#VivaLasSJ 2014 - Successfully running 2 booths!

Forewarning: This is going to be a longer than normal blog post with over 40 pictures!  But we made a long journey from College Station, TX to Las Vegas, NV that lasted a total of 17 days.  During this trip we had to drive a truck and trailer, set up 2 booths, work 2 booths for 10 days, have a little fun here and there, tear down, pack up and drive back home all while the Southern Jewlz Boutique back home was operating and SouthernJewlz.com was shipping out daily!  Quite a success for our little company! My outfit of road trip choice was none other than my black moccasin fringe boots, yoga pants, a Southern Jewlz ball cap and our Meet Me at the Rodeo top.  Super fitting for the excursion ahead! Top still available for purchase online HERE. [video width="320" height="568" mp4="http://southernjewlz.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/vegas-blog-4.mp4"][/video] And this is how not-so-glamorous life on the road is.  But, we made the best of it!  We were so excited to finally make it there after 26 hours! Booth set up started Sunday morning at Mandalay Bay. [video width="320" height="568" mp4="http://southernjewlz.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/vegas-blog-9.mp4"][/video] And with booth set up comes self improvement activities! Onward our large pink light-up metal letters went at the Las Vegas Convention Center! Tuesday evening I took a break from all the manual labor of booth set up and accompanies the beautiful Alexis Bloomer of #AlexisLive to the official kick off party of the NFR - the back number ceremony at South Point. I finally got to meet the Sweetheart of the Rodeo herself - miss Hayleigh! And two of my sweet friends and SJ customers, Quincy Freeman from California who was a model in the 1st annual #IfTheCrownFits #SouthernJewlz fashion show and Stephanie Feild from Utah who is the wife of 4 time World Champion Bareback Rider Kaycee Field. Then on Wednesday it was back to work for the last set up day!  I had to wear my #VivaLasSJ t-shirt from last year along with my pink Gooseneck hat (which I was offered $100 for) since I was beginning to miss a special someone as well as home a little bit at this point. Kaitlin came to help us finish up the merchandising of the Mandalay Bay booth. And here is my official kick off Day 1 outfit (which is no longer available or in stock). On Day 2 I had Stephanie from #TeamSJ to help me run the Convention Center booth and I got to be on #AlexisLive with THE Dale Brisby.  To see the entire show, simply click HERE. [video width="320" height="568" mp4="http://southernjewlz.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/vegas-blog-24.mp4"][/video] The legend himself - Mr. Dale Brisby who is also a big supporter of Southern Jewlz Boutique! It was such a blessing to have my brother Jacob with me on the entire trip.  From driving the diva rig, to utilizing his muscles and handy man skills during set up, to being a runner in between booths - he helped the SJ cause so very much! Our Convention Center booth was conveniently right next to the official social media booth of the NFR.  They even had a fun little photo booth! Miss Brooklyn who was an intern for me last year in Vegas was able to come and join us for all 10 days of the NFR and was a huge help at whichever booth she was assigned to each day! Here I am at the Mandalay Bay booth which was awarded as the best 1st year booth last year during the 2013 NFR! The big pink letters above our Convention Center booth were a hit and allowed customers to locate our booth with ease!   I got to meet lots of avid Southern Jewlz fans and customers that live out of state and shop with us online! Jacob, Brooklyn and Dunklin went to go see Shania Twain! I was sad to miss it, however a night in to myself was much needed for the longevity I had to put in for the trip.  Jacob kept singing and dancing around to "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?" Of course while in Vegas, we had to have a little fun!  It was a pleasure joining Dale at the #HooeyParty at Drai's Night Club! And on Wednesday it was nice to work a day in my custom painted SJ moccasins by one of our super sweet customers, Summer!  And also, my favorite Vegas Arrival of the trip showed up! Vegas calls for a little fun - especially when you have been there working every day for almost 2 weeks at this point! I made Grant join in the photo booth with me - duh! I got to meet so many returning and new Vegas customers as well as girls who have been shopping online with us for years! Sweet Brooklyn and I got a good picture together before she had to leave early Sunday morning to go back home to Lubbock! Franky the Vegas driver!  He is the best! A great picture of Grand and I during our last night in Vegas. And this is my favorite picture of the entire trip!  If you have #SouthernJewlz outfits or pictures from your trip to Vegas, be sure to tag them with our official NFR hashtag of #VivaLasSJ so we can see and share them! The girls back home at the boutique and online store kept things rocking and rolling with our 12 Days of Christmas Sales!  They did an amazing job amongst having college finals and it being busy for Holiday season.  But the power of planning ahead and having great team members come together for a common goal never ceases to amaze me.  I am proud to say that we will be going back to Vegas next year, again with 2 booths located at Mandalay Bay and the Las Vegas Convention Center. The experience was one that I will remember for a lifetime!  Thank YOU to EVERYONE who continues to help support and believe in this crazy dream that I like to call Southern Jewlz!!! xoxoxo Randa