At PKE we work hard to provide that exquisite balance of stability and innovation – we have to keep the tried and true while having the courage to try something new.

So as we embark on our 2012 adventure, here is what is happening at PKE to keep us fresh, energetic and ready for a creative, productive and exciting New Year:

New Marketing & PR Coordinator

Kate Walter

We recently welcomed Kate Walter to our firm — she brings great PR and marketing experience, warmth and sincerity, vitality and an openness to new ideas.  Kate has already developed strong media relationships and has successfully pitched and placed several stories on our clients’ behalf.  Plus, Kate has begun developing strategic social media plans for our clients who are new to that arena – she is helping us make the social media aspect a seamless part of our overall planning. We are looking forward to even more fabulous things to come!

New Technology

As part of our plan for continuous improvement, we have adopted new web-based software to provide our clients with even more accurate and thorough month-end reporting.  We want to make sure our clients understand the value we are providing and that we are doing the most that we can with their dollars.

We have also added on new options for media distribution and media tracking to increase exposure of our clients’ news — we are also linking those articles back to social media to complete the circle and to generate consistent messages.

New Literature

At PKE, we are committed to being Lifelong Learners – to that end, we are reading voraciously.  Not only important new books that address public relations, marketing and social media, but also those that deal directly with our clients’ industries.  The Big Thirst, for example, by well-known author Charles Fishman, teaches us about how our lives are integrally entwined with water and how we must focus on this crucial resource to avoid disastrous consequences.  This book has had an incredible influence on one of our clients who is building a sustainable community - and if it impacts him, it impacts us.

New Ideas

Another effort at keeping it fresh requires us to strive for self-improvement in all areas of our lives.  To be at our best, we have re-committed to another year of running longer, working on our yoga practices, reading for pleasure, eating healthfully, and nurturing our family and personal relationships.  While all that may sound a bit self-indulgent, we know that it makes us more creative, positive and valuable to our clients in the long run!

To all of our friends, clients and readers — all the best for a wonderful 2012!

Deliciously handcrafted by Royal Palm Chocolates

One of the best parts about being a PR professional is getting to know a wonderful variety of people and discovering their passions along the way.  Over the past few weeks, I have devoted a lot of time to “new client immersion” with Royal Palm Chocolates of Naples, Fla., owners Philip and Stephanie Fincher and their strategic manager, Sam Hernandez.  How to describe this experience?  In a word: sweet!

To get educated on the world of fine Belgian chocolate and the artistry that goes into creating these confections, I spent some time last week with Philip Fincher who shared information about combining just the right amounts of specially imported ingredients, as well as the finer points of temperature and how it affects the final, scrumptious results. His demonstration revealed the perfect blend of precision and creativity as he spoke about innovative recipes and tantalizing flavors while measuring to the exact iota. Daughter Brittany pitched in, already an able apprentice on her way to becoming a fine chocolatier in her own right.

A former attorney, Philip, Stephanie and their family took a huge leap to fulfill his lifelong passion.  Once he decided to leave the practice of law, Philip attended the renowned Ewald Notter’s School of Pastry Arts where he graduated at the top of his class.  Next, Philip landed a coveted position in the pastry kitchen of the 5-Star and 5-Diamond Ritz Carlton Beach Resort in Naples. When the opportunity arose for the Finchers to open their own chocolate shop, Royal Palm Chocolates was born.

Since then, they have moved forward with a clear vision and an incredible passion for what they do.  In only two years, the company has garnered local and national acclaim for creativity, adventurous flavor combinations and “true” chocolate taste that comes through in every bite.  They have expanded from retail to include corporate gifting, the bridal industry and major special events.

A fabulous selection includes more than 23 gourmet flavors enhanced by fruity fillings, smooth liqueurs, exotic spices and more, with no added preservatives. One can also indulge in delicate chocolate wafer cookies or a delicious array of milk and dark chocolate bark. The entire staff has an impeccable eye for detail that extends from the distinctive chocolate creations to gorgeously designed jewel box packaging. To put it simply, they are doing everything right.

Royal Palm Chocolates...absolutely delicious and beautifully packaged!

One of the best aspects of my daily PR life is growing and nurturing client relationships with those who are so dedicated to quality and excellence in everything they do – their work inspires me to be better too.  And one or two chocolates along the way makes the experience even sweeter!

To continue the conversation, visit my site at pkecreative.com.

Excerpts from my 8/8/11 blog post from Florida Public Relations Association’s 2011 Annual Conference: What CEOs Want and Need from PR – presentation by Angela Buonocore, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, ITT Corporation

 

Do you have purpose and passion for what you do?  Do you have a seat at the table?  Angela Buonocore has more than 32 years experience in communications for major corporations and is still excited to wake up in the morning and go to work every day.  She says we should all feel that way – the PR profession is extremely exciting and that’s why we’ve chosen it.The lessons Angela shared with us can be applied wherever you are in the organization, although your goal should be to work for the CEO.

She says, “If you’re not working for the CEO now, I hope it is your goal to do that.  I always wanted to sit in the executive suite.”

When she started her career In 1979, that was a pipe dream, but women have come a long way. As communications professionals, we have to strive to sit in the executive offices at the round table.

So how do you earn your seat at that table?

First, Angela shared a bit of history about ITT Corporation and the equity in the brand. She joined in 2007 after her tenure at Pepsi and is thrilled about this job and the diversity of products from pumps to break pads for cars, high-speed trains and more.

In January 2011, ITT announced they are splitting into three.  This has been a most interesting experience and she is proud of how she and her PR team used the history news hook to enhance the story. The firm’s history of splitting businesses and making them work became the story. Other companies have since announced splits, but ITT is mentioned in every story.  Angela is delighted about starting the trend.

Her road to the top provides her with the credibility to tell us about achieving a seat at the table. During the 30+ years, she has been a student of what works – not just when it comes to communications.

Angela’s advice?

If you find something you love, stick with it.

From the beginning, Angela has been a viewer of tables and seating arrangements.  When you join a company, first become a good observer of how things work because they don’t work the same way in any two companies.  Ask questions, interrogate.

Her mother used to say, “Here comes the questioner.”

Once she asks questions to several different parties, she triangulates the information.

As communicators, many of us with journalism backgrounds, we are the best detectives. Understand the who, what, when, why, where – apply what you’ve learned and figure out how you get ahead.

Gather your information but don’t hoard it. She used to love hoarding it because Knowledge is Power.  But it’s important to share what you learn – you get satisfaction, help build teams, and later on you may need help doing something.
If you haven’t been a player on a team, people don’t share with you.

What influences the function’s seat?  How well is the function perceived?  In a company you have to look at where communications sits. It doesn’t always have to report to the CEO, but if it does, you know he/she thinks it’s just as important as accounting, manufacturing, all high levels of the organization.

Understand the responsibilities – how well do we establish vision and direction?  Both in the division in which we work, and in the more elevated version as the lynchpin in developing the company.

How does the CEO tell the same consistent message that will resonate with different constituencies – shareholders and employees alike.  How do you deliver those messages?  ITT’s CEO looks to Angela to do that and we must ask ourselves these questions.

Focus & Results
An important characteristic is the drive for results. Getting the results is critical.

Like Pepsi, you have to be focused on the big win.  How do you get it done?

You must also know what the CEO is thinking when it concerns the big win – he/she is not thinking of the big news release.  The CEO is thinking about the money.  What is the ROI?  If our function is thought of as overhead, we better show results.

Angela always asks her team,  “How are these communications objectives going to drive the business?”  If you can’t answer that, it’s problematic.

A great communicator has to be a great businessperson.  And the very first thing you have to do is learn as much as you can about that business.

Ability to drive changes
We need to look and see what needs to be changed – and what doesn’t.  There is always opportunity for continuous improvement.

For people who drive change, communicators have the skills. Words are very powerful – if they are delivered in the right way, they can inspire, put fear into people,  or incent people to change things.  It’s not just explaining what we have to do, they want to understand why – what is the rationale?

Sometimes people at the top lose touch with the people running the business – meeting with customers, manufacturing.  Angela makes sure she is in the field, on the factory line – always engaging employees and learning about their concerns.

Get out where people make things, sell things. Nothing happens at a company until people sell things.  What are we doing to help sales people and manufacturing people?

Skills of the leader, skills of the team
A head of HR once told Angela,  “You will be judged as to how good of a leader you are – by whom you hire and whom you fire.”

Lots of leaders and managers cannot step up. The most satisfying aspect is to take someone who is not performing and make him or her perform.  But if that’s not possible, you have to be able to make crucial decisions.

How do we earn our seat?  We have our own value systems –we don’t all carry the same set.  You want your individual values to match the corporate values. What does the company value most and does that fit with what I value?

Treat employees well to serve your shareholders well.  You have to know how to ask those questions.  Big reasons why people fail – usually their values don’t align with where they are working, or they have not aligned other people.

Connection to and understanding of the business.  Surprisingly a lot of people don’t bother to do it – the more you can demonstrate you understand, the more leaders will respect.

Strong communication skills – this is not a throwaway.  Some people, communications professionals, send Angela letters and resumes with mistakes.  Read your work over.

Hardest one to measure – the ability to make magic.  The talent to put all the ingredients together.

What matters the most?
Three things:
*Masters of complexity – deep technical skills. People who can read between the lines, connect the dots – it’s hard to teach people how to do that.

*High impact leadership – sought for advice and counsel. Get out and see who is the natural leader.
Influences other people’s thinking

*Sense of urgency, but not reactionary

*Consistent results – day in, day out, year in, year out
Build a plan, work the plan
People are confident when they give you something to do.

Top three reasons communicators fail to realize their full potential:
*Skills not equivalent with scope of job – if job is too big, they can fail.  Can’t communicate strategy until you know business strategy. Develop relationships with internal customers and peers.
People get defensive and lose confidence
No “fingerprints”

*Good but not great is not good in a high performance company. What happens to people who are good but not great? They get eliminated.
They allow themselves to get in a comfort zone where they have inflated opinion of their work instead of trying to make the work better. Not viewed as a thought leader. Don’t look at big picture. Then tactical will outweigh the strategic – and this is the kiss of death.

*Good year, bad year – too inconsistent. Raise the bar.  Gets comfortable, doesn’t challenge.  Good becomes good enough.

Four ways you can take your seat and keep your seat.
*Gift of feedback
Ask for it – develop five sources for well-rounded picture of what it is you do well (and not so well).  Your boss, internal customers, one of your peers, external source, other team members.  Collect feedback as often as you like and compare. Be specific in how to get feedback.  Ask boss for respect, candor, sincerity, follow up.

*Calling your shot
Shows you are in control
Have risk orientation
Demonstrates self confidence
Requires clarity of purpose
Helps us measure your success
Takes luck out of play

*Break out of the pack
Results are the foundation
Good at everything
Great at something: Be the best at something, shape stories, create engagement, understanding company

You need purpose and you need passion!

Do you have a seat at the table?  And if you do, are you comfortable in it?

Link to PR Week Story to see what the ITT Chairman says about Angela:
http://bit.ly/n2uQ6K

More about Angela A. Buonocore
From the ITT Website (www.itt.com)

Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer
Angela Buonocore is Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for ITT Corporation. In this role, she is a member of the company’s Strategic Council and is responsible for global brand and reputation management, public relations, employee communications, corporate advertising, community relations and corporate philanthropy.

She joined ITT in March 2007 from The Pepsi Bottling Group where she served as Vice President, Corporate Communications since 2001. In this role, she was responsible for the group’s public relations objectives and strategy, communication with the organization’s more than 60,000 employees and charitable initiatives. Prior to her 12-year career in the PepsiCo system, Buonocore spent 11 years with IBM and five years at General Electric Company in various internal and external communications roles.

Buonocore is a trustee of the Arthur W. Page Society and the Institute for Public Relations, and a member of the Wisemen and the Seminar, all organizations of senior corporate communications executives. In 2003, she was elected a member of the Accademia Europea per le Relazioni Econimiche e Culturali, a Rome-based organization that honors Italians and Italian-Americans who are leaders in their fields. In 2010, she was honored by the National Organization for Women’s New York City chapter as a Woman of Power and Influence.

Buonocore holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising with High Honors from the University of Florida and was honored as a Distinguished Alumna of the College of Journalism and Communications in May 2007.

Zumba…it’s described as an exhilarating, effective, easy-to-follow, Latin-inspired, calorie-burning dance fitness-party^™ and today I experienced it for the first time. Since for me the lines between work and play are hopelessly blurred, I can’t help but discover important lessons in this one hour event.  As a matter of fact, there are three things I learned today…Try Something New!

In our field it’s easy to get tied to our computers — writing, planning, phoning — so much of what we do happens while we are sitting at our desks.  But did you ever notice how a brief respite from your office, a walk in the park when you might even stop to smell the roses, can make a positive difference in your day?  It’s proven that learning a new language, preparing a new recipe or trying a new physical activity stimulates brain activity.  Yes, PR people, that means creativity, inspiration and new ideas may be just a Zumba class away!

Listen to the Experts

I went into the Zumba class this morning not knowing what to expect.  And it wasn’t easy following all those steps — especially when it was all happening so fast.  But the instructor at the front of the room clearly knew what she was doing.  I’m quite sure she had her 10,000 hours in to qualify her as an expert – so I had to follow her as closely as possible or else I would have been completely hopeless in that class.  No matter how smart we think we are we can’t be expected to know everything. However, it’s crucial that we know how to find out.  Surrounding ourselves with experts, keeping data on resources for all subjects — that helps us become better.

Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously

If you’ve ever seen 20 women (and two men) flailing around to the beat of Latin music, you would probably think it was really funny.  And it does take a certain level of confidence to dance around without caring what other people think of you. We spend so much time being serious — meeting deadlines, running to appointments, dealing with serious issues — it may seem impossible to simply have fun.  So if you can let loose for one hour and toss away those inhibitions for just a bit, it’s amazingly liberating.  As a matter of fact, it carries over to the rest of the day — so bringing that fun attitude back to your desk is inspiring and leads to better performance.

And according to SELF magazine, you can also burn 414 calories in an hour – fantastic!

So what will you do to shake yourself up today?

Should I take some time to unplug? Would it be mentally healthier to cut myself off for a few days from the ubiquitous iPhone and trusty MacBook? The article’s description of a “Digital Detox” vacation where in some cases you even have to surrender your electronic devices at the check in counter certainly sounded appealing.  After all, I might have more time to finish that great novel now overdue at the library (Julie Orringer’s “The Invisible Bridge”). Or I might be newly inspired to get back on track with the book my daughter and I are writing together (I am on it Emily!).  I am nearly seduced by those thoughts when the consequences start creeping into my consciousness.

What happens to the hundreds of email messages that will pile up — will my inbox simply explode?  What will I miss on Twitter – will the latest rules on social media news releases pass me by? And what about Facebook – how will I possibly keep up with community events in Southwest Florida and even more concerning, the barrage of family drama?

While others might find greater relaxation by disconnecting themselves, I think it’s important to understand your own stress triggers – and a huge one for me would be not to know what is going on and not being able to respond in a timely fashion.  So if anyone asks me to surrender my electronic connections to the world, I will politely decline — at least for now.

For me to stay cool, calm and collected, I must remain connected.

I am curious to know how others feel about this issue – please continue the dialogue!

One of these women was Myra Janco Daniels, founder and president of The Philharmonic Center for the Arts in Naples, FL and The Naples Museum of Art.  She regaled us with great anecdotes and sweet memories, but one piece of advice really resonated with me.  She encouraged the audience to “Learn something every day, and teach something every day.” I have been trying to do so ever since…

The learning part comes naturally.  With the diverse nature of my clients’ organizations I am always learning something new:  from geothermal solar arrays to identity theft protection to the antioxidant nature of organic olive oils — we are constantly researching and reading to be able to convey our clients’ messages to their publics. But the teaching part was a different story. Although I am an adjunct professor at Florida Gulf Coast University , and we almost always have a student intern in our midst, I was not attuned to teaching something every single day.

Now I have a new approach:  be conscious of both learning and teaching on a daily basis.  Inspiration came not only from Mrs. Daniels’ words of wisdom, but also from a recent article in the New York Times about The Brooklyn Brainery. Billing themselves as “cheap classes on anything and everything in NYC” they are actually much more than that.

Here they are bringing back the lost arts of tying knots and baking bread as well as offering classes in digital photography, postcard making and lots more.  And people are flocking there, classes are waitlisted, proving that most do recognize that it’s never too late to learn something new. How nice to get out of the routine day-to-day and expand your knowledge with something totally random but certainly not useless.  I find the whole concept very thrilling and hope we can start something similar in Southwest Florida.

For now, I learn from my clients, my associates and my PR peers.  Today, I learned about Quickbooks 2011 from Cheryl Willett who taught a workshop at the Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce and now I know about 10 more things than I did when I woke up this morning.  In turn, I taught my summer intern how to write an upbeat, exciting radio spot that can get the message out effectively in 60 seconds. I am also teaching my husband how to use his iphone.

What do we get from all this learning and teaching?  There are no ulterior motives here, no hidden agenda.  There’s a simple beauty in gathering more knowledge and improving ourselves every day — and equal fulfillment in doing the same for someone else.

What have you learned or taught today?  I would love to know.

The latest trend on campus!

Less than five years ago, gel and acrylic nails were in. From there, false nails faded out and natural nails with plain polish came back. This trend in itself has changed. Going from red to black to white young girls were constantly inspired. Originally, Hard Candy polish started the innovation with their bold color palettes around 1995.  Additionally, girls got the idea of plain white polish from Lauren “ LC” Conrad on MTV’s hit reality series, The Hills.  When black nails were suddenly in, I thought that they were gothic until I tried the usually dull color and loved it. It’s interesting to see how quickly my perception changed. After the French manicure fell off, reverse French and designs quickly replaced the old craze.

Currently, for all of you fashionistas and trendsetters, there is a new way to wear you nail polish. OPI recently came out with a shatter polish from their Katy Perry Collection. All you need is any regular polish and this magic in a bottle. At first glance, it’s ordinary black polish. However, after one coat is applied over another color, parts of the black start to turn clear, revealing the color underneath and forming the scattered pattern.  Whether you decided to shatter all of your nails or just your ring finger, it’s a unique way to express the new nail fetish. For those of you who have gone through all of these trends, this is a way to get away from the ordinary red and plain black and really make a statement with ease.

Buying College Textbooks on a College Budget

Guest blog by Marie Kennedy

You can save nearly 50 percent or more on textbooks!

At the beginning of each semester, you may find yourself standing in long lines at your campus’ bookstore impatiently waiting to buy overpriced textbooks. You will finally arrive at the cash register only to discover that you’re about to spend this month’s rent money on four textbooks. But there’s no need to crack open that piggy bank and dump out your savings just yet. With the right amount of patience and time, you could be saving nearly 50 percent or more on textbooks and even get some money back if you wish to sell them. Here are a few tips to follow when wanting to save money during textbook season.

Consult with your Professor

Email your professor before the semester starts, and ask if he or she plans on using the required reading material for the course. Sometimes the required reading material is not personally chosen by the professor, causing your $150 textbook to stay closed the entire semester. If your professor disregards the textbook and tells you not to worry about buying it, you could save a decent amount of money.

By selling your textbooks, you may earn a considerable amount of money back.

You may also ask your professor if you could purchase an older edition of the required textbook. Older editions are significantly cheaper than the current one, and the material hardly changes. Because of this, some professors will even encourage you to purchase an older edition. You just have to contact them prior to the semester in order to receive such information.

Bye-Bye, Bookstore

A new book at the bookstore may be $120; the used version will be about $95; and it will cost you $75 to rent it. Fortunately, you can possibly find the same book on Amazon in a like-new used condition for the price of the bookstore’s rental or used version.

It’s never smart to buy a brand-new book at the bookstore because more than likely you’ll never get even a quarter of what you paid for it. A used book seems like a decent option; however, you can end up with a rainbow of highlighting inside the book or sloppy notes scribbled along the pages. Considering the price, rental books are sometimes the best option, but you can’t sell them back. A like-new book from Amazon, however, can be sold, allowing you to make a considerable amount of money back, sometimes making a profit. Keep in mind that like-new books hardly ever have writing or highlighting inside, making them more sellable to future buyers.

Buy Early, Sell Later

Order and purchase your textbooks at least three weeks before the semester starts for two reasons: First, you want to make sure you receive them on time before classes begin. And textbook prices usually increase, even on Amazon, as soon as the semester begins; therefore, you want to buy early while prices are low.

When prices are incredibly low, you want to buy, but when prices increase at the start of a semester, you want to sell. You may be able to sell your textbook for more than what you paid for it, or you could compete with other sellers who have increased their prices, and sell your books for less. You’ll be selling them fast and still make some money back.

Sell, Sell, Sell

Keep your books posted even if you don’t sell them right away. Even if a new edition of the book comes out, there may still be people out there who prefer the edition you have. It’s important to check on your posted books often and possibly change the price accordingly in order to get a buyer.

And don’t worry about not knowing how to ship a book. Amazon is extremely user friendly and properly guides you. When you’re ready to go to the post office to ship a book, tell the cashier you’ll be sending it ‘media mail.’ Media mail service is a cost-efficient way to mail books and other types of media. This will put a few extra bucks back into your pockets just as the rest of these textbook tips will. Happy textbook season!

More than 250 people attended the Susan G. Komen Survivor Breakfast at Vi at Bentley Village in North Naples on February 19, 2011.

In the world of public relations, corporate social responsibility plays an important role in most business plans,  and I am fortunate to know so many business leaders who  want to give back to the community in whatever way they can.  When it all comes together, it is a beautiful thing to be a part of — the feeling of doing good and doing right crosses all boundaries, brings people together, and elevates the moment beyond a typical business event.  Just this past Saturday, for example, I attended the Survivor Breakfast hosted by our local affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure at Vi at Bentley Village in North Naples. It was a perfect Southwest Florida day, and more than 250 people attended.The team at Vi at Bentley Village was amazing.  Besides the warm welcome, moving words and bountiful breakfast, the attention to detail was commensurate with their compassion and dedication to the cause.  David Schini, Director of Food and Beverage, and John Maguire, Assistant Director of Dining Services, coordinated the wait staff to wear pink bowties.  The impeccable table settings matched the theme, and so did the cuisine.  Executive chef extraordinaire Ed Padden cooked up a fantastic breakfast menu, both healthy and delicious — and even the sticky buns were pink!

Vi at Bentley Village's executive chef Ed Padden baked pink sticky buns for the Susan G. Komen Survivor Breakfast in N. Naples, FL.

Adding to the sense of community spirit, meteorologist and local NBC-2 news celebrity Robert Van WInkle was a lively and compassionate master of ceremonies, creating an upbeat note to the event.  NBC-2 has always been an avid Komen supporter and major sponsor, providing media coverage and public service announcements throughout the year.

MC and NBC-2 meteorologist Robert Van Winkle joined by Lou Pontius at the Komen Survivor Breakfast in North Naples on Feb. 19, 2011.

Breakfast guests also had the opportunity to enter to win a Ford Fusion Hybrid — part of major sponsor Ford’s commitment to “Think Pink & Drive Green.”  Our community’s own Sam Galloway Ford goes above and beyond their corporate commitment, not only with their support of Race for the Cure, but their donation of $20 for each entry up to $20,000.

Southwest Florida's Sam Galloway Ford will give away a Ford Fusion Hybrid as part of their commitment to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Think Pink, Drive Green!

In spite of the seriousness of the issue, the Survivor breakfast offered a sense of hope and optimism to those who attended, especially recognition of long term survivors — one more than 37 years past her breast cancer surgery.

More than anything, I felt gratitude to those in both the business and residential communities who supported this event in such a heartfelt and genuine way — it was a good day to be a Southwest Floridian.

Even the "best laid plans" can sometimes take a detour

Take this week for example.  After a quiet holiday break, I headed full force into the first week of 2011 filled with the energy, enthusiasm and eagerness that only the promise of a New Year can bring.  Fresh binders, crisp new folders and my brand new date book beckoned, and I could not wait to get started. To pump up the energy even more, I began the day with a four-mile run, well on the road to training for my next half marathon.

Training for half and whole marathons is an integral part of my work/life balance

I rounded the corner heading into my neighborhood, spotted a friendly looking gentleman taking his perky friendly looking dog out for walk and got set to call out a friendly “good morning” as I ran by.  From out of the blue, the leashed dog lunged out, sinking two really sharp canines into my shin.  It hurt, yes, but it was more the shock that stopped me in my tracks.

Getting bitten by a dog is not one of those things you can anticipate

At first there didn’t seem to be too much damage and not wanting to create “drama,” I  limped home to check (not lick) my wounds.  It wasn’t until I arrived at my front door that I saw the blood running down my leg and into my shoe. Long story, but the week that started at a fast and graceful stride ended with a pathetic limp, a tetanus shot, antibiotics and a 10-day waiting period to find out if the dog has any horrible diseases.

Moving on, I decided to be undaunted and get ready for a quick two-day trip to NJ to see my Dad who is recovering from knee replacement surgery.  I cleared my calendar for Friday and Monday, packed an overnight bag and my laptop and was set to leave this morning only to wake up to a 3:47 a.m. voicemail telling me my flight was cancelled.  Why?  They said it was weather related but no weather related event actually occurred.  It was just cancelled.

A cancelled flight can change the direction of your day.

After calling disappointed family members up north about the change in plans, I headed (or limped) to my office for a regular work day.

Here I am, thinking about this slightly “off” week when I have been twice diverted from the path I set out on.  As a planner and an organizer, it’s not always easy to see scheduled events fall by the wayside.  I guess I am understanding John Lennon’s lyric, “Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans.”

So what happens next?  In a few minutes I will pack up some work to take home over the weekend, nurse my dog bite, check my calendar to reschedule that flight and remind myself to always expect the unexpected.

Do you have any experiences when your plans went awry?  Would love to hear your story!

Visit me anytime at www.pkecreative.com