Where Do I Begin...

"If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive."

—Barry Lopez

I don't know where to begin! After attending the Cherish Bound convention and Timpanogos Storytelling Festival I can honestly say that I have once again come away a different person. I'm a better woman mentally, spiritually, as well as in business...and even physical. (Yes, lots of great food). My soul is so enlightened and my heart is full of gratitude and excitement!

My experience is almost impossible to explain or share. It's one of those "things" in life that can't be told, it must be felt. This will take a few days to tell, but I'm going to do my best to make sure I can share as much as possible with as much detail and feeling as I can. Just sitting here thinking about those days makes my throat get a slight lump and my eyes are starting to water. AHH! Get a grip Tara!

First I'll start with Convention....day one. Our convention was held in the beautiful Mt. Timpanogos Park in Provo Canyon, Utah, among the beautiful white tents that housed 1000's of story lovers and tellers celebrating the 19th anniversary of the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival. We had our own large tent nestled in the corner of the park where we met as consultants with our company's founders and corporate directors.

I arrived a day early and made my way to the empty park to meet with the 4 other national leaders and founders for a private leadership training. As I stood on a small hill in the park that overlooked the valley I couldn't believe what I was doing. I literally thought in my mind, "How lucky are you? How did I ever deserve such an opportunity?" I shook my head and found my way to our meeting under a beautiful wood pavilion that was warmed by the mountain sun where we officially began our conference.

The theme of our convention this year was "This is the moment...a moment you won't forget." Those words have never been more true! I kept repeating them in my head over and over again. I knew the very second I walked up the path and into the park that this would be a moment I would never, ever forget.

Day one of our scheduled convention was opened by our Co-Founder, Carol Rice. I could post 100 posts and still not be able to tell you how truly amazing this woman is. But for what it's worth, she is someone that I will continually strive to be like in all ways. She ranks among my most favorite people in the world...probably a hero. She spoke on "Ten Lessons from the Trail". She shared her personal experiences that she's had while hiking weekly in the local mountains. She related all of her trail lessons to those we can use within our business. Her simple lessons had a huge impact on all who listened in. She shared this beautiful quote..."There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few that will catch your heart...pursue them."

We were instructed on great basic business practices, one of the many great bonuses Cherish Bound consultants are blessed with. The business is basic and efficient, but the support from corporate makes it that much more attainable.

One of the most anticipated agenda items is always the unveiling of new products and programs! Oh, that's my favorite! I love to see what they've been working on and the amazing product ideas that they come up with. Just when I think we've tapped into every part of story, family, and publishing, they release more! Here is a list of new Cherish Bound product and tools that were officially released on Friday, August 28.

• Music Story Starter: This is the first of 3 Story Starters in the new Hobbies Collection. This story starter helps you to share your appreciation for music no matter your talent level and guides you through the writing process.
• Scouting Story Starter: Tell your scouting stories and memories with ease.
• My Collection (Series of Firsts): Only someone who shares your passion can truly understand what your collection means to you. Help your family and friends gain an appreciation for your obsession with this mini story starter.
• Places I've Called Home (Series of Firsts): This new addition to the Legacy Collection helps you remember all those special places and special times. The place combined with the moment is what made it important and deserves to be shared.

2 pre-made hardbound journals were added to complete the Journals collection.

• Favorites Journal: Our "favorites" define us; they help us claim our identity. Knowing our favorites reminds us that joy can be found in the little, simple things of life.
• Gratitude Journal: There's no question that an attitude of gratitude is beneficial. This small book will help you create a habit of gratitude in no time at all.

We also officially released our new Consultant Video. You can catch a link to view it right here. CLICK ME! You can meet me personally in this video... (wink-wink) We also released our new catalogs, opportunity brochures, and some other great consultant tools. VERY excited to use them all! We broke for lunch and then took our first adventure into the storytelling world. I have been to other festivals, but for some consultants this was their first time. It didn't matter if it was the first, second or third time, every single consultant and guest at the festival was swept away....I'll get into the storytelling more in a day or so. All I can say is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! We finished our night with a YUMMY dinner together and then celebrated our achievements and awards. I was quite surprised and pleased to find out that I was Top Recruiter, Had the most gatherings for the year and second in personal volume next to my wonderful, beautiful SIL (who is another one of my most favorite people in the world). It was an amazing year....but I think this year will be 100's better.....wish I could tell more.

Continued tomorrow...Day two of convention and the storytelling.