Kindness, Alt Summit and the month following!!!

This gets wordy but bare with me…or you can jump to the end and read about all the good amazing news.

Let’s face it life is just one big choice after another. Choice A leads to choice B that leads to choice C that sometimes leads you back to A. Well about 14yrs ago I made a choice when I was coming out of a very hard time in life (I think we all have had those hard times) I told myself it was time to make a change towards HAPPY, blissfully happy, like running through a field of flowers little kid HAPPY. I decided after lots of thought and prayer to became a “Yes” person! Yes to adventure, yes to fun, yes to travel, yes to getting out of my comfort zone, yes to new experiences that scare me, YES to ME. This new way of living life has led me to opening a restaurant in Hawaii, going back to College, traveling to Switzerland, Germany, London, Thailand, Vegas all by myself to meet up friends, running Ragnar twice (I’m not a runner), and so much more!!! So last year when one of my best friends told me to buy a ticket to Alt Summit for 2020, a conference I’ve wanted to go to for a few years now but never wanted to to on my own, I JUMPED on it. I think I bought my ticket that night I was so jazzed we were gonna have the best time!!! I just knew it!…. Fast forward to 4 months before we are supposed to be going, when hotel planning and all that fun stuff was suppose to start happening I come to find out she never bought her ticket, ( can’t blame her she found out a week after the last Alt she was pregnant, so exciting!!!) It was also around that same time we decided to change our whole lives and move fromCA to Utah on a whim, basically I had a choice. I could cut my losses lose my deposit, sell my ticket and wait to go next year. No biggy right? Except I had this nagging feeling to just go, my husband did too. We both just felt it would be fun/good for me to get away and learn from other creatives. So that’s what I did I said YES to Alt.

I booked my hotel, made plans, drove back to Orange County, dropped my kids off with the Grands, got my hair did, mapped out my entire week at Alt (classes, workshops, panels) and drove out to Palm Springs by myself. I won’t lie I was nervous. I only knew 2 other girls going and I knew that they were there to teach and network for work, so us hanging out a lot was a slim chance. I was fully prepared to be alone, I went with zero expectations other than to do it alone. I mean I brought food for my mini fridge and crafts for nights in the hotel room. But that whole week I ate all my food on the run and did zero crafts in my room. It was not what I thought would happen it was a million times better.

Heres how my week went :

I arrived Sunday a little too late to catch any of the classes offered that day, there weren’t many and my room wasn’t ready so I decided to park my car and shuttle over to the Registration Party. I thought the shuttle would be a great place to maybe strike up a convo with other attendees…it was empty completely empty. Still I kept an open mind stayed on as it made its first stop to another hotel for the conference and after sitting in the shuttle for um about 20min without it going anywhere or anyone getting on, I seriously was rethinking my choices. HAHAHA when we finally made it over to the Party there were about 20 ladies there all chatting in small groups, the wind was cold and I was without a jacket. Which led me to the obvious choice of just grabbing my pass and hoping back on the shuttle to my hotel, get my room and maybe meet up with a group ladies later for ice cream I didn’t know from Utah. Low and behold I got back on the shuttle and there was one other GIRL!!! Megan Febuary and I chatted up on that shuttle ride back to the hotel we even made plans to meet up later after my Ice Cream date with strangers lol. She is amazing, and hanging out with her that night eating nachos in a loud restaurant bar meeting other incredible women gave me just the right amount of confidence to try the shuttle again the next day. (if you want to check her out look up @forwomenwhoroar)

Monday was the big start day for Alt, keynote speaker, classes, workshops, roundtables and everything!!! It was about mid day when realized I was having so much fun meeting new people that my schedule kind of didn’t matter anymore, it became very fluid and I decided to take the shuttle again! I was standing in a big group of ladies waiting for the shuttle when one of them said “Hey Im going to the Ace Hotel if anyone wants a ride” , I turned around and I don’t know why but I said “I do”. She and I walked to her car, introduced ourselves, chit chatted a bit and instantly we had a bond when we discovered we both had Twins. Her Name is Genise Gwen and little did we know that because of her kindness I would open my heart and my eyes to those around me. Genise changed everything for me that week with one simple act of kindness.

That night was the gifting party, yeah I didn’t know what is really was either and I showed up late because I was at another craft class soaking it all in. It was actually really cool all these women and their companies were handing out fun treats to promote their businesses, and you had a punch card with 7 or 8 spots to choose the goodies you really liked. So basically a swag bag with only the things you really want who doesn’t like that?! As I was leaving walking back to my car I called my husband and my kids we were talking all about the day for both of us, I found my car and started driving back to the hotel. Nothing magical about it. As I was driving past where the gifting party was I saw a girl waiting, she wasn’t waiting for the shuttle those had stopped running by then so I thought she must be waiting for an Uber and I have a big mini van I should offer her a ride, pay if forward. All the while saying it out loud to my husband who was still on the phone and saying “wait you’re gonna pick up a stranger, honey?!?!” I told him not to worry “I’m about a foot taller than her I’m sure I can take her if it comes to it but I have a good feeling”. “its Fine” I say that a lot to him. Well I rolled down my window offered her a ride all the while trying to assure her I wasn’t a creep, she reluctantly said yes and to be honest she seemed a little nervous (the entire time) but as she was walking toward my car a big little voice yelled “hey can we get a ride also??” and I was like “yeah sure! squeeze in” so 3 more girls piled in sitting on the floor and on the carseats that were still in the back (hahaha) and off we went! It was such a funny drive of basically me talking the whole time while trying to ask them question but only getting asked more questions in return! They were so funny, it was great. McKenzie was in the back and after she found out I was a Quilter told me she met a lady that day who worked for Bernina!!! Now I’m not a fan girl or anything like that ever but come on we all know how much I love my sewing machine, add that to the fact that I think I was the only quilter there, I had a moment were I was FAN GIRLING HARD. I don’t even remember if she told me her name, all I remember was that she was from Bernina and man I wish/hope I could run into her that week. The conversation went to other topics blah blah blah and we were back at the hotel. The three chatty girls (McKenzie, Brittney, and Erika) as they were getting out of the car invited myself and the quiet girl (who at this point still seemed freaked out) to go grab pizza with them across the street. Of course quiet girl politely said no, as well so did I. I needed to call my husband back to tell him I wasn’t kidnapped, and maybe have those amazing nachos delivered to my room so I could watch TV and do some crafts/hand sewing.

I was in my room for maybe 5min talking to my husband looking around (it was so quiet) and saying to myself “don’t be loser who sits in a hotel by herself, go be brave meet new people” so I did. I walked my non loser bum across the street to find the pizza place and insert myself into their group. As we were enjoying our pizza and salads their other friend Melissa joined us, we learned that Brittney knew my friend Amy, McKenize had just met them that day as well and they all live in Utah. What are the odds I pick up 3 random girls who know someone I know and all live in the place I had just moved to, meaning not only was I making friends there I was taking them home with me.

The Next day Tuesday Erika asked if I was going to reach out to the Bernina lady, I told her no probably not but that I looked her up just see what she looked like and if I bump into her so be it but I didn’t want to bother her.

Turns out I lied because on Wednesday morning I looked her up on the Alt App again and messaged her…OMG!!! it wasn’t as simple as that let me tell you. It was one of those things that you just can’t get out of your head. When you can hear that little voice in your head pushing you towards something you normally would stray away from. My stomach was in knots while I got ready for the day, like I was asking the hot guy to the prom and I was the nerdy girl playing flute in the band. But I did it! I gave my self a pep talk, took a deep breath and wrote to her

“Hi Alice, I was chatting with one of the girls I became friends with here and she told me you were here and that you work for Bernina!!!! I totally fan girled even though that’s not normally me at all! I think i’m the only quilter here, so I was super jazzed to hear there was a representative of seriously the best sewing machine out there. I would love to meet up if you have time….”

AHHHHHHHHH I was so nervous all morning! I called my husband told him what I did, he googled her which I hadn’t even thought to do, I was just to excited my brain wasn’t working. I knew it wasn’t rational because seriously what was the worst that could happen she say no and my week goes on having fun with my new friends. Of course she didn’t say no, she said yes and we had lunch that day!!!! We sat poolside chatting about family, life and of course BERNINA!!! I was floating on cloud nine when she mentioned me joining them as a Brand Ambassador, she had already looked me up on IG and liked my style, she went on to asking if it was something I would be interested in doing “um YES! a thousand time Yes”.

I was still on cloud nine when I called my husband to tell him the news, but also realistic in knowing we were still in the just talking phase. Nothing was set in stone, no papers signed which is what I told my friends that night when I ran into them eating nachos (yes they are that good everyone eats them while there lol). I told them all about the meeting and but also for them to keep it hush hush since it seemed too good to be true. They were over the moon excited for me and insisted I go out with them to celebrate for a little bit, they twisted my arm to do it instead of waiting around for the yoga I planned to go to that night. They were so excited for me it was overwhelming my heart, I had to give in. We ended up at a Jazz piano bar meeting up another group of amazing women (one whom I gave a ride to earlier that day, what? I was on a role I couldn’t stop) and laughing all night and missing my yoga class.

There are so many more moments that week that led me to believe deep down in angels watching over my life, helping me, and directing me. Directing me onto the path to go Alt by myself where I met amazing women, gained friendships that will last a lifetime, remembering how fun I can be, being able to learn so much from all the classes, opening myself up to new things, and the best of all the opportunity to make connections that lead me to be a New Brand Ambassador for Bernina. (insert happy Dance!!!!) Papers signed, webcam meetings being had and tutorials in the works using all kinda of fun new toys.

It’s truly remarkable what can happen with one moment of kindness. One moment of kindness from a stranger started a chain of kindness that changed my life and started it on a fun adventure. Kindness costs nothing but gives everything in return.