Copacabana (At the Copa) 🎶

In 2004, as a very young new executive at Maricopa Medical Center, I convinced my CEO and the VP of the Foundation to create a charity black tie event to fund the womens and children's unit at the County Hospital.

Behind his smirk, he said "good luck, go for it.  And I'll make you the co-chair"

Not knowing what I didn't know I convinced the Foundation to call it the CopBall and embraced the daunting task that proved to be one of the greatest challenges in my career to that date.  I engaged every friend and family member to volunteer (hence my sister Tami who dressed as Lola the showgirl and Kim Miers to be responsible for the silent auction).  My co-chair convinced Governor Janet Napolitano to be the honorary chair. 

Our goal was to get $100,000 in donations.  While that sounds easy, man did I hustle to get vendors to donate, sell tables and brought my family to attend.

At the silent auction this artwork was donated.  I sat looking at it for days before when it was stored at my house. My dad kept saying how much the baby looked like MJM when she was small.

At the auction he got into a bidding war and finally won the opportunity to buy it for $1200.  That was more money than I could even fathom at that time in my life.  This, and other items my friends bid on pushed our total to $115,000 in donations. (Side note, this ball continued until Covid-19, profiting over a million dollars on the last one held).

After dad acquired the artwork, he turned his generosity and gifted it to me.  My first real artwork has followed me and has had a prominent place in my home ever since.

In California it is immediately to the right when you walk in the front door.  I walk past it several times a day . Sometimes blind to it, sometimes reflective of its meaning.

Today I walked by and felt like I saw a ghost.  While this was a resemblance of MJD, dad and I knew that.  Today I saw what it is.  It is the face of ABCD.  The miracle kid picked out by his ancestors who has been staring at me for years.

I love growing up and seeing the circle of life.

(And MJD I hear-by bequeath this to you when I'm gone)

Small Town

Open hearts, open doors 

A village that raised me 

A mom that gave me love

A dad that showed me possibilities

Gossip, Judgement, Tradition 

I couldn't wait to get away 

Homemaker, values, hard work

If I had stayed, who would I be?

The spirit I found on the mountain 

The bicycle that gave me freedom 

Places to hide, a stage to play on 

Yet craving a plane ride because a hallmark town can be lonely 

I was only there for 17 birthdays 

The town that formed my life's pilgrimage 

A world traveled adult now, with the pull of a childhood memory 

What remains in me is the faith of the community 

Jane's House

Yesterday CEM sent me a text about cucumbers that was blog worthy.  I laughed and told a coworker who looked at me with the "hmmm okay look"

A couple hours later I went to a yoga studio as planned by Mairee. I made a comment about Jane as a nickname and she had no clue.  Trying to explain something that is almost two decades old that is so apart of your past and influential still in daily thought (yes CEM I realize the irony, I should post more)

Going to class and setting intention in a very interesting mindset - one where I am thankful for my health and body, where I want to get connected to my family and those that need extra love right now.  The intention was peace and healing.  Being true to one's self.

I wasn't the thinnest in the class, I wasn't the fattest.  I was far from the best but I wasn't the worst.  I found my own peace on the mat and instead of judging my legs where the skin is sagging I celebrated the strength.  Instead of being revolted by the scar on my right shin, I was thankful for the hiking memory of saving my nieces life.  I couldn't do the half moon but I could easily do the upright pigeon 

The session ended with the following words read by the instructor ; much of my confusion and sadness came from being disconnected from myself. the greatest journey i have taken so far is the one where i ended the alienation between me and all that i am, the one where i connected my light and my darkness, where i united what i wanted to know with what i did not want to face. only through this union and truthfulness did i begin to feel at home within my own being.

Kim is 50

HCBC started when I had children.  I blogged great when I was raising the kids because it was part of the routine. Empty nesting was not good for Jane Says. 

On the flip side Kim1Champ and WonderWatson lost the routine when Sydney's mom and Avery's mom began to evolve. And those blogs lost posts and traffic.

So, with a few bleak, non documented years behind HCBC.  The founders had a reunion of sorts with her collection for KTs milestone birthday. 

Age has treated us all well. We can't say the same for Teri.

Shout out to all the other Hot Chicks! 

ANTM 2024

The top ten pics sent to me the last week of 2023 and first week of 2024

The 2023 post to prevent an RIP situation

Little Jane's year ending 2023 

Rams vs Raiders

#ramhouse

FOOTBALL - the grandkid version

FOOTBALL

And the season begins......

#LaurainLA

I spent the weekend binge watching Emily In Paris.

Love her photos, love her captions, not sure I love the fashion......

But in a pure #emilyinparis context - here's #laurainla as seen at Burbank airport today 

Bag it.......

(Burnt bleached hair, cheap shoes and shirt and skin cancer on shoulder) But the best lashes and bags you can imagine. 

This happened - Rams.....

5 weeks in CA.  Cheering for the hometown team.  Damn that the Cardinals won the opening game. It's a new season in a new zip code 

2019 called

And says you may never wear your heels again 

When you really love someone 🎶

Yesterday, this child spit up in my mouth, vomited twice down my shirt and when I went to pick her up she was laying in an exploded diaper that wound up under my finger nails.

But damnit isn't she cute ? 

See a penny pick it up

I wore glasses from 1976-2015. My mom always told me I was beautiful, even amongst the children who would taunt me about being"four eyes"

After I had eye surgery to implant lens in 2015, I started getting comments from friends and foes about how beautiful my face was and why did I cover it all those years (like I had a choice).

I guess after 5 years my mom forgot what I looked like in glasses.  

Yesterday at her house there were two pennies waiting to be picked up for luck in her driveway.  She took one I took the other.  I was trying to read the date on her American penny, and couldn't find the date on my Canadian one.  I asked Tarzan for his readers.

Mom, "I want a picture of that - you look old".

I guess I'm a beautiful old person. 🥰

Creative genius alert

In my next life I want to name make up pallets.  

Couple starters:

Beauty and brains 

Glow it all 

Splendid red 

222 

Ambition