Drew Spurgers — Page 2 — Marketing guru, entrepreneur, pet lover, radio-sing-along-er, coffee drinker

Finding Astrid

September 13, 2014 by dspurgers Leave a Comment

The past 24 hours have been crazy, but what a happy ending to a story that seemed hopeless!

On Thursday, April 3, 2014, our beloved Cat, Astrid, went missing. Some time late that evening we think she slipped out through a hole in a window screen. Astrid is 4 years old and has never been outside. She has no front claws and is very attached to one thing in the house: her food bowl. We couldn’t believe she wanted to get out, and didn’t understand how she did. We realized that Thursday evening that she’d slipped out. Richard knocked on my door and woke me up some time around midnight. We tore the house apart, then went outside to look for her right as it started sprinkling. We looked for over 2 hours that night to no avail. With the storm beginning, we realized there was no way we were going to find her that night. We went back inside, and resolved to keep looking the next day.

Photos of Astrid would be shared over 100 times by our friends over the first days of April.

The next morning we got up and looked for her for hours. I looked continuously until some time after lunchtime, with no luck. Unfortunately, this would become the theme of the next few weeks. We tore the neighborhood apart, canvassing every inch we could think of. The photos we posted on Facebook over the subsequent days would be shared over 100 times (this one 53), reaching thousands of people in Conway. We also posted over 750 flyers.

We did everything we could think of. We searched (with the help of countless friends) for weeks. We called the animal shelter, the Humane Society, Arkansas Lost and Found Pet Network (who would play an instrumental role in her eventual return home), all of the area vet offices, and more. We followed up on every lead – over 30 before this was all said and done. By the time May was winding down, we hadn’t given up by any means, but the tireless searching was no longer plausible and seemed in vain. For those of you who don’t know us well, we are ideal pet people. While we have crazy schedules, mine is mostly on my terms and we work to make sure the animals are well taken care of. Astrid and Richard were very close, with Astrid next to Richard almost every moment he was home. Her missing from the house made the house seem empty, and took an emotional toll on Richard. Some time in June, we agreed it was time to foster. I told Richard he was too good of a “cat parent” and needed to be taking care of a different cat if not Astrid. We spoke with the Humane Society of Faulkner County and quickly had a new cat foster, Ted.

Flash forward 5 months and 8 days. We’ve been through the heat of summer and the weather is finally starting to cool down. I was in a new client consultation when my cell phone rang with an unknown number 3 times. She left a voicemail on the third call, and then called my office and left a voicemail there. Thinking this was some marketing emergency, I forwarded the message to Meredith and asked her to see what it was. Meredith responded “Someone claiming to have Astrid…” and left it at that. When I finished my meeting, I listened to the voicemail

Hey Drew, this is Mandy. I live in Nottingham subdivision and I know where your kitty is. So, if you’ll call me, I’ll tell you where I live and tell you where she is. “

I was sure immediately that this was another strike of the “Nottingham Lookalike,” a cat whose markings are very similar to Astrid’s that we had encountered many times over the months. I called Mandy back, planning to say “thank you” and move on with my day. When I called Mandy, I asked her where she lived. Indeed, she lived on Nottingham Drive and said she’d seen my “kitty.” I explained to her that there was a lookalike very similar to her who lived in Nottingham and we’d seen that cat multiple times. Mandy’s neighbors had also seen Astrid and noticed she’d been feeding them – one of her neighbors told her she thought Astrid was the missing cat from a few months ago. Mandy wanted to get in touch with us and her neighbor told her to look on ALFPN – she found the post from 5 months ago and called me.

Her response shocked me:”No, that’s not your kitty. I’ve fed that kitty – with half his tail missing – for a long time, but he went missing 2-3 weeks ago. Your kitty has been coming to my house every night around 7pm and staying until around 8:30. I feed her then. She’s very sweet and friendly. She wouldn’t let me touch her at first, but is very affectionate now.”

Still unconvinced and pained at another false sighting, I asked Mandy “OK – does she have a mustache?” Astrid’s mustache is her most distinct characteristic, and earned her the name “Hitler Cat” since we first got her.

“No, this kitty doesn’t have A MUSTACHE, she has YOUR CAT’S MUSTACHE. I’m telling you, I have a picture of your cat in front of me and this is your cat.”

Starting to feel there was some hope here, I said “OK, give me your address and I’ll go see what’s up.”

Mandy could tell I wasn’t yet convinced. “Your kitty has the black mustache with the spot on her nose and doesn’t have her front claws. She’s very sweet and meows like this [imitates meowing sounds].”

At this point, I realized two things: I was talking to the best kind of crazy cat lady, and there was a very good chance she actually had Astrid. Mandy told me there was food on her front porch and described where her house was on the street. She encouraged me to take the food and call to Astrid, though she said she didn’t often see her during the day. She told me she’d send me a picture of Astrid to prove it was her.

When I received this photo from Mandy, I couldn’t believe Astrid was still alive – and half a mile from home!

I pulled up at Mandy’s house and parked in the driveway, adrenaline already beginning to rush. I was immediately appreciative of all she’d done for Astrid, because there was a bowl of fresh food and water near her garage, and another on the front porch, as well as a comfortable cat bed that Astrid could sleep in. I grabbed the food bowl, shook it, and called for Astrid. For a few minutes I walked around doing this, talking to my mom and Meredith on the phone telling them how close we were. After it became clear Astrid either wasn’t close or wasn’t going to come out in broad daylight, I set the food down and went to where most all strays live in our area: the storm drains. The storm drain nearest Mandy’s front yard was less than 20 feet from her front porch. I got on my knees, bent over, and stuck my head in a storm drain for the thousandth time this year. “Astrid! Astrid Kitty!” I can’t tell you how surprised I was to immediately hear her familiar “Meow?”

I was on the phone with Meredith at this point – she couldn’t believe it either. I put my phone on speakerphone.

“Meredith. Do you hear her? It’s Astrid! Astrid!”

“Reow! Meow!”

I heard Meredith talking to our intern on the other end of the line “Oh my gosh! That’s her! It’s Astrid!”

At this point I knew I was going to need help getting Astrid out of the storm drain. I called my dear friend Judi. She didn’t answer. Judi helped us search for Astrid more than anyone else – she’d come by the house even when we weren’t there to look. I called her again. No answer. Judi’s inbox is full from the countless messages she gets on a daily basis asking for help rescuing animals. Judi works more than full time – for free – just taking care of animals needing rescue and adoption. I knew Judi would want to be there for Astrid’s rescue, and I really needed the help. I texted her and said “Judi! I found Astrid! I need help!!” and gave her the address. She told me she’d be there in 10 minutes. She pulled up as I was talking to Astrid through the storm drain – I didn’t want to her to think I’d left. Judi started talking to Astrid as I went home to get tools to open the storm drain.

When your cat is stuck in a storm drain, there’s not much hope for help. The fire department can’t do anything about it – they told me to call animal control. Animal control won’t come out unless you can visibly SEE the cat – and we couldn’t. They said they wouldn’t even set a trap since there was rain in the forecast. They said to call the street department and ask them to open the drain – at this point I was done and not letting this chance go by. I grabbed a screw driver and a pry bar and headed back. Judi and I opened up the drain. I was dressed for work – Judi said “Drew, are you going down there in those shoes?”

“Do you think I care about the shoes right now?! Of course I’m going in there!”

In the storm drain catching the first sight of Astrid in over 5 months.

When I got down in the drain, I could see Astrid immediately. She was far away – up the street 20-40 feet – but it was definitely her. I started talking to her and shaking the food bowl at her asking her to come to me. She would saunter my way and then turn around and walk away further. One step forward, two steps back. I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to get her from where we were and hopped out of the drain and headed down to the next one – where Astrid was sitting when I first saw her.

When I got down in the second drain, she’d moved further away, but wasn’t running. Judi explained that survival instincts kick in and they don’t want to come close to anything and chance getting hurt. Astrid would walk toward me for a few minutes, talk to me, look at me, and then walk away. We eventually realized the brightness of my flashlight was what was scaring her away. At this point, Judi thought to start recording. She realized we were going to get Astrid back and wanted this on video. She grabbed my phone and started taking photos and video.

Judi ran back to her car to grab some wet food (all I had was kibble from Mandy’s house) to help entice Astrid. Astrid and I kept “talking” and playing this exhausting game of hide-and-go-seek.

The video below is the last few minutes of our 30 minute game – and our final reunion.

Watching this back cracks me up! Judi and I couldn’t believe we’d gotten her and were so worried to chance letting her go! The video cuts off right before a lady walks by with two VERY loud schnauzers who were no happier to see Astrid than she them. Judi and I may have both had heart attacks at this point. Judi finally kindly asked her to move on and get the dogs away from Astrid. Once the threat of schnauzers had moved on, we realized we had no crate to put her in – I decided if I could get in the car and get to the house and close the garage, we were safe. Judi and I ran to the car with a freaked-out Astrid in my arms. As Judi opened the door, I jumped in the car and she closed the door. I realized I didn’t have my keys! Judi found them and handed them through a very small opening to me. I drove home and closed the garage and finally felt a wash of relief – Astrid was home!!

Judi joined me at the house a few minutes later (after putting the storm drains back together and gathering our mess) and we prepared to call Richard. I intentionally had told Richard nothing about the rescue attempt, not wanting to give him any false hope. I decided I’d FaceTime him and let him see for himself. Working a speech therapist in a school, I had no idea if I’d catch him at work or not. Knowing how difficult losing Astrid was for him, I knew he’d be elated to see her. I sent Richard a text: “911. Face time NOW.” He didn’t respond quickly enough and I was actually on the phone with the school secretary when he tried to call me. I set the phone in front of me with Astrid in my lap and hit the “Accept” button. As the call connected, he just stared in disbelief. He didn’t say anything for at least 30 seconds. Expecting a hard phone call (he expected the passing of one of the other pets), he was totally caught off guard. Finally, I said “Richard, what do you think?” He said nothing. “Richard? What do you think?”

“Is that her?” he asked, not believing it.

“Yes, it’s her! She’s home!”

“Are you sure it’s her?” This is a question I’ve been asked at least 10 times since finding her.

“YES, I’m sure it’s her!”

Richard starting shaking his head and tearing up. Judi and I were just smiling and laughing. Finally, Richard said “Hi, Astrid!”

“Meow!” Astrid returned his greeting as she looked at the phone.

There are few things more magical than seeing someone reunited with a companion animal.

As Astrid responded to Richard, I finally lost it and teared up. I looked over and Judi was crying as well. The tension had finally resolved as we realized she was home and safe. After talking to Richard, I was ready to let Astrid loose to explore “home” again. As she jumped out of my lap, she rubbed up against the chair on her way back home to Richard’s room – the door was closed and she insistently pawed at it until I opened it up for her.

We are so excited she is home – and things feel “complete” again. She and Ted are acclimating well, and the house is just a bit more crowded. You can see a gallery of photos from the last 24 hours below. Never give up hope when a pet goes missing, and PLEASE always make sure your pets are micro-chipped and wearing collars with identification all of the time! You never know when they could accidentally/unexpectedly slip out.

: Richard’s first photo with Astrid after the reunion!

: Saturday morning – Astrid woke up on Richard’s bed. 🙂

: Ted is interested in Astrid – Astrid not so much in Ted…

: She drank for what seemed like forever! Ted is drinking from the other bowl in the background.

: In the storm drain catching the first sight of Astrid in over 5 months.

: When I received this photo from Mandy, I couldn’t believe Astrid was still alive – and half a mile from home!

: Photos of Astrid would be shared over 100 times by our friends over the first days of April.

: This is before Astrid went missing. You’ll notice she’s a little…thinner… now.

: Richard is so excited – and it seems Astrid is, too!

: So many feelings…

In With the New

December 29, 2013 by dspurgers Leave a Comment

I really love New Year’s. The holiday itself isn’t anything special to me – but I love what it signifies. I love it even more for business. It’s the perfect time to set yourself up for success in the next year. To review what you failed at this year. Normally some time late 3rd quarter or early 4th quarter, I get away for a few days and start thinking in the direction of next year. I’m always thinking about the next thing and what we’re driving towards, but this time of year is my favorite. We can celebrate the successes of the current year and get ready to succeed next time.

We also benchmark as a company – and I ask our teams to do the same. Here’s what I asked from our Kangabloo team.

As we wrap up 2013, I hope you’re looking forward into 2014. Part of success in any business (but especially ours) is always being a step ahead and seeing the future. The next thing. For this reason, it’s important that we spend some time goal setting for next year.

Here’s what I need from you:

Make a list of goals for us as a company. I’m thinking 3-5. Make sure they’re not just something thrown together, but well thought out things we need to improve on to be the best we can be. What’s going to make us better and move us forward?
Make a list of personal goals for yourself. These shouldn’t be work-related, but rather just things you want to do to improve your life or yourself as a person in the next year. Up to you if you want to share these with me or not. If you do, I will hold you to them. If you don’t, it’s totally fine – but please make sure you’re working to advance yourself.
Make a list of professional goals for next year. Again, 3-5 here. Please know that I will take these very seriously and will hold you accountable. We will begin doing evaluations once every 3 months like I do with other companies, and at that point we’ll review these goals and how they’re progressing. I will also use my connections and relationships to help you reach your goals – find someone who is doing what you want to do better well and have them help walk you through the process.

Asking my team to look at these things challenges them to evaluate themselves. How did we win? Where did we lose? Where do we do better? Additionally, it gives them the opportunity to push themselves. We will review the goals they set in one-on-one meetings the first week of January. We’ll set those goals and review them quarterly during the evaluations.

Personally, setting my goals, putting them on paper, and sharing them with my team also holds me accountable. We’re all looking at New Years Resolutions now – but how will you hold on to yours? Who will hold you accountable? Here’s to making 2014 the best year yet!

Encouraging the Encouragers & Adventures in Slight Depression

December 18, 2013 by dspurgers 1 Comment

A couple of months ago, I found myself the lowest I’ve ever been. I hadn’t been able to say for sure why that is. I can make guesses, but just can’t nail it down.

My whole life, I’ve been the encourager. I think some people see encouragers as “rock solid.” Maybe that’s true… but if it is, it’s only a portion of the time. I would say I’m solid about 95% of the time. The other 5% is really rough. I find myself down and helpless – it almost felt at times like someone would walk by, look at me down, say “oh, I see you down there!” and then just keep walking. I guess it’s because people don’t know how to encourage the encourager. If they perceive themselves as a person less secure or happy, they just may not know how to help.

Usually, I can be talked through anything. Give me a cup of coffee and an hour with a good friend and we can change the world – or at least my perspective. This season wasn’t like that at all. I felt disconnected form my friends, from God, and from my life. I just wanted to be me again.

I’ve read Allie Brosh’s blog “Hyperbole and Half” for a couple of years now. She is hilarious. She also struggles with actual depression (which I don’t claim to). You can read her posts Adventures in Depression and Depression Part Two here. I have a close friend who has struggled with depression his whole life, and before reading these posts felt like I just couldn’t understand it. I remember sitting at my desk reading these posts and just crying feeling so sorry for those who suffer from depression.

Now that I feel I’ve dug out of my (shallow) hole, I have some observations from this process:

Everyone needs to be encouraged. Don’t assume someone is rock solid – nobody hates to be praised. The smallest comment can make a huge difference in someone’s day.
Don’t try to fix something you didn’t break. If you notice a friend is down – don’t try to fix them. Just be there and be supportive. This has been one of my greatest mistakes in trying to console people around me who are struggling.
Extroverts can become introverts… temporarily. Recently, the only thing that’s consistently given me energy is spending time alone. Reading, studying, working, writing, watching TV… I’ve just needed “me” time. As an extreme extrovert, this was really confusing for me and most of my friends.
Cling to the healthy relationships that help. I’ve had some great friends over the years – and a few close friends that have stayed beside me. Through this process I felt I disconnected from most everyone – but had a close friend who knew that I was down. He knew I didn’t need to sit and talk for hours. That I just needed to exist and feel like I wasn’t alone. That relationship is what got me through this in one (partially sane) piece.
Exercise. Running, aerobics, whatever – DO SOMETHING to get your body moving and work out some of the junk that you’re feeling. Cleaning up the diet doesn’t hurt either! Garbage in, garbage out. (I failed at this one… so much dessert… so much cookie dough).
Be okay with being broken. Beating myself up for being low just made me feel worse. At some point, I just had to accept that I wasn’t okay and wasn’t going to be for a while. Waiting it out was the only option, and hating myself for it didn’t help.

On the other side of this – I have so much more respect for people that battle depression. I feel the illusion that I am a strong person is bunk – the people that fight depression day in and day out and continue functioning are really strong. From this, I’m ready to be the best supportive friend I can be.

Secret to Employee Success – Part 1

December 16, 2013 by dspurgers Leave a Comment

Over the past few months, I’ve had multiple people ask me to explain the relationship I have with my employees. I’ve really wrestled with how to write this, because I don’t consider myself an expert in any way here. However, I’ve been in a number of professional settings in different capacities, and I’m always surrounded by people smarter than I am.

A large part of what I do daily now is managing people. This is both the most rewarding and most challenging thing I do. I can say that I love it – figuring out how to make people “come alive” in their gifting is one of my passions – and I’m fortunate to be able to do it with Kangabloo, Exotic Tans, and NLC Production.

One of the things I learned quickly – I’m surrounded by BRILLIANT leaders at New Life Church. Pastors Rick Bezet, Darren DeLaune, and Neil Greathouse (among others) have a way of lighting people up. Following their lead has made successful leadership much easier for me. I’m still learning and developing – and every situation is different, but here’s the 30,000 foot view of what I’ve learned (and will expand upon in future posts).

“Just Business” doesn’t work – at least not in small business. If I were to shut our teams out and not take an interest in their lives (professional development, personal lives, education) I would lose their interest. The relatable boss is one you’re comfortable with.
The Iron Fist creates a stone cold team. Leading by forced authority doesn’t get you anywhere. Earn the influence you wish to carry and they will follow.
Publicly celebrate the successes. Privately correct the misses. If your team knows you believe in them and are proud, they’re much happier to do good work for you – and your clients notice. Straight out of New Life Church: public loyalty brings private leverage.
The culture you develop drives the customer experience. In the case of the church, the culture we develop among our team dictates the tone of the weekend in so many ways. In business – the attitudes our teams have toward their jobs makes the interaction with customers. You know that cashier at WalMart who hates her job? Culture isn’t on her side. Know that barista who lights up every morning as she hands you your coffee? Curated culture makes her shine.
HR isn’t a formula. Maintaining relations with your employees isn’t done formulaically in their evaluations once every 3/6/12 months. It’s done daily in your interactions with them.
Covenant is non-negotiable. Again, straight from the New Life Church book: your promise to me as an employee and member of my team is guaranteed to be reciprocal. You play for my team. I will support, guard, protect, and defend you with everything that I have. Loyalty isn’t a suggestion – it’s imperative and non-negotiable. Choose your team wisely.
Rules are rules are exceptions. Yes, make good on your word. But remember – we are dealing with people, who are by nature imperfect. Remember the grace we were extended and run your decisions through that.
Every decision is filtered through your culture. What you define as your mission should drive every. single. decision. If you can’t decide if it’s a good idea – filter it through the vision. Does it help accomplish where you’re going? Does it fit? If not, don’t do it. No matter how good the idea, if it’s not part of your vision, it doesn’t happen.
The culture of empowerment is freeing. Neil Greathouse has always told us, when a decision has to be made on the fly, make it. We’ll support and defend you as long as you can substantiate your decision. Worse comes to worst, it’s a learning experience and you know to decided differently next time – but you’ll never be penalized for making the best call you could. (managers – a secret: when you empower your people to make decisions, you take them off of yourself. Train well, multiply yourself).
Accountability keeps us pointed North. Comfortable relationships are great. Relational management is as well. When it’s time to be the boss, be the boss. Make the hard decisions. Have the confrontational conversation. Confrontation breeds resolution. A relational manager who can still be the boss can lead people into the fire – and they will follow.

Again – none of these ideas are new, and none are my own – but the blend of these together seems to have made for some unstoppable teams. Curious – managers, what are your thoughts? Which of these is the most important? What did I leave out?

More to come…

Kitchen Remodel – Complete!

October 6, 2013 by dspurgers Leave a Comment

In February 2011, I bought my house. It was in great shape and needed no work, but I definitely had some I wanted to do. Since I love to cook and entertain, I felt the kitchen needed some serious work. Here’s where we started:

Before we started

In September of 2011, with the help of my great friends (and now essentially family) Don & Christine Riley, we laid tile to cover up the awful linoleum. This was probably my favorite of the remodel projects so far. Mind you, I am a marketer, not a contractor. Without the Rileys (who also aren’t contractors – they’re just brilliant) this would have been awful. Since they’re amazing, it turned out really well!

The next project was the cabinets. In October of 2011, I had my wisdom teeth out. My brilliant plan was do to my cabinets that weekend, start to finish! I was going to be home, might as well do it! That 3 day project may have turned into a 2 year project. I started sanding and staining and got ONE bay into my kitchen and hated it – as well as the work. So I took a ~~short~~ break (read 2 years) and then decided I wanted to ditch earth tones in my house altogether. So no staining – let’s move on to painting!

Tile done – cabinets after short break

With the purchase of a new business, I also procured a Graco Magnum X5 that made this really easy. Overspray is terrible. The prep work is the longest part of this – and the hardest. Once the prep work is done, painting takes no time. I sprayed a coat over my entire kitchen in less than 20 minutes.

Here’s where we ended with the cabinets:

After cabinets – before countertops. Hi Kodi!

After finishing the cabinets, the off white appliances were… less than pretty. And the tan formica may have been even worse. The next piece was a countertop overlay called Feather Finish made by Ardex. We sanded the countertops and got to work! After finishing countertops, the final piece was adding new stainless steel appliances (unfortunately I don’t have an after countertop/before appliance picture).

First coat on countertops

During countertop work (wet seal on counters)

After countertops!

With appliances!

Complete!

This was one of the more fun projects I’ve worked on. The beauty of it? Once all is said and done (not including appliances), I spent less than $1,000, and can say that I did it all myself (with LOTS of help) and didn’t hire it out!

Now Hiring… Maybe.

September 23, 2013 by dspurgers Leave a Comment

The game of hiring employees has long stressed many people. Between my experiences, I’ve been in the interviewer’s chair many times. Most people are nervous when they walk in to job interviews. The other side of the chair is nerve-wracking, as well. As an owner, you’re deciding based on a short meeting if this person is trust-worthy. It’s not just about them being able to do the job – do they understand your mission? Do they get the big picture? Can you trust them with money? Will they be good with customers? Will they represent you the same way when you’re out of town as when you’re standing right beside them?

Before you even get to the interview section… there comes the application. The initial contact from prospective employees really says a lot to employers So for those of you who have never been on the interview side, I’ve composed a few tips you can follow that will get you one step closer in the employment game. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but I assure you it will always help. Some of these are straight from me. Some come from friends who own businesses. All come from people who are regularly hiring.

The way you write means something. When we get an application or message that says “r u hiring,” I immediately know that person isn’t a fit. We’re looking for someone who can communicate well and confidently – that person will take the time to spell out their thoughts. Jokingly, some of our applications say “Write in complete sentences, or your assignment won’t be graded.”
How you contact means something. With lots of business marketing & communications moving to facebook, we’re seeing a lot of page contact asking for jobs. Really, this is never the correct initial media. Email or in store is always the best initial media. If in doubt, call and ask what the application process is. For example, at Nature’s Market, Exotic Tans, Stoby’s, & PattiCakes, all applications are online only. This is always the correct first step. We need a written record, and this is it. See the next point…
When you’re looking for a job, it’s all about how you fit into the organization’s system. One of the most maddening diseases coming from the generation currently seeking employment is the feeling of entitlement. Many young people feel entitled to a job and want us (the hirers) to assimilate into their system (or lack thereof). Someone who isn’t willing to follow the appropriate chain for applying for a job likely won’t follow the instructions you give them later.
TELL THE TRUTH. Overstating your qualifications or experience will ALWAYS come back to bite you. We’d much rather see someone with no experience in an area express an interest to learn than have someone claim to be proficient and really have no skill. Don’t over-inflate your resume or your skillset. We will know – sometimes when it’s too late. If we can plan to train, that’s one thing – if we’re going to have to train you when we didn’t expect to, we’ll just be frustrated.
Follow up is okay – within reason. After applying for a job, if you haven’t heard anything back within a week, it’s okay to call and ask if they received your application. Don’t ask for an interview. You can tactfully ask if that person needs anything else from you. You can also ask for follow up on the position if you’d like – but do not pester. If you don’t hear back, assume that the position has been filled and the manager forgot to call you. When another position comes open, if you were well-spoken and tactful, your application may be the first one pulled.
Dress for success. It’s an old mantra – but it’s still true. Some say “dress for the job you’re applying for.” I disagree completely. I think you always dress for success. It’s always better to be dressed nicer than necessary. Those dressed above the mark are showing that they care about their appearance. Time and thought goes in to getting ready for work. If interviewing for a job where you’ll wear jeans and a tee shirt to work, at least wear khakis and a button down shirt for the interview. Ladies, nothing too revealing. And a bathing suit cover up is NEVER a good idea (yes, this really happened).
Make eye contact. When interviewing for a job, speak strongly of yourself. Be sure of who you are. Shake hands. Look the person in the eye and talk to them. Make sure that everything you do conveys respect. Nobody wants to hire a know-it-all. Humility is huge. Keep in mind that the person interviewing you has likely spent a considerable amount of time reaching that position in life. Either they worked hard to land in management, or you’re talking to an owner who has invested more time (and money) than you know into driving success of the business.
Thank your interviewer for their time. While you are there interviewing to support their company, they are still busy people. Make sure you thank them for considering you.

Thankful – 30 People

November 10, 2012 by dspurgers Leave a Comment

Everyone is doing the “thirty days of thankfulness” thing. I didn’t jump on board because I didn’t want to just follow the trend. I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’m thankful for. I have a ton to be thankful for – a great family, amazing job, a phenomenal church I absolutely love, perfect friends… and the more I think about all of this, the more I realize that most of what I’m thankful for is people. I feel like if I lost everything I had right now, my life could still be great because of the people in it.

So here goes a list of people I’m thankful for. It isn’t exhaustive. It’s not in any particular order. This is simply the first 30 people that come to mind. Please don’t think if you’re not on the list that I’m not thankful for you – I honestly could go on for years about the amazing people in my life. These 30 are mostly ones I deal with daily or very often, and I’m blessed to do so.

1. This goes to two people – my parents. No, they’re not perfect. For the most part, they try really hard. I’m very thankful for good parents who I have a good relationship with. So many of my friends are jealous of our relationship, and I definitely understand why.

2. Katelin. She understands me better than most and always cares. Always. And she brought Will into this world. And he’s the best.

3. Jennifer – She just lost her grandfather and is going through a tough time there. We have been close for years – she’s the only person I can not talk to for 2 months and pick up the phone right where we left off. She may be the funniest person I know. Love her.

4. Steven (Thteven) – my baby brother. Tho many people don’t have good relationthips with their thiblingth… Ok, I’ll stop. So many people don’t have good relationships with their siblings. Steve and I have always gotten along well and have been hanging out more recently. I really like that. He’s a cool kid.

5. Kelly… she’s great for Steven and so sweet! She is one of the most kind-hearted people I know and I’m glad she’s a part of our family.

6. Sara – even though we haven’t been close for long, we are definitely kindred spirits. I really enjoy all the time we spend together – even though we work entirely too much.

7. J Parker – I am so glad J & Allison are at NLC. I am the happiest and most fulfilled I’ve ever been in church, and a good portion of it is because of J’s friendship and leadership. He’s great even though he forgot our anniversary. 🙁

8. Judi – so many people work tirelessly to make the Humane Society “tick.” Judi puts in countless hours and has a heart for animals that few can match – and she’s willing to do the hard work. Tons of respect for her.

9. Bobby & Angela – I am so blessed to work with good people. Love my job.

10. Cassandra – oh my gosh. Cassandra is #1 on the list. I can leave on vacation knowing that she’ll hold the fort down. She’s efficient. She’s awesome. Wouldn’t trade her for anything.

11. Brad Goodnight – he is seriously one of the most encouraging people I know.

12. Patti Stobaugh – I am very lucky to have many clients that are also friends. Patti is on the top of this list – rather I need advice, a place to vent, or sugary goodness, she’s there. 🙂

13. Ally Brasko – I am so proud of Ally, and can’t wait to continue watching her grow. When I started at NLC, I immediately started praying for people like Ally – and she’s been everything I’d hoped for. I’ll probably never stop pushing her.

14. Don & Christine Riley – they have really become family, as well as my home-remodel gurus. Even if they never helped with another project again, they’d still be some of my favorite people in the world.

15. Lauren Erion – I’ve said it 1,000 times, but Lauren rocks. She’s my accountant and saves me a ton of money – but even more than that, she’s become a trusted friend and advisor. SO glad to have found her!

16. Dusty & Hannah Reeves – even though we don’t get to spend a lot of time together, the Reeves are some of my favorite people. I love their heart for God & His people.

17. Rick & Michelle Bezet – enough said… The vision of NLC is so clearly evident in everything they do. Legacy achieved.

18. Neil & Gina Greathouse – thanks for setting the stage for our creative team to succeed. We do because of the investment you make.

19. Izzy – I know she’s not a person – but only just barely. The unconditional love that comes from a companion animal is something everyone should have. To always be the highlight of someone’s day… it’s the most uplifting thing ever.

20. Brandon Shatswell – again. Encouraging. FIERCELY talented. And a great guy.

21. Debbie Floyd – our new volunteer coordinator at HSFC. She’s doing a bang-up job with something I’m very passionate about. She’s executing better than I could myself, and we’re going to be much stronger because of it.

22. Richard – one of my closest friends over the past few years and a great roommate (most of the time ;-)). I still dont want to share a bathroom. Never will.

23. Sam – he has pretty hair. He’ll always be my car shopping buddy and someone I always have a good time with.

24. Tesa – even though we don’t see each other often anymore, we always have each other. One of the people I know will always pray for me. It means the world.

25. Col – even though we haven’t met in person, Col has listened to me rant and dreamt of travel with me many times. My “friend across the pond.” 🙂

26. Cotton Rohrscheib – we don’t see each other super often these days, but do a lot for each other’s businesses and always have a blast. Cotton, Donna, & Spencer are like family. I wish we had more time together!

27. Phil Wickham – even though we may not be personal friends, he writes my heart better than I could myself.

28. BarCamp Conway Team – not that these guys don’t each deserve their own space, but we have a lot of fun together, and I feel like we get a lot done. They rock.

29. Nathan Pruzaniec– I don’t think any of us can talk Nathan up enough. He’s a magician and a workhorse. Talented and selfless. I wish I was more like him!

30. Finally, Rachel Halford. I miss Rachel. We don’t hang out enough. She’s still a great friend and someone I wish I saw more. 🙂

Again, this isn’t an exhaustive list, or in order of importance. I just have so much to be thankful for… and I’m blessed to know each of you. Thanks for being a part of my life!

“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances:
if there is any reaction, both are transformed.”
-C.G. Jung

“I suppose that since most of our hurts come through relationships so will our healing, and I know that grace
rarely makes sense for those looking in from the outside.”
-Paul Young, “The Shack”

Foster #4 – JR

November 4, 2012 by dspurgers Leave a Comment

For any of you who have known me for any length of time, you’ll be very shocked to see my newest foster. His name is JR.

Yup. That’s a chihuahua.

Y’all, that is a chihuahua. A CHIHUAHUA! I always said I would never have a small dog… Then I got Izzy. While she’s not a big dog, she’s still literally 5 times JR’s size.

We still have Atlas, so I wasn’t intending to take another foster at this time. JR’s story is a little sad. Last Friday in Greenbrier, a trailer caught on fire. The couple that lived in that trailer are great people. However, they were a little overwhelmed. They had been taking in strays for years, and their house had also become a dumping ground. With these combined, they had well over 100 dogs living on their property. I’ve heard it was around 150-175, though we don’t know for sure. The fire claimed the lives of around 71 dogs, as well as the couple’s trailer. They are now living in a bus behind their former home.

In a sad story, there’s a glimmer of hope: the couple wisely signed their dogs over to a number of rescue groups. At the Humane Society of Faulkner County (HSFC), we took around 40 animals – around 37 dogs and 2 cats. While they are no longer at home, they are getting the medical attention they need. By Saturday at noon, our amazing clinical staff had vaccinated all of the animals. The couple had been bringing dogs in slowly to be spayed and neutered, and we are taking care of spaying & neutering the rest now. Within weeks, these dogs will all be ready for adoption – some have already been adopted.

If you’re interested in hearing more about what happened, you can check out this story Courtney Spradlin wrote for the Log Cabin Democrat. You can also check out the story Pam Baccam from Today’s THV did. Additionally, you can check out an updated story – the dogs weren’t the only victims from the fire. If you’re interested in helping the pet owners, check out this link. Thanks to our local news outlets for great coverage.

HSFC is now charged with the task of finding worthy homes for these animals – by adopting them out ourselves and calling on the assistance of local rescue groups. If you’re interested in seeing the dogs, you can see pictures of all of them on our Facebook page.

Now for the slideshow with JR. I’ve always wanted to work with special needs. JR is between 10 and 12 years old, we think. He is epileptic (has seizures) and has no teeth. You’ll notice his tongue hangs out all the time. He’s so cute!

Notice the drool spot by the computer.

His shirt says “Adopt.” For the sake of animals like JR, PLEASE adopt your next dog from a rescue instead of purchasing them.

JR is oddly silent – which is not typical for a chihuahua. The only time he’s barked is when I’ve crated him. He has some major separation anxiety and wants to be my constant companion. It’s so sweet!

I’ve never been one to clothe dogs, really… Except for Christmas pictures. JR shivers a lot – just because he’s cold! I bought him a $4 sweater to keep him warm. He seems to like it, and I think he pulls it off pretty well. If we can find him some doggy argyle, he’ll match me well!

Napping in his bed.

I love his face. He’s so happy.

JR needs a good home – like all of the “Fire Dogs.” He needs someone who is going to be with him all the time and wants a constant lap companion. If you’re interested, let me know and we can discuss more.

For those of you who don’t know, HSFC is a 100% volunteer organization – we have no staff. Our volunteers foster and adopt dogs out of their homes – we have no physical location. We are a 501c3 non-profit and rely totally on donations. If you’re interested in helping, you can visit our website here.

Foster #3 – Atlas

September 21, 2012 by dspurgers 1 Comment

Working with the Humane Society of Faulkner County is one of the more rewarding things I’ve ever done. At times it’s exhausting, at times it’s challenging, and it times it’s just plain fun. Let me start by saying, I have more respect than I could ever convey for the people that have been doing this for years. Most people don’t know that the Humane Society has no paid staff or employees. There’s no physical location, and there’s no shelter. Whatever dogs the Humane Society takes in live in foster homes until they’re healthy and ready to be adopted. There are a number of people that give well over 40 hours a week just to help animals find there forever homes, and I’m grateful to get to work with them.

That being said, Richard and I have known for some time that we wanted to foster special needs dogs. These are animals who already have disabilities or sicknesses that they won’t get over. Often these animals are viewed as “damaged” and not worth something – but that just couldn’t be more wrong.

Atlas the day he was found.

Atlas came into our lives really quickly less than two weeks ago. A kind lady was driving and noticed him in a ditch on the side of the road. She went to a nearby convenience store, got a bag of food, and took it back to feed him some. He stuck his whole head in the bag and dug in! He came to the Humane Society at that point – and then was taken to Hartman Animal Hospital to be checked out. Luckily, Atlas didn’t have heart worms – he was just extremely malnourished and has a gunshot wound on his rear left leg. The bad news is, this leg will most likely have to be amputated in the next couple of months. The good news is, he is already well on his way to being healthy, and is much happier.

He’s living with us and is doing really well in foster care! He gets along very well with our dogs and is very grateful. For those of you who have never had rescue dogs, let me tell you, you’re missing out. From the way these animals treat you and respond to everything you do, you know they’re so happy to have someone loving them and taking care of them. Atlas is happily eating 3 meals a day, playing with our dogs, and terrorizing our cat.

There’s more good news to this story – Atlas already has a potential forever home. A kind lady in Wyoming has taken a special interest in his case and is keeping in touch with me. At this point, it’s looking quite likely that Atlas will be moving up North in a few months.

Now a quick photo update… Check out the gallery below.

For those of you who’d like to keep up with the Humane Society, Like us on Facebook here.

For those of you who would like to donate to Atlas’s medical expenses (which will be well over $1,000 before said and done), you can do so here. We really appreciate whatever donations you can make – they are tax deductible, as well.

Happy picture-viewing!

: Atlas the day he was found.

: Look at that face!

: Bashful

: Watching Izzy & Kodi eat

: Watching a treat

: I thought this was hilarious!

: Drinking… You can see his ribs still, but he already looks SO much better!

: Pouty eyes.

: You can see the bad leg – he favors it.

: Check out the underbite!

: Treat. NOW.

: Lying on the bed with me as I write this post.

Drew

Wedding of the Century – and a lot of fun!

August 13, 2012 by dspurgers Leave a Comment

This weekend, I got to be a part of the celebration of the wedding of my cousin & friend Alyssa Taylor to a great guy – Aaron Wildschuetz. I’ve known Alyssa since 5th grade and we’ve been great friends! The wedding was seriously one of the most fun weddings I’ve been a part of (I feel like we partied all weekend), and the perfect way to celebrate the start of their life together.

A brief update in pictures….