BMHA Benefit Polo Tournament

Awwww….spring is in the air. And for this little girl, that means one thing. Polo season! In fact, with a few rides under my belt already, the season for me is looking hopeful.

Every year my polo club sponsors at least two tournaments. And every year we talk about how we “shoulda” done a big benefit tournament. We are done talking about it. We actually have the wheels in motion and are doing it! And it’s going to be impressive.

Mark your calendars for August 13-15 for a time you won’t want to miss out on. Starting on Friday August 13, we will have TooBamBoo playing; a beer garden and a salsa cook off. More details on these events are emerging every day so stay tuned. We kick off that night at 5 PM and will go until 8 PM.

Saturday, tournament play begins at 9 AM. So far, I have almost 4 full teams planning to attend and compete. These athletes are coming from Corvallis, Spokane, Northwestern Washington and Boise, Idaho. Noon on this same day will have a celebrity walk/trot match with local celebrities. We have some committed, some declined and some who need to be committed. I’ll have that list for you as time draws closer. Then after our celebs knock it out of the park, we’ll go back to tournament play.

Sunday we will have championship matches and then a parade of hats! Keep those derby hats out, Ladies after the derby. We have some great prizes starting with a $99 pearl and silver necklace from La Grande Gold and Silver. We also have a $25 gift certificate and gift basket from Cat’s Meow compliments of Erin Wylam. From Grande Ronde Med Spa we have a $50 gift certificate. So Ladies, it’s well worth it to come out and strut your stuff! This will be followed by more tournament play and our awards ceremony at 4 PM.

Admission to this event is $10 per car, a bag of dog food, cat food or a bag of cat litter. Vendors will be on hand including Joe and Sugars with healthy breakfast and lunch entrée’s so plan on spending the day. The La Grande Philly kids will be there and we are currently talking to some wonderful art and wine vendors as well. There will be games for the kids and a chance to win a bottle of soda from Pepsi, divot stomps, booths and of course, exciting polo action right here in Union County.

We still need sponsors for this event. Your tax deductable contribution will go a long way to cover expenses and put money in the pocket of the Blue Mountain Humane Society. Your dollars stay right here and benefit Union County. If you want more information on how you can be a part of this great event, please call Christy at 541.786.1613 and visit http://www.lgpolobenefit.com/. Every little bit helps. See you at the polo match!

Resolutions and New Beginnings

I'm sure some of you are thinking...yeah...she invites us to read this blog that she does not write on! You are a partially right. But don't think for one second that it's because I don't have anything to say. And those of you who know me know that that is never the case.

The year got off the ground with a bang but all in a positive way. I am working full time at the Med Spa now and loving it. But with that position came a lot of first of the year bookkeeping that kept my mind spinning. And as always, with the creative team there...the ideas never stop. Also, one of my dearest friends got engaged over Christmas and asked me to be a her bridesmaid. This is a huge honor and I am so excited to be a part of it and the planning has begun and well, the wine drinking too!

The biggest thing thus far in January for all of us is the oath of our new President, Barack Obama. This was a magnificent day for all of us and, like my president stated, it will take all of us.

It is time that each and every one of us ask ourselves what can we do to help get this country on track. There seems to be an awareness that I haven't seen in this country in the past 8 years. People seem anxious and excited to do what they can to help.

It's not foreign to our parents and grandparents. During WWII, it took everyone and their time and talents. If you weren't serving in the war itself, you were heading up rubber drives and bottle drives. Or you were sewing for the Red Cross and any other number of things you could pitch in and do to help each other through these tough economical times.

With the 80's came the ME generation and it was all about getting all you could. No more. It's time to get back to the 40's and roll up our sleeves and give of our time and talents just as our President is asking us to do.

Now I can hear your question. What am I doing. Well here you go. First of all, early this fall I teamed with my business, Grande Ronde Med Spa to be the drop site for Union County Youth in Transition. Working closely with Pam Dodds at La Grande High School, there are currently over 140 homeless or couch hopping youth in my county. The Med Spa continues to receive blankets and coats for these kids during this tough winter and we have made it know that our business will continue to be a drop site for your donations.

Grande Ronde Med Spa is also joining forces with Habitat for Humanity New Orleans and Voice of the Wetlands to aid the rebuilding process in Southern Louisiana post Hurricane Katrina. On February 24th, which is Mardi Gras, for any paid procedure you receive on that day, 10% will be donated to the charity mentioned above that you choose. This is a great opportunity to assist in a worthy cause that costs you no more out of pocket money. Look for these opportunities and support businesses that team up with other charities.

Also, my son and I are doing the Walk for Warmth on Valentine's Day. Walk for the Warmth is part of my area's Community Connection to assist with heating bills for people and families who are struggling to stay warm during this very hard winter. As I write this, it is currently 17 degrees outside and windy. I am lucky enough to be warm but there are so many others who are not. If you are interested in sponsoring me or my son, please email me at Christy.Barber@hotmail.com.

We can all do this. We can answer the call of our President and the people around us that we see everyday. Like it or now, we are all in this together and we will get out of it together. But it will take all of us. It's time to put away childish things as President Obama said and part of that is ending the blame game. Let's get together, do what we can and help our brothers and sisters out.