Had this happened, Adrian would have been prepared

The Boy Scout motto is ‘Be Prepared’.  I tagged along to enough of my brother’s events to internalize that motto early on.  So — except for my constant refusal to refill on gasoline until my car starts beeping an alarm at me — I try to be prepared in my every day.  I mean, I don’t have a year’s worth of dehydrated food lining my garage walls in case of an apocalypse, but I do try to be prepared for what life may bring.

This weekend, as I watched my NYC friends’ Facebook statuses about stocking up on food (then accidentally eating all the food and having to restock), buying extra water, even evacuating to higher ground, I was proud of their preparations.  Sure, Hurricane Irene hit New York City with all the fury of a sleepy kitty, but that’s neither here nor there.  The point is: they were prepared for the worst and had the worst hit, they would have been just fine.  Knowing that brings comfort to my heart this Monday morning.
In the years post-Hurricane Katrina, it has been easy to blame the US Government and FEMA and George Bush for the failures to protect the Gulf Coast, and then failing to adequately respond.  I’m not denying that there is plenty to blame them for, because there is.  I’m just saying that when the warnings come, it is on us, the populace, to prepare ourselves.  Those of us who can be prepared, owe it to our fellows who cannot to not be a burden on the social services.

Kudos to those New Yorkers who were prepared.  It may feel like it was overkill, but you can never be overprepared.  And just think, now you won’t have to go to the grocery store again any time soon.

While Irene did not cause the devastation that was expected in NYC, it has devastated large areas of the country.  Please support the Red Cross as it provides shelter and aid to our brothers up and down the East Coast.

Big hugs,

Tannya

One of my all-time fave pix of my Pops and I

Two weeks ago Magda, Jeff, and I drove to Hermosillo to talk to my dad, who had asked us to come down so he could speak to us.  He had bad news: his cancer, which we had thought was gone, had spread throughout his body.  I felt like I was living in a snow globe — all the pieces of my life were still there, but someone had given it a good hard shake and the bits were swirling around in chaos.

Since then, as a family we have come to understand the challenges that we are facing and will face.  Luckily, we Gaxiolas are made of hearty stock and have optimism and positivity down to our toes.  Dad has made it through week two of radiation and chemo, he’s feeling strong, and his prognosis is even better than we could have hoped for.   He says that if it wasn’t because someone told him he’s sick, he wouldn’t have believed it.  Cancer, schmancer, I say.

This Saturday, before driving down to Hermosillo to spend some quality time with my Pops and the familia, I helped the Las Comadres — Latinas in Action kick off their first annual Mother/Daughter Conference.  I started off with a little speech reflecting on a time a few

One of my all-time fave pix of Ma, with me and Adrian

years ago when my Ma scared the bejeezus out of me by having a little trouble with her heart.  Reflecting on my mom’s past illness while dealing with my dad’s current illness was a little tough, and I’m not ashamed to say I cried my way through my speech.  (Oops. But at least it was heartfelt.)

Comadres Paloma Lopez-Santiago and the indefatigable Lupita Mitz

I left to Mexico immediately after my speech, and came back to Tucson last night to find tons of pictures of the conference online.  Judging by the pictures, it was a smashing success.  You cannot help but be touched by the love and tenderness on the faces of mothers and daughters as they gaze at each other and learn to see and appreciate each other for who they are.  Congratulations, Comadres!  Your work speaks for itself.

These few weeks have been a reminder to me and today, I take this opportunity to remind you all to “honor thy father and thy mother”.   If you, like I, spend too little time appreciating them and honoring them for what they have done for you — wiped noses, wiped butts, wiped tears — then there is no time like the present to take a moment to say thanks.  They don’t hear it enough.

I love you Mami and Pops,

Tannya

Look at Ron. He was so cute here, I just want to pinch his cheeks!

This weekend was the opening of the last Harry Potter movie, and the end of an era.  I’m not ashamed to admit that I am one of the zillions of people across the globe who followed Harry from his first days at Hogwarts.  I can say it: I love Harry Potter.

And now he’s gone.  Oh Harry, I will miss you.  I remember when I finished reading the Lord of the Rings I was so sad to say goodbye to those characters.  And as a kid when I ran out of Laura Ingalls Wilder books or Beverly Clearly books, there was a sense of triumph, of having conquered that mountain of books, but also a sense of loss.  And so too goes Harry Potter.

Why is it that we rush to finish these series?  Why not take it slow and savor each page, each minute? I don’t know.  All I know is that on those rare occasions when I have  found a series that is so compelling, and engrossing, and fun, I plow through.  I feel like a kid with an ice cream cone, trying to eat it all up before it melts.

Maybe somewhere out there another budding author, un-stifled by our crippled educational system and underfunded libraries, is dreaming up another world full of fun and fantastic characters to share with us all.  I hope so.

Here’s hoping!

With love,

Tannya

p.s. Yes, I read the Lord of the Rings books. Including The Hobbit.  They were awesome.  And you already know I’m a huge nerd, so don’t look so surprised.

Yup, it’s Monday folks. Some Mondays are all cheery and good, with picture perfect sunrises, steaming hot coffee, and clothes fresh from the dry cleaners. Other Mondays come after a weekend of painting until your hands hardly work (me), getting your car stolen (not me), or having your travel plans all fall apart (also not me). Today is the second kind of Monday.

But even when Mondays are kinda sucky, there is always something positive about starting a new week. Its full of promise, full of opportunity. There are customers to help, meetings to attend, and the hope that this week I might actually make it to the gym. Yes, Mondays can get off to a bad start, but they are always the start of something new and that is exciting.

I hope you survive this Monday, and that it kicks off a wonderful week.

With love,
Tannya

p.s. this blog is especially short because my hands REALLY hurt. Thanks to Lupita Mitz, Magda, and Jeff for being awesome friends and helping me paint. The place looks awesome.

Fuzzy creosote goodness

Every Tucsonan knows the desert smells damn good after a rain.  Sure, sure, the foresty green parts of the country smell nice after the rain too. But the desert smells good.

People who aren’t familiar with the creosote bush that is native to this area are just missing out.  I once took a foreign visitor out to Saguaro National Monument East so she could meet the Sonoran Desert in all its glory.  The giant saguaros almost knocked her off her feet, but when I taught her to cup the creosote in her hand, blow on it and then breathe in that amazing smell, she was in love.

Ocotillos are my favorite desert plant

With love,

Tannya

www.wffmma.com

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the MMA fight put on by Thom Ortiz’s World Fighting Federation at the Casino del Sol (If you missed the event, you should check them out when they are back in town in the fall.) I’m not exactly what you would call a die-hard fan, in fact it was my first live MMA event. Nonetheless, the fights had me on the edge of my seat.

The thing that struck me as pair after pair of athletes stepped into the cage, was the competitive spirit of each person. There was a surprisingly wide mix of athletes — old and young, tall and short, men and women, chiseled and not. And yet each of them stepped into the cage with the eye of the tiger, amped up and ready to kick some butt. Where does that come from?

I know I’m a competitive person. My dad’s an attorney, so I grew up arguing, not for the sake of arguing but arguing to win. And despite a total inability to draw I will kick anyone’s butt at Pictionary. (Don’t believe me? Try me.) There may even be an unconfirmed rumor that I once aggressively crushed my then five-year-old nephew Fernando at Monopoly. (Oops.) I’ve got the eye of the tiger, sure, but where did it come from?

From the AZ Daily Star, early 80's. (Check out those rad sneakers)

To some degree, I blame my parents. They had us racing and competing since day one. Check out my bro, Adrian, winning a BMX race. Look at that little guy! What is he? Five!? Yeah, mom and dad definitely had a hand in how competitive we all are.  But they got it from somewhere too. Going back into forever, the Gaxiolas have been a competitive bunch. There is more than one old sepia picture of guys with pompadours and trophies in our family album.

As an entrepreneur, this is definitely a good thing. If you’re in business, you have to be in business to win.  Sure, I want to make money and make a difference.  But I also want to be the best legal document service out there.  Second best is not good enough.

Now Monday’s here and its time to get back to work.

Bring it on.

With love,

Tannya

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go back to Harvard for my five-year reunion. I expected a lot of drunken partying, but instead I was treated to a series of classes. Really, really, awesome classes.

The eTrade baby. The workforce of the future?

Then I took this other class about how the performance of star employees is affected by a move from one firm to another, and when they are better off or worse off (almost always worse off, by the way). Jeff came with me and learned all about stem cells and health care reform and lord knows what else. After the reunion was over, we spent hours rehashing each class and re-reading the materials.

The one picture I took of HBS before my camera died

And of course there were the drunken parties. Yes, even Harvard MBAs like to drink and party. It was great to see everyone, and catch up with old friends I’d lost track of.

Today its Monday and I’m back at my desk as I should be. I am re-energized, fired up, and ready to dive right back in to this thing we call QuikHelp.

William W. George, Professor of Management Practice

My favorite class that I went to last weekend was taught by Prof. Bill George, who spoke about compassionate organizations and being an authentic leader. It really struck a chord with me because of the work we do here at QuikHelp. Sure, we’re a business, but we’re also focused on helping our community and providing access to the legal system for people who don’t otherwise have somewhere to go. you could say we’re a business with a higher purpose.

And with that, it’s off to work I go! Happy Monday!

With love,
Tannya

One of the things I love most about my family is the amazing sense of humor and fun that we share. Like most families we have all types — the Quiet, the Loud, the Pensive, the Guitar Player, the Fashionista, the Cartwheeler (What? You don’t have one of those?). During Memorial Day weekend at Kino, we manage to bring all those people together for three days of fun and love and hilarity. We hug, we kiss, we embrace each other’s uniqueness and let each other be, so that we can all be happy together.

Over the years, the details of the event have changed. There used to be a lot more people sleeping in tents on the beach. I distinctly remember fireworks when I was younger. And as time has gone on, the family has changed as well. There are new babies and new spouses, but there are also divorces and deaths. And when we lose someone from our group, their absence is painfully obvious to us all.

But as the years go on — this was our 18th year doing this same event — one thing never changes: we are a family. No matter how different or crazy we may all be, we are a family and we love each other.

Today, I am back at my desk and recharged for another year. I hope your Memorial Day weekend was equally re-energizing. And if not, at least its a four day week.
Happy Tuesday!

With love,
Tannya

This five-year milestone has me spending an inordinate amount of time on Facebook, stalking… er, catching up with my classmates. One word comes to mind: Wow. These people are everywhere! At companies old to the new, big and small. But what is particularly impressive is the number of entrepreneurs.

"Hello future, is that you?" (me circa 2005)

But that is the nature of the entrepreneur. We throw ourselves at our goals, whether its building a business or getting that perfect job. Another trait of an entrepreneur is the constant promotion of the business. With that in mind, I introduce you to some of the ventures started by my classmates. I am so proud to count myself among these amazing folks, and to share their work with you:

These give me purse lust

mdhil — Provides basic healthcare information to the Indian consumer, by Nandu Madhava (http://www.mdhil.com/)

Plum District — Like Groupon, but for mommies, by Megan Gardner (http://www.plumdistrict.com/)

Panjiva — Finds, evaluates, and connects businesses with off-shore suppliers, by Josh Green (http://panjiva.com/)

And those are just the ones that come to mind before I’ve had my morning coffee!

To my HBS classmates, you guys are amazing and an inspiration. An entrepreneur is always looking for inspiration and for innovation, and you guys are source of both. Nourishment for the entrepreneurial heart, as it were.

I can’t wait to see you all in Boston in June.

With love,
Tannya

Writer’s block sucks. So, instead of a blog I leave you with this little Monday morning thought, courtesy of the always memorable Dan Quayle, “If we don’t succeed, we run the risk of failure.”

Now get out there and do some succeeding!
Happy Monday!
Tannya