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Boston Strong Chick Tee to Benefit One Fund Boston

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Boston Strong Chick tee

Wow, I can’t believe all the craziness that is happening in our world today. And today is also the 18th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing. I will never forget that day, as we lived in Tulsa and had friends in OKC that were there when it happened. I have several friends running in the Oklahoma City Marathon on April 28. One of them is Pam Dominisse (our original Strong Chick) and a few days ago she asked me if we could design a tee to wear in the upcoming marathon to remember the Boston runners.

So we jumped into action-one of my best friends, Linda Waters, owner of Beads for a Cause, lives in Boston and she loved the idea and told me that everyone in Boston is pulling together and the mantra is “Boston Strong”. We thought this phrase would blend perfectly with our “Strong Chick” line. And I have had runners asking me for a running tee, so I found one! It is a tech tee, 100% polyester, anti-bacterial and has UV protection.

So together with Beads for a Cause and the 26.2 Foundation (a 501c3 charity) we will be giving the profits from the sale of each tee to the One Fund Boston. Also, check out Linda’s 26.2 bead, a percentage of sales of this bead goes to the 26.2 Foundation. (and as a Hodgkin’s Survivor and Team in Training alum I love that a % goes to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society too!)

Also available are Boston Strong Chick Baseball caps-available immediately in Blue caps  with yellow text or white caps with royal blue text, but you can customize your colors if you want.

We have put together a pinterest board (feel free to share your Boston Strong pics on our board!) and we are on instagram too!

So here is a way to show your support and honor the victims of the Boston Marathon during your next race or even a run through your local park. Click on the Boston Strong Chick tee here to order!

Please join us in spreading the word!

Military Wife Strong Chick

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What a busy summer! Been enjoying the outdoors and coming up with new ideas for Happy First. So here I am, back to blogging!

We have been working for months on our newest tees, Strong Chick. Some of you remember our contest last winter where people picked the next “chick” tee. One of the top finalists was Ally Boulas who wanted “Strong Chick” and wrote about her mom, Pam Dominesse, an Army major  who was in Kuwait for 2 years starting when Ally was 8 years old.  Check out the “Strong Chick” blog post to read her story. We loved it and want to help families in the military. We thought this would be a great time of year to honor them, as November is National Military Families month. We are going to donate to military families with a portion of sales from these tees. Details will be coming soon. So after months of designing, here are our first 2 tees. We have one more coming soon.

Last week we celebrated a good friend’s birthday and Latife Myers (pictured) and her mom, both good friends of mine, were at the lunch. I showed my friends the tees, they were hot off the press. Everyone loved them! (yay!) Then we realized Latife’s story would be perfect to share. So it was pretty spontaneous, she took some pics and wrote me this note. Love it. Exactly who we want to honor.

Debbie,
I can’t express how much it thrills me that you have made a t-shirt for all of the strong women in this world, especially those serving in the military and those with a spouse, or loved one who serves. This t-shirt hits very close to home for me and my family. As you know my husband Dylan Myers has just finished his contract with the Marine Corps after four long years as an E-4,with Bulk Fuel Co. We have been through 3 deployments in the last four years. Oef 9.1 and Oef 10.2 (Operation Enduring Freedom),and the third a humanitarian mission to Haiti after the earthquake. Having a spouse or loved one in the military not only means sacrifice and strength, but it also means having a whole new family, with a completely different bond than any other. Throughout my four years of being a “military wife” I have met so many people that have impacted my life in ways I could never imagine, having that bond with my husband and his fellow marines is something I will always cherish and carry with me throughout the rest of my life. Having this shirt to share with the wives and the friends that we have made throughout this journey will only keep a tight knot between us even tighter. Thank you again for representing the strength we need while all of our loved ones are gone, I am extremely lucky and proud to have my husband home and safe with me, and I wish the best to all of those who need that strength right now in their lives.

Sincerely,
Latife Myers

So do you all know any other Strong Chicks out there? Are you one? We are looking for stories from people with a connection to the military. Let us know why you or a friend are a Strong Chick. Write on our facebook wall at our Happy First facebook page , email us, or comment below.  Would love pics too!

ps-click on the pictures to take you to the Happy First website to get more details on the tees.

And Strong Chick is designed for anyone to wear, you don’t have to have a military connection to be a Strong Chick! We all are strong in different ways.

Earth Day Entrepreneur Jeweler Michael Choi

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XOvivo

Hi everyone!

I am going to start featuring some of my entrepreneurial friends on my blog. I have been planning on this for a long time.  I have met so many incredible people through my business. Happy First is all about finding your passion and pursuing it. I hope to inspire you through my work and the work of others.

I thought with Earth Day coming up I would feature Michael Choi, as his line is created from using recycled materials and he is all about going green.

We have similar stories, as I was a CPA and decided to leave that field and pursue my passion for my love of fashion, and Michael was a successful engineer and decided to follow his dream in the artistic field of jewelry. Michael and his wife have two teenage sons close in our age to our sons.

So introducing my friend Michael-

My name is Michael Choi, a designer and maker of fashion jewelry at
XOvivo in Northern Virginia. Debbie, Happy First, and I met at the
AmericasMart-Atlanta in 2009. As soon as we met, we became friends. I
think that is because both of us carry positive energy… well…
Debbie is so sweet, who wouldn’t want to be her friend?

XO in XOvivo represents ‘extraordinary.’
Vivo means ‘of life.’
So… XOvivo means ‘extraordinary life.’

When you wear my jewelry, I want you to feel that you are an
extraordinary person living your own life. That is my goal. As part of
that, an awareness of the sustainability issues, and doing something
about it has become integral part of my workplace. From material
selection to shipping material, my team and I do everything that we
can to recycle, reuse, and repurpose. Being GREEN is becoming a way of
life, as opposed to, a marketing term to differentiate. And that is a
great progress.

I am an artist at heart, born to a painter and a fashion designer.
After an exciting career in engineering and high tech marketing, I
finally decided to follow my passion for arts. My wife introduced me
to jewelry making four years ago, and the rest was history. Looking
back, my past is evident in all of my work. My lifelong art training
and meditation help me visualize the essence of beauty, my business
and  MBA training helps me design based on value, and my engineering
experience brings my designs to life. In just over three years, we
have been fortunate to have over 300 stores carry our lines in The
States. Currently with two full-time and one part-time employees, we
plan to continue building our American brand and growing our business.
I hope to pay off my credit card debt soon 🙂

I currently have two lines for women; XOcandy and XOgreen and a men’s
line, menzEGO. You can see them at www.xovivo.com. XOvivo jewelry
lines are bold, vibrant, and comfortable.

XOgreen radiates extraordinary energy of women through bold lines.  I
use alternative metals to balance the boldness and the comfort of the
jewelry. A woman want to look beautiful, but she also wants to be
comfortable. I currently use aluminum with recycled content. It is
generally a stable metal with regards to allergies, I can finish in
both shiny and matte. When you put on XOgreen, the bold lines harness
the energy of nature and channel that into your beauty.

XOcandy radiates extraordinary vibrancy of women through colors. Hard
and soft resin are used to generate fun yet gracious look with an
ability to form curvatures and bold shapes. I am always researching
new material and I am so happy with this material that I import from
Italy. Extraordinary colors make you beautifully glow when you wear
XOcandy. The translucence adopts to the color of your skin, color of
clothes, and the light.

With menzEGO, we narrow the reach for a man in standing out in the
crowd confident yet approachable… artistic yet comfortable… edgy
yet calm… raw yet refined. The designs are inspired by my vision of
men’s code of life that I strive to live by. Materials include soft
resin, fine silver, recycled aluminum, exotic wood, and leather.

Be a Lucky Chick!

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Lucky Chick Long Sleeve burnoutMy newest tee is the Lucky Chick-I thought it would be fun for the Spring, my favorite season! It’s available in our popular long sleeve burnout and a short sleeve gradient lime tee. It’s designed with green in both tees so you won’t get pinched on St. Patrick’s Day, but I think you can be a Lucky Chick all year long! (Someone said they will be wearing it to the casino, didn’t think of that one-but that works!)

What is Lucky?

I looked up Luck in the dictionary and it said “success or failure brought by chance rather than one’s actions”. I am not really a believer in that kind of luck. Yea, you can be in the right place at the right time, but I agree with what my friend Kim Fuller said on my Happy First Facebook page-she’s a “make my own luck chick”! I love that! I believe that we all have the power to change our future based on our choices. And I know things happen in life, but it is the attitude we have and how we handle circumstances that creates our destiny.

I believe I am lucky because I am here! I went through Hodgkin’s Lymphoma 17 years ago and am happy to be here! (And have you seen that Happy to be Here tee?) I feel blessed with my family and friends and just all the opportunities and adventures that are all just waiting for me. I knew in my heart when I was going through treatment that something good was going to come out of my experience. Through creating Happy First I have met so many incredible people and am making a difference! I have met other entrepreneurs, survivors and patients. My newest friend is undergoing treatment from Hodgkin’s and she lives in South Africa. She found me through my blog. You never know where your experiences can take you. (By the way she is doing great!)

Find your Passion and Pursue it

In an earlier blog post, I wrote about finding your passion and pursuing it. It doesn’t mean you have to quit your current job or anything. Just figure out what you love to do and start doing it. You never know where it will lead you.  Some of you know my story, I started out in college as a fashion design major and then switched to accounting because I was so good with numbers and thought I would make more money being a CPA. But I was miserable; I didn’t like it-it wasn’t my passion.

When you decide on a path, it is like things and people just start appearing and falling into place. “Leap and the net will appear”. A word that keeps popping up with me recently is synchronicity. That word showed up in 2 different studies (below) I was doing on the same day! The dictionary defines synchronicity as – the simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection .

Some would say it is coincidence, but I like to think that things are not really coincidences. I have really been delving this year (my word for 2012 is delve-check it out). In January I signed up for both the Baron Baptist 40 days to Personal Revolution and started reading a book “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. That book has been sitting on my shelf for years-I don’t even remember who told me to buy it. I started these studies on the same day and it is weird (or synchronous) how these two go hand in hand. I am going to to tell you more about both in another post-what a creative journey!

Anyway Baron Baptiste talks about having a vision shift -he said “our greatest power to change ourselves is found in our ability to see beyond the veil, to see with an enlightened vision. He said a vision shift calls for attention, intention and faith. He quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson- “Once you make a decision , the universe conspires to make it happen”. He mentioned the word synchronicity.

in her book Julia Cameron said “Take a small step in the direction of a dream and watch the synchronous doors flying open”.  Another quote she included was by Goethe “Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do , begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it.”

I’m not trying to be weird or voodoo here, I am just saying, once you decide and commit to a path, things fall into place.

Finding Synchronicity

I feel like I experience synchronicity almost every day. People are just coming into my path. A couple of weeks ago I had coffee with Judi Groves, founder of Breast Impressions and Turn Tulsa Pink. I thought we were meeting really quickly so I could give her her Super Chick tee. Anyway, 2 hours later we were still talking! She is contagious. She loves life and helping others and has a huge vision. Then last week I went to a friend’s party and met Kayce Hughlett. Kayce wrote a book that I bought on the spot that night-As I lay Pondering Daily Invitations to Live a Transformed Life. We immediately clicked – we are kindred spirits. She just included me in her blog-Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds– I am honored!

Both of these women and I talked about how you are never to old to start pursuing your passion. All your experiences and circumstances are leading you up to what you are supposed to do now.

I want you to realize that YOU too are created for greatness. I want you to find your passion and pursue it! I truly believe that every one of us is supposed to do something with our talents.

What is your passion? Remember, each one of us can be a “Lucky Chick!”

Super Chick ShaRhonda

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I wanted ya’ll to get to know our Super Chick, the winner of our “New Chick” contest! It is ShaRhonda Williams Crow! I asked her to write a little about herself and include a picture. She has been helping us come up with the design, it is almost ready, cannot wait for you all to see it! Introducing ShaRhonda….

I am just a small southern Oklahoma girl, still trying to find my way into the “BIG” city life! I am a God-Fearing PT-SAHM!?! I have 2 beautiful kids & a gorgeous husband. I am author of my own personal family blog The 4-Crow’s and a co-founder of the blog The Real Housewives of Oklahoma aka The RHOK where I write as ♥Mrs. Hart♥. I work part-time as an Infant Teacher, Volunteer, Coach T-ball, Run a Professional Kid Taxi Service to and from ballet and sports practices/events and am a Self-Retired Banker- oh and am a Social Media addict!

Creativity is just part of my being. When I was a bank manager my employees always told me that I should be a teacher because of the ideas I would throw out there and make them do to achieve their sales goals. I guess my degree in Business Management/Communications applies to all ages at times.

One of my favorite quotes is “When real people fall down in life, they get right back up and keep walking.” Carrie Bradshaw.  This quote is one that has helped remind me many times of who I am and to get up and get going again. I think it accurately describes the “Super Chick” shirt as well- because a “Chick” who can honestly follow that advice after experiencing some of life’s roller coasters and curve balls, truly is “Super”!

I am very humbled that “Super Chick” was chosen amongst such great entries in the “New Chick” contest. I am absolutely thrilled that a portion of the profits will be going to the local charity Turn Tulsa Pink, $46,000 was raised by this organization in 2011 and I am so excited that we will be a part of exceeding that goal in 2012.

ShaRhonda Williams Crow

Now lets sell some shirts!!!!

Zen Chick

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Last but not least (and the Yoga people are going to love this one!)

Zen Chick

Why the word Zen on a HappyFirst shirt?
The first thing that usually comes to mind when people say “Zen” is a peaceful sense of being. People might not know why or the deeper meaning of this philosophy but a sense of “coziness” envelopes the word itself and positive free association flows: Zen is a retreat, a shelter, a cocoon, a heaven of calm. It inspires harmony and quietness.  Images of meadows, gentle cloud formations, sunrises, warm sunsets… A balance of beauty in nature abounds. It also brings up thoughts of warmth by an open fire, hot cocoa, comfort of surroundings. Your mind discharges from the aches of the daily rushes and settles into a soothing harmony. The word “Zen” is a visual calming trigger.

Proceeds for a charity: Food Bank
Why? People are hungry right here, right now.

-Caroline Berry

Strong Chick and Super Chick

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Love these 2 entries! Remember to vote at the Happy First facebook page-“contests” tab on the left!

Strong Chick

A female military veteran. Strong. A female entrepreneur. Strong. A disease survivor, single mother, lawyer. Strong, strong, strong. As women we have to be strong–our lives call for perseverance and more than a little grit, no matter how we lead them.
I know firsthand how tough and resilient women can be. My mother is an Army major, retired after twenty two years of service and a tour in Kuwait. She left when I was eight and returned when I was ten. Two birthdays, a Christmas, an Easter: gone. And as she was defending our nation from those who sought to destroy it, I had to learn how to be without my mother, and more importantly, without my best friend. Both of us returned changed. We both became stronger than ever before.
This shirt would be camouflage print, with the words “Strong Chick” around a beaming star. Women everywhere would identify with this shirt, whether a college sophomore or an Army major. Proceeds from the shirt would benefit Operation Homefront, a charity dedicated to helping the families of soldiers and Wounded Warriors cope with the battles we have endured and letting them know they haven’t been forgotten: www.operationhomefront.net
-Ally Boulas and Pam Dominisse

Super Chick

Super is an adjective meaning outstanding; exceptionally fine. When paired with the word Chick- an attractive girl, Super Chick of course means that the female wearing the shirt expels the exceptional beauty, confidence and hard work ethic that every woman naturally has. Every woman has an outstanding story to tell. We all have a history and a promising future ahead of us. Super Chick conveys this message to the one wearing the shirt and lets the rest of the world know that she is a SUPER CHICK also!

My vision for this shirt is the Happy First Egg with a Chick wearing a girly cape and of course an “S”! A crown has to be present. Either on the “S” or on the Chick. Then of course the words Super Chick.

My charity is near and dear. It will be for all the Super Chicks (and men) who struggle, have struggled or have lost loved ones to breast cancer. Susan G Komen for the Cure. In all, I have 13 friends and family members that have been affected by breast cancer.
You can read more about my passion and what I do with my son’s football team at the link below.

http://www.therhok.com/2011/09/do-you-pink-out.html?m=0

by ShaRhonda Williams Crow

Praying Chick & Spa Chick

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Today’s “chick” entries we are highlighting are Praying Chick and Spa Chick. You can vote at the Happy First facebook page– go to “contests” on the left.

Praying Chick

Anyone can pray.  Prayer can be done by anyone of any faith. No special talent is needed, just a sincere heart.  It can be done alone or in a group. Prayer is transforming. It can heal mentally and physically.  It can give us a tremendous amount of peace and comfort.  Prayer makes a difference!
As a mother and a Christian, I am called by God to pray for my child as well as others.  I truly believe it is one of the best gifts that we can give our children.  I started praying with other moms in a Mom In Touch group every week when my daughter was in grade school and continue to do so now that she is in college.
There is something incredibly powerful and beautiful when 2 or more are gathered together to pray.  When Fern Nichols started Moms in Touch in 1984, the group consisted of just a few moms.  Now there are groups in every state and in over 120 countries.  We meet every week during the school year to lift up our children, their schools and the staff in prayer.  As moms we support, nurture and offer encouragement to each other. We offer up praise, thanksgiving and requests.  We laugh with each other as well as cry.  We love our children unconditionally, and in this crazy sometimes scary world, we pour out our concerns before God knowing He will answer.
I could not be half the mother, wife, friend, daughter, etc if it were not for prayer.  Praying helped me through the challenges of child rearing, family problems, illness, death, and even helped me keep my mouth shut a few times 🙂  It comforted me during the times of 9/11, the Virginia Tech shooting and so many more!  I have built everlasting bonds with many others who I love dearly and am incredibly thankful for.
My involvement in this prayer group inspired me to come up with the idea of “Praying Chick”.  I believe it would look incredible over “praying hands”, and I know a lot of women who would love to wear it.   My charity of choice is Moms In Touch, who’s vision is to have every school in the world covered by prayer, and I believe it can happen.  Thank you very much for this opportunity.
Keep praying,
Shelly Morgan

Spa Chick

SPA is about Wellness.    SPA is actually the acronym for the Latin” Sanitas Per Agua” which simply means health thru water.   Water is the most elemental building block in creating a lifestyle that pursues wellbeing.
SPA is about renewal of relationships.     I love that we use spas and spa parties as a chance to connect with ourselves and those around us.  There are so many great stories of girlfriends going together and sharing in the experience of restoration and revitalization.  Couples often find that “spa-ing” together a wonderful renewal for their relationship. And most importantly when we think of spending time with ourselves spa treatments seem a perfect choice to rejuvenate without feeling alone.
SPA is about nurturing ourselves and others.  The primary components of spa are things we incorporate every day without realizing it.  For example when you offer a cup of hot herbal tea to a friend who is overwhelmed, it’s herbal therapy; when your child is grouchy and out of sorts so you run them a relaxing bath, it’s water therapy; when you give a hug to someone who is down, it’s touch therapy and when you wake your family up on the weekend with the smell of fresh baked cinnamon rolls and coffee, that my friends is aromatherapy.
A SPA CHICK is someone who takes an active role in her own vitality, enjoys joyful relationships, and cherishes themselves and those around them.

My Charity is the Tulsa Lindsay House who is dedicated to helping women and their children regain self sufficiency.

Kelli Lene

Spa Kamp Director

(Kelli is also a neuromuscular therapist in Tulsa)

Charity Chick and Drama Chick

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Here are 2 more wonderful entries for the new “chick” tee contest! Remember to vote at the Happy First facebook page – click on the “contests” on the left side of the page!

Charity Chick

Why “Charity Chick”?
 By: Amie Slemaker
Making a “Charity Chick” t-shirt would be such a wonderful addition to the wide variety of Chick tees that are already available.  I personally know hundreds of women who would wear “Charity Chick” with pride! 

Think about it…Who doesn’t give to charity?  Whether they give for personal or tax reasons, everyone gives!
Charities help address important issues in our community and our world. Giving to charity is a way of thanking God for all the gifts He’s given to you.  Giving back is good karma, the more you give the more blessings you receive.
Charities need help! So many people are hungry or are in need of other assistance. Your small donation can help save lives and/or feed the hungry.  The charity I have chosen to receive a portion of the profit from the Charity Chick t-shirt is the Add A Meal Foundation. http://www.facebook.com/addameal OR   http://www.addameal.org .
Add A Meal is a non-profit organization conceived and founded by my brother, Charlie Slemaker in the fall of 2010.  Charlie, with the help of friends, family, and a group of dedicated forward thinking restaurants is making Add A Meal a viable and successful fund raising organization benefiting well established food banks with the experience and know how to help those in need.  In Tulsa, the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma will benefit from all donations.  Along with partner restaurants, Add A Meal offers restaurant patrons the choice to make a donation when paying for their bill.  In the space provided on the bill, simply write in a dollar amount.  In this way, donations to Add A Meal are made anonymously and with no pressure, and you can be sure your money will stay right here in OUR community!

Idea for the design- I am envisioning a logo with a daisy and in the middle of the flower, hands that look like they are giving.

I personally THANK YOU for your consideration and your vote!!!

Drama Chick

I’ve been involved in theatre since I was a little girl.  My dad used to take me
to rehearsals with him when he performed in community theatre productions in my
hometown.  From there, my love of theatre grew and I have been lucky to have the
support of my parents in obtaining a degree in theatre and working for 15 years
as a director, choreographer and actress.  So, “Drama Chick” just seems to fit,
not just me, but all of us who have a little “drama” in our lives.
If this ideas wins the Happy First contest, I think that the percentage of
proceeds should benefit Youth Services of Tulsa.  Though I was fortunate to have
parents who helped me find my passion and supported me, not all teens have that
support.  Youth Services of Tulsa creates great opportunities for many
struggling teens in in Tulsa who need basic support and guidance. I know they
would appreciate a donation to put toward all of the great things they do for
the youth of this city.

Sara Phoenix