Anonymous, discreet and wunnnderful!

Ok, so have I been in cave or is Health Coaching so obscure I didn't know it existed? I guess it's becoming more and more utilized as I did a little research on the net and came up with some very interesting information!? I have heard of people having LIFE coaches in regards to their jobs to reach the goals in their journey of life, but I had never heard of a Wellness or Health coach till Kevin started working at Dell. I guess they want their employees and their families as healthy and happy as can be so they can do the best job possible. That is the only reason I see them doling out all that cash to the actual firm who hires the coaches and also GIVES us back a good chunk of the money we pay in quarterly for our health care plan.

I have to be honest... at first, I wasn't really all that keen on telling my woes and worries as well as sharing medical history and daily milestones/setbacks with a stranger over the phone. I have been to some face-to-face counseling sessions where I just felt like a number, given the glazed over nod as well as the "handouts" or reading material to study and hopefully find some solace at home....via "helping myself", but this was completely different. It was a little uncomfortable at first, especially since the person to whom I was speaking with wasn't at all familiar with MY type of Diabetes (CFRD), but I was grasping at straws and figured it "couldn't hurt". My coach, Michelle, is faceless... but I can imagine what she might look like and yet, it doesn't really matter. She has been a Godsend and THERE for me when I needed answers as well as reassurance after being diagnosed recently this year with CF related Diabetes.

I am trying my best to get my blood sugar numbers as stable as possible, but it's almost as sure as sitting at a Roulette table in Vegas. Just when you think you got the pattern down.... "RED, Let it Ride on RED!"... the numbers change and you've lost your chips to BLACK! Well, not quite as drastic as that, but with a pancreas that decides to work when it's "down right ready to and not until" doesn't make my job any easier when trying to figure my insulin dosing. A pat on the back and a reassuring voice telling me that I'll get it sooner or later, or maybe not, but at least I am trying my hardest, HELPS tremendously. It's as frustrating as anything I've ever tried to conquer in my life and not easy to share with friends and loved ones. Sure people care, but they don't really understand what I'm dealing with daily! Some days, I feel like a Yo-Yo... up and down and up and down. I do like Roller coasters, you know, but ONLY when I get on and STRAP myself in. THEN, I know I am on the ride and it will be over soon....["Yabba Dabba Doo, Chuckles!"]... I just don't really like my LIFE and blood sugars being like riding ON one daily. I know that soon I will have a better handle on everything and they will hopefully stabilize so I will not be experiencing the ZOMBIE-like feeling I get when I am injecting OR at "all-time LOW crashes" 'cause my pancreas decided to kick in a little too much.

So, I feel blessed once again in life to know a person that perhaps doesn't know me, face to face, but has gotten to know me in some ways and even though it's her job... I don't feel like THAT is the only reason she is offering her help. She could be like the typical, head nodding counsellor/ coach and do her job as minimally as necessary or she could go the extra mile and really be there to help the person who is sometimes grasping at straws. So far, she has been the latter and I am lucky she is in my life. Perhaps it will just be for a season... or for a reason, but if that's all it is for, then helping me over this hump will be something that I will be forever grateful for regardless of the time allotted in receiving her help. It's very weird, for me, though as I am not used to "taking" and not giving. A new learning experience to get used to!

A Cyster friend of mine commented to me that "It sounded about as expensive as a massage. You deserve all the cheering on that you can get. You give so much to all the rest of us!" I wish that others who are struggling with their own obstacles in life could have a coach to help them over the hump. I have a friend who is losing weight.. and another who has just quit smoking! I KNOW they will have their weak times and a coach would precisely be the one to call during that time... or at least they would have that phone call to look forward to and some accountability, if nothing more. Could YOU be someone's Life or Health coach!? I think we ALL could to some capacity and if it is what it would take to help your loved one or friend... why don't you casually offer. I know I plan to, if the occasion arises!

I was very happy to hear that when my Dell "commitment" is over that it doesn't necessarily have to end my established history and "relationship" I have with my new coach. What a relief and calming feeling to know that I can KEEP her! Thanks, Dell! AND thanks TONS, Michelle... even though you are probably not ever going to read this... or maybe so!? Why not!?
Here is some information about Health/Wellness coaches. It's not the company mine is with, but I thought it was great information! Perhaps you want to seek one out sometime in your life. I'm sure they're not as expensive as a massage... LOL!

Photography is by a friend/colleague that Kevin worked with at Dell. THANK you, Chetna!

http://www.infinitehealthcoach.com/
This is quite extraordinary! I never knew all the people who could be helped with this aide.

Happy Birthday, LeeAnn!

Thinking of a very special person today! LeeAnn Gist Calvino would have been 42 if she was still with us. I met her not long ago at a workshop I took in Houston that Jane Shibata was teaching. I had sent in my envelope with the check enclosed EARLY and with that faux pas she remembered me! Oooops! Then, I remember hearing that she was at the Dallas International Calligraphy Conference where we ran into each other again. She was so worried that she was going to miss something.... but I told her to rest and take in what she COULD do as she would do it more FULLY instead of being tired, dragging along trying to do EVERYTHING! I could relate, as I had the same mentality when it came to not wanting to miss any of the fun....I didn't have brain cancer, though.

The next time I saw her was the year 2006, when she would drive in once a month for twelve months from Houston to take the year long, Reggie Ezell workshop in Austin. I had heard about her recurrent cancer bouts and was very interested in really getting to know such a FIGHTER! She was an inspiration to all who knew her, I believe. Her infectious smile and outward personality was an instant attraction and then after I got to know her, I loved her heart and her soul! (Intelligence and humor!)
She spoke so highly of her dear Paul. It was like he could "do no wrong" and was her "Knight in Shining Armour". (I felt we had that in common as I feel that way about my hubby, too)
As the months passed during Reggie, we gravitated toward one another and made plans to get together so our husbands could meet when the class was over.....

During the year, I would have my ailments and hospitalizations (4 sessions that year for a total of 58 days) and she would be doing her chemo sometimes AT these classes! NOTHING could stop our passion. The fact that our husbands were so supportive of us and we wanted to get as much out of the year as possible, made us both strive for excellence and do our best to accomplish what we set out to do.... LEARN! I know many times I said to myself: "If LeeAnn can do this on Chemo, then I can surely pull myself up by the bootstraps and get out of any pity party in order to get my homework done!" I found out later that she said, "If Trish can get her homework done while she is in the hospital, then I'm determined as well!"
We were both each others' cheerleaders and friends.

We had loads of fun during that year with our "Pink Flamingo" day and our "Roman Empresses Day"... complete with bay leaf wreaths as our crowns.... the best part was our Christmas Party, though. Everyone let their hair down and we had one of the best parties I have ever been to. It was complete with fun and frolic...and we got the t-shirts back that we had designed for the class. Lee Ann volunteered to be in charge of the Thank you gifts to our organizer, Loretta and Reggie. I saw a drive in her that I rarely see in most people I have ever known. The projects that she proposed and began got finished... and not just that, but "Finished with a Flair". She compiled the recipes for us all and hand made booklets to house them in. Talk about energy!? WHERE on Earth did she get that much!? I loved her level of commitment and follow through... of things that she didn't even HAVE to do. She was a true idol of what a volunteer should emulate.

The homework was monumental in our Reggie year, but the homework that she brought to class each month surpassed everyone else's idea of what one could do in a month's time. She had great ideas and wonderful follow through. The talent she possessed was barely tapped into before her passing. One of her homework projects left her fingers bloody, but that didn't stop her from getting it done. It was breathtaking!
I have come to know her husband, Paul, in the months after her death and found out even more tales about her that inspire and encourage me to live my life to the fullest. I have never been one to squander time and feel sorry for myself but when I start to wonder, I think of LeeAnn and a couple of other incredible people that have shaped my life into what it is today. I would not be the same, strong person I am without knowing them. Thank you, Paul, for being my friend and remembering her together.... I'm sure she will NEVER be forgotten!

All in all, I just wanted to remember a special lady, a special angel in so many peoples' lives. Today is her birthday... so I light in candle in her honor and blow my diet with chocolate. I would have gone to Chuy's for dinner, but since Kevin had to go there for a business lunch, I didn't want to "subject" him to it TWICE in one day! She loved Chuy's... and she loved her Paulie and she loved her family and Prancer and SHE LOVED life! Rest in Peace, dear, sweet angel of a friend.
"When God needs another angel, he calls his Children home."

This is my all time favorite photo of LeeAnn as it shows her smile,
which was one of her best attributes!

My Hero, my two hunters......

First of all, you would NOT find ME sticking my head under our shed to FIND OUT WHAT IS hissing at our dog... secondly, I wouldn't be putting my hand (and camera) where I could potentially be BITTEN.... The escapades all started last night when I let Fleckie, aka "MIGHTY HUNTER", out to go potty one last time before bed. When she didn't come in after the "allotted amount of time", I went "searching" for her IN THE DARK. Our yard is BIG, but not THAT big. With all the plants and foliage though I figured she could be almost anywhere. I was determined to find her by calling out her favorite "Treat" names... like Chick Chick, Bonies or Steaky Waaaaykeee. That didn't work, so I resorted to bringing some chicken outside for her to get a whiff and come out from hiding. STILL no Fleckie!!! Panic began to set in....Granted, my hearing isn't the best anymore, but I DID not hear even a rustling in the leaves which sometimes I hear when she is rummaging or on a scent-driven quest from something that HAPPENED to cross our yard perhaps hours earlier...

I checked BOTH gates in the front of the house and they were closed and locked... So, I had to call in the BIG GUNS.... aka my OTHER mighty hunter, Kevin! I wasn't about to be poking around in the dark... there's Boogie men out there, you know. Our yard seems to be the spot that varmints like to harbor. In the past, Fleckie has secured, and even conquered, species such as snakes, mice, rats, baby bunnies, baby birds and now, what looks to be an opossum... a small one at that.

Kevin came out with the BLINDING flashlight that he uses each night to round up the "canines on the prowl", but even he had a time locating our "Canine Mighty Hunter"...until...FINALLY he heard a hissing and whimper/whining that we normally hear when Fleckie gets excited.... He ran to the back of the shed and lo and behold.... there she was.... Her head and upper torso stuck up and under the back of the shed as rigid as a board. When she gets something on her mind NOT EVEN "chick chick" will pull her away. Kevin had to pry her out of there with squeals and whines. He almost had her out and she got free again and went as far back under as she could get... After repeatedly telling her "NOT" and "Leave it", which normally work on some things, while pulling her out of there as GENTLY as you can pull a bag of potatoes our of a small hole, he freed her and HANDED her to me to bring into the house. UGH, she smelled...

I didn't know what he what he was doing out there, but he came to get the camera and said that he was GOING TO FIND OUT what it was.... Well, he said he didn't see anything from the back of the shed in plain sight, so he went around to the front and shined the flashlight on the bottom only to see a long tail disappear up and under the shed. So, he went around the back again, looked under and got hissed at with this creature's mouth WIDE open...teeth showing, too. It was probably blinded by the HIGH lumens and scared to death! "Where's my mommy?"

Kevin THEN stuck his HAND, holding the camera, under the shed and blindly took these shots. IS he crazy!? All the while, I am inside trying to calm Fleckie, and now the other two girls, down who were romping all around, jumping on each other and still, quite excitable. I gave them some Chick Chick and brought them into our bedroom and closed the door. Maybe ten more minutes went by before my "Exterminator" comes in with his coup! PHOTOGRAPHS of the varmint in our backyard. He exclaimed that it was JUST an opossum, and that luckily there was a board under there so that it could be high enough under there to be protected from Fleckie..... Of course, I just told him, AGAIN, that we should have put lattice or boards all around the bottom perimeter of the shed when we got it SIX years ago! He just smiled.... looking like he conquered a beast... which HE DID. He's my hero. I don't know what I would have done if he wasn't here to get Fleckie out of that cave. Those kind of things give me the heebie jeebies! I don't think we shall tell our "new" pet sitters/friends/neighbors about this incident, as they may decide NOT to take care of these guys afterall! If that may be something I would have to deal with in taking care of a friend's dog... I'd think twice, for sure.

Can you tell WHICH one is the MIGHTY HUNTER!?!?! Fleck is the alert, dark one.

Look at some more of what Kevin likes to photograph, in the dark.. in our backyard. I don't like going out there at all in the dark anymore. I told you there were BOOGIES (or whatever you want to call them) out there.

"I don't like Spiders and Snakes ......
And that ain't what it takes to love me
You fool, you fool
I don't like spiders and snakes
And that ain't what it takes to love me
Like I wanna be loved by you" Jim Stafford
Do you remember that song!? I do from my childhood....

Local Envelope Exchange

Here are some of the envelopes that I have received so far from the local, Austin, Capital City Scribes... Envelope Exchange that I am in.... Although we will have a show of them ALL in the coming year at one of the meetings, I wanted to showcase the ones I have received so far. Why not? They are pretty awesome!

This January envelope is from Bailey AmonThis February envelope is from Paula Webb


This March envelope is from Kathy Griffin
This April envelope is from Lori Rasberry
This May envelope (for my Birthday) from Holly Zeiner
This June envelope is from Brian Mantz

One very special lady... my mentor, my friend.

"Kate" rendering by Chief White House Calligrapher, Pat Blair
The first time I met Kate was at a Capital City Scribes meeting, here in Austin, close to 20 years ago already. I could tell that she was so beloved and held in high esteem by her loved ones and colleagues. After getting to know her and seeing her generosity as well as her skills at calligraphy and art, I fell in love with this fine lady. We discussed a "mentor" program in the guild and I immediately KNEW that I wanted Kate to be mine. Since then, I've felt so confident that she will always be there for me and my creative endeavors. She claims that I have mentored her, too, but all I have to offer to her is what I know... which seems so miniscule for what she has given to me over the years.

Kate and her daughter, Jone Hallmark CLICK on Jone's name for her blog

This past year, in the guild, we had a retrospective of Kate Bergquist's work which amazed everyone who attended, which included her son, Bill, his wife and her granddaughter, Leila. There was so much interest in the work that she has done for the past 50+ years. Beforehand, I was honored to spend a whole day with her in her studio photographing items that brought her back to her childhood, including the first painting that she ever created..... There was a multitude of items ranging from fine art, fashion illustration, whimsical and very formal, traditional lettering arts.

Kate teaching her roses at a guild meeting

Her lettering arts career has spanned from when she was very young and a mother of three till today. Personally, I love her whimsy and eclectic ideas that she still portrays in her cards and pieces for exhibits and exchanges. Although her health has been an issue recently and she is transitioning to a smaller living area in the coming years, Kate keeps that zest for life with creative arts.

My birthday lunch with Alison and Kate at Chuy's 2007

Kate will always be a student as well as a teacher/mentor. For as long as I have known her, she has had an insatiable yearning for learning, taking as many workshops as she can, going to the International Calligraphy conferences and most recently, she has been enrolled in a life drawing class locally. She's always willing to lend a hand, volunteer, give her two cents when asked and most of all light up a room with her presence. I love Kate to my core and will always be the biggest fan she'll ever have (I know I will have contenders by making that statement) and wanted to share my love of her with everyone. If you don't know Kate... you are not as BLESSED as you could be.

Beautiful Kate on the beach in California 2010

A FAVORITE of a lotta folks... a piece she did for the CCS 2002 Exhibit

Kate volunteering 2010
A letter from Kate... so feminine and graceful

A card she made for Sandy using the A. Bernd technique

An original piece that Kate gave me...(look at the exquisite detail)

My day in Waco

The Waco Calligraphy Guild is going strong! Sandy and I drove to their monthly meeting this morning after she was invited to show how she makes her "Sandala's", which I have highlighted on my blog in earlier posts. It was a long day, but very worth the effort of the early morning rise and all it entails to get out of the house on time. The entire guild was so friendly and open to creativity. After a brief explanation of what mandalas are and an example from Sandy's own hand--drawing each, beautiful stroke with grace and ease, everyone got to work and created their own works of Art.

Amongst the participants in the meeting today was En Knipper, an almost NINETY year old calligrapher who has such a zest for life and an endless smile on his face. I met him at my very first Major workshop with Timothy Botts over 15 years ago with the Capital City Scribes in Austin. He drove down to participate with several others that I have not seen since. He even said he REMEMBERED me. I guess I did see him one other time at the Legacies National Conference in Dallas where I jogged his memory of our meeting. Nonetheless, he is RIGHT ON, has a cell phone and rode a ZIP line in Ecuador this past year! A man after my own heart! WRITE on, Buddy!!!! He is the good-looking one with the checked shirt pictured in the group below.

I think everyone had fun and learned something in the meantime. They also had their FIRST TIME ATC [Artist Trading Card] exchange that proved to be quite successful. I was happily surprised with the turn out, with one younger gentleman coming to a calligraphy meeting for his first time after seeing an ad in the paper this morning.... he was visiting his grandparents from Canada, eh!?

We were treated with lunch by the group who had the time to get a quick bite to eat. We went to this place called "Olive Branch" in the bustling, down town area of Waco! It was pretty good, too! You should have seen the size of the CUPCAKES! It was nice to be able to just sit and chat to get to know one another a little better. I was happy to see a lot of the gals that I had met either from them coming to one of our meetings, study groups, Southwest Calligraphy Conferences I have attended while I have been workshop chairman or President for CCS and workshops. All the calligraphers I've met [anywhere] are so forthcoming, generous and sharing. We're a GREAT Bunch! That pretty much wraps my my "WACKY", I mean Waco Day! LOL! Ciao!

Suzi Ickles Ed Knipper

Jeanne Dittman

Sandy... showing how to MAKE the mandalas!