Hello ladies. I found this wonderful website a few days ago. It has an energetic pulse as several kind women have answered my posts already.

Here are some tidbits about me.

At 51,I am the "quintessential" late bloomer. Not that I have ever been inactive or not on a quest for some new piece of knowledge throughout my life. Yet, I didn't start college until I was 42, and remarried when I turned 43. I am proud to say I graduated (BA in Professional Communications & Business Management) in 5 years while I also worked full time for a Fortune 500 company.

During my first marriage, I started and ran a relatively successful painting business, a cosmetic (color analysis) business, and learned accounting from a friend, a CPA in WI. Of course, I worked full time for that same Fortune 500 company while endeavoring to find my real niche.
When the marriage failed, the court awarded the business to my husband, as he had quit his Fortune 500 job to secure the business. There is a good deal more to THAT story... Suffice it to say my identity took a beating when the court ripped that company away from me...

Last May, I began to seriously consider developing an Internet business and set about the project. The initial website fed my passion for jewelry designs (quintessentialbling.com) but quickly lead to me developing 2 more sites, as I realized I could not squeeze all my interests
onto one website.

I have plans for two more. The cost is prohibitive though because of the advertising fees on the search engines.

My other interests are Feng Shui (http://allthingsbuddha.com) and the Red Hat Society. I am a Queenmum for a chapter named "Sexy Ol'Bats in Red Hats." We travel to London and other places together, participate in parades, High Tea, etc. The gals want me to offer Red Hat Items on a website so I am trying to get those products on http://aphroditesjewelrybox.weshiponline.com. There are technical difficulties connected with the project that I haven't figured out yet.

My husband, Scott, is supportive of my projects and takes the photographs for me. Our combined family consists of 3 daughters, 1 son, 5 grandchildren (soon to be a 6th through a remarriage) and a menagerie of animals.

Looking forward to new friendships here! I will glad help anyone I can with anything I can.
Feel free to use my personal email or the business email.

--------------------
Valerie @ http://quintessentialbling.com

I forgot to check off email notification so I answered myself.

Welcome Valerie....Sounds like you have a lot of varied interests and some great background in business which must be helping keep you on the "success" path of your journey. I love the name of your red hat group!

I'm sure you will LOVE this place - it's just chock full of wonderful, supportive and very talented ladies...so glad you found us...

Wow Valerie sounds like you have something in coimmon with a variety of our ladies. Welcome!!

Valerie, welcome. I believe you laready submitted your bling site to BWS. IT will be added eventually. My web designer is enjoying a sunny vacation.

Your Red Hat group traveled to England? WOW? how many of you went?

Welcome Valerie! I like a lady full of great ideas and imagination! Good luck!

Thank you all for the hearty warm welcome!
I see my Red Hatter's this week and will share your site. Some of my computer savvy gals are sure to check it out.

Nine of the Sexy ol' Bats travel together regularly (at least once a year). Last year we enjoyed London (for the theatre & the shopping), Jamaica (for all-inclusive sun fun), Michigan (annual convention), Florida (retreat), & WI Dells (waterpark retreat). Some of the gals went to Las Vegas too. I did not go to that International Convention.

As for my life journey, I believe my true purpose eludes me, and securing my footing on my success path remains a challenge...

Looking forward to an emotionally rich experience via this forum, both giving and accepting friendship, camaraderie, knowledge (advice), & fun.

Welcome Valerie,

Sounds like you have a great group of friends to tool around the world with. That is so awesome!

I look forward to hearing more about your life as you linger here!

hugs,
danita

Maybe we should do a boomers trip annually like Valerie's red hat group.

I'd be interested in knowing how you purchase your jewelry and do you design any of it yourself, or did you already tell us that?

So glad you found us!

Hello, an annual trip or convention for this group would b e grand! Do we have any travel agents in the forum?

Hosting a convention is mucho mucho work and you need sponsors & volunteers to make it run smooth. Providing plenty activities and vendors too boot.

Coordinating a trip is time consuming even when you have an established network. For the London trip, we rent flats (apartments) and provide Underground passes to each person for two weeks, prepurchase at least 4 popular theatre performance tickets for each person and arrange all air/ground transportation to/from airports.

For Jamaica, everything is easier because you book an all-inclusive resort with plenty of entertainment, you usually request a block of rooms in one building. The resorts send a minibus to collect you from the airport but you still have to arrange air tranportation and provide checklists so no body has trouble with customs. It helps if you can plan "events" that your group can get into and possibly something that other guests may want to join as well. We plan for something every day such as toga night, Red Hat fashion show, beach body art, champagne beach celebration, photo contest (costume), we sometimes get pretty crazy, hence the SEXY Ol Bats...

I will offer to help the Boomers arrange an event/outing/trip. If a travel agent is part of the group that is a huge head start.

QueenMum,

I have a travel agent here in Denver - who thrives on group travel. She is a baby boomer - and a great lady!

danita

[ October 15, 2005, 03:19 PM: Message edited by: Danita ]

Welcome to all new Boomer Sisters. I have been pretty busy with everything and preparing for the release of my book, so I haven't been as active. I do still read the posts and am so happy to see so many more Boomers joining this wonderful site!

Sherri

Valerie,

I am new also. Your name QueenmumValerie told me instantly that you were a red hatter. I just joined a group about a month ago and wanted to say "Hey" to a red hat sister.

Vannie(~.~)

Welcome Vannie......as some of us "old timers" (well not really OLD but been around the forum for a while anyway!!!) have said here lately - there are SOOOOO many new ladies joining us that it's tough to keep up. BUT I would like to welcome you and anyone else I've "missed" here to the Boomer Forum.

Things move fast around here - this forum is growing by leaps and bounds - which is a "good thing"!

Add me to the leaps and bounds welcoming committee Pam! I'm having trouble keeping up with everybody. Hope I haven't missed telling anyone HOW-D and welcome. And I do hope you love it here Vannie!

JJ

Welcome Valerie and Vannie!

I am alittle late in welcoming you because I was away all weekend but wanted to give you ladies a great big WELCOME to our forum!

You will absolutely love it here!

Enjoy!
Teresa Hamilton

Hey Vannie!
Welcome aboard this train as well. Great gals here so far. Much respect and support.
Email me for Red Hatter Chatter if you want.

Hey Vannie!
Glad to see you found us!
This is the best forum on the web!

And Welcome to Valerie and to all of the other new ladies I have missed.