4th Annual Holiday Trip Part 2--Cave Dwellings and Military Visits

Destination two of our holiday trip was the Turkish region of Cappadocia. Cappadocia has the most unique landscape I have ever seen. Due to two volcanic eruptions in the region, the dwellings are made out of tuffa—volcanic rock.
We flew into the snow filled city Izmir and took a bus to our hotel in the little town of Goreme. The Kelebek Hotel is literally comprised of caves. It was beautiful.
I felt like I was in a ski bungalow yet the scenery was even more beautiful then I could imagine. Our room had a wooden door with two two-by-fours for a lock. There was no phone or television in the room which forced community in the lounge upstairs. The first night we were there, I inquired about “wake up calls.” Instead of calling the Kelebek staff came to our door and knocked. Too funny.

The first day we headed to the Open Air Museum. The Open Air Museum highlights the remains of Hittite civilization.

The home dwellings all made out of the tuffa looked like caves with large angular domes on top. Inside the dwellings were remnants of kitchens and inhabitants. As we walked through the city I was amazed to see that the churches still had frescos
on the ceilings and walls depicting different biblical stories.

After walking through the Open Air Museum we headed down to the heart of the city of Goreme. Because of the snow the city was pretty quiet. We went to several souvenir shops and sent postcards back to the States. We walked past the Turkish Army office on our way back through the city. All of a sudden one of the officers poked his head out of the office and said to my dad, “Excuse me sir. Our commander would like to have a word with you.” Fear washed across all of our faces. My dad said, “Ok” and headed into the office. Right before he entered my dad turned to Rochelle, Laura, and me who were all standing dead in our tracks and said, “Come on ladies.” I thought to myself, no!!! Oh Jeffrey (my dad’s name). Unlike the United States, the military and police walk around with machine guns. It takes a little while to get used to that idea in general. Even more awkward is having your presence requested by a commander in the Turkish army...

But we followed my dad into the office. The commander had us sit down and they asked us how we were enjoying our time in Goreme. We all answered with his questions positively. Laura asked the commander if we could take a picture with them, and they obliged. The pictures broke the ice thank goodness. As we posed for the picture, one of the officers put his beret on my head.
By now we were all laughing. The officers simply wanted to chat with guests in their town...nothing to fear. We had a wonderful meal in the town and then walked up the hill to our cave hotel. Our next day would be a tour of the entire region...

4th Annual Holiday Trip Part 2--Hagia Sophia & The Grand Bazaar

After the Topkapi Palace, Rochelle, Dad, Laura, and I headed to the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia will likely be crowned one of the new Seven Wonders of the World this summer. The building is significant because it was originally a Christian church that was converted into a mosque during the Turkish conquest.
Rather than destroying the Christian mosaics and symbols, the Turks simply plastered over them—preserving them. As we walked through the Hagia Sophia, which was enormous, it was amazing to see Islamic and Christian symbols side by side. There were also pictures of U.S. Presidents and other heads of states visiting the Hagia Sophia.

We walked through the rain over to one of the most prominent landmarks in Istanbul, the Blue Mosque. Unlike the Hagia Sophia which is now a museum, the Blue Mosque is a mosque that Muslims currently use. As a result, as portion of the mosque is open to tourists. The inside of the mosque was a gigantic open room with a large dome. The architecture was truly impressive but I felt like I might be intruding on those who were worshipping in the mosque.



After the Blue Mosque, we changed our pace and headed to the Grand Bazaar—the world’s largest market. The Grand Bazaar has over 1000 stores that carry shoes, clothes, leather goods, jewelry, spices, souvenirs, and more. It was literally a maze in there. A person could get lost in the Grand Bazaar in no time flat. Bargaining is the name of the game at the Grand Bazaar. Rochelle, Laura, and I were enjoying the shopping experience. My dad on the other hand, was not a fan. Eventually we let dad go back to the hotel so we could do take our time shopping. Our time in Istanbul was great, but it was time to head to our next stop: the region of Cappadocia…

4th Annual Holiday Trip; Part I --Istanbul

In late December my father, little sister Rochelle, and family friend Laura embarked on our fourth annual holiday trip. Four years ago my father decided he was tired of the commercialism of Christmas. And so dad planned on an Australian holiday. Why Australia? Because Australia equals cricket, and every Trinidadian appreciates cricket. Australia just happens to have the best cricket team around right now. But due to some technical difficulties and the great distance between Arizona and Australia, we ended up in London that Christmas. With the intent of going to Australia every year, we have now been to London, Italy, and Greece. This year, we headed to Turkey and Egypt (neither of which is Australia, but both are special in their own right.)

When I told my friends that I was headed to Turkey and Egypt, they were alarmed at the prospect given the current social climate. I must admit that their concern made me a little nervous about spending Christmas and New Year’s in two Islamic countries. But I was ready for the experience.

Rochelle and I flew home to Arizona from Nashville and Austin, and two days later headed out. (Fortunately, I was released from my jury duty obligation.) We flew to Turkey on British Airways through Heathrow. When we arrived to Turkey it was late at night. We were picked up by the Apricot Hotel shuttle and headed to our hotel. At the Apricot, we were introduced to the Turkish delicacy, Apple Tea. Now I call it a Turkish delicacy, but I learned that no one drinks it but the tourists. Sigh. Apple Tea is like unsweetened apple cider. It is served all day long and it tastes divine!


From my hotel room I could see the Blue Mosque, one of Istanbul’s greatest sites. This was the first time I had seen a mosque up close. We woke up the next morning and enjoyed a homemade breakfast at the hotel. Then we set out to see the sites: Topkapi Palace, Aya Sofia, and the Blue Mosque.


Topkapi Palace is now a museum with amazing relics including thrones, gold and jewel encrusted items, and Islamic artifacts. As we walked through the palace and learned about the former sultans, I was surprised to learn that Topkapi Palace holds John the Baptist’s hand and Moses’ staff. The staff was not on display, but John the Baptist’s hand was… It was in that moment that I realized the amount of history in Turkey.

There were many school children touring the Topkapi at the same time. The children were more interested with my family then the history—they waved, said hello, and took pictures of us as we walked by. It was then that I realized there aren’t many black people in Turkey—we didn’t see more than ten during our entire trip.


Off to the Hagia Sophia . . .
-RXW

BET Hip Hop Awards--Part II

After enjoying the prevent festivities, the morning of the Hip Hop awards was work time. I had the honor of doing red carpet interviews for BET. I must admit I was nervous and excited about interviewing the artists because this was my first experience on the other side of the carpet. When I arrived I found my spot on the carpet: right after the print photographers and between MTV and CNN. I acclimated myself with my crew, got ready for the big event, and did a stand up (a quick and fun into for the footage, describing the event). As soon as the red carpet announcer announced the arrival of the first celebrity, I knew it was game time. As the celebrities walked the carpet with their publicist, BET handlers, and their entourage, the energy grew. Everyone on my side of the red rope was vying to get the biggest named talent to stop for a quick interview. My crew and I worked as a team to get our targeted celebrities over to the camera.

Soon, I could barely hear the celebrities I was interviewing. I interviewed TI, Ludacris, Jermaine Dupri, Busta Rhymes, Flava Flav and his girlfriend Delicious, Evander Holyfield and many more. With the recent death of Gerald Levert I asked the biggest names in hip hop about the legend’s passing, in addition to questions about the significance of the first annual Hip Hop Awards. I have to admit that my biggest personal treat for me was interviewing Keisha Knight Pulliam aka Rudy Huxtable. It was a treat to meet the actress who played Rudy; after all I grew up thinking I was Rudy from the Cosby show.

My experience at the BET Awards taught me a lot about interviewing. I am looking forward to getting out there again.

-RXW

BET Hip Hop Awards Trip--Part 1

Last weekend, I met my little sister, Rochelle in ATL for the 1st Annual BET Hip Hop Awards. Let me tell you, it was a weekend to remember. Rochelle and I were certain that this was our first trip to Atlanta, but my dad reminded me that we used to go to Atlanta frequently when we were little. It is funny what you forget about your young childhood.

We arrived on Thursday night just in time for dinner at our hotel, the Marriott Marquis (which if you have ever been there you know that the Marquis is one of the most dizzying hotels ever). I was pumped to see my little sister. Rochelle lives in Nashville where she is attending Meharry Medical College. She is quite studious and so I don’t see my girl as much as I used to. I was thrilled to have Rochelle as my date for the event. The next day Rochelle and I went driving around the city. Atlanta is beautiful. Rochelle is the official driver in the family which works out well with me because I hate driving. So Rochelle took the wheel and we met up with my dear friend from college and beyond, Chris.
Chris took us to an excellent restaurant owned by the Buckhead Life Group (I remember that because Chris said the name repeatedly). We caught up with Chris before we headed to the malls; there are literally two awesome malls across the street from each other, for a little shopping.

When it was time to head home, we spotted a Rochelle favorite, Panera Bread, and encountered an employee whose sole source of entertainment was tricking us. He kept leading us to believe that our order was wrong only to find out he was messing with us. After engaging the employee in his game, we headed home and got ready for the Interscope Records party at The Verve, a new downtown club. Knowing that we had two more days of events, Rochelle and I paced ourselves and went home relatively early. More on my Atlanta trip to come . . .
- RXW

Bobby Bones & Blue October

So last week I had the great pleasure of attending the Bobby Bones Show 77th Anniversary Bash. Bobby Bones is my favorite morning radio show (you can listen on KISSFM in Austin).

The Bash featured Blue October. Now I will be the first to admit I knew I liked their song but I couldn’t remember which song they sang. I mean there are a lot of new bands on the scene i.e., Snow Patrol, and The Fray, Blue October, Hinder—I can’t keep them all straight! Nonetheless I was excited to see them perform and get to the bottom of this.

Never one to be unprepared, I got on MySpace and figured out that Blue October sings, Hate Me. I love Hate Me—it is the ultimate love song of thanks. And the violin is so beautiful amidst the tragic song.

I went to the Bash with Sarah (from the Baylor/UT game) and met up with Daniel and Deanna.
I will admit that I didn’t know what to expect. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a huge party or an intimate gathering. I am happy to report that it was an intimate gathering of the show’s friends and family. We mingled, laughed, and when it came town listened to Blue October.

I walked in as a fan of Hate Me, and walked out a fan of Blue October. They were excellent live. I mean excellent. The lead singer’s voice was better than it is on the radio. And my beloved violin was there front and center. I loved Hate Me and actually loved another song they sang even more.

The Bash was fun from beginning to end, and I am glad I was able to celebrate with my favorite morning show: The Bobby Bones Show.


Thank you Bobby, Lunchbox, Sara, Amy, and Intern Carlos, for waking me up in the morning.

-RXW

Jazzercise for the Cure -- The Results

I could not make it through Breast Cancer Awareness Month without doing my part for the cure! About six weeks ago, Jazzercise Inc. District Manager, Judy Carson, Donna Gore-Frieburger, Jeri Saper, Terri Bartlett, and I began talking about organizing a Jazzercise event benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Our group along with Judith Gann soon turned into a committee organizing Austin’s Jazzercise For the Cure.

Sometimes events were meant to happen--Jazzercise for the Cure is one of those events. Everything came together and the event raised money for the fight against breast cancer, while creating as sense of community among the Jazzercisers of SWTX and the generous sponsors and vendors. I sincerely could not have asked for more. This event was bigger than my desire to do something for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Here are the highlights:

We spent only four weeks completing tasks including, setting the class schedule, coordinating instructors, aligning advertising, acquiring sponsors, selecting vendors, and encouraging participants.
In the end, 350 women and a handful of men gathered at the Hyatt Austin at Town Lake and raised over $50,000 for the fight against breast cancer.

I have to give a “shout out” to my co-emcee and Jazzercise Inc. Vice President of International and Corporate Events Kenny Harvey.
It is known that where Kenny goes, laughter will follow. Kenny is on top of his game and has fun doing it. I loved emceeing with Kenny, and definitely learned some tricks of the trade backstage.

I taught the first routine of the event. I have to say that before I got on stage to start the festivities with Kenny, the crowd seemed sparse.
But by the time I started the first stretch in the first routine the room was packed and the energy level was through the roof. For the next three hours, we danced to the music of Christina Aguilera, Natasha Bedingfield, Keith Urban, and more.

During one of the intermissions the Junior Jazzercisers of Austin performed and adorable routine to Peanut Butter and Jelly Time – they were so cute and had more rhythm than I could muster in my tweens.


I have to give a special thanks to the Founder and CEO of Jazzercise, Judi Sheppard Missett who generously taught our finale class. We were delighted when Judi agreed to attend our event.
Not only did she teach a power packed, fun-filled class, but she also was supported the local instructors by watching the two classes prior, and did a meet and greet with the participants. When you meet Judi and take one of her classes, you know why Jazzercise has such longevity and just completed its’ most successful year ever.


The success of this event would not have been possible without our sponsors: Hyatt Regency Austin on Town Lake, Persidea, The Waters, Armadillo Clay & Supplies, Anna Maria’s Boutique, and Premier Atelier.

I can’t wait until Jazzercise for the Cure 2007!
- RXW

Administrative Professionals Conference

Last week I headed to Orlando for the Administrative Professionals Conference. Tammy, Charmaine, and I spoke on a panel called, You’re Fired, life after The Apprentice. The event was a treat because I hadn’t seen Tammy since we went to Rockstar:Supernova or Charmaine since the finale. I arrived the day before our panel discussion. After I got situated, I joined Charmaine by the pool. We caught up on our lives and reminisced about good times. Charmaine is not only über successful in Tennessee real estate, but she also launched her new company and realtor location website. Tammy arrived a few hours later and I met her for dinner. Tammy launched her company, Theresa Kathryn business handbag line for women this year and has been taking the handbag industry by storm. As Tammy updated me on her company, I updated her on my upcoming book launch, and my consulting company, RXW.


The next morning The Apprentice trio spoke to Administrative Professionals from around the world. Our moderator, the fantastic Lorinda Lewis worked the crowd with the microphone as the conference attendees peppered us with excellent questions about the show, business, women, and entrepreneurship.

As the panel wound down, three women came up to me beaming—they were from Trinidad and Tobago, where my parents are from (side bar, my parents moved to the States when my mother was pregnant with me). The ladies were like family. They brought me Trinidadian delicacies: bitters and tamarind balls. Too sweet!

My first visit to Orlando was a quick trip—there and back in 24 hours—but a good experience. The next time I head to Orlando, I hope to see more than the resort.

-RXW

Baylor v. UT: Bears Victory

So this has been the best college football season of all time. My teams Michigan and Baylor are Rockin’ it! Michigan is #2 in the country roaring towards #1 with an Ohio State upset next month (you watch!). And Baylor is on it’s way to having the first winning season since we entered the Big 12.

My Bears played UT in Austin a couple weeks ago, and I had the pleasure of attending the game with my friend Sarah, compliments of a diehard UT fan, Joe. My requirement for a “good game” was Baylor getting on the board . . . in both halves. (Last year we were shut out 60ish-0.) The game started with the national anthem, the UT fight song, and the Good Ol’ Baylor Line. I stood up in a sea of burnt orange with my bear claw and sang the Baylor song. When I was done, the UT fans surrounding me clapped and gave me props for supporting my team. I bowed and said, “Thank you, I will be here all night.” And here I was. The first team to make it on the scoreboard was Baylor! We scored first. When the referees put their touchdown there was a complete hush in the stadium. Even Baylor fans were astonished. Suddenly the fact that we scored hit me and I jumped up in jubilee. As Baylor continued to lead, 10-0, and then fell behind, I was happily rooting my team on.

In the end we lost the game and I lostmy voice, but we performed like champions and earned the respect of the UT fans—putting fear into their hearts during the first quarter will do that. It was a sweet victory of sorts.

I am proud to be a Baylor Bear (and a Wolverine).

-RXW

Reunited and It Feels So Good . . .

Reunited and it feels so good
As most of you know, I sent my sweet Yorkie, Bear to stay with Grandma in Arizona. My travel schedule has been so busy that I wanted Bear to have a stable environment. But I missed little Bear every single day. As my trip to Phoenix for my high school reunion was looming I was excited about seeing my little girl.

Bear (and my mom) was waiting for me at the airport. It was at that point that my thoughts were confirmed. There was no way I was getting back on a plane to Austin without her. Although Bear had a great time at Grandma’s, tormenting the Chihuahua named Sonny, and charming the humans, Bear and I are a pair.

Bear picked up some great habits at grandma’s house—she now knows how to use a doggy door and loves to do her business outside. So now Bear and I go on walks outside. Bear is also up to her old routine of greeting all of my Jazzercise students and hanging out with the ladies at the boutique. As for my travel? I still travel, but instead of sending Bear to stay with people, she is has a sitter who stays with her. So Bear’s environment is intact.

-RXW

Texas Conference For Women

Earlier this month I spoke at the Texas Conference For Women (TCFW). Life is amazing: two years ago I was an attendee at the conference watching The Apprentice’s Amy Henry speak and admiring her ability to compete with the “big dogs” on The Apprentice. Last year, I missed the conference because I was in New York shooting The Apprentice. And this year I was a speaker at the conference.

The night before the conference, my mother, who ran my exhibitor’s booth, and I attended a speaker’s reception at the Governor’s Mansion. I especially enjoyed the green and gold decorated room. I call it the Baylor room.


Martha Stewart, Nancy Brinker, and Yolanda Adams were keynote presenters at the conference. When I arrived in the speakers lounge that morning, I had the pleasure of meeting Martha Stewart. I must admit that I was a bit nervous about our meeting given the Donald Trump v. Martha Stewart Apprentice feud, but I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to meet Martha Stewart. Martha was gracious and engaging. We chatted about our Apprentice experiences and the Women’s conference.

I also had the honor of meeting Nancy Brinker, the founder of The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. As a board member of Komen Austin, it was an honor to meet Nancy and hear her speak about the strides we have made toward finding a cure for the second leading cause of death among women.

Between meeting Martha Stewart and Nancy Brinker, I spoke to entrepreneurs on the Joy and Pain of Being You Own Boss. I was impressed by the amount of women who own or are in the beginning stages of owning their own business. I can’t wait to see what these amazing women accomplish.

TCFW also has a young women’s track for junior and senior high school students. I had the pleasure of speaking to the students on Maximizing Your Potential.

I was delighted to be a part of this year’s TCFW and cannot wait for next year.
-RXW

Jury Duty 2.0

All my life I have longed for Jury Duty. Yes, my love of the legal system spans beyond being an attorney or a judge—I want to be a juror. It would be fascinating to see cases from a juror’s perspective.

Yet, everyone I know but me has been summoned for jury duty. While I was at Winstead my secretary had jury duty at least twice. My friends in law school had jury duty, college friends had jury duty, my teachers had jury duty, my Jazzercise students had jury duty, my father had jury duty, my mother had jury duty when she wasn’t even a citizen of the U.S. Everyone had jury duty but no one wanted jury duty but me—the wannabe juror.

So imagine my surprise when I returned from an out of town trip and found a jury summons in my mailbox. The time had come for Roxanne to serve on a jury. But, of all times in my life to have jury duty, this is the worst. I am traveling around the country at a moment’s notice which makes it hard effectively serve on a jury.

I was scheduled to report to jury duty the day after I returned from my reunion. As I was scrambling out the door I noticed that I could report for duty online. Yes that’s right, I said online. How wonderful. I turned around in my heels headed to my computer to report for duty on ijury. Apparently Texas is one of a handful of states that has online reporting.


I took the time to fill out the application. The application consisted of giving information about my education and information about my schedule. Reporting was easy as pie. Too good to be true—right? Maybe. Here is why . . .

A week later, I received an email from ijury telling me that I have to be available from December 4 to 22nd!! That is more than half of a month. My question is whether I would have had to be available that long if I had reported in person. My hope is that I will serve on a day I am actually in Austin! Sigh . . . Bottom line, be careful what you wish for because you never know what form it will come in.
I will keep you posted on my jury duty debacle.

-- RXW

Rox's Reunion

It is official! Ten years have come and gone and it was time to make the trip back to the promised land known as Dobson High School. That’s right, I went back to the Phoenix area for my high school reunion. I would venture to guess that I haven’t seen 90% of my class since graduation, and in the last five years I have seen less 1%. Moving out of town right after graduation makes it hard to keep in touch. Yet walking into my reunion was like walking into at time warp where time stood still.

For some reason I have been programmed into thinking that reunions are events where you dress up in a prom gown—like the whole event is prom with older people. Forutnately, our reunion was held at Rustler’s Rooste on Saturday night and continued on in the form of a picnic the following afternoon. I decided that I was gong to attend the night event and skip the family picnic the next day in favor of hanging out with my own family.

I arrived at the reunion all alone hoping I would see someone I knew soon. My hopes were answered immediately. As I was walked to the end of the registration line, I saw Richard Joos, or Juice as we would call him. Juice and I have known each other since I was six! We used to swim together on the Tempe Swim Devils. I caught up with Juice as I waited to get my nametag. When I actually entered the banquet area (a tent in the back of the country themed institution), I was relieved to see so many familiar faces.

(BTW, I have fond memories of going to Rustler’s Rooste with me family, sliding down the indoor slide that was still there, and taking turns two-stepping with my dad. Good times.)


Honestly there were only a handful of people I didn’t recognize. Names were a bit tricky bu the faces were familiar. Sure, some people had put on the beer belly or had gotten married and had children, but for the most part everyone looked about the same.

Toward the end of the night, our Senior Class President, Stacia, gave out awards. I was the recipient of, The Most Interesting Job Interview Award—consisting of a certifplaque (plague meets certificate) and Donald Trump’s Art of the Deal. Too funny!


The best part about the reunion was reconnecting with people that I spent over a decade of my formative years with. Now that I have reconnected, I hope to keep those relationships rekindled for a lifetime.

Baby Willem

Last weekend I headed home to Phoenix for my 10yr high school reunion. But before I met up with my old classmates, I spent time with my family. My little sister Rochelle made an impromptu trip to Phoenix that weekend as well, so it was a complete family affair. I am not sure how it happened, but somehow Rochelle, my older sister Rhonda, and my dad arranged for Rochelle and me to baby sit our nephew Willem for a night giving Rhonda a break. Willem is my 10-month old nephew and the family’s pride and joy.

So Friday night, Rochelle and I babysat Willem. It was predetermined that Rochelle would be the main caregiver. No one ever stated our roles, but it was pretty much a given. I have never spent the night as an infant’s caregiver. Willem slept through most of the night and woke up once early in the morning from hunger. Rochelle and I both woke up, but Rochelle new exactly what to do. Rochelle fed Willem a bottle and he went back to sleep.

Willem woke up again around 6 a.m. for the day. At that point, I changed Willem’s diaper and then Willem was ready to go. For the rest of the day Rochelle and or I took care of Willem. Let me tell you that was work! Willem wore me out playing, needing to be fed, he was feeling very particular, and making sure he was okay. He is a crawler and can move at lightening speed!


The most precious moment was when Willem fell asleep on me. I was at the computer working and Willem was sitting in my lap playing n an extra keyboard. Suddenly I felt this weight on my chest and I realized that Willem was out for the count. Too cute!

We had a good time together. For me it was the perfect dose of a baby—long enough to have fun with them, but short enough to avoid the responsibility of taking care of another living being. After babysitting Willem (with Rochelle mind you) I absolutely admire my sister Rhonda even more than I already did.

-RXW

Pink HAAM

Last Tuesday was event filled. Clear Channel was kicking off Breast Cancer Awareness Month and their partnership with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation with a Pink Party: Pretty in Pink for the Komen board and Komen volunteers.

Tuesday was also the night for the HAAM Appreciation Party hosted by ME Television. The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) provides low-cost primary health care services for uninsured professional musician in the Austin-area. I also had a Jazzercise for the Cure meeting that evening in preparation for our October 22nd event. All three events were scheduled within three hours and I wanted to do them all.

My good friend Meghan and I headed over to Clear Channel’s office for the Pretty in Pink party. In fine breast cancer awareness month fashion, everyone had some form of pink on. It was great to meet the Race for the Cure volunteers and thank them for there time and efforts for the Cure.

Side bar: The Melting Pot catered the party and I found out that they signed a lease for a new location in downtown Austin next to Houlihan’s (across from the convention center). That is going to be awesomely dangerous.

I also met the Pam McKay, the new director of Clear Channel Austin. Pam recently moved from Houston’s Clear Channel offices. Pam is committed to the fight for the Cure and to Clear Channel’s involvement in the fight.

After the Pink Party, Meghan and I headed to the HAAM Appreciation Party. ME Television is located on South Congress in an old theatre. This was my first trip to the studio so Meghan and I took a tour of the whole building including the rooftop patio with an amazing view of downtown Austin. The event included live music by the legendary Marcia Ball.

Side bar: It turns out Marcia was Meghan’s piano teacher when she was a little girl. Unfortunately Megs did not become a legendary musician. Heh heh, but she is an extraordinary pr guru.

Meghan and I danced, well really kept the beat to Marcia and co and enjoyed the event. Then it was off to my Jazzercise for the Cure meeting . . . October, 22nd will be here any minute.

-RXW

Jazzercise For The Cure

This month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As a member of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Affiliate board, this month represents the culmination of a year of getting the word out about breast cancer including, early detection, treatment, and finding a cure.

But this October, I wanted to do something more than I have in the past. My desire turned into Jazzercise for the Cure. On October 22nd, Jazzercisers in Texas will come together in Austin for a half day of Jazzercise, shopping, fun, and fighting for a cure. Each attended must raise a minimum of $100 for Komen to participate in the event. It is our way of helping out our sisters (and brothers.

Four Jazzercise franchise, Judy (the District Manager), Donna, Terri, and me, came together at the beginning of September to put together an event in October. Short notice, I know, but it has been going well. With the help of sponsors such as The Hyatt Regency Austin at Town Lake, Presidia, and Armadillo Clay, we quickly found ourselves on the way to an excellent event.

Judi Shepard Missett, the founder and CEO of Jazzercise will be our special guest along with Kenny Harvey from Jazzercise, Inc. and me. Kenny and I will MC the event, and I will teach the opening routine.

I will keep you posted on our progress. October 22nd will be here before you know it . . .


- RXW

Rare Magazine Photo Shoot

I recently did a photo shoot for Rare magazine’s Winter issue. Rare is known for its creativity. Every page of the magazine is artistic and original. My photo shot was no different. I don’t want to give away the concept, you are going to have to see it for yourself, but I will say that my shoot was one in a themed series.

The photo shoot was at Volitant, a fairly new gallery in Austin. Martha Bell, stylist at Anna Maria’s boutique dressed me for the shoot in fun and flirty attire. So picture me in a gallery taking photos for a concept that I can’t reveal just yet.

Whenever I do a photo shoot I try to channel my inner model. We all have an inner model don’t we? I figure I have read enough magazines and watched enough America’s Next Top Model to have a little bit of model in me. So basically I am a dork. I walked in with my sunglasses and Starbucks, chai tea soy latte with a shot of vanilla, and chunky bag. Then I quickly took the sunglasses off smiled and was back to Roxanne. But for the 20 seconds it took to walk from the car to the gallery, I felt like a model. Ta ha.

As soon as the magazine goes to print, I will fill in the blanks, but until then, here are some pictures of me getting ready for the shoot until then. ;-)
Vague I know but the pay off will be worth it.

- RXW

Wedding Day!

No! Not mine. ;-)

So my friend Megan (aka Intern Megan) who moved to Virginia Beach last month returned to Austin for the weekend. Megan’s initial purpose for returning was to attend her friends wedding. Somewhere between moving to Virginia Beach and planning to visit Texas, Megan and her fiancé Cruz, decided to get married during their trip home. Megan arrived into Austin on Friday morning, visited the Bobby Bones Show, and then came over to hang out with me for a while.

It was such a treat to see Megan again. As we talked about her life in Virginia Beach, her relationship, wedding, and marriage, I could see how excited Megan was about her life. In the weeks since she moved away to be with Cruz, Megan got a true glimpse of what was to come and I could see how happy that made her. Megan’s smile was contagious. I was moved my Megan’s perspective on marriage and her relationship. She found her guy and intended on making it official. It is rare in this day and age for a recent college graduate to look beyond the wedding and at the marriage. Megan’s mix of maturity, realism, love was refreshing and encouraging.

But I digress . . . .the wedding was a private ceremony with family at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. On the day of the wedding Megan planned on getting her hair styled at Aziz in Austin. Megan’s friend and former morning show co-host, Sara, and I spent Saturday putting together a goody bag for Megan’s big day. Our goody bag included a big white Mat & Nat bag, the wedding day pack from Philosophy, Austin dish towels, make up, perfume, champagne, champagne glasses, and more.

Sara had to work on Sunday, so I took the bag to the salon where Megan and Erin, Megan’s sister, were hanging out. I also brought over Megan’s favorite fruit (green grapes) for her munching pleasure. Megan was surprised to get a gift. I kept telling her that it was he wedding day! That is what girlfriends do on their friend’s big day.

Megan and I talked while the stylist did her hair. I felt honored to sit with her on her wedding day. It reminded me of my friend Molly’s big day—when we hung out to at the nail salon together. There is something about spending time with your friends hours before they get married that is so memorable. In those moments there isn’t really a set thing you can say or do. All the static of life goes away and life seems so much simpler; so pure. I don’t know, but there is something really awesome about it.


Megan’s hair was done before we knew it and she was off to San Antonio to get married and start a new chapter in her life.


Congrats Megan and Cruz!

-RXW

Fashion Fusion!

Friday was Fashion Fusion! Anna Maria’s Boutique hosted a fashion show on at Terrace 59 (the rooftop bar at Speakeasy) and I was one of the models. I always laugh when I am asked to model because I am 5’3 and bowlegged. Oh well, if they don’t notice, I won’t either. ;-)

We all met at Saks at 3pm for hair and makeup. When I got there I was sent my John and Timmy (the head stylist and his assistant) to makeup. That is where I met Mary, makeup artist extraordinaire. Mary made my eyes look amazing. The eye shadow was gold and brown and swooped out to the sides of my face. Already I was feeling like this was going to be a top notch fashion show. Then I went to Michi for hair styling. When I got up from the chair, my hair reminded me of Marie Antoinette! Too cool. I had curls, flowers, AND a blonde streak. Now although I wouldn’t walk around on a daily basis with my hair and make up like this, it was perfect for a show. Michi and Mary (M&M) worked wonders.


When hair and makeup was complete we headed to Speakeasy. As we walked out of Saks a gush of wind took hold of our hair and we all screamed in unison and ran back inside. Eventually we remembered that hairspray was our friend, and we braved the wind and walked to our cars.



When we arrived at Speakeasy we did a run through of the show and geared up for the event. I invited some of my girlfriends to the event so I knew I would have support if I happened to fall.

The entire show was a blast! The runway was in the shape of a rectangle with guests sitting and standing inside and outside of the rectangle. The runway/rectangle was a red carpet, and at each corner of the rectangle there was a platform. I wore two outfits: A purple Emma Savahl bustier with gray skinny jeans (not forgiving to a curve legged wonder like myself) and a purple silk halter dress—accordion style). I strutted from platform to platform and did my thing (whatever that means).

Now I have been to a lot of fashion shows and I have to say that this one was top notch and true to the boutique. Everyone left having had an amazing night and anxious to visit Anna Maria’s soon. It was a perfect way to spend a Friday night.


- RXW

Michigan fan in a sea of Burnt Orange and Red!

So last weekend I found myself amidst a see of Ohio State Buckeye #1 and UT Longhorns #2. That’s right, I was in Austin for arguably the biggest game this season—The #1 and #2 teams rarely play each other this early in the season. The Longhorns had fans from all over Texas in for the game, while the Buckeyes brought 40,000 fans with them to Austin and rented conference rooms in the convention center and the Frank Erwin Center for their fans to watch the big game. Honestly, I didn’t care who won. I mean I am not a Longhorn fan (although I am slowly being converted); I am still bruised by our (Michigan’s) Rose Bowl loss at the hands of UT two years ago. And I am DEFINITELY not a Buckeyes fan—enough said. But as a Michigan fan, I saw the value in the Buckeyes winning, maintaining their #1 status so that we could annihilate them in November and spoil their season. Heh heh!

Well the Buckeyes won definitively and burnt orange became the new color for mourning. As the game ended, the streets became a see of red and burnt orange. The depressed UT fans looked like the world as they knew it was over. Buck up Longhorns! You are still the national champs.
And the Buckeyes were actually nicer than they have ever been in Ann Arbor. I think they realized that they were outnumbered and far from home. They kept telling every Texan they ran into how nice they were.

I seized this opportunity to have a little fun. Dressed in a peach top that Buckeyes easily mistook as burnt orange, I trotted up to Buckeyes fans and asked to take a picture with them. The Buckeyes happily obliged. As we were taking the picture, I yelled out, “1, 2, Go Blue!!” The Buckeyes looked at me perplexed. “No dear, Go Blue is University of Michigan.” Then I turned and said, “Oh, yeah, see I forgot to tell you that I am a Michigan Grad. So congrats on your win tonight, but know that we are going to get you in November.” This had the UT fans roaring and cheering as the Buckeyes grimaced and yelled, “we’ve been had!” Hee Hee, that was an absolute blast. It was proof that a Michigan Grad CAN have fun at a Longhorns/Buckeyes game.








(BTW, I am so pumped about Michigan’s victory this week. Bye Bye Notre Dame!)
Go Blue!

-RXW