A great trip, meeting Fa Park, technology

Mama and I left the farm Friday morning headed south to Austin. On the way down we made a slight detour into Burleson, TX to drop off the ornaments Mama had made for the gift boxes being sent out this month. We had a wonderful trip down to Austin. It was one of those days that everything seemed to work out exactly as we would have wanted. Good roads. Good traffic. Every stop we made seemed to be perfectly timed by the Lord. We got to our hotel in Pflugerville, TX a little before 3 pm and were told that the room was not ready; however, the hotel was situated right behind a large shopping area. A Target store was immediately across the street from the hotel and a Dollar Tree – two of the stops Mama desperately wanted to make – was very short walk from Target.

Due to the hotel we had chosen, we got to fulfill the two most important shopping excursions before we got checked into the hotel. Mama was able to find almost everything she wanted, and it cost me a reasonable price. The hotel was very reasonable priced and was brand new. They had opened only a week before we made our reservations. It was about a thirty-minute drive to the downtown hotel that was the venue for the conference Mama and I were attending. The several hours we spent in that hotel conference room were at the tail end of a weeklong conference Color Street does in various cities across the USA to meet with, encourage and get face to face feedback from senior level stylists.

We got our picture taken with Fa Park, the designer of Color Street appliques and CEO of the corporation. He was delightful. Very personable. He spoke for more than an hour following the other presentation scheduled that evening. I was thoroughly impressed by the man. His ten-year journey in creating the technology, the machinery and the market for Color Street was inspirational to say the least. He had no training in the needed skills to make the machine to produce his product. He is a trained opera singer by profession. So, he had to learn the engineering, metal working, welding, chemistry, physics, etc., to develop this process and the machinery to mass produce the nail sets. Through untold failures in product creation and rejections for financial support, he made this happen. In fact, there was an offer at one point to buy the technology from him by a well-known make-up company for $14 million. He rejected the offer even though he was very nearly broke. Now Color Street is a billion-dollar company, the fifth largest multi-level marketing company in the world – selling only in the US until this year. It was a very inspiring story to hear from the man who lived it. All that accomplishment and he still serves as the choir director at his church where he has done so for over thirty years.

There were about three hundred people in attendance most of whom were already members of the Color Street Family. There were, however, several who were new to Color Street who were offered a huge incentive to sign up. As far as I know, all those individuals made that purchase and commitment. Mama and I each got a gift of two packets of nails and a necklace for showing up. Fa Park took time to have his picture taken with all who were interested in doing so and signed one of the nail sets as a memento of the occasion. Mama and I had a great evening. I became more convinced than ever how truly great a company this is, and I am committed to helping Mama succeed in this business.

A couple weeks ago I was invited to join in a medical study that would allow me to participate in the development of an app that would be able to determine atrial fibrillation in its early stages. I agreed to participate but I was placed in a group that required an Apple watch. To facilitate that purchase a Series 7 45mm aluminum cased watch was offered for $79. After a couple failed attempts, I was able to complete that purchase. The watch arrived yesterday evening. I am currently a bit overloaded with technology. I am wearing the Apple watch on my right wrist and the Fossil hybrid watch on my left wrist. The medical study requires me to have the Apple watch on as much as possible, but I am loathe to give up my hybrid watch.

To wear the Apple watch I purchased a special band that I felt was more secure than the band provided with the watch, but I am rethinking that choice because the watch is large to begin with and the special band to accommodate the 45 mm watch is larger still. I will continue for a few days as I am now to evaluate what I should do to make sure the Apple watch is worn continuously, but I do not know if wearing two watches is ideal long term.

I certainly will not do so at church.