Galapagos Trip with Mom

It was such an amazing opportunity to take a trip to Ecuador with Grandma Faiola. 

We went to the Galapagos Islands. The impetus came from a 1, 2 punch: learning that we spend 80% of our time with our parents before we're 18 and talking to one of my 50'ish male friends about a trip he made to Italy with his Mom. His enthusiasm (from a merger & acquisition attorney; literally, the man is the most monotone of speakers with very little inflection in his voice ever)  was so inspiring that with Grandpa's help and an understanding, kind, and generous husband, the trip was booked within just a few days. Then, the best part was surprising Grandma with the trip. The second best part was actually going on the trip. 

We flew into Quito, Ecuador and spent a night there, getting acclimated. Grandma took altitude sickness pills to ensure she wouldn't get sick because Quito is so high above sea level. Then, we boarded another plane to fly two hours into the middle of the ocean to the 60-island archipelago chain. 

The diversity of the islands was incredible. Each island was completely different. Some were just 100% lava (like, literally, they would drop us off of the zodiac onto an island for 4 hours that had only lava ... and like two shrubs). Some were lava plus a few trees. Add in some iguanas and sea lions and we had quite the party for four hours. 

The islands were fascinating; like the most amazing, crazy interesting experience. Each one had small but meaningful differences. One island would have iguanas that couldn't swim, another would have iguanas that could swim but couldn't climb trees (we saw several of them dead, waiting for fruit to fall off the cactus's because ... yeah, no climbing).  

Even the sand was different from island to island. It went from crushed beautiful fine pink hued sand to dark black/purple sand that was made from spiny sea urchins (really, crushed, tiny spiny sea urchins). There were multiple hues of sands on the same island based on what kind of shells and creatures grew in the ocean directly beside the island. Try not to imagine all the little crustacean lives lost to give the sand rainbow colors. 

When we first got to the islands, we were amazed and astounded at all the diversity of birds, iguanas, and the seals and sea lions. It was like magic. By the end of the trip, we were basically stepping over the creatures in the natural habitats, and wondering why they were cluttering our perfect photo shots. Okay, that's an exaggeration but really, the wildlife was plentiful and not at all scared of us.

Thanks to a major hurricane (and did I mention the tsunami from the Mexican earthquake that hit us while we were on the boat?), Grandma and I got the lucky privilege to stay an extra day in Ecuador.

We spent that extra day searching the rainforest for the amazing toucan. It was very successful in that we spent eight hours hunting around in a rainforest for a very elusive bird that we saw literally on the car ride back to the hotel (2 hours away) from basically a football field away. And just his beak. But that was enough for us both. We squealed like giddy teenagers who had won the lottery and aced our finals all at the same time.

Our trip was perfect. We spent 13 days together, 8 of that in 225 square feet on a boat, and came back happier, more grateful and more connected than ever. It was the trip of a lifetime (thus far ... here's to hoping the best is yet to come). 

Arizona Trip with Grandma and Grandpa Faiola

We were so happy and excited to get a trip to Arizona with Grandma and Grandpa Faiola. How lucky are we that we got some Vitamin D in the form of natural sunlight during the cold and dreary months of a PNW winter. 

Grandma and Grandpa took the kiddos to Legoland and the acquarium for an afternoon of exploring. It was interesting to note that Jamisen remembered distinct details from his trip there last year. 

Family vacations and time together is always such a privledge but when you're self-employed, there's never really any time away so Chris and I took turns doing pool time while the other one worked. This year was less work than ever (for me) though. Last year, I was studying for an exam and writing a book and this year, I was promoting the book so there were several interviews to do from AZ but thanks to modern technology, they could happen anywhere. 

The kids slipped right into the routine of late nights and late mornings. They loved the relaxing days spent in the water, playing games and connecting. 

Grandpa introduced them to shuffleboard and Jamisen seemed to understand the game pretty well and executed some strategy that showcased his ability to think a couple steps ahead. 

Grandma joined in on the fun. The kids were so appreciative that Grandma thoughtfully bought them new pajamas to wear for the trip too. 

One night, we had dinner out in the courtyard. Grandma and Grandpa's dear friends joined them in Arizona and they graciously cooked a wonderful salmon dinner for us. It was so nice to eat outside, under the stars with balmy temperatures. That's something that only happens a couple months out of the year in Washington.

The kids very much improved their swimming ability while we were therre. By the end, Jamisen was comfortable in the water without a life jacket but always under the watchful eye os an adult.

I don't want to misrepresent who went in the water with the children by this photo because Chris spent 90% of his time in the water and I read 90% of the time. His skin is still pruned up! We had a wonderful time, ate too much food, and didn't work out enough ... which is probably exactly what we needed. Thanks for the fun family time, Grandma and Grandpa Faiola. 

Kangaroo Farm Fun

Less than an hour away from our home lies a meaningful and very outlandish memory making experience. 

A kangaroo farm; an actual kangaroo farm. 

They also have some tortoises. And other animals like llamas. 

You may recall that we visited the Kangaroo Farm with the family last fall. It was fun then and the kids loved it even more now that they're a little older. 

They both got much closer to the kangaroos and were positively enchanted by the sweet animals. 

The entry to the farm includes food to hand feed to the goats and kangaroos.

Our kiddos keep getting cuter, and sweeter and more kind each and every day. We are so lucky as a family to have each other and, a kangaroo farm right down the street. 

Bright Lights, Big City, Lovin' the Life

Obviously, I am very behind in our family blog. Expect a massive download of blog posts in the next 4 weeks because this blip in recording our family history simply cannot stand. Big thanks to Chris for being Dad-with-the-Mostest as I traveled an insane amount this last two months. 

In the last 8 weeks, I've been in NYC twice for press. The first trip was exceedingly successful. The biggest press was CBS NYC which has an insane reach (around 8 million people). I demonstrated nail polish and bath fizzies, live, for that segment. It was really fun and I really really liked the host (a working Mommy, just like me!).

Every time I'm in NYC, I sprint to Half Priced Tickets and get whatever show they have on sale. In this case, I got super lucky and got a middle seat in row 8 on the floor to Miss Saigon. It's the third time I've seen the show but the first time I've seen it on Broadway and whoah! It was so so so good. 

I also was interviewed for a radio show which shall not be named (photo above; hint hint) which was a real hoot because though the interview lasted for quite some time, by the time the actual interview was broken into what seems like seventy-ten (as Jamisen likes to say when he's talking about big numbers) little snippets of soundbites. It was weird because several of the snippets were used to imply or say things that I hadn't really said or meant. I've never had a 45 minute interview cut down to a sentence or two so it was an eye-opening experience. I'm not sure that I could or would do anything differently but it has me saying, 'Hmmmmm'.

The PR team I work with in NYC is amazing. They're all powerful women who are experienced in PR and they really love the brand story and we all click. It's wonderful to work with people that almost make you forget you're working. 

NYC is the place where all food on the street is basically delicious and also cheap. I bought a boiled egg + black coffee for $1.75. Just the black coffee alone at my hotel was $4.50 (!!!). I also bought sliced mangoes from a street vendor and then ate that delicious sweet fruit for dessert in my hotel room. It hit the spot.

Some other highlights of the trip included People magazine Facebook Live (bath fizzies live). It was really interesting to see how they broadcast live and what they use. Their reach is huge so I was surprised to see that they use iPhones for most of their live filming and work with a core small team. 

Another highlight was BuzzFeed. They're a huge media company that is very "new" media so their offices were giant, super cool (they had an entire wall of just balloons) and looked like they were basically designed for Instagram photos most everywhere you could dream of posing in front of. They took copious amounts of photos and video of a layered ombre soap and bath fizzy making and, nail polish. And then they sent all of the footage to their editors in other parts of the country / world to edit and upload to their Instagram story. Watching the process was inspiring. 

On the way out of People magazine, I met Dave Asprey - the Bulletproof Executive - and he was delightful in person. 

The People magazine offices are right beside this amazing harbor with beautiful views of the city.

To cap off an amazing trip, I met Anthony Boudain on the plane coming back to Seattle from NYC. He was kind and allowed me to take a selfie for which I was grateful. I'm such a fan of how he uses food to help explore other cultures and break down barriers. 

Jamisen + Lily = Entrepreneurial Spirit

Congratulations to Jamisen and Lily for their first national press - and an illustrious placement for their first press. Forbes Magazine did an article on their entrepreneurial journey (!). Here is a small excerpt from the article. 

Jamisen made his first video appearance with her at the age of three, crafting his own bath fizzies. Today, aged six, he spends his Saturday mornings selling them at a local farmers’ market.

“The farmer’s market stand was never anything we pushed on Jamisen,” says Faiola. “It wasn’t our idea. He asked us to do it. We all go down together and spend the Saturday morning there.”

The experience has delivered some valuable lessons; learning to plan ahead and ensure there is enough product to sell, to budget his time, and the art of delegation; Jamisen pays his younger sister $1 to watch his booth when he needs to take a break. Importantly, he has learned the value of money and how to manage it.

“Jamisen has to pay for all of his materials so after the market is over, he pays for his booth fee and deducts his cost of goods sold out of his earnings,” says Faiola. “One thing that he initially found difficult was the concept that he needed to stay until he was sold out of product. Getting a six-year-old to sit behind a stand and sell products for four hours requires motivation on their part. If they’re not motivated, there’s no way you can cajole them to do the work so it really needs to be their idea.”

I finally went to Banff

When I was 16, my folks went to Banff Canada. I stayed home because I had a job and couldn't get the time off. When my folks got back, they waxed rhapsodic about the views and were so excited that I was disappointed I missed it. Well, 24 years later, I made up for it. I'm in this amazing group called the Women President's Organization. They exist to put women together that run businesses over $1Million in revenue. One of their groups is for women who run businesses that are larger in size. I'm in this breakout group of 14 women with businesses ranging from liquor to large-scale software installations to contractors specializing in disaster recovery. 

It is inspiring to be around women who do amazing things both for their communities and also balance families and vibrant lives. Pictured above with me are Paloma (talent management) and Sue (wealth management). The group is all women who founded businesses themselves and, one of the requirements is that you cannot be fired. So, you control your destiny, you call the shots and all the pressure for the success of the business ultimately rests with you. 

While business is rewarding and can be, at times, exhilarating, being in business can be confusing, scary and lonely at times. This group meets 3X a year for 3 days to talk about the issues surrounding business and do education. Members come from all over the world and so our meetings take place everywhere. This latest trip was in a Banff, British Columbia. It was a gorgeous place though - to me - looked a lot like Lake Samish. 

See - like Lake Samish =) The kids stay busy while I'm gone - Chris had them out at the lake the entire time I was gone to Banff, even spending the night on the dock.  

Because of the way flights worked, we had an extra half day in Banff so we decided to explore. 

We hiked to this amazing lake - Lake Louise - and went all the way to the top where there was (improbably) this tea hut. They boil water from the stream (for real!) to make the tea and the workers sleep at the top of the mountain in 1 week shifts. We had SO much fun hiking, laughing and talking business.

The actual education portion of the weekend was all about setting up sales teams, and properly compensating and incentivizing. Since Bramble Berry doesn't have formal sales teams, it was an interesting exercise to listen to and think about how we could implement something that worked for our customers and the type of business we have. 

The gal on the left? That's Jackie and she runs an amazing clothing design company (you've worn her clothes; you just don't know it). She flies in from the East Coast to all the meetings. 

Just like raising a family, it takes a village to have a successful business and I am so thankful for this group - and for an amazingly committed home support team (Hi Chris!) that keeps it all going while I'm away.