Mrs. P

Mrs. P. You frightened me just enough to make me behave, but not enough to NOT try to get away with shit. I remember when we were in New Zealand and Lori, Becky and I snuck out of our hotel and walked to McDonald's (in the middle of the night). When we got to McD's, there you were... I believe you scolded us first and then gave us a ride back. How did you even know we had escaped? 

When we went to Europe... The rule was "no candy", but we smuggled it in our suitcases anyway. You knew we had it. You just pretended we didn't... I believe it was in Amsterdam and we had our own little party in Shannon's room, but we were supposed to be in bed. I think it was you (but it might have been Peggy) that walked in, saw the candy and turned around and walked out. 

Not. A. Single. Word. Was. Spoken.

I still have my jacket, Mrs. P. Remember when we were in England and people stopped us for our autographs? 

We were "celebrities" for a minute. You let us soak it in, because you knew when we got home we would be "nobody's" again.

But we were always "somebody" to you. 

I think

I believe

No matter what country we were in... I always knew we'd be safe. You could yell at us, but lord help anyone who tried to hurt us. The truth is... we never, EVER wanted to disappoint you (at least we never wanted to get caught by you).

Do you remember us Mrs. P? 

Everything I know about being a C.E.O.

I learned in Baton

1.  Show up early or on time, but NEVER late!
2.  Always wear make-up & take the time to do your hair.
3.  Make eye contact & smile, but never let them see you sweat!
4.  Lead with confidence... "they" are always watching you and will only follow a confident   leader. And be kind! Because how you treat people matters.
5.  Face every challenge head on - Problems are inevitable, failure is an option.
6.  Recognize other people's accomplishments & praise liberally.
7.  How you act when you win is just as important as how you act when you lose (but try not to lose too often for Heaven's sake!)
8. Practice! Practice! Practice! And always give your best performance.
9. If the nerves don't kill you, your critics might... so get a thick skin.
10. There will always be someone that thinks they can do it better than you. Some are right. The rest are watching from the sidelines.

R.I.P. Mrs. P

Go dance with the Angels