Last minute prep and fun.......

Mrs. Southern States International 2013, yours truly, having fun with Joey, Terri and Clay before heading to Chicago this weekend.  This gown says it all!

 

 

 

Many people ask me "Why did you decide to compete in pageants?" Here is my why.

In 2009, my family doctor ordered a series of tests on my heart and lungs.  I was experiencing shortness of breath and fatigue with even slight exertion during daily physical activities.  The tests revealed I had a slight thickening of a muscle in the lower right chamber of my heart, as well as some build up of fluid around my heart.  I was prescribed four medicines and advised to change my diet and exercise more.  Over the next five years, I began to eat healthier and exercise some.  In 2011, I had more tests on my heart, received a good report and was allowed to stop taking the heart medications.  However, fluid retention remained a problem because I was still not physically fit.  Congestive heart failure runs in my family.  My Daddy and brother battle the disease every day.  I knew, in order to get healthy and stay healthy, I had to dedicate myself to a wellness plan which included eating healthy and staying active.  Volunteering my time as a Certified Personal Crisis Life Coach for Hearts of Love International is the most important activity in my life, outside my responsibilities to my family.  Being a life coach requires mental and emotional, rather than physical exercise.  Desiring to add a dimension to my life that would encourage me to get fit but still allow me to promote Hearts of Love, I entered to compete in a Mrs. International preliminary pageant.  Mrs. International is a volunteer and community service centered pageant and also encourages health and fitness.  The American Heart Association's Go Red for Women program is Mrs. International's national platform.  Through Go Red for Women, not only have I discovered heart healthy choices for me, I share my story with countless women who struggle as I have.  The national pageant will be next month in Chicago where I will be representing the region I live and volunteer in as Mrs. Southern States International 2013.  Having dedicated myself to becoming healthier and to sharing Hearts of Love International's hope for healing message with the largest audience possible, my desire is to be an example for positive and healthy change.  See you in Chicago!


Here are a few people who are inspiring me along my journey:


My husband, Billy, stands beside me in life as well as on the stage.

Our three daughters are always an inspiration through my life as well as pageant journey.



  

Hannah Raelyn

 

 

  

 

Melanie Ann

 

 

 

 

 

Lesley Anne

 

Mrs. Southern States International 2013 goes international!

Last month, I traveled extensively along the eastern coast of Canada.  While visiting various locations, I took the opportunity to represent the International Pageants and Hearts of Love International.  Here are a few pictures of my appearances.

 

A delicious lobster roll is a must at this popular seaside restaurant in Portland, Maine.

 

 

 

 

Sydney, Nova Scotia and the Scottsman.  The bagpipes are his specialty.

 



These guys really had me going in Halifax, Nova Scotia

My cousin, friend and sometimes photographer, Angie Hewitt.

Life Coach Tip: The power of incorrect thinking...

As a life coach, I talk with many individuals struggling to move on from an event in their life that is holding them "hostage" emotionally.  As I listen to clients tell me how they feel about themselves and why they are emotionally scarred, many times a common truth comes to light.  What is this truth?  When a person is thinking the future holds no purpose for them, it may be because they truly believe something that is not true.  In other words, they are believing a lie about their future.  It may sound like an easy situation to solve but far from it.  Prolonged emotional trauma can lead to depression, and once a person has reached this threshold, it can take a while to return to a place where the individual is no longer controlled by incorrect thinking.  Just as depression does not come upon a person quickly, neither does curing depression happen speedily.  Depending on the depth of the emotional trauma, a person may benefit from seeing a professional life coach once a week or so.  However, in the more serious cases, clients often need daily life coaching and nurturing.  Hearts of Love International's Retreat Centers offer day long programs as well as extended stay programs, whichever best suits clients' needs.  www.heartsofloveinternational.org 

Mrs. Southern States International 2013 sings with the Texarkana Regional Chorale.

Singing with the Texarkana Regional Chorale is one of my favorite community activities.  The chorale performs benefit concerts throughout the year and features some of best vocalists in the Texarkana area.  Marc-Andre Bougie is our director, and his talent and expertise are a blessing to all who work with him.  Here are pictures from the  Black History Month Concert, our most popular concert of the season.  Pictured are Marc-Andre Bougie, conductor and director, Candice Taylor, soloist and the Texarkana Regional Chorale and the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra.

New Retreat Locations

Our new retreat center, River Rest, has opened near Birmingham, Alabama.  This beautiful facility is the perfect place to serve anyone struggling to move past an emotionally stressful life event.  We also have a lovely retreat center in Kaufman, Texas just outside of Dallas.  San Diego, California will be home to Hearts of Love International's newest retreat center, opening soon.

Life Coach Tip: "Control your thoughts. Reign them in."

These words were spoken many years ago by a famous minister.  It has been about ten years since I first heard the words spoken.  Now, having learned the truth, that we can have control of our thoughts, I regret I did not know I could control what thoughts or ideas occupy my mind until a few years ago.  Because I have purposed in my heart not to live in a state of regret, I am thankful I now have the information and tools to maintain healthy and positive thought processes.

As a personal crisis life coach, controlling negative thoughts is one of the first areas I address with a client.  To show how simple it is to stop sad, ugly or negative thinking is as easy as singing a song.  That's right!!!  Do you know the mind cannot repeat the words of a song, or other memorized words, while thinking about something else?  Try this exercise.  When your mind drifts to unpleasant ideas, immediately start singing a song you love, either out loud or silently.  Sing all day if you must, but keep those negative thoughts at bay.  Read something, recite something you memorized in the past, turn on music and sing along.  Even if you are sitting at a desk at work and are not allow to have music playing, then sing silently.  Learning to banish negative thinking is a process.  The more you do it, the easier it will become.

If you are having problems with worry or unpleasant thoughts, I hope you will give this exercise a try.  It absolutely works, and you will enjoy days free of negative thinking.

Next time, I will blog about challenging incorrect thinking, things we hear over and over again that we believe are true but certainly are not.