Back from Vegas!

 Hello, all!

I pray this finds you and your family enjoying the last days of summer - hard to believe how quickly summer has flown.

I am back from the amazing balloon education in Las Vegas. I have yet to unpack all of my "balloon stuff" but I will eventually get there... maybe by January if it is anything like last year. Hee hee.

For those who have been receiving these updates for a while, you will notice the new picture - I was blessed to have the opportunity to have my picture taken by Richard Faverty of Beckett Studios in Las Vegas, while I was out there, and was thrilled to have the picture above as a result of our quick photo session. He is a pleasure to work with!

I was able to enjoy Las Vegas with great friends who I have met in this fun, balloon industry.

I have posted pictures from this event on my Facebook Fan Page and they may be viewed here.  Many thanks to the generous individuals who stepped up and "saved the day" by creating these events in less than one month's time: Don Caldwell, Tawney Bubbles, Todd Neufeld (Alternajam) and Mark Zettler (Balloonstitute). Catching the magician, Jeff McBride, at Alternajam was an extra amazing bonus. I'm not a magician by any means but he made it look like fun and was an EXCELLENT speaker!

One of my favorite moments was hanging out with Laura Caldwell, aka Annie Banannie, at Alternajam.
She is as sweet in person as I imagined her to be. Kind of a bummer that I am located on the East Coast and she is on the West Coast but then it is probably lucky for her as I would be one of her groupies! ; )

Balloonatic RN, Annie Banannie & Miss Balloon Heart

I was blessed to spend most of my time with my buddy, Diane, aka Balloonatic RN, the majority of the trip. We saw the sites together and attended many of the classes together. We even were able to take in a Vegas show with our new friend from Australia, Matt.

Okay, so, yes, this educational trip was great. I learned a ton that I will be able to use in my business over the next year and years beyond. Now that I am back in Pennsylvania....

                   ...the CBA Exam that I was scheduled to take in Vegas will be held in New Jersey next month so I have a few weeks left to prepare and study for that. September 15th is exam day! I do need to say that I love the CBA program, I went from being unsure about doing decor to having a solid foundation and confidence in creating beautiful decor. I can not honestly say that I am super calm about the exam but I know it will be over before I know it - it is feeling a little too college-like for my taste...you know... read the entire 500-page textbook and there will be 5 questions worth 100 points total, kind of thing. ; )

This coming Friday, I have the privilege of decorating a wedding and am very much looking forward to that event. I will be sure to post pictures. I will be at my regularly scheduled restaurants, as well, this week, Red Robin, Exeter on Tuesday evening and Friendly's on Shoemaker Rd. in Pottstown on Wednesday.

May you all have a blessed week. As always, thanks for taking the time in your day to read my blog!

Christine
aka Miss Balloon Heart
"Balloon Genie"

The hot air balloon was created in Robbie Furman's Floating Decor Pieces class... the bride and groom I added later in a silly moment. They are also his designs but not exactly his recommended placement. : ) 

Birthday Wishes to a Special Woman, My Availability and Other Things...

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I have to open with a quick shout-out to my wonderful mother! Mom, thanks for always being there for me. For being the best mother a girl could ever ask for and for always speaking the truth - even when it hurts. : ) Your support of me through the years has always been something I appreciate beyond words. I count you as one of my greatest blessings. I love you very much. Happy Birthday, Mom!

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For everyone else... thanks for spending some time in your busy schedule to read my blog. Here is what I have to "say" this unbelievably hot weekend.

New Blog Layout

What do you think? Like it? Hate it? Let me know. : )

My Availability

I have had more than a few people, recently, ask about my availability on booking events, so I thought I would take a moment to address this. As many of you know, my husband was diagnosed with colon cancer this past March. He had the tumor removed and is cancer-free, praise God! However, due to his young age, the doctors advised that he have a round of chemo to catch any potential microscopic cells of cancer that could possibly be floating around in his system. He is currently in the midst of his chemo treatments and we are adjusting to what a very good friend of mine calls our "new normal." : ) This being said, I cut my available hours drastically for the months he is undergoing chemotherapy. I AM currently booked through mid-November. My website calendar has been updated and if I am available to work, the calendar will say "available". If you have an event that you would like Miss Balloon Heart to attend, check it out! Believe it or not, I already have requests for 2011 dates in the works! So, yes, I AM taking bookings but NO, I do not have availability before November 20th, 2010.

Professional Balloon Education

Yes, there are balloon conventions and you would not believe how many of them there are! It is actually quite hard to choose which to attend but then at the same time, it is wonderful that there are so many options as we all have different schedules and needs. I will be receiving my next dose of professional training in August. I was scheduled to attend Diamond Jam and Balloon Camp in Las Vegas. We received word, about a week ago that the event was canceled! Yes, registrations paid and plane tickets purchased. What is a gal to do?  Thankfully, my dismay did not last long as angels in this industry stepped up and planned within a week's time two events for those of us who were unable to get out of our travel arrangements (that would be me). 


I will be attending AlternaJam on August 9th - this focus is for balloon twisters and entertainers and then Balloonstitute on August 10th and 11th - these days the focus will be on balloon decor. Thank you to all of the amazing individuals who stepped up to run these events!


Another change with the cancellation of the convention is that the CBA Exam that I had planned to take while in Vegas was canceled as well. Thankfully, Pioneer scheduled one in New Jersey in September, so all of my studying and preparation will be able to be put to use fairly soon AND I am able to drive there. Woo hoo! 


There is probably more to write but I believe that is enough for one week. : ) I know many of you have been praying for my husband and our family and we appreciate that beyond words. We truly are doing as well as we possibly could be doing and can not wait until hubby's final chemo treatment! 


I leave you with this fun search story video that I took a few minutes to make. Try one for your business, too. It is cute and super easy create. Thanks to Dale Obrochta for sharing it with others!






Creating Spectacular Memories with Balloons,

Christine Maziarz
a.k.a. Miss Balloon Heart
"Balloon Genie"