Thursday, December 10, 2009

Christmas Tree Hunting, Writing Update and Introducing a Little Flavor

I can't believe it's been more than a month since my last post!
Whew.

Thanks to those who commented about having "Writer's Knot," it helps to know that I'm not alone in how difficult this process of writing can sometimes be.

Let me first start by saying that I had a blast Christmas tree hunting with family this past weekend.  Matt and I went up to Winter Park with my brother Bryan, his wife Lindsay, their son Tanner, Lindsay's sister and her family.

The two of us in Winter Park.




We sang Christmas carols on the way up, to which my 18 month old nephew Tanner would clap, smile and say "Yay!" at the end of each song.  SUPER cute.

Tanner in the car



We experienced gorgeous, clear, cold weather.  The snow was dry and powdery and we had such a wonderful time hiking through the forest in search of the perfect Christmas tree.  Last time, we discovered the trick is to try and find a tree that is standing alone- that way, all of the branches have had a chance to develop without hinderance from other trees that are too close.  The challenge is:  almost all the trees seem to like to grow in the buddy system.

Here's Matt with our Christmas tree "kill"



We ended up finding a spruce or fir of some kind and decorated it as soon as it was thawed out enough.  I did have to fill in some of the holes on our tree with ribbon and large ornaments.  Some of our ornaments were too heavy for this little tree, so they'll stay protected in their boxes another year.



Christmastime in our house is fun for all.  I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned my two cats' affinity for water, but they are now obsessed with drinking the tree water rather than the water out of their bowl.
And our dog, Axle can't seem to stand the excitement of what is in those boxes!  He has since "unwrapped" two of Matt's presents already and is now, not trusted to be alone with the tree or the gifts.
Ah, the joys of pets.


Writing is coming along, slowly but surely.
I am completing about a chapter every two weeks with a writing buddy who is much more disciplined than I am.  It's good.  I love my story, but I need a little motivation from time to time - someone to say, "Hey!  Where's my chapter?"
The holidays are always a busy time, but I believe writing is like working out.
To make it affective, you need to write on a regular basis- plus, it's easier to stay in the groove if you're writing every day and exercising that creative muscle.
I'm working on Chapter 11 right now and the story is really starting to shape up with some exciting additions from the first version.


Another bit of news:

I have started my own business.  Flavor Brand Strategies.  We're not at full capacity yet, (this link will only send you to our temporary splash page), but we do have some clients and I'm working on developing our brand identity with the help of a talented creative shop, Similar Blue Productions in Boulder.

A little about the company:  From the market research, to the logo, to the unique positioning and brand voice, to space articulation and developing a website, to helping employees really understand what the brand is all about and training each of them to become Brand Ambassadors, Flavor is dedicated to helping our clients create crave-able customer experiences.  Brand Ambassadors are key.  Employees are the secret ingredient to building and maintaining a successful brand experience because they are the ones who interact on a daily basis with customers.  

So, if you or someone you know needs help refurbishing a current brand or perhaps there's a new company that needs some help articulating their unique brand experience, feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and are able to slow down and take some time to truly enjoy this time of celebration.

8 comments:

Neil Robertson said...

Love the "kill" pic!

Also digging the plash page and excited to see the finished product! I also love the mission statement you have already. I look forward to meeting with you and talking about it. Hopefully I can help out! Exciting stuff!

V. S said...

I have never gone hunting for a Christmas tree living in Miami and all. It looks like a ton of fun!s

Lauren said...

Thanks Neil for the encouragement.
I love the kill pic too. That's Matt: subtly hilarious.

Lauren said...

I can imagine tree hunting in Miami might be difficult...unless it's a different kind of tree.
It is a blast. I hope you get a chance to experience it some day.
Maybe there could be a family vaca planned in the future to some snow-bearing state?

Voidwalker said...

Looks like the tree lost that round.

Lauren said...

Haha, yeah- but we made it so pretty! Surely the tree prefers to die young in a blaze of glory rather than living a long life in a boring forest.

I'm not sure why, but I just had a flashback to M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening"...

Voidwalker said...

The Happenings huh? Creepy movie!

Jewels said...

Very exciting about your new business. Hope it's going well!