From the Desk 8/15/2008

Today at work was completely focused on preparations for the marketing meeting. I typed out an agenda for me to have to keep things moving along and to make sure we at least touch on all the areas of marketing that we need to address. I know that everyone is coming into that meeting with their own agenda and their own ideas that they feel are the best way to promote our company, but I think that it is my responsibility to help keep the big picture in focus. We need to take the ideas and free flowing thoughts from this gathering and be able to shape them into the larger plan to accomplish the goals we set for the company each year. I do not know everything about the Box or know the best way to do things all the time, but what I do know is how to take ideas, mission statements, budgets, and goals and put them down on paper into a Total Integrated Marketing plan. ("Advertising Management 101: if you don't follow a detailed plan to accomplish an objective through marketing, you will fail" ~Dr. Dan Haygood, University of Tennessee) With this directive in mind, I revised and edited the agenda until it was broken down into 3 main sections.

After creating the 3 headings I took a break and ate some lunch at Willy's with Carmen, Blair and Tausha. We laughed louder then usual, probably due to the fact that it was Friday and we knew the weekend was within sight. We returned to work after what seemed like too short of a lunch break. I went back to work on the agenda and created some stat sheets on the value of zip code data from our customers, the importance of bolstering our customer database, and the introduction to a larger group of my vision for a customer loyalty program. I know that my admission of creating these sheets is a confession of my own agenda, but I think that these items are things that no one else will be thinking about as they do not concern the day-to-day activities of anyone else at that meeting. I took a break from the marketing meeting prepping to answer several emails and get together with Vickie and Judy about the best way to get the images we are missing for items in the holiday toy catalog. I watched the clock tick down to 4:45 and then I packed up my things to go home just a few minutes early.

I had to stop off at Publix on my way home to pick up a few items that I had forgotten that were necessary to prepare the salmon for Christina tonight. I picked up the 4 items quickly and then went home to began cooking. I baked corn on the cobb in the oven and then while the salmon was cooking I grabbed a quick shower. The salmon smelled wonderful and the aroma of the sweet corn also filled the air in the kitchen. I had just finished moving the salmon fillets from the baking dish to the plates on the table when Christina knocked on the door. In a minute or two I had the garlic bread on the table and we were ready to eat. The food was delicious and much thanks goes to Amy for sending me the recipe. It wasn't as hard as I thought and was very filling (which was good as I had nothing planned for dessert). We ate and talked and laughed about our days until we couldn't eat any more. We then looked at some pictures that she had brought to show me from her childhood (since she's seen almost every photograph I own). It was fun to see how she grew up and how different her parents look now. Once we had gone through her stash of pictures we began to watch the new episode of "Psych" on USA. Neither of us made it all the way through the episode as the food filling our stomachs allowed for a sleep worthy environment to be made with the chatter of the TV lulling us to sleep. We awoke not long after the episode ended and decided it was time to go to sleep for the night. I said goodnight to Christina and then I went to sleep, hoping to sleep late into the morning.

Meditation for the day: 2 Corinthians 7:1 " Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."