Mardi Gras is here!

...and I'm celebrating on my site too! Y'all have fun down there in N' Awlins--ok? Laissez les bon temps roulez! (That's "Let the good times roll" for those who don't know...) My Mom is supposed to be bringing me a King Cake, but I haven't seen it yet. I can't eat it right now anyway with liquids being most of my diet at the moment. I could still have fun trying to find the baby in it....

Tonsils and Uvulas

How big is your uvula? That "punching bag" thing hanging in the entrance of our throat. Don't ever take it for granted--the way it protects your "windpipe" from food when you swallow, and how it covers your esophagus when you take a breath. Well, mine is a little different right now. It's gargantuan and causing me trouble.


I had my tonsils out this morning! OUCH! And although the real pain is to not come till day 3 or so, my biggest issue is my uvula. It is so swollen that I can only sleep on my tummy so that gravity will keep it off my trachea so that I can breathe. Oh, this is only the beginning of my 2 to 3 week recovery from this surgery. But I am going to be tough. I have been a strep carrier for quite some time. It even developed into scarlet fever twice the past couple of years. It was time to say goodbye to my tonsils where all that lives--deep down inside of them.

When the time came to choose an ENT surgeon, I didn't have to look far. My friend from Mission Makeover was my definitive choice. Dr. Ben Light is a board certified facial plastic surgeon as well as an ENT. FYI: A few years ago, before deciding to practice in Decatur, AL, Dr. Light was invited to practice at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, but he and his lovely wife Diana chose Decatur to live and raise their 4 children. That always impressed me. With every step along the way to my tonisillectomy today, Dr. Light has been the utmost in dignity and caring. I would so appreciate any prayers for a speedy recovery, and that my voice will not only return, but be even better than it was! I asked for the Celine Dion package-ha! Well, the speedy recovery would be enough. Be blessed!

Surreal Experience Today!

My Christian band Sister Grace got in the studio today to begin work on our first CD! The rhythm tracks were recorded by some of the finest musicians ever! We are so lucky and blessed to be in the same room with them, much more by having them add their genius to our songs...more words about it later. Here is a sneak "listen" to one of our songs, "Love Never Fails" written by our own Tina Swindell...

Our producer: Johnny Sandlin of Duck Tape Studios-from his site-johnnysandlin.com:

Johnny Sandlin found fame on the hard edge of Southern Rock as one of the men most responsible for the sound that came out of Macon, GA in the ‘70s. His music career began in the early sixties playing with other musicians who went on to leave their mark in music history including; Dan Penn, David Briggs, Norbert Putnam, Jerry Carrigan, Roger Hawkins, Eddie Hinton, and fellow “Hour Glass’’ band members, Paul Hornsby, Pete Carr and Gregg and Duane Allman. He has produced 5 platinum records as well as 10 gold. We're thrilled to be working with such an icon in the music industry!

Great Weekend Memories

A huge part of my memories from the great experiences I get to have in my life is music. This weekend was no exception. I had been enjoying my Taylor Hicks CD and knew that my friend Marcia had been as well since we were both fanatic this summer at the American Idol concert in Birmingham.

So, I was mainly sharing it with Claire until we picked Marcia up in Birmingham on the way down to the coast. When Claire arrived from MN, she shared wih me an awesome young lady singer whom I'm really excited about. When Marcia got in the car, she confirmed, Yes! on Taylor's music but said, "You've got to check out Corrine Bailey Rae!" That's the same girl that Claire was buzzing about too! So, yes! These are 2 great CDs that were a part of our weekend on those long rides coming and going. Check 'em out!



We got in from our fabulous Girls Getaway Weekend at Rosemary Beach last night, and man, what a great time. I'm tired, but reeling from all the excitement of having met so many awesome ladies and being with close friends, enriching those relationships. How thankful I am--we are. Claire feels the same way! (She is flying back up to cold Minnesota in few minutes). You can see the videos below of some of our weekend. Claire will be updating her blog soon to include our Saturday night that was so full of great times, great friends, great dancing!!

Atlanta Ladies Photo Shoot at Rosemary Beach!

Talk about Good Times--these ladies were having it!! No sun, but lots of FUN!! They really got down, got funky and got loose! See for yourself! CLICK!

The Workshop!

Claire and I taught our workshop at Rosemary Beach today! This place is utterly beautiful and the ladies in our class were equally so. They were from Birmingham, Atlanta, Baton Rouge, Memphis, St. Paul, Minnesota and Anniston...Kim Jameson and Kathy Kemp have done a beautiful job putting together one fabulous weekend, and it's really just getting started. We had a meet and greet tonight in the Town Hall where there were awesome vendors of "women's interests" including our art and our "entertainment painting"--Claire painted a live portrait and I painted my signature subject, a house portrait. That was great meeting new faces from all over the U.S. This is an event I will look forward to for years to come. Tomorrow we will get to relax some--have a shoot on the beach, shop and visit some galleries! Enjoy the video of the workshop!

We Made It!! And...Sa-weet!

Oh my goodness--our 6.5 hour trip to Rosemary Beach turned into about 9 hours! How could that happen. Say "mapquest" and poor directions from a police officer in Opp, Alabama. Geez...Anyway, Claire, Marcia and I had a wonderful time meeting up in Birmingham and piling into one car and talking and laughing all the way down. Maybe that's why we missed some turns...Anyway, WHAT a surprise awaited us when we finally arrived tonight at 10pm! Well, Eileen flew in from Minnesota and beat us to the gorgeous beach house that awaited us. It is truly a work of architectural art! How blessed we are to spend a girls getaway weekend in this most lovely home! See the video tour and hold on to your bottom jaw!