Awesome Inspiration

I love that feeling when you experience something that makes you take a deep breath and you inhale all the goodness that your soul had been needing.  I have that experience fairly often (which I'm inclined to believe makes me lucky - I'm being present in my own life). 

Sometimes, I'll hear a song and I'll stop and really listen to the lyrics.  Occasionally, I come away feeling as though that song was written just for me.  Other times, I'll try a new food and I'll discover a deep joy from trying (and loving) something I'd never tried before.  Most times, though, I will come across inspiration in the written word. 

This bit of awesome inspiration comes in the written form - it's something that one of my awesome facebook friends posted that moved her.  (Seriously, you should go check out her website - it's amazing and she is an insane talent - check out her work and you'll see what I mean).

I present to you, important tips for life:



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Until next time,

Holy Hotness, Batman! I Am Officially Excited...

...that one of my favorite shows premieres tonight!!!!!

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I've written about this show...ummm, quite a few times...and I always get SOOOO excited when it comes on, and for those of you who watch it - I don't know about you but I'm curious to see how the shake-up in the format is going to play out!

I love the fact that SYTYCD comes on right after Dancing With the Stars and American Idol finish up their seasons, and it leaves me without a gap of reality television greatness!

For all you SYTYCDancers out there, I'll follow up with my thoughts on the premiere soon!

Until next time,
Miss Chicken Wing

PART TWO "From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life." - Arthur Ashe

Okay, so we left off that I was signing on to do something crazy.....and something that was totally worth the lack of sleep, sunburn, and sore muscles.

The Blitz Build was incredible, and we were all coming together to help Jacob Hearn, a little boy with a heart of gold. Here is an excerpt from a local newspaper that summed up the situation and the reason for this blitz build opportunity.

"Jacob had been diagnosed with a rare neuron-migration disorder known as schizencephaly and is confined to a wheelchair. To accommodate Jacob’s needs, Habitat had architectural plans to include wheelchair access and other features that the Farmville affiliate had not incorporated into previous homes. Extra features meant extra expense and finding more funding was not a simple task.Farmville Area Habitat for Humanity (FAHFH) contacted Piedmont Regional Disability Services for assistance and the organization recommended the affiliate for a grant through the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services. The grant, $15,000, through the reimbursement fund, was the right amount necessary to start planning for Jacob’s house.It was stupendous news. Unfortunately, there was a catch. In order for FAHFH to receive these funds, the house had to be completed by May 1, 2009. The impact of a stalled economy on local businesses and contributors had slowed the progress on homes Habitat already had under construction. That meant Habitat had less than two months to build a house for the Hearn family- a house that had not even been started. How could the affiliate possibly gather the manpower needed to accomplish such a feat in a small amount of time? Enter the Habitat Road Trip Crazies!" Source: TSM Newspaper 3/27/2009

So, basically, the Hearn family had the money to make this home right for Jacob, but they had to complete the home in a MAJOR hurry. Tom and his crew (including me) answered the call. Basically, it's hard to describe what goes on in these types of situations, but here are a few keywords that I find helpful: new friendships, lots of hard work, elbow grease, sweat, sunscreen (at least on day two), trying things you've never tried before, courage, determination, love, and that feeling you get when you truly are helping someone - you know, that feeling that you can only get by helping someone else. It's contagious..and thank God for that.

For those of you who are like me, and are visual specimens, here are some pictures from the build. Take a look and you'll see what I mean. Keep in mind that there were actually TWO families touched by the Habitat Roadtrip Crazies that weekend...the second home was already under construction, and the Crazies helped move it right along. (Let's play the new version of Where's Waldo...it's called Where's Chicken Wing. If you look, you'll see a girl in a green T-Shirt with blonde hair pulled back....that would be the Chicken Wing!)

STEP ONE: CONSTRUCT THE WALLS.

STEP TWO: PUT CONSTRUCTED WALLS UP (MAKES FOR GOOD ROOF SUPPORT).

STEP THREE: SIDING = A GOOD THING.

STEP FOUR: TWO DAYS LATER...WELCOME HOME HEARN FAMILY!

STEP FIVE: MAKE LIFELONG FRIENDSHIPS AND BECOME A PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER THAN YOU.

STEP SIX: HANG OUT WITH THE REASON FOR THE BUILD, THE SMILE THAT ACCOMPANIED THE BUILD AT ALL TIMES, AND THE LITTLE MAN THAT CAUSES YOU TO STEP BACK AND REALLY "GET IT." WE LOVE YOU, JACOB!!!

So, I guess I ought to send a big THANK YOU out to Tom Gerdy and the rest of the Crazies. The fire you've started in me is exactly what I was looking for. When I started this journey, I was looking to help people. In helping people, I fed my soul, and ultimately, it helped me. Life's crazy that way....it all comes full circle, one way or another.

I hope that each of you find something that sets your heart on fire. The feeling is indescribable, unforgettable, and well worth whatever it takes to make it happen. I am now armed with the proper materials (ones that a true Crazy should have)...a fuschia toolbelt and a pink hammer. Don't worry, there will be pictures at some point of that! :)

Good luck finding what you're passionate about!

Yours,

Chicken Wing

PART ONE "From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life." - Arthur Ashe

The title of this post is a quote that has recently become near and dear to my heart. As I mentioned in my profile, I'm on a journey to figure out who and what I want to be. One of the facets of this journey is discovering things that you are passionate about and that light a fire in you.

Some call these things crafts. Some call them hobbies. Some call them "things that fill downtime." I call them "things you really love."

I have been on the hunt for things that I can do that I really love...what am I passionate about? I gave scrapbooking a whirl for a little while. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't something that I was dying to do when 5:30 rolled around. I've been known to attempt crafts...I would love to become a big DIY'er (a Do-It-Yourself'er) someday, so that will be a "passion-in-progress."

Someone who has helped me on this journey to discover my passions is a man named Tom Gerdy. As you know, I don't typically drop real life names in this blog for security/anonymity purposes, but I think the world should know about this man - because he gets it..he gets what life is all about.

Tom is a general contractor by trade, but an inspiration after hours. Now, he wouldn't tell you that, but it's true. He gives of his time, his skill, and even monetarily to people and organizations that need him. He was even honored with a 'Man of the Year' award from the Children's Miracle Network. Yeah, like I said, he's awesome! :)

Anyways, I met Tom through a work project, in which we had him lead in a home-improvement project. It was a major project on a major time-crunch deadline, and you know how this guy inspired me? He taught me how to help in a field completely and utterly out of my comfort zone and never made me feel like I was a waste of his time, or in the way of his progress.

Along with Tom were his band of brothers, including Chuck and Larry...two others who had the same philosophy - teach them what to do and put them to work. The three of them, as well as many others from so many states in the USA, are part of a group called the Habitat Roadtrip Crazies, and they go all over the country helping Habitat For Humanity chapters that really need the help finishing homes. Many times, they help in what are known as "blitz builds," which are home constructions that happen over a weekend. Sometimes, they have enough volunteers to complete multiple homes in ONE WEEKEND. It really is a beautiful thing, and if you ever get the chance to check one out, or better yet HELP, do it. It'll change your life.

When Tom invited me to take part in a blitz build that they were doing in a town near my hometown, I said, "why not, let's do it!"

Sure, I was signing up to work my "real" job all week long (40 hours), and then report for duty Saturday morning at 8:30am, work until after 6pm, go to dinner, go home, go to sleep, wake up and report for duty Sunday morning at 8:30am and work until it was done - okay, in a nutshell, this would be my first 7-day work week in a long while. Crazy, right?

If you think that's crazy, stay tuned for Part Two.
Chicken Wing