Life in the Family Biz...

As many of you know, I have the great fortune of working with my Dad and two brothers at the family company. Working with family is a process that people either can or cannot handle. I am proud to say that for the most part, it's great. I enjoy seeing the many roles that my family members can play in their lives: teacher, salesmen, boss, co-worker, etc. In fact, thinking about it, the only person in my family I have yet to work with is my mom. Although, she was my professor...so, I have, in fact, worked for her. My sister and I worked at Pier One together for awhile. It's always interesting the things you could do as the manager of your siblings; however, my sister was lucky that I love her so much, so never subjected her to any unnecessary duties.

I digress.

So, with the lines of family and coworkers blurring a bit, the atmosphere around the office is relatively laid back. At times, we even throw in a few antics to keep it fresh. One of the best ways to elicit chuckles is through old pictures. My Dad, being the proud pop that he is, has random photos scattered around his office. Some are in frames on the wall, others tucked into the corner of desk frames and finally the desk drawer of school pictures dating back pretty far. I thought that I had been a successful scavenger and removed any embarrassing photos from his desk drawers....but I was wrong:


I came into work the other day and this picture was taped firmly to the top section of the computer monitor. I had been warned by Joe that he had found a picture and shared it with everyone in the office. He also mentioned that they had a good laugh at the glasses and fancy ribbon. He conveniently did this on a Friday afternoon I had off, knowing that I wouldn't be in until the following Monday. What a little punk. No matter how many times I asked, he would not reveal what picture it was and where he found it.

I'll admit...there have been scarier fashion periods in my life so I wasn't completely mortified by this. In fact, after looking at it, I am wondering if I still have that vest somewhere. I think I might have the perfect skirt to match it! I also wonder when my hair became the untameable beast it is now. It used to be stick straight! Nothing like acidwash paired with paisley.

Anyhow, the lesson here is as follows:

There is danger in working with family. They know your past and have access to pictures for proof!

You have all been sufficiently warned!!