Oh my gosh, as I write this I am positively GLOWING because today was such an amazing day at the Green House! All of the designers gathered at the house to greet Jura Koncius (editor extraordinaire) from the Washington Post as she made her way through interviewing us all about our rooms. It was so much fun! After all of the crazy stress we ALL went through to get this house together, we finally were able to let out a cumulative sigh of relief now that the house is officially finished and open to the press!
I was also excited because not only was I going to be interviewed by Jura, my pal Damon Hack, NFL and Golf Editor for Sports Illustrated came down from NYC for the day to check out my golf room that he's been hearing so much about. So, after going in and trying to primp my room up a bit (yikes, couldn't find a vacuum anywhere in the house so I had to use a lint roller on my hands and knees but that's another story) I dashed down to Union Station in DC to pick up Damon and whisked him back to the house. (Yes, I will admit that he was a teensy bit nervous about my driving skills, but I got him back to McLean with nary a scratch!).
Long story short, I think this is DEFINITELY the first time that Sports Illustrated has covered a DECORATOR SHOWHOUSE (um, yeah, pretty sure about that one) and walking Damon into the house and introducing him as an editor from SI was nothing short of PRICELESS! I felt like a rock star introducing my famous friend who covers little events like the SUPER BOWL and the OLYMPICS, and needless to say it was fun to see the looks on everyone's faces when I did the whole meet and greet thing with my designer pals! Mark Turner, our builder and huge sports fan, gave us a private tour of the house and Damon's only regret was that he didn't bring his wife along for the tour because he said she would absolutely FALL IN LOVE with the house! High praise, indeed!
Naturally we all ended up in the Golf Room, and Damon showed us what he was made of when I pulled up Pebble Beach on the High Definition Simulator and he teed it off of the 7th hole which is one of the most BEAUTIFUL views anywhere in the world, let alone from a golf course! By this time Jura made it down to the room and don't cha know it? The Doyenne of Style and Taste herself LOVED my room! In fact, not only did she spend a half an hour hanging out with all of us, she even interviewed me ON VIDEO for a piece that will air on www.washingtonpost.com next week as well! There I was, trying to be effervescent on camera when I threw into the film clip that my pal Damon Hack from Sports Illustrated was on hand, and that I was SURE he would be happy to demonstrate the simulator for the video.
THIS SIMPLY WAS AMAZING!!!! There I was being interviewed by both Sports Illustrated AND The Washington Post, and somehow I managed to COMBINE the interviews together giving both of these powerhouses an exclusive on each other! Brilliant! Damon was awesome on camera, giving me props for the room and my awesome simulator! This my friends in the wonderful world of marketing is the equivalent of being on the front of a Wheaties Box. Nuff said.
So folks, I ask you: Who's a Triple Threat Now? I vote for ME! I've got the product, the peeps and now the press to prove it!
And just so you know, the last words Jura tossed over her shoulder as she left for the day were "Make Sure Gordon Beall Shoots That Golf Room!". Sooooooo, I'm thinking that wherever you are in the world as you're reading this you can pick up a copy of the Washington Post/Home Section next Thursday, October 8th and check out my Virtual Golf Room in all it's glory. Woo Hoo!
Yep, this has been one HECK of a GREAT DAY! I am one happy Golf Girl!
Until next time, stay tuned HERE Behind the Green Scenes!
xoxo,
Lynni
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
About Those Golf Lessons...
Hey peeps!
Ahhhhhhhh....that's me breathing a SIGH of RELIEF. After the two craziest weeks of my life I can happily say that my Virtual Golf Room is ROCKING the CharityWorks Green House. Even though all of the furniture I ordered doesn't quite fit (I can do without the awesome bistro table and two stools to make room for the fabulous club holder in it's place) and instead of two Nautical Club Chairs with custom Kelly Wearstler linen fabric cushions I'm using just one (hey! I've got a spare to sell if anyone wants the pair) my room is absolutely FABULOUS!
The humor of the day (and there is ALWAYS humor, mind you) was when I figured that I finally needed to take a couple of swings and figure out how to use the darn system myself.
Swing: Hit the Ceiling.
Swing: Hit the Wall.
Swing: Ceiling again (but missed the recessed lights thank goodness!)
Swing: BALL OUT OF PLAY AREA! Yes, the simulator even tells me that I am a loser on the links.
Advice: Bend your knees!
Advice: Don't bend your knees so much!
Advice: Keep your left elbow straight!
Advice: Bend your left elbow when you swing!
ME: Arrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhh!
One way or another I will get through this dilemma, and the best way I've always faced adversity is by looking like a million bucks (even when my confidence is shaken) so I'm off to find some super CUTE golf outfits tonight so I can show up tomorrow at the GM VOLT launch and look the part! They say that clothes make the woman, and I promise you that tomorrow I will be STYLIN', even if I can't swing the club worth a darn!
Are you getting excited about the Green House? I sure am...get your tickets at the CharityWorks Green House site on the right, and by all means keep following this blog for even MORE excitement Behind the Green Scenes!
xoxo,
Lynni
(The Non-Golfing Virtual Golf Girl!)
Ahhhhhhhh....that's me breathing a SIGH of RELIEF. After the two craziest weeks of my life I can happily say that my Virtual Golf Room is ROCKING the CharityWorks Green House. Even though all of the furniture I ordered doesn't quite fit (I can do without the awesome bistro table and two stools to make room for the fabulous club holder in it's place) and instead of two Nautical Club Chairs with custom Kelly Wearstler linen fabric cushions I'm using just one (hey! I've got a spare to sell if anyone wants the pair) my room is absolutely FABULOUS!
The humor of the day (and there is ALWAYS humor, mind you) was when I figured that I finally needed to take a couple of swings and figure out how to use the darn system myself.
Swing: Hit the Ceiling.
Swing: Hit the Wall.
Swing: Ceiling again (but missed the recessed lights thank goodness!)
Swing: BALL OUT OF PLAY AREA! Yes, the simulator even tells me that I am a loser on the links.
Advice: Bend your knees!
Advice: Don't bend your knees so much!
Advice: Keep your left elbow straight!
Advice: Bend your left elbow when you swing!
ME: Arrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhh!
One way or another I will get through this dilemma, and the best way I've always faced adversity is by looking like a million bucks (even when my confidence is shaken) so I'm off to find some super CUTE golf outfits tonight so I can show up tomorrow at the GM VOLT launch and look the part! They say that clothes make the woman, and I promise you that tomorrow I will be STYLIN', even if I can't swing the club worth a darn!
Are you getting excited about the Green House? I sure am...get your tickets at the CharityWorks Green House site on the right, and by all means keep following this blog for even MORE excitement Behind the Green Scenes!
xoxo,
Lynni
(The Non-Golfing Virtual Golf Girl!)
Thursday, September 17, 2009
We're Up and Running!
Ladies and Gentlemen, can ya give me a drumroll puhleeze....The HD Virtual Golf Simulator is up and running, and more awesome-a-rama than you can even IMAGINE!!!
After three days of hard work with David and Jordan (who incidentally are my NEW BEST FRIENDS and who I will be requesting for every single installation moving forward) we are pleased to announce that the kinks are worked out, the screen looks AMAZING and the entire room is gonna be THE place to hang out in the Green House!
Last night until the wee hours once again we (the HD Boys and I) capped off the evening with a little tutorial for yours truly who will be donning her golf duds once the showhouse opens to the public and showing everyone how the simulator actually works. It is SOOOOOO totally cool! A touch pad controls the entire machine...I can set it to "Play Golf" and Woot! Up pops up little pictures of all of the courses available to play. Golly, as a non-golfing gal even I was excited to bounce around the courses at Kiawah, Torrey Pines, Doral, Banff, and Pinehurst #2 because I can assure you I will never play any of these courses for real in this lifetime! Then David and Jordan showed me that there is actually even a "Games" setting on the machine, where you can do everything from hit a golf ball through the field goal thingie in Giants Stadium, try to aim at a Tractor vaccuming up balls on a driving range, or even break windows out of an old stone barn. In other words, there is something for EVERYONE on this new "gotta have it" toy. In fact, I think I am going to tell Santa to put one on MY list!
This afternoon I headed down to the Green House to see if the simulator was really really installed or if all of the trials and tribulations of this past week were part of some dream I couldn't wake up from, and lo and behold there it was in all it's glory! So naturally, I decided to fire it up and before you knew it Mark Turner AND Mark Lowham and I (along with a few other golf lovers) were in the room playing with the system and watching Mark Turner try with all his might to break some windows out of the old barn! He even did a couple of holes on one of the courses and landed in a sandtrap (which looked totally awesome because you could even see the RAKE MARKS) and I even got to see a water hazard when his ball landed in a lake at Banff. Complete with sound effects to boot! Ploosh!
All I can say that our darling CharityWorks Green House will certainly be the talk of the town once it opens to the public on Oct. 10th. Do you have your tickets yet? Do you want to volunteer at the house? Wanna come play golf with me in your own private Foursome? Gosh, I'm so excited I could BURST! The countdown is ON...much more to come next week as we put the finishing touches in ALL of the rooms and we gear up for the big GM VOLT launch on Tuesday!
See you at the Green House!
xoxo,
Lynni
After three days of hard work with David and Jordan (who incidentally are my NEW BEST FRIENDS and who I will be requesting for every single installation moving forward) we are pleased to announce that the kinks are worked out, the screen looks AMAZING and the entire room is gonna be THE place to hang out in the Green House!
Last night until the wee hours once again we (the HD Boys and I) capped off the evening with a little tutorial for yours truly who will be donning her golf duds once the showhouse opens to the public and showing everyone how the simulator actually works. It is SOOOOOO totally cool! A touch pad controls the entire machine...I can set it to "Play Golf" and Woot! Up pops up little pictures of all of the courses available to play. Golly, as a non-golfing gal even I was excited to bounce around the courses at Kiawah, Torrey Pines, Doral, Banff, and Pinehurst #2 because I can assure you I will never play any of these courses for real in this lifetime! Then David and Jordan showed me that there is actually even a "Games" setting on the machine, where you can do everything from hit a golf ball through the field goal thingie in Giants Stadium, try to aim at a Tractor vaccuming up balls on a driving range, or even break windows out of an old stone barn. In other words, there is something for EVERYONE on this new "gotta have it" toy. In fact, I think I am going to tell Santa to put one on MY list!
This afternoon I headed down to the Green House to see if the simulator was really really installed or if all of the trials and tribulations of this past week were part of some dream I couldn't wake up from, and lo and behold there it was in all it's glory! So naturally, I decided to fire it up and before you knew it Mark Turner AND Mark Lowham and I (along with a few other golf lovers) were in the room playing with the system and watching Mark Turner try with all his might to break some windows out of the old barn! He even did a couple of holes on one of the courses and landed in a sandtrap (which looked totally awesome because you could even see the RAKE MARKS) and I even got to see a water hazard when his ball landed in a lake at Banff. Complete with sound effects to boot! Ploosh!
All I can say that our darling CharityWorks Green House will certainly be the talk of the town once it opens to the public on Oct. 10th. Do you have your tickets yet? Do you want to volunteer at the house? Wanna come play golf with me in your own private Foursome? Gosh, I'm so excited I could BURST! The countdown is ON...much more to come next week as we put the finishing touches in ALL of the rooms and we gear up for the big GM VOLT launch on Tuesday!
See you at the Green House!
xoxo,
Lynni
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
When All Else Fails, Grab a Saws All!
Hmmmm, it's 11:57 pm and I left the house at 8 am. That can only mean ONE THING...the Green House is Gearing Up and this Design Gal on the Go is working her tail off to pull together the Virtual Golf Room! Woot!
I started off this morning by meeting my new buddies David and Jordan who work as installers for High Definition Golf at their hotel in Vienna. These two drove (yes, I said drove) down from Toronto, Canada to make all this talk of my golf simulator a reality, and once we hit the Green House we were off and running. We unpacked the crates that were roughly the size and shape of one of those little Smart Cars and started assembling the massive 500 pound metal framework that the simulator is built around. About halfway through, David looks up at me and says casually, "It's not going to fit".
Um, WHAT DID YOU SAY?
Nope, it all came back to that PESKY SEWAGE PIPE that I wrote about on June 1, and the fact that somehow, even with my detailed drawings, DVD video of me MEASURING the room on camera so there would be no question about the pipe up at HD Golf headquarters, and a million phone calls back and forth from my office to Canada, the simulator frame was 4" too wide. ARRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!!
So Mr. Negative (I mean David. He was really getting on my nerves by this time) tells me that they might as well pack it back up because there was no sense in installing it. Because by bringing it IN FRONT OF the bulkhead, it pushed it too far into the room so the projector which had to be a certain distance away from the screen wouldn't be able to project properly. And don't ask...we couldn't move the projector because there was ANOTHER bulkhead behind it on the opposite end of the room.
So I very calmly told him (if screaming at the top of your lungs is calm) that it WAS GOING TO FIT!!!! And I did what any self-respecting gal would do: I sent those boys off to lunch and I announced to the house that we needed a Saws All asap.
For those of you who are not familiar with power tools, a Saws All is a handy little bugger that has a blade similar to the bite of a Great White Shark that will basically saw through ANYTHING. You could probably chop up a CAR with one of these things. Or a shark. But I digress. Before you knew it there were CHUNKS of my beautiful Bordeaux colored drywall FLYING all over the room, along with shrapnel from the two by fours that framed out this pesky bulkhead. Yep, we created a huge jagged hole that exposed that sewage pipe, and proceeded to move it over. With a HAMMER.
Yes, no rain, snow, sleet, hail or the threat of 30 pounds of sewage pouring down on my head was going to stop us from getting that pipe out of the way. In retrospect, a hammer was probably NOT the brightest thing to use, but desperate times call for even more desperate measures. And what do you know? It MOVED. And with super-human adrenaline fueled strength we were able to push that metal frame nice and tight along the back wall. Where it should have been all along.
The rest of the day was awesome, but nowhere near as PRECIOUS as the look on those boys' faces when they returned. Nothing like a little Humble Pie to make the world right again, huh? "Not going to fit...." Yeah, RIGHT!
There's a lesson learned here guys: never underestimate the power of a woman with an arsenal of power tools!
*************************************************************************************
The Green House excitement is going crazy...we even had a surprise visit today from Jody Wagner who is running for Lt. Governor in the great state of VA. She and the ever adorable Mark Lowham of West Group were touring the house before their lunch appointment, and it was fun to meet her. She was lovely and really liked the work we were doing in the Green House which makes her okay in my book (even if she was a teensy bit disappointed that I wasn't able to vote for her because I live in MD). Here's a shot of the gang and Jody in front of my Bordeaux walls...
From left, David (not Mr. Negative anymore) me (terrible picture, thanks Mark Turner), Jody, and Jordan.
Tomorrow, another crazy day I'm sure. We're installing the carpets (yes plural...more on that tomorrow) and getting the simulator locked and LOADED baby! Yay! I'm so excited!
Be sure to click the FOLLOW button on the right to get automatic updates when I post, because things are getting ready to get even BETTER Behind the Green Scenes I promise!
xoxoxo,
Lynni (Power Tool Queen)
I started off this morning by meeting my new buddies David and Jordan who work as installers for High Definition Golf at their hotel in Vienna. These two drove (yes, I said drove) down from Toronto, Canada to make all this talk of my golf simulator a reality, and once we hit the Green House we were off and running. We unpacked the crates that were roughly the size and shape of one of those little Smart Cars and started assembling the massive 500 pound metal framework that the simulator is built around. About halfway through, David looks up at me and says casually, "It's not going to fit".
Um, WHAT DID YOU SAY?
Nope, it all came back to that PESKY SEWAGE PIPE that I wrote about on June 1, and the fact that somehow, even with my detailed drawings, DVD video of me MEASURING the room on camera so there would be no question about the pipe up at HD Golf headquarters, and a million phone calls back and forth from my office to Canada, the simulator frame was 4" too wide. ARRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!!
So Mr. Negative (I mean David. He was really getting on my nerves by this time) tells me that they might as well pack it back up because there was no sense in installing it. Because by bringing it IN FRONT OF the bulkhead, it pushed it too far into the room so the projector which had to be a certain distance away from the screen wouldn't be able to project properly. And don't ask...we couldn't move the projector because there was ANOTHER bulkhead behind it on the opposite end of the room.
So I very calmly told him (if screaming at the top of your lungs is calm) that it WAS GOING TO FIT!!!! And I did what any self-respecting gal would do: I sent those boys off to lunch and I announced to the house that we needed a Saws All asap.
For those of you who are not familiar with power tools, a Saws All is a handy little bugger that has a blade similar to the bite of a Great White Shark that will basically saw through ANYTHING. You could probably chop up a CAR with one of these things. Or a shark. But I digress. Before you knew it there were CHUNKS of my beautiful Bordeaux colored drywall FLYING all over the room, along with shrapnel from the two by fours that framed out this pesky bulkhead. Yep, we created a huge jagged hole that exposed that sewage pipe, and proceeded to move it over. With a HAMMER.
Yes, no rain, snow, sleet, hail or the threat of 30 pounds of sewage pouring down on my head was going to stop us from getting that pipe out of the way. In retrospect, a hammer was probably NOT the brightest thing to use, but desperate times call for even more desperate measures. And what do you know? It MOVED. And with super-human adrenaline fueled strength we were able to push that metal frame nice and tight along the back wall. Where it should have been all along.
The rest of the day was awesome, but nowhere near as PRECIOUS as the look on those boys' faces when they returned. Nothing like a little Humble Pie to make the world right again, huh? "Not going to fit...." Yeah, RIGHT!
There's a lesson learned here guys: never underestimate the power of a woman with an arsenal of power tools!
*************************************************************************************
The Green House excitement is going crazy...we even had a surprise visit today from Jody Wagner who is running for Lt. Governor in the great state of VA. She and the ever adorable Mark Lowham of West Group were touring the house before their lunch appointment, and it was fun to meet her. She was lovely and really liked the work we were doing in the Green House which makes her okay in my book (even if she was a teensy bit disappointed that I wasn't able to vote for her because I live in MD). Here's a shot of the gang and Jody in front of my Bordeaux walls...
From left, David (not Mr. Negative anymore) me (terrible picture, thanks Mark Turner), Jody, and Jordan.
Tomorrow, another crazy day I'm sure. We're installing the carpets (yes plural...more on that tomorrow) and getting the simulator locked and LOADED baby! Yay! I'm so excited!
Be sure to click the FOLLOW button on the right to get automatic updates when I post, because things are getting ready to get even BETTER Behind the Green Scenes I promise!
xoxoxo,
Lynni (Power Tool Queen)
Monday, September 14, 2009
I Believe in Angels...
Good morning!
Those of you who are faithfully following this trusty little blog know that I have been at the end of my proverbial rope lately trying to get my ducks in a row and pull together my room at the Green House. The good news is that because you're reading this I'm not locked away in a psych ward somewhere (I don't think they give you computer access there even if you do have nice manners!).
Anyway, last week good old Murphy and his stupid law once again proved to be correct: Whatever CAN go wrong will. Remember those yummy wood veneer trees that I've been raving about that I was supposed to be cutting out today and applying to my lovely deep bourdeaux walls? Well, believe it or not I still do not have the wood veneer. I have been waiting at the office now since 7:30 am because the Fed Ex truck should be rolling up any minute with this 78 pound box that I have been tracking online like a hawk. The funny thing is that the owner of this company is one of my husband's closest friends, so you wouldn't THINK someone I have a personal relationship with would throw me under the bus like this, but yes, I am officially road kill now. Here it is the 18th hour and I am still missing this crucial component in the room. Nice, huh?
All of this pressure and stress came to a boiling point yesterday when I was at a gathering for The Georgetown Jingle, another wonderful project I am involved in that benefits children with cancer at Georgetown Pediatric Cancer Center. There I was, surrounded by other people that I respect (but don't know very well) in the DC Design World, and one person innocently asked me how things were going with Green House. And yes, you guessed it, the floodgates opened.
I had a full scale panic attack right there in front of a room full of total strangers, explaining about the trees, the pressure, just everything came tumbling out between my tears. I was immediately embraced by all of these relative strangers...who turned out to be angels.
First off, Camille Saum told me that there was NO WAY that I should be taking on a project like this myself. I explained to her that I had no other alternative and just like that she and Ashley Meyer Klick got on the phone with David Herchek (Hillary Clinton's designer) and asked him to recommend someone who had a woodworking shop that could help me out. Within minutes I was on the phone with Graham Entwhistle, the owner of Out of the Blue Woodworking in Baltimore based on this one phone call. Not only was Graham willing to rearrange his entire schedule today to help me, he even went out to his local arts and crafts retailer and found BIG SHEETS OF DOUBLE STICKY TAPE that he said we could apply to the back of the wood veneer and put them on the walls AFTER the carpet was installed so there would be no mess in the room trying to glue the trees to the wall (which was my biggest concern). Think about it...on a Sunday afternoon Graham gets a call from a total stranger begging for help, and he takes the better part of his day to actually help me out before he's even met me. Would you have done that for a stranger?
Add in to the mix the fact that my golf simulator is being delivered to the Green House today at 10 am, but there was no way I could be HERE at my office waiting for the Fed Ex delivery AND in Virginia at the Green House at the same time. Well, Gloria De Lourdes Blalock said that she would be willing to go to the Green House to accept my delivery for me, and then Brad Weidner offered to drive from Mt. Airy to L&M Designs and wait in my store all day if necessary for the Fed Ex package if I needed to take care of other things. Wow.
Then to cap off my day, my lovely friend and client Sara Friedman who is doing some gorgeous photography that will be on display in the room saw my post on Facebook about my panic attacks and showed up on my doorstep last night at 11pm just to make sure I was okay and talk me down from the ledge so to speak. We talked into the wee hours and she came to my rescue figuratively and literally. Another angel.
Can you imagine how overwhelmed I am to be on the receiving end of all of this kindness? Gloria summed it up nicely when she told me that there was no shame in asking for help when you really need it, and she's right. Too often I internalize things because I've always had only myself to rely on to get things done but there is so much power in having the courage to ASK when you need a helping hand, or a shoulder to cry on, or just need a friend. We all get overwhelmed from time to time, and we all have our own burdens, whether they're Showhouse related or not. We just need to realize that we all have people that care about us in our lives, and that we're never ever really alone.
Please go out and spread some kindness today...and know that your guardian angels always have your back. I'm counting down the days until October 10th when the Green House opens to the public, because there is no doubt that my room is going to ROCK YOUR WORLD thanks to a little help from my friends.
xoxo,
Lynni
Those of you who are faithfully following this trusty little blog know that I have been at the end of my proverbial rope lately trying to get my ducks in a row and pull together my room at the Green House. The good news is that because you're reading this I'm not locked away in a psych ward somewhere (I don't think they give you computer access there even if you do have nice manners!).
Anyway, last week good old Murphy and his stupid law once again proved to be correct: Whatever CAN go wrong will. Remember those yummy wood veneer trees that I've been raving about that I was supposed to be cutting out today and applying to my lovely deep bourdeaux walls? Well, believe it or not I still do not have the wood veneer. I have been waiting at the office now since 7:30 am because the Fed Ex truck should be rolling up any minute with this 78 pound box that I have been tracking online like a hawk. The funny thing is that the owner of this company is one of my husband's closest friends, so you wouldn't THINK someone I have a personal relationship with would throw me under the bus like this, but yes, I am officially road kill now. Here it is the 18th hour and I am still missing this crucial component in the room. Nice, huh?
All of this pressure and stress came to a boiling point yesterday when I was at a gathering for The Georgetown Jingle, another wonderful project I am involved in that benefits children with cancer at Georgetown Pediatric Cancer Center. There I was, surrounded by other people that I respect (but don't know very well) in the DC Design World, and one person innocently asked me how things were going with Green House. And yes, you guessed it, the floodgates opened.
I had a full scale panic attack right there in front of a room full of total strangers, explaining about the trees, the pressure, just everything came tumbling out between my tears. I was immediately embraced by all of these relative strangers...who turned out to be angels.
First off, Camille Saum told me that there was NO WAY that I should be taking on a project like this myself. I explained to her that I had no other alternative and just like that she and Ashley Meyer Klick got on the phone with David Herchek (Hillary Clinton's designer) and asked him to recommend someone who had a woodworking shop that could help me out. Within minutes I was on the phone with Graham Entwhistle, the owner of Out of the Blue Woodworking in Baltimore based on this one phone call. Not only was Graham willing to rearrange his entire schedule today to help me, he even went out to his local arts and crafts retailer and found BIG SHEETS OF DOUBLE STICKY TAPE that he said we could apply to the back of the wood veneer and put them on the walls AFTER the carpet was installed so there would be no mess in the room trying to glue the trees to the wall (which was my biggest concern). Think about it...on a Sunday afternoon Graham gets a call from a total stranger begging for help, and he takes the better part of his day to actually help me out before he's even met me. Would you have done that for a stranger?
Add in to the mix the fact that my golf simulator is being delivered to the Green House today at 10 am, but there was no way I could be HERE at my office waiting for the Fed Ex delivery AND in Virginia at the Green House at the same time. Well, Gloria De Lourdes Blalock said that she would be willing to go to the Green House to accept my delivery for me, and then Brad Weidner offered to drive from Mt. Airy to L&M Designs and wait in my store all day if necessary for the Fed Ex package if I needed to take care of other things. Wow.
Then to cap off my day, my lovely friend and client Sara Friedman who is doing some gorgeous photography that will be on display in the room saw my post on Facebook about my panic attacks and showed up on my doorstep last night at 11pm just to make sure I was okay and talk me down from the ledge so to speak. We talked into the wee hours and she came to my rescue figuratively and literally. Another angel.
Can you imagine how overwhelmed I am to be on the receiving end of all of this kindness? Gloria summed it up nicely when she told me that there was no shame in asking for help when you really need it, and she's right. Too often I internalize things because I've always had only myself to rely on to get things done but there is so much power in having the courage to ASK when you need a helping hand, or a shoulder to cry on, or just need a friend. We all get overwhelmed from time to time, and we all have our own burdens, whether they're Showhouse related or not. We just need to realize that we all have people that care about us in our lives, and that we're never ever really alone.
Please go out and spread some kindness today...and know that your guardian angels always have your back. I'm counting down the days until October 10th when the Green House opens to the public, because there is no doubt that my room is going to ROCK YOUR WORLD thanks to a little help from my friends.
xoxo,
Lynni
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Get the Nets! It's Crazy Time!
Okay folks, I have officially gone over the proverbial GreenHouse edge. Any of you who think that doing a decorator showhouse is a breeze, wake up and smell the cappuccino! Yikes!
First of all, somehow last week instead of the simulator being delivered to Ambassador Worldwide in Ashburn, VA, it ended up ceremoniously dumped on the front porch of the Green House, although the address of our receiver was marked CLEARLY on all SIX huge boxes. I got the call from the powers that be that told me that this problem needed to be cleared up STAT, so there I am on the phone with my pals in Canada at High Definition Golf who were as mystified as I was as to how in the world it ended up at the house itself! So, we had to somehow track down the driver of the truck who had already started to head back up 95, have him turn around, reload all of the crates and then take it to it's proper temporary home. Talk about stressful! I'm just thankful that it wasn't raining that day!
Then, due to a family emergency, I had to blast out and head to NC last week, the same week that I was due to install the wooden trees and the simulator. Immediately rearrange schedule and push everything forward to this coming week, only to realize that we still did not have the wood veneer from Cramer Wood Products, so I spent another five hours trying to track down all of these lovely pieces of exotic wood that I need to applique to my beautiful bordeaux walls. Soooooo, in huge catch up mode I think to myself "why don't we just install the trees over the WEEKEND so we'll be ready for the simulator when my pals at HD Golf fly in from Canada on Monday". But noooooooooo, I totally forgot that this weekend they are curing ALL of the hardwoods in the house and there is absolutely no one permitted in the house. Until Monday. So, once again in panic mode I call HD Golf and ask them to change their flights to Tuesday so I can get the trees installed on Monday. WHEW! I think I need to bake those guys a CAKE or something, huh?
The good news here (and there is good news!) is that my room will be completely finished in time for the (drumroll please) General Motors National Launch of their new car, the VOLT which is taking place at the GreenHouse on Sept. 22nd! Woo Hoo! How cool is that? GM is going to debut the car to the public at our own lovely Green House, and I'll be able to beep my own horn in the Virtual Golf Room and show those GM Executives what High Definition Virtual Golf is all about.
Which reminds me...I never did sign up for those golf lessons. Sigh. Oh well, I'll just add it to my list and know that one way or another everything will get done hopefully with the rest of what is left of my sanity intact!
Tickets are on sale NOW at the CharityWorks Green House link on the right, and be sure to check out the special events and happenings and book your OWN Foursome in my Virtual Golf Room!
Crazily yours,
Lynni
First of all, somehow last week instead of the simulator being delivered to Ambassador Worldwide in Ashburn, VA, it ended up ceremoniously dumped on the front porch of the Green House, although the address of our receiver was marked CLEARLY on all SIX huge boxes. I got the call from the powers that be that told me that this problem needed to be cleared up STAT, so there I am on the phone with my pals in Canada at High Definition Golf who were as mystified as I was as to how in the world it ended up at the house itself! So, we had to somehow track down the driver of the truck who had already started to head back up 95, have him turn around, reload all of the crates and then take it to it's proper temporary home. Talk about stressful! I'm just thankful that it wasn't raining that day!
Then, due to a family emergency, I had to blast out and head to NC last week, the same week that I was due to install the wooden trees and the simulator. Immediately rearrange schedule and push everything forward to this coming week, only to realize that we still did not have the wood veneer from Cramer Wood Products, so I spent another five hours trying to track down all of these lovely pieces of exotic wood that I need to applique to my beautiful bordeaux walls. Soooooo, in huge catch up mode I think to myself "why don't we just install the trees over the WEEKEND so we'll be ready for the simulator when my pals at HD Golf fly in from Canada on Monday". But noooooooooo, I totally forgot that this weekend they are curing ALL of the hardwoods in the house and there is absolutely no one permitted in the house. Until Monday. So, once again in panic mode I call HD Golf and ask them to change their flights to Tuesday so I can get the trees installed on Monday. WHEW! I think I need to bake those guys a CAKE or something, huh?
The good news here (and there is good news!) is that my room will be completely finished in time for the (drumroll please) General Motors National Launch of their new car, the VOLT which is taking place at the GreenHouse on Sept. 22nd! Woo Hoo! How cool is that? GM is going to debut the car to the public at our own lovely Green House, and I'll be able to beep my own horn in the Virtual Golf Room and show those GM Executives what High Definition Virtual Golf is all about.
Which reminds me...I never did sign up for those golf lessons. Sigh. Oh well, I'll just add it to my list and know that one way or another everything will get done hopefully with the rest of what is left of my sanity intact!
Tickets are on sale NOW at the CharityWorks Green House link on the right, and be sure to check out the special events and happenings and book your OWN Foursome in my Virtual Golf Room!
Crazily yours,
Lynni
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