Where in the world is Blah Blah Beki? I’ve been asking myself that all day. Blah…..Blah….. That is exactly how I have felt today, as I sat around doing pretty much nothing. I found myself asking, Where are you? Where have you been lately? What happened to those goals you set at the beginning of the year? Not resolutions, people break those…but the easily attainable goals? 1. Write 3 times a week 2. Walk/run 3 times a week 3. Family dinners 3 times a week I’m seeing a pattern there. A lot of 3’s. Maybe that was my problem. In baseball, a pattern of 3’s means you are out. Did I strike out before I even started? How can that be? Blah. The new year is not a total wash. There have been some new ventures, projects and excitements. Theater: I got cast in a new show, which was exciting.  I was ready for a new project.  Then the show got cancelled before it even got into rehearsals due to an unforeseen illness of the director. I  also got cast in a Fringe show, but alas, I have to turn it down because I will most likely be traveling during Fringe to attend my niece’s wedding. ( no show/sad, wedding/good) …..but before you start feeling sorry for me….. I will be singing with four other very talented singers at a Benefit Concert/Variety Show on March 29th! I am looking forward to being on the stage again, and especially with some good friends! Great duets, group numbers, and lots of fun! Work: I started a new job last month. It seems to be right up my alley, but I am still getting to know the company. I am doing product demonstration/sales. It combines my acting...

in·spi·ra·tion ˌinspəˈrāSHən/ noun 1. the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, esp. to do something creative.   I have been in search of inspiration lately. I feel as if I have lost my creative spark.  I am not sure if inspiration is something you can actually look for, and find…or if it has to come to you. Like a gift. Writer Jack London said, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”  I find that visual to be a tad bit barbaric. I picture a big burly lumberjack type person stomping through the woods with a club, sweeping the brush aside. When thinking about the places I usually find inspiration, a gentler hand would be necessary. I am inspired by nature.  Sitting quietly while the wind rustles through the trees.  Watching a sunset. Listening to the birds welcome a new morning. I am inspired by connection. A gentle touch. A warm hug. An intimate conversation. Quality time with good friends. I am inspired by music. The soothing tones of an acoustic folk song. Lyrics that speak to my soul. Well blended harmonies. Sometimes something a little harder with a strong driving beat.   Well Jack, I must admit, I think I have been waiting for inspiration to fall into my lap. I haven’t written anything in ages. I open up my computer, stare at my blog, and nothing comes. In the past, words would just flow out of my fingers. I use to hear poems in my head and I would race to the keyboard to get them down. Now, I not only have nothing to say, I can’t even make up interesting things to say!   I think I may have to take Jack...

Did you know that I am in a band? Every year for the past five years or so I have sung with this group of amazingly talented people….for one gig a year. That’s right. My band plays just one time a year. For the Annual Christmas Party of CNL Bank in downtown Orlando. We have a great time, play great music, and say to each other…we should do this more often. Every year we say, wouldn’t it be fun to play music for other holiday parties?  Well, after five years of saying that, I have decided to go ahead and do it. While I won’t be offering a full band, myself and a talented pianist are available to liven up your holiday party or event. Whether it be a short performance, a group sing a long, or background dinner music, let us take your party to the next level. Head over to my Entertainment page to hear samples, get more information or book an event....

There is often a calm after a storm. A moment when the rain stops. The wind ceases from blowing, and the air is still for a moment. If you stand and watch, you can see the moment when the clouds begin to separate, allowing the sun to creep back into the sky. It’s rays only illuminate a small area at first. Like a spotlight. If you are lucky, you are in the spotlight and you can feel it’s warmth. Right now, I am feeling the warmth. For the past few months I have been standing outside in the storm. That’s the thing with storms. Sometimes they are alluring, and you almost can’t avoid the urge to stand amidst them. There are parts of them that are beautiful though, and you want to stand in the rain and feel their power. Other parts of them are overwhelming, and sometimes, the storm feels like it will go on forever. My storm consisted of the whirlwinds of life. Being a part of the show Lizzie Borden was an amazing experience, one I would never trade. It did, however, take a lot of my time and energy. This was a standing in the rain experience. Selling our home and going through the packing and moving process was much less enjoyable. It was overwhelming. Draining. Exhausting. This part of the storm, at times, felt like it would go on forever. Then, there were parts of the storm that were so arduous I would rather not relive them in words on a page. In those times, you tighten your grip, and pray you don’t get blown away. Each of these things, on their own, I could have possibly handled with greater ease. Together, they created the perfect storm. Now, as...

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a flying dream. The one where you are soaring through the sky with the birds, cutting the clouds in half, arms outstretched. I remember them, however, with vivid clarity. Don’t you? Flying dreams are the best. Hasn’t there been a time in your life when a child has asked you the question, “If you could have one super power, what would it be?” Of course you answered…..To Fly! This week…..I flew. Not in an airplane. No. It was just me…500 ft up in the air, soaring through the sky with the birds, cutting the clouds in half, arms outstretched. I went parasailing…and it was fantastic! I wasn’t really nervous, at first.  Especially since my younger nieces and nephews were going also. I figured, if they could do it certainly I could do it. Right? With 12 of us going, we filled the boat. That made for a really fun trip. The guys at Gators Parasail in Madeira Beach were super nice and the trip was a success because of them. I watched several pairs from our group go up, and they all came back down safe and sound with huge grins saying how awesome it was. How peaceful it felt up there. They told stories of seeing dolphin and sea turtles. I couldn’t wait for my turn. Next thing I knew I was being harnessed into nothing more than seatbelt straps with some metal clips on them. As they told me to make my way to the back of the boat, sit here, hold there, I found myself questioning if the chords of the parachute were tangled….  is that thing suppose to look like that?…..and does this go this way?….Are you sure? It was silly, really. They...

Do you know how you would respond if you woke up and found someone in your house? This weekend we had the opportunity to find out. Here is our story, and what we learned from it. Saturday morning I woke up to the sound of my dogs barking. It was early, not quite 7 am. I assumed  someone was walking a dog, but the barking didn’t stop.  Then it got more intense. I remember thinking, there must be someone at the door for them to be barking like that. Todd was stirring in bed next to me, but he wasn’t awake, so I got up to see who was knocking so early. When I  opened my bedroom door, I saw a dark shadowy figure standing in my hallway,  right in front of me. My heart stopped. It took only a second for it to register that this person did not belong in my house. I screamed, slammed my bedroom door shut while yelling THERE IS SOMEONE THERE! This got Todd to his feet in a split second looking for his phone and running to the door. Lesson #1 – Know where your phone is and make sure it is charged He looked at me for only a moment and then jumped into action. He opened the door, ready to attack, when a voice from the other side squeaked, “Mrs. Nickels?” Todd stopped in his tracks. It was a woman’s voice. “Mrs. Nickels?”  she said again. We stood there, face to face in our hallway with a short woman wearing scrubs. Todd unclenched his fist and said to her, “You’re in the wrong house!”.  “I’m looking for Mrs. Nickels, she is suppose to be in bed.” At this moment, Todd knew what had happened. You see,...