'Tis the Season...

…for WEDDINGS! Those of you who know me well and most likely those of you who barely know me know that I am 100% crazy obsessed with weddings! Most girls like to fantasize about their dream wedding, well; I fantasize about my wedding, my friend’s weddings, celebrity weddings and the weddings of complete strangers. Our Coffee Buzz customers have quickly learned that if you mention the “w” word you have opened a can of very excited and very inquisitive worms!

I love that every wedding is completely different. I love seeing the different styles, different tastes, and different traditions. Just like every relationship is unique and special, so is every wedding. I love that they are so emotional and yet so crazy and fun. I have had this obsession from a very young age; I remember getting bridal magazines when I was little and cutting out pictures I liked and taping them in notebooks creating little collages. Little did I know then that creating these “Inspiration Boards” is a very popular and useful wedding planning technique. I will also say with complete confidence that my Barbie’s had the most fabulous weddings in town. I remember my cousin, Steph, and I used to always have Barbie weddings at my grandparents house. They had a long and narrow hallway, upstairs where the bedrooms are and at the end of the hallway is a full length mirror, this mirror made the most beautiful alter. We would use all of my grandma’s arts, crafts and sewing materials to make the wedding come to life. We always used a long thick ribbon as the aisle all the way down the hallway. I also recall creating and delivering wedding invitations to my grandparents.  

I am very excited for this summer because I have the honor of actually being in two weddings! One of my girlfriends from college is getting married the end of May. 

 Brianna & Matt are getting married May 30th! I can't wait to be a part of their special day!

And my mom is getting married in early August!!!

 Me, My mom, her fiance Steve and his daughter Natalie on Lake Minnetonka last 4th of July. This wedding will no doubt be extremely emotional as well as complete and total blast! 

I have also recently come to the conclusion that I could very easily use my business to fulfill my lifelong dream and calling of becoming a wedding planner. I have met so many awesome people in just the two short months we’ve been open and it’s amazing how many of them just so happen to fall into the wedding field.  Check out the following if you’re currently planning a wedding:

Wedding Dress/bridesmaids/accessories: Mary Kay’s Bridal

Flowers: Arts & Flowers

Printing: Bryant Graphics

Photographer: Sara Jayne Photography

Band: Glad Rags

With just these connections alone I could plan one kickass wedding! Plus, I already have the perfect office…a beautifully decorated, super cute and super delicious neighborhood coffee shop! So, I’m creating a five year plan for myself! Five years because that gives me a lot of time to accomplish my current goals and in five years I’ll be turning 30, seems like a good time to mix things up and take on something new. I’m going to continue to put my blood, sweat and tears into making my baby (Coffee Buzz) a huge success. I feel that five years is ample time to do this in! Plus, I will still get the opportunity to meet and talk to so many amazing people, and who knows what other connections will come along in the next five years. Plus, maybe just maybe I’ll have the chance to plan my own wedding in the next five years and get some experience! Along the way, I also want to take some classes with the Association of Bridal Consultants to learn more about the industry and to build my street –cred. It’s a pretty heavy curriculum and is pretty expensive, so five years will give me plenty of time to learn what I need to know and not break the bank. I am also hoping that in five years Coffee Buzz will be so successful that I will no longer need to be a full time employee and will have the extra time and energy to take on a new venture. So, if you’re planning on getting married five years from now…keep me in mind.

One last note, I am thrilled because Mary Kay’s Bridal is moving from their Richfield location to just right up the street from us! Mary Kay and her daughter Ashley been in a bunch of times and are the nicest ladies you will ever meet! I am so excited to have them in the neighborhood, and I’m hoping we can help each other’s stores be successful. This weekend is the grand opening for their new store and they were nice enough to invite me to the V.I.P event tonight! I am so excited!!! I am bringing my friend Carolyn and hopefully she can get some ideas for her wedding next summer! I will not doubt have more details on the event tomorrow! 

 

Make Over

As you can see I gave my blog a little makeover! I was inspired by my friend Carolyn (read her super cute blog here: http://lifeloveandpuppyprints.blogspot.com/) to create my own background instead of using one of the pre-made ones like I had before. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy. I found a tutorial on YouTube and watched that a couple of times, then went to work on Adobe Photoshop. I found the cute papers I used to create the background at http://www.shabbyprincess.com/. Then came the hard part, getting it all laid out how I wanted it, making sure all the sizing was correct...it took all night but I'm really happy with how it came it out!

Also, if you read my blog...BECOME A FOLLOWER! The more I get the cooler I feel and the more inspired I am to write about these fascinating topics that you all love to read. So, just scroll to the bottom of my blog and look on the right hand side where it says "FOLLOW," just click on that button and follow the prompts! Make it official! Show me the love!

A Girl Can Dream

I like to spend some of my very limited free time perusing designer's websites and shopping for things I most likely will never be able to afford. It certainly is fun to look and maybe just maybe someday I'll be able to treat myself to something really magnificent. If I were to stumble upon a couple grand this afternoon I would most definitely buy one or more of the following...

 This Burberry double breasted taffeta trench coat is amazing! It's so cute, super preppy but still fun and think of all the fun scarves you could pair with it!

I am in love with these tweed patterned Chanel sunglasses. Even though i don't allow myself to buy sunglasses over $20.00 (because I lose them or break them), I could make an exception for these and I would babysit them like I would a small child!

 

These I am absolutely drooling over! OBSESSED! They're new Jimmy Choo's from the Fall Collection! I am praying that when I'm in NYC the end of May they'll be in the boutique so I can try them on and dream of owning them. They're just a cool $955.00, so I'm sure I can buy them by the end of May! HA! 

Weigh In Wednesday

I'm going to make this short because frankly I'm sick of talking about it. I lost 3 pounds!!! Wahoo! I also went 10.29 miles, which is pretty good considering I was a sad sack for the better part of this week.

17.34 pounds to go...
372.03 miles to go...

Hiatus

I'm sure you millions of avid readers have been wondering where my titillating posts have gone, and I will be honest with you, I had a breakdown.

It started last Wednesday and 5:00am...on the scale. I gained a pound. Now, last week I worked harder than I have since I started this weight loss adventure over a year ago, I walked 17.2 miles, 3 of which I RAN. I ran a mile three days in a row, which might now seem like much but believe me, for me, it's a huge deal! On top of that I was really watching and counting all my calories and then I gained. After talking to my best friend, Libby, who is a personal trainer and yoga instructor extraordinaire, I got some answers but to me they felt more like excuses. Your weight can fluctuate depending on the time of the month, how much sleep you got, how much stress you're under, what foods you ate the night before and she's so sweet she even told me it's probably because I am actually gaining muscle and when that fat converts to muscle it gets heavier. All reasonable ideas and all very possibly factors, nontheless, I was pissed. I want to see results and I want to see them on the scale. Seeing that number drops is what motivates me.

In addtion, I felt extremely stressed about work. I think the lack of sleep, super long hours and extreme responsibility finally sunk in and I kind of lost it. I'm at the point where I feel comfortable with everything we're doing, I feel confident in our employees and now I'm ready for that line out the door and it's just not coming. I know it's only our second month and we have a lot of slow time ahead of us, but I'm just ready for this little coffee shop to rock it. I don't want to wait. Luckily, my boyfriend/business partner knows me better than I know myself and was able to sympathize and support me and then force me to snap out of it.

In light of this breakdown I took a couple of days so cry, whine and spend my free time sulking. Now, I'm feeling much better. Feeling somewhat motivated in the weight department and very motivated in the business department. I took some time to create a nice big To-Do list of projects I want to get done in the next few months which I am hoping give me something to do other than worry about work and worry about losing these last pounds. We'll see how it goes.

Coupon Clipper

This morning on the Today Show, they did a piece on Coupon clipping. They had Stephanie Nelson, author of the book “The Coupon Mom’s Guide to Cutting your Grocery Bills in Half.” On the show, this woman went to CVS Pharmacy and bought $83.00 worth of stuff and paid $1.00 for it after coupons. ONE DOLLAR. 

 So, it got me thinking…maybe I should at least glance at those annoying coupon books that show up in my mailbox three times a week. The Today show also said that Stephanie saved so much over the past year it was equivalent to having an additional part-time job. Now, I already own a business and have a second part-time babysitting job BUT if I can add the pay of one more job by taking ten minutes a day to browse these coupon books—I’ll do it!

My only fear is that I will now spend money on things I don’t need just because I have a coupon, opposed to saving money on the things I do. So, I’m going to need to really follow the Coupon Mom’s “Principles of Strategic Shopping:”

1. Know your prices:

I need to become familiar with the prices of the items I regularly buy, instead of just grabbing them and throwing them in the cart. This way I will know and appreciate a good deal.

2. Know your store’s saving programs:

Dear Target, What are your saving programs? Love, Kristin

3. Know your coupons:

I need to organize the coupons I do cut, I’m thinking of getting a little rolodex or a small accordion style folder to store them in. I’m thinking organizing them by store will be most helpful—then when I know I’m making a trip I can just go through the coupons for that store.

I have already cut some coupons and I plan on using them tomorrow on my day off. They just so happen to be to Express and Cabana Tan….excellent!

Must Have

Alright ladies, I'm going to let you in on one of my beauty secrets...you didn't think lack of sleep and stress were my only tricks, did you?

Aside from my bronzer and mascara, this is the one make up product I couldn't live without. I don't know how I made it through my first 24 yearS! Seriously, this is the greatest products of all time.....

Photo Finish Foundation Primer from Smashbox!

If you haven't used Smashbox products before, I highly recommend you check them out! Smashbox was actually started by two brothers who are the grandson's of Max Factor (we've all heard of him, right?), they started a photo studio (called Smashbox) in 1991. From there, their business grew into a make up line designed for the perfecting needs of a photo shoot. Their products are all animal cruelty free, earth friendly and are non-irritating, clinically tested, allergy tested, dermatologist tested and made with good-for-your-skin ingredients. The majority of the products are also gluten-free.

I use their amazing Bronze Lights bronzer, the "Brazilian Bronze" eye shadow and of course the Photo Finish Foundation Primer! The Photo Finish is by far my favorite! Here's the product break down from the website:

Create a perfect canvas for foundation application with this silky, lightweight blend of vitamins A & E, grape seed extract and green tea. Worn alone or under foundation to increase its longevity, our best-selling primer helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and pores for flawless skin with a velvety-smooth finish. In a new square airless pump for freshness to the last drop.

Oil-free!

Winner of Best of Sephora Award for Best Primer, one of Marie Claire's "25 Products That Will Change Your Life", & an InStyle Best Beauty Buy. 

It truly does prime your skin for the rest of your make up. My foundation goes on so smooth and even and lasts FOREVER! Honestly, at the end of a 13 hour work day of running around, steaming milk, and cleaning my make up still looks fresh.  LOVE IT!

Channeling My Inner SunShine

Those of you who know me well know that I love TV, especially reality TV. One of the show’s on the top of my MUST WATCH list is “The Biggest Loser.” The show takes severely overweight contestants and gives them medical advice, nutritional advice and two no-nonsense Personal Trainers. The contestants compete against each other in physical and temptation challenges each week, but the main challenge is to lose weight. Each week the contestants are weighed and the people with the lowest percentage of weight loss are sent home. The show is often faulted for bring somewhat unrealistic, because 99.99% of people trying to lose weight do not get to do so in this “failing is not an option” circumstance with all of these amazing resources. I however, think it is amazing. It gives this handful of people the opportunity to change their lives and for many of them save their lives, while inspiring others. This show truly is inspiring and motivating. Watching the mentally, physically and emotionally grueling things these people are put through really proves you can achieve anything if you work hard enough.

My favorite contestant of all time is on this current season’s show, her name is SunShine. She came on the show with her father O’Neal. As the two biggest members of their family, SunShine and O’Neal have a special bond, one that enables both of them and caused them to become extremely unhealthy. SIDEBAR: They’re from Minneapolis which makes me love them even more! SunShine is 24 years-old (just one year younger than me) she has never had a boyfriend, never been kissed and has never felt good about herself. Watching her on this Biggest Loser journey has been truly inspirational. She has lost 80 pounds in 12 weeks, but the real changes are emotional. She had a tough conversation with her dad this past episode telling him that he can finally let go; that she is, for the first time in her life, truly happy and that she is finally realizing and feeling like she is beautiful. Talk about water works, I was crying like a baby. But what truly inspires me is her determination, she came to the show to lose weight, become healthy and change her life and she is not going to leave without accomplishing that. She is always giving every work out 110% and when she’s not pushing herself she is pushing an encouraging her dad and the other contestants. I know it’s crazy, but I feel like I know her and I am so proud whenever I see her win a challenge or kill it on the scale. I need to look to SunShine for inspiration in my own life; inspiration to not only be healthier and push myself but to believe in myself, be more confident and to really push encourage those close to me.

 You get 'em girl! And if you ever need a Sugar Free Vanilla, Skim Latte...I got the best one in town!

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang

Chelsea Handler is the host of a late night talk show called "Chelsea Lately" on the E! Network and is also the New York Times #1 Bestselling author of the books, "My Horizontal Life," "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me Chelsea," and her newest book "Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang." She is beyond hilarious, I record her show every night and am near tears from laughter almost every episode. This past Saturday, she was in town for a book tour promoting "Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang" and I was lucky enough to have tickets. My friend Sarah and I went to her stand up show and she did not disapoint.

She was raunchy, foul-mouthed and everything you would expect. She didn't hold anything back--she made fun of all races equally and as usual used her family as most of her punchlines. I'll keep my favorite line from the show to myself to keep the blog PC but my second favorite was, "You'd be tired too if you were drunk all the time."

I have read both of her previous books and am finishing up her latest, if you have not read them...you need to. They are hilarious short stories of her crazy comedy filled life. Half the time I cannot believe what is coming across the pages of the book but nonetheless I can't put it down and find myself laughing out loud during most of it. J had to "shoosh" me on an airplane once because I was laughing too loud while reading, "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me Chelsea." Her quick wit and unashamed attitude make her so fun to watch and so fun to read, so if you're not already a Chelsea fan I highly recommend you become one!

ONE MONTH ANNIVERSARY!

I cannot believe it's already been one month since we opened our doors for business! I am really excited about how everything is going so far! We're averaging about 50 tickets per day, which is a decent flow of traffic. Of course, it's slower than we would like but it's only been a month! We're finding that Saturday is our busiest day, and while Sunday used to be our worst day we're seeing it really start to pick up! We're currently working on getting some patio furniture to add some outdoor seating and I will also be attending a drink workshop in a couple of weeks and will hopefully get some great ideas for a couple of special summer drinks! We recently had an ad written in the St. Louis Park local news paper, so hopefully that will drive in some more traffic! 

Thank you so much to all of our friends and family for your undying support and for bringing in so much business for us! We love you!