jump to navigation

Living the American Dream May 3, 2008

Posted by Emily in : Friends, My Handsome Husband, Texas , add a comment

We have been eating like royalty since we arrived. Everyone we see wants to go out to eat, or feed us, so I’m positive I will have “more belly than baby” before I go to Utah. This week, we met up with some old business partners, Dianna and Eric. She would alter all the wedding and formal gowns for our customers. She is amazing with fabric, and truly has an “eye” for altering wedding gowns. They are such an incredible couple with such an amazing story.

They emigrated from Russia about 15 years ago with their two toddler children, mother-in-law, and $1,000 in their pocket, and the dream of living in the land of the free where they could work for themselves. After paying off the Russian mafia during their travels, they landed in the Dallas area. Dianna used to work in a sweat shop in Russia, so they opened up an alteration store because that was the only way they thought they could make money. With no education and a thick Russian accent, this seemed like their only option. Really, they wanted to LIVE the American dream; Entrepreneurship

This is Dianna.

All of the walls in her alteration shop are filled with pictures of her clients.

This is her “beauty queen wall.” Anyone, who is anyone, will only allow Dianna to touch their gown. She is absolutely amazing. She alters the gowns of all celebrities in the Dallas area. One of the many celebrities she has worked with is LeAnn Rimes. She altered her Vera Wang wedding gown when she got married. There are more celebrities, but I am pregnant, and can’t think of them.

Notice how my picture is on the wall? Yeah, it is on the end of the middle row. I should get her another picture, so my head isn’t cut off. (BTW, Dianna didn’t recognize “island Emily” with no makeup, flip flops, hair in a ponytail and pregnant, when I popped in for a surprise visit a few days ago. Her store was FULL of customers and she exclaimed, “Emily, you don’t look same! You VERY different. I don’t recognize you. You see? Yes, Exactly.” She then pointed to my picture on the wall of what I should look like. Dianna doesn’t mince words.)

This is Eric. He opened up a Paciugo franchise last year. It is doing well, and we certainly enjoyed eating the gourmet Italian ice cream!

This is Eric’s franchise. When David asked him why he opened up a franchise, he said he couldn’t do anything else! With no education, a thick Russian accent, and a desire to retire his wife from the alteration business, he felt his only option was to open a franchise because the “company leads you by the hand.”

All we could say was “WOW.” How many Americans out there specifically don’t open their own business because they think they don’t have enough education, or experience? This is what I love about this couple, THEY HAVE DRIVE. I relate to that. They jump in head first, and MAKE IT WORK. Props to all the immigrants who are living the American dream.

Fifteen years later, their accents haven’t changed much. It still takes a fine tuned ear to understand them. We went to dinner at Texas Land and Cattle (because David REALLY wanted to eat some great steak, but the food paled in comparison to the Gatehouse steak. We are ruined for life.) and I had to clarify everything Eric and Dianna ordered to the waiter. The waiter CLEARLY didn’t understand. Hey, I relate. I used to nod my head at everything they said when I first met them.

David and I both ordered IBC root beer. IT IS THE KING OF ALL ROOT BEERS. We have been deprived of this little luxury for 28 months, and it was DELICIOUS. Poor Eric and Dianna, they have never tried root beer in all their years living in the States. We offered for them to try it, but in true Russian taste, they turned it down to drink their Vodka and Margarita. It’s too bad they don’t know what they’re missing!

Shopping in Dallas May 2, 2008

Posted by Emily in : Family, My Handsome Husband, Princess Hannah, Texas, Trips , 1 comment so far

Anyone who is anyone, knows where all the great shopping is in Dallas. Right after David and I moved to Texas, I met a girl at church and I complimented her on her jewelry. Very casually, she said she bought it at Sam Moon, like everyone knew that store. When I asked her, “What is that?” she GASPED and said, “You don’t know what Sam Moon is?” Um . . . NO I DON’T.

She went on to tell me all about it and of course, I HAD TO GO THERE. My cousin that lives in this area also LOVES to shop at Sam Moon, (as well as the entire Metroplex) and she also gasped when she found out I had been living in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area for two weeks and HAD NOT BEEN THERE. It’s like not knowing where the airport is, and the equivalent of never hearing of “The Gap” or “Target.”

Sam Moon is located in an Asian community of Dallas. It is about 45 minutes away from where I lived, and where I am currently staying. It is full of handbags (perfect for me who LOVES handbags), jewelry, accessories, and really, anything you can think of. When people visited us in Texas, going to Sam Moon was definitely a tourist stop. When people returned to visit us in Texas, Sam Moon was the first place they wanted to go! I used to fly an employee of Allyse’s Bridal down to my store a few times a year to help out at bridal shows, and I swear to you, the ONLY reason she would come (other than to hang out with me) was to go shopping at Sam Moon.

It is normal to feel overstimulated when you walk through the doors and see THOUSANDS (okay, more like HUNDREDS) of women shopping around like maniacs, picking up great finds at great prices. My previous business partner, Allyse (who used to own Allyse’s Bridal at University Mall) described the shoppers as ants on an ant hill. That is how busy it is. She too was amazed at the cheap prices.

Obviously, a visit to Dallas would be totally LAME if I didn’t go to Sam Moon. David (who didn’t complain at all about all the shopping) and Hannah went with me just to see what we could find. I was looking for a purse that I could use as a diaper bag. Because really, why do you need a vinyl one? It’s not like your kid actually uses the bag. You just need a bag big enough to hold all your purse crap and baby necessities. This is what I found:

Now, I would like to make a comment. I really like this bag. However, others obviously do not share my same taste. Some people, (ahem, Jenn, Jess, and Lydia) think this bag is not cute. Maybe it’s not the style in Southern California, but I will say that I saw several styles of this bag, in this print, in Miami last week. Plus, it is big enough to hold all my junk, and both of my kid’s junk. Price $22. Now do you like it?

Also, I bought another bag that could double as a diaper bag (you know, because ONE bag is not sufficient) and this is what I picked up:

This bag was $8.

If you have an opinion on these bags, let me know. I still have time to exchange them before I leave Texas. I don’t want to be that girl walking around with the atrocious bag, and everyone knows it, but her.