Being the Candle: When Georgia meets New Jersey!

I love it when I go down to Georgia. I love my family there. I love my friends there. I love the students there. I love the feel there. I went there last summer for a week. I went again for Thanksgiving. I went for their tournament in March. I went back the next month to help at a tournament and spend time. Then I went again in the summer. I'm going back for Thanksgiving this year too! So you can imagine my excitement to have Georgia come to New Jersey.

My friend Stacey came to visit me in my homeland in the magical place called New Jersey. The main reason was because I was holding workshops that she wanted to learn from and bring back to her school in Georgia. But she got plenty of time to have a glimpse of my world here in New Jersey.

Quite honestly, my world is pretty magical. It's like playing around in the wizarding world of Harry Potter with a cross of impossible possibilities only Mary Poppins could conjure up. I don't exaggerate. I like my world. Many from afar get a glimpse maybe, the ones on the inside get the best seats and the greatest benefits. And some right in our own backyard could only wish to be on the inside. It's only getting better. But Stacey really go to experience a real time jam packed Trento schedule!

Stacey at TMAFC with my students Theodoris and William.

Early Saturday morning before going to Mike Lee seminar in PA.

When Stacey got here we stopped at Aunt Karen's bakery in Park Ridge. She got to meet the infamous aunt and the bakery that has such a story in it's origins which you can read here. And who happened to be there also to visit but Grandma Cyn herself! She even got to see the Bea Arthur-Estelle Ghetty exchanges with them! From there Stacey got to see TMAFC in it's new location in Saddle Brook. She helped out with my classes and met a good deal of my students. She also got to take a kickboxing class of mine which she been wanting to do and see a little bit of how I do my fitness program. That night I had a family party in which I took her to and she met pretty much my entire mother's side of the family.

The next day is when I brought my students to the Mike Lee seminar in Pennsylvania! Stacey can't say she didn't get experience after experience! She learned a lot from that seminar, as we all did, but it was very cool to have her with us for my first time with students and to meet the badass in person. That night a small group of my usual Jersey crew got together and she was able to meet people she has only heard about for over a year.

Stacey and Miss Joss

Stacey in New Jersey at our place of Oak and Ale!

Stacey Stone with my NJ crew!

The next day was a full day of workshops. I began with my Essential Oils workshop which we had about a dozen people attend and I taught about the oils, uses, stories upon stories, and brought a lot of different experiences to the workshop having a background in other healing modules. After two hours of working with the oils and teaching, I had to set up and prepare right away for the Qigong workshop which we had about almost the same or so amount of people for. I had begun with Wuji and discussed the principles which I always start with and then went into a set. Stacey did one of my favorite sets when I was down in Georgia so this was a newer set that collaborated with the principles of the oils that she could learn and bring back as well.

On Stacey's last night was really the first night we didn't have to rush for a schedule due to my teaching or work. We got together to JUST BE. A group of my adult students whom she met whether it be from Taekwondo, Haganah, kickboxing, or dear friends and some family got together for a little bon fire and food and she got to spend some actual time with my Jersey crew.

It's hard for me to clash my worlds sometimes, especially after that horrible no good very bad year. But this was okay. This was very good. I was very happy. I am happy Stacey got to see my world, or a little bit of it. I am glad my people got to meet her. I do wish Bobby could have come too, maybe next time. But it really was a great weekend and I do hope Stacey enjoyed her stay. We all enjoyed her company! (BOWS)