It's hard to go from a week with the most amazing and fun friends a girl could ask for in a beautiful hotel in a beautiful city with five star food and STAMPING to real life, I'm not gonna lie.
My week at Convention began with the most incredible home cooked meal and family night at the home of my beloved Mel Hopes. We had chili verde and her homegrown corn, which was officially the best corn I've ever had. It was so crunchy and sweet it was like the Pop Rocks of vegetables.
At dinner, we just chilled - not knowing that we had the three groups of people that were going to be discussed at our keynote for Convention: Baby Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y (millennials).
Our keynote speaker was Jason Dorsey, a fellow Austinite, and he was HYSTERICAL. I laughed the entire time and also learned so much about, for example, why Baby Boomers always carry a pen and why Gen Y only reads the subject line of an email. Instead of wondering why in the heck these Gen Y people live at home until they're 30 now and feel so entitled, we now actually have some tips for how to communicate and work with this group of people with about a TRILLION in spending power. Yes, a trillion dollars. A trillion dollars will buy a LOT of stamps!
I think it was the best, funniest, and most informative keynote we've ever had at a Stampin' Up! convention. I can't wait to read his book.
I have two Baby Boomer siblings, and I am a Gen Xer so it was hilarious to hear the stereotypes about us that were so incredibly accurate. One of the things he said was that you could tell that a Baby Boomer planned the convention, because it started at 8 AM. Then, he said the Stampin' Up! staff asked him if he wanted to come EARLY to check everything out, and of course he said - "Uh, NO."
I, on the other hand, would have come two days early and tested everything three times and prepared two alternate backup plans for a complete systems failure scenario. With a pen. So much changes from one decade to the next.
Like milk delivery, for example. Here's a serious Baby Boomer card that the Gen Ys will never even understand. Especially those cursive letters, which they've never seen and can't read. :)
Two of my favorite Jason quotes were "it's not a text message if I have to SCROLL, mom" and, when he asked his dad why he had a land line, and his dad said "in case of emergency," Jason replied: "IT'S ATTACHED TO THE WALL!"
Here's an interview Jason did with CBS with some more great stats on millennials.
Everything about this year's convention was amazing. Our classes, the Make & Takes, ALL of it. I learned so much and I had so much quality (and by that I mean laughing) time with friends that it *might* last me until January, when we head to Orlando for Leadership.
Wanna go with me next year and see for yourself? There is a VERY fun incentive for August, so if you have a wishlist already, just let me know and you will score some serious goodies starting August 1.
In the meantime, I'll just be sitting here, with my pen, writing cards in cursive to my Baby Boomer and Gen X and Y friends that I already miss so much.
Look at the post below for a recap of all the happenings and some beautiful stamped projects, and thanks for stopping by.
Loveyameanitbye.
