(photos by Thomas Richardson) 

Last week was my first to take in the new American Summer: Music on the Green series at Cranbrook and well…WOW!  Just a glimpse at the breathtaking grounds outside the Art Museum are enough to get you hooked.  I just loved watching Linda Boston and Permission.  Not just great music, but spoken word and dance was performed in this highly tasteful yet, well–energetic to say the least — interactive performance. The band even handed out percussion instruments so the audience could play along.  You can bet the kids loved that!!  It’s a wonderful family event to be sure.  Kudos to Cranbrook and the Arts League of Michigan for this spectacular event.  There are still more performances to catch Thursdays in July…plus you can check out the museum as they keep it open late. Click Here for more info!  I’ll see you there!

Old married lady is what some of my co-workers have taken to calling me.  I got married a couple of weeks ago which is why I haven’t blogged in a while.  As you know, weddings can consume a lot of your time and then some.  The wedding was beautiful and I promise to share picturess when I get them back.  The ones I took aren’t worth posting. Anyway, it’s really the marriage that matters and I have been blessed to find love again after being divorced for many years.  And yes, my son and new husband get along great–in fact he seemed to be even happier than me at my wedding!  Last week at the the Canton Color Tour Jazz Fest I met the Bruces…Bruce Bruce (his real name!) and his wife Patricia.  They stopped me to give me their congratulations and upon hearing that they had been married 34 years, I had to ask them:  what’s the secret.  One of the things they told me was don’t take everything so seriously–enjoy each other and have fun.  I like that advice.  What do you think…fellow old married ladies and men?  Any more advice, write me at kovach@wvmv.com or simply use the comment section below.

Me with the Bruces in Canton

I’m really enjoying Hill  Harper’s “Letters to a Young Sister”! Hill, along with other notables answer the questions of young girls who are going through…well, what young girls do!  I wish I had this type of advice coming up.  Young girls go through such needless self esteem issues.  I’m sure things are ten times as bad as when I was young based on how I see adolescent girls portrayed in the media.  Talk about growing up too fast!  Hill talks straight on peer pressure, gossip, body image and more.  It’s a great read, especially if you have a daughter.  As the mother of a son, I found it helpful as well.

I have a new book to recommed along with my friends at Borders.  I wanted to share an email I received not long ago: 

Hi Sandy,

I  just wanted to tell you that you made a great choice this month with Letters to a Young Sister. I read Hill Harper’s first essays Letters to a Young Brother two years ago. they were great in inspiring African American youth as well as all youth. He has done a lot with intercity youth in New York. Being on jeporady last year was a plus. I hope that you get to meet him since there will be 2 book signings. He is a wonderful man. I think you will like him and I look forward to reading the new book myself.
 
Have a great week.
 
Joslyn

I’d love to hear your comments too…you can email me or click the comment button below!

Joan Anderson is a best selling author and I can see why.  Her book, “The Second Journey (the road back to yourself)” was such a pleasant escape…and a learning experience at the same time.  Joan is specifically addressing women and their “journeys” through life–even if they are as she calls them “accidental journeys” or “counterfeit journeys”.  She asks us to be honest with ourselves and helps us to do just that with her own stories and struggles.  It’s liking getting really cool insight from a wise friend.  She talks so much too about the flurry of busyness we find ourselves in and how to stop and smell the roses in the midst of it.  It couldn’t come at a better time for me as I get ready for my wedding while handling the usual day to day work and mom stuff.  People say I’m handling it well, but yesterday somewhere between  the dress fitting and my son’s baseball game, I realized there was a ticking time bomb inside.  Good thing I had Joan’s book to curl up with at the end of the day.  It seems everything is going to be just fine. In fact, as the saying goes: “I am too blessed to be stressed”!  So, in conclusion…do read Joan’s book–it may not be a day at the beach…but sometimes it feels like one!

I am sincerely grateful to everyone at Botsford Center for Health Improvement.  The spectuclar results, the advice and yes–pushing–made all the difference.  Have you seen the results on the new video? Got to keyword “shape up” on the home page and take a peak if not.  Just 12 weeks and I am now in the best shape of my life…better than I was when I was a “gym rat” in my 20’s.  Mulitple inches lost, pounds lost, body fat content down 29% and triple digit percentage  gains in arm strength are just a few of the stats. Why such an improvement? At BCHI, they took the time to assess my specific needs, fitness level and what I needed to and wanted to work on.  My trainer made a huge difference too!  Now, I did refer to him in fun as “my torturer”–and yes, sometimes I was uncomfortable to say the least…but Mark knew what he was doing.  If you had asked me a few months back do I need or want a trainer, I would have been more likely to say I was planning on flying to the moon.  But, I have to tell you–if you really want to reach your goals, a trainer –a good trainer, like Mark–is worth every penny. 

I made so many friends at BCHI–too many to list–but they know who they are.  I should single out my girl, Marjorie–who stuck up for me and chided Mark for trying to kill me every week.  I think it made him feel guilty…speaking of which I got my revenge on him in  our “training the trainer” episode on the new video.  I hope you enjoy it…and all those who have or had trainers will particularly like it.  Here is a picture of the filming…

 Here I am telling Mark to hold in his tummy while I lounge and  indulge in popcorn (above) and below with Mark, Chris (who did my first assessment) and Annie, my nutritionist.  Just a note:  with a few minor healthier food choices, along with the exercise, I was able to get great results! And I got a great party at the end of it…thanks to Monica, Janet, Amanda and the whole staff for putting it together.

So, if you’ve been putting it off…like I was, I urge you to get in shape in whatever way works for you.  You’ll feel so much better! You know I love Botsford Center for Health Improvement–and they are running that special through May 31.  Just call them at  (248) 473-3100  and mention me or Smooth Jazz–but beware of Mark (just kidding–sort of!).  Let me know how you do with your fitness efforts at BCHI or elsewhere. The timing is great for summer…and it couldn’t have worked out better for me.  I have a very BIG day coming up in June..and I’m not talking about Smooth Jazz Fest.  Can you guess?  There will be cake, flowers and a gown involved…