One Busy Bee

BULA! I have returned from a week-long familiarization trip in Fiji and it was incredible. It was so amazing it is all I want to write about in this weekly post. Apologies for missing last week. I was touring amazing resorts, stood at the bow of a boat and eating kokoda, my new favorite Fijian dish. Read on to learn more. I hope this inspires you to go to the South Pacific. I would be happy to help you plan your trip. Travel When I received the invitation to apply for this familiarization trip, aka Fam, I didn't hesitate. Fiji? The location wasn't even a top 10 spot on my list of places to visit next. But if it was going to be educational and a business expense, sign me up! I was one of six Travel Agents selected. I couldn't wait to go. Fiji did not disappoint. Expect to be welcomed every morning, at every resort and even in passing on the highway or thru a village. You will see warm and welcoming Fijian smiles and a loud "Bula!" and/or wave. Th...

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Martin Luther King Jr.  Every time you turn on the news, do you feel it's often depressing by the terrible things that people do? Or even reading your social media feed, why do the good people you call friends fall victim to unexplainable acts? Does it make you angry? Sad? Motivated? Our current President wants to exclude and divide, while I have been raised to believe that America loves and accepts all. My parents are immigrants, as majority of us are or are descendants of one. Had they not immigrated and taken advantage of the land of opportunity, I wouldn't be writing with the same perspective today. With yesterday being Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday and Oakland-native Kamala Harris announcing her running for President in 2020, it is time to fight back and make changes with love. Heading quickly into the month of love and Valentine...

"We're thinking about having the wedding in Oaxaca." Inside I am screaming with excitement, sitting in one of the lounges of where I worked full-time. The place was killing this One Busy Bee with working 60+ hours a week and I needed something to look forward to. Susie has been a friend of mine since we had a business class together at San Francisco State University and is one of the sweetest ladies I have ever met. I remember the story of how she met her future husband. She's happy, therefore I'm happy. And excited! However, they decided to have the wedding locally. But it turned out beautifully. The venue was in the Mission area in San Francisco near their home called Stable Cafe . It's a darling spot with indoor seating on two levels, an outdoor patio with fruit trees and greenery on the walls, a greenhouse area with a fireplace and a private room with easy access to the kitchen. Minah took good care us. Some rentals were needed based on the h...

The last wedding of the year for this Event Planner and Coordinator is complete. I am so happy for Gabe and Maria. This lovely couple tied the knot at the gorgeous Thomas Fogarty Winery in Woodside, California on December 1, 2018. Gabe and Maria did a beautiful job of doing majority of the work of planning this memorable event. They were very organized and stress-free and made the wedding day one of the easiest I have ever worked. I reviewed their work, brought up tasks and ideas for them to think about, put some ideas together for their honeymoon and recommended periodic status meetings to help with anything they may need. Otherwise, they did a really fantastic job. I didn't have a lot of pre-wedding work to do and my car wasn't filled with wedding items to where I couldn't see out of the windows. Yes, this happens. The wedding rehearsal took place at 10 AM the day before the wedding on a windy and chilly morning. The initial thought of h...