Happy Fall Y'all!

Happy fall y'all!

There's nothing like a little cold snap to give me a big attitude adjustment. I LOVE cool weather (I don't care for cold weather and hot weather, but warm and cool make me happy!).

I finally packed up all the shells and beach rocks and signs of summer around my house and pulled out my Halloween decorations. I'm not kidding when I tell you I have eight big orange and black tubs full of all things Halloween.

But this year, I'm dialing it down several notches. I'm drawn to vintage-looking decorations so most of the other stuff will go back in the attic. Plus, I'm not doing our "Great Pumpkin Massacre" pumpkin carving party this year, so much of what I use to decorate in the backyard for that will not be needed. We'll do the party next year, bigger and better than ever!

So here's what I've put out for the season:

I also tuck old Halloween photos away in those tubs, and this is one of my favorites:

Nicole was in the kindergarten, and I was pregnant with Joseph. Larry was a trooper! We trick-or-treated in my parents' neighborhood (Audubon Point) and had enough candy to last a year. Being frugal, I put aside assorted candies to fill Nicole's stocking at Christmas!

One tradition that's been long-standing in our household is making a big pot of chili on Halloween and opening up our doors to friends and family. It's a serve-yourself-off-the-stove affair to anyone who wants to stop in. I like to take mine out to the front porch where I can sit and hand out candy to neighborhood trick-or-treaters.

I don't have a standard chili recipe, although it always turns out pretty good. For years I used Carroll Shelby's chili kits, two per batch, and I double everything, using one pound of ground beef and one pound of Jimmy Dean bulk sausage.  (There's a real Carroll Shelby--a race car driver who developed his chili kits on the side. Here's what Wikipaedia has to say about him.)

This year, things are going to be different. I have made a personal decision to eliminate as much processed foods as possible from my diet, and to eat as organically as possible. So this year's chili will include a pound of grassfed ground beef from Livingston Springs Farm from right here in Madison County, and perhaps some bison, which you can buy in the freezer section of Kroger and Fresh Market. My only concession will be regular Fritos, which I LOVE crumbling on the top of my chili, along with some grated cheddar cheese. (I grate my own cheese...the grated cheese that comes in a bag has ALOT more in it besides what should be in cheese...I'm just sayin'...).

I am going to use the chili recipe from one of my favorite blogs, "the kitchn."  But wouldn't you know it...Paula Deen will be at Lemuria today at 5pm, signing copies of her new Southern Cooking Bible.

You just know that if she has a chili recipe in there, it's gonna be goooooooood....and probably not nearly as healthy as the recipe I linked to above.

So, what are you doing this Halloween? Wanna join me on the front porch for some chili? If so, bring a bag of candy for the little ones and the beverage of your choice.

BOO!

Blessings to all who read this!

Susan



ALSucks

How did I get here?

I know many people who are advocates for one thing or another, usually because of a personal experience or connection. In our family's case, it's spinal cord injury.

So how did I become an advocate for ALS? And what is ALS anyway?

It started as a job. A way to make some extra money. That's all.

I could use the skills I had developed over the past 30 years in marketing, advertising, public relations and event planning to be the walk coordinator for the ALS Association of Louisiana/Mississippi. Twenty hours a week. Raise some funds, and plan a walk. Piece of cake.

But then something happened. I met Renee Lowery, the Patient Services Coordinator for Mississippi. I went to a support group meeting she led at Methodist Rehab in Jackson. Then I went to a support group she led on the Coast. I went on a visit with her to the home of a woman who had been diagnosed with ALS after being sick for five years. She was literally on her death bed. I listened as Renee spoke frankly, yet gently, to the lady and her husband, helping them to understand what they could expect in the coming months (turned out to be weeks, as the lady passed away soon after our visit).

Because of time spent with Renee, I've been able to meet courageous patients, suffering from this killer disease, and their wonderful family members and caregivers. I've seen the dramatic progression of the disease in some of the patients over the span of a few short months. And I've gotten mad. I hate this disease. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

So what is ALS? It's a bitch, that's what. And it sucks. It may start with a slight dropped foot. Or a thick tongue. Or weak arms. It presents itself like dozens of other illnesses, so it's difficult to diagnose. The average length of time for diagnosis, as a matter of fact, is about 14 months.

The progression of the disease is horrible. Gradual, but nearly always complete paralysis. Patients must have a feeding tube in order to get enough nutrition. Most end up on a ventilator as they are unable to even breathe on their own. They are robbed of their speech, yet their brains are working just as well as ever.

Patients with ALS are literally trapped inside their own body. And it can strike anyone, at just about any age. Right now there is a 24-year-old single mother of three small children in Jackson who has it. And just recently, Steve Gleason, formerly of the New Orleans Saints, was diagnosed.

I spent last weekend in Metarie, Louisisana at the annual ALS walk there. It was amazing. There were teams walking in support of friends and family members who have ALS. There were teams walking in memory of loved ones lost to ALS. And there were teams who were simply there to support the cause.

And everyone raised money.

And everyone had fun.

And now we're doing it in Flowood, at Winner's Circle Park on Saturday, October 15. Registration is at 9am, the walk begins at 10 (just over one mile), followed by lunch, courtesy of Julep. (We had jambalaya in Metarie, of course!)

You can just show up and participate. There is no registration fee, but donations, of course, are welcomed.

You can actually sign up online to have a team at our ALS Association Louisiana/Mississippi Chapter website, then send your team link to all your friends so they can make donations.

I'm asking all my friends to go to my walk team link and make a $5 donation (or more, if they feel so inclined). If all my facebook friends (1900+) would make a $5 donation, that would be over $9000! My actual goal is $500, but I'd love to hit something in the middle.

If you come to my walk (The Walk to Defeat ALS), you'll meet Kelly Viator, who is the executive director of the Louisiana/Mississippi chapter of the ALS Association.

Kelly formed the chapter in a spare bedroom in her house in Baton Rouge after her mother, Margaret, passed away from ALS.

I took  the photo of her mom's portrait in the memorial tent at the ALS walk in Metarie. It made me think of Ruth Harbison, our sweet neighbor and friend when I was growing up. Ruth lived across the street, and I spent much of my childhood in her kitchen and on her front porch. She always had time to listen to whatever it was I had to say. Ruth had the most beautiful blue eyes, and I will never forget the sparkling amethyst ring she wore all the time. I admired it throughout my childhood, then, as fate would have it, both of my children were born in February. Amethyst is that month's birth stone. Ruth suffered from ALS the last months of her life, and it was painful to watch her frustration at not being able to communicate with us. Larry would take her banana pudding from the Country Club, and at the end, she couldn't even swallow it, but she loved having the taste of it on her tongue.

ALSucks.

Blessings to all who read this!
Susan

P.S. I have my hand out once again today...and this is an URGENT REQUEST!!!

One of Nicole's dear friends, Donovan Childress, has been diagnosed with colon cancer. He is recovering from surgery and when he's strong enough, he'll have chemo. He's young, has no health insurance, and can't work right now. It takes time for things like Medicaid and Disability to happen, and in the meantime, he needs to pay rent/utilities/general living expenses. 

If you'd like to help, please send a check asap.

Make checks out to his girlfriend, Nicole Luna,

and send it to my address:

120 Whisper Lake Blvd, Madison, MS 39110

and I'll get it to them right away. Thank you!

Everyone Has a Story...

Wow. My head is still spinning. What a weekend!

I just returned from the three-day Memphis Creative Non-Fiction Writer's Workshop on the campus of the University of Memphis. Turns out that U of M has one of the top up-and-coming creative writing programs in the country, and one of our workshop's faculty members was Kristen Iversen, director of the MFA program in creative writing at the University of Memphis and editor in chief of the program's award-winning literary journal, The Pinch.

I could have been easily intimidated by the others in attendance. But as one of the workshoppers, Judy, said after her manuscript was critiqued by the group: "Thank you for giving me a 'safe place' to share my work." The connections in the room were amazing. Twenty people, most strangers, became close friends and found amazing connections with each other throughout the weekend. Nothing was held back, and while the critiques were very honest, there was a sense that the comments were made in order to make each other better writers. There was a lot of nurturing in that room!

And the stories! I was amazed at what so many of my fellow workshoppers had been through in their lives, and they bravely write about it, partly as a way to release themselves from the pain, and partly to share their resilience with others. I survived. You will too. Work through the pain and turmoil and you will be a better, stonger person. I'm living proof. Bob Cowser nailed it when he said "the bad things in life makes for a good story."

There was Carol from Huntsville, who wrote about the pain of placing her adolescent, ADHD son in a military academy to save him from himself. Terrence, from Santa Fe, was unknowingly a good friend of Arthur Leigh Allen, the  Zodiac Killer, even naming his son after him. He had one of my favorite descriptions of the weekend in his manuscript: "Buddah meets Bubba."

There was Greg, a gentle soul who is also a creative writing professor in Arkansas and Porter, an accomplished journalist who has written a novel and is now writing articles as a platform to generate interest. Two really smart and delightful fellows!

There was Robert (left) and Ren (right), both from Fairhope, Alabama. Robert is a retired executive who is also an avid outdoorsman. Ren is the widow of the former president of the largest catfish producer in the world. Her story touched us all. One minute they were living the good life, the next, he was indicted by the Federal Government for price fixing. Two federal trials later, he was acquitted, but it came at a huge expense to their family, both financially and emotionally. I so admired her bravery in telling the story, and the manuscript submission we critiqued was amazing. Judy (in the middle) is from Memphis and her quiet demeanor belies the fire she has burning inside. I was so moved by her.

Bruce Thomas, a former weather man living in Kansas, made a remarkable connection with the workshop coordinator, Susan Cushman of Memphis. Both grew up in Jackson, Mississippi--on the same street! They lived five houses apart! Bruce graduated early from St. Jospeph Catholic School in Jackson, then headed to Mississippi State Universtity. He graduated college and went on to be a meteorologist, working at TV stations around the country. Yet, he didn't learn to read until he was 25 years old! Bruce has become a self-made millionaire with a business plan he put together to sell NOAA weather radios in grocery stores. This workshop was his first attempt at writing, and while it was rough around the edges, his passion showed clearly on the page. Susan and I were first facebook friends, then met in person at Girlfriend Weekend in Jefferson, Texas last year. She's an amazing woman and writer, and is working on her first novel, "Cherry Bomb."

I was so inspired and encouraged by these two women:

Besides winning, hands down, the best-hair-of-anyone-there award  by Yours Truly, I was moved by both of their stories. In addition to being an amazing fine artist, Suzanne Henley (left) of Memphis is an incredible writer. All I can say is that I have never considered my bathroom to be a cathedral, but I'll look at it in a new light now after reading her manuscript! She is quietly brave. Reverend Connie Tuttle is another quietly brave soul who pastors a church in Atlanta. Her struggles and triumphs are spelled out in her memoir in a most beautiful way. These women have both been on long, difficult spiritual journeys, and their light shines brightly!

And everyone loved Harley, the Vietnam veteran who is desperate to tell his story as quickly as possible, as he is suffering from dementia. We never would have known it--in addition to being a gifted writer, he is delightful, if not somewhat opinionated, but he is as honest and transparent as they come and let us know his situation. One of my favorite parts of the weekend was his bantering back and forth
with Kristen Iverson.









Speaking of Kristen, she was wonderful! She thoughtfully critiqued the manuscripts in my group and led some very helpful discussions. I really love how she led the critique session, which led to me adding many new tools in my writing toolbox. Here she is (middle) on one of our coffee breaks:

Also in the picture is Alexis (left) an oh-so-brave woman who has lived a life of alcoholism that landed her in jail after a drunk-driving episode which resulted in a Texas socialite breaking her leg two days before her wedding. Now an English teacher for a community college in Vermont, Alexis is writing a memoir about her drinking life and how she--and those close to her--survived. Gretchen (right) is a retired college creative writing professor living in Atlanta, so I really took her critiques on my work to heart.

Bob Cowser, who teaches at Lawrence University in upstate New York, is one of the smartest, most well-red men I've ever met. We were introduced to him at the faculty book reading at Burke's Books in the funky Cooper-Young area of Memphis on Friday night. He led the manuscript critique sessions on Saturday, and his knowledge and high energy had me wide-eyed all day.

Neil White also read from his book, In the Sanctuary of Outcasts, which is something I can never grow tired of. It's one of the only books I've read all the way through more than once. He did a craft talk for our group on Friday, focusing on how to write a proposal that will sell. Good stuff to know!

The finale at the book reading was Kory Wells, a poet from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and her daughter, Kelsy, who is a multi-instrumentalist roots musician. While Kelsy picked the banjo, strummed a fiddle and tapped (not all at the same time!), Kory read a few of her poems. We were all tapping our feet as we were transported to another place through Kory's poetry.

I had the pleasure of being a houseguest of a friend from my past, Emma French Connelly. I knew her another lifetime ago when she worked at an advertising agency in Jackson. Now she's a priest at St. John's Episcopal Church in Memphis as well as being a wonderful writer. While we talked about writing all weekend, Emma had to carve out time to do some more writing of her own--she had to write the sermon she preached Sunday morning! I was sustained by her delicious homemade granola and the warm hospitality shown to me by Emma and her sweet hubby, Robert.

Others there were my writing partner and partner-in-crime, Nancy Kay Wessman, a personal trainer named Tony, and Dan, both from Memphis. Tony got beat up over his essay: "Ladies, This is Why You are Single," but it was all in good fun. Dan wrote a journalistic memoir based on his father's experiences in WWII. Sheila, another Memphis resident, told me an amazing story about a night in Milan that I won't soon forget!

The icing on the cake was a chance to meet one-on-one with entertainment attorney and book agent John D. Mason. I learned so much in my 20-minute meeting with him on Saturday, and I was encouraged that he wants to see a couple completed chapters of my book.

It was a room filled with big characters. Big personaltities. Big stories. I could have been intimidated, but instead, I left inspired and uplifted. I can do this! I am a writer. And as Bob Cowser pointed out to us all, I am an artist!

Blessings to all who read this!
Susan

Are You Out of Your Gourd?!

Are you out of your gourd?

That might be some people's reaction to an invitation to go to the Mississippi Gourd Festival in Raleigh, Mississippi. My reaction, on the other hand, was "Sure! Let's go!"

My dad called last Friday night and asked if I'd like to go to the Gourd Festival on Saturday. Because we had tickets to the USM game, I regretfully had to decline. No problem--the festival was on Sunday, too! Yay!

Luckily, Larry was off work Sunday and we both got to go. After a quick breakfast at the Beagle Bagel, gassing up the car and a couple more errands, we headed to my parents' home to pick them up. Then off we went to Raleigh. First of all, I don't believe I've ever been to Raleigh. With less than 1500 residents, it is still the second-largest town in Smith County, and it's the County Seat. For such a small town, it has quite an impressive courthouse.

After about an hour's drive, we arrived at the Smith County Ag Center, the site of the anticipated Gourd Festival. We arrived about noon, and we were all surprised to see many cars were already there. I knew it was going to be a fun event when I saw Felder Rushing's truck in the parking lot. How did I know it was Felder's truck? Well, who else has a rolling garden in the bed of a bright green pickup truck? As a matter of fact, I uploaded this photo to Facebook right after I snapped it with my phone, and almost immediately, Malcolm White remarked "Felder."

Inside, I was unsure of what I'd see. I'd never been to a gourd festival before. Not surprisingly, I saw gourds everywhere, of every shape and size. For some reason, I kept thinking of the television show "Hoarders," (probably because 'hoard' rhymes with 'gourd.') Nonethess, these people were as crazy about gourding as the people on TV are about hoarding.

The people who grow and decorate gourds, most members of the Mississippi Gourd Society, are a pretty creative lot. They "see" things in a gourd that the average eye may not see. I saw gourds painted to look like Santa Claus, fish, geese, snowmen, and much more. They were made into birdhouses, boxes and bowls. Some of my favorites were intricately carved with beautiful designs.

No part of any gourd goes to waste. There was gourd jewelry made of painted and polished pieces of gourds. And windchimes. And purses. Crosses and flowers and butterflies, oh my!

One of the most amazing items I saw crafted from gourds was a banjo made from gourds. Jason Smith crafts "banzas" and has even recorded a CD of the music strummed on the instruments. I could have listened to him play all day!

So my senses were bombarded with all things gourd-related, and I HAD to buy something to take home! I seemed to gravitate to Helen Looman's booth. Her gourds were very simple, clean and beautifully crafted. I found out later that Helen is a member of the Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi. The one I loved the most was a simple bowl, stained with leather dye. It had woven pine straw around the top. Helen patiently explain her weaving technique to me, not realizing that I had absolutely no desire whatsoever to do what she does. I simply wanted to buy the bowl and be impressed by her work. Which is what I did. And here it is, in my house:

And because I'm a sucker for handmade Christmas ornaments, I got this little squash-shaped gourd painted up like a little Santa Claus:

It will hang on my Christmas tree next to my dried okra Santa! (I believe I'm going to get a "permanant" Christmas tree crafted by metal artist Stephanie Dwyer to hang all my special handcrafted ornaments!)

So, who knew how much fun a gourd festival would be? I suspected it would be an interesting outing, and I was right! So what adventure is next? Perhaps the http://www.greatdeltabearaffair.org/ on October 22 in Rolling Fork, Mississippi.

But before I can plan which festival I go to next, I have a couple of other big events to attend. The first is the  Memphis Creative Nonfiction Writer's Workshop this weekend. I'm excited because I'll be making a pitch to several agents, and I'll be getting criquiques on a portion of my manuscript. (In case you don't know, I'm writing a book about Nicole's journey...). Also, I'm planning this year's Walk to Defeat ALS. It will be held October 15 at Winner's Circle Park in Flowood. I need all my friends to jump on board!

So, what are YOU doing this weekend? There's always something going on...just cruise the internet to find a festival, event, or activity and get out there and create some fun memories!

Blessings to all who read this!

Susan

In the Blink of an Eye

"Start living now. Stop saving the good china for that special occasion. Stop withholding your love until that special person materializes. Every day you are alive is a special occasion. Every minute, every breath, is a gift from God."

       --Mary Manin Morrissey, Speaker and Author


There are things in life that are just downright unfair. Like young folks being in the hospital.

Right now, at this very moment, three exceptional people are in hospitals around the state, and it hurts my heart to see them there.

The first is Nicole's long-time friend Tony Hill, who was hit by a hit-and-run drunk driver in Hattiesburg a couple of weeks ago. He suffered two broken legs and head trauma and is currently recovering at Forrest General Hospital. Right off the bat, several friends gathered to help out...a fundraiser will be held in Hattiesburg on October 2. A facebook group has been set up so that friends can keep up with his progress and to get information on the fundraiser.

The next is Donovan Childress. After a few days of feeling uncomfortable, he sought medical attention, only to find out he has cancer. He began chemotherapy this week at St. Dominic in Jackson. A fundraiser is being planned for Donovan at Hal & Mal's soon.

We first met Donovan when Josh brought him to Select Specialty Hospital after the two attended a music festival in Austin. Nicole had just been transported to Select Specialty Hospital from New York Presbyterian, and they were just the medicine she needed at the time. Donovan was funny and quirky and it felt like we had known him forever.

I learned later that he had been an elementary school teacher in Memphis and was looking to teach again in Mississippi. I can't imagine having a teacher like him!

The third is Katy Blake, an adorable young woman from the Coast who suffered a spinal cord injury in a canoing accident. She's back at Methodist Rehab for a couple of weeks, giving it all she's got to try to regain whatever function she can.

Katy went to high school with Caitlyn McNally, who was one of Nicole's personal care assistants. When Katy had her accident (a couple of years ago?), they went to see her at Methodist Rehab. I've gotten to know her on Facebook--she's precious!

People came out of the woodwork to help when Nicole had her accident. Here in Mississippi, we know how to rally when someone needs our assistance. The fact of the matter is that no one wants to ask, and it's difficult to accept help, but accepting the kindness of others is a blessing for those who do the giving. It's been heart-warming for me to see how so many people are now stepping up to support these three people.

What really strikes me is that in the face of each of their challenges, they all have a positive attitude. All are so grateful for what is being done for them, and each is looking ahead. Nicole has been making the hospital rounds, trying to visit with each of them, and it's hard for her her to see her friends in such compromised positions. There was a time, not too long ago, when she was the one who was compromised, and I remember how much all those visits from so many friends made such a difference. It was like being wrapped in love over and over again.

Life can change in the blink of an eye. We learned it three years ago, and these three folks have driven that point home again for me. My takeaway from this is that you can't waste your time wondering "what if." You can't fret over what the future will bring. Instead, you must live in the NOW...and appreciate every blessing that is presented to you in this very moment. We spend so much time in the past and projecting into the future that we totally miss the joy in the here and now.

The next few weeks will be filled with excitement for our family. Larry and I have primo seats at the USM game tomorrow, thanks to the generosity of friends. The weather should be perfect, so we'll enjoy heading to Hattiesburg. Nicole flies out in the morning to Honolulu, where she'll be a keynote speaker at next week's International Women's Leadership Conference. She'll be in good company--there are some very powerful women on the program. Being no fool, she's traveling with her hairdresser (who is also a very good friend)--a girl's gotta look good! And finally, I'll be heading to Memphis on Thursday to attend the Memphis Creative Non-Fiction Writer's Workshop. I hope that it will be the beginning of the end of the book I'm writing. (I've written most of it, now hoping the skills I learn in the workshop will help me polish it and market it.)

Please keep our sweet friends in your prayers. And today, focus on what's happening in your life right now--and find the joy in it...for you don't know what tomorrow may bring.

Blessings to all who read this!

Susan

You Should Write a Book!

"You're such a good writer. You should write a book!"

I've heard that many times over the years, mostly from someone I've written a newspaper or magazine article about. Yeah, yeah...right. What would I write a book about? For ten years I've been writing magazine, newspaper and business journal articles. I've written articles for a technology magazine where I had to learn what I could about a difficult subject, then "dumb it down" for the average reader--someone like myself. I've written articles on interesting people doing interesting things, business profiles, articles about homes and other places, events, the arts and more. I know a little bit about a lot of things, which makes for great cocktail party conversation. Once I share what I know on a topic (generally 600-1200 words worth) I retreat for another glass of wine.

I was one of those people who could pull out a term paper at the last minute in college and make a decent grade. Research and writing made sense to me. It came naturally, thanks to some really good high school English teachers. I also had a good typing teacher (I think they call it "keyboarding" now). I used my writing skills to land my first job out of college. I was a copywriter at WDAM-TV in Hattiesburg, MS, where I wrote and produced television commercials for local businesses. That was the beginning of a long career in advertising and marketing at television stations, a department store, an advertising agency and a shopping mall. I wrote commercials, print advertisements, brochures, annual reports and press releases. When I left the corporate world to make it on my own, I began writing articles for several local publications. That's when folks started telling me that I should write a book, which I had NO desire whatsoever to do. I'm an instant-gratification kind of gal, so article-writing suits me just fine.

But then a BIG STORY fell in my lap. Or rather, fell six stories off a building in New York. When you get a call from a New York Police Department detective saying that your daughter has been found on the ground outside her apartment building, life turns upside down. Three years and alot of prayer, surgery, therapy, tears, laughter, blessings and friends later, a book is born.

I spent the month of May hunkered down in a cottage in Maine working on Nicole's story, but from my perspective. I don't have a title yet. From a spiritual standpoint, I've examined "Every Step of the Way," because we feel that God was with us all throughout the ordeal. And of course, Nicole had to take her "first steps" for the second time in her life while at Methodist Rehab. I am also toying with "The Fall and Rise of Nicole Marquez," although I doubt that will fly. I'm hoping a publisher takes interest soon and will have some sage suggestions.

I'm sending ten pages of the manuscript to Susan Cushman soon. Susan is the workshop director for the  Memphis Creative Nonfiction Writer's Workshop in September, which I'll be attending and will have the opportunity to have my manuscript reviewed, as well as an opportunity to pitch the book to literary agents during the "pitch fest."

Now the polite remark made by well-meaning people has become my daily mantra. "You're such a good writer. You should write a book." O.K. I'm doing it.

Blessings to all who read this!
Susan

Riding into the Sunset...

It's been awhile since my last post. Too long. But I left the last post up for over a month so that folks could not only get easy step-by-step directions on how to vote for Blake Edward Thomas to have his car made over by Patty Peck Honda, but to tell why he deserved it. I believed from the day I first heard the commercial on the radio that Blake could, and should, win. He has a 1994 Honda that has seen better days, and he drives Nicole around in it, day after day, to the doctor, to therapy, to wherever she needs to go.

The exciting news is that **BLAKE WON**!! (That's a link, by the way, to their winning video!) Ahhh...the power of the internet! I must have sent out a bazillion emails, made an obnoxious number of Facebook and Twitter posts, and asked everyone I know to vote for him. Blake and Nic made daily videos that kept everyone who saw them entertained for a month. Thanks to all who responded. Now Blake's Honda is getting a full-out redo by the incredible folks at Patty Peck Honda! It's there now getting a fabulous "Pimp My Ride" experience, which will be unveiled Labor Day weekend. In the meantime, he's driving a loaner car they provided for him.

I wanted the car makeover for for Blake, but I really wanted it for Nicole, too, because she can't drive, and she is forced to depend on others to get where she needs to go. Luckily, she is approved by the Dept. of Rehab to have an assistant, and for several months now, Blake has been the one to help her do the things she is unable to do on her own. But all good things have to come to an end, and Blake is moving on to a higher paying job--one that is more in line with what he wants to do with his life. I can't blame him, but it's sad none-the-less. He's been very intuitive about Nicole's needs, and he has encouraged her and pushed her and she is in better shape now than she was when he started working with her. He's been a great friend to Nicole, and Larry and I have enjoyed getting to know him. He's a fine young man.

Blake is now training a few hours a week for his new job, and will start full time the first of November. At least Nicole will be able to enjoy his fabulous new ride for a couple of months. In the meantime, she will once again be looking for the person who will spend eight hours a day, five days a week with her. Know anyone? And if so, will they have a ride as cool as the one Blake will soon have?

Blessings to all who read this!
Susan