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Change in plans. I will not be attending the D.C. summit. I’m both relieved and slightly disappointed. I did like the idea of getting some good training and new ideas to help me out in my job. I didn’t like the thought of going on a whim. I’m quite the planner and the whole idea of planning at the last minute made me a bit of a nervous wreck. I try to think positive and hope that another opportunity will come when it’s meant to happen. I just want to be all that I can be at my job and push the envelope to really make things happen!


Today is day four of Brad and my T.V. fast. Things are going well. We spent a half hour or more in prayer together and it was really motivational. We wish it would have worked in our schedules to head to the church to pray with everyone but were glad to be with our church family in prayer.


It did feel odd this week not attending basketball games. Brad is an avid sports player and played on both church and open league with friends. The season ended on Sunday and unfortunately the church league lost in the championship game. In the end they all had fun and no serious injuries through the season. So all in all it was a win! As for next week… softball starts. Brad will be playing on a new campus league, then will come the church and/or open league. It’s never ending.


As for tomorrow, I will be spending some much need girl time/sushi time with one of my besties Brit!

I’ll keep you posted.

Today I found out I will be attending a United Way staff summit held next week in Washington D.C. I’m excited to learn new things to apply to my job and I've already picked which sessions I want to attend! Timing couldn’t get any better, seeing as how I have begun 2010-2011 campaign planning and haven’t created anything yet. As for the location… D.C. is ugly. Oh well, you win some you lose some. I’m excited but not looking forward to navigating the city alone for the first time. If I know me I’ll park at my hotel and never explore. I’ll keep you posted!

Today I attended the advertising seminar at WDBJ7 and got a lot of useful information when it comes to the advertising message. I think the number one reminder that I took home with me is that it’s never about if a person does or does not like an ad. It’s about the results. I think this is something that is frequently forgotten. I know personally in my time at The Roanoke Times I would fall into creating ads that I liked. Sometimes the worst commercials and materials are the best ones. They stick with us. Plus, the best thing about advertising is the power we hold in getting individuals around us to memorize just about anything.


Example: Well I was shopping for a new car, which one’s me?
A cool convertible or an SUV.


Too bad I didn’t know my credit was whacked,
cuz now I’m driving off the lot in a used sub-compact.


F-R-E-E, that spells “free,” credit report dot com baby.
Saw their ads on my TV. Thought about goin’ but was too lazy.


Now instead of lookin’ fly and rollin’ phat,
my legs are sticking to the vinyl and my posse’s getting laughed at.

F-R-E-E, that spells “free,” credit report dot com baby

Day one of no TV, I must say is quite a success. I love the feeling of getting more things done instead of sitting in front of the tube. After work, as usual, I went to jazzercise until about 7:30pm, went home and made myself some dinner, this was followed by; washing the dishes, picking up around the house, folding laundry and putting it away, picked out my clothes for tomorrow and sorted some junk. Keep in mind it’s only 9:30pm at the moment. CRAZY. You get so much more done when you aren’t just laying there. Don’t get me wrong I’m not a total bum; I usually just pick days to focus on my regular shows. The problem is that I always justify it by saying I’ve been working hard all day and deserve a few hours of shows. Day one has been a success. This house is going to be spotless by the end of the week!

Who knows what this week will hold. I may start cooking and baking...

This week our church has begun a fast. I’ve decided instead of fasting, for fear of passing out spells which I’ve frequently had with anemia, I will be going without television. Starting Monday morning and ending after church on Sunday. TV and my regular shows are definitely one of my vices. The much needed time will instead be spent on prayer and the bible. Wish me luck!

Found out today I’m going to a small seminar at WDBJ7 to learn from Don Fitzgibbons, who is a Senior Marketing Consultant with Jim Doyle and Associates. I hope to learn how to better reach people in our area with very little money. The less money I can spend on marketing the more people that can be helped! I hope to learn something from the Guru of Ads!!



Don Fitzgibbons

Don Fitzgibbons is a Senior Marketing Consultant with Jim Doyle and Associates.

Don has over 30 years of experience in broadcast advertising, marketing and sales management. Don has always loved working with retail businesses. He began his broadcast career working with Jim Doyle at a Maine radio station in 1977 and went on to become a General Manager and owner of radio stations in the Northeast.

Currently, Don consults with television stations and specializes in advertising that produces measurable results. He works primarily with small and medium-sized businesses that want to stand out from their competition and significantly increase the impact of their advertising. Over the past eight years, Don has reviewed advertising strategies for over 3000 businesses around the country. Don has also worked abroad for the U.S. State Department to teach advertising and marketing skills at emerging radio and TV stations in Europe, Africa, and Asia.

We call Don the "Guru of Ads" for good reason. His nationwide experience gives Don a keen expertise in knowing what kind of advertising works and what doesn’t. His popular seminar, "14 Rules of the Guru," helps business owners, copywriters and TV production people learn how to get powerful results with the right creative approach.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin in Journalism, Don has also completed graduate work in Business Management and Counseling Psychology. He flew 102 combat missions in Vietnam. Married with grown children, Don's hobbies include being a high school basketball referee and a (very) competitive Internet chess player.

Exercise of choice… jazzercise. If you haven’t tried it, you should. I will soon end my fourth class to begin my fifth and must say it’s a lot of fun and surprisingly relaxing. In large part I think I’ve been fortunate to find such a wonderful instructor, Lindsay Long. She’s extremely energetic, positive and makes exercise fun. This last class I took four days a week but was only able to get into two days a week this time. I’ve enjoyed losing about 12lbs, especially if we begin trying to be parents this summer. I figure the best shape I go into a pregnancy the better I will come out. Plus, I’m a firm believer in working out to the same degree when I’m pregnant. Lindsay worked out hard all through her pregnancy and taught our class. As soon as her daughter was born she popped right back into place. I hope I experience that, if I’m fortunate enough to get pregnant!

First I must say I was outraged with Jake’s decision last night. I didn’t see it coming, regardless of all the things I read. I guess I have a girl crush on Tenley and thought she was so wonderful he would naturally pick her. FAIL. I hope Tenley finds love and Vienna and Jake have a happy life. It’s like I always say “To each their own.”


Next up… Ali is the bachelorette and since she was my number two pick I will be watching!



Moving on to my own life! Work is going very well. Staying busy and getting to put some of my crazy ideas to use! Brad and I had a wonderful weekend together at Glades Springs. I loved the spa! Unfortunately, I was under the weather but it was nice to spend some time together in a winter wonderland and not be painting our house or fixing it up for the sale. Since it will be going on the market in the next few weeks we don’t have much time. We’re very excited for the next year. I’m not 100% sure what will be in store, but it’s all very exciting!


Best Regards!