An Evening of HOPE

What a weekend in contrasts! Violent tornadoes ripped through our area on Friday, then we had the most beautiful weather all weekend. A good analogy for life...there will always be storms, but if we can just weather them, we can enjoy the beauty life has to offer. I've always heard that which doesn't kill us will make us stronger. Good for me...I'm stronger today!

Nicole's second annual "Evening of HOPE" was held Saturday night at the Arts Center in downtown Jackson. She did the event last year as a way to give back to the community that so generously came to her aid following her accident. A visit with Malcolm White (Executive Director of the MS Arts Commission) last year helped Nic to choose the "Ask For More Arts" program as the beneficiary. It's a program of Parents for Public Schools to assure that the arts are incorporated into the curriculum in Jackson Public Schools.

The event was such a success last year, Parents for Public Schools wanted to do it as an annual event. This year, recording artist Rhonda Richmond was the entertainment, and she did not disappoint. The food was provided by Parlor Market, a chi-chi new restaurant in downtown Jackson. It was amazing!

The poster was designed again this year by the ubber-talented Talamieka Brice of Brice Media.

One of the highlights of the evening was Cassandra Wilson's attendance. Nicole has been a big fan of Cassandra's since she was in junior high. She has every one of Cassandra's CD's and always dreamed of meeting her. She got the chance when she was in college. Jef and Brenda Judin were producing a blues documentary, and they were shooting in the Delta at the Shack Up Inn. They hired Nicole to be Cassandra's assistant for the day. What an honor it was for Nicole!

Fast forward several years, and there was Grammy-award winner Cassandra Wilson, showing up for Nicole's event! Exciting stuff!

Last night, I was watching a favorite new show "Undercover Boss."  On the show, a young LPN who has had a touch life told the undercover boss, "I don't want what's happened to me to define me. I want people to remember me for my accomplishments."  Nicole's accident will, in some ways, always define her. But her accomplishments will eventually be what she's known for. I'm really proud of what Nicole has accomplished so far, and I expect greater things to come.

I'm proud of Joey Joe as well...he had a wonderful weekend and is looking ahead. He's loving his job at the Children's Museum and doing great in school.

I've been writing all weekend...trying to catch up/get ahead. The bus (Jonni's car) rolls on April 28--next week--for Maine! Sooo much to do to get ready!

Blessings to all who read this!

Susan

Ain't No Roadblock Gonna Get in My Way!

Have you ever had a plan, and a million roadblocks seemed to try to keep you from that plan?

My plan is to head out on April 28 to go to Owl's Head, Maine, where I'll spend the month of May writing a book about Nicole's accident and our family's journey.

The first thing to try to thwart my plan is lack of funds. But I'm determined to do all I can to cover not only the household expenses I typically cover, but Joe's tuition and the trip itself, not to mention rental fees for the house, and expenses for the month.

The second thing to get in my way is my health. I've been in relatively good health for a long, long time, and I'm eating healthier and doing more exercise now than I have in years. Yet, my body is turning on me...simulated heart attacks, which were really the result of critically low potassium. Then severe abdominal pain that sent me to the emergency room at River Oaks last night, sure that I was having a gall bladder attack. Now, thousands of dollars of medical testing later, we know that my heart and gall bladder are fine!

The third challenge is my friend Carol, who had major heart surgery Wednesday. Somehow, I've got to fit a quick trip to Nashville soon to be with her for a few days when she comes home from the hospital. There's nowhere on Earth I'd rather be.

And then there's life in general...lots going on...like the Jackson Ad Fed Silver Medal luncheon/presentation that I'm involved with, and the Southern Miss Founder's Day Dinner that I'm planning. And Nicole's got her big annual "Evening of HOPE" event coming up tomorrow night. (Check out her facebook page to see the awesome commercial she did at WLBT earlier this week!).

In the middle of all this, I've got more work than I've had to do in years. And less energy. I poop out fast and my house is falling apart around me.

So, it sounds like this may not be the best time to go to Maine. But since when do I do things when the time is right? As a matter of fact, if we all wait to do things until conditions and situations are just right in our lives, I'm convinced we'd never do anything!

Sometimes you just need to plow ahead, regardless of the roadblocks that are thrown up in your way. Nicole taught me that in a major way, and the best way I can honor her bravery and perseverance is to write her story for others to be inspired by.

So, we're T-minus 13 days and counting! If I don't answer your phone calls or emails, please forgive me. I've got a book to write, and alot of work to do before I can!

Blessings to all who read this!
Susan

Detox Camp: Day 2

It's day two of my weeklong detox and so far so good. I haven't felt hungry, and that's a good thing.

We spent two days at the YMCA today with our detox instructor/guru, Jacklyn. She really knows her stuff and wants to make sure that our detox experience is a gentle one. I guess she didn't factor in the fact that most of us in the class are middle aged, overweight and chronically out of shape. The wonderfully relaxing yoga we did yesterday morning kicked our collective asses. We were all sore and whiny today. But, we hung in there, using a chair when needed because our bodies simply wouldn't stretch the way Jacklyn's could.

This week's diet consists of primarily brown rice, beans, vegetables and fruit. And hot tea. Lots of hot tea.

As long as I don't feel like I'm being deprived, I'm OK. We don't go back again until Wednesday evening, when we'll have our mid-week check-up. Until then, we have to do our own "sun salutation" yoga poses four to five times a day. Thank goodness I have Nicole here. She's a long time yoga practitioner and she can talk me through it.

Nic is hoping to do yoga again soon, which will probably help with her balance. The question now is how much will her back bend with all the hardware in there? She wants to contact Dr. A (the doctor who did her surgeries in NY) to see if it is possible to have them removed eventually. She so wants to do what she could before the accident. That would be amazing.

The thing about Nicole that always impresses me is that whatever her circumstances, she manages to find a way to do the things she most wants to do. She's working very hard on the event she's putting together to benefit the "Ask for More Arts" program of Parents for Public Schools. It's March 27 at The Auditorium in Fondren. For more information, go to "An Evening of HOPE w/ Nicole Marquez" on Facebook. Tickets can be purchased online here.

Time for another cup of tea...

Blessings to all who read this!
Susan

Call Me Mrs. Happy...

It's official! The holiday season is over! Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Birthdays,Super Bowl, Valentine's Day...all done! The next holiday isn't until Easter, so I've got some breathing room.


This morning I'm breathing a sigh of relief. For the first time in forever I'm not anticipating and planning. Starting today, I can focus on my home, mainly my office. Which is getting worse by the minute. But when you're doing a major clean-out, it aways gets worse before it gets better, right? 

After several years of things piling up around me, I've decided the best way to tackle this job is to take EVERYTHING out of my office, then put it back in an organized fashion. But when it comes out, it has to go somewhere, and that somewhere is everywhere else in my house! 


I'm also going to focus more on learning what I can to make this blog better. I switched up the format last night, which I like better. I also added Nicole's event, but for some reason, the date won't show up. It's on March 27. And tickets are on sale NOW. Just go online at  https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/99475.Tickets for this event are limited--only 200 available, so get them early! A reminder...it's a benefit for the "Ask for More Arts" program of the Parents for Public Schools. The event includes a signature cocktail upon arrival, a three-course dinner prepared by Chef Nathan Glenn, a live art auction, including a signature piece by Tony DiFatta, and a multi-media dance performance with dancers from Belhaven College. Nicole is doing the choreography and will actually perform in the program. I know...it's a miracle!


Another thing that will make me happy is the lack of cakes, cookies, and other "party" food stacked up in my kitchen. Between Nicole and Joseph, we've had entirely too much birthday cake around here, and it must be magic cake, because I could swear it was singing my name. "Susan! Eat me! Eat meeeeeee!" So I did. But seeing myself on the cover of a magazine was a pretty big wake-up call. I'm just tired of being fat. 


I went online last night, just looking for diet and exercise motivation, and ran across this:www.thisiswhyyourefat.com. It's a funny, yet disgusting website featuring ridiculous food that people really eat...like bacon turtle burgers:

Beef patties, covered with a woven backon strips, with hotdogs for head, feet and tail. Now that's a heart attack waiting to happen! The website promotes the book by the same name, by Jessica Amason and Richard Blakely. They actually ask for--and get--submissions of fatty, high calorie food that people really eat. I'm feeling better about eating my bowl of oatmeal this morning...

So, I'm going to pop in the exercise DVD I ordered right before Christmas (it's still in the plastic wrapper) and I'm going to begin this day with a heart-pumping workout. Then I'm going to tackle the office...it's going to get done this week. (Repeat: It's going to get done THIS WEEK!)  

I feel happy.

Here's an idea...if you didn't have a special Valentine this year, but if you have the desire to do something for someone, consider giving blood. It's fast, it's free, and it's a gift that will keep on giving. Nicole benefitted from 13 units of blood, all donated by unselfish folks. Larry gives on a regular basis (he has the precious O+ blood). Stop in at Mississippi Blood Services--or a blood bank near you--and give the gift of life.

What are you going to do with this week? I'd love to hear from you!

Blessing to all who read this!

Susan