Almost double-digits

No, we didn’t just jump forward in time. Leo’s still five. (Thank goodness!)

The double-digits I’m referring to is my time at jhP. Last week I hit my nine-year anniversary mark, so I’ve officially embarked on the final year of my first decade of employment here.

My jhP nametag.

Yeah, I said first decade. (Nearly 1/3 of my life thus far.) At this rate I can’t really see myself anywhere other than jhP, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I spend a few more decades doing this advertising/marketing thing. It’s fun, so why not?

In lieu of waxing poetic (because let’s face it, I don’t do that well), here are five reasons why jhP is the best fit for me:

having-fun

1. I’m happy here. I know that sounds cliche. But really, I don’t know a whole lot of other people that love their job as much as I love mine. The older I get, the more clear that becomes. I’m incredibly fortunate that I’ve found work that I enjoy doing, people that I enjoy working with and an environment that I like coming to. It really adds to the overall quality of my life.

2. Ability to create my own path. I started at the front desk when I initially came to jhP. (At that point who even knew digital marketing would be a big thing?) With my studio art degree, I knew next to nothing about advertising. Hard work, goals and encouraging mentors (who also happen to be my bosses) allowed me to experience lots of things and grow in the direction that best suited me and my interests. Eight years ago I got into account service. A few years later I focused on social media. Now I’m running the digital marketing department. Boom. I couldn’t have predicted it, but it couldn’t be a better fit.

3. Entrepreneurial spirit. Ever since I was little I’ve known I wanted to own my own business. I just didn’t know what type of business, nor was I sure I was comfortable with the incredible amount of time investment/risk/pressure that brings. Enter jhP. In 2007, I became a shareholder, and suddenly I was able to tap into that spirit withIN an established company – as an INtrapreneur. I have the opportunity to own and help lead a company, but the risk and pressure of that doesn’t fall solely on my shoulders. There’s an entire team of passionate shareholders that work together to guide this ship. And I still get vacations where I can unplug. It doesn’t get much better than that.

4. Incredible flexibility. Throughout the various stages of my life, jhP has been very flexible allowing my work schedule to work with my life. When I was starting my career, I was able to attend all kinds of networking events and professional development meetings/conferences. As I became a mom, I’ve had time to do all the mom things that sometimes happen during the course of the work day. When shit happens, jhP is flexible enough to work with me so I can get things taken care of.

jhP 2013 Holiday Party5. Sweet perks. Royals games. Company lunches/picnics. Holiday parties. Impromptu ice cream breaks. Crazy birthday cards. Group outings. National conferences and trainings. Free soda at work. (Hey, this Dt. Pepsi-drinker appreciates the little things.) Beer :30 on Fridays … Oh yeah, and those grown-up things like bonuses, the 401K match and fully covered health insurance for employees. It’s all good!

Reflections of 2012 and a Look at Things to Come

Wedding Day

Generally speaking, 2012 was crazy. But in a great way.

I ran a couple of races, and played (and won) a lot of softball and volleyball games. I planted and harvested my first garden (yum!). And I got my first taste of rock climbing and trail riding on a mountain bike during my adventure trip to Utah.

Tony & I got engaged at the Symphony in the Flint Hills, and we married a few months later. We bought a house and have started some minor renovation projects to really make it feel like home.

I’ve really enjoyed being a mom. Leo’s communication skills have improved significantly and we’ve been able to start having conversations (that I can understand). He’s a pretty funny kid. Watching him begin to understand the world around him and seeing him try things for the first time (t-ball, soccer, board games) has been fun and more rewarding than I had ever imagined.

Work has been great. I love that jhP continues to let me push our clients forward into the digital world, running online campaigns that perform amongst the best in their industries. I’m constantly challenged to stay ahead of the curve and figure out how things work.

Because of the crazy pace that things occurred in 2012, one of my overall goals for 2013 is to slow down a bit. I want to focus on quality experiences, being prepared and doing my best in everything I do – whether that’s being the best mom or shooting my highest score in a 3-D bow shoot.

1. Eat fresh. I’m planning to plant another garden this year, but this time it will be at our house in Carbondale. I’m still working on plans but have high hopes for another solid harvest which will hopefully result in lots of fresh veggies for the dinner table.

2. Get out and bike. If 2012 was the year I ran, 2013’s focus will be more on biking. Last year’s running was pretty harsh on my knees and started to work against my volleyball and softball performance. I’m hoping cycling will give me the cardiovascular benefits of running without the knee pain. Kansas has a lot of great trail systems that I’m hoping to explore in depth.

3. Make a trip to Wilson Lake. I’ve seen lots of photos but haven’t had the opportunity to  check out Wilson for myself. I think a weekend camping adventure with the bike and kayak would be pretty sweet. It would also give me a chance to try out my sleeping bag.

4. Nurture Leo’s interest in activities. Whether its baseball or soccer or balloon volleyball at my house or something new, I want to continue to get Leo involved in playing and help him develop his skills. An active kid is a happy kid, and I know how much influence these types of activities had on me growing up. I want to make sure he has the same opportunity.

5. Fill at least one of my hunting tags. I don’t have a preference which, but I’d really like to shoot a turkey and/or a deer in 2013. I’m going to be getting in a lot of practice with my bow the next couple of months shooting in our basement. Hopefully I’ll be able to put myself into some good situations in the coming hunting seasons where I will have an opportunity to bring home some meat.

ADDY Night Success!

Last night the American Advertising Federation of Topeka (AAFT) held their annual ADDYs Gala to recognize the best creative produced in the Topeka area this past year. As Second-Vice President on the AAFT Board, I’ve been very active these past few months helping plan and organize the gala, as well as participating in the competition through my work at jones huyett Partners.

I am happy to report that we were successful on all fronts! The show went off without a hitch, and everyone I talked to seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves at the gala. I’m sure it helps that we had a free Boulevard Wheat keg tapped, but I think the big score for the AAFT Board was the highly successful video clips incorporated throughout the program! The clips were shot and produced by some of the best talent in town (Gizmo Pictures/Gadget Video, Shannon Reilly and his Laughing Matters crew from the Topeka Civic Theatre and the coordination/planning of Ms. Andrea Koker).

The jhP team also faired very well throughout the evening, coming home as the big winners in the medal count, pocketing 6 gold medals and 10 silvers! We were fortunate enough to see one of our dear co-workers, Leslie Palace, selected as their year’s Silver Medal Award recipient. And, I (as well as the rest of the AAFT Board) was the recipient for the Caroyln Terhune Volunteer of the Year Award.

Below is a list of the projects and clients that jhP won medals for. I am proud to say that I had a direct hand in many of these projects, but more importantly, that they were produced for some of the best clients in the world!

Golds:
– Mulvane Art Museum “Paper Dali Illustration”
– jhP 2008 Holiday Card
– jhP Pet Partners Holiday Card
– United Way Campaign Photography
– jhP Super Bowl Commercial
– Greenwave Electric Vehicle & Trailer Wrap

Silvers:
– Stormont-Vail HealthCare TV Campaign
– Penwell-Gabel Funeral Homes Coffeyville Calendar Photography
– March of Dimes “Chef Illustration”
– Mulvane Art Museum Outdoor Campaign
– Advanced Manufacturing Institute Brochure
– CoreFirst Bank & Trust Community Campaign
– Stormont-Vail HealthCare Healthy Times Newsletter
– Topeka Symphony Orchestra Branding TV Spot
– Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Employee Campaign
– March of Dimes Campaign Materials