My Mentor and the Mentor of MILLIONS of Women! My Longtime Friendship with her...
MARY KAY ASHE
Mary Kay's First Book
Mary Kay Autographed Her First Book To Me!
Mary Kay's Second Book
Mary Kay Autographed her book for me!
Mary Kay's Third Book
I Feel Honored to have Mary Kay Autograph All Three of Her Books To Me!!!
Mary Kay and Me!
I began in Chicago, then moving to Arlington Heights, Illinois area and while I was still in High School won my schools 4 year Chicago Art Institute Scholorship, and that became a long story...I started work in a flower shop where I was the youngest ever to win a huge Chicagoland floral contest put on by a floral phone service FTD and Teleflora for experienced florists across the USA and Canada, and another long story...While raising a family, I ended up going to College to study Medicine when I encountered a big twist of fate...ANOTHER a long story.
Fast foward many years...After moving from the Chicagoland area it took about a year of just ‘moving in’ to Dallas. I went to the local college to see about picking up where I abruptly left off to see about ‘picking up the pieces’ to continue with my desire to get into Medicine! Baa…Booo nothing good came of my research! All the credits I earned were worthless in Texas! All the courses I struggled through to achieve my high A’s all were for naught…I thought at the time. Another door slammed in my face by God… but if it was "God’s will" I accepted the news trying not to be too upset. Little did I know… ‘a huge miracle’ was right around the corner.
A Letter From Mary Kay to me. I was at Mary Kay's House hundreds of times doing work around the house for her...this time I was an invited guest at one of her "grand parties" of which I did the fresh flowers for her home.
Mary Kay was always sending me little 'thank you notes'!
Itching to do something worthwhile with my life I was hired at a sort-of-flower shop. It was called“The Yellow Rose ofTexas” and all they had in flowers was all ‘silk flowers’! In a short amount of time my floral/artistic talents surpassed the other employees and I became ‘the head designer’ in the back room creating designs for customers orders. Since I was from the Chicagoland area and rooted for the Chicago Bears (at that time) when it came time for the Dallas Cowboys to be in the Super Bowl, I offered to work that day so a ‘Cowboy Fan’ could watch the game at home, since they were not my team at the time.
"Mary Kay" International Headquarters, Dallas, Texas
The production Building where all the cosmetics are created and made. I had many, many appointments with Mary Kay on the 8th floor, in her office, inside The International Headquatrers Building.
The Yellow Rose Store was crowded because of a ‘Super Sale’ in progress to lure people in because of the Cowboy game being on. I was working away in the backroom when a pretty blonde hair lady stuck her head through the backroom door and said ”Excuse me …the store is so busy…could you please help me?” I knew in an instant that it was Mary Kay!!! I began going to the Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas and found out quickly that that was the Church Mary Kay went to also and donated a lot of her money. So, I saw her around Church from time to time and knew exactly what she looked like. I listened to her request and we had an instant repore’…like lightening had just struck!!! We exchanged phone numbers right there and then with her saying “that I should call and meet her at her house since she had a lot of special places around her house she wanted some pretty ‘silk’ flowers” in. That was the beginning of “our very special relationship”! Mary Kay even remarked “that our meeting was God crossing our lives at just the right time”!
Mary Kay's little personal notes...
Another 'little note' from Mary Kay!
There are many years of events and stories that I have experienced with Mary Kay! My Daughter met Mary Kay many times because Mary Kay did not believe in a ‘baby sitter’. Mary Kay’s belief was God first, family second and work third. Because I was at her house so many times, my Daughter was home from school and Mary Kay did not hesitate to invite my Daughter to come with me. My Daughter, to entertain herself once when I was decorating Mary Kay’s bedroom, was to climb to the top of the curved stairs where Mary Kay’s ‘office’ was located and bloop-bloop-bloop down the staircase over and over! Mary Kay came in the bedroom and laughed at my little girl for being so cute! That is another example how very kind Mary Kay was…very humble and loving.
Mary Kay's "Thank You!" note
Mary Kay's note to me...
Now through the years…looking back, God had much more better plans for my life then Medicine! Flowers and Art became the common thread in my life weaving all my talents to become a very happy life for me. How many people can say that they found their niche’ in life? I was an Award Winning Florist for 53 years before I retired from that but running parallel, began the Freeze Drying Bouquet ‘arm’ in 1991 along with my Floral Wedding/Party/Designing Business, through the years which I will always continue doing, “Lord Willing” till my end.
One of the many Seminars I helped produce with my flower designs!
The Vendor's special entrance badges. I had to create many designs for banquets for Special MaryKay Consultants inside the Dallas Convention Center
One of many Mary Kay's many Conventions inside the Dallas Convention Center. This Seminar is Applause, Applause where Mary Kay is taking her 'TOP HAT' off to all her consultants. Applause for a 'job well done'!!!
FAVORS FOR THE CONSULTANTS! Over 8,000 Women attended. I had to make 100 centerpieces for each table in the conference room!
I am utilizing everything I went to school for. Now that I have three Freeze Dry Machines, and I am the leading Freeze Dry Preservationist in the Nation, I not only preserve flowers from every corner of our Nation but I also preserve food for my personal use. Cooking up recipes is much like Chemistry (something I excelled in) and cooking food properly is using my Microbiology knowledge (which I also excelled in) comes in handy. And the “Yellow Rose of Texas” where I was the head floral designer eventually turned into “Michaels” the huge chain store with ‘Silk Flowers and Crafts! My boss Allen, at the Yellow Rose had a Son Michael….It is all History now!
