Today is my birthday and I turned 30 :( it seems like time is flying by and I never imagined turning 30! Eventt and Lillian made me breakfast in bed this morning. Then Lillian and I were off to "zoo camp" On Monday Eventt took her to zoo camp and today I got to take her. She has a blast there. They do an amazing job teaching the kids. It really is fun. Friday will be her last day. Addison stayed with Aunt Ashley for some play time. I'm sure next year Addie will get to enjoy camp. After camp I then selfishly took a nap with the girls and it felt wonderful. We woke up to Grandma and Grandpa B. and Tiffany here. We later at at the Mexican restaurant in Bluffton and went to Ashley and Alex's house to play the wii and eat ice cream and cake. It was a fun day!
This summer is flying by so fast and I vow to start blogging again! I think its important to keep these family memories.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
San Antonio Texas
We had a blast in Texas. It was such an honor for Eventt to win the award. If you would like to see the bio on Eventt getting the award go to http://www.nrha.org/ and scroll to the bottom click on Eventts picture and choose "play video". Anyway national retail hardware association really did a great job at hosting this. The food was great the hotel was wonderful (they upgraded us to a nice suite) We also had tons of family time together and got to do tons of fun stuff Here are some examples:
Went to the San Antonio zoo. That zoo is rated one of the best in the nation and it really was a nice zoo. It had a toddler area for kids under 5 and that is were the girls played the most.
This is Lilly "fishing in the pond"
At the end of the zoo day we stopped by the kid area and they swam in the little beach like area. They had a blast with all the other kids digging, splashing, and getting really wet! I bet they played around in this area for over 45 minutes!
Friday we drove to Corpus Christy Beach and spent a few hours hanging out in the Ocean. The girls thought the salt water tasted funny. This beach had lots of jelly fish, so we stayed close to the shore.
Building sand castles. We also buried Eventt in the sand.
We also went to Sea World. The girls loved the water park. We spent probably 90% of the time in the water park. Lillian couldn't get enough of the big slides and Addison loved running around in the toddler pool. We also watched the Shamu show and Lillian begged Eventt to run down to the bottom with her so Shamu could splash her. She got her wish and loved it!!
Addie eating "dipping dots" ice cream. She of coarse at it all :)
Lillian on the airplane. The girls did so good for such a long flight. Thanks to grandma B for her DVD player and I pod.
Addie watching Dora on the I pod.
A ride at Sea World
Lillian met a friend at the hardware program. Her name was Julie and she was 5. They had fun playing together.
The girls and I walked to the San Antonio Children's museum when Eventt attended a few seminars. The girls had a blast. Their favorite was the entire basement was made into a kid size grocery store. They could fill their carts and scan and pay for the groceries. We spent at least 1 hour buying groceries :)
Addie doing her shopping
Pilot Addison and Lillian flying the airplane
Our hotel was a block from the Alamo. We took a River tour and Alamo tour. It was hot that day (over 100 deg) The girls enjoyed a snow cone.
Milking a cow at the museum
more museum pics:
A write up about Eventt's award:
2009 Young Retailer of the Year Honoree
EVENTT NORRIS
Growing Up Fast
Eventt Norris remembers when he was 16 and just learning to drive; it was the same time he started ordering for his parent’s hardware store in Berne, Ind. What he may not have realized then was just how quickly he would be in charge of the entire business.
Norris was barely out of high school when his father, Charlie, entrusted him with ownership of the store. Two years later, his father passed away. In the two years that followed, Norris did his best to keep the business going, but the market around the small store was quickly shrinking. A few years later, in 2005, his mother passed away.
Norris was now the sole employee of the store and face to face with a difficult decision. Despite the family legacy rooted in the store, he knew that the only way to keep the business alive was to move to a different market. He found his opportunity in nearby Ossian, Ind., where an 8,000-square-foot store, nearly twice the size of his old store, was for sale.
The benefit of the store was clear: a good location with more traffic and the opportunity to expand his inventory. But there was a lot of work to do. Merchandising in the store was stagnant, selection was thin and more and more customers were making their purchases at the nearby Lowe’s.
So with the help of his supplier, Do it Best, Norris took on the big task of changing the appearance of the entire store. He moved every department, raised the fixtures to seven feet and added new endcaps and counters. One reason so many shoppers were opting for Lowe’s, says Norris, was that the Ossian Hardware had limited its selection to mostly A items. Norris added 5,000 SKUs to the product mix, filling out departments with B and C items, especially in departments where he knew he could attract more sales. He expanded power tools, for example, from eight feet to 28 feet. The rental department held a lot of potential too, so he added more equipment as well as party rentals.
Sales immediately rose after the remodel and are now up more than 30 percent compared to when he first purchased the store. New customers continue to come through the doors and he’s drawing customers back into town and away from the Lowe’s. His goal now is to find an opportunity for a second location.
As a newcomer to a small town, Norris had the challenge of earning the respect of a whole new set of customers. His face quickly became a familiar one around town. He serves as a volunteer firefighter and helps the Fire Department with fundraising events. He’s also involved in a local effort to revitalize Ossian’s downtown and support many local events.
Looking back at the whirlwind of change over the past 10 years, Norris gives his parents much of the credit for his success today. Maybe he had to grow up fast, he says, “but I look back on it now and obviously my parents had a vision, and I appreciate every bit of that now. My dad took the time to really show me the ropes of running a hardware store. He did a great job of setting me up to achieve my life-long goals.”
Went to the San Antonio zoo. That zoo is rated one of the best in the nation and it really was a nice zoo. It had a toddler area for kids under 5 and that is were the girls played the most.
This is Lilly "fishing in the pond"
At the end of the zoo day we stopped by the kid area and they swam in the little beach like area. They had a blast with all the other kids digging, splashing, and getting really wet! I bet they played around in this area for over 45 minutes!
Friday we drove to Corpus Christy Beach and spent a few hours hanging out in the Ocean. The girls thought the salt water tasted funny. This beach had lots of jelly fish, so we stayed close to the shore.
Building sand castles. We also buried Eventt in the sand.
We also went to Sea World. The girls loved the water park. We spent probably 90% of the time in the water park. Lillian couldn't get enough of the big slides and Addison loved running around in the toddler pool. We also watched the Shamu show and Lillian begged Eventt to run down to the bottom with her so Shamu could splash her. She got her wish and loved it!!
Addie eating "dipping dots" ice cream. She of coarse at it all :)
Lillian on the airplane. The girls did so good for such a long flight. Thanks to grandma B for her DVD player and I pod.
Addie watching Dora on the I pod.
A ride at Sea World
Lillian met a friend at the hardware program. Her name was Julie and she was 5. They had fun playing together.
The girls and I walked to the San Antonio Children's museum when Eventt attended a few seminars. The girls had a blast. Their favorite was the entire basement was made into a kid size grocery store. They could fill their carts and scan and pay for the groceries. We spent at least 1 hour buying groceries :)
Addie doing her shopping
Pilot Addison and Lillian flying the airplane
Our hotel was a block from the Alamo. We took a River tour and Alamo tour. It was hot that day (over 100 deg) The girls enjoyed a snow cone.
Milking a cow at the museum
more museum pics:
A write up about Eventt's award:
2009 Young Retailer of the Year Honoree
EVENTT NORRIS
Growing Up Fast
Eventt Norris remembers when he was 16 and just learning to drive; it was the same time he started ordering for his parent’s hardware store in Berne, Ind. What he may not have realized then was just how quickly he would be in charge of the entire business.
Norris was barely out of high school when his father, Charlie, entrusted him with ownership of the store. Two years later, his father passed away. In the two years that followed, Norris did his best to keep the business going, but the market around the small store was quickly shrinking. A few years later, in 2005, his mother passed away.
Norris was now the sole employee of the store and face to face with a difficult decision. Despite the family legacy rooted in the store, he knew that the only way to keep the business alive was to move to a different market. He found his opportunity in nearby Ossian, Ind., where an 8,000-square-foot store, nearly twice the size of his old store, was for sale.
The benefit of the store was clear: a good location with more traffic and the opportunity to expand his inventory. But there was a lot of work to do. Merchandising in the store was stagnant, selection was thin and more and more customers were making their purchases at the nearby Lowe’s.
So with the help of his supplier, Do it Best, Norris took on the big task of changing the appearance of the entire store. He moved every department, raised the fixtures to seven feet and added new endcaps and counters. One reason so many shoppers were opting for Lowe’s, says Norris, was that the Ossian Hardware had limited its selection to mostly A items. Norris added 5,000 SKUs to the product mix, filling out departments with B and C items, especially in departments where he knew he could attract more sales. He expanded power tools, for example, from eight feet to 28 feet. The rental department held a lot of potential too, so he added more equipment as well as party rentals.
Sales immediately rose after the remodel and are now up more than 30 percent compared to when he first purchased the store. New customers continue to come through the doors and he’s drawing customers back into town and away from the Lowe’s. His goal now is to find an opportunity for a second location.
As a newcomer to a small town, Norris had the challenge of earning the respect of a whole new set of customers. His face quickly became a familiar one around town. He serves as a volunteer firefighter and helps the Fire Department with fundraising events. He’s also involved in a local effort to revitalize Ossian’s downtown and support many local events.
Looking back at the whirlwind of change over the past 10 years, Norris gives his parents much of the credit for his success today. Maybe he had to grow up fast, he says, “but I look back on it now and obviously my parents had a vision, and I appreciate every bit of that now. My dad took the time to really show me the ropes of running a hardware store. He did a great job of setting me up to achieve my life-long goals.”
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