Gone...

Well, I'm not home right now...meant to blog about it earlier this week but I was busy getting ready for this trip. I'm in St. Cloud right now (Minnesota, not Florida...which is MUCH warmer than here!), ready for the Minnesota Fruit & Vegetable Growers Conference as a trade-show presenter.

I've been working with Greenstar Co-Op for over a year now. It's a funny story...when Tony and I married, I started taking over the ordering and things for our farm market. One of the main companies he ordered from was a company called Farm Markets of Ohio (name since changed to Greenstar). They have thousands of products from dozens of different companies all under one roof, so you can order from just one place instead of having to go to all different companies. Tony had been ordering from them for about ten years or so before I came along. Well, a year or so later, we got the current catalog and they had the CEO's name listed along with the sales reps, etc. There was a VERY familiar name that wasn't too common....John Webel. I got on the telephone and called the sales gal in the office and started grilling her out of the blue: Does John Webel live in Austintown? "um, I can't really say." Well, does he have two daughters named Erin and Allison? "um, I can't really say. Shall I leave a message for him?" I then realized I probably sounded like some psycho...this chick from Minnesota asking all these personal questions. So I clarified: I used to live in Ohio very close to your office. A John Webel went to my church and still attends my parents' church. I used to babysit his daughters. Small world! Same John! He asked us to stop in and tour the place next time we visited my parents, so the kids and I did when we took a quick trip to Ohio to visit my grandparents one last time. Shortly after, John asked me to represent them in Minnesota and the surrounding areas so they could expand their sales base.

So, long story short (okay, it wasn't really short!), I'm here on behalf of Greenstar for the second year in a row. I enjoy talking about Greenstar and how well their products sell for us at our farm market. While I wasn't able to dedicate much time last season to expanding our Greenstar market in Minnesota, I still did get a few large customers and expect many more to come on board this year.

The next couple days will be busy for me, 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with no breaks, but if it's like last year, it'll be a blast.

And meanwhile, Tony is home with the kids all day today thru Friday, hehe! I miss 'em all, I really do, but I think it's great, too, that Daddy gets a chance to experience the things I go through all day long while he's busy at the farm. Of course, I think Grandma and Aunt Beth will be seeing a lot of the kids, too.... I wonder what they're going to be up to while I'm away. I wonder if Sus will think Daddy is Satan, too. Will she find the scissors again? Will Luke talk Daddy into giving his cross bow back (it was taken away after he deliberately shot his sister in the head twice...with rubber darts, but STILL!).

Okay, maybe you'd better say some extra prayers for Daddy and the kids...

On a different note; we now have a new president. I'll miss President Bush, who by no means is very popular right now and hasn't been for awhile. I wasn't happy with the election results and don't understand why so many people voted for a man who actively and vocally stands for so many terrible things. But at the same time, President Obama was allowed to take this office only by God's allowance and ordnance. It's hard to understand, but at the same time I am reminded that because of his new position, I need to honor the position he holds, even if I don't agree with all, much or any of his views and things that will probably be put into law (or laws repealed). And even more, especially more now than ever, President Obama needs my...our...prayers. May God continue to bless...and have mercy on...America.