Jamie, Diana Ross & Flight of the Conchords

I want to share with you that my new friend Jamie (who I went to see in Houston) has finally checked out of the hospital and is back home in Austin.

I'm so happy for her and her family. She has not been anywhere but her hospital bed for 5 months! You all know I can relate to that!

We saw Diana Ross at the Symphony Center last week and had a great time. She didn't sing, she just talked with us, the audience, and the moderator. It was intimate and eye opening. She didn't divulge a lot of scoop, but she did give a bit of advice I thought was worth repeating.

She was asked if she had always wanted to be a "star" and her response was something like this: "A star? No. I was always a hard worker, studied what I was doing and was dedicated to my craft. Because of those things the star came." Even though a celebrity like Diana Ross seems larger than life, all of us can identity with trying to find our own paths or calling.

I don't necessarily have my path planned but I do know what I want to avoid. I've always believed that spending time on things we are good at and having a passion will show its fruits in all kinds of unsuspecting ways.

We have had so much rain lately. This is one thing about being with Fred & Ginger, they don't move as quickly as you would think. I really wish someone would come up with a prosthetic that has roller skates built in. Quite possibly not the safest idea. :)

We went to White Rock Lake festival and loved being right on the water. We ended up leaving within 35 minutes as the sky looked like one big dark cloud. O'well. We are going with several friends to see Flight of the Conchords tomorrow evening! It should be a great time! If you are not familiar, look them up. They are talented and hilarious!

I have always been an active person but feel really happy to know that my desire to want to stay busy and be out and experience life has not changed. I'm dealing with challenges daily but find that giving in to fear or frustration would only make me a person I'm not.

Cheers,
Jen

A Day in the Life

I was was entering a building in downtown Dallas (after 15 minutes of trying to park) when I hear someone yelling. I didn't really give it much attention (if you spent much time downtown you would know why) until I walked in and was told I was going in the exit and had to go to the front of the building.

No big deal but I was thinking, signs would be nice. I'm sure I was the 100th person of the day to do this.

Anyway, I reverse my path and soon realized the guy who had been yelling had been yelling at me. He had obviously designated himself as the head of the welcome crew!

The closer I got to him he asks "do you not speak English?" Ha, apparently everyone responds to his yelling. :) Since I didn't he thought I didn't speak English. He had been trying to tell me I was going in the wrong door. Shame on me, right?

Well, not so fast. The whole time I was conversing with him I had my arms crossed. As I head in, he proceeds to let me know exactly how many steps I would be walking up (17 to be exact) and where to go. I let down my arms to wave and say "thank you." You would have thought he saw a ghost. He saw my hands, or lack thereof, and was visibly bothered.

My immediate thought was to say something and then I realized: he doesn't know any better and it is human nature. Consider your situation, sources and intellect of the circumstances you face. I was appreciative of his help.

Good thing I didn't react or let it get to me because I needed my energy for the next obstacle. For starters, I hadn't had coffee, not a good thing in my world. I am walking into the parking garage that took me 15 minutes to get to (and I only had to go across the street) when I start realizing I may have difficulty getting out. I get in the car and drive through a maze. I get to a gate and it's not for visitors. UGH. I had to back up and turn around while cars are entering and go the other way. Really convenient.

I finally find another way out. But, your not going to believe, it was $5 and I only had $4. I can't use the debit card in this particular machine as I can't pull it out, and they didn't have anyone to monitor the gate. Solution? There was a # to call for emergencies but I'm in a parking garage and no cell reception. What genius came up with this plan?

I finally got enough reception to have a 30 second conversation and ask that someone help me. The only good part is they took $4 instead of $5 but they took a bit of my mind too. She said they should have someone to monitor the garage 30 minutes after I would get out. Big help.

Whew, finally made it home but what a morning. I strategized, held my thoughts together and tapped into my zen all before 9 AM.

My true thoughts on this? If you can keep a secret: I was paying a speeding ticket. Maybe this was someone telling me to slow down!

Love,
Jen

A Houston Visit

So what do you do on a day that you feel like doing something for others? Drive to Houston and visit a sweet girl named Jamie.

Her story is eerily similar to mine. Jamie's story: she thought she had a bad case of the flu when she went to the emergency room on November 17, 2008.

Much to everyones dismay, she was diagnosed with Meningococcemia, a bacteria which wreaks havoc on the bloodstream. The bacteria had spread throughout her body and was restricting blood flow to her extremities.

Unfortunately, the impaired circulation to her hands and feet caused gangrene and on February 6, Jamie had surgery to remove most of her fingers and both legs below the knees. Jamie has many surgeries to be performed on her legs and hands but she is a fighter.

Jamie will be fitted with prosthetics soon and will head back to school at UT where she will complete her studies in pharmacology.

I was so glad to meet her. She is only 20 and has a lot to fight for. I hope we can laugh at our stories and share tips. :) It was such a flash back for me and made me want so much for her.

Before we got to the hospital, Nick and I had a great lunch and did a bit of Houston/Dallas comparing. The traffic in Houston? Wow, we thought Dallas was bad. We really need to get an airplane. Yeah right. :)

Love,
Jen

TOMS One Day Without Shoes

Experimental Cooking & Canvas Painting

So where have you been? Just kidding. It is me, not you. :)

Wow, a month has gone by and I've really slipped on this blog. This has been so much fun so don't give up on me. These last few weeks have gotten away from me.

I've been doing a lot of experimental cooking and finding some awesome recipes. I find that breaking eggs is the least of my concerns these days. I'm on to Dulche Leche cream bars and espresso fudge cupcakes. YUM!

I'm finding that my sous chef Hubby is learning how to watch golf in between my times of need. Good for him, he's learning to multi-task! My hardest task is to stir (unless its soup or something easy) so I just use the mixer for as much as I can and it works.

Anyway, we recently went to a fun art show and walked the streets while Sky found his "art" in all the other dogs! I love being outside and people watching. So much art and personalities to take in. We have made several paintings for our house and it's been such a great thing to do together.

I usually do the base coats or things with bigger areas while the smaller areas or fine motor skills are done by Nick or Matthew. I can totally see how those artist who "express" themselves use art it is very soothing. :)

Easter: I hope everyone had a great day. I read the best thing about this day of renewal and resurrection. "Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life." I thought this could be applied to so many things. It's never to late to start over and look at the beauty of a situation or relationship!

<3,
Jen