Gary Houseman – More Than Just a Boss

I could probably say that Gary Houseman was one of the first people I met when I moved to Tennessee. In fact, my family kind of met him before I even moved here.

Once I was accepted to MTSU, it was time to find a place to live. My dad, being a Domino’s Pizza franchisee, called Gary up to ask him about good places to move his 18 year daughter. After all, who knows more about the area than a pizza delivery company. Within a few days, we received a package full of house and apartment brochures in the mail. That’s the kind of person Gary was, and the kind of company that he ran.

It was only natural when I moved to Tennessee that I go to work for Domino’s. I never realized the affect that walking in to that Domino’s and putting in an application would have on my life. We stopped by the Domino’s office, while we were in town looking for houses. Gary sat with my family for at least an hour talking about Domino’s and living in Tennessee. He was a complete stranger, who welcomed us in to his office as if we were old friends.

The next twelve years would hold endless memories of a great company and a great boss. I don’t know that I ever saw Gary, without a smile on his face. And I never saw him, without being asked how I was doing, and how my family was. Middle Tennessee Pizza wasn’t just a company, it was a family. And I was lucky enough to be a part of it.

When my father passed away, Gary was one of the first to ask if my mom needed any help with my dad’s stores. That’s the kind of man he was.

I really can’t put in to words, how much it meant to me that his family took me in as one of their own, when I was so far away from my own family. And I could tell story after story of the great memories I have of Gary, but there really aren’t enough hours in the day.

Gary was a kind and generous man, who always treated his employees like family, rather than just someone who worked for him. His generosity was endless. He helped pay for my some of my fathers funeral, took us on company trips, and always gave to his employees.

I will never forget him pulling up to work in his little red Starlet, or the countless Christmas dinners he hosted at his home, or the manager trips he took us on to Tunica, Gatlinburg, Orlando, and middle of nowhere Georgia.

Even after Gary was diagnosed with cancer, every time I saw him, he still had that bright smile on his face. The world lost a great man, when Gary passed away this weekend, but knowing that he isn’t suffering anymore brings a little bit of peace.

I recently quit Domino’s, and leaving was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I will always love the people there and will always consider them family. My heart breaks for Pat & Wendy, and everyone else at MTPI.

Rest in Peace, Gary. You will be greatly missed by everyone who knew you. I was blessed the day you came in to my life. You really have no idea what working for  you did for me.

All I ask if that you do me a favor, tell my dad that I say hi.

 

More Than Just Pizza

In August of 2000, I moved 700 miles away from my family and the only life that I had ever known, to pursue a career in the music business. It was a crazy dream for a small town girl from Wisconsin, but I was determined to do what I told my parents I was going to do when I was 8 years old.

So I enrolled at MTSU to study Music Business and began my crazy journey down the road to the music business.

Exactly three days after I moved to Murfreesboro, I walked in to Domino’s Pizza to apply for a job. Domino’s has been my family business for as long as I can remember, so applying there was my way of keeping a piece of home in a strange new place.

Little did I know that 12 years later, Domino’s would feel like my home. The people there, from my boss to my manager, to drivers, to phone people, have not only become friends, but they have become my family. I’ve become an “aunt” a couple times, I met my husband there, and made the best friends that I could ask for.

In a few weeks, I will be leaving my home of 12 years to make my permanent home in the music business. Yes, I’ve been in the Nashville business for more than six years, but come April, it will be my full time job. The job I always wanted to have.

Putting in my notice, was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I don’t know why, it’s not like I’m never going to see my friends again, but I feel like I’m moving away from home again.

It’s weird…Domino’s is and always has been more than just pizza to me – it’s my family.

It’s feelings like this, that make me a little sad for people who just “work” at their job. You spend the majority of your time at work with co-workers, so why not enjoy it. You should be able to walk from a job experience a better person, with mentors, friends, and wonderful memories.

My hope for everyone is that someday you find a job that gives you that. A job you don’t mind going to, and a job you hate walking away from.

I’ve learned that Domino’s is a lot more than just pizza-  It’s friends, family, and unforgettable memories.

 

Bid on this Guitar

My friend, Cat, is an amazing artist, who suffers from Klippel Trenaunay Syndrome, a rare disease that causes vascular malformations along with other medical abnormalities.

Knowledge is power, and until recently, very little was known about the disease. More people than you realize are faced with the uncertainty of a KT Diagnosis. Educating yourself is the first step towards understanding this rare disease.

This guitar is her most recent art piece and she is auctioning it off, and donating 100% of the proceeds to a KT scholarship, that will help send a young person with KT to college. If you’re interested in placing a bid, please visit CatsSwagga and place your bid.

For more information on KT, please visit: k-t.org

 

Married! ~ And Just Now Blogging About The Wedding

October 8, 2011 was the day I got to marry my best friend. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t one of those girls that dreamed about their wedding day since they were a little girl. All that changed when Mike asked me to marry him. I had a vision of what I wanted my wedding to be like, and I had over a year to plan every last detail.

Fall in Tennessee, rustic colors, with close family and friends. That was my vision.

And that’s exactly what we had. Our wedding was absolutely perfect! Everyone told me, “Something will go wrong and you probably won’t even know about it until later,” but we were fortunate to not have a single snag along the way.

The festivities started the night before the wedding, as the whole wedding party helped us set up our amazing venue. We were so lucky to find such an amazing venue to have our wedding and reception. Joy & Jesse from the Pick Inn were amazing! They are some of the sweetest people ever. Our wedding would not have been what it was without the beautiful scenery provided by the Pick Inn.

My bridesmaids and I spend the night together, laughing and reminiscing about the last 11 years I’ve spent here in Tennessee. I’ve never laughed so hard. I have amazing friends, who have been with me through thick and thin.

The guys spent the night before the wedding playing video games. Boys will be boys.

I was awake early the day of the wedding, and sat on the porch looking about at the beautiful fall colors of the Tennessee hills. I was determined to soak it all in. Lucky for me, we planned the wedding for late afternoon, so there was no real hurry in the morning.

The fun began when our hair and make-up team got there. Kim and Kim did an amazing job on all of my girls. We had so much fun getting ready. All of my bridesmaids looked absolutely amazing. I’m so grateful that we had the Kim’s come out to the venue to do our hair and make-up.

Our photographers, Michael and Britanie from Doerman Photography, arrived in plenty of time to cover the entire day, starting with getting ready! I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing they were. We could not have asked for a better photography team.

Once our hair and make was done, it was time to put on my wedding dress. I remember trying in on and absolutely loving it. It fit almost perfectly, but after I purchased it and went for 9 months without seeing it, I began to doubt my choice. Even after the fitting I wasn’t 100% sure, but when I stepped in to it that day, I knew that it was perfect. My biggest fear about the wedding was the dress not fitting, so putting it on and being able to breathe and move in it was a huge weight off my shoulders. I knew the rest of the day would be fine!

Once we were all in our dresses, it was time for group pictures. Anyone who knows me, knows that picking my photographer was the hardest part of planning my wedding. But I didn’t go wrong. Michael and Britanie were with us from start to finish and captured every moment of our day. The photos we got from them were truly amazing.

The pictures of the bridal party were some of my favorite from the day. I wanted my girls to feel comfortable all day, so I let them pick out their own dresses in the same color. They all complimented each other so well. I am still can’t get over how amazing everyone looked.

The guys didn’t look half bad either! I think Mike was a little skeptical about wearing a brown suit, but they really looked amazing with all the fall colors.

I’ll admit I was watching out the window and guests started to arrive. I was looking out at the beautiful scenery watching my friends mingle. It made me smile, heck, just thinking about it now makes me smile.

Our ceremony was short and sweet. We had the greatest officiant you could ask for. I’ve known Wendell for the better half of a decade and having him marry us made our day that much more special.

I’ll be honest, I thought I would cry. I thought walking down the aisle without my dad would make me burst in to tears, but with my mom holding my hand, I managed to make it down without any tears shed. There’s no one else I would have rather had by my side than my mom. And I know my dad was there in spirit. I had him with me. There was a personalized charm in the wedding bouquet that my mom made. I wanted to have him close to my heart. I know he was there watching over us. I’m glad he got to meet Mike before he passed away.

Instead of the unity candle, we opted for a sand ceremony, which our pastor had never heard of. We managed to find an amazing picture frame that would hold the sand. I feel like that was made just for us! We wanted to include Scott in our ceremony, since it wasn’t just me and Mike becoming a family. So in planning we got three colors of sand, brown, orange and gold. Little did we know that the gold sand was glitter. So as we poured sand, glitter filled the air. Our guests thought we planned it that way and said that it looked beautiful floating through the beautiful clear sky.

I’ll admit that Mike cried during the ceremony, though he’ll tell you didn’t. My favorite part of the ceremony was getting to hear my amazingly talented brother-in-law sing a song that he wrote. It was truly special for all of us. I love the song and was so glad that he was able to step in when our original performer couldn’t make it. It was an amazing performance. I will treasure that forever!

After three and a half years of dating and a 15 month engagement, Mike and I were finally married! What an amazing feeling!!

More pictures and then it was time to party!

The Pick Inn had so many places to take beautiful pictures. Pictures I will cherish forever. Lucky for me our photographers and I had the same vision for our wedding pictures. It’s put me at ease to know that we were thinking along the same lines when it came to the picture spots!

The old barn was my favorite spot. And the pictures there looked incredible! I still look at them almost every day and remember what an amazing day we had!

Our reception was just as wonderful as the ceremony. Our food was catered by a good friend of mine and his wife. And it was amazing. I’m so lucky to have such amazing friends who helped us out with all of our wedding details.

A day after I got engaged, my aunt asked me if I had anyone to make my wedding cake. Of course, I didn’t, so she volunteered to make our cake. After giving her a few ideas of what we wanted, she made us a beautiful three layer, topsy turvey cake. And our cake topper was incredibly fitting for us, since we are both photographers.

As we were cutting the cake, Mike kept telling me, “I won’t smash it in your face, if you don’t smash it in mine” Which I was fine with until everyone started yelling to smash it in his face. I finally gave in to peer pressure, knowing I would get it too! It was worth it though. I mean, you only get that chance once!

The cake was delicious, even after it was smeared on my face!

Our first dance was my favorite part of the reception. Once again, Mike and I, asked Chris to sing for our first dance. Chris played acoustic guitar and sang “History in the Making,” and it was absolutely beautiful. Another moment I will treasure forever.

I am so blessed to have such a talented brother-in-law who was more than willing to play for us. It made our day more special!

The rest of our reception was so much fun! The photo booth we had was a hit! It gave everyone the opportunity to let loose and have some fun! It was fun to look through the photos that everyone took!

I’m glad I found the SparkBooth software to create our own photo booth, because we wouldn’t have been able to afford it otherwise. My only regret is that I didn’t get to use it more!

We were also fortunate enough to have our friend Jed Watts play during the ceremony as well as the reception. It was great to have a live band, who could play any song that our guests requested. I never thought we would end up doing the Hokey Pokey at our wedding, but we did, and everyone joined in. As you can tell from the picture! Everyone was enjoying themselves by the end of the evening.

The evening ended with the guys pumpkin bowling and rolling down the huge hill on the property. I never thought pumpkin bowling would be how we ended our wedding reception, but that’s what life is about!

Looking back, I wouldn’t change a single thing about our wedding. Not the hours spent making programs and drink umbrellas, or the stopping at every K-Mart between Nashville and home to buy candle holders, or the decorations, or the colors, or the attire.

I truly could not have asked for a more perfect day. Perfect weather, beautiful ceremony, amazing friends and family, and a wonderful husband. It was everything I ever dreamed of. The best part, is that it’s not a dream- it’s my reality.

Thank you to everyone who made our day special. Whether you were in the wedding party, one of our vendors, a friend who came, or just there in spirit, our day would not have been nearly as memorable without you.

Venue: The Pick Inn

Photographer: Doerman Photography

Catering: V & P Catering

Hair & Make Up: Kim Warren & Kim Grayson – Salon 7

Cake: Anita Hilt

Flowers: Sheila Wyer

Necklace & Bracelet: Sweet Findings 4 You

Earrings: Cloud Cap Jewelry

Hair Pieces: Peacock Pixys

Garter Belts: Flourish By Lauryn

Charms: Tiny Tree Boutique

 

Old Polaroids

For some reason, there is nothing quite like an old Polaroid picture. I don’t really know what it is about them- nostalgia, I guess. When we were cleaning out my Grandma’s house, I was beyond excited to find her old Polaroid Land Camera. If for nothing else, another camera to add to my collect of vintage cameras.

After talking with another photographer, it occurred to me, that the camera might still work. For some reason I had it in my mind that it didn’t work. After a little research, I discovered that the battery in it was not corroded at all.

There may be hope for this camera yet.

Amazingly enough, I’m pretty sure it still has film in it.

So a new battery has been ordered. With any luck, that’s all it needs. And I’m the proud owner of a functional Polaroid Land Camera. If it doesn’t I’m out thirteen bucks.

I really hoping that it works. We’ll find out soon enough.