May
2012

Whirling Dervish

categories: accident, friends, happy

It’s been an interesting few weeks. I feel like some bullets:

  • My super sleuth neighbor found the man who hit me and left. My insurance has left him a few messages, with no luck. I am now filing a Hit and Run report with the police department. (Who knew it was a completely different entity and you have to file separately from the actual accident report?) I am hoping he will respond to either the police or someone soon so I can get my car fixed. If not, I will pay for it myself (deductible, rental car, etc.), but it’s a bit frustrating. I gave all of his info to the reporting officer last week to add to the report. I am going to try to pick up a finalized report this week to send to my insurance company since it seems they have not gotten it yet. Thank you for the encouraging words and hanging out for the crazy journey.
  • I wasn’t able to go to Montgomery this past weekend as planned because I wasn’t confident in my car or the gas tank. It seems to be ticking down miles a lot faster than it used to. Could be paranoia on my part, who knows.
  • My brother had hip surgery this week. I’m not positive on the details, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t replacement surgery – just something to alleviate the pain that he’s been having. All went well and he’s in recovery in the hospital for the next few days. Thank you all for your prayers and good thoughts.

Now for the rest of the fun.

I am excited to be doing a bit of moving and shaking in my own little part of the universe. I went to a wonderful GNO at The Melting Pot here in Birmingham last night and enjoyed watching friends from different circles get to know each other. It was myself, Lee, Billie, Rachel and Cheryl. The evening was full of fabulous food (only once a year!), wonderful conversation and amazing ladies. It was neat to watch the different ladies find things in common among our age and background differences. I would venture to say some great new friendships were formed last night. I love when my online world collides with my real world. There were a few tweeps missing that would have added even more, but I’m hoping they can come next time. I need to plan that once a month around town and see these ladies more often!

I’m equally excited about a fun little meet up we’re having in a few weeks. I saw this Dance Walk video a little bit ago online and decided to share it with my Twitter followers and FB friends. It proved especially fun for those who were having a rough day like my tweep Jennifer. She got just as excited about it as I did and mentioned how fun it would be. That’s all it took – one equally excited person, a few tweets and people were excited for the #BHAM #DANCEWALKTWEETUP. We’re meeting at Railroad Park in downtown Birmingham on June 2nd at 3 p.m. to Dance Walk around the park. We’re piggy backing off the Birmingham Kitchen Table picnic in the park that day, so we’re hoping for a fun, great turnout. I’m still working on sound and trying to get the Dance Walk Master Guru to come down from NY, but it will be fun no matter what. We hope to see you there – you can RSVP here: www.facebook.com/events/304200246330605.

A few other highlights – my friend Stephen Vinson hit a HUGE milestone last week by hitting the 300 lbs LOST mark! I cannot believe how far he has come and how many people he inspires everyday..and his impact is just growing. He has steadily been gaining friends and fans since he started the journey and they even did a TV special on him on our local NBC station. He’s also having a celebratory dinner to mark the occasion – details and RSVP are here. Congrats, my friend! You continue to amaze and impress me everyday with your commitment, dedication and attitude.

I am still “up in the gym working on my fitness.” We recently got re-measured to see how far we’ve come in the first month of personal training. I was floored to find that I had lost 6 inches total over my body during this month! I couldn’t believe it. I posted it on my FB page and was instantly overwhelmed with wonderful comments and “likes.” I believe it’s my first post to receive that many “likes.” I am humbled by the outpouring of support and love that people are sharing. I am going to keep it up and hope to increase to 3 days with G57 Fitness and Training soon.

Another highlight of the past few weeks was getting to try Little Donkey for the first time. It was as delicious as everyone said and our table made a friend in one of the owners/chefs/managers after our meal. He treated us to a complimentary cocktail and dessert (popsicles). These divine treats are a MUST if you have room after your meal.

The rest of my world is pretty good. There are still some things I’m struggling with internally, but know clarity will come the time is right. I’m working on myself and that’s all I can do at the moment. I am hoping things work out the way I’d like, but know they will work out the way they should no matter what.

Also of importance: I have decided I’d like to be a whirling dervish when I grow up. Do you think it pays?

Signing off for now, but remember….

Love yourself.
Find peace inside.
Share happiness.


May
2012

Thank you and need your thoughts

categories: accident

I want to take a moment to thank all of you who shared my story online via Facebook and Twitter to help me find the guy who hit me. Thanks to Kenn McCracken, Daniel Walters, Ann Brasher, Wade Kwon, Allison Graves Cheatwood, Nancy Porter, Monk, Carrie Hill, Will Nevin, Donnie Garvich, Cynthia Miller, Billie Dupree, Amber Roberson, Victor Brown, Terra Thornton, David Willingham, Curtis Faulk, Phyllis Neill, Paul, SoundCheckMama, and Elaine Tindill-Rohr. I won’t call the guy who hit me a jerk, because the card he gave me WAS his business card – with a company name, his name and number on it. He doesn’t answer that phone and there is no voice mail set up, but it was a start and that is how we found him. Through all of this I am grateful he did at least do that and also that no one was seriously injured. I truly believe he would have stayed to exchange insurance information with me had he not seen me grab my cell phone to call the police. For whatever reason, that spooked him. That being said, it’s still my word against his and I fear that it may turn into a legal battle as he isn’t returning my insurance company’s calls. I am looking into obtaining a lawyer just in case this gets ugly, which I hope it does not. I simply want to recoup what I have lost and not pay out-of-pocket myself any more than I already have.

Since it is my word against his (even though our vehicles fit together perfectly in a mangled mess), I am looking for the man who went after him that day. I’m not sure how to go about finding him. I’m going to check with the police department to see if anyone reported it that day to 911 or something. I’m also going to put an ad on Craigslist. I’m not sure where else I should try besides (again) paying out-of-pocket to put an ad on AL.com and the Birmingham News. What are your thoughts on that? All suggestions are welcome.

I am currently trying to contact the police department to add an amendment to my accident report since I now know that I transposed 2 of the numbers on the tag and also have all of his info. We shall see what happens.

Thank you so much for the many calls, texts, Facebook messages, tweets, and visits to check on me. I am OK and I will be OK, but I this has (of course) turned into a huge headache. Still, as I keep telling myself, it could be MUCH worse and there are others with much bigger problems out there – that keeps me in check.

Love yourself.
Find peace inside.
Share happiness.


May
2012

Found him!

categories: accident

Thanks to all of your sharing and sleuthing, the guy who hit me has been found. He doesn’t know it yet, but he has. I have pictures of his truck, an address and telephone number to hand over to the police. Thank you to everyone who shared the story to get it out there. I’m amazed and humbled at the outpouring of support.


May
2012

Please help me find the man who hit me

categories: accident

I was hit by a guy in a black truck last night. He left the scene so now i’m trying to find him. He was in a small black truck that wasn’t new. He was a slender middle age white male with what looked like a Boston terrier dog. His truck’s front fender is in a nice “V” now and I *thought* his AL striped tag was 709A11Z. The officer said that didn’t pull up anything so I must have mixed up a number or two at the end. Here is what I posted on my FB and if you have any suggestions on how to find him or find the witness who chased him, I would be so grateful.

“Thank you to everyone for the emails, calls, texts and tweets. I am ok. Still tired and a bit sore but pretty sure I’m ok. Will still keep an eye on things and go get checked out if I need to. I was stopped at a red light and he tried to stop. I heard screeching tires, looked in my rear view and saw him coming. I braced for impact and he hit me. We got out and he said he was sorry. I asked if he had insurance and he said yes. He went back to his little black truck to get it and I grabbed my phone. He handed me a business card and saw me with my phone and got back in his truck and cranked it up. I asked him what he was doing and he said he was leaving. He took off and I *thought* I got his tag # but must have been off a number or two b/c the cop said it didn’t pull anything up. 🙁 A guy pulled up right after he left and asked if he had hit me and I said yes and he took off after him. I also got in my car, but lost them while calling 911. I don’t know who the witness was or if he got him or not. I don’t know how to get in touch with him or who to call to see if he reported it. It’s an older (not new) little black truck like an S10 or something. I didn’t get the make and model (stupid me). His front end is smashed in and I KNOW the tag was a striped AL tag that started with 709. The business card he handed me was for an Alan Pickard with a 205 # for remodeling and repair business (home grown). I can’t say for sure if he had been drinking but he looked either drunk or high IMHO. Slender middle age white male with a terrier dog that jumped out of the truck when he got out. I’m going to post what I know online and see if anyone saw anything, including pics of the car. It happened at 6:30 last night on University and 26th St South (which is just the on ramp to 280 East). I’m still mad and shaken up, but will be ok. Thank you for the love.”


May
2012

What a week!

categories: reinvention

It’s been quite a whirlwind adventure since I decided on reinvention. I reached out to some friends and got some wonderful advice on the path to adding more to my life. I’m slowly, but surely, working on those items and have gained more experience already doing more things I love. I also signed up for some webinars and classes that may help me along my journey. The first one has already inspired me enough to spread the lessons I took from it to a few close friends who are also looking for “something more” in their adventures. Don’t get me wrong – we’re all happy on our journeys, but each of us knows there is something more for us to be doing, helping, saying. My first “lesson” was a conference call led by Jennifer Bailey of Grace Street Group. I happened upon her through an article she wrote for Tiny Buddha, my newest favorite obsession. The call was amazing and I am now on my way to living a more intentional life. I highly recommend attending one of the calls to take your own thoughts from what she has to say. I can’t wait to delve deeper in to her site, offerings and words.

Jennifer gave me permission to share my notes and what I took from the call with you all since a few have asked. She poses some very good questions that we should ask ourselves often, if not daily. We should all be working toward living an intentionally-designed life, whatever that design is for you. These are very rough notes, mostly bullet points that I made myself to emphasize what I need to ask myself. If you have more questions about them or would like more information, you may contact Jennifer at gracestreetgroup.com/contact.

An Intentional Living means LIVING ON PURPOSE
Not on auto pilot

Most of us are too consumed with the business of life – bills, errands, carpool, etc. = auto pilot

Deathbed Regrets

  1. “Wish I had lived a life truer to me and not what was expected of me.” (Are you living your life? Not based on what others expect of you or from 5 or 10 years ago….based on NOW?)
  2. “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.” (What would change if you were living your best life?)
  3. “I wish I had the courage to express my feelings.”
  4. “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.” (When you think about what matters most to you, what needs to change in the coming months with those relationships?)
  5. “I wish I had let myself be happier.”

 Don’t get to the end of your life and just have lived the length of it – live the WIDTH as well.

 What regrets do you have? Those are the answers for taking action.

Become an active participant and designer of your own life. Are you watching the action from the sidelines? Is life happening TO you, UPON you?

 Some obstacles people mention:

  •  “I’m unhappy” or “Something is missing…I know what I don’t want, not what I do want.” (FIGURE IT OUT – Stop thinking about what you don’t want and think about what you do want.)
  • “I don’t have the time or money.” (Focus on what IS possible rather than what isn’t.)
  • “I’m too old or it’s too late.” (It’s NEVER TOO LATE to pursue your best life…around what matters most to you.)

Tolerations are things you’re putting up with that cause friction, take up space in your mind, and drain energy. They create a wall between you and your intentional self. Most people tolerate between 500-1000 things everyday. Minimize the tolerations.

Single greatest change I can make immediately: STOP WAITING FOR SOMEDAY!

Decide to be extraordinary – do what you need to do NOW.

  • Set goals
  • Manage goals

Those are the notes I took from her call and they immediately made me question all of my decisions and the path I was on – not in a bad way, but in a very positive way. I look forward to hearing your take on those notes and how you might use them to help you.

Getting back to the beginning….I am not sure how I happened upon Tiny Buddha, but I can’t get enough. Now I subscribe to their daily email and anxiously await the day’s thoughts and inspirations. I’ve quoted and retweeted them quite a bit since discovering the site and, in turn, others have been turned on to the hopeful words. I love our “little” internet community. 🙂

On the fitness front, things are going well. I had to reschedule a few workouts, but DID reschedule them – did not skip them. Granted – my G57 Fitness & Training guru – won’t let me, but that’s a good thing. 😉 I did need to take a scheduled day off this week to just recharge and recoup. I had a bit of a rough day and needed to go home and veg out. I’m not proud of skipping my workout, but I also knew it was what I needed to do for me that day. Back on schedule today and I’m going to kick some booty. During Monday’s workout, I set a new PR for a specific work out circuit we do even with some added exercises. I nearly burst into tears from disbelief and happiness. I’m excited to continue the success.

Last week was a great week for Birmingham. The weather is warming up and people are venturing outside more each day. A nice kick-off was the Earth Day celebration held a few weeks ago at our beautiful Railroad Park – it had something for everybody. Crestwood Festival and the Magic City Art Connection soon followed and the weather couldn’t have been better for either. Sprinkled in with those fun events was amazing local theatre, comedy and music. I saw Iron & Wine at the Alabama Theatre on April 26th and he blew me away. Last week a new local grocer opened their first brick-and-mortar store not far from where I live. Freshfully has been an online resource for locally grown fruits, vegetables and the like for over a year. I was very happy to volunteer to help out during the opening of the store in Avondale and that had a great turnout. I went 3 times! I can’t get enough of their meats, vegetables, snacks and cheeses. Last week, I also had a lovely GNO with some good friends that turned into a pretty late night of chatting, exploring, and supporting each other. And to top the week off, I finally had the opportunity to once again patronize a favorite music series – Moonlight on the Mountain. It’s a beautifully intimate venue in Hoover presenting primarily folk, Americana, roots, country and bluegrass artists. I saw an artist that I’ve been following for years – Pierce Pettis – after hearing him at a house concert in the late 1990’s. He is now touring with his daughter, Grace, whose voice is just as remarkable. It was such a treat to see him again after many years of missing his show. I plan to make MOTM a permanent stop on my concert listening sprees. I am going again this weekend to see one of my favorites – Dan Navarro. I’ve seen Dan in many places around the country, but never at home so this will be a very special show.

This weekend proves to be fast, fun and full of activity. Tonight is my workout and then possibly stopping by our new musical festival, Secret Stages. Tomorrow, I will be attending IronTribe’s Tribal Wars, the first annual Birmingham International Street Fair, Love Your Mama Fest and music jam in Forest Park, our first local Food Truck Throwdown, attending the Dan Navarro show and going to a doggy birthday porch party. Sunday will be visiting with a friend who recently had surgery and toodling around.

On a more serious note, I’ve had a very intense week. I’ve been very introspective, conflicted and struggling with a few things. I am still battling them, but hope to find peace and clarity within myself and for those involved soon. It’s been a lot more painful than I thought it would be. I’m still struggling……

Have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you on the flip side.

Love yourself.
Find peace inside.
Share happiness.