Things to Do - Do you have a team?

The other day I was telling some of my friends about my hair stylist (who is wonderful), when one of them stated, "well, you know how Darcy gets about her team." It wasn't said in an evil or snarky way, just a simple statement, when I asked for an explanation she replied, "once you find someone you like, you go to them forever, and you sing their merits high and low." Which is true.

Some of this might be laziness, I hate finding new people to trust (just like I hate finding new stores to shop at). And I'm loyal. And I hate change.

But really, my "team" is crazy awesome. I can't say enough good things. So I thought I'd dedicate a blog post to shout outs, because trust me, all these people deserve shout outs. And I don't tell them often enough how thankful I am.

What about everyone else? Do you all have a team?
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HAIR - Sharon at Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa, Chevy Chase-. I've had short hair for 10(ish) years now and while I love how it looks freshly cut, often it starts to resemble a dead plant a few weeks later. Luckily (about 5 years ago), I discovered Sharon and now I wait much longer between cuts. She's a hair guru. No hard sell, no crazy hairdoos that look great in the salon and silly the next day. Just pure excellence. I will follow her to any salon. She cuts my kids' hair too (although Elizabeth Arden doesn't technically offer a children's price, Sharon discounts kids' cuts). Plus, she's one of the nicest people I know.

EYEBROWS/MICRODERM - Ruso at Mancini De Paris, Arlington. Ruso knows exactly what I mean when I say "not too big, not too small." This may seem like a simple thing, but most estheticians DO NOT know what I mean when I say this.

EXERCISE - Jessie's Thursday morning kickboxing class at Gold's Gym, Falls Church (Route 50) has been the highlight of my week for over ten years now. I plan my life around it. Lately, I'm also a little obsessed with Orange Theory Ballston. And I can't say enough good things about Journey Yoga Arlington.

SPRAY TAN - Samantha at Bronzed Berry. So this is a splurge, hence I only use Samantha's services once or twice a year (always before our Memorial Day beach trip). But Samantha makes tanning SO EASY. She brings a tent and sets everything up in my kitchen. It's cheap(ish) and fast. Plus a fake tan makes bathing suit season a little more bearable.

VETERINARIAN - Ryan Snow at Ballston Animal Hospital. I love my dogs. Well, most days. But I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for their medical care. Ryan never tries to upsell me or make me feel bad for asking about cost. Yet she tells me all the options and keeps my dogs healthy. I feel like I can go to her with anything and not worry that she'll make me feel guilty when I don't want to spend $1000 on lab tests.

INTERIOR DESIGN - Wendy at Wendy Jordan Design (wendy@wendyjordandesign.com). I first met Wendy over six years ago when our daughters became preschool friends. My then-four year old went for a playdate at Wendy's home and came home telling me "it's so beautiful there, mom. I want to move into their house." A few years later, we bought our now home and Wendy helped with furniture placement and wall color. Since then, whenever we need a room decorated, we call Wendy. It's like magic - she takes all our crazy ideas and makes them cohesive, with tons of great options and hand drawn picture of what the room will look like (I know it's silly, but these pictures make me so happy). I also love how I can tell her, "I need this to be cheap, think Ikea." And she finds everything for ridiculously low prices. She just designed the new office I'm siting in right now and I couldn't be happier.

On a similar note, a few years ago, I met Ame at Patricia Gold Interiors. Her style is a little bit classic, but also innovative and so much fun. Every time she posts a project, I swoon.

REALTOR - Katie Loughney with Keller Williams. This is a tricky one because Katie is also a friend and a client. But when we needed to sell our old house fast, she helped me update it (Katie even shopped with me at Home Depot for the right fixtures). She helped alleviate a lot of the stress that comes with selling/buying/moving (so much stress!). And the house sold in five days. Did I mention that Katie staged the whole first floor with amazing rental furniture? It looked so sheek we almost didn't want to move (almost).

Since our move, I've recommended Katie to several friends and everyone agrees she's awesome. You know how a good teacher can bring out the best in every student? Well, since working with Katie I've learned that a good realtor can bring out the best in every house.