The Perfect Ending With Steel Magnolia

As I was packing for a business trip a few weeks ago, I never imagined that the start of my trip would have anything to do with the end of it. That is, of course, unless you're imagining checking baggage, airport security or endless hours on a cramped flight. Those inevitable items on my "To Do" list were pretty much the same at the beginning and end of my trip. Instead, I'm referring to who was a part of this whole thing.

I like to listen to music when I'm doing chores or other mindless activities, so I turned on CMT while I was packing and the second season of Can You Duet? was on. I didn't pay much attention until the last contestants took the stage; there was something about the way they interacted with each other. I stopped packing and watched them perform. I liked what I heard so I took note of their name....Steel Magnolia. Hmmm, that should be an easy name to remember. Once they were done I realized what I was supposed to be doing, so I diverted my attention back to packing.

The next morning I was on my way to Orlando for my Melaleuca Convention. It was my first time to attend, so I had many thoughts going through my head. What would it be like? Would I learn anything new? When do I get to see my fellow FPG business partners and friends??? Thankfully these thoughts consumed me during my long flights so I never thought twice about CMT or Steel Magnolia. I occupied myself by reviewing the workshops I planned on attending and reading recent issues of my LIA magazine.

Once in Florida, I met up with my business partners and figured out our rooming arrangements. Over the next 5 days we heard some amazing company announcements, received awesome business tips and celebrated our successes. We were even treated to performances of Wicked and Cats. The best part, though, was getting to know my FPG team members. We had so much fun together and I've made some friends for life. It was hard to say goodbye to them all, but at least I know I can see them again next year!

As I prepared to leave on my sixth day, my thoughts returned to the hassle of dealing with the airport. I wasn't looking forward to it and I was hoping it all went smoothly like my arrival trip. Not! Unfortunately, I didn't realize that my flight had been rescheduled 1 1/2 hours earlier than planned. I missed the flight and had to resort to stand-by status. Since I had never experienced this before, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. Would I make the flight? Where does my luggage go? Will I get stranded in Dallas?

I made it onto both stand-by flights without a problem. As we waited to leave Dallas, I thought I might get a break since the seat next to me was empty. No such luck....A few minutes before take-off, a couple made their way to the back of the plane. The guy was carrying a guitar case and had to squeeze it into the overhead compartment. I thought the girl looked familiar, but I just couldn't think of why. For the first 2 hours of our flight, I racked my brain to figure out why I recognized her. Finally, I realized who they were....Steel Magnolia! Well, at least I thought I knew; I wanted to confirm it, but the guy kept dozing off to avoid the annoying sound of the plane's engine (understandable since it was driving me crazy, too).

Once the flight was said and done, I couldn't stand it anymore. I had to ask, right? Since I wasn't sure how the show turned out, I didn't want to offend them so I simply asked, "Were you on Can You Duet?" The shock on his face was priceless. He couldn't believe I recognized them! Of course, I then asked how they did, to which he exclaimed, "We won! That's why we're here....We're doing a radio tour." Pretty cool, huh? The only thing left to do was get their autographs and the above picture (especially since I told him they weren't leaving the plane without doing so...hehe). As I mentioned earlier, I had no idea that the beginning and end of my trip would be connected somehow. I think it ended rather well, don't you think?

**Footnote: You can help support Steel Magnolia by purchasing their single here....I did!