Some Bees and Some Changes

When you visit our home, one of the first things you will notice is that my husband and I love to garden. Actually, my husband is slightly more obsessed with the grass while I divide my time between the vegetable, perennial, and butterfly gardens. I find incredible enjoyment in gardening organically, it is quite a challenge to keep the pests away and the plants thriving.

I often find correlations between the work I put into my garden and the work I put into my voice over business. These are two areas of my life I am equally passionate about. I credit my voice coach, Nancy Wolfson, for finding a way to blend the two.

This weekend I was finally able to unveil my new website...

www.karaedwardsvo.com.

The concept was developed many months ago after Nancy came across a picture in a magazine. It had beautiful yellow flowers and a honey bee. I agreed that it captured my hobby with the flowers; my young, fresh voice with the color yellow; and the bee...well, that was just for fun.

I was fortunate to meet Jason from Village Green Studios who designed the site.

Now the story...(you knew there would be one!)

If you've ever worked in a garden, you know how docile bees are. They almost never sting, and they are extremely beneficial to the plants. I have forever been fascinated with bees. My poor husband has had to sit through countless slide shows of the many close-ups I've taken of busy bees. I've always felt a strong working relationship between myself and the bees, we both have jobs to do in the gardens.

This past week, Jason had finished the initial design of the site and wanted to get my thoughts on it. I loved everything, but wasn't 100% sold on the roaming bee. I decided it might be wise to go outside, water the gardens, and think things through. My time in the fresh air helped me decide the bee should probably go, as some folks might find it annoying.

I came inside, ate some cereal, put a load of laundry in the wash. and came upstairs to type out the e-mail to Jason. As I leaned back in my office chair, I felt a needle prick in my spine. It took me a few seconds to realize I had just been stung. The poor bee had become entangled in my shirt and was defending himself. In all the years of my life, I have never been stung by a bee...once by a wasp...but never a bee.

Currently, the house next door to us is up for sale. It is my sincere hope that no one was there on this particular morning. I am quite sure I have never ripped an article of clothing off my body that fast in my life. Off goes the shirt...out come words that would make a sailor blush. If you've never been stung...it really hurts! I fly into the bathroom for a cold wet towel to hold over the growing welt on my back. My dog, in her endless fascination of all things loud, began clawing frantically at my leg. It was not a pretty site.

The good news is that I am not allergic to bees, and that the bee did not die from the sting. The better news is that he stung some sense into me. The website bee stays...and I have a greater appreciation for him than I ever could have imagined!

As you look around the new site, and the new blog layout...feel free to offer any suggestions on how I can improve them!

For now...I couldn't bee happier :)