Champion Ears and Champion Horses

ATIA Video Contest Results

smdussling — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:30:43 +0000

Hello Everyone

The results came in for the ATIA (Assistive Technology Industry Association) video contest. I am happy to say that ATIA was very very happy with their contest. They were able to accomplish their goal of increasing awareness of Assistive Technology for those of us that utilize them in our daily lives, through the youtube video contest.

I was delighted and honored that my video received an “honorable mention” award. Furthermore, I was glad to do my small part in creating awareness of using Assistive Listening Technology as a hard of hearing person.

Please do not be ashamed to use Assistive Listening Technology. They only enhance our listening experience and make our life a little easier.

The following link is the “The LifeSaver” the award winning “honorable mention” video about using my Fm Listening System, to compete with at Horse shows. Share with anyone that needs more information.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP8TTMI0OkU

BROADCAST AT

Congratulations on your award winning video entry!

The ATIA AT Video YouTube Contest closed on 8/31/09. There were 29 videos posted in the ATIA Group Contest area with over 95 members joining the group. The goal of the contest was to Broadcast AT and raise awareness around the world of the power of assistive technology. With over 20,000 views recorded the contest achieved its goal! The videos show a broad range of assistive technologies and feature individuals of different ages from toddlers to adults. Each video tells a story of how an individual with a disability uses assistive technology to communicate, learn, work, play and live independently.

ATIA congratulates everyone who participated in the contest. Their inspiring stories are seen and told in the videos.

Your video, The Life Saver, was given the ATIA AT Video YouTube Contest Honorable Mention.

We will be posting your award winning video with the following short description on the main ATIA web site with a link from the YouTube Contest area: The Life Saver video – featuring Suzanna who was born with Profound Hearing Loss and recently became a bilateral cochlear implant wearer. Suzanna is able to compete in the highly competitive world of Arabian Horse Shows with a Personal Fin System.

All of the award-winning videos will be showcased at the upcoming ATIA 2009 Chicago Conference (October 28-31, 2009) held at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center. ATIA and Easter Seals are hosting special Halloween activities for kids with disabilities and their families on Saturday, October 31 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. If you are able to visit with us at the conference, please let us know ahead of time so we can meet with you and give you our personal congratulations.

Thank you once again for participating in this contest and for helping ATIA Broadcast AT around the world.

www.atia,org

As Always, Have a Sunny Day Susanna

Shop Avon from the comfort of your home!

www.yourAVON.com/sdussling

Free Shipping Code-FSWER

Posted in Hearing loss, Horses, inspiration, Uncategorized Tagged: Assisted Listening Devices, FM Listening System, Hearing loss, horse shows

Walk for Hearing KickOff Houston

smdussling — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:05:32 +0000

Hello Everyone

I attended the Walk for Hearing Kickoff in Houston, Texas with my mom and dad at PrimaPasta.

I believe a great time was had by all. This kickoff was created to stir up excitement for our upcoming walk at Tom Bass Park on November 7, 2009.

It is for a very good cause-Hearing Loss Association www.hearingloss.org Hearing loss is a growing national problem, yet only 20% of people do something about their hearing loss! That is sad indeed. There are many reason why people do not do nothing. Some of the most popular reasons are people feel like their is no help, or there is to much misunderstanding, or they are in denial! and they do not think they have a hearing problem.

The event began at 2:00 with an excellent lunch catered by PrimaPasta to include salad, spaghetti and meatballs, and tiramasu! Which was absolutely devine! During our meal, we had a chance to catch up with others, while there was an awesome slide show in the background of our 2008 walk.

Once we concluded our meal, Ray Wathen was Master of Ceremonies, and he presented our program. It began witha short video of our National Walk, next Ray introduced our presenters such as our sponsors, Max McCarthy from Hearing Systems and Nabeel from WindStar Energy. Then, Lois Johnson our newly elected Texas State Officer gave a short presentation about the Houston Walk to include how to participate, set up your “Walk Page” and fund-raising.

There was alot of excitement in the air at the conclusion of the presentation. We all picked up “Walk for Hearing” materials and did some last minute visiting.

I had a great time and I hope you come out and participate in the Walk on Nov 7, 2009, go to my walk page at http://hlaa.convio.net/goto/smdussling to findout more, participate and /or make a donation.

As always, Have a sunny day! Susanna

Shop my Avon store from the comfort of your home with free shipping www.yourAvon.com/sdussling free shipping code- “FSWER”

Posted in Hearing loss, Hearing Loss Association, Uncategorized Tagged: Hearing Loss Association, Houston Hearing Loss Association, Walk 4 Hearing, Walk For Hearing Houston

Houston Walk 4 Hearing 2009

smdussling — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 01:50:24 +0000

Hello Everyone

Labor Day has come and gone, fall is just around the corner. Therefore, that means one thing, The Houston Walk for Hearing is fast approaching.

This will be my second year to participate in the Walk on November 7, 2009 at Tom Bass Park in Pearland.

I had a blast doing the walk last year, we raised a ton of money and a great time was had by all who attended and/or participated in the walk.

This walk is sponsored by the Hearing Loss Association of America at www.hearingloss.org . Hearing loss affects over 36 million people, yet only 20% of people do something about their hearing loss. It is a shame that more people do not seek help for their hearing loss. This organization provides support for people that are hard of hearing and they also do lots of advocacy work. It is an awesome organization. I am proud to be a member of this organization.

Here is a short video of the walk for hearing in action:

The Walk helps us raise money for both the national organization and the local chapter.

So, come on out, have fun, and learn more about hearing loss on November 7, 2009.

By the way, I also created my own personal walk page at

http://hlaa.convio.net/goto/smdussling

Be a part of my team and/or make a donation to a worthwhile organization.

As always, Have a sunny day Susanna

www.youravon.com/sdussling

Posted in Hearing loss, Hearing Loss Association, Uncategorized Tagged: Hearing Loss Association, Houston Hearing Loss Association, Houston Walk for Hearing

“The LifeSaver”

smdussling — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:14:28 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP8TTMI0OkU

Hello Everyone!

I can not believe Summer is almost over. Where did the summer go? I guess that what happens when you keep yourself busy.

Well, the above is yet another video that I created for another video contest. This contest was presented by ATIA - Assistive Technology Industry Association. www.ATIA.org This organization is all about creating awareness of Assistive Devices for those that have physical disabilities.

Many people are not aware that their are all kinds of awesome devices to make one’s life a little easier, no matter what kind of physical disability one has.

As most of you know, I was born deaf and now I wear cochlear implants. I love using Assistive Listening Devices, they come in all shapes and forms.

In this video, I share my personal favorite Assistive Listening Device and how it helps me to compete at horse shows.

I hope you enjoy the video, even if you don’t have a physical disability. I encourage you to watch it, because you will be learning some great information, that perhaps you could share with someone in your life!

Here’s a little more information about ATIA direct from their website.

About ATIA

The Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) is a not-for-profit membership organization of manufacturers, sellers and providers of technology-based assistive devices and/or services. ATIA represents the interests of its members to business, government, education, and the many agencies that serve people with disabilities. Its mission is to serve as the collective voice of the Assistive Technology industry so that the best products and services are delivered to people with disabilities. For more information about ATIA’s educational opportunities and conferences, visit www.atia.org.

Since 1999, ATIA has held an annual conference that provides a forum for education and communication to professional practitioners serving those with disabilities. In conjunction with its conferences, ATIA holds a Leadership Forum and Workshop on Accessibility which provides corporations, government agencies, and higher educational institutions with the information needed to expand their accessibility efforts. In addition to the Chicago conference, ATIA Orlando will be held January 27-30, 2010.

Goals of ATIA

ATIA’s goals include:

Establish and manage an annual Assistive Technology (AT) conference. The conference provides a forum for education and communication to professional practitioners serving those with disabilities (teachers, occupational therapists, rehabilitation counselors, physicians, psychologists, etc.), with the overarching goal of providing enhanced benefits and opportunities to people with disabilities. The ATIA Conference has been held every year since 1999 and is now established as the largest, broad-based AT conference in North America. In 2009, ATIA added a second AT conference to be held in the Midwest in the fall, (October 28-31), at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center in Schaumburg, Illinois. The ATIA 2009 Orlando Conference had over 2,300 attendees, more than 300 educational sessions and 125 exhibitors.

To “speak with a common voice” for the AT industry, and work closely with Electronics & Information Technology (EIT) companies and government, on matters of common interest such as Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and comparable continuing issues.

Support publications of itself and in conjunction with non-profit partners.

What is Assistive Technology?

· Assistive Technology (or AT) is any item, piece of equipment, product or system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities.

As always, Have a sunny day! Susanna

Posted in Cochlear implants, Hearing loss, inspiration, Physical Handicaps, Uncategorized Tagged: Assisted Listening Devices, Assistive Technology Industry Association, ATIA, Cochlear implants, Comtek, Hearing loss, Physical Disabilities

100 Uses for Avon Skin So Soft

smdussling — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 03:59:42 +0000

Hello Everyone

I just recently started selling Avon. I am having a blast selling

Avon. I thought this was an awesome article to share with everyone.

I always knew Avon’s Skin So Soft original bath oil was an awesome

product. Most people like how it seems to keep the bugs away, even

though it is not officially a fly repellent. Wow, the following list

shows over a 100 uses for skin so soft. Read it and buy yourself a

bottle at www.yourAVON.com/sdussling. By the way, I am selling

Avon to raise funds to take Chance to US Nationals in 2010. It Will

be a dream come true. Chance and I have never shown at the

National show. We are working hard with lots of practice, hard

work, sweat equity and horse shows. I know Chance has it in him.

The only thing is now I have to practice like crazy to be on the same level as Chance and to be a consistent team with Chance.

Furthermore, I will have another blog in the future about

specific uses for horses with skin so soft. There are lots of great

uses for horsepeople. It has been fascinating reading. I just

ordered me a bottle and I can’t wait to try it out on myself and

Chance.

As always, have a sunny day! Susanna

Over 100 Uses for AVON Skin So Soft – Health, Cleaning & More

Uses for Skin So Soft

PERSONAL USES 1. It’s a bath oil and after shower moisturizer.
2. It can be used to remove makeup.
3. Great tanning oil (no sunscreen).
4. Hot oil treatment to soften cuticles.
5. Great massage oil for tired muscles.
6. Cleans off tape marks left from bandages on skin.
7. Cleans ink off the skin.
8. Insect repellent.
9. Helps relieve itching caused by dry skin.
10. Cleans oil and grease off of skin.
11. Painting something? Use SSS to remove paint from the hands. (Instead of turpentine).
12. It soothes light sunburn.
13. Rub hands with it before washing, it helps get them cleaner.
14. Rub on dry, cracked skin…. helps heal skin in 2-3 days.
15. Put 1-2 cap fills in liquid soap and use it for shaving legs and under arms. Helps razor glide and leaves skin feeling smooth.
16. Pour a little into your Foot Saver to help moisturize your feet while you relax them.
17. It removes chewing gum from hair, skin, and most nonporous surfaces.
18. Cleans permanent ink off stamps.
19. SSS Original Bath Oil works GREAT on Head Lice!!!!! Saturate head and let it set for 15 minutes. Then rinse under an outdoor faucet, but the lice were gone!!!!!!! Of course shampoo hair a couple of times to get the oil out, but the lice were gone and stayed gone!
20. It kills ants instantly.
21. Spray on skin to relieve dry itching skin. Helps skin retain it’s elasticity.
22. Wash hair with shampoo and conditioner like always and after it dries…. Use about the size of a dime of SSS and rub it in your hair. It goes straight in and leaves hair as shiny as the ads on TV, not greasy at all, just soft and shiny.
23. Use bath oil towelettes — cover windowsill with towelettes to keep ants out.
24. (LICE) Sometimes, using a bath oil, like Avon’s SSS, will work to loosen the glue, which holds the nits to the hair. There is a product called Neon Nits, which when sprayed on the hair, will highlight the nits so you can see them to then snip them out with a small scissors.
25. This is to let you readers known about something that helped me for a mild case of psoriasis on my elbows. My internist recommended that I try Avon’s SSS bath oil spray. I did and it eliminated the psoriasis on my elbows.
26. Bath use, fill bath with water and a little SSS, very relaxing and gets rid of dry skin.

HOUSEHOLD USES

27. Sponge it around doors, windows, and on screens to keep crawling bugs out.
28. It’s a good wood cleaner and conditioner for natural wood.
29. It removes glue and gum left from price tags and labels from glass, metals, and most plastics.
30. It removes soap scum from shower doors and curtains, and bathroom and kitchen figures.
31. It removes lime and hard water deposits from fixtures, tile, shower doors and windows.
32. It’s an oil lubricant for fitting pipe joints that won’t slip together.
33. It cleans ink off most vinyl and painted surfaces.
34. It cleans heavy oil and grease from nonporous surfaces.
35. It takes fur off of clothing.
36. Rub on brass ornaments or figurines to help keep them from turning dark.
37. Removes crayon from appliances and most painted surfaces.
38. Wash cupboards with it mixed in your cleaning water to keep ants off and out of the cupboards.
39. Use it to discourage hornets from building their nests. After using a hornet killing spray, remove the nest and keep the area sprayed with SSS. They will not rebuild there.
40. Use it to clean leather; it will also keep it soft and supple.
41. Use it on your air conditioning screen (filter)–your incoming air will smell fresher and the filter is easier to clean.
42. Rub all over windowsills to keep ants out.
43. It cleans paintbrushes easily and leaves them soft as new.
44. It removes gum from carpets.
45. It removes scuffmarks from patent leather shoes.
46. Use it on running rails for sliding glass doors and windows.
47. It removes “ring around the collar”.
48. It removes liquid nail (paneling glue).
49. Two glass bowls or glasses stuck together? Drizzle a little SSS down the sides and they’ll come apart easily.
50. It removes candle wax from furniture, carpets and clothing.
51. Hummingbird Feeders: To deter bees try rubbing SSS on the feeder surface by the feeder ports.
52. Maggots too!! You squirted SSS in can and lid, then later flushed with soapy water, you shouldn’t have any bugs in cans rest of summer!!!
53. It is a great furniture polish!
54. Ok, we have a new use for SSS bath oil. Put it in one of the bottle that you attach to your backyard hose and then spray down the back yard! Will cut down on ants, mosquitoes and other creepy crawlies.
55. People around the outskirts of Eureka and surrounding areas (and sometimes in town) spray it on their rose bushes to keep the deer from eating them, and at the cemeteries on the flowers they put out there for the same reason.
56. Kills spiders.
57. It cuts grease and cleans dirt from range hoods.
58. Add a capful to wash water of clothes…acts as a fabric softener and keeps the bugs off clothes.
59. Spray on orchids and other flowers for moisture and to keep bugs away.
60. Cleans baseball caps. Just spray on and rub with toothbrush.
61. SSS I used this recipe mix one part SSS and 2 parts water on my tomato plants and kept those ugly old tomato worms off. I think that adding the vinegar would be fine too and would be nice not to have to shake the spray bottle all the time. I sprayed my plants about every 2 or 3 days. Worked grand!! Too late for most this year, but file this for next.
62. SSS bath oil also does a great job cleaning cherry wood cabinets.
63. Put a little in your mopping water to help keep crawling bugs out. (Not too much or the floor gets slippery.)
64. Use to clean windows.
65. Removes crayon from most surfaces.
66. It’s a great insect repellent (or you can use Bug Guard, the actual SSS repellent)
67. Screens can be lightly sprayed with Avon SSS to repel no-see-’ums and tiny gnats that otherwise might slip though the screens.
68. Another use for SSS is it will kill those pesky earwigs. Spray it on & they don’t return to life.
69. Also if you ever make candles, use clear wax and melt put SSS in it and harden works great for out side in the summer.
70. As a deodorizer, spray into air and let settle, kills those nasty pet orders.
71. Kids rooms if a child wets the bed, spray the bedding and sheets before washing and will give it a fresh clean smell.

ANIMAL USES

72. It’s a great insect repellent for your pet. (As recommended in “Outdoor Life” and “Field and Stream”)
73. Mix 5 parts water, 1 part SSS and mist on animals. Brushing it in makes their coats gleam and keeps insects off so the animals don’t fidget in the show ring.
74. Mix in your pet’s bath water. It takes the fleas off of them…and in between sprays them with the same mixture as in #2 to help keep them off.
75. Rub on your hands before and after working with your pets and farm animals. It will remove the strong smells.
76. Black Fly Spray For Dogs: Use as a spray or a dip. 1 cup SSS, 1/2 cup liquid detergent and 3 gallons of water.
77. For dogs dry skin mix 1 tablespoon of SSS per gallon of water and use as an after bath rinse. Or spritz your pet’s coat once per week.
78. If your dog should get tar or asphalt on the pads of their feet rub on SSS and then wipe off.
79. Flea Bath: Use a flea and tick shampoo. Rinse, rinse, rinse so no soap residue is left. Follow with final rinse of 2 gallons of water mixed with flea dip and 1 capful of SSS. The SSS helps replace the oils lost in bathing and has the added benefit of repelling insects.
80. Flea Repellent: Avon’s SSS Bath Oil. 1-1/2 ounces per gallon of water; used as a sponge-on dip (or as a spritz) has been tested and proven to have significant, but not complete, flea-repellent activity for a 6-day period. It should help those dry coats, too.
81. Does anyone use the Avon SSS bath oil on his or her chows? I have begun using it on Chancey and it has done wonders for her skin. Like, many chows, she has very dry and flaky skin, especially for being black. Since I started using that product, her dandruff and itchiness has improved tremendously and her hair has become shiny and smooth. It also serves as a great flea and tick protector. I use it about twice a month and I just spray it on her. I really like it.
82. I use the following on my horses and on my dogs when necessary. 1-cup Avon SSS bath oil 1-cup white vinegar 1-cup (or more) water 5 cc of essential oil of citronella (from the health food store NOT the type you burn to keep insects away that is available in a drug store) Mix in a spray bottle. Straight SSS works well for mosquito’s too but really makes your dog greasy.
83. (Barns) Use of an inexpensive fly control spray or a diluted mix of Avon SSS in water can be sprayed on barn walls and floor to discourage insects from hanging around or to eliminate them before putting in the new bedding. As time permits, and if you can keep your goats out of the barn for a few hours – let the barn stand and air out before re-filling with bedding.
84. Rub on your hands before and after working with pets and farm animals, takes away pet odor.
85. Avon’s SSS bath oil massaged directly into the skin of your Rottweiler acts not only as a successful repellant and makes their dogs smell good but helps prevent drying and itchy skin.
86. A natural way to help cats with flea problems and flea allergies is to rub Skin So Soft into the skin. Once a bug, always a bug. Fleas don’t like it either! Spread the word!
87. Cats: SSS IS SAFE FOR FUR LICKING ——-The SSS plus is safe as long as it is the one without sunscreen.
88. Don’t overuse the SSS. I just use the lotion, and rub it into the skin, not more than every few days. My cat’s sensitive and we’re being careful. Common sense is the rule. Sprinkling Yeast on the cat food helps, too. My cat’s fur is medium-length; he’s part Persian, and he’s doing fine, no ill effects from the SSS. You can check with your vet to be sure if it’s okay…

USES FOR HORSES

89. SSS can be used as a hoof polish. This will put a nice shine to the hoof without drying it. The farrier’s wife will appreciate this one!
90. SSS can be used as a muzzle, eye, and ear enhancer. Generally we used baby oil but it was so messy. I tried SSS and it works great and still helps keep bugs away.
91. I have a show mare that has allergies and also gets dry skin very easily so I started giving her baths in SSS. What I do is bathe her like normal and then I put a capful of SSS in a 5-gallon bucket of warm water and sponge this all over her. Her hair coat dries silky soft and she quits itching. Works for her.
92. The bug guard towelettes we had last summer work great on the horse’s ears and around their eyes.
93. When I have to band (braid) their manes I use the Techniques Oil Sheen. It seems to help hold the braids a lot better and they don’t try to rub them out.
94. The dry end serum works great in their tails as a detangler. Everything I have mentioned here I use faithfully on our show horses. The products are a heck of a lot cheaper than actual horse products. People see me using these products at the horse shows and start inquiring about them. I usually let them take my bottles and try them on their horses at the show, which usually ends up in a sale for me.

AUTOMOBILE USES

95. It removes tar spots from the car without damage to the paint.
96. Use it to clean vinyl dashboards, seats, and tops. It not only cleans, but also keeps it soft and helps to prevent any cracking.
97. After washing your car, use it as a tire dressing to keep them looking like new. 98. Put some on a small washcloth and leave in the car to help keep the air fresh and clean.
99. Wipe down vinyl surfaces inside your car. Cleans nicely and removes smoke odors left by cigarette smokers.
100. It gently cleans heavy grease and oil from skin and nonporous surfaces (great for Mechanic’s Hands).
101. It removes tree sap.
102. Prior to traveling…rub SSS on headlights and grill. It makes insects and bugs easier to remove.
103. Shines vehicle tires
104. Open a towelette and use as an automotive air freshener.

*SSS bath oil is approved by the FDA/CDA only as a bath oil.

Posted in Arabian Horses, Avon, Uncategorized Tagged: Skin So Soft, US Nationals 2010

Avon Earning Opportunity Featured on CNNs American Morning!

smdussling — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 14:25:46 +0000

Hello Everyone!

I hope everyone is having a great summer! I am back!

There is so much to blog about. Region 9 Show Results. The HlAA convention in Nashville. Toastmasters. B.A. Megiddo. Supreme Chance. My Assistive Listening Device Video Contest. San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon. Walk for Hearing 2009.

I am back, therefore I will be blogging regular again. Whoo Hoo!

The below article is about Avon in the News. I just started selling Avon to supplement my income. Why? My goal is to show Chance at the US Nationals in 2010; and I need to save money for his training and shows. It will be a goal turned into reality when this come true!

So,check out the following story and go to www.youravon.com/sdussling for my store. First eorder is free shipping w/ $30 order. Thanks

Avon Earning Opportunity Featured on CNNs American Morning!

Shared via AddThis

As Always, Have a Sunny Day! Susanna

Posted in Uncategorized

Busy, Busy,Busy!

smdussling — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 01:14:36 +0000

Hello Everyone!

What a week! This past Thursday, I was a contestant in an “IceBreaker” Speech Contest for Toastmasters. This contest was held by a local Toastmasters club called “Story Tellers.” Eleven of us, from various clubs around the Houston area participated. Wow, it was awesome! I heard eleven outstanding speeches. Just like people come in all shapes and size, great speeches are presented in just as many ways! I enjoyed listening to the others and I learned alot about the various contestants. After all, an Ice Breakers speech is a short speech about you! How hard can that be? It is not that hard to talk about yourself; however, you still have to organize it, make it interesting, and make it not seem like it’s all about you. After all, you are also trying to make the audience feel good about themselves too and perhaps learn a thing or two!

My speech was called “Dare to Be Different.” It was about a challenge, I presented to the audience, utilizing my experiences as a “Hard of Hearing” person. It was a positive speech, it really was not about my story, it was about what the audience can do for themselves to live their lives in a more fulfilling manner. I received lots of compliments, although I did not win. I may not have won, but I felt great after the presentation with the good feedback. I enjoyed the contest, it was my first Toastmasters contest and I hope it is the first of many more speech contests. As y’all know, I am competitive and I have a new challenge to conquer, winning a speech contest. There will be a contest in the fall, and I will be back.

Writing of competition, I will be off to the Region 9 Horse Show in Fort Worth tomorrow. I can’t wait! It’s been 6 years since I had shown at the Regional level. Chance and I are ready! We have been practicing hard and we had an awesome lesson this past Friday. Hopefully, we will repeat that same awesome ride!

I will be showing on Tuesday in Half Arabian Hunter Select Rider and on Wednesday in Half Arabian 40 and over!

Stay tuned, as I will post a new blog entry on how it went.

If you are in Fort Worth, stop by the John Justin Arena and watch the show! Lots of Gorgeous horses and incredible riders, with their patient trainers!

As always, have a sunny day! Susanna

Posted in Arabian Horses, Horses, inspiration, Public speaking, Uncategorized Tagged: arabian horses, Region 9, Toastmasters

Toastmasters D56 Spring Conference 2009

smdussling — Sun, 31 May 2009 13:44:35 +0000

“Reach for the Stars, Fulfill your Dreams”

This was the theme for the spring Toastmasters Conference held at the Clear Lake Hilton on May 29-30, 2009. If you were not there, you missed out on a great time. It was an awesome learning experience and it was alot of fun.

It all began on Friday night, with a dinner, introduction of District Officers, and the Evaluation Speech Contest. Wow, I was totally impressed with the Evaluation Contest. All the contestants did an awesome job. These contestants made it through 3 contests to compete at the District contest. The next step for them is the Area Contest in Denver and finally the International Contest. As I listened to the contestants, I learned many techniques to help me give a more positive and organized evaluation.

The fun and learning continued on Saturday. In the morning, there was the Parade of Banners, Business Meeting and the Governance Plan presented by Charlotte Howard.

The real fun began Saturday afternoon with an excellent Pasta luncheon combined with the District awards. Then we had three awesome breakout sessions, with the Grand Finale of the District Speech Contest.

The first education session I attended waas presented by Vivek Rajan on “Authentic Communication.” In this session, I learned effective breathing techniques to help me communicate more effectively. I loved the “ballon exercise.” It was a unique and fun way to get to know people during this session.

Secondly, I attended John Nguyen’s Presentation on Inner Strength. It was a powerful and thought provoking presentation. John presented us with a series of questions to help us discover our “Inner Strength.”

Most importantly, you need to discover what “Intangible catalyst that uniquely motivates you?” Secondly, “what are your core values?” Thirdly, “What is your mission statement?” Finally, “What does Succcess look like to you?“ Then, John challenges you to create a “Vision Collage” of what motivates you. After all, ” If you can see it, you can have it.”

Finally, I attended Vikas Jhingran, “Public Speaking: An Emotional Approach.” It was a real treat to listen and learn from Vikas, after all he is the 2008 World Champion of Public Speaking. Vikas gave us another powerful presentation. He used music as a metaphor to establish an emotional connection with the audience. Vikas emphasized many speakers do not take us out of our comfort zone. He challenged us to “Rise to the top and let it go.” He shared some other great tips such as the element of suprise, creating a title and how to create that “wow” conclusion.

By attending the Saturday afternoon break out sessions; I learned many tools to enhance and finesses my presentations. Speakers are always constantly learning and observing from other speakers. This was especially helpful to me, because I will be speaking at the National Hearing Loss Convention in Nashville in June 2009 on 2 presentations.

Lastly, we had the District speech contest. Once again, I was floored with the quality of the contestants! It was hard for me to pick a winner! I thought they all did an outstanding job. They all aspired me to be an even better Speaker.

As dinner was served, we heard a very humorous speech from Houston’s own Weatherman, Frank Billingsley. He shared his story with us, using lots of humor and the life lessons, he encountered along the way. Finally, Frank shared with us some of the unique reporting of Hurricane Ike.

I wish you were there! It truly was a memorable weekend! I hope to see you at the Fall conference!

As always, Have a sunny day. Susanna

Posted in inspiration, Public speaking Tagged: Toastmaster D56, Toastmasters

Spindletop Show Results

smdussling — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:50:34 +0000

Hello Everyone!

The weather sure was nice for the Spindletop Show this past weekend in Katy at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center. Sure, we had an occasional shower, and it was hot, but not too miserably hot.

As for the show itself, there was a good turnout from the farms and the classes were great. The judging was excellent.

As for Chance and I, it was a mixed show. I was only able to show Chance in two classes, I originally had more classes planned. However, Chance was not feeling well. Chance was having some “lameness issues.” I will tell you that he had stifle problems in the past and it has been corrected with medication. Occasionally, it will flare up, well it decided to flare up at this show. As we all know, horses can have lameness problems and it does not mean the end of their career as long as you treat it and manage it properly.

Therefore, I only rode Chance in two classes because we did not want to make the problem worse. I still managed to have two great classes, in spite of him being a little “off.” Chance showed alot of heart and he performed well. I was happy with my rides, because people noticed that I was riding much better and keeping him in “frame.” I felt like the hard work in all the lessons were paying off. I also managed to slow him down at the canter which was something I was working hard on. In addition, I was feeling much more confident in my riding and it makes a huge difference in the outcome of the ride.

I am excited about the future with Chance, because he will be treated this week by the vet and I know he will return to top form. I know we can only go ”up” from here.

Next, we plan to show at the Region 9 show in Fort Worth. So, the two of will be real busy in preparation for the show. Chance will get rested, treated, and schooled. In addition, I will continue to polish my riding, by taking some lessons next week.

I had never shown Chance at Region 9, thus I am excited. It has been 6 years since I had shown at Region 9. Chance has shown at Region 9, one time in the past with another rider and he was a Top 5 Winner in the Select Rider Class. I hope to repeat this feat! I will only try! In addition, we will also compete in the 40 and over class.

Stay posted and I will tell you how we do.

As always, Have a sunny day. Susanna

Posted in Arabian Horses Tagged: arabian horses, Goslin-Nix Training Center, Spindletop Horse Show, Supreme Chance

Spindletop Arabian Horse Show

smdussling — Fri, 22 May 2009 02:38:02 +0000

Hello Everyone!

This weekend I will be showing at the Spindletop Arabian Horse Show held in Katy, Texas at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center.

This will be my second show with Goslin-Nix Training Center with Jennifer as my trainer and coach. I am excited to be here! Jennifer has been working steadily with Chance to teach him to be a little “softer” in the bridle and to really use his whole body to be more collected and rounded. Chance has really risen to the challenge and he is coming along beautifully. Yes, there is still work that needs to be done before we participate in the Region 9 Horse Show in Fort Worth, Texas.

On the other hand, Jennifer certainly has alot of patience, she has been working with me on improving my riding. Some of the many things I have been learning is to really utilize my fingers and hands. In addition, to using my hands and legs together to achieve the ride we need to have. Furthermore, I am learning to slow down at the canter, it is not easy, because he likes to fall out of it…I do realize it is not his fault! I need to use leg contact!!!!!!!.thus, this is were the leg and hand training comes in. The first few weeks my legs were sore. No, they are not sore anymore, as I am starting to use my aids better.

I have been taken as many as 3 lessons a week. I have never had this many lessons at one time in my life, and I am having a blast. I have to admit it is alot of hard work in putting a horse together. At least I am trying very hard and I want to do well. By like, I have been saying, you have to make sacrifices and work hard to achieve success at anything that you do in life. It is a process, if it were easy, we would all be National Champion Riders! I am persistent and I am always willing to try again, after a not so good ride. Thus, when I have an awesome ride, it truly is an awesome feeling.

I am looking forward to having fun showing Chance this weekend, and to test many of the new skills I have learned.

So, if you have nothing to do this weekend, come to the equestrian center and watch some gorgeous arabian and half arabians show.

As always, have a sunny day ! Susanna

www.condron.us.com

Posted in Arabian Horses, inspiration Tagged: Goslin-Nix Training Center, Supreme Chance