But if you are reckless with clothing...think again about making a purchase.Her pieces are to die for. Delicate, detailed, and one of a kind...she just gets it. Can't wait to buy one...
.Saturday, August 8, 2009
3 day trip to Italy
I fought real hard not to make this trip. Anyone else would think I am crazy...you mean you don't want to go to Italy??? Yes I want to go to Italy, but not for 3 days, and for a doctor's visit. Well that is what I was thinking before I got here. But now that my trip is almost over my thoughts have changed. The main reason I came here was to meet my new Italian team, Villa Cortese, and to pass a doctor's physical because they were nervous about my knee.
After about 16 hours of travel, my president, Gian Carlo and vice president, Carlo picked me up. It was funny when I walked out of baggage claim...they didn't recognize me but I knew who they were. Doesn't surprise me they have probably only seen me in a uniform...and I must admit I look quite different especially with my big shades on. They were impressed with my Italian...I really don't know why it was pretty sketchy at the start of the trip. They brought me to an apartment complex that a couple of the girls would be living in but not my exact one. This was where I would stay for the 3 days. I can't complain...the only thing was it is so hot here right now...and I am spoiled with AC normally but I'll get over it. I had a little time to get settled then they picked me up for dinner. I had a great dinner with those 2 and Ivano joined us, he is in charge of all the event planning. I had a one of my favorites, Tagliata con rucola, grana, e balsamico (cut steak with rucola, Parmesan, and balsamic vinegar). They were great company, asked me a lot of questions, and overall I think I gave them a first good impression.
Sleepy time. The time change was already messing with me. I went to sleep pretty early but woke up at 3am and didn't go back to bed until 7am. Good thing I didn't have to be ready until noon. I got picked up by Marco our trainer. We had to go take some passport photos for some documents. Then we met the crew at the Sponsors factory. Our main sponsor is Pietro Carnaghi. They make huge equipment that Boeing and other huge companies use to produce energy...i probably got that all wrong...gotta do more research. But the tour was very impressive. I met the sponsors and they were fabulous...I felt like I had met them before they were so welcoming. I took pictures, did some interviews and that was that. Next I was off to my physical. I was a little nervous considering I am not 100% yet...but I passed. I was invited to dinner but after I got back to the apartment I couldn't keep my eyes open. I ended up sleeping until 330PM the next day. Luckily I had nothing to do. I chose to just relax and wait until dinner. Carlo picked me up along with his family and we had a great dinner. None of them spoke English so I had to step it up. I surprised myself with my skills. Had Branzino, spinach and wine...love food in Italy...so fresh.
I am leaving tomorrow morning with a great feeling. So happy I made this trip...now they really know me as a person not only Lindsey Berg the volleyball player. Even though the town is so very small, the organization is like a family, and the team is going to surprise a lot of people. Oh and did I mention it is only 20 min from Milan...shhhh. Can't wait to be back on the court in Italy again.
Italia, Ciao for now...be back in October.
What you know bout the lectro??
lectro...yes that's what I said. Very new, innovative, healthy, and exciting product. Get on it first before the world does. lectro is a "sugar-free gum, made with Xylitol, delivers nature's building blocks (vitamins and amino acids), to aid in essential cell growth, muscle repair, and restored energy to those who expect more from their bodies."
Steve Smith from the NY Giants is the face of lectro. And I have a feeling it's about to be big. I mean I'm a fan what other proof do you need. All I am saying is look out for it. If you have twitter follow lectro @LVGum or email lectrovitergy@gmail.com. They are already creating a buzz...don't forget who told you first about it.
Bout to grab a piece...
National Team Update
I know it seems like I forgot about Volleyball a little bit on my blog, but I will have to admit it is hard to talk about it when I'm not competing. But I am still on the National team training right now and hope to be competing in September for the NORCECA Championship. But as we speak my team USA is representing at World Grand Prix. For all of you that don't know... this tournament happens every summer. It's the longest tournament ever...3 weeks guaranteed and a 4th if you make the finals. USA sent a predominately young team this year, along with Olympians Stacy Sykora, Nicole Davis, and Nancy Metcalf to lead by experience. Off to Brazil they went for the first week.
Germany def. USA 25-15 25-26 25-15 (the first match is always a tough one...look for them to bounce back)
USA def. Puerto Rico 21-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-14, 15-13 (told you they would bounce back)
Brazil def. USA 25-18, 25-22, 25-13 (we stuck close @ the start but the Olympic Gold Team was a little too much...we got them in 3 years don't worry)
It was a tough first week, but I know week two is looking bright for them. They traveled for almost 32 hours to Chinese Taipei where they found themselves in the middle of a typhoon. Am I happy that I'm not there? Just joking. After a couple days of practice they were ready to match up with fellow NORCECA team Dominica Republic.
USA def. Dominican Republic 25-18, 25-19, 23-25, 21-25, 23-21 (what a match, can't wait to watch it on video)
Netherlands def. USA 12-25, 25-22, 25-16, 21-25, 15-13 ( I wish I was there to watch that one...what a promising future for us. Netherlands a very experienced team)
Next up is Germany again tomorrow. I have a feeling Germany is in for a unpleasant surprise. They didn't see the real USA the first time. Wow I got goose bumps writing that...I can't wait to be back out on the court in that uniform. Good luck ladies...miss u guys.
School of Style
After my experience with my secret client, and deciding I definitely wanted to pursue more styling I decided to google "How to become a stylist." Pretty corny I know but you can google anything now days. And guess what I found...School of Style.
School of Style is a 1-3 day intensive course about the business side of being a stylist. It is taught by celeb stylist Luke Storey. It is the only class you can find actually taught by a real working stylist. I must say I was really nervous. It felt like I was going to the first day of school after a long summer. Instead it was the first day of school after 7 years...lol. What was I going to wear?? I opted for a normal outfit of mine...MEMBERS ONLY denim black, black Enza Costa tunic, Louis animal print scarf, Oliver Peoples shades, and Lanvin ballet flats. Didn't want to try too hard.
My new Louis scarf
I was the second person to get to class out of 14. Once Luke introduced himself and was so very nice my nervousness disappeared. Everyone else started to roll in and the class began. I don't want to bore you with all the details, even though they are not boring at all. But all I have to say is I learned everything I would in one 8 hour class as I would as being an intern to a stylist for a whole year. It was incredible. I wish I could team up with him to market his class because he could make even more money then he is. Especially in LA with all of the aspiring stylists. I knew some things going into the class but he put it all together for me and now I have a great understanding of how things work.
I really want to participate in day 2 and 3 but the problem is they are not set dates. Volleyball is still my number one priority right now and I could never skip practice for it. But if the opportunity arises and I am free I am all for it. Thank you Luke for taking time to teach us aspiring stylists the ins-and-outs of the styling game.
Game Night
Who every though playing games in your late 20's could be so much fun. I have to admit it wasn't the games but it was the company. The official game crew...Athena, KG, Mustard, J, and I....what a crew. It was Jenga, Uno, and Questions all night. Possibly in my top 5 most fun nights ever. Maybe because it was so spontaneous. The decision was made around 830pm. We were supposed to go to Ralphs and cook Lasagna...instead we stopped at my favorite spot Louie...which has a take out market, and got food there. Never did we play along like we cooked it...J still thinks KG layered 50 Lasagna noodles...the best we ever had.
Learned a few tricks from J
Yes the Deluxe Version...the only way to go
Moral of the story is...friends make the world a beautiful place. Love you guys and when is the next one? Twister anyone...lol
Beyond Volleyball
No I have not decided to stop playing volleyball...but I have decided to start pursuing some other interests as I continue my volleyball career. As blog followers of mine you have obviously begun to realize my passion for fashion. I know in the future when my vball career is over it is a goal of mine to own a boutique, personal shop for people, and help style people to look the best they possibly can. I have been fortunate enough to be able to practice on some of my friends and family in the personal shopping and styling area. But recently I was approached by someone pretty high profile for some advice and help. I would disclose her name but I haven't asked her about it, and what if I did a bad job then everyone would know it was me...lol.
Anyway I was honored and thrilled at the same time. She asked if I could dress her for some specific events and we would see how it went from there. I immediately started doing research online. I put together an email of initial items from online stores that I thought would suit her well. I also needed to get to know her likes and dislikes a little better...didn't want to go too far out of her comfort zone at first. She loved everything...except the leggings...but I told her I would get her into them...Here are a few things I picked out for her...
Issa Printed Kimono Dress
Rachel Pally Oversized Slouchy T-shirt
J Brand Pencil Leg Ripped Jeans
MEMBERS ONLY Denim Tights
Rachel Pally Greek Goddess Dress (don't know real name :|)
You can find all of these on shopbop.com...one of my favorite online boutiques. Obviously it is a random group of clothing but those are just a few of the examples. So I ordered a bunch of the grouping that I picked online, and then I was off to shop.
It was my first time officially pulling clothing for someone. Luckily I have become a regular at one of my favorite shops Intermix on Robertson Blvd. My girl Asia (sorry if I spelt that wrong) always looks out for me and remembers me. Normally I am helping my friends shop in there but I do some shopping of my own also. Since I am cool with them they let me just put everything on hold for 2 days since I knew I was bringing my client in the store. Normally as a stylist you can take everything home but you have to either purchase 20% of the total or pay it anyway. And for the first time shopping for my client, I didn't know exactly how much of it she was going to like...so thank you Intermix gals...you the you the best.
I shouldn't have been worried because she ended up liking almost all of it and we made some great purchases there, along with Rock & Republic (big shout out to my people there too...Hawaiians are everywhere), Kitson Studio, and Vince. Other stores we visited were Lisa Kline, Kitson, and Curve (one of my favorites but very pricey). She was very smart with her money and kept me in a range and chose things she really knew she would wear more than once.
It was a long day of shopping. We returned to my loft hoping the package had arrived from Shopbop...you can never rely on overnight shipping. Although she didn't get to try those on, she was set for one of her events and will check out the other clothes this week.
Throughout the whole experience she continued to thank me...but I just kept saying thank you back. I loved everything about it...I realized it really is something I wanted to pursue. I will be putting a Lookbook together for her so she can put things together herself and be more confident dressing herself. Hopefully I did a good enough job for her to hire me again...thank you mystery client. And by the way...I got her in those leggings...lol
Birthday
First of all I am so behind on my blog and I am so sorry. I just want to say a quick couple things about my Birthday. Thank you to all of my girls and 2 of my guys for spending a great night with me. We went to my favorite restaurant downtown LA...Bottega Louie...and then ended the night at Les Deux. I was pretty tired already from the week of ESPY festivities but I managed to make it through the night and we all had a great time. We finished the night off by all having a sleep over @ my loft. Quite an interesting sight. Aero mattress was a big hit...
Overall another successful Birthday. Thank you Mom and Dad for my washer and dryer, Sis for my knives and the block to hold them, sprinkles, roses (from the guys outside the club Brook, and Jack), and all my friends who decided to buy me the exact same gift...you all know what it was...and they are all still sitting @ my house. Oh and how can I forget...Kim buying me balloons...including a big 3 and 0...too bad I turned 29....I love you KG.
Next year I might be out of the country for my Birthday so I am glad I got to celebrate this one in LA in style. I have no pics to show proof of the night but maybe that is a good thing. But I'll try to get a hold of a few from the other gals. Thanks again for all the Birthday wishes...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
