frills & funk

I don’t know if I’ll have the time or energy to post a blog later.  I’m leaving for dinner in about a half hour and then heading out to Blue Man Group.  I didn’t get to workout today and at the photo shoot all I had to eat was pizza.  I’m feeling a bit sluggish. 

It looks like I booked a big job today for the fall.  The stylist wants my good friend to head up a big fashion event and she specifically wants to request me to do makeup for it.  I called my friend to tell her I met this particular stylist and she said I was already on the top of her list to do this event.  Pray that it all works out… it sounds like something right up my avant guard alley!  My friend Rosie hooked me up with today’s gig and it’ll be fun to work with her again soon because the stylist really wanted both of us in the future.  It is so much fun working with Rosie…. she is hysterical and so talented!  I love days like today.  The makeup we did was pretty and classic then it moved to crazy, edgy and editorial.  I thrive on being creative.  I haven’t done this kind of work in a while.  I’ve just been doing a lot of weddings lately.  It was nice to push the envelope today.  Weddings are fun but I’m very limited to what kind of look I can do.  Pictures coming soon!

There is nothing that makes me more stir crazy than having nothing to do!  It is very hard for me to take a day to just do nothing.  I thrive on filling every minute of my day with something.  I’m not one for idle hands.  The next couple of weeks will be crazy and tomorrow is just the beginning.  I will be doing makeup for Orlando magazine tomorrow for a semi annual style edition.  I have to be on the first sight at 6 am which means I will be waking up at around 4:30…. unbelievable for me!  It is 11:45 right now and I’m not tired yet… oh no!  I just finished organized my makeup kit. 

Tomorrow night I get to see the Blue Man Group with my sisters and my mom.  Cassie bought tickets for all of us as a Mother’s Day gift for Brittney and my mom and an early birthday present for me.  I’m really looking forward to it!  Cassie will be leaving for the summer to be a camp counselor at Camp Living Stones in Tennessee so this will be one of the last nights we will all get to hang out for a while.  I love my girl time with my family!

I’m doing weddings and photo shoots for the next three weekends on my “days off.”  I love freelancing.  I wish I could do my own work on my own schedule all the time… it’s just not consistent enough.  I’ll have a mad rush of jobs and then nothing for a while.  Maybe one day.  God has that all worked out.

I’m still working out 6 days a week.  I think I’ve built enough of a regiment to go down to 4 days.  I wanted to create a habit.  Next week I’m going to cut two days and work out longer periods of time while I’m at the gym.  I’m actually starting to love it!

Darrell thinks I’m going to need a break soon before I have a breakdown.  We’re taking a long weekend off in June and going to Fort Lauderdale with Bryan and Gina.  I can’t wait!

This is a word I’ve heard a lot lately.  Everyone struggles with their inadequacies.  I definitely know what mine are.  Today I’ve thought a lot about how God loves me so much in spite of all of my inadequacies.  I don’t understand it… but I don’t need to.  I’m just thankful.

I wanna give a shout out.  We went out to a place called Taverna Opa for dinner on Sunday night for Mother’s Day.  It is out at Pointe Orlando.  It is a Greek restaurant where they encourage you to hold hands and dance around the restaurant in a circle.  They have fire eating belly dancers, a deejay playing Greek techno music and just an all around fun ambiance.  The waitresses even grab you by the hand and help you get on your table so everyone in the family can dance on the tables.  Hayden loved this!  Mrs. Loper got a kick out of the belly dancer who danced around the restaurant with a fire lit chandelier balancing on her head.  It was really interesting.  The food was amazing and the waitresses randomly hand everyone piles of napkins to throw in the air… needless to say there are napkins all over the floors.  I loved it!  My mom is a fun and hip woman so she enjoyed it a lot!  She danced the most out of all of us.  I love her so much and I’m so glad we had a great time on her day!  Happy Belated Mother’s Day mom, Brittney and Mrs. Loper!  Ya’ll are the best!  XOXO!

James 1: ^{26 -27}Anyone who sets himself up as “religious” by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.

I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend.  Friday morning Darrell and I got up early to take part in a food drop that C3 was sponsoring with Feed the Children.  We headed off and I was praying that we would make an impact in a community that needs a lot of love and support.  The faces we saw are engrained in my memory.  The homeless man who pulled his cart up and the first thing he said was, “I’m so blessed I’m going to share this with my other friends!”  The young boy who at the age of 2 already knew to keep his guard up… skeptical of anyone.  When I asked him if I could hug him he looked shocked and surprised.  I hugged him and his whole face lit up.  This was recurring that day.  Young children… skeptical, guarded and cautious.  It made me sad… it was as if the innocence had been robbed from them.  My new friend who was 8 months pregnant walking in the hot sun about 3-4 miles with her 3 year old son and one year old daughter in a stroller for one box of food.  Kayleigh and I knew we couldn’t let her walk back so we offered to drive her home.  She told us that she woke up early that morning to clean the house and remembered the food drive so she got her kids ready and off they went.  As we drove I realized how far she had walked.  She told us her house was messy… it was small… she had very old, tattered things but it was immaculate!  She took pride in what she had.  I felt so humbled to meet her and talk to her.  She was soft spoken and sweet.  Her children are a blessing to her and she can’t wait to be a mommy again.  Kayleigh and I went back and gave her another box.  We had to.  She had come so far, no car, so dedicated to providing some semblence of a comfortable life for her children.  I asked her if she had a phone for me to contact her… she said no.  I told her that we would love to visit her once the baby is born and she said that would be fine.  I can’t wait to go back and see them again!

My nephew Hayden was there that morning.  I learn so much from that little four year old man!  He is wise beyond his years.  He asked me about another man pulling up in his shopping cart.  He asked me if he lived in his cart.  He noticed his dirty, torn clothes and asked if that was all he had.  He looked at me with concern and said, “but I have lots of clothes.”  He then ran to his mommy and asked if we would be giving him a food present.  She said yes.  He hugged her as tight as he could and said urgently, “mommy, this is the best day of my life!”  It made me thankful that he appreciates things at such a young age.  A foundation is being layed down for him.  I’m so overjoyed by the fact that my nephew and one day my children are being raised in a community of faith that shows what real love is all about.  Perfect love that casts out all fear of the unknown.  Love that goes into the toughest areas of life and longs to meet a need.

Another Hayden story.  Angie wrote of the little girl in the cart.  Hayden asked her if she could come out and play.  Her mommy said no because she had no shoes.  Hayden said, “that’s okay, can I get in the cart then and take a picture with her.”  The eyes of a child knows no prejudice.  To him all he saw was a little girl a bit older than him that he could possibly run around and laugh with.  At what age does that go away?  I love that he met her in her place.  The shopping cart was the place he was able to make a friend.  It reminded me that we need to meet people where they are.  They may not be able to come to us so it is our responsibility to go to them.  All of that from a four year old.  God used Hayden to teach me a lot that day!

I cannot wait until we do this again.  I met some ladies there from the Orlando Union Rescue Mission.  I have been there before but I’m looking forward to calling them and getting a tour soon.  I feel a renewed passion in my life.  There is so much to do…

More weekend stuff later…

I have so much to say about today.  The day was… indescribable.  Those who know me know I have to process things that are significant.  I’m still processing.  I’ll be posting in the next couple of days what today with “Feed the Children” meant to me.  Words are too small.  I want to do more.

This video could not be embedded so double click to see it on you tube.

My day was filled with happiness!  Here are the highlights!

-woke up early to clean the house, Darrell helped a lot… this was great because I didn’t have to think about it the whole rest of the day

-had breakfast at my fave breakfast restaurant, Morning Glories, with my fave chica’s… C3 chica’s!  It is always great to catch up and just have girl time but this morning there were a lot of ladies representin’ that had never met… it was fantastic!  I love you all… and the one’s who couldn’t make it!

-Hayden and Monica came over to hang out.  I love talking with Monica.  She makes me laugh and she understands my craziness!  We played Wii with Hayden… it’s his staple activity when he’s over at Uncle Darrell’s and Aunt Andrea’s house.

-took Hayden to McDonald’s and the playground.  He played in the splash park by my house.  I realized how big he’s getting… I mean I really realized it!  I was watching him from a distance play and he looked like a boy, not a baby.  I still think of him as a cute little baby boy… I love, love, love him so much!  We came home and watched a show on Nickolodeon that taught us how to dance so we did some hip hop dancing together.  He’s an amazing breakdancer!

-stopped by Brianto’s to say hello to a huge group of friends hanging out there.  The guys were trying to eat 18″ subs to get their names on a board!  I can’t even eat a small sub at Brianto’s…. they stuff 10 lbs. of meat and cheese between a small hoagie roll.

-went to the Y with Stacy and finally made it to yoga.  I love it!  I can’t wait to go back!   Stacy likes spinning so we made a deal… I’ll do spinning with her if she does yoga with me.  The instructor was great!  His voice was so soothing and the guy next to me, Jack, was super nice and very forgiving of my amateur yoga skills.  This guy was older and really flexible… so inspiring!  Stacy is the best for keeping me consistent on working out.  I’m glad she lives close and got a membership to the Y.  It makes it fun!

Check out my other blog.  Total Body Rehab now has contributing writers who are joining in on this new healthy journey I’m taking.  Check out Gina’s goals for the future.  It is so exciting… let me know if you wanna join in on the revolution!

If I haven’t already mentioned it…. I’m really looking forward to my breakfast tomorrow.  I’m going to cheat a little from my diet but I’ll work out extra hard afterward!  Yay!