As you all know, Oklahoma has been hit hard by tornados both Sunday and Monday night, especially in Moore on Monday night. It is so devastating, so heartbreaking. I live in Sapulpa, OK, right west of Tulsa. We are over an hour away from the devastation, but we did take precautions (were ready to go in the basement with 4 dogs and 1 cat) as they were headed our way but luckily didn’t hit us.

Monday night everyone was connecting on facebook and my assistant, ShaRhonda Crow sent me a message of a picture of Oklahoma and then said the words Okie Strong – which gave me the idea for my drawing-quickly got out my wacom tablet and drew it out. I put the Heart where Moore and the other towns hit are located. I really just posted it on facebook to show my support for the victims. Well, everyone asked for me to make tees, so yesterday we jumped into action and they are being made right now and will be ready by Friday. All the profits will be going to the American Red Cross to help the victims of the tornados.

This is our first tee that the men can wear too-have had so many requests over the years. We did the tees in both berry (pink) and steel blue. They are 100% combed and ringspun cotton, men’s sizing (fashion fit so flattering, not super boxy) XS-XXL. $25.

Also, we are making baseball caps too-and donating the proceeds-from sales of Okie Strong and Okie Strong Chick. You choose the colors. If you want a manly block font instead of our usual girly font, just denote that on your order.

I just am so proud of our state, and actually our whole country-everyone is pitching in to help in some way.

Above are the mockups of what the tees will look like.

Be grateful for each day.

I met Michelle on Saturday at the “Operation Homefront Star Spangled Babies” Shower. I can’t stop thinking about her. I was meant to be there that day and meet her. The first thing that so impressed me about Michelle was she was at the event VOLUNTEERING. She is such an inspiration. And in the brief time talking with her I knew we had a bond. Here she is, amazing Strong Chick, Army Wife and survivor in so many ways.

Hey Debbie,

It was truly wonderful meeting you at the OHOK baby shower on Saturday. I feel so honored that you wanted my story so here it is. It is going to be a little all over the place so I apologize. Since my husband deployed my brain no longer works lol.

In 1998 I gave birth to a healthy and beautiful baby boy. Trevor weighed 9 lbs 5 ozs and was as strong as a 3 month old! For almost 2 and a half years Trevor was the healthiest toughest little boy that many had ever met.

One day he started to complain about a sore throat so I made a doctors appt and was told he had a simple sore throat and handed an antibiotic. Trevor continued to get weaker by the day. He didn’t want to eat slept way too much and just didn’t look right. I took him back to the doctor and was told he “may” have strep. No blood work was done, nothing more than a throat swab and more antibiotics. Two days later I noticed the glands in his neck seemed to be swollen. At this point I was no longer content with the antibiotics and took him to Children’s Hospital in San Diego, CA.

Within thirty minutes they had blood work done and iv fluids started for dehydration. We were admitted and I was so happy something was being done. The next morning I was woken up by the pediatrician to earth shattering news. My son had Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia and they needed to start treatment immediately.

I couldn’t begin to grasp what I was just told. How could this be true? I was a good mom! Sadly what I found out was this disease had nothing to do with how he was raised or what I could do for him.

The next year was a complete nightmare between chemo and radiation Trevor was so weak. We couldn’t leave the hospital because he literally had no immune system left. Everyone who visited had to wear a sterile suit and mask so they didn’t bring outside germs in. 13 months after he was diagnosed we received the best news possible…
Trevor was in remission!

Life resumed for 8 months until a random blood test revealed that Trevor’s Leukemia was back. We all settled in for another long hard fight but knew we would beat it again. Sadly the chemotherapy and radiation wasn’t helping this time and the only thing that could help would be a bone marrow transplant. To our horror we discovered than none of the family was a match. We went to the registry and couldn’t find a suitable match that was available to us.

We did what we could and basically just had to make and keep him as comfortable as possible. On November 15th, 2003 Trevor passed away in my arms.

Shortly before my 30th birthday I went in for my yearly gyno appt and within a week I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I underwent a lumpectomy and 2 rounds of chemo and after 8 months I was cancer free!

It made me really take a look at my life and realize how unhappy I was with my marriage. I had been married to my children’s father for almost 10 years and couldn’t imagine being a single mom. However my husband was a very abusive man and I knew if I didn’t leave soon I never would. So one night after an “episode” I grabbed up my 2 boys and we left with nothing. i got us a little apartment an we started life over slowly.
Just one month after my divorce was finalized I noticed an all too familiar feeling in my right breast. I made a doctors appt and once again I was told I had breast cancer. This time I was a single mom and didn’t know anyone since I was new to Oklahoma. I put on my big girl panties and started the fight. A few months later I met a man online through a cancer support group and we started to talk everyday. He was a CML (Chronic Myeloid Leukemia) survivor and understood when I said things like “Im having a cancer day”. Months went by and we continued to chat online then moved to the phone and he was just amazing. I learned he had always wanted kids but wasnt able due to his chemo earlier in life. Then the good news came, he was being stationed in Oklahoma! So I took a chance and flew to Virginia to road trip with him back to Oklahoma. The connection was instant and I knew I wanted to be with this man for the rest of my life. When we got back to Oklahoma we started dating officially. I thought he was insane for wanting to date a single mom with stage 2 cancer but I was super glad! 6 months later he proposed to me and I excitedly agreed. With one clause, I wouldn’t marry him till I was cancer free. He still stuck around!
On April 17th, 2013 I celebrated my 2 year cancer free date. On May 26th, 2013 I also celebrate my 2 year wedding anniversary.

I found out recently I am a carrier fo the BRCA2 gene and so I have opted for a double mastectomy. the way I look at it is I would rather hold a grandbaby someday than have boobs.

I know this is all over the place and I do apologize. If there is anything else I can answer for you I will.

A quick background

I am a very proud Army wife with 2 little boys ages 8 & 9. I am a stay at home wife and mom but keep myself very busy with lots of volunteer work.

Thank you again for the opportunity and interest in my story.

Michell

Military moms with new baby one pieces from Happy First

Happy Military Monday!

This past Saturday Happy First had the privilege of being a sponsor for the Oklahoma Operation Homefront “Star Spangled Babies” baby shower for military families. As you may know, Operation Homefront is one of the charities we support with our Strong Chick sales. Operation Homefront is a leading national charity providing emergency financial and other support to families of service members and wounded heroes. Who knew the friends I would make from this Strong Chick tee idea? Carol Herrick, Executive Director of Operation Homefront Oklahoma and Arkansas, and I instantly bonded when we met. She is amazing, I am so in awe of her. She has been telling me about the Baby Showers for quite some time so I just had to get involved!

Often, military parents-to-be live far from their extended families and supports systems due to deployments and relocation. Like many new parents, they may have questions, concerns and fears. Star Spangled Babies showers connects new parents with other new military parents, provides resources and education, furnishes new baby essentials and celebrates and showers the new families with appreciation for their service and sacrifice to our country. (I got this info from their brochure-so well said!) I think almost every Field Office of Operation Homefront has these showers in their state.

The event was in Norman, OK (good excuse to run to Norman, my old college town, University of Oklahoma) and 100 ladies were invited. The tables were beautifully decorated red, white and blue. Each table had a hostess that got to know the moms and connected them with each other. It was so festive, it was a real baby shower for each and every woman. They got so many great gifts from donors (like an Oprah giveaway!) and had fun and games and prizes. It was a great way for them to have some stress relief and meet other new moms or expecting moms, all facing the same challenges of being a military family. I realized how spoiled I was when I had small children, I had a helpful extended family, many friends nearby and a husband that was home most of the time. I can’t imagine how hard they have it with husbands being deployed and being away from family.

The speakers were great-one was a lady from Verizon and talked about all the high tech apps and ways technology can help with new babies. I took notes, things were sure different when my kids were little! Now they have baby monitors that monitor everything and you can see your baby when you are in the other room. There is even an app for nursing moms to keep track of feedings! Then there is skype to talk to your spouse overseas. They also talked about an app called Mom Maps, for moms to find out about events nearby, so helpful if in a new town.

After lunch we had a speaker that talked about stress management and had us close our eyes and she walked us through how to destress. Yes, I almost fell asleep! She talked about the benefits of deep breathing, yoga, etc.

My favorite part was at the end when Carol passed around a piggy bank and everyone filled it with loose change and then one mom got to take it home. Carol had tears in her eyes when she said the first year they did this, the winner didn’t know how she was going to get home because she didn’t have the money, and then she won the piggy bank and it got her home!

We have so much to be thankful for and I am so thankful for the sacrifices these wonderful families have made in serving our country:  it was such an honor to participate and meet these wonderful women.

P.S. We want to design a baby one piece with a portion going to military families. We are having a contest on our Happy First facebook page to design the next one piece-would love your ideas on cute sayings, designs, whatever!

Wow, I can’t believe all the craziness that is happening in our world today. And today is also the 18th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing. I will never forget that day, as we lived in Tulsa and had friends in OKC that were there when it happened. I have several friends running in the Oklahoma City Marathon on April 28. One of them is Pam Dominisse (our original Strong Chick) and a few days ago she asked me if we could design a tee to wear in the upcoming marathon to remember the Boston runners.

So we jumped into action-one of my best friends, Linda Waters, owner of Beads for a Cause, lives in Boston and she loved the idea and told me that everyone in Boston is pulling together and the mantra is “Boston Strong”. We thought this phrase would blend perfectly with our “Strong Chick” line. And I have had runners asking me for a running tee, so I found one! It is a tech tee, 100% polyester, anti-bacterial and has UV protection.

So together with Beads for a Cause and the 26.2 Foundation (a 501c3 charity) we will be giving the profits from the sale of each tee to the One Fund Boston. Also, check out Linda’s 26.2 bead, a percentage of sales of this bead goes to the 26.2 Foundation. (and as a Hodgkin’s Survivor and Team in Training alum I love that a % goes to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society too!)

Also available are Boston Strong Chick Baseball caps-available immediately in Blue caps  with yellow text or white caps with royal blue text, but you can customize your colors if you want.

We have put together a pinterest board (feel free to share your Boston Strong pics on our board!) and we are on instagram too!

So here is a way to show your support and honor the victims of the Boston Marathon during your next race or even a run through your local park. Click on the Boston Strong Chick tee here to order!

Please join us in spreading the word!

 I have met the most incredible, inspiring people through Happy First! Mary Bene and I think we first met when I did a Happy First Trunk show at one of our favorite shoe stores, The Glass Slipper. Then we became friends on facebook. The other day I mentioned on my facebook page I was sad that Lilly Pulitzer died, and Mary said she was really sad about Annette Funicello. I didn’t even know that Annette had Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I knew Mary was a very inspiring, upbeat person dealing with MS and so I asked her to share her story. And she was delighted to! She believes it is her mission to shed a light on MS. So here is her story.

Where do I begin to tell my story of how my MS life?  After a year of going thru many doctor’s visits and a multitude of why my walking was rapidly going downhill, I was diagnosed with MS in 2003.  Instead of sitting back and not doing anything, I got moving and got involved.  I also began my MS therapy drug on December 24, 2003 which is daily injection and hopes to slow the progression of my course of MS.

I was able to keep up my exercise thanks to my elliptical trainer I have in my home.  I attended a newly diagnosed program sponsored by the OK Chapter of the National MS Society.  After that program, I became very involved in the Chapter.  I have participated in walks, ridden in the annual Bike MS, and initiated a couple of out of the box fundraisers for the Chapter.  I was instrumental in getting a specialty license plate for MS in Oklahoma.

I been awarded so many wonderful opportunities since being diagnosed and have met so many wonderful people that I wouldn’t otherwise know.  If I had to give that up and not have MS, I don’t think I would.  I know that my journey with MS can change at any time.  I am thankful for those who have gone before me and the knowledge they have passed on to me which is another form of movement.

Stop moving?  I will keep moving and keep fighting for all of us with MS.  That’s why I bike, raise money, and talk up MS whenever given the opportunity.

To all who donate money to find a cure for MS, I thank you.  You are making a difference in the lives of so many people.

Mary Benes

]]> http://happyfirstblog.com/2013/inspiring-others-through-multiple-sclerosis/feed/ 1 http://happyfirstblog.com/2013/inspiring-others-through-multiple-sclerosis/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HappyFirstBlog/~3/Di2pcmxZJEs/ http://happyfirstblog.com/2013/lilly-pulitzer-spreading-happiness-with-her-clothing/#comments Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:27:47 +0000 Debbie http://happyfirstblog.com/?p=1711

Yesterday 3 famous and incredible women passed away-Margaret Thatcher, Annette Funicello, and Lilly Pulitzer. All 3 of these women pursued their passion and touched the world. I posted on facebook yesterday how sad I was about Lilly Pulitzer, a designer I have admired most of my life.

I want to tell you about Lilly Pulitzer. She has been such an inspiration to me because her line is so happy and uplifting and fresh. And her story so inspires me.

Lilly was born in 1931 and grew up in a wealthy family in New York and met Pete Pulitzer, the grandson of newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer, whose bequest to Columbia University established the Pulitzer Prize. They eloped and moved to Palm Beach Florida. They were known for throwing fun dinner parties at their home. They had 3 kids in quick succession. After her 3rd child, Lilly had a nervous breakdown and ended up in a mental hospital in New York where all the “fashionable”, upscale ladies went to have their breakdowns. Her doctor said, “You’re not happy because you’re not doing anything” and she replied that she didn’t know how to do anything because she grew up with a nanny and a mother that did everything for her. Her doctor said she had to go out and find something to do. So she took an unconventional path, as most women in the 1950′s stayed at home. She became an entrepreneur and opened up a juice stand (her husband owned citrus groves). It was a small juice and fruit bar in Palm Beach where her friends would come and laugh and talk and have fun. By the end of each day Lilly was covered in pulp and fruit juice so she decided to have some shift dresses made with bright fruit colors so the splashes and mess wouldn’t show. Her dresses started selling faster than the fruit!

Her tropical print dresses became a sensation in the 1960′s when the then first lady Jacqueline Kennedy wore one of Lilly’s sleeveless shift dresses in a Life magazine photo spread. Jacqueline Kennedy had attended boarding school with Lilly. Her line of dresses extended to swimsuits, country club attire, children’s clothing, home decor and a little bit of menswear. I have been to her stores, they are so fresh, fun and uplifting. People like Lilly have inspired me with my Happy First business. I love what she said about her business-”We focus on the best, fun and happy things, and people want that. Being happy never goes out of style.”

I loved that she helped her friends too. If one of them needed something to do, she opened up a store in her friend’s town. She was all about spreading happiness and finding purpose!

I had been wanting Lilly’s book “Essentially Lilly a guide to colorful entertaining” for a while and just hadn’t gotten around to buying it and then my friend Jana surprised me with it a few years ago. It is so fun, it tells her story and has beautiful styles and pictures and entertaining ideas and recipes. When I read her book it just gets me so excited for summer, entertaining outside and being with friends.

Lilly Pulitzer’s styles remind me of growing up in the 60′s and also remind me of my mom. My mom is not doing well at all right now, we don’t know how long she has. So I guess seeing Lilly and Annette pass away is just making me nostalgic.

(click on the ecard to share with others!)

Happy April 1st! I can’t believe it is April already but so excited. I just love Spring! And we are about to get our April showers tonight, so I quickly did some planting. I planted arugula, spinach, watercress, carrots and 2 kinds of lettuce. Last night I looked at Pinterest to get some ideas, then got overwhelmed and just planted! Sometimes I want to do things perfectly and obsess instead of just doing it. Usually I just end up charging ahead. So I threw some seeds in some rows and hope they grow ok! I usually don’t plant from seed-I usually buy little plants at the herb festivals in April. So I am branching out (pun) a little and trying some new things. I do want to have a huge vegetable garden soon. We have enough room here out on our acreage, but it will take some planning-would like to do raised beds and then we will have to fence everything (we have deer, raccoons, possums, snakes, you name it) and then also figure out the irrigation. So maybe it will be in place by next spring. My sister in law is a Master Gardener, so I will enlist her help. Here’s what I threw out there today!

Oh my gosh, I am on an ADD rampage now, haven’t blogged in a while-hope you can follow this! I am always thinking of ideas to write about but have gotten really bogged down with life lately. I am truly smushed in the sandwich generation right now. Just call me peanut butter. I have one in college and one in high school-and even thought they are not little any more, you still have challenges, just different from when they were little. And then my mom is in Dallas (4 hours away) in very poor health and so I am hopping in the car once more in the morning to help my sister with her.

Luckily I have an online business so I will just take my ideas and technology with me. So excited about some new things coming up for Spring with Happy First. Can’t wait to tell ya’ll!

I just want to say, I truly don’t know how people get bored in life. There are not enough hours in the day for me. I think I got gypped on the hours somewhere! There is so much I want to learn and do. I know I sound like a PollyAnna but I just love life and I love learning. And I want to encourage others to find what makes them happy and just do it.

One of my latest fun things I am doing-I really want to get good at graphic design. Some of you know my story, I started out in fashion design in college then switched to accounting because I was good with numbers and thought I would find a job more easily in accounting. Well, I did it, got my CPA and a good job but I didn’t like accounting all that much! So finally I am pursuing my passion of design and fashion, making friends, spreading happiness. I want you to know that you are never too old to pursue something new! I have even thought about going back to college (while still running my business) and getting a graphic design degree. But I really don’t need all those unneccessary classes and taking all that time. So I decided to learn on my own. Last year I took some short classes at our local community college and that was great and all, but I wanted more. So I just signed up with Lynda.com – it is so great, they have videos on everything, from mircrosoft excel to photoshop to photography to how to learn instagram to time management! So I thought I would share. I am really enjoying it. I just want to encourage you all to pursue what you love and find different sources to do this.

Oh and this is so cool, I have been thinking about writing about this for days and then just ran across this story today from a great blog-YogaSpy- I follow- a man running his first marathon at 89 (he is now still running at 102!)-what an incredible story-just goes to show you are never too old!

So I know this isn’t perfectly written, but I have decided I just need to write from the heart. If I wait til all conditions are perfect, it won’t get done!

Happy April 1st!

What would you like to learn or do?

Meet Strong Chick Patti Baisley-in addition to being a military mom, she is also a Fit Chick! Patti is a personal trainer. I have met with her to lay out a workout plan for me and she is incredible and one fit chick. She and her husband have a fitness facility at their home, offer personal consultations and teach classes too. Below is Patti’s story in her own words.

It was the last semester of our son Clayton Baisley’s senior year of high school. I was trying not to be overwhelmed but was very concerned about his future. His grades weren’t great and I knew college was not high on his priority list, so I was a bit nervous that he had not planned ahead and gotten his “ducks in a row”. I then took to the internet and did some researching with the United States Air Force. This branch runs in our family and I wanted to see what they offered for computer enthusiasts. Clayton was in his third year at Sapulpa Tech in Cyber Security and absolutely loved it. They did everything in that class-built systems, created war crimes, reenacted cyber warfare, etc.

I wanted to see if they had offered such a thing in the Air Force and sure enough they did. So we suggested he go visit a recruiter. After visiting with his recruiter in Tulsa, he was told that is was a very skilled job placement and that if he wanted to do that he had to score high enough on his ASVAB test plus interview for the job before they could put him in that position. After visiting with his uncle, a Lt. Colonel in the Air Force, he suggested he go for it. It was a great opportunity especially coming in on the forefront of some of the new technical jobs they offered. So he took the test and scored high enough that he could pick any job he wanted. Next up was a trip to OKC at Tinker where his job would be for an interview with the commander. As I drove him over offering him advice which I had no business doing since I was his mom and there was no way he was going to listen to me anyway, I waited in the lounge while they took him around and showed him the grounds. After he was done, we got back in the car and headed home. I asked how it went and he said really good. They’d let him know in a couple of days. Well…they must have been impressed because we weren’t home 10 minutes when we got a call saying they would love to have him. They actually called the Pentagon and created a position for him. That was all it took. He was in… hook, line, and sinker! Clayton grew up in a regimented lifestyle so we knew this was something that was a good fit and would click with him.

That was in the spring of 2011 and now with basic training completed, tech school completed, his orders are at Tinker through April. He is in the Air Reserve Command unit. Once completed he will do his one weekend a month and two weeks a year. He plans on going to OSU-IT in the fall to finish his degree in Cyber Security.

We are so proud that he has decided to join our United States Military. These men and women give of themselves without hesitation. They serve with great honor and commitment. And are guardians of our freedom and justice. They are MILITARY STRONG!

Happy Valentine’s Day my friends! Click on the ecard to spread happiness & fun.

Happy Military Monday! Meet another amazing Strong Chick, Carol Herrick! She is the Executive Director of Operation Homefront of Oklahoma and Arkansas. I had lunch with Carol a few months ago to discuss Happy First working with Operation Homefront. Carol is so sweet and just amazing. And she gave me a glimpse into the military world and I just fell in love with her and what she does. She helps so many people! And Operation Homefront is such a wonderful organization. I am excited for Happy First to be giving to Operation Homefront (and several other military organizations) with Happy First Strong Chick sales.

Here is Carol’s Strong Chick story-

I am a military spouse that has been married to my Soldier for almost 22 years.  He has been in the Army for 21 years—yup, we got married first!  He was a chemical engineering student at the University of Maine, came home one day and said “Honey, I did this thing today and I am not sure you are going to like it, but it will be okay”.  It turns out it was the second best decision he has ever made!