Jeans and Bling in 2018

Here we are, we’ve closed the first month of the year already.  With so many things on the calendar, I thought I would pause and gather my Platinum Sisters for a Jeans and Bling Brunch.  WOW! What a day! I challenged each Pioneer (the original ten ladies) to invite some of their Platinum friends for an afternoon of laughter and fun.  And they did just that!  33 Beautiful Aging Gracefully Ladies showed up in their jeans and bling and it was indeed a site to see. One Pioneer could not attend and was truly missed.

Being an Event Planner, the brunch wasn’t hard to pull together.  Being a Caterer, establishing the menu wasn’t hard either.  Determining how I would make it happen in my home was the challenge.  I wanted every lady to have a chair, at a table and not hold their plates in their hands or laps as they ate.  This is one of those little Terrice-ism’s that can create unnecessary issues.  Those things in which I decide that I want it like I want it! No compromising! (I only behave this way when I’m planning my own events 😉 ) Now, where do I seat 33 of my sisters, in one location, without tasking my husband and son to move lots of furniture?  Not just move it, but store it out of sight and put it back the same day! Hmmmm! My hubby had just gotten over the flu so asking him to move furniture was not an option.  So in the garage we go!  Thank God he keeps a super tidy and clean garage so making it look a little cute wasn’t that hard either.

On top of wanting what I wanted and my husband not being 100%, we got some snow/inclement weather earlier in the week.  Well, if you don’t live in Atlanta, or the South, you may not know that our cities don’t function well in the snow/ice.  We shut down! Everything!  Now, how do I grocery shop for an event in 3 days, receive the swag bag items that I’ve ordered, and the delivery of the rented tables and chairs when the city is closed? Well…I did what I always do!  I prayed and I prayed HARD!  I know God was thinking, she can’t be serious asking me to deliver some tea for the swag bags when other people need so many more important things.   Well, call me selfish because that’s just what I did! And as always…HE delivered! That’s the good thing about HIM, HE hears you and me!   Now, what I learned is that the postal service no longer has a slogan of “We deliver in the Rain, Sleet or Snow”!  And Amazon Prime/2 day shipping is great but your order will be delayed if it’s scheduled to arrive during a snowy forecast in the South.  So on to Plan B!  What Plan B?  There wasn’t one! So I kept God pretty busy on Thursday and Friday with more prayers! Like “I need that tea God. Please have them bring it today.”; “Lord, please clear up these roads and highways.”; “God, where is Fed-Ex with my mugs?”; “Lord, please, please melt the ice!”; “Please send the sun, Lord! Not your Son but the SUN!” And so on and on and on!

By Brunch day, everything had arrived!  Not when expected but it was here!  The streets were clear and all of my Platinum Sisters showed up.  Everyone that committed to coming, came.  I prepared and served Fresh Fruit and Cheese, a Tropical Spring Salad, My Famous Chicken Salad, “Made to Order” Omelets, Pork Bacon, Turkey Sausage, Shrimp and Grits, Quiche and a Vegetarian Dish, that they said was really good! Oh! And a Mimosa Bar with three different juices to chose from. They were suppose to have croissants but somebody forgot to put them on the table. The bread basket was out but it was empty. I didn’t notice it until everyone was gone. Well, I’m that somebody! So instead, I froze them. Croissants make a really good bread pudding. So one day soon I’ll make a Vanilla Bean Bread Pudding  with a Caramel Rum Sauce. And by the way, as I cleaned up…those beautiful white table linens were still white!  No spills! No stains! Nothing wasted on them! Now, I still washed them but I love dining with mature adults that know how to handle themselves at a table. (That’s the Etiquette Consultant in me coming out. LOL)

Now to my Platinum Sisters…They were all glowing, full of joy, looking beautiful and here to support my vision.  Of course, this was quite emotional for me.  When I walked out and saw all of their gorgeous faces, I had to hold back my tears.  I told you all that this menopause stage has turned me into a cry baby and this was one of those times.  But I did good!  No tears fell! Well, not in front of them.  LOL

I shared with my Sisters my vision and desires for 2018. A 5K Walk, volunteering our time, efforts and monies to support a non profit org(s), more fun events,  a cruise or traveling somewhere interesting and of course more events.  The reason the events are important is because we get the opportunity to enjoy each other, have mature conversations, dress up and look cute..or not, talk and laugh about things that only we understand.  We get to meet new ladies with similar life experiences from other parts of the world. Again just fun, and definitely no drama! It’s a feel good situation! And this is what you see in these pictures.  Genuine love and happiness! Then I shared a few things that I want to pen in the future…like a Gratitude Journal and a Planner to name a few.  Just some tools that I use faithfully to keep me organized and focused on what’s important.  So stay tuned!  It’s all coming your way. In the meantime, here are the Pioneers and our guests!

Do you see all of this beauty and wisdom? From my vantage point, we are a forgotten demographics.  Hollywood doesn’t pay us any attention because they very seldom use actresses in our age range.  Neither does the commercial marketing industry. How often do you see a middle aged women on a commercial/advertisement?  Hardly ever for me.  We’re there when selling anti aging creams, thick panty liners, denture adhesives, osteoporosis medication, etc. Some of us may need these items or not.  And we may all need them in the future, but for now I don’t. Maybe your market presents something different but mine doesn’t.  However, we have disposable income and some free time to travel, dine out, and shop just to name a few.  We still use deodorant, lotions, soap, shampoo and toothpaste.  We also purchase homes and new cars.  We catch colds, get headaches and experience a few aches and pains when working out or just getting out of bed. 😉  We still enjoy doing some of the same things that our younger sisters enjoy.  We want to dress nice and cute without dressing too young or too old. We wear the same brands of sneakers that  athletes wear.  We find what we want because we’re resourceful not because they are marketing to us. It shouldn’t have to be hard with the amount of money we spend.

Platinum Highlights is about US! That Beautiful Aging Gracefully Woman that’s Embracing the Grey (and all that comes with it)! This is not about the hair on your head turning grey. You can color it or cover it, that’s your choice! But I bet you have some grey stands somewhere, whether visible to us or not! Or maybe you’ve decided to have them removed when the appear like I do. I call it my torture session..a Brazilian wax, sugar wax underarms and threading of the brows. Ouch!  But worth it! 🙂 This is about feeling valuable! Not needed! Worthy not worthless!  Being mature enough to walk in your truth. It’s a comforting and freeing to embrace, love and accept me for being me! Looking back at my past and seeing my growth is powerful!

This brunch was the first of many events to come. I don’t expect everybody to participate 100% of the time but I do expect for those who choose to participate to have a great time.  Here are a few candid photos from our afternoon together. There are so many more photos from this event. I can’t download and upload all day and night!  This blogging thing is much!  Ill talk about that in another blog.  LOL.  However, I will share them on the Platinum Highlights FB page as time passes.  Make sure you follow me and subscribe to the blog to stay up to date with all our happenings.  We’re on the move with some great things being announced soon. Who knows, we may be coming to your city in the near future.  Let me hear from you.

Sending a special thanks to our Platinum Sisters, Linda @LCLifePhotos for capturing these beautiful ladies and one of our Pioneers-Adrienne @SoltoSolOrganicsInc, for my all time favorite Tobacco Vanilla Body Butter. She donated a sample jar for the Swag Bags. Check these ladies out when you can!

Platinum Highlights…”Gracefully Embracing the Grey” (and all that comes with it)

Seasoned, Unique and Still Beautiful!