I won’t lie. I love Las Vegas.

I also have to admit that I have had some insanely amazing experiences in Sin City. Since 2005 I have stayed at some of the most luxurious accommodations  the Strip offers. What some people do not know is that Vegas hotels are built to cater gamblers. It’s the nature of the business. There are exclusive hotel suites that exist for the sole purpose of hosting a casino player. Most of these suites are not for sale to the general pubic and if you do not gamble you probably will never see the inside of these suites.

Recently I was fortunate enough to stay at the MGM Skylofts:

I can hardly believe that it has been a year since I gave birth to my daughter. It feels like the year has gone by in a flash! I feel so blessed to have this little girl in my life. She is nothing short of amazing, every day!

This year has been action packed for Ava. We moved into a house with a big yard. She also got to spend the first three months with both her mom and dad. Her dad took her for the next 8 months while I went back to work. She is such a social baby. She loves people and smiles all day and night. She even started to walk at 10.5 months, making her family so proud. Today she walks from person to person and says “hi!” and waves at them. It cracks me up. She loves to be chatty and she is so curious about everything. She is a master mimicker. She loves to mirror your actions. I love watching her light up when she discovered something new and exciting. Her favourite thing to do is EAT! What a difference from Jaxon. She eats everything. She sleeps through the night too. Maybe it IS easier the second time around.

Ava- you are my pride and joy. I can’t wait for all the memories we’re going to make together. All the shopping trips and traveling together. Our mother daughter talks and when I can give you advice to help you with your life. I will cherish every moment with you, I promise. Love mommy.

(Memory- Ava chose the paint brush on her birthday. Then the gavel. lol)

Here’s some of my favourite shots from the garden party we hosted in Ava’s honour. She was wearing Anna’s 1st birthday Hambok.

Photos by my brother Daniel Lee

The comments have been interesting since the article ran on BC Business’ website as well as the comments left for Rob Lewis when he wrote about it for Tech Vibes.

I appreciate being considered worthy to be among such great colleagues. I certainly know that this city has its fair share of social media power. The photos were beautifully shot and the location choices for each candidate were fantastic.

Ava Lorrarine Hyunseon Behan

On July 27th, 2010 I gave birth to a baby girl. Just when I thought my heart couldn’t possibly be filled with more  love, I met Ava. She melted my heart from the moment I saw her. I spend most of my days staring at her. And still, 12 days later, I can’t believe she’s really here in my arms. I always dreamed of having a baby girl but never wanted to set myself up for disappointment. Having two boys would have been incredible too but now that she’s in our lives I can’t be more grateful. She is truly a blessing.

It’s been almost 2 weeks and she has been an absolute angel. It is a challenge to have a 2 year old and a new born but it’s also been fantastic to have my husband home with me to help. We’re taking three months off together and I’m excited to have him around. Jaxon is very loving to his baby sister and seems to be OK with the new addition. Having said that it’s most likely because she’s not old enough to play with his toys.

I’m looking forward to the days when I can sleep longer than 2 hour stretches and when nursing becomes less painful. All in all though I’ve found her to be quite easy to take care of right now. Maybe it’s because the second time around you’re not so paranoid about every little sound the baby makes. She’s quiet though and easy to soothe. She’s feeding well and has some wonderful awake moments (like the photo above). I love seeing glimpses of me in her face and she also reminds me so much of when Jaxon was a little baby too.

Every day is a new kind of wonderful. Full of joy and love and amazing new discoveries. I cherish the moments with my family. Nothing really compares.

I can’t believe it is 2010 already. It takes my breath away. I smile at how much time has passed and everything I’ve experienced. I have to say I’m at a pretty content place bringing in this new year!

Already I’ve taken on some pretty extreme purges. I wanted to start this year with a fresh page. New starts. Zero tolerance. I’ve spent much of my life giving myself to others and in turn have made some incredible friends through this process. Having said that there were people in my life that were still taking me for granted and I needed to let them go. I have a family now. They come first. There are those in my life that respected that. There were those that didn’t. Guess who I purged?

2009 was about coming to terms with it all. It’s hard to tell yourself that you have people in your life that are affecting you in such a negative way.  They were in my life for years (and looking back have always affected me in a negative way). How can I just let them go? I just felt compelled to be the person in their lives that would help  them. Forever. I was prepared for a lifetime of that, honestly. They were like sisters. But then when you bring your own flesh and blood into the world you start to reevaluate your priorities drastically. He’s the one that you care about first. There will be people in your life that will understand that (and can relate to that) and there are people who just never will and try everything to hold you back. It was my a-ha moment of 2009. It was time to let them go. Just because they’ve been in your lives for years doesn’t mean you have to keep carrying them on your back. Forget a lifetime of that. What was I thinking?

2010 is about loving the people that are always there for me. It’s not about years of friendship anymore. It’s about what kind of friend they are. Time is so precious and the time you get to spend with your friends after starting a family is so far and few between as the years go by. I cherish every moment with my friends. This year I will spend my time with friends I want to spend time with. The friends that inspire me to be a better person. The friends who will be there for me without their own agenda or selfish reasons. The friends that will make me look good in any given public situation. I am blessed to have those kinds of friends.

Since the purge I feel like a darkness has been lifted and I can sigh with genuine relief. It’s amazing how much your high maintenance friends can suck the life out of you.

Maybe this post will inspire others to start cutting out the losers in their life. There’s just a point in your life when you just have to let go. Ask yourself what they’ve done for you lately. If you are struggling for an answer you need to seriously consider ditching them. If I sound bitter I promise it’s more disappointment and a feeling of being let down after so much time and effort. But life is for making your mistakes and learning from them and I learned some really big lessons in 2009. I’ll never get fooled again. And don’t forget…

Real friendships are effortless.

(Some favourite friend and family moments of 2009. I love these people!!)

It takes a long time to grow an old friend. ~John Leonard

]]> http://alexleebehan.com/2010/01/09/happy-new-year/feed/ 4 Lexy B Jaxon turns 1 IMG_1443 IMG_1248 3592805699_13ba71431d_b DSC03927 IMG_4958 IMG_1380 IMG_1118 IMG_1615 IMG_1898 IMG_2043 IMG_1977 Happy 5th Anniversary IMG_1026 IMG_0816 IMG_0467 IMG_0079 2656_58785323765_500533765_1470227_5086716_n IMG_1594 IMG_1430 Jaxon's First Birthday with my 2 oldest friends DSC_0032 Jaxon's BFF Emett mom and jaxon 2 families Jax and Em Uncle Wes girlsgiftexchange F1010011 trio http://alexleebehan.com/2009/10/07/one-life-no-regrets-starts-production/ http://alexleebehan.com/2009/10/07/one-life-no-regrets-starts-production/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:03:05 +0000 Alex Lee Behan http://alexleebehan.com/?p=449 ]]> It was last Saturday when I met Patrick Stark. When I spoke with him first on the phone he was anxious to set up a meeting fast as he was on a serious deadline. All I knew was that he couldn’t delay meeting me to discuss a PR strategy for his “passion project”.

At Starbucks I waited. My first impression of him was that he was really tall with the most genuine smile. And then I heard about his project. His first documentary called One Life: No Regrets.

Patrick Stark is no stranger to the film scene in Vancouver. Today, Stark is an independent producer and director, acting as a consultant for various projects, and developing many of his own.

From 1990, when he first stepped onto set as an extra and throughout the 17 years since, Stark has acquired numerous credits. Working behind the scenes in various departments, mostly as an assistant director, he gained the experience necessary to eventually produce and direct his own films.

Today what’s making him excited is this passion project. It’s a documentary about people’s dreams. You know the one you’ve been hanging onto since you were little? Everyone has one.

Patrick’s own dream of one day singing in front of thousands of fans will also be featured in this film. To make that happen we are setting up a stage for him to perform on on October 27th. But that’s not all. Patrick will be singing to U2 in hopes that they will ask him on their stage at the Vancouver concert the following night.

We shot the You Tube Campaign call to action yesterday which will be up shortly after editing is complete. In the meantime, we have started a Facebook page and you can follow Patrick on Twitter as we make his dream and hopefully others after for the One Life: No Regrets documentary.

It was also so amazing to work with Shannon Kohli, who was shooting the You Tube Campaign. Talk about one impressive Director of Photography and award winning Cinematographer. She will be shooting the documentary as well as on October 27th.

Working on their PR Strategy has been an exciting challenge. It’s really a blend of social networking and relying on traditional media channels to spread the word about this initiative. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds. But when it comes down to it you can’t get a better, more genuine face to do this then with Patrick. Whether it works out perfectly as we plan or falls apart at the seams with hurdles and obstacles, it will all make for great documentary footage.

Daniel Negreanu Wins 2008 BC Poker Championship

It’s year number 5 for my favourite poker tournament, the British Columbia Poker Championships. It all kicks off again on November 12th and registration is in full gear.

This year should be especially interesting since the Kid Poker made his claim that he’ll be back to defend his title when he won the tournament last year. There will be some serious contenders in Richmond BC vying for a chance to beat Daniel Negreanu and to take this year’s title and cash prize. Are you up for the challenge?

Here’s this year’s event schedule:

2009 BC Poker Championship Event Schedule

NOVEMBER 12th-14th

Event #1

Starts Nov 12th @ 12:00PM

$500+50 No Limit Holdem

$250, 000  Prize pool**

Event #2
November 16th – 17th, 2009 @ 12:00PM

$1000 +100 No Limit Holdem
Final Table will begin on November 17th @ 9:00pm

$500,000 prize pool**

Event #4
November 19th – 22nd, 2009 @ 12:00PM

$2700 No Limit Holdem Main Event
Final Table will begin on November 22nd @ 12:00pm
4 Day Event
15,000 In Starting Chips
1hr Blind Levels

** Estimated Prize Pools.

CALL RIVER ROCK’s POKER ROOM AT 604.247.8983 TO REGISTER OR FOR MORE INFORMATION

STEP 1: DO YOUR HOMEWORK:

When tackling a PR project I always take the same initial approach. I try and look at my client and everything that person or business has to offer and paint myself the big picture first. What are their greatest selling features? What makes this person or business authentic and original from everyone and everything else? And what is going to get the public interested?

That starts the massive brain storm. Fortunately or unfortunately, for me, this is the stage where my brain doesn’t shut off. You really just have to look at it from all angles. Where is that niche thing that will get people to notice or pay attention. I simply look at everything! The past, the present and the future. The connection with community. Who is going to care about this story?

STEP 2: STRATEGY

From there I break things down into smaller divisions and try and come up with a unique plan. I find the most interesting things to promote first and start from there. List each trait or feature as a separate entity, a separate pitch to the media and to the public. Then list all the media you want to approach about what and at what time. Remember that generally deadlines are very tight and current. If you have time-sensitive event, promotion, etc you need to plan accordingly. Press releases will get lost if you send it too far in advance.

STEP 3: GETTING IN TOUCH- PERSONALLY

Every media strategy should consist of research and development first. Know your press. Know your media. Once you have a clear indication of what your “pitch” will be you need to ask yourself where the story would best fit in the media. You can’t just blitz everyone with the same story. Well… you can… in fact that is the traditional way of doing things but it doesn’t always work. Sure if you sent out your press release to a hundred people you may get a handful of interest but if you really want to take the time and energy to carry out a better media strategy it’s going to take more time and effort with your pitches. Find the publication, TV show, reporter, radio host, and/or blogger that will be interested in your pitch. Send that person a direct email or call them and talk them through your ideas. Create the story together. Or at least try to. Not every show or reporter is going to be the right fit but just sending a press release to the generic assignment desk is going to show less results than if you email a specific reporter, editor, television producer, radio host, or blogger.

Over time you will build relationships with your local media. You will get to know what they would be interested in covering and in turn making it easier to build your media strategies around them. On a larger scale you can certainly use that approach internationally. With email and websites it’s easy to keep relationships with people who may help you to get more exposure around the world.

The most important part about PR is your personal approach. Be authentic and honest and open.

It comes down to this question: What is my own online strategy? More specifically even, what is your online PR strategy?

Much like any corporation, being remotely public online comes with responsibilities, at least for me they do (online). Due largely to this site and to my social media addictions.. I mean…PR tools, my life is an open book. Of course when it comes to my professional reputation I take the time to think strategy and I think long term rather than short. Twenty years from now I will have built up quite a lengthy presence online. It is inevitable we are moving towards that kind of future. Growing with Google.  Layers and layers of online pages, like sedimentary rock. Maybe I am going for the Grand Canyon of online layers. I don’t anticipate or plan for online popularity or anything either. Growing up I wrote in a journal for most of my life… isn’t this essentially the same thing? Well, that and the fact that I am letting just anyone read it. Let’s call it more like the portfolio of my life.

This “portfolio” has to be something I can stand behind and represents me in the most authentic way. I have no ghost writers. I take all of my own photos or credit and link to the rare times I don’t. (Or at least try to.. please tell me if you’ve caught anything online that deserves a link) but most of all I put time into it. It is something I am proud of. I also take the time to engage in conversation with people who are interested in me and what I have to say. Call it your online handshake and then coffee talk with every Web interaction.

There’s also the mind-set of quality over quantity, being really selective of what you put online with each post, picture and page. Then there’s those that use the Internet and its tools for everything. Photo storage, email storage, blog storage, you get the picture. An enormous amount of layers upon layers of online content. I even know people who store everything for the sole reason the can go back and find it. Certainly faster than going through files in your closet. No risk of losing in a fire. Accessible from anywhere in the world. All things are easily search able if you have misplaced it online. Times that by 20 or 30 years. Now that’s an online strategy.

Yours and my strategy can be different. I’m just encouraging you to think long term, as I try to do with ever post, picture and page. Think about your online collection. It’s is certianly something I take into consideration all of time. It’s no longer this mad rush to pile as much of me on the Internet anymore. Now I take my time to write and edit my stuff on line. My photos are chosen carefully and I take the time to update all of my social media addictions. It’s the online commitment I have made. I’m sure twenty years from now I will surely be proud of myself for putting the work in today. I will instigate a few laughs at the very least, anyway.

Me at 1 month pregnant

Me at 4 Months Pregnant

When I became pregnant with my son that panic about my image went out the door. I was free! Free to not exercise as vigourously as I had in the past and free to eat what my body was craving. Unfortunately I had the worst morning sickness in my first trimester. I was so lucky that my office was next a bathroom! I would come to work early so I could do all the throwing up before anyone go to work and of course keeping the pregnancy a secret was a difficult task. I barely kept anything down for the first 3 months. It was awful. Pull-your-car-over-onto-the-side-of the-road-while-driving-to-throw-up awful.

In my second trimester my morning sickness went away completely. I was back on track and stuffing my face any chance I could get. I guess my body just wanted to make up for all of the eating I didn’t do in the first 3 months. And did I ever! Believe it or not I gained SEVENTY FIVE pounds during my whole term. I won’t tell you I didn’t know how it happened as I did eat relentlessly for 7 months straight. I didn’t really care about it until after Jaxon was born. He only weighed eight pounds so I had almost 60 pounds to lose after the birth. SIXTY POUNDS!??! I thought I was doomed.

Me at 8.5 months pregnant

My oldest friend Mary was having her child at the same time. What a marvelous coincedence. She was my rock through0ut the pregnancy and looking back she was my EVERYTHING during the next few months after our sons were born (a month apart to the day!) I really don’t know what I would’ve done without her and our sons. We went to baby and mom group meetings together and went on long walks together. We would just find a way to bring us and the boys together as much as possible during my year off with them. Some of the best memories of my life. But my point is that Mary motivated me to get out and take my son out instead of staying at home. It was always more comfortable just staying on the couch cause then I didn’t have to see anyone or deal with anyone/thing except my son. The first few months of an infant’s life is so hands on it was hard to find the motivation to leave the house. Staying home was NOT going to get the pounds off. So we walked everywhere with the strollers. Walked the beaches, window shopped, went and ate at Wholefoods regularily, etc. We would just find a new place or a favourite place to meet and just walk around with the boys.

Jaxon and his bestfriend Emett

The weight started to melt off me. It was amazing! Of course nursing helped. I really do believe that nursing my son exclusively for 10 months helped me to lost most of the the weight. That and the gym I joined which happens to have the best daycare.

Last month I had 10 pounds to go to reach my pre-pregnancy weight. I know that losing the 65 pounds was awesome but still I couldn’t fit into the clothes in my closet from before the baby and I was just about to go back to work. I was determined to do it as my usual mom uniform of leggings, UGG boots and oversized sweaters was not going to cut it in the corporate world. Besides, I love my suit collection.

So I went on the Master Cleanse. The last time I did it was 10 years before and I remember it being a real struggle. I was nervous about starting it again this time around. I won’t go into detail about how it works as there is a ton of information on line about the cleanse. I will tell you that I haven’t felt that good in decades and that by day three my skin, hair, teeth and nails were amazing and I had so much energy. I was sleeping well and I had tons of energy in the morning. In fact, I was coming down with a bit of a cold at the start of it and the cleanse wiped that out too. The Master Cleanse is not for everyone. You have to do it for at least 10 days or there’s no point. I always tell people to try 3 days because by day 3 you feel accomplished enough to go on. I lasted ten days this time around. I also lost ten pounds and fit into all of my old clothes again so mission accomplished. Of course once you start eating again you gain a bit of it back but I am still maintaining my original weight and the cleanse has gotten me back into the gym and even running in the mornings. It’s now time to try and have an even better body than before I had my son!

I will keep you updated on my progress

Taken just after I finished the Master Cleanse