Does anyone have the address of Summer? I need to send it a "Thank You" card.
For the first time in my life, I don't want summer to end. I have intensely disliked summer my whole life, but this summer has been different. Everything changed this summer. I will never forget my old boss, Vic, (at my birthday party at Ottavio's, his restaurant that was about to close forever) asking to see me do the "balla da luna" or "Moonwalk" for him. To hear it in Italian made it all seem so new for some reason. And the sound of the helicopters and the sound of my feet running on the pavement and the sound of my own voice learning how to pray...and the sound of Stevie Wonder...singing. And for the first time in my life, understanding what "Faithing" means.
This illness has made me see life as if for the first time. There were times this summer, when I had the strength to walk at sunset, when it was so bewilderingly beautiful, that I felt like a person who had died, but that Heavenly Father, in His mercy, had let come back to see this earth- one more time...and that, was when Arcturus looked at me.
Truly, I did not know what beauty was till this year, what it really means for something to be beautiful.
It is amazing what Heavenly Father allows a person to learn sometimes, out of faith in US.
The Autumnal Equinox happens at 5:18 PM tomorrow, so I have a little over 24 hours to keep learning what this summer came to teach me...94 days of curriculum that I never dreamt could have been mine.
Then I will have to convince my heart to Fall...
What light will there be in Autumn?
Monday, September 21, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
My Last Performance at Ottavio's 07/18/09
I can't believe that this place is closed now. I would not be the performer I am today, if it had not been for Ottavio's. Now it is gone. Keith, the accordion player was crying and crying...yeah. That night, after closing, I went back and sang for the closing party. I sang "Smile" by Charlie Chaplin and we all cried.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
My "Michael Jackson" Birthday Party
The Cake. Made by the amazing Britt Blumquist.
*Click to enlarge*
*Click to enlarge*
Side shot of Brandon.
Abbie Warnock and her FABULOUS Michael Jackson Pepsi Commercial Jacket.
Vivian in her gorgeous silver heels...it reminded me of "The Wiz." Brandon and Ty, and a great shot of Siena's back and Tess is outside talking to my Mom.
The AMAZING Magistro Family. And Kim closing her eyes. SORRY KIM!!!!
Me, taking pictures, wearing the jacket that I wore to the Memorial Service.
The Miraculous Tess Yadete. How this boy inspires me. He is the one with the corn rows.
And here is the lovely Adriana Robinson, in the red shirt.
And this is her husband, Mike and her little boy. If you can believe it, she actually brought a little stuffed chimp, "Bubbles", I was sooooooooooooo sad I didn't get a picture of it!!! DANG!!!
Lisa and Jay Johnson and their lovely children. And Heather Dailey in the background and Cameron, too.
My old roommate from New York, Veronica and her husband, Chris. She is giving me "Disney Eyes."
Me, Abbie Warnock, aka Michael Jackson, and Vivian Williams.
What on earth could I wish for...I had already been blessed with so much.
I wished for the same thing that came to me, all those years ago...I am faithing that it WILL come true. I Believe.
Here is Ms. Britt. We danced till we almost passed out. What could be cooler than almost fainting because you have been dancing to Michael Jackson music all night? Yeah, I can't think of anything either.
*Click to enlarge*
*Click to enlarge*
Side shot of Brandon.
Abbie Warnock and her FABULOUS Michael Jackson Pepsi Commercial Jacket.
Vivian in her gorgeous silver heels...it reminded me of "The Wiz." Brandon and Ty, and a great shot of Siena's back and Tess is outside talking to my Mom.
The AMAZING Magistro Family. And Kim closing her eyes. SORRY KIM!!!!
Me, taking pictures, wearing the jacket that I wore to the Memorial Service.
The Miraculous Tess Yadete. How this boy inspires me. He is the one with the corn rows.
And here is the lovely Adriana Robinson, in the red shirt.
And this is her husband, Mike and her little boy. If you can believe it, she actually brought a little stuffed chimp, "Bubbles", I was sooooooooooooo sad I didn't get a picture of it!!! DANG!!!
Lisa and Jay Johnson and their lovely children. And Heather Dailey in the background and Cameron, too.
My old roommate from New York, Veronica and her husband, Chris. She is giving me "Disney Eyes."
Me, Abbie Warnock, aka Michael Jackson, and Vivian Williams.
What on earth could I wish for...I had already been blessed with so much.
I wished for the same thing that came to me, all those years ago...I am faithing that it WILL come true. I Believe.
Here is Ms. Britt. We danced till we almost passed out. What could be cooler than almost fainting because you have been dancing to Michael Jackson music all night? Yeah, I can't think of anything either.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
I never dreamed you'd leave...
How could I ever have dreamed as a little girl, watching "Billie Jean" and "Thriller", falling in love with you-with a child's love...that one morning, I would be running through the gates of LA...running all the way to your funeral?
How could I ever have imagined that day, crying in front of the video to "Man in the Mirror"- watching as my life's mission unfolded in front of me...that one day I would call out the words "Michael Jackson, you changed my life!" and your family would hear me?
How could I ever have known as I practiced moonwalking down the hallway until my feet were covered with rug burn...that one day, I would watch as your brothers walked down a hallway with you...covered in roses?
How could I ever have imagined that day, crying in front of the video to "Man in the Mirror"- watching as my life's mission unfolded in front of me...that one day I would call out the words "Michael Jackson, you changed my life!" and your family would hear me?
How could I ever have known as I practiced moonwalking down the hallway until my feet were covered with rug burn...that one day, I would watch as your brothers walked down a hallway with you...covered in roses?
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
I got in to the Michael Jackson Memorial at the Staples Center
Today was an exercise in surrealism. Getting in to the Michael Jackson Memorial and the events leading up to it, together, were the most tangible miracle I have ever experienced in my life. I will remember it for as long as I live.
Right when I got there, it was a military compound...helicopters and police everwhere...it was the way it was his whole life. I will never forger the sound of those helicopters...as I ran...and ran...and ran...
I was still faithing for a ticket to get in.
The morning. And I got a ticket. For $200. It was a Miracle from Heaven.
Someone right before he passed the security to go in.
My seat, I literally ran in right when Lionel Richie was singing.
Letting out.
My favorite, favorite part of the memorial outside.
Right when I got there, it was a military compound...helicopters and police everwhere...it was the way it was his whole life. I will never forger the sound of those helicopters...as I ran...and ran...and ran...
I was still faithing for a ticket to get in.
The morning. And I got a ticket. For $200. It was a Miracle from Heaven.
Someone right before he passed the security to go in.
My seat, I literally ran in right when Lionel Richie was singing.
Letting out.
My favorite, favorite part of the memorial outside.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The Passing of a King
Journal entry June 25th, 2009
The news of Michael Jackson passing today is...I don't even know how to describe it.
A few hours before I found out, I had been asked by two neighbors about when or what it was in my life that made me want to work for the UN as a Goodwill Ambassador to Africa. It is ironic because for the past month I have been asking myself the same question over and over again, since visiting the UN four weeks ago. I came up with the answer that it was about seven years ago. But I could not peg it to a specific event. Today jogged something in my memory though that gave me my real answer; the memory was of me, sitting on the carpeted floor of the t.v. room in our basement in our old house, watching the MTV video for "Man in the Mirror." That was the thing that did it. I was eleven years old, and I would sit in front of that video and hear that music and weep till I didn't think I could weep any longer. It was then that I knew, I knew that I had to do something about it, about Africa and about the suffering of the human race in general; to ease it somehow, to make it better somehow. That song and that video literally changed the course of my life.
A few hours after hearing the news (and countless news specials) my feelings drove me out of the house to walk passed that old house that we lived in when I was a kid...sitting on that carpet, as my life changed before me...I had to see it, to go and look in that basement window...I needed to share that space again. I wept uncontrollably as I approached it.
I think the thing that is happening to those of my generation, the UNBELIEVABLE grief that we are all experiencing is that...today, we are all remembering, for just a moment, what we USED to feel like, how inspired that we all USED to be...and most of all, we are feeling the way that it USED to feel...as kids. And for all of us, who are too-soon so world weary, it has made us remember that, hard as it is to believe- we were once children, too. And so, in a way, today, we are mourning a death of ourselves.
God Speed.
This has actually strengthened my resolve to keep going. I want to fulfill that dream that came to me...the one that surged through me at age eleven. Perhaps he inspired a dream in you, too? I pray that you will live it!
p.s. MTV will be playing Michael Jackson videos all night tonight...just like it used to be; about the music. I don't know if I will go to sleep...I'd rather stay awake and watch, and feel, just for tonight, the way that it used to be. And maybe, the answer to make my dream happen will come to me...as I watch Michael Jackson.
The news of Michael Jackson passing today is...I don't even know how to describe it.
A few hours before I found out, I had been asked by two neighbors about when or what it was in my life that made me want to work for the UN as a Goodwill Ambassador to Africa. It is ironic because for the past month I have been asking myself the same question over and over again, since visiting the UN four weeks ago. I came up with the answer that it was about seven years ago. But I could not peg it to a specific event. Today jogged something in my memory though that gave me my real answer; the memory was of me, sitting on the carpeted floor of the t.v. room in our basement in our old house, watching the MTV video for "Man in the Mirror." That was the thing that did it. I was eleven years old, and I would sit in front of that video and hear that music and weep till I didn't think I could weep any longer. It was then that I knew, I knew that I had to do something about it, about Africa and about the suffering of the human race in general; to ease it somehow, to make it better somehow. That song and that video literally changed the course of my life.
A few hours after hearing the news (and countless news specials) my feelings drove me out of the house to walk passed that old house that we lived in when I was a kid...sitting on that carpet, as my life changed before me...I had to see it, to go and look in that basement window...I needed to share that space again. I wept uncontrollably as I approached it.
I think the thing that is happening to those of my generation, the UNBELIEVABLE grief that we are all experiencing is that...today, we are all remembering, for just a moment, what we USED to feel like, how inspired that we all USED to be...and most of all, we are feeling the way that it USED to feel...as kids. And for all of us, who are too-soon so world weary, it has made us remember that, hard as it is to believe- we were once children, too. And so, in a way, today, we are mourning a death of ourselves.
God Speed.
This has actually strengthened my resolve to keep going. I want to fulfill that dream that came to me...the one that surged through me at age eleven. Perhaps he inspired a dream in you, too? I pray that you will live it!
p.s. MTV will be playing Michael Jackson videos all night tonight...just like it used to be; about the music. I don't know if I will go to sleep...I'd rather stay awake and watch, and feel, just for tonight, the way that it used to be. And maybe, the answer to make my dream happen will come to me...as I watch Michael Jackson.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Back from the Big Apple
I love how our Captain announced that it was going to be "mostly clear skies for our flight." Well...I guess in all fairness, that is a subjective statement.
I could not tell you the address of this cloud.
My favorite New York airport, La Guardia. The polka-dot tower always made me feel like I was home.
NEW YORK HAS CHANGED
I can't believe how much. The thing that struck me the most was how New Yorkers smiled back at me immediately. Many of you know that when I lived in New York all those years ago, that I would play the "smiling game"; I would smile at people and time how long it would take for them to smile back at me. The average time, if they smiled back at all, was just about two seconds. That seems short, but as you are waiting for that reciprocation of a friendly gesture, it seems like an eternity. Now, they smile back immediately...I'm not exaggerating, I was so shocked that I started talking to a lot of people about it...they say that it has been this way since 9/11.
This was so encouraging to me that I turned my "bucket of sunshine" meter up all the way to 11, and smiled at almost EVERYONE (if I didn't think that they would follow me all over Manhattan for doing so).
Also, because it had been so long since I had been back, I was truly a tourist again.
So, if you had seen a snapshot of me...it would have been me smiling at everybody...in between me looking up at every skyscraper, in heaven.
What a bright spot I will always remember this trip to be.
Just one more...
Yeah, boring ol' Times Square. :)
I could not tell you the address of this cloud.
My favorite New York airport, La Guardia. The polka-dot tower always made me feel like I was home.
NEW YORK HAS CHANGED
I can't believe how much. The thing that struck me the most was how New Yorkers smiled back at me immediately. Many of you know that when I lived in New York all those years ago, that I would play the "smiling game"; I would smile at people and time how long it would take for them to smile back at me. The average time, if they smiled back at all, was just about two seconds. That seems short, but as you are waiting for that reciprocation of a friendly gesture, it seems like an eternity. Now, they smile back immediately...I'm not exaggerating, I was so shocked that I started talking to a lot of people about it...they say that it has been this way since 9/11.
This was so encouraging to me that I turned my "bucket of sunshine" meter up all the way to 11, and smiled at almost EVERYONE (if I didn't think that they would follow me all over Manhattan for doing so).
Also, because it had been so long since I had been back, I was truly a tourist again.
So, if you had seen a snapshot of me...it would have been me smiling at everybody...in between me looking up at every skyscraper, in heaven.
What a bright spot I will always remember this trip to be.
Just one more...
Yeah, boring ol' Times Square. :)
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The United Nations
Wow...this morning changed me forever, I think. The feeling in the United Nations Headquarters is like nothing else I have ever experienced; there is a feeling of peace and goodness there that is almost overwhelming. Holy Moly.
My friend, Muriel Glasgow, who has worked at the UN for over thirty years, specifically for UNICEF, showed me around, a totally behind the scenes tour...it was so amazing I don't even know how to describe it to you. And if you can believe this, the guards even let me into the Security Council Chamber, which is TOTALLY sealed to the public. Muriel said that it was only the second time she had ever seen them let a civilian in that room, in all the years that she has worked there. She truly believes that I will be able to be a UN Ambassador to Africa; my dream...for so many years.
The General Assembly Room
The Trusteeship Council Room
The Security Council Chamber
Um. Yeah. Priceless.
Here she is, Misses Muriel Glasgow. She is a giant among women.
One of my absolute favorite pieces of art at the UN. Underneath text is from one of the UN's official websites. It describes the mosaic done from Norman Rockwell's "The Golden Rule."
"On the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the United Nations in 1985, this mosaic was presented to the United Nations by Mrs. Nancy Reagan, the then First Lady, on behalf of the United States.
It is based on a painting by the American artist Norman Rockwell called the Golden Rule. Rockwell wanted to illustrate how the Golden Rule was a common theme of all the major religions of the world, and depicted people of every race, creed and color with dignity and respect. The mosaic contains the inscription 'Do unto Others as You Would Have Them Do unto You'."
Please.
Unreal. Unreal. UN Real.
I have been given so many blessings and miracles while on this trip. I am so grateful. So grateful. So grateful.
What an experience it has been to be back in New York City.
All the best, Jeanne
Radio City Music Hall
Why? Why Keane Merch team, why?
I would like Radio City Music Hall Security to know that I was pinged with two of these glowing projectiles during the show. It's cool.
Keane...at Radio City Music Hall? Top.
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