Well, the day has arrived! Super Bowl LII will officially be underway in a few hours.

It has been a crazy week and I have gotten behind on my blog. So going back to Wednesday and our family day in Minneapolis....

What an amazing journey for Ally! We arrived at the Target Center for her Super Snack Challenge and Tailgate Party! We were escorted in like we were celebrities. Ally received her own chef’s coat with her name embroidered and had her very own food truck for the sampling of her food!

As guests started to arrive, the 10 finalists stayed near their trucks to greet guests, talk about their recipes and sample them. It was so fun. Many guests complimented Ally and people would say “we heard yours are the best, so we had to come try it.” The Minneapolis Mayor was very impressed and talked to Ally for quite awhile. He said when she is ready to open a restaurant in Minneapolis, to come see him!

She didn’t win, but this experience will be hers forever. We had the opportunity to bring the food truck home, so Ally is open to appearances (ha!) but I did ask her to participate in my Baby & Kids Expo on February 17th and she will hand out her recipe to families from her food truck.

After the party we ventured on to Super Bowl Live and the Super Bowl Experience. Both were impressive but we were tired from the long day. We could’ve spent more time at both.

I loved the snow globe photo op and the Prince display at Super Bowl Live. At the Experience, the locker room, Super Bowl ring display and team photo op was impressive. I was looking forward to getting Diggs autograph, but he cancelled his experience.

Friday night I was back in Cities with my dear friend Michelle and we went to the Pink concert!

I will admit, she is probably not someone I would typically go see in concert, but Michelle pleaded and I could not say no to my friend. The concert was absolutely amazing! The venue was impressive! Never waited in line for a beverage and we danced all night! I guess Pink is back in MN in March on her tour. I would recommend going to see her! Check out my Facebook post about the concert and watch the video!

Michelle and I had a lot of fun and laughs. I will have to share those stories in person!

Today, I am working at the Armory for a tailgate party. My shift should be done by 4:30, in time for me to go into the stadium and enjoy the game! Stay tuned...

If you follow me on Facebook you saw a few of my posts from Monday and Tuesday with my volunteer shfits for the NFL and Crew 52. 

​Monday was a great experience at the Opening Night event at the Xcel Center. I arrived a little early, so I took a quick walk through the Winter Carnival. Beautiful ice sculptures,. I believe it will run through the first week of February if you want to check it out! 

​At the Xcel, about 100 of us gathered together to be the greeters and assist fans with their experience. I wasn't planning to be outside, but did bring my winter gear just in case. It turned out that they needed more of us outside and so I volunteered. We were a team of 6 that rotated outside every 25 minutes. We were on the corner of Kellogg and 7th, so it was a busy intersection at Gate 2. We directed fans and media to their gates, watched a protest for education and talked to a few National Guard that were in our area and assisting officers. 

​In our down time, we had a free meal and had a chance to enjoy the event. I couldn't believe all of the media! Wow!  During "halftime" they showed Super Bowl Live on the screen with Sheila E and The Time on the stage. Loved the Prince music! 

​I have to say that I did see a lot of Minnesota Nice. There were some Philly fans in the house, but definitely more Vikings and Patriots fans. When the Eagles team was announced, there was some booing, but that is to be expected. Overall, no issues and a good event.  

​Security is at an all-time high. Everywhere I went, there was high-security. From picking up my credentials to the event earlier in the day to working our shift.  While working, we had to go through security each time we went in after our shift outside. 

​Tuesday I was at the Mall of America with about 40 other volunteers to help their staff set up for an event in the amusment park. It was the first time ever that they have closed the amusement park for a full day. The private party was in the evening for all of the media, (about 5,000 people!).  The volunteer shift consisted of setting up tables and seating, and watching the entrances so guests didn't wander into the park and to let the vendors in and out.  

​I did have a chance to wander the mall during my break and visited Radio Row. It just so happened that Stefon Diggs was interviewing at the time, so had a glimpse of one of my favorite players!

​Today we head up to the Cities as a family to enjoy festivities and find out if Ally wins the Super Snack Challenge! Stay tuned...

This morning was like Christmas morning when I was a kid. Awake at 5:00 a.m. waiting to open gifts from Santa.
​My excitement for today, is for the Super Bowl! Today is my first shift for the week. I can't wait!

​With my event planning experience, I am working in hospitality this week. I am so fortunate to be some of the selected few to work special events this week!

​It kicks off today with first official NFL event. Opening Night fueled by Gatorade at the Xcel Center in St. Paul. This event features both teams and interviews with the media. Fans could purchase tickets to this event, but only a few thousand people will have an opportunity to be part of this action tonight.

​Our training was last Thursday and they gave us a sneak peak of the progress of the set up of this event. She said the Xcel Center will not look the same when we come back today. I can't wait to see it!

​Here is a quick glimpse of my schedule for this week:

​Tomorrow I will be working a private media event at the Mall of America.

​Wednesday, my family will be enjoying the festivities as we attend Ally's tailgate party for the Super Snack Challenge. We are keeping our fingers crossed that she is selected as a winner and will be able to donate money to a favorite local charity. We will then enjoy Super Bowl Live and have tickets to the Super Bowl Experience and I see that Stefon Diggs will be signing autographs! Yeah!

​Friday I will be back in Minneapolis with my dear friend Michelle to enjoy the festivities again and go to the Pink concert.

​Sunday I will be in the stadium to work a private VIP party. I just was offered this opportunity a week ago and I am so excited about this! What a fun experience this entire week is going to be, so stay tuned...

​Check out photos here

I am so excited to be a Captain for Crew 52 at Super Bowl 52!  I will be volunteering for a number of events during the week leading up to the big game! This is a once in a lifetime experience and am so excited to be part of this. 

​It all started in March 2017 when the MN Super Bowl announced they were looking for 10,000 volunteers! I signed up online, was selected for an interview in May and was then selected as one of their top 400 volunteers. As one of these top 400 volunteers, I trained in July 2017 and helped interview more than 14,000 people to find our 10,000 volunteers. 

​Follow me on my journey over the next few weeks, as I will continue to share this awesome experience with you!

​Check out photos here

I am looking forward to representing the Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota at the Wedding Expo on Sunday! It was almost a year ago when the Children's Museum hosted their first wedding reception and was a great experience for the museum in learning what the possibilities are for this unique venue.

Now a year later, we have hosted many private events from 20 to 300 people!  With a venue that is versatile and fun for everyone, I hope you will consider the museum for your wedding reception, grooms dinner or even your bridal shower! You can even have your own Art Studio party!

Stop by and see me this Sunday at the Kato Entertainment Center. The event starts at Noon and ends at 4 p.m. I look forward to meeting you there!

It's hard to believe the Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota is coming up on its one year birthday at their new, permanent home. It doesn't seem like it was 5 1/2 years ago when Peter Olson, the Executive Director, came to me and said he wanted me on the board of directors for my experience with event planning and fundraising. It was an honor to be asked.

Those five years as a board member were exciting and challenging as we developed temporary sites studying how children played and developed and tested exhibit concepts that would eventually be built in the museum's permanent home. Many of us spent hours developing fundraising events, asking for donations and talking about the museum to anyone that would listen, to help raise $5 million dollars and open our doors on May 1, 2015.

I am so proud of the museum and so excited that I had the opportunity to join the museum team as an employee in December 2015  as an Event Sales Manager. My goal is to help grow the fundraising events and private event business for the museum.  The museum is such a unique venue that it needs little to no decorating for an event. The exhibits and artwork speak for itself and with a few tables and chairs, you have created your event space for a social or company function,  company picnic, family reunion, groom's dinner, or small wedding reception.  The indoor and outdoor spaces make it ideal whether its rain or shine.

In addition, there is a private meeting room that is available for groups up to 50 people and has state of the art A/V equipment and a kitchenette. This room can be rented for meetings, presentations, book clubs, painting parties, birthday parties, bridal showers, baby showers and more!

My position at the museum gives me the opportunity to promote a venue I love and  help you have a successful event! It's the best of both worlds! Take a tour of the museum by contacting me at events@cmsouthernmn.org

I had surgery last week to repair a torn ACL, so while I am at home recovering, I decided it was time to give my website a complete overhaul! I hope you like it! I am also gearing up for the 3rd annual Are You Smarter Than the 5th Graders event on Tuesday, April 19th in Mankato. It is a fun event for all ages and features local celebrities and a 5th grader from each of the 10 District 77 schools. The proceeds benefit the Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota and Educare Foundation.

When I started this event, I was researching events around the country looking for a fun, family-friendly event. There was a school on the east coast hosting a similar event to this and the rest is history! I have a great events committee who assists me in the planning of this event and you can still purchase tickets and attend! To learn more, visit:  https://37358.blackbaudhosting.com/37358/Are-You-Smarter-Than-the-5th-Graders

I hope you come back and visit often and share my website with others!