An Inspirational Life

Today I attended the funeral of my friend’s father.  Becca and I have never been super close but any time I’ve spent with her I’ve fully enjoyed, so when I heard her father had passed away, I made a point to attend the service.  The tears started flowing as pictures of Ralph Preston and his family flashed across the screen at the front of the church.  You could almost feel the love that this man had for his wife, his children, his grandchildren; and vice versa.  Merely 60 years of age, cancer had pulled this beloved man from the arms of his loved ones.  I’m sure I wasn’t the only one in the room asking… why?!

As the children spoke about their father and loved ones rose to share memories, I was overcome with love and admiration for a man I had never met.  In some way or another, Ralph had touched every life in that room (and there were hundreds of us); whether it was directly (by opening up his home when a family was moving into town, providing his vehicle to someone who needed a lift, sharing his skills by fixing something that someone else had broken, or by offering a shoulder to lean on and a listening ear to someone in need) or indirectly (by raising amazingly independent and loving children who had impacted people like me).  He was called a practical man and one who always put the needs of others before himself.  Again and again they spoke of his deep faith and his unending love. 

I left the service today with my head held high.  Yes, I cried quite a bit; but mostly I was inspired.  Here was a man who spent his 60 years touching the lives of others – whether through prayer, a kind word, or a thoughtful deed.  Ralph Preston, I never knew you but you make me want to be a better person.  You make me want to not only hold my loved ones a little closer and tell them I love them more frequently; but to also reach out in a more intentional way to impact the lives of my friends, neighbors, and strangers walking down the street.  I plan on keeping your photo (the one on the cover of today’s program) in order to remind to me to emulate you and your love every single day.  Thank you for living your life in such an amazing way!

The Most Perfect Day

I know it's been nearly two months since I posted.  What can I say, I can't seem to find the time to write down all the amazing things that have been happening in my life.  Only one of which is, two weeks ago I married to my best friend. Yup, that's right!  So maybe that's why I've been kinda busy lately :)  We don't have photos from our photographers yet but here are a few that my amazing matron-of-honor (Jessica Woodin) took.  She's an aspiring photographer and is truly talented! http://www.jmwoodinphotography.com/

This was a very moving moment for me... walking down the aisle with my dad and first seeing Mark.  If you can't tell from the photo, I felt like joy and love were oozing from every inch of me!

I love this one!  I felt like I was fully in the moment all day but I can specifically remember not recognizing anyone was at the ceremony except me, Mark, my grandfather, and my great uncle (the latter too performed the wedding - one is a justice of the peace and one is an Episcopal priest).  It really was so intimate.  Not only that but this shot also captures the barn on the other side of the lake.  When Mark proposed last August, he made a point to do so in the middle of the lake... halfway between the barn and my family camp.  

Jessica did an amazing job catching a very intimate moment here.  I love how she got the beautiful blue flowers, the gorgeous arch that Mark made, the lake, and the large tree (which won't be there many more years unfortunately). 

The only thing that could've made the day better was if my Kenya family was with me.  We did our best to have them represented though!  Many of the Reason2Smile board members and their families were present.  We were so glad to have them!!  We had many pictures of the children from Jambo Jipya and each guest received a bottle of maple syrup (from my Uncle Jamie's sugar shack in Lake Placid) with a Reason2Smile bracelet around it.  Not only that but my bouquet was tied with a cloth from Kenya.  Although my Kenyan family wasn't present, they didn't feel quite so far away.  I spoke with my Kenyan mama (Christine) today and she greeted me with much excitement.  It was wonderful to hear her voice and to hear how happy she was for me.  She said she'd been telling everyone that her daughter was getting married in America and that my ears should have been ringing (or as they say in Kenya, my tongue should have been sore from biting it so many times) because they had been talking about me every day for the past few weeks.  When I told her that the day wasn't quite complete without her and the children there, she said, "My soul was with you."  Boy do I love her!

My uncle Nip made the portrait that we used as a guest book and his daughter, Jamie Beth, made our beautiful cake!

Bells on the table came from my great-grandfather's collection.  The picture blocks were made by Mark and me - blending our love for woodworking and photography.  My mother and grandmother made the centerpieces and bouquets - all the flowers came from gardens from people who are important in our lives.

My mother's cousin painted dozens of beautiful rocks with various designs which were scattered all over the point (as well as the table numbers), and my grandmother's cousin, Cathy Messenger, made my stunning dress.  I've always wished I lived in the Medieval time period so that I could wear the beautiful dresses. My wish came true!  We found a pattern in the costume section of a fabric store and Cathy did an amazing job!  I honestly felt gorgeous - I'm humble too :)

Then of course there was lots of dancing and wonderful music!  Our band (the Delaney Brothers) was wonderful and so was our DJ (Lee Kyler)!

From close family to dear friends, everyone pitched in and helped make the day truly amazing! They used their time and talents to contribute to our day. We are incredibly grateful to you all!  Here's to many years filled with deep love, heartfelt conversations, and amazing experiences!

One last shot... this one makes me think of the time Reagan (a little 6 year old at Jambo Jipya School) asked me, "Teacha Keela, how do people in America kiss?  All of your noses are so long!" :)

Living in Gratitude

I know it’s been two weeks since I last posted to this blog.  I have got to get better at this stuff.  The thing is that nothing profound or amazing has happened during the past two weeks.  Nothing earth shattering or life changing.  Nothing deep or immensely meaningful.  I guess that’s why I’ve struggled to write lately.  But perhaps it’s the small moments in life that are most meaningful, not the huge events or the profound insights… Hmmmm…

So if I was to paint a picture of my life right now, what would it look like?  Well, it would be filled with bright skies and vibrant sunsets.  It would be filled with laughter and joy.  A lot of movement, some backwards but mostly in a forward direction.  Once in a while there might be a little bump or a moment of stress, but after a deep breath, the birds would sing and the sun would shine again.

You see, I feel like I’m in the middle of a lot.  For a brief moment the amount “a lot” sweeps me up into a panic; but if I step back, I realize that the “a lot” is all good stuff… really, really good stuff.

The donations are pouring in for the 5^th Annual Reason2Smile Art Sale (Friday May 25^th 6-9pm at Bluseed Studios in Saranac Lake, NY).  Incredibly talented artists from the community have donated a piece (or two or three or four) of their work in support for Reason2Smile.  Looking at these items brings a smile to my face as I recognize the generosity and love that I am surrounded by.

Last week I made my first in person delivery of a first place prize for the 2012 Reason2Smile Writing Contest.  The 4^th grade boy at Cato-Meridian Elementary School was all smiles as he received his R2S t-shirt, magnet, cd, and bracelet.  His classmates gave him a standing ovation as they all celebrated in his success.  Witnessing the support (oppose to the jealousy that one would assume a 10 year old child would have towards a classmate who beat him/her in a contest) gave me goose bumps.  Kids sure can be amazing.

Yesterday I drove 2 ½ hours over the Canadian border to visit a small elementary school in Dorval, Quebec.  This bilingual school currently enrolls 55 fifth graders who noisily piled into the library on a beautiful Thursday afternoon.  Amazingly, their voices quieted and their energy calmed as they listened to me share stories about Jambo Jipya School and the lives of the children who attend.  Their questions were deep and responses enthusiastic as we spent an hour together.  Afterwards I was able to have lunch with a smaller group of the students (the leadership club) and we spoke more in-depth about the school and the help they may be able to offer.  All this because a man saw a post that one of his friends put on Facebook in support for Reason2Smile, he “liked” us, asked a few questions, and decided to sponsor a child as a Christmas gift for his 11-year-old daughter.  He then followed up by encouraging me to connect with his daughter’s school and visit them in person.  As his daughter clung to the framed photo of the little girl her family sponsors, I couldn’t help but smile.

Oh and I am getting married in 43 days!! :)  I allow myself to get slightly overwhelmed by the details of “the day” every once in a while, but mostly I am immensely excited!  As Mark says, “As long as you and I are there and at the end of the day you are my wife, everything will have been perfect.”  Yup, I love him!  He is my very best friend in all the world and I get to spend the rest of my life with him.  What could be more wonderful than that?!  Sure, I know it won’t all be sunshine and roses, but I am stepping forward into life beside a man I respect and love… beside a man whose morals and values line up with mine… beside a man who I can communicate with openly and honestly… beside a man who I know is going to make a wonderful father.  I am so very blessed!

As I joined the choir at church again on Wednesday night (I say “again” because I have been out of town pretty much every weekend for the past six so I haven’t sang with them in a long time), my heart was overcome with gratitude.   For some reason when I sing my emotions feel heightened and I am more capable of being in the moment.  All the worries and stresses of the day seem to slip away and I am filled with joy and love… for the One who created me… for those who surround me… and for all the many, many blessings in my life.  My life is so very good!  And I hope yours is too!

Let's Get Glamorous!

In continuation of my trip to NYC/Glamour make-over story from the previous two posts...

Thursday morning I was motivated to get up at 6:30am and go to the gym.  I knew that if I didn’t get some kind of a workout in I’d be frustrated with myself all day and feeling ten pounds heavier than I had the day before.  (Guys, you’re not expected to understand!)  So up and at ‘em!  Mark was still feeling pretty lousy, so I headed off to the shoot with the rest of the ladies.  Oh, and Adam!  He decided to join us because how often do you get to see the set of a professional photo shoot in NYC?!  And he was sure that they’d take one look at him and want him in front of the camera too!  We all laughed off this last statement :)

The photo shoot was being done in a big warehouse type of building over near the river.  Apparently the building had lots of studios because at the check in desk we waited alongside some pretty interesting looking folks… definitely model types.  Needless to say, we looked slightly out of place! 

The shoot took place in a studio on the 14^th floor of the building and the moment we walked in I felt like I was on another planet.  The floor was black and the walls were white.  Two walls were covered with windows overlooking the river and the city.  There were people everywhere… setting up the walls around the shoot, prepping the make-up and hair area, steaming the clothes on the racks, etc… all of them looked like they had done this a million times and here we were… totally new to it all.  The first moment was slightly intimidating but everyone was so incredibly nice that the feeling of intimidation quickly disappeared.  And sure enough, right away we were asked if our loved ones wanted to be involved in our individual shoots!  They must have decided that as soon as they saw Adam!  As he tweeted that day, “So Glamour took one look at me and said we want to do a photo shoot with you too.   All my dreams have come true.”  And later on that day, when the make-up artist saw no need to put make-up on him, he tweeted, “Makeup artist just refused to touch me up for the shoot saying I looked perfect… at least that’s what I heard.”  Yup, he’s a riot!  He and Becca are a perfect match!  Both hilarious and very down to earth!

Upon hearing that our guests would have a chance to join us on set, I texted Mark.  Yes, I know what you’re thinking right now… He’s sick in bed Keela!  How could you possible ask him to smile for a professional photographer?!  But I had to at least try.  I mean seriously, how often do you get this kind of opportunity?!  My text said something along the lines of, “I must admit I wish you were here right now.  They just said that our guests can be a part of the photo shoot with us.  But I know you don’t feel well so don’t worry.  Just get better.”  Hmmm… was that too obvious? :)  My always supportive and loving fiancé responded with, “What’s the address?  I’m on my way.”  Dang do I love him!

Commence preparation photo shoot!

Hair… makeup… manicure… clothing… behind the scenes footage… interview… white robes… fuzzy slippers… music – all sorts of wonderful music…

At each “station” three to four people would be working on me.  At one point, the hair stylist was doing my hair while the manicurist was doing my nails and the big fuzzy microphone was in my face as they interviewed me on film about the whole process.  So surreal!

If you’ve ever seen or read “The Hunger Games” it was much like going to the Capital, except of course for the fact that we were merely doing a photo shoot, not preparing to fight to the death.  But seriously, it really was like the Capital.  Everyone was very nice but they were all dressed in very trendy clothing (much different from what I wear on a daily basis), they were all quite eccentric, and they were all focused on making me shine.  My hairstylist was definitely the Cinna of the group.  He was quite eccentric but very friendly.  He frequently asked me questions not only about how I typically styled my hair, but also regarding who I was as a person.  He wanted to make me “me.”  I really liked him and I have to give him a lot of credit.  He probably re-curled and styled my hair four different times that day… the damn fan kept making it go crazy.  I guess I don’t feel so badly about the fact that when I finish a typical day it looks insane if even a professional couldn’t make it do what he wanted for too long!

After a few hours of prepping, I was ready for my shoot.  I was asked to pick what music I wanted in order to make me feel relaxed and of course I asked for Dave Matthews Band!  I made my way over to the staging area (it was tough in heels… being 5’10’’ already, I’m not used to having to walk in heels) and started my shoot.  The photographer, Grace Huang, was amazing!  She was so good at making me laugh and making me feel comfortable.  And the best part was when they called Mark in to join me (yes, he made it and not only that but he looked good)!  The first thing Grace said to him was, “What’s your job, Mark?”  “To make Keela look good!” She kept telling me, “Make him come to you!”  And so there we were… totally in love with each other and showing that to the camera.  How fun!!!  I am so glad that they not only took photos of the two of us, but they put them on a disk for us to keep!  What a gift!!  Oh and every once in a while Grace would yell out, “FLUFF!” and the hair stylist, makeup artist, and clothing stylist would come running in to “fix” me.  They came running in a number of other times as well – every time the “wind” made my hair a little too crazy, my dress didn’t look quite right, or I got lipstick on my teeth (not used to wearing lipstick!).  It’s no wonder models look so dang good… they have a team of people running in to fix them between virtually every photo… and that’s even before the photo touch ups!

 

 

 

When each of the four of us had done our individual shoot, we went on set together for the actual photo shoot… the one that would end up in the September issue of Glamour.  That was really fun!  Poor Becca had on 8-inch high heels!  Okay, so maybe not quite that high but they were really high!  Every time we moved she’d grab onto me for balance… who am I kidding, we were all grabbing on to each other.  None of us were too comfortable in heels and the way we had to keep throwing our hips and look like we were having a good time, would throw us off balance.  I could just see us all toppling over.  That would have been quite the photo! 

It took a while (and a couple dress changes on my part --- they were trying to get the color scheme right) to get a photo that all the editors and sponsors felt good about.  I guess when you have four women whose hair and dresses are blowing… whose smiles you’re trying to catch as natural as possible… etc… things take a little while.  It was fun though.  Really, really fun!  I never thought I’d say that I would enjoy pushing out my hip and flashing a smile to the camera, but it was fun!  I think it was because I was beside three amazing women and surrounded by so much joyful energy! 

The day wrapped up with a party hosted by Glamour and Sally Hansen.  We were presented with gifts and introduced to the group of people present.  Many of the employees of Glamour and Sally Hansen came by and we were able to really mingle with them – and I was able to give out LOTS of Reason2Smile bracelets!!  (I’m hoping the ladies will wear them in the city and be able to spread the word about them if anyone asks!) Annette and Cathy are the two Sally Hansen ladies who have been sponsoring “The Best of You” contest for the past 12 years.  They are the heart and soul behind the whole event and it was wonderful to meet them both.  I really tried to communicate to them how wonderful an opportunity this was for me and how important this national exposure would be for Reason2Smile Inc.  They are truly making a difference in the lives of people around the world by using the platform they have to help spread the word about what we do.  I hope they know just how much I appreciate them sponsoring this contest and I hope Glamour knows just how much I appreciate them forfeiting the style, makeup, and glam space for doing a little piece on real people doing real things.  I really think that people will love and appreciate that about the magazine and that it will offset those advertisers who just want more materialism.  Thank you, to all of you who made this contest happen and continue to want to spread the word about real women doing things that truly impact the world!  Thank you!

  I love these women!  Such wonderful people!

With the assistant editor-in-chief of Glamour magazine!

 Presentation of awards

Annette, from Sally Hansen, and I showing off our Reason2Smile bracelets!

Oh and I must not forget to tell you that Donna (the amazing board member who nominated me) and her husband Charlie came over to see some of the shoot and participate in the party!  It was so great to have them there!  Donna is pretty much the number one advocate for Reason2Smile and she worked her magic during the meet-and-greet.  Her passion and energy flowed and by the time she left, there wasn’t a person in that room who didn’t know all about the amazing work Reason2Smile does.  Yup, Donna is amazing and I am so blessed to have her as a board member!

After lots of delicious cake, crackers, cheese, brownies, and cake pops; we rolled ourselves back down the elevator and out the door to our awaiting vehicles.  Becca summed it up when she said, “It’s hard work being pampered all day.”  It was… I was exhausted! 

We stopped back at the hotel to pick up our things and then started the trip home.  I definitely left NYC with more than I came with… not only with a new dress (yes, they gave me the Halston dress that I wore for my individual shoot!  Nudes are the colors for fall… not quite my choice), but with new friends, new inspiration, and many new memories!  It was an amazing experience and I can’t thank you all enough for your support and your belief in me!  It’s back to my real life now… the life that I love and wouldn’t change for the world… but I am very grateful for the opportunity.  Thank you, all of you!

NYC - Pedicures, Whole Shrimp, and Great Company!

 Alrighty, so now for the exciting part!  On Tuesday April 17^th, Mark and I headed to the Burlington Airport.  We drove two hours to catch a plane (which would take one hour) to NYC.  Mark says we should’ve taken the train because it would’ve been more romantic… oh well, next time!  We were greeted at JFK Airport by a black SUV which transported us to our hotel – yup, we’re fancy (as Becca says - you’ll hear me talk about her shortly).  We were put up in the Empire Hotel – just about a block away from Central Park and supposedly where some episodes of Gossip Girls has been filmed.  Those of you who have been around me more than 30 seconds probably know that this show is not quite the type I like to watch so this wasn’t really all that impressive to me, but for those of you who do watch it… look for the Empire Hotel – I stayed there!

Mark and I were pretty exhausted when we arrived so we went right to bed.  I know, lame.  Especially since I’ve probably only been to the city half a dozen times in my life, but when you’re tired… you’re tired!  And I had a photo shoot coming up so I quite literally needed my beauty sleep!

In the morning we all gathered in the lobby before heading off to breakfast.  This was the first time I was able to meet Rebecca Stanley, Carrie Severson, and Rachel Doyle (all founders of the non-profits which they pour their hearts and souls into every day), although I had done my research on each of them and already saw each of them as a huge inspiration! 

Quick little info…

Rebecca Stanley is an amazing mom of two beautiful young children who you can instantly tell has a sincere heart filled with compassion and love.  (The main quote on her Facebook page is “Giving can help rescue them from poverty, but it has also rescued me from wealth.” – Yup, definitely a soul sister of mine!)  Becca and her husband Adam moved to the ghetto in Atlanta about a year ago after they realized that they could more effectively provide positive role models for children living in poverty if they lived on their street and in their neighborhood.  They quite literally purchased a crack house and during the first few months when Adam and his father were renovating the house, they would have to kindly ask the prostitutes and drug dealers to step off the premises so they could do their work.  During the time of renovation, Adam got to know many of the local families and he feels that the respect he was able to show for the local people early on has provided for the safety that he and is family now feel living in that neighborhood.  Becca shared a story from the first week they lived in the house… she met a little boy down the street and invited him over for game night the following night.  That night came and a knock was heard at the door.  Becca opened it and found six kids with big eager smiles on their faces, “We’ve come for game night!” Of course she welcomed them right in!  The local kids can be found at Becca and Adam’s house nearly every night of the week (except Mondays – that’s “Family Day” and the kids know that they aren’t to interrupt the Stanley household unless it’s an emergency)… eating dinner, doing homework, playing spoons and other fun games during “family game night” (the local kids dubbed it that), or throwing a football around with Adam.  They even took one of the boys they’ve been mentoring for six years, to Florida with them for their family vacation a couple weeks ago!  These people don’t just talk the talk… they truly walk the walk!  Becca and Adam started an organization called Blueprint 58.  As their Facebook page says, “Blueprint 58 is a non-profit mentoring program dedicated to restoring and transforming the Atlanta communities of Adair Park and Pittsburgh. Because we firmly believe that transformation most readily occurs within the context of relationship, one-on-one mentoring relationships are the core of our ministry.”  They don’t have a website and not much of a budget at the moment… as Becca said, she and Adam would much rather be doing the hands on work with the kids than doing the fundraising… but it is certainly a worthwhile organization and a concept that they hope to keep simple enough for other communities to replicate.  Becca’s blog is the best place to keep up with the family and the work that they do. http://thestanleyclan.blogspot.com/ Plus she’s hilarious and she posts amazing photos – yup, she’s a photographer too!  Becca and Adam have been through what most people would call hell during the last 8 months.  Their little guy was born with a heart defect and had to have open-heart surgery five days after he was born.  Caden is doing well now, although he will have to have a number of surgeries during his life; and Becca and Adam both shared that while they wouldn’t wish that horrific experience on anyone, it did bring them closer together and made them stronger people.  Yup, they are basically my heroes.  I couldn’t get enough of listening to the two of them talk about their life.  Not only that but they’re my age and totally the kind of people who I know Mark and I would be best friends with if they lived nearby (Mark loved them too!).  It’s too bad Atlanta is so dang far from Lake Placid!  We’ll just try to do our best to keep in touch and hope that our paths cross again soon.  There’s a reason we were both in this photo shoot… no doubt! 

   

Carrie Severson is an amazingly strong woman from Phoenix, Arizona.  Carrie and I had exchanged numerous emails during the weeks leading up to the shoot and I knew she was as excited for this experience as I was!  The non-profit that Carrie founded called Severson Sisters, is very personal and important to Carrie.  Having lived through many of the terrible things that far too many elementary, middle (especially middle) and high school students have to deal with in terms of bullying and hazing, Carrie was able to turn her negative experiences into an opportunity to help others.  Severson Sisters is a bullying solutions and self-compassion non-profit for girls of all ages. The organization uses creative arts as a tool for girls to express themselves while building self-esteem and developing friendships with other girls their age.  They incorporate a bullying solution method into the creative objective.  What an important organization!!  I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t go back to middle school for anything.  When I look back at my life, those were some of my darkest days… filled with doing anything possible to try to fit and not get picked on, and losing myself in the process.  Unfortunately this is a huge issue for young people all across our country and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better.  Programs like Carrie’s can help young people (specifically girls) to gain the self-confidence and self-love they need to not only survive middle and high school, but to move out into the world as self-assured, wonderful, authentic, loving individuals!  And that’s exactly what Carrie has done!  This super girl is in conversations with the producers of the Ellen DeGeneres show!!  Talk about a go-getter!!  I’m super psyched for Carrie and all that she has before her!  The sky is the limit girl – go do it!  If you’d like to learn more about Carrie and her organization you can visit Severson Sisters on Facebook or check out their website www.seversonsisters.org

Lastly, I met Rachel Doyle.  There’s no doubt why Rachel was chosen to be featured in the Sally Hansen “The Best of You” contest.  While in high school, Rachel’s grandmother passed away and her influence inspired Rachel to start a make-over program with women living in senior homes.  The program grew from there and while in college, Rachel founded the organization GlamourGals.  This non-profit, driven by Rachel, inspires and organizes teen girls to make change in their communities. Each month their over 60 local chapters (throughout 13 states across the country) volunteer time with women living in senior homes and provide their signature program of complimentary facials and makeovers.  They make women feel beautiful and good about themselves right up to their last day on this earth.  Again, such great work!  Rachel has been featured on all sorts of TV programs and in articles in magazines too numerous to mention here.  She is only in her late 20s and she’s already accomplished more than most people accomplish in their lifetime.  She truly is a determined and focused woman and I am happy that I met her!  You can learn more about Rachel’s organization by visiting the GlamourGals on Facebook or by checking out their website www.glamourgals.org

Oops, apparently I don't have a picture of just Rachel.  Here she is getting a make-over. 

I know I said I was only going to give “quick little info” but you know me!  I’m sure you can see why I feel honored to be featured in a magazine alongside these amazing women!!!  Such inspiring people!  I am blessed to have met each of them!

To continue with my story (because I know you’re all dying to hear the rest)… We ate a delicious breakfast that morning with Lorraine Nunez and Kerri Kivlan – both beauty merchandising managers with Glamour.  Mark and Adam (Becca’s husband) really bonded and we were all able to share our stories and get to know each other.  Then we were off to The Town House Spa for a day of pampering!  (Yes, the guys quickly disappeared… Mark went back to the hotel to do some computer work and Adam went off to explore the city – his first time in NYC!)  Rachel and I headed into the pedicure area first.  You may be surprised (or perhaps not) to know that I’ve never had a pedicure in my life.  I must admit that I was initially a bit self-conscious about having a stranger “work on” my feet but that lasted about 2 seconds… ahhhhh… so relaxing!  I didn’t even care if they put polish on my nails… the massage was where it was at!!  Plus I was seated in a massage chair with a goblet of lemon/cucumber water in my hand… yup, I felt glamorous! 

After the pedicure I headed upstairs for my hair cut.  I had the option of a cut or a dye and I chose a cut because, well, I guess I’m not that adventurous.  I’ve only had my hair dyed once… for a musical I was in during my senior year of high school… and I really have no desire to do it again.  I’ve been blessed with natural highlights, what can I say?! :)

A really nice Russian guy went to work on my hair.  Quickest haircut I think I’ve ever had.  Either he really knows what he’s doing or he did a crappy job… you guess!  Then he did a blowout.  If I hadn’t put a call out on Facebook for some beauty advice before I headed to NYC, I wouldn’t have known what a blowout was.  And as it was, he didn’t ask what I wanted, he just kind of did it; but I loved it!  So for those of you, like me, who don’t know what a blowout is… it’s a form of straightening hair using a round brush and a hair dryer.  I’m honestly not sure how it works exactly, but it did! When he finished my hair was straight with just a slight curl on the end.  It was incredibly smooth and not frizzy at all… a miracle!  It also almost looked like I had bangs.  Anyway, very cool and a lot of fun!

I was the first to have my make-up done and the man who did that did a wonderful job as well.  He really seemed to catch on to the fact that I don’t wear much make-up and I like the natural look.  Unlike other times when I’ve had to have make-up for a wedding or something, he didn’t make it look like I was “made-up.”  Again, quite the professional!

When I got back to the hotel room I took pictures of myself in the mirror because I really liked my hair. Don't mind the poor lighting.

The next couple hours were spent chatting with Becca, Carrie, and Rachel as they completed their beautification process.  I enjoyed a delicious salad – yes, this spa has a little restaurant in it – and relaxed for a bit.  After everyone was all “done up,” Carrie, Becca, and I had a glass of wine with Lorraine and Maria Marino, an advertising manager at Glamour and Conde Nast.  Looking back on the couple of days, this was one of my favorite times of the whole experience.  It was really nice for each of us to be able to share our story and talk openly about our experiences, with everyone at the table fully engrossed in what we were saying.  It was obvious to me that Carrie and Becca are both immensely passionate about their work but it’s nice to also feel their support for mine.  I hope they feel my support as well!  I loved not feeling like we were competing for the ear of these corporate women, but rather sharing our passion with other strong individuals.  There was some serious “women power” around that table!  It was also nice to hear Maria say that she needs to start doing more for others.  Of course our intention is not to guilt others into doing more; but rather, to help them to see the joy that it brings us and hopefully inspire them to reach out.  Based on the conversation, it sounds like Maria will do just that!  Deciding on the nail polish for the season just isn’t filling her soul. :)

We were taken back to the hotel late that afternoon for a bit of a rest before our dinner reservations at Rouge et Blanc at 7pm.  I was so high on life about my first pedicure, my amazing hair, and the great conversation that we had just had, that I hardly noticed Mark was lying in bed gripping his stomach with a forced smile on his face.  When I finally came down from my cloud I realized that he wasn’t feeling well, at all.  Needless to say, I headed off to the restaurant solo that evening while he stayed in the room and fought with what was either food poisoning or an awful 24-hour stomach bug… poor guy!

Dinner at Rouge et Blanc was wonderful!  I am a person who can eat just about anything and be satisfied (my motto is “food is food”) but Mark, on the other hand, appreciates good food.   I was bummed he missed out on that experience.  Rouge et Blanc is a Vietnamese/French restaurant, needless to say, there were some very interesting things on the menu!  Carrie’s friend was the chef so that’s how we found out about the place and it really was perfect.  The six of us (Carrie, her mother, Becca, Adam, Rachel, and I) enjoyed octopus (that was my pick!), quail (with a quail egg on top – so good!), and lobster with vegetable noodles, among other things.  The food was incredible!  (Definitely not “just food.”)  And the company was wonderful as well!  A great night had by all!  Except maybe Mark… he still wasn’t doing so well when I returned to the hotel.  :(

Becca may look a little nervous about eating this whole shrimp (eyes, antennae and everything), but she did and she even said they were good!

Once again I headed to bed rather quickly because this was the night I REALLY needed my beauty sleep… the photo shoot was the next day!!  However, before heading to bed I did take pictures of myself in the mirror and Mark even sat up to take one of me as well.  I really didn’t want to fall asleep and lose my beautiful hair-do!  Ridiculous, I know!

Okay, I'm impressed you got to this point.  I'm going to give your eyes a little break and post the rest (the photo shoot!) tomorrow.  Thank you for reading!