Most of you know that I’ve been laid-off from Chevron a little over two months ago. . .  life has been a bit of a whirlwind since!  What they say about one door closing is true.  Sometimes it’s a tiny window that opens and you have to squeeze yourself through, but it’s totally worth trying.

I thank god, buddha, my parents and my friends for teaching me to be the person I am.  I DO.  I LIVE.  I DREAM.  Sometimes too big, but never too small.

Over the past two months, I have had one free weekend.  I’ve hosted private dinners, popped up for cooking events in town, meal-prepped and delivered healthy low-carb meals to neighborhood families, taught a cooking class, wrote three published articles for the Houston Press, and emceed a killer dance party for a crowd of over 20,000!  

Looking forward to being the first local pop-up chef to participate in Houston Restaurant Weeks in August!  Y’all can catch me at Henke & Pillot throughout HRW (Aug 1 – Sep 5).  Not confirmed yet, but I may have the opportunity to write more columns for the Houston Press, which I am super-psyched about!) I have a special cooking class lined up in July and popping up again at Wooster’s Garden on July 3rd.  

It’s hard to comprehend a “can’t do” attitude.  Each one of us really only has this one life we are living.  Why would you waste a single moment not trying to live it the best you can?  I’ve spent the past two weeks in Phoenix working with Festival Sports.  They are a family of committed adults, college kids, teenagers, parents, coaches, teachers, players and friends who have come together to organize one of the best events in the country!  This year, we celebrated our 33rd Volleyball Festival Tournament with a patriotic theme of Red, White and Spike!  My heart welled up with emotion when I looked out into a sea of red, white and blue cheering and screaming for their teammates as they presented flags on stage.  Every message, snapchat and picture posted to share their experiences, their happiness, their gratitude was humbling, to say the least.  I am truly grateful to have been a part of the Festival Spirit!  

So I don’t fit into a cookie cutter career path.  I love to do so many different things, but the trick is I never feel like I do TOO many things.  I surround myself with people who love and care as deeply as I do, who cook and create as wildly as I do, sing and play drums as loudly as I do.  

“Life is like a box of chocolates . . . you never know what you’re gonna get!”  Forrest Gump