He said: By David A. Parker, II CFD
I met Anjé casually at the Louisiana State Floristry Convention in the summer of 2023 and was much surprised to see her at the Houston School of Flowers last fall to test for CFD. A friendship ensued and we worked on several projects together in the spring, Anjé and I then decided to go for it and test in Orlando. First step was taking a mock exam that I will say didn’t go exactly as we had planned. We both failed, but failure has a way of pushing you to better things.
Weeks of preparations, daily pep talks, and a solid plan. A great hotel, great restaurants, and friends arriving from all over the world. Easy to be distracted to say the least. It was so exciting to be on the front end of the symposium to settle in and watch the magic start coming together. A trip to Disney Springs and then came an email. Our mood shifted, and nerves arose. An intensity set over us as we read our instructions for the next day.
Test day I stayed mostly to myself until orientation where again I was comforted to see Anjė and other friends. A group of nine of us all sat nearby. Occasional nods of assurance. Smiles that were comforting to the nerves. Then the most unexpected experience: the walk. The walk from orientation room to the testing room. Single file line. No talking. No phones. No words to describe the emotions and anxiety. Towards and up the escalator. I was laser focused and ready. Upon reaching the top of the escalator, I was not ready for the next few minutes. I first heard a clap as I exited the escalator turning the corner to another clap then…to more. I looked ahead at familiar faces lining our walkway, applause, cheers of encouragement, shouts of “You’ve got this!” So many faces with genuine well wishes for us all to do our best. What an incredible experience.
Then we enter the room and the nine of us are scattered. I could not see Anjé but was lucky enough to be beside a dear friend with two more within eye site. More nods and smiles were comforting. Then the test began and four hours flew by. I had a plan and did exactly the opposite of what I expected myself to do. I felt good. Not assured but good, and I’ll take that.
The rest of the symposium was bonus, inspiring, and perfect. Days then weeks go by. Two separate group text exchanges started getting elevated. You could tell the temperature was rising. Ironically, we did not have to wait much longer. An email changes the tone of everything again. Results started arriving. Dreams of Palm Springs, goals that seemed unattainable, and the devil up in my classroom. What a journey this has been. What’s even better is connecting with a person who also has a vision for themselves that aligns with your goals.
We will take a memorable walk together again, but next time it will be at our induction ceremony.
She said: By Anjé G. Williams CFD
Private desire without personal development is like dreaming of having a gorgeous garden, but not planting any seeds. - Robin Sharma, The 5 AM Club -
This journey began in August of 2023. It was my first year serving as the Secretary for the Louisiana State Florists’ Association at their annual convention. The entry desk was a flurry of eager attendees, and us volunteers ensuring that they had all of their proper necessities to have a successful and fun weekend. For a moment, there was a break, and I was able to enjoy watching everyone gathered there in the room laughing, catching up and talking about our favorite topic, FLOWERS! Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone approaching the door with a fabulous animal print tote, and white rimmed glasses. His sweet, Southern swagger (along with the tote!) immediately told me that we were going to be friends. If I’d only known at that moment the journey that we would take together.
Fast forward to November, I arrived in the Houston School of Flowers to take the Certified Floral Designer course from the esteemed, J. Keith White AIFD. I was a bit excited to be learning from one of the best, and as I looked around the classroom, I immediately spotted my friend rocking his fabulous tote and glasses. After a whirlwind week of learning, growing and expanding my floral knowledge again with a new group of like-minded entrepreneurs and friends. I returned home for the Thanksgiving holidays, and to prepare for the online examination. After a couple of weeks, I felt prepared, and took the leap. Little did I know, that across town, my friend had done the exact same thing, on the exact same day! We were thrilled to both realize that we had passed within hours of one another and celebrated with our friends in our group text message. Seed planted.
In the Spring, we started discussing whether or not we were going all in, and test for AIFD in Orlando! This was a scary leap, but we took it anyway. We decided to enroll in the preparatory class at Floriology Institute taught by Jackie Lacey AIFD. We were thrilled and excited to see what he and Angelyn Tipton AIFD had in store for us in Jacksonville! Eagerly, we waited to see what the skills test would involve. After a couple days of intense classes, it was time to do the “mock” skills examination. My emotions were all over the place, as I took the practice examination. I was excited, scared and felt empowered with the new skills that I had just learned in my arsenal. What a blow to my ego, when I got about 2 hours into it, realized that I was not as prepared as my overconfident sassy self had thought. Thankfully, Jackie and Angelyn gave us wonderful tips, skills and criticisms to launch forward. Seed planted.
We came home with 3 weeks to prepare for Orlando. I immersed myself in practice designing and studying all of the great floral artists that are part of this organization. Any YouTube video, article, etc., that I thought would help, I watched studied, and read it. Seed planted.
The weekend before we were excited to attend the Texas State Florists’ Association annual conference. We had been blessed with the opportunity to help with and monitor their annual Florist’s competition. It was an excellent learning experience, and it equipped me even further for our adventure soon to come in Orlando. Seed planted.
Fast forward a week, and it was time to board our flights to Orlando. How exciting to spend 9 days at a Disney Resort immersed in all things FLOWERS! Upon entering the lobby, it was alive with members of this organization laughing, catching up and soaking up their time with their fellow professionals in the industry. Never have I seen such a wonderful sight, as I knew at that moment that I had found my people! Saturday was a time of meeting wonderful new friends and prepping for the PFDE Evaluation on Sunday morning. I eagerly awaited the orientation, and barely slept a wink that night. As we were being led to the PFDE testing area, we were cheered on and greeted by our peers and mentors. This was such an emotional moment, to know that your teachers and pillars of the industry that you admired were encouraging you to put your best design foot forward.
The next 4 hours were some of the most intense of my life, but I knew if I could just present a cohesive collection to the judges, I would be proud of myself. I scanned the product inventory and knew that I wanted to keep it simple with yellows, oranges and reds. It turned out just as I had hoped, and I walked away knowing that God had blessed my hands to accomplish just what I had hoped, a cohesive collection. The time in the lobby for the reception later, was a chatter of everyone with relief and anxiety. That was soon replaced with general laugher and conversations about the excitement of the next few days. Seed planted.
Monday we attended our first AIFD Southern Chapter meeting, and was thrilled to meet more of our Southern Flower Family. I was honored that they recognized us for our CFD Certification. We then went to the PFDE Preview Reception. This was the opportunity to see the designs that our talented piers had presented. It was an evening of conversation, discovery, and awe at how much talent had gathered from all over the world to test for PFDE. Seed planted.
After Symposium, I boarded my plane with peace and exhaustion, but my heart was full. What a wonderful group of people are involved in this organization. I cannot think of how lucky I am to have been chosen to be a part of this group. It is humbling and thrilling to say the least.
After 2 long weeks, chatter started on our group chats and texts regarding PFDE result emails going out. We all waited with anxious anticipation to receive our letters. What a thrill it was to feel the excitement from each flower friend that had passed. I received my email shortly after David. I had been celebrating with him, as well as others. I just remember reading the first line and realizing that the hard work had paid off. It was time for us to celebrate. We met at a lovely restaurant to have dinner and share via FaceTime with our friends that had received their good news as well.
As far as our story, we are just two delicate Southern flowers that were planting seeds of growth throughout the first year of our friendship via working together, education, conferences and finally Emerge in Orlando. These seeds planted have developed into a garden of friendship and success. Never stop learning and never stop growing. A gorgeous garden awaits you.
Comments