BEK
Brown Enterprises
of Kansas
Derby, KS
Serving Wichita, Kansas
and the USA
About Us - Eileen and Russ
Written years and years ago in a Galaxy far, far away...
circa 2002, I think.
~ 1999 ~
Eileen and Russ
carousing at a
friend's party.
Russ was walking
after two years
of physical therapy.
Read a local article
about
Eileen and Russ
using the link in
the yellow ribbon.
Yeah, on the left.
No, the other left.
YOUR LEFT.
Brown Enterprises in Derby, Kansas has been in business since 1992. Along the way we have sold custom built computers to catalogue art for museums and for college classrooms. We have sold software, sold crafts from artists around the country and now have online shops included under our umbrella of companies. With all that said, we now work from home. No corporate structure to tie us down or limit our endeavors.
Most web shops that are home based and not corporate affiliated have an "About Us" page on their site. Sometimes there is a lot of personal information about the owners, their kids, and/or pets. Hmmmm...
So as we think about what to put here, we are not sure if you really want to know that we have a cat named Gizmo or if, since we have a cat, do we like dogs too? Yes, we like dogs too. So much for keeping up with the Joneses on pet chit chat.
Between the two of us, we have four grown children and three grand-sugars. Since the kids think personal information on the internet is a no-no we are keeping their secrets and not telling you squat about them. However, since we are not afraid of anything (can leap tall buildings in a single bound and all that) we are going to tell a bit (very little bit) about us.
So for the “US” - that would be my fiance and I aka Eileen and Russ. We are just plain old down home folks like most of you all. We both worked in the real world for most of our adult lives, the “rat race world” that is, but neither of us does that anymore. We are both very happy about that but the circumstances for dumping the 8:00 to 5:00 grind were not what you would call the best.
Russ was a marine (once a marine, always a marine) who served in Vietnam and as such, a pretty tough guy. He had a brain aneurysm that burst in 1997, a “bleed” they called it. He made it through the entire ordeal but not exactly unscathed. He is totally disabled but as I loved him then, I love him now.
Getting down to the skinny and trying to make a long story short he is able to speak, feed himself, help dress himself and can walk short distances relying heavily on a walker and, you guessed it, me. He had severe left side paralysis but a Baclofen pump insertion made it possible for the release of a lot of the spastisity. It is pretty much a 24/7 job but since we keep moving forward each day things in our lives progress pretty much the same as anyone else.
We have time for crafts, dinners out (rarely), movies (rarely) and oh yeah, crossword puzzles. The crossword puzzles are part of his daily therapy for short-term memory loss. Russ works puzzles everyday and I thank God everyday to still have him in my life.
Our online businesses were started with one goal in mind. To pay rising medical bills and most importantly to keep Russ as comfortable as possible and at home. Maintaining our businesses can be accomplished from home and that is where we do our work.
You do not need to feel sorry for us as we still have each other, hold each other dear, and that is more than a lot of folks have. So although it was a bleak and tough few years, all is well at our house and getting better each day.
Hope all is well at your house too...
Eileen and Russ
Best Friends
The End
Note about the above content.
I didn't have time to rewrite.
That'a a lie - I decided not to rewrite.
The "about us" text above was written sometime in 2002, the spring of that year if memory serves me correctly. Things have changed since then but not so much as you might think.
Russ is doing fine but is not able to help with the business in any capacity. Of course, he wasn't able to then either. Duh. I wrote it as a reminder to myself, more than anything else. He was (and still is) the main reason I need to bring more revenue into this household.
Russ is in and out of the hospital a couple of times a year as he does have seizures and other complications from being handicapped and disabled to the extent he is. It is a normal part of our lives at this point.
Over the past thirteen years of caring about and for Russ, I have learned what is most important in life. Family and friends. We all think we know that but until something drastic happens, believe me, none of us knows anything about the people in our lives.
It turns out I have a pretty great family and some true blue friends. Finding that out gets written on the "plus" side of the pros and cons sheet everytime I need to revisit that task. It helps me stay sane and whole.
July 2007
The things I do online are not all about money by any means and I want to make that crystal clear. But being online is work. Checking for orders, filling orders, answering business email, looking for linking partners and searching for new "niches". Along with networking, meeting new cyber friends, finding new associates and trying to be of help to those who need help in whatever capacity that might be.
If you cannot share your knowledge then what the heck did you study, sweat, read and lose sleep over all those books for?
Learn to share.
I get online everyday, gotta make a buck or two.
Yeah, it is necessary.
Did I place this on another page? Tough nuggies.
This site Copyright © 2007 B.E.K. LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Some content copyright 2002
Ride A Rocket
To Success
Contact Eileen Brown
~ ~ ~
If calling from inside Kansas
316-788-0026
~ ~ ~
Toll Free from outside Kansas
800-708-4514