Agape Night At My Spirited Art

This past Monday night My Spirited Art hosted a benefit night for Agape of North Alabama. For those of you who may not be familiar with My Spirited Art, it's a studio here in Huntsville where you can go and paint a picture in about two hours for around $35. It's a great idea for a girls night out and they also do kids birthday parties and summer camps and all kinds of fun things. I have had this on my to-do list forever but have never taken the time to actually go and do it. So, when I found out that Agape was having a benefit paint night, I knew I would finally buckle down and go. 

The girls at the Agape office were having a hard time deciding what painting to chose for our class and they let me pick a few that I liked and then they chose from those (board member perk, I guess we'll call it). As luck would have it, they chose the one I liked the most out of the three I picked. It was called, "Redbuds in Bloom". I signed up the first day we possibly could and let others know about the night. We were hoping to sell out the night because the more people we had to participate, the more money Agape would get. 

The class started at 6:30 p.m. and was relatively full. I never got a final count, but I know there were 25 people signed up early in the day on Monday and we had some walk-ins as well (including my dad) and so I'd venture to say there were about 30 people there. Agape ended up earning 30% of the profits from the night and came away with about $315 which was such a fun way for our organization to receive a donation. 

We spent the next two hours or so painting. After the first hour, we got a short break so our canvases could dry a little before we put more paint on them. During the break some folks got an ice cream or a snack from the local vendors in the shopping center. We reconvened at 7:45 p.m. and finished up our paintings. It was so interesting to see how each painting turned out. We all received the same instruction, but each painting was so unique to the individual painting it. My dad, for example, wanted red leaves instead of pink and purple; other people made a large walkway between their trees; some trees were skinny and others were thick - such variety from our little group. 

This was such a fun night! A lot of the girls from my Bible study were there as well as a lot of people I didn't know and one person who came just because she liked the painting we picked! I had a blast and I think everyone else did too. I look forward to going again soon!

My dad and my friend Lauren

My painting about midway through 

Our instructor, Brandi 

My finished painting

My dad working hard

My dad's finished painting

My dad and Lauren with their finished works of art. 

Jay Leno In Huntsville

Last Thursday night, I ventured out with my parents to see Jay Leno at the Huntsville Hospital Foundation benefit. My dad bought our tickets back a few months ago and I had been looking forward to it for a long time. The show started at 8:30 p.m. which may seem late, but they had a dinner beforehand which we did not attend. 

My parents picked me up about 8:00 p.m. and we drove the five minutes to the VBC where the traffic was beyond ridiculous. All the handicapped spots up front were taken, which was not surprising and so my dad dropped me and my mom off and went to the parking garage across the street where it took him close to 30 minutes to get in and get parked. Apparently there was only one line open to get in the garage and thousands of people trying to park. We made it in just as the show was getting underway. 

We had great seats, but as soon as we got settled, we realized we couldn't hear a thing. The audio system was terrible. In a city full of engineers, you'd think the VBC would be able to find someone who could set up a decent sound system. The volume was bad and the microphone kept popping. Only pockets of people were laughing and those pockets varied throughout the night. I never saw anyone in the upper sections laughing. We were downstairs and no one in our section was laughing; most people were just checking their phones. I read and heard that even people sitting on the floor (who paid large sums of money to be there) couldn't hear.

In addition to the terrible sound system, Mr. Leno was also holding a microphone and he held it down low, far away from his mouth most of the time. If he needed a microphone to hold, you'd think they could have put a lapel mic on his jacket and just given him a dead mic to hold. Call me crazy, but that seems logical. Mr. Leno also talked fast at times and seemed to mumble at other times, neither of which helped the situation. 

My mother went to guest services at least twice and they told her "the engineers are working on it," but the sound never got better. It was so bad that for the one hour Mr. Leno spoke, I could hear the talking, etc. from the concession stand area behind us over what Mr. Leno was saying. I caught maybe five jokes. It was very disappointing. 

Mr. Leno ended his routine right at 9:30 p.m. but first he auctioned off a few trips to California for a personal tour of his garage (where he collects motorcycles and cars) that went for $7,000 a pop after which there was a mass exodus to the parking garage where not all the exits were open and so we had to wait in the car until the traffic thinned out before making our getaway. Needless to say, it was a very disappointing experience for something I had been looking forward to for a long time. Hopefully The Huntsville Hospital Foundation and the VBC will take the negative feedback and improve on it for whoever they bring in next year.

5th Annual Huntsville Area Rainbow Omega Dinner

Thursday night was the 5th annual Rainbow Omega fundraising dinner at the Davidson Center for Space Exploration in Huntsville, and as always, it was a great event for a worthy cause.

 

Jackie's dad usually is able to come down for the event but because he had a vacation already scheduled, he was unable to attend. He still helped sponsor a table, along with Jackie's mom and step-dad, and they all graciously allowed me to join them. Since Jackie was flying solo, she came by the house and picked me up for the event. I knew she was going to be at my house around 6:30 so I took Pippa outside a few minuted before so that she would be all situated for the next few hours. Well, of course, she would take this opportunity to crawl under the fence and run around like a wild child in the neighbor's yard. So, I went after her, almost tripping and falling on my face in the process. Thankfully I had some treats in my hand and was able to lure her in with the smell of tasty treats. Jeff from across the street came to help too probably because he saw I was all dressed up and chasing after that crazy pup. She's gonna be the death of me, y'all! 

 

I managed to get Pippa in the crate and soon after Jackie arrived and we were on our way. The parking lot at the Davidson Center was packed which was a good sign. The entrance was different this year than it has been in the past and our friend Christa quickly found us and told us which table was ours. We saw a ton of people we knew, including the most important guest, Jackie's cousin, Little Mickey. Jackie's Uncle Mickey took a photo of all of us, but I, unfortunately did not get one. We visited with various people and then found our seats and the dinner was soon underway. 

 

For dinner we had a salad, chicken with a mushroom sauce and mashed potatoes and vegetables and for dessert there was a decadent chocolate cake or raspberry cheesecake. The food was really quite good. After dinner we received a brief update of the past year at Rainbow Omega and then watched a video about some of the residents there. After the video presentation, the keynote speaker, Dr. Benjamin Carson, addressed the crowd. He was very soft spoken but really had a lovely, inspiring, and honest message and I think it was one of the best speakers they have had at the dinners. 

 

The Lieutenant Governor of the great state of Alabama was there and also spoke about her personal affection for Rainbow Omega and presented Dr. Carson with an honorary award. The night was a huge success. Jackie's step-dad who is on the planning committee said it was the largest crowd they had ever had at the Huntsville dinner. I am not sure how much money they raised, but I hope it was a lot because it is such a worthy cause.  

 

Jackie and I left right after the event was over. She had to relieve her babysitter, and I had to relieve the pup...or something like that. It was such a wonderful night, one of the best from the past few years. I really enjoyed listening to Dr. Carson and I think everyone else did too. If you are looking for a great cause for which to donate, please consider Rainbow Omega where I assure you, your funds will be put to good use.

 Jackie and Me

Jackie and her mom

Rainbow Omega Dinner

I've got so many things to write about this week, which is really great news for those of you who like to stop by and have something at least somewhat interesting to read about. I'll start with an event from the end of last week, the annual Rainbow Omega fundraising dinner.

I've written about Rainbow Omega many times in the past, but, in case you are new or need a refresher, Rainbow Omega is an organization that provides assisted living to the mentally challenged. It is a wonderful organization and a very worthy cause. Jackie's cousin, the beloved Little Mickey, lives at Rainbow Omega which makes it all the more special to my family and hers as Little Mickey holds a special place in all of our hearts.

This year the dinner was once again at the Davidson Center at the US Space and Rocket Center and the speaker this year was Bobby Bowden. Jackie's dad bought a table and along with Jackie and her dad were her mom and step-dad, our friends Christa and Jason and my dad and me. I met my dad there at about 6:45 - the dinner started at 7:00 - and was surprised to find him waiting on me when I got there since he is usually always running behind schedule. We went in and spoke to the folks we knew and soon after, the opening prayer was said and we began eating. The dinner was salad, chicken with a creamy sauce that had mushrooms in it and small potatoes - both yellow and purple; and, it was all delicious! Dessert was raspberry cheesecake which was also quite good.

After dinner, Coach Bowden got up to speak to us and my dad and I were both looking forward to hearing him speak. We were both, however, quite disappointed. I guess I was expecting some great motivational speech that would make me want to jump up and try to conquer the world, but that couldn't have been further from what we actually heard. Coach Bowden's speech was a rambling of a bunch of different stories, some of which made no sense and some which took a good 15 minutes to make sense. He had a couple of good points, but other than that, I was not impressed. In fact, the longer he spoke the more I had to resist the urge to look at my watch. Then, instead of signing autographs, and mingling with folks after the dinner, he bolted out of there as fast as he could, another move which I found to be kind of strange. I realize the man is on a schedule, but would it really hurt him to stick around for a few minutes?

After Coach Bowden's speech, Stentson Carpenter, the founder, got on stage and gave his appeal for donations. I don't know what it was about Mr. Carpenter's speech this year but for some reason it touched my heart more than usual and when he asked people to double their donations, that's exactly what I did. The crowd was much slimmer this year than it has been in years' past which is a sure sign of just how bad the economy has gotten here in the North Alabama area. Last year, for example almost half the room was filled with tables and this year there was maybe one fourth of the room full if that. Still, they were able to raise what I hope to be a large chunk of money for this great cause. This is one of my favorite nights of the year and hope the organizers are able to continue to hold this event. Mr. Carpenter alluded to the fact that he hopes the dinner will be possible to have in the future which is another indication that support was way down. So, here's to hoping the dinners will continue for many years to come so that funds can be raised for this great cause. For more information about Rainbow Omega, click here.

Me and Little Mickey - it's a little blurry, but still a good photo

Rainbow Omega Dinner 2011

Last night was the third annual Rainbow Omega benefit dinner, held once again at the Davidson Center at the Space and Rocket Center. As mentioned in yesterday’s post, there was no dinner held in Huntsville last year; so, this was the first event in town in two years time. As expected, it was a successful evening with lots of folks present. My count had 64 tables of eight people each, which is 512 people, a pretty good turnout. I don’t know what the number has been in the past, but I suspect this was Huntsville’s most successful turnout.

I wasn’t feeling very well last night, but went anyway because this is always a special night for Jackie’s family, which is also my family, and I love Little Mickey dearly so I like to go and show my support for him. Little M is a resident at Rainbow Omega, which you may remember from the past two benefit dinners (I wasn't blogging in 2008, but here is 2009). I somehow managed to not get a photo of me and Little M with my camera, but I think his dad, Uncle Mickey got one so perhaps he will send me a copy.

I got to the Davidson Center about 6:45 or so and found my peoples and we got settled in at our table. This year at our table was Jackie’s mom and stepdad, Ms. Kathy, me, Jackie, Jackie’s dad and Jackie’s half-sister Lindsey and Lindsey’s friend Katie. The dinner was quite good this year. As always, we started with a salad and the main course was a Rosemary chicken with some potatoes on the side; and not just any potatoes, there were purple potatoes too! I’ve seen these in the store but never bought them and they taste just like regular potatoes but certainly doesn’t look like them. Dessert was cheesecake and was really quite good. Of course, I’m on a sweets kick as of late, so that could have had something to do with it. Who knows?

After we ate, I started feeling even worse; you know how it is when you have a chest cold, it’s always worse at night. I seriously wanted to go home right then and there, but also didn’t want to be rude and leave. Plus, a lot of folks were really excited about the speaker, Andy Andrews. I personally had never heard of this Andy Andrews fella, and kind of wanted to see what he was all about. He has written some books and is also a motivational speaker so I was really prepared to be uplifted into going out and conquering the world; only it didn’t really work like that for me.

Andy (sure, we’re on a first name basis) was all over the place with his thoughts. I mean he would jump from one subject to the next without any warning and my foggy congested head had a hard time keeping up to the point that it was annoying to me to listen to him talk. I felt the same way about his speech that I do about movies like The Hangover, I just want you to get to the point already. Don’t get me wrong, he was funny at times and at other times had a good thing or two to say, but for the most part, I had a hard time following along and would have much preferred a speech with a better flow to it. I asked Jackie what she thought and she agreed that he was all over the place but she thought he was a good speaker; and I mean he did speak to both Alabama and the Barners before they each won the national championship. So, perhaps it was just me and my longing to be in the bed and the fact that I felt like there was a ton of bricks sitting on my chest and my attention span of a gnat (thank you prednisone) that made me dislike the speaker. That’s what I’m going with anyway.

Needless to say, after Andy’s one hour speech (yes, one hour; I still can’t believe I made it through the whole thing) I decided to leave. There was only one more thing on the program that night which was the plea for donations. So, I left my donation with Jackie and headed for the car. I got home at 9:36 and was in bed with the lights out and Vicks Vapo Rub on my chest and feet before the stroke of 10:00. The Tide must have known something was wrong with me because usually when I’m gone at night she will pounce on me or find something to rub in my face and generally be quite irritating (I still love her though!) but last night she was a perfect dog and just lay down beside me and went to sleep. Of course it could have been the loud wheezing that scared her into submission.

At any rate, despite feeling terrible, it still turned out to be a good night. Next Tuesday will be Little M’s birthday and we will be celebrating this Saturday night by chowing down on some Mexican food – can’t beat that! I’m sure it will be an event worthy of a post because there’s always something crazy that happens, like Little M’s brother Scott dropping the birthday cake, for example.

If you want to learn more about or make a donation to Rainbow Omega, check out their web site here. It really is a great cause.

Our table

Jackie and her dad - doesn't she look lovely folks?

The purple potato!

No photos of me from the night - one I had my eyes closed and the other I had crazy eyes. I also forgot to mention that Christa made corsages for all of us to support Little M. So, we were all matching with our lovely corsages. 

Rainbow Omega Dinner 2009

Last night Tony and I went to the 2nd Annual Rainbow Omega Benefit Dinner here in Huntsville. It was a really fun evening. Rainbow Omega is a home for developmentally disabled adults, and my friend (Jackie’s cousin) Little Mickey Payer lives there. The dinner is designed to raise money for Rainbow Omega so that they can continue with the work they do there. They have about 80 residents and it is truly a wonderful work. I encourage you to go to their web site and read more about all the wonderful work they do: http://www.rainbowomega.org/


Last night’s speaker was Dick Hoyt, the father of the father-son Team Hoyt. His son, Ricky, was born in 1962 and shortly after diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Through determination and effort, Ricky is now able to communicate through a computer and together Dick and Ricky compete in multiple marathons and triathlons all over the country. I cannot even begin to tell the story as it should be told, but you should definitely go to their web site and read their story – it is one of the most inspirational stories you will ever come across. http://www.teamhoyt.com/


The dinner was good. There was salad, of course; and the main dish was chicken florentine with pasta and vegetables. It was pretty good too. Although I tend to think that the chicken at these sort of events is always a bit rubbery. But, overall it wasn't bad. It was definitely better than some other dinners I've had. The dessert was either lemon cake or chocolate. We both went for the lemon. It was lighter and not as rich or sweet as the chocolate looked. It was a really fun night. Here are some pictures from the evening.

Tony and I at the dinner.

I think we look kind of scared here.

Here's one of me and Little Mickey.

I took this one of Lisa and Candy when they weren't looking.

It looks like they are having a laugh.

The salad and dessert.

The main course.

The reason I attend.

The guy playing the harp took this photo of me and Tony.

Do we look like we are on the moon?

Tony wanted a new twitter picture. So, I took this one, but he didn't like it.

I guess he'll have to look for another pose.

2009 MS Walk - A Success

This past Saturday was the MS Walk. My dad, Tony and I all participated. It started at 10:00 a.m. and there were a lot of folks there. So far, we have raised $170. You still have time to donate if you want to. Just click the donate button below. Here are some pictures from the event.

Here's my dad getting folks registered.






Here's my dad eating some breakfast.

Look who showed up - it's Tony - nice surprise!

Tony's getting registered.





It's me after the walk - looking not so great!




Here's my dad talking to one of our doctors - we've known him since he was an undergrad student.

The 2009 MS Walk

As many of you know, my mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1992. Since that time, she has gone from being able to walk, to walking with the help of a walker, to being confined to a wheelchair.

This Saturday, April 4, my father and I will participate in the MS Walk, which is hosted annually by the National MS Society. This will be our 15th year to participate and in that time, we have raised approximately $25,000.

I am asking for your help this year in reaching our goal of $5,000. All donations are tax deductible within IRS rules, and all the money raised goes directly to MS research. The National MS Society spends more money on MS research than any other MS organization in the world. Since its foundation in 1946, the Society has allocated more than $500 million to MS research.

The Alabama chapter of the National MS Society is dedicated to serving nearly 4,000 people in Alabama with MS. Funds raised though campaigns like the MS Walk allow the chapter to continue providing innovative and necessary support to people affected by multiple sclerosis.

Any amount you can contribute is greatly appreciated, and I’ve made it easy for you – all you have to do is click the donate button below and make your donation through PayPal.

Thanks in advance for your help in this effort.