ABOUT ME - PROFESSIONAL There is a quote from the television show “Boston Common” that offered an unscripted journey for me; “Would you keep a chive on your tooth just because you enjoyed last night's potato?” Funny as it sounded, I took that courageous step in December 2010 when I joined Edlen Electrical Exhibition Services as general manager of their San Francisco Office. Not only did I remove that chive from my tooth but I filled a burning desire to expand my education in venue management. By taking this leap of faith, I left the world that I learned to love and hate for 13 years as general manager of the Monterey Conference in Monterey, CA. Unfortunately, the economic downturn brought out those feared, “lions, tigers and bears!” So I packed my bags and headed down that yellow brick road, taking me to the Emerald City or as they say in Kansas, the Edlen SF office. This new career presented a multitude of opportunities for growth, learning, fresh new perspective and kept me connected with my colleagues in the venue industry. ABOUT ME - PERSONAL My favorite quote is by Gandhi "Be the change you want to see in the world". In other words, be gutsy and passionate about life. I've been described as warm, passionate, playful, creative, curious, fun to hang out with, easygoing and intense as well as smart (in a worldly and "street smart" way). I can find humor in most situations and am often irreverent, politically incorrect and will always laugh at myself. My intuition is well developed, although the hopeless romantic in me may choose to ignore it. I remain open to and optimistic about all things in life. I have emotional baggage, but not in the negative sense of the phrase; I think it's okay to take something with you from each experience/relationship -- my "baggage" simply shows that I have lived, loved and learned. Dr. Laura Schlessinger describes what I think would be the ideal relationship: "It's not that you always have to agree. It is that you both have to understand, care, have compassion, be willing to compromise, determine to put the relationship first, admire each other's basic qualities, support each other's strong side, help with each other's weaker side, fix your own inadequacies, take responsibility for your actions, and respect your vows as sanctified by God". “Hello World, hold on it is gonna to be an amazing ride!