That said, it’s time to move forward.  For weeks/months, I’ve been focused on my wedding on October 4th. Since then, I’ve been obsessed with the election.  That’s done and it’s time to focus on the smaller world: mine.  Back to work. Back to dreaming. 

To get “forward” started, I’m posting Imagine, by John Lennon.  My brother, Jeff, read it at my wedding.  The hopeful, peaceful lyrics mean a lot to family members and resonate today, which I think was made clear on Tuesday.  So, here it are the lyrics:

IMAGINE

Imagine there’s no heaven

It’s easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today

Imagine there’s no countries,

It isn’t hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope some day you’ll join us

And the world will live as one

Here’s what happens:

The biggest day of my life turned out to be a magical fairy-tale, as enchanting as our engagement photo above, which we call “Flying Kiss.”  

Saturday, I got married in the Scottish Highlands to my long-time Scottish boyfriend.  We were married in a historic community church built of granite walls and slate roof in the idyllic countryside of Birse. The church, the Birse Kirk, was originally built a few hundred years ago, but the date is not exactly known.  

On the way to the church, I was held up by sheep in the road!  It was a classic Scottish experience, giving the event a perfect beginning.  Once there, 20 minutes late, my father escorted me down the isle to bagpipes playing “Amazing Grace.”  My husband was incredibly handsome standing in the front of the church in his formal kilt.  My great-great-great Grandmother’s cameo perfectly adorned my vintage inspired dress designed by Claire Pettibone. My ensemble was topped off with a Cochran clan tartan shawl backed in a soft, pastel velvet.

We bound our commitment by handfasting, an ancient celtic tradition of tying hands together during the vows.  We pronounced our vows during a Humanist ceremony, vows in which we each wrote ourselves.  Our ceremony ended festively.  We threw Mardi Gras beads to our guests!  It was one of several ways of which we combined my Louisiana background with his Scottish background.

The reception that followed was held at my husband’s family’s estate, Balfour, nestled in the Forrest of Birse and surrounded by green rolling hills as far as the eye can see. Our guests were serenaded by a Scottish fiddler and accordionist all evening.  The Scottish jig broke out in the wee hours and the whole evening was over way too soon.  We stretched the night out until 4 AM by inviting the hardiest of our remaining guests to our steading-conversion home 300 yards down the gravel road from Balfour to sip Scotch by the fire.

It was a perfect day in so many ways … never to be forgotten.

It’s tough for athletes to switch careers.  But, we all have to do it at some point in our lives.  We can’t be athletes, or tougher, Champions, all our lives.  We have to shift.  It’s tough.

However, Micheal Phelps is so admired, he can do whatever he wants!  And, he has the clear work-ethic to train and learn as fast as he can.  I give him kudos for his performance hosting Saturday Night Live last weekend.

For myself, I’m not such a national figure as Phelps.  It was very tough to get where I am and the fight continues.  I cannot let up.  I have to continue to move forward and reshape, reclaim, renew, recreate and redefine to maintain a modest standard of living.  

But, I can certainly laugh along the way!  Here’s the opening skit of SNL the other night.  Tina Fey and Amy Poehler had me rolling on the floor in stiches.

Just got back from a trip to Scotland. I had my new camera and was lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time while the first massed bagpipe band of the day began.

It’s also on my You Tube page. See the links in the sidebar to see my other videos.

I hope you enjoy it!

The trampoline event ended up much like expected, with a few missteps from top contenders. But, that’s sport.  What surprised me was the results of the Men’s Platform Diving event.  The winner, Mathew Mitcham, who was not Chinese, but Australian … and he was a World Double Mini-tramp Champion (2001 Junior World Champ).  

This is significant in several ways.  Trampolinists have a history of becoming Olympic divers.  Of note, is Ron Marriot, the first internationally ranked trampolinist, 3rd in the 1980 World Trampoline Championships, to become an Olympian in diving and to stand on the Olympic podium receiving a bronze medal.  There are several other ranking divers who were formerly trampolinists, too.

Second, it is significant because I am a World Double Mini-tramp Champion - Senior Women’s Champion twice.  I’m proud of that accomplishment and what it has afforded me as a stuntwoman.  I have taken advantage of the skills I developed performing trampoline and adapted it to my stunt career.  So, when I started this business, fortunately, I had something to bring to the table.

Go Mathew!  Congratulations.

Blanchard is featured in my last post, but “The Godfather,” however, is my father, Jeff Hennessy.  Dad waited for years for the day to come when trampoline would be an Olympic sport.  It came too late for him to see his daughter compete, nonetheless, it is a victory for the sport that makes me proud.

Two Louisiana athletes, Erin Blanchard and Chris Estrada, made the USA’s 2008 Olympic Trampoline Team this week. Considering that only 12 countries qualify to participate in this event, and only one male and one female per qualifying country can earn a spot to compete, this is a huge accomplishment for Lafayette’s shining stars.

When I was a trampolinist in Lafayette, Lafayette was the mecca for American trampoline talent, thanks to my father, national coach and founder of the first governing body for trampoline competitions in the world, Jeff Hennessy. Our small home town remained THE place to train for serious athletes in the sport.

Dad retired many years ago, but he created enthusiasm for the sport. A couple of gyms in the area maintained trampoline programs. Industrious gym owner, Tara Guidry, brought in Belarus Olympian and World Champion, Dmitri Poliaroush, to coach her team of Olympic hopefuls - a move that proved to be fruitful.

Read more about these champions in this July 3rd Times-Picayune article: Pair of Louisiana Athletes Makes Team in Trampoline

… makes me proud …

It was short, but sweet, because I nearly skipped the audition altogether. Castings for car commercials are cattle calls.  A thousand actors show up all claiming to be expert precision drivers.  It’s usually a waste of time.  

However, since I’m a huge advocate of hybrid technology and anything in the direction of clean burning vehicles, I decided to make the drive across town for the interviews.  And, thankfully, I did.  

I guess the message is: Do what you believe in.

Upon moving to L.A. to become a Hollywood stuntwoman, I brought my athletic skills to the table. My skills gave me a leg up in the film business. I had just competed in the US National Championships and made the US National Trampoline Team to compete in the World Trampoline Championships in Porto, Portugal in 1994.  This video is a sample of my skills back then.

If you have the wonderful opportunity to watch the Trampoline competition in the upcoming Summer Olympics, you’ll be amazed at how it has evolved in such a short period of time.  I don’t know if I could have kept up!  Today’s trampoline athletes are absolutely amazing.  Check them out this August.