my WHY, five BENEFITS of competing

She is confident, but gentle, fearless, brave and bold. Everything I wish I WAS and everything I want to BE. She is four years old, she’s a “title holder”, and she’s MY daughter. I remember the first time she stepped on stage, my heart was pounding standing next to her. Then she looked at me, Read More

being part of a STORY

It’s a classic & timeless beginning to any story, “Once upon a time, a long long time ago….”. Fun fact, did you know that there are 22 different ways to start a fairy tale with “Once upon a time”. When I was younger my dream was one of “happily ever after”, it was full of Read More

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being YOU & standing OUT, an intro

The birthmark you cover up or the scar you got when you were younger, it’s the glasses that you wear or the freckle on your cheek, for Zara Ramsay-Nortley, it’s her insulin pump. To you they are imperfections, they “draw the attention away” from you, but its these imperfections that make you perfect. They are Read More

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a CHRISTMAS gift

Gift giving is a long-standing tradition of Christmas, a timeless tradition that originated back in the Roman 2nd Century AD, with a festivity known as Saturnalia. According to Wikipedia, Saturnalia “was an ancient Roman festival in honour of the deity Saturn, held on 17 December of the Julian calendar and later expanded with festivities through to 23 December. The holiday was celebrated Read More

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a GRATEFUL heart

She’s standing on stage, beautiful and strong, it’s her name in the envelope. Silence surrounds her as the name is announced, slowly the cheers fill the room, everyone overwhelmed with excitement. But amid all the JOY there is another girl standing on stage, tears in her eyes, disappointment in her heart. HEARTBROKEN, but not defeated because as she Read More

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the JOURNEY, cont.

Just as we pull away from the drive thru we hear “how long to home, I’m SOOO hungry” to which we reply “five minutes”, silence, followed by “but FIVE minutes is FOREVER”. In her little world five minutes is a lifetime because ALL she wants is to get home. Cubs fans watched anxiously as their Read More