Chick Fest Review

We did it! Chick Fest '01 was a hit! (At least with me it was, I had a blast.) I left Chick Fest and drove four hours north to our lake place in Walker. I smiled the whole way. I said it at the wrap-up dinner on Saturday but I'll say it again, I really was in no mood to attend. I was emotionally drained and physically pooped. The past few months I've been running myself ragged between the book tour, building a new house, traveling to Europe and moving down from Canada. That, and trying to be a mother to four kids and a wife to my attention deprived husband, I didn't think I could motivate a bee to sting.

But, seeing all those faces at the dinner Friday night, knowing that everyone came from all over the country, (and paid money to come!) and being with my sister Chicks in our club, I was suddenly energized. (No, it had nothing to do with the Coors Light consumption.) I want to thank everyone for coming and giving me a breath of fresh air. I've been happy and relaxed ever since.

I'm trying to figure out which part was my favorite, so maybe if I run through the weekend's events it will come to me.

Friday night, when everyone was registering and getting their packets, I had no clue what was going on. Chick Jana had it all organized and I felt like a stranger at my own wedding. Then I remembered... I had a Polaroid camera with me. Aha, I would take pictures of each Chick when they signed in and then I could feel part of the whole thing. I handed the camera off to Chick Susie when I remembered I had a speech to give and no idea what I was going to say. The pictures turned out great, and we'll be mailing your Polaroid home to you, we just had to scan them. You can see them here!

Diane of Club Chick did the intro to the whole weekend. She wrote the introduction for our book, so it was only appropriate she did this introduction. She wrote a speech, but of course lost it. (Diane loses everything. She's gone through four cells phones, three checking accounts, two credit cards and one husband.) Diane and I have written a sitcom together, but she's lost it.

Then we played The Weakest Chick so we could get some money (pretend money) to buy some stocks. There wasn't a Weakest Chick in the bunch. Everyone got all of the answers correct, including Chick Julie, and we netted $40,000. I managed to speak about something for a few hours and pull off a Power Point presentation, which shocked me more than anyone. Sorry it went a little long, there was just so much content. From the S & P 500, to how a club works to Chick Cheryl's close encounters with Mel Gibson.

After the dinner, about twenty Chicks headed over the Mall of America for some piano playing. I have to apologize, but it was about the raunchiest display of piano playing I have ever seen. I don't ever remember it being that gross. After running sixteen laps around the mall to find the exit where our bus was waiting, we left the mall behind. It figures I'd be the last one to hop on the bus. I really was late for my own wedding. One highlight of weekend: the bus ride home. When the poor twenty-year-old driver pulled up to the hotel, Billy Joel's Piano Man was started on the radio. We tipped the driver twenty bucks and sang and danced until the song was over. I wish I had a video. Twenty Chicks rocking the bus. (The bus driver confessed the next day he had never even heard of the song.)

The next morning came early. (Seeing that Chick Cheryl and I were up yakking until 3:00 AM.) All fifty Chick Fest Flockers met for breakfast, brought their calculators, and wore their pajamas. We were going to research some companies and find the best to buy. We broke up into five groups:
   1. Companies For Women
   2. What to Eat
   3. What to Drink
   4. To Your Health
   5. We Do It All

Click here to see the companies we researched and the numbers that everyone came up with.

We ended up buying Kenneth Cole, Kraft, Coke, Medtronic, and Tyco, Int'l. Check out how the portfolio did this past week. We'll keep it updated weekly.

Highlight of the weekend: We got kicked out of the room. I had no idea what time it was, we were all having such a great time learning about balance sheets and income statements and how to figure the numbers, that they were literally taking the coffee cups out from under us. They needed the room for a lunch.

LUNCH! We had to go. The bus was leaving to head down to the beach and Chick Lynn's house for lunch! Highlight. Whole afternoon... highlight. She was the hostess with the mostest, the weather cooperated and I got the chance to walk through my house a hundred times touring it (which I so enjoyed since it was the first time in a month I had been there). I loved watching women swim (and synchronize it) in the river, and talking with everyone there. It was soooo relaxing.

Then it was back to the hotel for some down time.

Dinner was at the Café Odyssey at the Mall of America. I screamed out awards. (I was losing my voice by this time of the weekend.) Awards went to Miss Chick Feel Good -- Jane, for her free massages for two days. Miss Chickgeniality -- Chick Lynn, for her hostessing. Miss Chick Spirits -- Dividend Divas from Missouri for their song and dance routine at breakfast with their PJ's on. Miss Chick Bathing Beauty -- Pregnant Julie from San Francisco Dividend Divas. Miss Chick Golfer -- Shannon from San Fran. Miss Chick Fest '01 -- Sue from South Saint Paul who had no idea what she was getting into, but stayed the whole weekend, bought three books and a pair of pajamas. (We kind of corralled her on the golf course.) Also, the Girls Just Want to Have Funds each received a Chicks Laying Nest Eggs baseball cap, as they were the most represented club at Chick Fest. Eight of their ten members flew in from out of town. Woo Hoo! Highlight.

Did I mention that Diane the Intro Girl missed the dinner? She found someone more interesting in the bar. She brought him in to the whole Chick crowd at the end of the dinner. He hasn't called her since. Poor Diane. Forever searching for Mr. Right.

I want to thank my sister Chicks for coming: Chick Kristin -- newly prego and feeling it, and her airplane bag felt it too; Chick Julie -- for the gracious use of her course, and don't forget to tell all males over 40 she has a great personality and looking; Chick Jeanette -- my mother who had to put up with me and Jana the week leading up to the Fest; Chick Susie -- who drove 4 hours to come, speak eloquently and turned right around after the dinner to head back to another function early Saturday; Chick Lynnie -- for her great real woman speech at the dinner Friday night and her hostessing; Chick Cheryl -- who flew in from California and had no idea that I was going to make her speak until she arrived ten minutes before the dinner; and finally, Chick Jana -- who works her butt off everyday for the website and made the whole event happen. I also want to mention that the two Chicks who couldn't attend wanted to be there so bad. Megan is having a baby (as I type) and Lorene had family commitments back in Maryland.

Finally, thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who attended, even if it was just for lunch. I am so glad that the message is getting out there that we woman can do it, we can take control of investments and know exactly what they're doing!

I can hardly wait to do it all again!!

Chick Karin