By now I have made it crystal clear that I love singing. I meet every other Wednesday with my voice coach Lisa Blair-Hawkins.   This is all about building a solid foundation, but oh, what fun we have!

Lisa and I are close in age, and spend time before each session sharing the good, the bad and even the ugly things going on in each other lives.

As I am driving to her home I feel excited about showing her how I’ve used the time away from her to master the songs I’ve been given to practice and make my own. Trouble is, there are a slew of warm up exercises to work out before we get to the fun stuff!

As I am warming up, I am constantly asking myself, how many more is she going to run through? Is the the last one? Hurry up. Lisa’s a pro and I totally “get” why we do what we do before I sing.

Truly practice makes perfect. The singing is so much easier, and I even a small amout of practice can positively affect my performances. I am able to hit the high notes with a degree of ease that is so gratifying.

I know I am moving in the right direction.

God bless Lisa!

I want to help girls make smarter choices in their lives.   I know first hand that there is a lot of media out there pulling girls ages 8 – 12  in so many directions when it comes to school, body image, and social skills.

I am deeply moved by the actions being taken by Girls on the Run International. It is doing fantastic work building girls’  self-esteem.  This year I was invited to become a board member of the Triangle chapter of Girls on the run. Every single person on this board is on fire about getting girls ready for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living.

The biggest fundraiser for the organization is the annual 5k and Fun Run that is staged every Spring in Chapel Hill.  I get the biggest kick out of being a running buddy for one of the young participants.  The race organizers match adult volunteers with girls who are enrolled in the program through their schools.   Most of them have been “training” for weeks and show up sporting brand new shoes and they are ready to run!  Lots of the girls will run the entire course, but most of them stop and start.  They all finish though, and they all get gold medals.

It is said we make a living by what we get, but we make a LIFE by what we give.

I am thrilled to give my time to GOTRTRIANGLE!!!