really funny, until I started packing on the pounds after we got married, and then it was the complete opposite of funny.  Because of the triathlon, Brad has weigh-ins at work twice a week.  GAME CHANGER. It is a lot easier to live healthy when you do it as a team.  We have changed our eating habits AND been exercising.  Of course Brad's weight has fallen right off, in three weeks Brad has lost 15 pounds and I've lost 5. (I may or may not have taken a week off)  Pictures to come later, we still have our work cut out for us.  However it does feel good to know that we are making progress, even in my case as small as it is. 

NASDAQ
It's a once in a life time moment to get to see your boss ring the bell at NASDAQ, and I got to live that.  After all the work that went into the IPO it was a pretty sweet reward to see him in Times Square on the NASDAQ tower.  I threw a party in our warehouse where the ceremony was streamed live onto a big screen so we all got to be a part of it.  We even had our own little bells to ring with him, what a special day.  I felt so proud to get to be a part of it, no matter how small I am.

IPO Party
During this process of filing an IPO, you're fate basically rest in the hands of the SEC.  At the beginning of the summer it was hard to gage when we would actually go public.  There are so many things that factor into this, so we made a guess and said August 19th for the party would be perfect.  However, it all happened faster than expected.  So I was a little shocked when John emailed me on Sunday requesting the party be moved to Friday.  No biggie. Changing a party for 200 people that has been in the works for months is not impossible.....but pretty close.  After a few bumps in the road, the party was moved to August 5th.  Praise the Lord, it was a success.  It is a scary feeling to know that good or bad my name was attached to that party.  It was quite a celebration! One I'm sure that will go down in company history.  (I was so busy I forgot to take pictures, all that I have is from the photo booth.  Once the photographers pictures come in, I'll post a few more.  Because I'm not going to lie....my dress was amazing.)

Looking back on July, I'm really proud of what I accomplished.  I was exhausted but proud.  Brad and I took the Monday off after the party last Friday to just have a weekend to hangout and do nothing.  I loved it, doing nothing with Brad is the best. I know some day we won't have that luxury so I'll take advantage of it now.