My very first pop concert...

Well... I guess this wasn't my first pop concert; I saw George Lam at the Hong Kong Coliseum several years ago but that wasn't a "traditional" pop star's concert. I loved seeing George live, don't get me wrong, but he didn't have back up dancers, rotating stages, wardrobe changes and everything else I think of when I imagine a pop concert. I've seen all the TV concert specials (New Kids on the Block, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncė, etc) and I've always wanted to be there. Being right in the thick of it seems like it'd be an amazing spectacle.

This is the best picture I could find from the George Lam concert. It was in 2011 and phone cameras weren't that great.

Last year, Justin Timberlake's Man of the Woods tour announced that they were making a stop in Oklahoma City and there it was-- my golden opportunity! I've loved Mr. Timberlake ever since N'SYNC (speaking of N'SYNC, which one of them is the Rabbit on The Masked Singer TV show???) and Man of the Woods is one of my favorite albums by him. I purchased our tickets in March of 2018 and actually forgot all about the concert until I got an email reminder from TicketMaster. Saturday January 26th finally rolled around and the show did not disappoint. Totally worth the wait! I read an article stating that the concept of the show was to "bring the outside in," and boy did they! 😍 The stage was ah-mazing!!! I enjoyed the stage/props and lighting displays more than the actual concert... Justin Timberlake put on one hell of a show but it could have been anyone singing on that stage and I would have still loved it because the production was just that good. LOL

Let me try to describe it for you: the large main stage (where the band was set up) was situated toward the back of the arena and it lead out onto a winding catwalk lined with faux trees. The show was at the Chesapeake Arena, which is round, and Justin's creative team made sure that everyone sitting anywhere could get a good view of the performance. The winding stage ended at a round mini-stage that had grass that sprouted out from underneath the stage. All along the catwalk were trap doors that produced back up dancers and microphone stands. There was also a small campfire scene, some ramps, and a large projector that showed outdoorsy backgrounds on screens that hung from the ceiling. And LASERS!!! So many lasers!!!! I've decided that my favorite part of any concert is the laser light show. I've also decided that if reincarnation is indeed real, I am going to study theater and production in my next life (assuming I come back as a humanoid) so I can work on the artistic team of a large production because my favorite part of any concert, Broadway musical and movie is always the set design. Well, that and costumes.

The concert supposedly started at 7:30pm but we had to sit through two hours of DJ Freestyle Steve before Justin Timberlake came out. DJ Freesyle Steve was supposed to hype up the crowd and he sort of did--but I found him mostly to be annoying. He kept repeating the same things over and over... it was "OKC are we ready to party?", "Gurl I see you!", and "Where my die-hard JT fans at?" on a constant loop. We also saw Francisco Yeats. He is a Canadian singer and a pretty famous song writer (I had never heard of him so I Googled him as he performed his set). He sang a bunch of cover songs, but after discovering that he's a pretty prolific songwriter, they're probably songs he co-wrote, so not actual covers. He did a lot of Prince- and James Brown-inspired dancing (although I thought he looked more like Jimmy Fallon doing his silly dances) and he put on a Thunder jersey with Westbrook's number. That got the crowd to like him! Smart kid. And after all that, the stage cleared and we still had to wait another 45-minutes for the real show to begin. I thought it was a little weird because the opening acts wasted all their time pumping up the crowd just to have it pewter out during the long wait. By the time Justin Timberlake came out, everyone was playing games on their phone, scrolling through social media or just milling about the hallways. 

I remember really really enjoying the concert but I don't remember anything specific... except for that awesome stage. Justin Timberlake performed songs from each of his solo albums and I liked Mirrors (the projection screen showed a kaleidoscope of several Justin Timberlakes) and Morning Light (the stage turned into a campfire scene) the best. His Man of the Woods logo and surrounding lasers was absolutely mesmerizing. The choreography and back up dancers were also super entertaining (every time I see a concert or music video I always look to see if I can recognize any former So You Think You Can Dance contestants; I did not see any this time). Justin Timberlake wore his Russell Westbrook designed Nikės and at one point, incorporated "Boomer Sooner" into his lyrics. Oh and at the beginning of the show, the large projector showed a video of The Tennessee Kids singing Thank God I'm a Country Boy (John Denver). I already knew I would enjoy the concert, but surprisingly, Wes did, too. He even said he liked Francisco Yeats! LOL So that was the first concert of 2019. We'll be seeing LP in March and possibly Ozzy Osborne in June.  Get ready for more travel blogs! (And less craft show blogs.. we'll talk about that later...)

RagsReborn's 2018 Review

It is currently 11:35am on Tuesday, January 1st, 2019. Happy New Year, y'all! 🎇🎉(that second emoji is supposed to be a "party popper," but it totally looks like a taco or some sort of food to me, LOL) I decided to use the #2018bestnine app yesterday to generate my highest liked pictures of the year. Some good ones came up - endometriosis awareness, the dress I designed and made for American Sewing Guild contest, the Kesha concert, my drastic haircut, I gained Excel certification, endometriosis awareness (again!), Athena with Santa Paws, Crazy Rich Asians, and sadly, only one craft show picture. And even worse, there weren't any pictures of my sewing process or finished products. Well, that just means I need to work harder this year.

Earlier this morning, I tabulated all of my craft show information (items sold per show, expenses, and all that boring accounting stuff). I only participated in sixteen shows--which is still a lot but I think I did over twenty the year before. I spent most of my time (and money) on growing my sewing skill set. I took a sewing class that spanned several weeks and totally immersed myself in American Sewing Guild. Oh, and I also bought a ton of new stuff for my sewing room. So, 2018 wasn't the best year financially for RagsReborn. That being said, I still had a handful of marvelous craft shows. The top one being The Santa Market, closely followed by Wanderlust and Sleigh Bells Market.

I opened my Etsy store in late November of 2014, just in time for the holiday shopping season. I told myself that I would give it three years to decide if being a small business owner would be a viable option for me. My three years are over and I've decided that nope, being a small business owner is absolutely not a good career choice. Dude, I totally suck at sales! While other vendors are chatting up everyone who walks near their booth and making $500+ at craft shows, I'm over here being socially awkward. That used to make me feel so horrible (and jealous). Something happened last summer... a complete switch in mindset. I was still the quiet girl who politely greeted customers and let them browse while I sat in the corner of my booth and read... but I noticed that I was still making sales. I only gabbed with a few customers per show but I was having real conversations with those that did stop and talk. I made friends and gained repeat customers. Most importantly, I stopped comparing myself to other vendors. I finally realized that RagsReborn Gifts is not a job, and I don't want it to be a job or a career. That's too much pressure.  I will never sell $1,000 at a craft show, like the "successful" vendors do. My products will never be picked up to be sold in local boutiques. And that is just fine. All I want is to create in my sewing room and then show off all my awesome talent. RagsReborn is a hobby, a hobby that I am really passionate about. I'm actually proud of myself and I don't need sales to justify that feeling. All that matters is that I bring top notch quality items to each and every show. For 2018, that is exactly what happened. I hope to keep that positive momentum going for 2019. I'm taking a few months off to experiment with new inventory (I will be sewing unicorn shaped stuffed animals...for all of you who keep asking if I have unicorns 🦄) and restocking everything else. I look forward to putting my spring craft show schedule together... I hope to see you soon!

Erica's birthday Dallas, TX trip.

This is 34. 

By the way, my birthday was over two weeks ago (12/14). I've always blogged waaaay after the event I'm writing about happened so I decided to continue with the tradition. LOL Actually, I started writing when we got back from Texas--quick notes, half formed paragraphs and pictures--but then I got super busy with last minute custom orders and Christmas festivities. (Merry belated Christmas guys; I hope yours was delightful! 🎄) Then when I had time again earlier this week, I wondered why I was even doing this. Who reads this stuff? If I'm writing it for myself, to preserve my travels and memories, will I even read it twenty or thirty years from now? I have so many journals and photo albums that I never share with others or revisit myself. But, whatever, I'm waiting on dinner to finish cooking & for a tv show to start so I might as well just finish this blog post, too.

My mother-in-law travels with her boyfriend for all their special holidays (birthday, Thanksgiving, Mother's Day, etc.) At first I found it weird because those are days you should be in town celebrating with friends and family. But, then Wes & I started skipping out on holidays, too, and it was probably the best decision ever. Well, maybe not the best decision ever but still a pretty darn good idea. I have very limited family and only a handful of individuals who I would consider friends (and who would be kind enough to call me a friend to them... that's the tricky part... you can say you have X number of friends but how many of those people could turn around and claim you has one of their friends, too?) Anyway, I could host a birthday party and invite a bunch of people over or grab drinks with coworkers or go to a fancy dinner with family. Or, I could do what I want on my birthday with just me & my husband. Sorry friends & family--you can call me a selfish b*tch if you want--but I chose the latter.

On my actual birthday, we went to WAGU Japanese BBQ for dinner. It's one of those places that has a mini grill attached to the table for you to cook your own food. Maybe it's because I enjoy cooking  anyway but I absolutely love those restaurants. Sure, I'll pay extra for the privilege to cook my own food!! The menu consisted of various cuts and types of meat. I don't remember everything we got but I do remember the delicious wagu beef (also Wes's favorite) and duck. The next morning, we headed to Texas. (I swear one of these days, we'll take an actual vacation that requires a plane and time zone change but for now, we're enjoying our little driving-out-of-town getaways.)

Yes, I insisted we take a selfie inside the IKEA cafe. We were holding delicious cinnamon rolls but my arm wasn't long enough to get both us and the desserts in the frame. 

The main reason why we went to Dallas was not for my birthday...it was for Wes to go to IKEA to buy an entertainment center for his game room. We tried to buy one in town but he couldn't find one he liked. Then the IKEA fall catalog arrived. LOL I enjoy wandering around IKEA so I completely agreed that this would be a fun way to spend the weekend. We actually didn't even buy the entertainment center he saw in the catalog. It didn't look as great in person. So he got another one that was almost too long to fit in my car. Well, it did fit in my car but it blocked all my blind spots. (And I'm a stressed out driver as it is, there was no way I was driving around Dallas with zero blind spot for the remainder of the weekend.) The hard part was maneuvering both of our seats and the entertainment center at just the right angles to not block the back windows. It took a few tries but we got it to fit comfortably and we headed onto our next destination.

This place boasted an impressive brunch menu, with congee (my favorite) and a Thai omelette that Wes really wanted to try. The next time we're in Dallas, it'll have to be on a Sunday between 10am - 3pm.

Which was food. YES!! Always food! 😋 I'm in charge of planning out where we eat when we travel and the last time we took a trip, I totally bombed in restaurant choices. I had to redeem myself with this trip. And, I'm happy to say that I did. We went to Malai, a modern Thai Vietnamese fusion restaurant. It was so good all around- the food was excellent, the atmosphere was hip and the staff was very nice. The restaurant has its own brewery and one of the featured beers was a Thai-P-A (get it... like an IPA). We started with this sticky rice ball that was wrapped in banana leaves and some spicy eggplant dipping sauce. I've never had sticky rice served that way before and I really liked the chunky sauce. Wes got Chiang Mai Noodles and I got the Shrimp Pad Thai. I enjoyed mine especially because it didn't have very many onions or bean sprouts (two ingredients that I usually pick out of my dishes). I also liked that the portions weren't huge so I could actually finish my meal without feeling too full. It was a little spicy but that was my fault for not having our waiter fully explain the spiciness scale.

Day two, we headed to an Asian strip-mall in Carrollton. Along with Wes's entertainment center, we initially ventured down here to purchase some guardian lions. You've seen them in front of Asian restaurants... those giant jade or marble lions that flank the front entrance. We decided that we wanted a pair for our back patio. Because I am an Asian stereotype and I'm not mad about it. Speaking of being an Asian stereotype, every time we travel anywhere near a 99 Ranch Market (which until now, I thought was pronounced Ranch 99), I must go inside to admire the foods of the motherland. Wes likes it, too, so its not just me being weird. Unfortunately, we weren't able to buy any of the delicious awesomeness (but you better bet that I hit up each and every single one of the ladies handing out free samples LOL) because it was a warm day and everything would have spoiled in my car on the drive home. When will our Asian supermarket expand to 99 Ranch size?? Oh and we didn't find any of those lion statues. We thought that they might only be sold in the spring and summer time since they're outdoor decorations.

I was actually so excited to go to the Asian supermarket that we got that waaaay too early (apparently stores open later on Sundays...😒) The only place open when we arrived at the strip-mall was the bakery. Last spring, a fellow student in my sewing class told me about 85°C Bakery Cafe. He said it was the best Vietnamese bakery and he and his husband stock up on treats every time they go to Texas. I was intrigued. The best Vietnamese bakeries that I've been to were in Houston. Okay, Joshua, you win... 85°C Bakery Cafe was outstanding! I got an egg tart and Wes got a coconut croissant. I also got the salted caramel latte, their seasonal special, which was not such a good idea. It was all salt and no caramel. I wanted to buy all the pastries but, again, it would have all spoiled in my car on the drive home. After breakfast, we wandered into Kinokuniya (a Japanese bookstore that we first visited in Sydney, Aus several years ago... our first trip together... do I have a blog post about that vacation somewhere?) and Diaso (an Asian version of the 99¢ store, only nothing was 99¢). Wes loved Kinokuniya. I'm not a fan of anime or manga but it was still neat to look at everything that was in there. I enjoyed browsing Daiso more. There were so many crazy things in there. Like odd little gadgets and cutesy items that you can only find on the streets of Chinatown. I bought some llama shaped post-it notes and ankle toe socks. 😆

Our last stop for the weekend was Hi, Sweetie for rolled ice cream. I first heard about Thai rolled ice cream on an episode of The Splendid Table podcast last summer. Ever since, I've been wanting to try it. We were going to go to a restaurant that had it when we were in Kansas for the Goo Goo Dolls concert but it ended up being way out of the way so we skipped it. 😔 It took quite a bit of driving around an enormous shopping center but we finally found Hi, Sweetie and it was well worth the confusing drive. I ordered the Oero mint chocolate chip ice cream. The chef poured some milk and an Oero onto a freezing cold surface and swished it around until it froze into ice cream. It was so rad. I was watching like a wide-eyed little kid. It was also pretty and it tasted good. Several other patrons came in while we were there and I stayed by the ice cream station and watched him make each order. He probably thought, "Yup, this one is definitely a tourist." Hahaha. 

Anyway, that concludes my birthday trip. Year #33 had its ups and downs (as all years do, so why am I typing such an annoying cliche?) I am looking forward to my thirty fourth trip around the sun. I hope for lots of laughter, light and love. I plan to continue growing as a person and travelling to eat all the yummy foods! As I sit here on New Year's Eve with my personal reflections, I wanted to let you guys know that you are enough. It took me thirty three whole years to figure that one out. I am a socially awkward, proud Chinese girl, with a face that inspires a makeover, who will never have children, am overly passionate about my small business (RagsReborn Gifts), has a hard time making new friends and, despite all that, I AM ENOUGH. So, please please remember that you, too, are enough just the way you are. Happy New Year, all, here's to 2019. 🥂

Erica & Wes go see the Goo Goo Dolls...

... because they are Erica's favorite band of all time and they were touring to perform Erica's favorite album of all time (Dizzy Up The Girl) which contains Erica's favorite song of all time, Slide. Wes, on the other hand, does not like the Goo Goo Dolls at all, which makes him the best husband of all time for making this pilgrimage with me. The Goo Goo Dolls are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Dizzy Up The Girl's release this year with a special tour in which they perform the album in its entirety. The tour wasn't coming to Oklahoma but the next closest location with a convenient date was Kansas City, MO. So it was another road trip for us! (Original trip date was Sunday, October 28, 2018)

The Kansas Tollway has the best (cleanest) rest stops. Also, I got a new phone and the portrait mode is amazing. 

I think one of our absolute favorite things to do is to take road trips. The concert didn't start until 8pm so we took our time driving into town. The drive from Oklahoma City to Kansas City is about 85% tollway so that was a plus. Their tollway is also much smoother than ours, or maybe it just seemed nicer because there was much less construction. There was a ton of roadkill, though... opossums, deer, raccoons, you name it, we saw it. Besides that, the drive was really pretty. The majority of the countryside was trees that had changed to their autumn colors.

Dinner at Artego: those were the messiest wings I have ever eaten...ever. Wes said the calzone was a ripoff because it was mostly dough with only four tiny pepperonis in the center. 

Wes booked us a room in the very stylish Fontaine hotel. Super sleek and modern place! It was early evening and I assumed we had plenty of time to grab dinner and arrive fairly early to the concert.  We decided to go to Q39, a hip barbecue restaurant with good reviews online.What I did not anticipate was that Sunday night football was going on and the Kansas City Chiefs were playing. We got to the restaurant and were faced with a one hour wait because we didn't have reservations. Who makes reservations to a casual barbecue restaurant? On a Sunday? Apparently, football fans do. LOL The next closest eatery without a wait was Artego. It's a pizza place but I got buffalo wings and Wes got a calzone. Maybe we should have gotten pizza because the food we ordered was not very good.

We sat in the balcony so my pictures are a bit small. 

We arrived safely to Missouri, checked into the hotel, had our dinner and now it was time for the main event - GOO GOO DOLLS!!!! 😍 The concert was at the Uptown Theater. It is an old theater turned into a concert venue. The renovations left most of the original decor and style of the theater in tact, which I liked. Wes noted that it was very similar to the House of Blues in Dallas, TX. This was my second time seeing the Goo Goo Dolls perform live. The first was several years ago with my friend, Lacey. They came to Lucky Star Casino in some small town in Oklahoma. The show was amazing and I loved every minute of it but I think this show was a hundred times better. The band was much more personable and interacted with the audience a lot. I asked Lacey if they told any personal stories or jokes at the concert we went to and she said they didn't. I didn't remember any either. This time around, their set was peppered with anecdotes about the origins of each song and observations from the band.

As promised, they performed each song from Dizzy Up The Girl. It was so good. I could probably rant & rave for several paragraphs and use way too many adjectives to describe it but I won't. After a short set change, they performed a bunch of other songs from their catalog. It seemed like a bonus for me since I thought the concert would be over after Dizzy Up The Girl. Then after the second half of the show, they came out for an encore. Extra bonus! 😁 It was such a fantastic, extraordinary, rad concert. Probably tied in first place for the best concert I've ever attended (tied with The Darkness at House of Blues in Dallas https://ragsreborn.blogspot.com/2016/05/wes-erica-celebrated-their-first.html). For most of my childhood, music was just something in the background as I rode in the car or did my homework. But then in middle school, I heard Slide, and it was a song. I stopped to listen to the chords and pay attention to the lyrics. I know most people discover music much earlier in their lives but I never really cared until then. I don't follow celebrities in their personal lives so I have no idea if the Goo Goo Dolls are outstanding role models or not, but I absolutely delight in their music, song writing, and singing ability.

After the concert, we made our way back to the hotel. Wes said he enjoyed the concert even though it wasn't his favorite genre of music. I remained a giddy adoring fan for the remainder of the night. LOL The next morning, we had breakfast at the hotel's restaurant (no reservations needed, haha!) With full bellies, we headed back on the road for home. I usually do a fairly good job in researching eating establishments for our road trips but I totally sucked this time around. For lunch we stopped at Chiang Mai, a Thai restaurant in Wichita. It was presented as a unique and authentic hole-in-the-wall place but neither of us really enjoyed our meal. Wes's was too Americanized (chicken breast with a side of barbecue sauce) and my noodles were mostly onions and cabbage. 😒 I'll have to work extra hard in finding good places to eat on our next trip.

At least the restaurant was decorated with cool eclectic stuff. 

Wes got coffee flavored sparking water. Barf!

Chiang Mai was next to an Asian grocery store so we went exploring after lunch. It was also pretty disappointing. None of the snacks we got for the drive home were all that yummy. So I guess everything was sort of a let down except for the concert, WHICH WAS AMAZING! Oh and the drive was also really nice. And that's the last of the travel log for 2018. I'm working on planning two big trips for 2019. I guess we'll resume my journal entries then. See ya!

RagsReborn's Holiday Craft Show Schedule

No need to stress out about gift giving this year... do all your shopping at craft shows!! 

We've made it through October and now the holidays are upon us. It's time for my annual plea for everyone to shop local. As artisans, we devote so much time, resources and energy into crafting a unique handmade product that we are proud of. Although it might be quicker or cheaper to buy all your gifts on Amazon or at Wal-Mart, I really want to encourage you to support local small businesses. I have five spectacular Christmas-themed craft shows for you to check out. And if you want a custom order, please contact me at ragsreborngifts@gmail.com and @RagsRebornGifts through all forms of social media.

The Handmade Show
Saturday, November 3, 2018
9am - 4 pm
The Crown Center
13300 S. Western Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73170
https://www.facebook.com/events/1694611277241281/ 

The Santa Market
Friday, November 16, 2018
5pm - 9pm
Saturday, November 17, 2018
9am - 5pm
Edmond Community Center
28 E. Main, Edmond, OK 73034
https://www.facebook.com/events/1768096889875914/

Jasco Merry Market
Friday, November 30, 2018
11am - 3pm
Jasco Products
10 E. Memorial Rd., Oklahoma City, OK 73114
https://www.facebook.com/events/442100122967689/

Sleigh Bells Market
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Noon - 5:30pm
Farmers Public Market
311 N. Klein Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73108
https://www.facebook.com/events/218957648645815/

Christmas Bazaar
Saturday, December 8, 2018
9am - 3pm
Central Presbyterian Church
5101 N. May Ave., Oklahoma City, OK 73112
https://www.facebook.com/events/283025395755159/

I've participated in all of these shows before and I can say that they are all great! If you're looking for handmade products, I'd suggest The Handmade Show and Sleigh Bells Market, as those two exclusively allow artisans. If you like a mix of everything (and I mean everything), The Santa Market is for you. The Merry Market and Christmas Bazaar are smaller shows but also have good variety in terms of handmade crafts and direct sales products. Most of these shows serve breakfast & lunch and have activities for children so they're a perfect way to have some family fun as well as getting your Christmas shopping done. I hope to see you soon! 🎄🎅🤶

Wes & Erica go to Linde Oktoberfest Tulsa

This blog is quickly changing from DIY craft instructions into my own personal travel journal (complete with fun photos! 😀)  I used to journal excessively in my teens and early twenties. I guess that part of me is being revived. LOL Again, its not Monday but how about a little Wednesday travel blog?

Wes and I have been going to the Oktoberfest celebration in Choctaw, OK for a few years now. Earlier this year, I caught wind of the Linde Oktoberfest in Tulsa, OK. 🍺 Its supposed to be one of the best in the nation. The festival "celebrates authentic Bavarian culture and represents an incredible setting patterned after the Munich Oktoberfest in Bavaria, Germany." Their website also stated that the festival "hosts international German bands, Bavarian delicacies, authentic arts & crafts and competitions." I went for the food, beer and mainly, the Dachshund Dash (aka adorable wienie dog races and Halloween costume contest!) A few days before we went, I told a coworker about our plans and she convinced her boyfriend to go so they met us there.

Audrey, Ryan, me and Wes

The festival lasted several days but I chose to go on Sunday because that wast the day of the Dachshund Dash. 🐕 The activities started with a Halloween costume contest and parade. The winner was a pup dressed in lederhosen and suspenders. Its owners were also dressed in traditional German attire. My favorite was a group of wienie dogs dressed as a flock of sheep. After the winners were announced, the races started. The contestants were divided into heats and each dog was placed into a wooden box (the starting gate). The gate was opened and the dogs busted out! A few of the dogs knew to run toward their owners at the finish line but the majority of them were just confused and ran in circles. It was so stinkin' adorable!! We saw some owners with squeaky toys and treats at the finish line to lure their pup toward them faster. There were over thirty heats so we didn't stay for them all. It was announced that Mustang Sally won (she was also the winner in last year's competition).

The rest of the afternoon was dedicated toward exploring the beer and food. There were tons of (SO SO MANY!) beer tents and food vendors. I wish I had come hungrier! The only downside was that items could only be purchased with tickets. Each ticket was $1 and had to be bought in advance at one of the concession stands. We spent the majority of our time walking around trying to add up how much food and drink we wanted so we could buy the proper amount of tickets. We settled on Polish platter for Wes (rice, sauerkraut and pierogis) with beers - a Breckenridge Vanilla Porter and a Benediktiner Oktoberfest (which I really liked and should have gotten one for myself) and a German platter for me (bratwurst, sauerkraut and potato salad) and Bavarian cheesecake with beers - a 401K and a Kona Hanalei Island IPA. The 401K was really light and citrus flavored, yum! The other one was supposed to taste like tropical fruits but I didn't think it did all too much, so not yum. We listened to some polka music while we ate; no one wanted to participate in the chicken dance with me. 😔 Before heading out, we stopped by the arts & crafts tents. There were a couple of unique vendors but most of them were either direct sales or cheap toys/clothes that are also sold at state fairs. I was a little disappointed but that could be because I'm a craft show snob. LOL All in all, it was a good day out with friends. The Linde Oktoberfest Tulsa lived up to all its hype and we had a wonderful afternoon.

#paycom20

Good morning! 🌞 Yes... morning!!! I know its not Monday, this won't be about a cool DIY craft and its not nighttime -- so Monday Craft Night is out the window -- but I feel like writing about fun stuff I've done. I'm actually pretty impressed with myself because throughout the month of October, I've participated in five craft shows (aka I've been sewing non-stop) but I still have maintained a rich social life. For me to have any type of social life is pretty rare so being able to boast of a rich social life in the middle of the busiest craft show season is amazingly impressive. Go me!

I have to include a craft show picture since I mentioned shows.

On October 12th, 2018, Paycom celebrated being in business for twenty years. Paycom is, according to its website, "an online payroll and human resource technology provider... a software solution that helps companies manage the complete employment cycle, from recruitment to retirement." Wes has been an employee in the Tax and Withholding department for almost two years. All employees (and one approved guest) were invited to the big celebration. Wes informed me that there would be food and entertainment... and that it would be outside in the parking lot. I was thinking they'd have a few food trucks and a local band. Nope. They converted the entire parking lot into a concert arena (complete with legit security and really nice porta-potties) and flew in Gavin DeGraw and Flo Rida. Can you think of a more odd pairing?

Outdoor event in the evening = not every good photos. I guess I could have used the flash or a filter but whatever.

Employees and guests started trickling in around 6:30pm and we were treated to an insanely organized cookout. The hamburgers, hot dogs and trimmings were set up in several orderly buffet lines. There were volunteers who monitored, reminding us to only take one cake pop, but were mostly non-intrusive. Promptly at 8pm, we were instructed to move our lawn chairs (the employee appreciation gift for the evening) to the stage area where senior staff would be giving a presentation. To ensure that everyone was gathered at the presentation, the food from the cookout was cleaned up and put away. I have never seen such a large group move so efficiently and obediently. There was easily over a thousand people present at the event and everyone moved swiftly as a unit. I commented on this to Wes and he told me that this is how the entire company operates. The Paycom system is so efficiently arranged and its attention to detail is mind blowing.  All employees know that there is an assigned time for everything (time to arrive, time to have lunch, time to participate in team-building events, etc) and they just know to go... no questions, confusion or resistance.

Gavin DeGraw

Members of senior staff and the CEO, Chad, each gave speeches on Paycom's success with statistics and personal antidotes. The only thing I remember is Chad telling us that Paycom started before the majority of companies had Internet access for their employees. So when he was making his sales pitches to their very first clients, he would bring AOL trial cds so he could install Internet on the client's computer in order to show them Paycom's online software. How crazy is that? Can you even imagine a company with no Internet? And think of how that was only a mere twenty years ago? Anyway, after the presentation, Gavin DeGraw took to the stage. I enjoyed his music in the early 2000s and was pretty excited to watch him perform. He put on a good show--sang well and engaged the audience. He performed all of his singles as well as a few other songs. At the end of his set, he thanked Paycom for inviting him to the celebration and joked that Paycom must financially stable because the company could afford to hire him & his band and they are expensive. LOL A few of Wes's friends found is in the audience (we were toward the back) and invited us to sit with them in the front row. While taking their final bows, the band was tossing out memorabilia and I caught the drummer's drum stick! Thanks for getting us to the front row, Tara & Misty!

Flo Rida (I just realized that his name spells Florida, which upon Googling, I learned that's where he's from.)

A slide show featuring Paycom's prominent clients and staff wishing the company a happy "birthday" played during the set change. Then the entire atmosphere changed as Flo Rida started to perform. All of the previous structure and seriousness flew out the window as employees, management and even the CEO himself hopped on stage to sing and dance with Flo Rida. The party had begun. And the most impressive part was that there was no alcohol involved. LOL You can't really tell from the photos, but Flo Rida has a shiny sparkly wardrobe. Literally everything he wore was studded in diamonds... his shirt, sunglasses and jewelry, which is expected, but also his pants and shoes were outfitted in bling. He performed all of his singles as well as some other artists' songs. He ended the night with the song My House and changed the lyrics to "Welcome to Paycom". That song was stuck in my head for the following week. 😐 Paycom's CEO, Chad, sprayed sparkling cider (some say it was champagne) into the audience and was carried like a rock star through the audience on one of Flo Rida's security guard's shoulders. Both Chad and Flo Rida triumphantly left the stage signalling that the party was over.

Being the curmudgeon that I am, I silently wondered if Paycom had a city noise permit for this party. Flo Rida performed well past my bedtime (and I assumed the neighborhood's bedtime as well). Wes said that the next day, Paycom's social media was flooded with noise complaints. Hahahahaha! Neighborlyness aside, it was a fun night and every generous of Paycom to offer a celebration of that scope to its employees. Congrats on 20 years of success and here's to twenty more! 🍻