Miss Teen Maryland International Pageant



For my husband. March 24th was his 37th Birthday! Love him soooooooo much!



With the beautiful CIJI, Miss International 2011

With Paige Richardson and Deshawn Shepard. Beautiful judges and yes I am still on a hunt for Paige's shoes!

I was so honored to have been asked to judge the Miss Teen Maryland 2012 pageant. Margo Huffman was an amazing Miss Teen MD and left such an impressive legacy...well the new queen has her work cut out for her. 

I was put up in Kent Island and truly treated like a queen so thank you Sherry Benson.

I had the honor of judging with some pretty remarkable people.

All of the contestants were so remarkable.

Congrats to my new little sister Miss Teen Maryland International™


Layilah Nasser.

With my beautiful sister queen Jennifer Williams, Mrs VA International 2012

I was so delighted to be asked to be a part of the Diamonds and Daffadils fashion show benefiting breast and ovarian cancer research. I arrived to some Starbucks and my amazing sister state queens, Krystin Admire, Miss VA, Chardia Murray, Miss MD and Jennifer Williams, Mrs VA Intl. We had our hair and make up done and then we hit the runway!Thank you to Anne Fountaine for supplying the clothes!

With my hairdresser. She was amazing!


My camera was misplaced so I hopefully we be able to add additional photos soon!

Happy St Pattys Day to all and may the luck of the Irish always be at your doorstep!

I can't out run family history, I just want to out live it!

I am not sure if is just all of my year marks are facing me on the calender...my birthday, anniversary, Dad's passing, Mom's passing...its like a bullseye. That coupled with some quality hospital time lately I am seriously needing a good yoga session! Wait, I don't do yoga but maybe I should try. Relaxing is not in my vocabulary.

In all of my "me" moments, I am looking at my son playing and I just want to give him the world and take away anything that may get in his way. I am so afraid of not always being there for him although I know I may not always be.

As pageant people we have "platforms". A cause that is important to us and that somehow we just might be able to make a difference. We hope. I have seen so many remarkable women champion a cause but I have to tell you 90% of them do so with no expectation except to truly make a difference.

Mine is heart. Its really all heart. Today I recieved a very nice phone call from my HR department at AHA to make me realize its ok to take care of mine. As a Mother and wife, its hard and I will admit I am a horrible patient and destined to bolt AMA if my son needs me.

Heart with heart. I remained blessed.

Lets talk about me...

My life is my heart and my heart is my life but and I say a great big BUT its not about me. I went to my cardiologist today as a follow up to my 7 hours of self evaluation today. I do love him and trust him and that does not come easily for me. Just a remarkable man, Dr Chen and my friend Amy who I can't say enough. We are going to do some testing...etc etc...then I stopped for coffee. As I sat their I heard a gentleman say heart attack and I looked over and pardoned my intrusion as I was eavesdropping. They were remarkably kind. They both had just come from cardiac rehab at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital and were new friends. We survivors find each other. It was Henry and George and honestly it reminded me of what my Dad might be like if he had survived. Henry made me laugh and was so excited with the American Heart Association and George was having an echo done today. I do think God has a way of putting people in your life to help. I was nervous this morning and suddenly I had two Dad's. Beyond the NRA portion which hey, I am good with besides the fact I would never want Cheney to teach me...it was a great meeting and a surprise. A very pleasant one.

Henry is a heart attack survivor and had a 100% blockage in his left anterior descending artery and George a triple bypass. So strong in spirit and so inspirational. They both have served in the US Armed Services.

So to George and Henry, thank you. You made a difference in my life today and made my coffee taste really good! Thank you for the company and the hugs and thank you for being engaged in heart walk:)))))

MACY's Go Red for Women Fashion Show



Walking the runway for Macy's Go Red for Women Fashion Show. (INC Fashions)



With the Store Manager for MACY's

Heart month was busy but so much fun. I was honored to be asked to be a part of the Macy's Go Red for Women fashion show as a survivor. It started with a fitting about a week prior and what girl does not love to have a wardrobe pulled for her! This, of course, included the signature " red dress" and mine was by Alfani. My favorite though was my heart shirt and skirt from INC. I have always loved that brand and it just works for me. I arrived early and ready to have my makeup done. Chanel make artist did the makeup for the event. So my makeup was done complete with a REALLY red lip. I joined the others as we waited. This meant I joined a bunch of "real" models whom were all under 20, rail thin and six feet tall. I assured them they we in the right place when they joined me and that I was one of 4 survivors in the show. I love youth,I miss youth but geez get a poker face when you are wondering why someone is in the room who you think is not like the others! :) Next, my six inch shoes hit the runway and I suddenly felt like Carrie from "Sex in the City". I gave it my best "Ms Jay" walk and survived without being fashion road kill.



Heart Disease survivors

The day was amazing and such a celebration of life and education on women and heart disease. Heart disease is the number one killer of Women in America and very silent. Educate and learn more. The life you save one day may be your own. http://www.goredforwomen.org/

Off to work on my model figure. Ok so I may never get it but I can choose to be the model of health!

Factually speaking from a night in the ER

I talk about heart disease and all we should know. The FACTS. Well, those are hard to hear certainly and very hard to listen too. I mean, what do the numbers REALLY mean???? At times, I like you ...beyond the clinical mean nothing.

Well, maybe not really.

I was laying in the hospital in the ER and I felt again like an idiot. I started to think maybe I am crazy and just developed white coat syndrome or am I a hypochondriac and then I realized....

Why are numbers important? There is a reason why heart disease is silent. No one hears numbers. Hey, I ignore them when my husband mentions them because we are under deposited:)

I spent 7 hours of internal debate and I remembered when I was young I got into a car accident. After the fact, I was driving and so afraid of it happening again I ran myself off the road.

Then I laid there missing my Mom. I used to talk with her everyday. She was my respite. She drove me home from work everyday on the phone and then visited me with my diet coke or had it on hand. I am a Pemberton so maybe a genetic addiction?

I can't imagine anyone having a life changing moment that does not feel like "will", "might" it happen again. Death, Cancer, heart disease, an accident. It all raises the big question of time. What is my time, when is my time, have I had enough time.

I remember when my Dad had blown out his mitralve valve and had surgery, they said he was ok. I walked outside and took such a deep breath and thanked God. He never woke up and a week later he died. I have never regained that breathe.

My mom came in a phone call. My Mom had a double valve replacement which came with a warranty and multiple bypasses. First stroke in her 30's, then heart failure. She was found at our house in Georgia after she threw a clot. I was coming down from Tennessee that weekend and she had my diet coke in stock.Skip killed himself a month later.

Gene pool donation, probably not in the running.

Numbers. I saw them as I stared at my Dads monitors and my Moms I lived everyday through blood checks and so much more.

Why do numbers matter? Why do cholesterol numbers matter?

My son is 3. He has no maternal Grandparents. 54 & 56

Numbers matter. Learn yours.