Pictures

I have framed photos of my family and friends all over my office. Just looked over at these little beauties and had to smile. Such a great way to brighten up the work day. That's all.

Have a wonderful day!

Birthday treats

I seriously work with a great group of people. This morning they brought in an assortment of tasty birthday treats for me. I had strawberry pie for breakfast and I'm having a turtle cookie for dessert. How great is that?

And, unlike my 32-mile running husband, I'll probably take a nap.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Welcome wow

Today I started my new job with the University of Illinois.  I am so happy to be back on campus and the group that I'm working with is really the bees knees.  Can you believe this welcome reception on my first morning?  My office was decorated AND filled with delicious cupcakes with yellow "Welcome Libby" decoration.  They sure know how to make a gal feel special!

Champaign Tourism Website

For the last six months I have been working extremely hard to create a new website at work.  With the great minds at the company I hired to do the design and development of the site, we finally reached our goal this week.  The new Visit Champaign County website - the official tourism website for Champaign County - launched yesterday.  This is probably one of the most detailed and time consuming projects I have ever worked on, and one of the most rewarding.  Knowing that the site I produced will used used by millions to plan their getaways, meetings and other fun plans is very exciting.  This project is something that I'm incredibly proud of and I wanted to share it with you, too.  I hope you have a minute to browse the site.  And, have a great weekend!

Pincha Mayurasana

Life has been going non-stop lately.  My job is incredibly demanding and stressful right now and husband and I are trying to rent our house in hopes of purchasing a new home - there's a lot going on!  Fortunately my yoga practice is leaving me feeling refreshed and ready to face all of these challenges ahead.  I feel stronger than ever and have been challenging myself with some new poses including Pincha Mayurasana (a.k.a. Feathered Peacock pose).

In addition to my yoga practice, I'm taking a break from caffeine.  I have been missing my morning coffee this week, but that usually only lasts about a week (I do this periodically).  Instead I've been opting for mint or green tea.  I do feel a lot less weighed down and more in tune with my emotions.  Stress, you don't stand a chance!  :)

Memory #29: 40 Under 40

40 Under 40 Award

Work is always something I've taken pretty seriously (hopefully not too seriously) and coming into my current role as Marketing & Sales Director for the Champaign County Convention and Visitors Bureau was a great step for me.  Who knew after hopping between NYC and Champaign-Urbana that I would end up selling my hometown as a visitor destination?  I certainly wouldn't have guessed it, but now I couldn't be more thrilled.  Along with that came an award from Central Illinois Business Magazine in 2010 for the top "40 Under 40" in business.  This was an incredibly proud moment for me and it was such an honor to be recognized for a lot of hard work.  Craig and Bob came to celebrate the day with me and it was such a fun time!  What a great memory...

Tourism Awards

I have to brag on my job for a minute... Today the Champaign County Convention and Visitors Bureau took home two Illinois Excellence in Tourism awards from the 2011 Illinois Governor's Conference on Tourism.  One for best Marketing Campaign for Illinois Countyside Journey's and the other for best Event/Festival for the 27th Mile Celebrate Victory Bash.  I'm so proud to be a part of a very talented group.  These awards show how hard we really do work to make Champaign County a premier Midwest destination.  Way to go guys!