This week 14 years ago Mike's mom left us. It is so hard to believe that it has been that long. I think about all that has happened in that time and think"where did it go?" My mother-in-law was the best. Classy, loving, caring and the best laugh ever. My mother-in-law was making a difference. She was the Regional Director for the Motherhood and Childcare Development at Memorial Hospital, she achieved all her college studies after the age of 40, she was an Adjunct Professor at Notre Dame teaching empowerment to young nursing students, she was a professional grant writer and she was working on a study about SIDS and about the affect of lead poisoning on children. In December of 1996 Jeanine was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, a Glioblastoma. The doctors performed surgery on Christmas Eve that year and told us she had 6 months to live, she survived 4 1/2 months and passed away April of the following year. I have always said that when I die God and I are going to lunch because I have alot of questions that I need to have answered. My mother-in-Law was all about education and, in the end, the cancer took her mind. I don't get it. I remember this story very fondly. When Mike and I first started dating his mom was asking him questions about me. She wanted to know where I went to school. Mike told her that I went to beauty school and her response was that "she is not right for you, you need someone that is college educated." Well that summer I was invited to go on the family vacation to Minnesota. While at the lake with them I offer to do her hair for her. I told her that it was silly to pay someone when I was happy to do it for nothing. Now Jeanine had gone to the same hairdresser for quite some time and they were roller setting her hair, which I always felt aged her. So when I did her hair I used a blow dryer and curling iron. She looked 10 years younger. I did her hair twice more that week. At that time she announced that she would like a standing 4:30 appointment every Friday and that she was going to write a note to her soon-to-be "former" hairdresser and let her know that there was now a hairdresser in the family. I then knew that I would be "ok" for Mike. I was known as the "Hair Wizard" Jeanine would have loved Hello Gorgeous! She would have been at every event and had every item of her clothing embroidered with the Hello Gorgeous! logo. She would have been all about this project. Jeanine's PhD dissertation was on "Empowerment". She had always talked about traveling in a Prevost and lecturing on this subject. And in some ways I feel like Mike and I have taken up her torch and are moving it forward, in her honor. Miss you Mom.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Best Mother-in-Law Ever! In Loving Memory of Dr. Jeanine Becker R.N., M.A., Ph.D
This week 14 years ago Mike's mom left us. It is so hard to believe that it has been that long. I think about all that has happened in that time and think"where did it go?" My mother-in-law was the best. Classy, loving, caring and the best laugh ever. My mother-in-law was making a difference. She was the Regional Director for the Motherhood and Childcare Development at Memorial Hospital, she achieved all her college studies after the age of 40, she was an Adjunct Professor at Notre Dame teaching empowerment to young nursing students, she was a professional grant writer and she was working on a study about SIDS and about the affect of lead poisoning on children. In December of 1996 Jeanine was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, a Glioblastoma. The doctors performed surgery on Christmas Eve that year and told us she had 6 months to live, she survived 4 1/2 months and passed away April of the following year. I have always said that when I die God and I are going to lunch because I have alot of questions that I need to have answered. My mother-in-Law was all about education and, in the end, the cancer took her mind. I don't get it. I remember this story very fondly. When Mike and I first started dating his mom was asking him questions about me. She wanted to know where I went to school. Mike told her that I went to beauty school and her response was that "she is not right for you, you need someone that is college educated." Well that summer I was invited to go on the family vacation to Minnesota. While at the lake with them I offer to do her hair for her. I told her that it was silly to pay someone when I was happy to do it for nothing. Now Jeanine had gone to the same hairdresser for quite some time and they were roller setting her hair, which I always felt aged her. So when I did her hair I used a blow dryer and curling iron. She looked 10 years younger. I did her hair twice more that week. At that time she announced that she would like a standing 4:30 appointment every Friday and that she was going to write a note to her soon-to-be "former" hairdresser and let her know that there was now a hairdresser in the family. I then knew that I would be "ok" for Mike. I was known as the "Hair Wizard" Jeanine would have loved Hello Gorgeous! She would have been at every event and had every item of her clothing embroidered with the Hello Gorgeous! logo. She would have been all about this project. Jeanine's PhD dissertation was on "Empowerment". She had always talked about traveling in a Prevost and lecturing on this subject. And in some ways I feel like Mike and I have taken up her torch and are moving it forward, in her honor. Miss you Mom.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Salon Affiliate Program
Our home is our office. We live, eat and breathe Hello Gorgeous! because we love it! Looking around our living room I laughed thinking that Martha Stewart Living would never do a story on my house unless it was in the "Don't" section. We took these pictures so we always remember how we started. I don't ever want to forget how we started this project. The dining room table filled with file folders and right next to the table and toy box filled with our sons toys. As I was thinking of that I came to realize that I have never really explained the salon affiliate program that we developed to help more women, so I thought I would take this time to do so. Last summer when Mike and I were on tour meeting these amazing women, we realized that there are just too many women for us to help on our own, so we developed the Hello Gorgeous! Salon Affiliate Program. We decided to instill the profession that I have loved for 25 years and create a training program that teaches them how to create the Hello Gorgeous! experience in their own salon. We look for upscale, professional, commission based salons and invite them to become a part of our program. Once they accept we provide them with everything that they need to perform 12 Hello Gorgeous! Experiences in a year and the training that they need to carry off the level of service that we envision. We also teach them the precautions that need to be taken on a women with a compromised immune system. This program allows us to reach so many more woman and we share the feeling that we feel when this amazing transformation takes place in these inspirational women. We have had the opportunity to perform the Hello Gorgeous! Experiences in the salon before the Mobile Day Spa existed. We have performed them in the Mobile Day Spa. We have had make-over teams perform the make-overs in the Mobile Day Spa and We have performed the make-overs in the Affiliate Salons and we have noticed that the outcome is the same. That transformation inside and out is exactly the same. As of right now we have 10 affiliates from South Bend to Indianapolis and 2 pending applications from Minnesota and Maryland. I am very excited to watch this program unfold and blossom. I will continue to update as we reach new cities and new states. 
Sunday, April 3, 2011
A Tribute to 2 Women
Last summer we took a 6 week tour to introduce our concept to the state of Indiana. On that journey we met some of the most amazing and inspirational women of my life. Each of them different stories, different cancers but the same strengths. Kathy (top picture) battled breast cancer that had traveled to her brain, Phyllis (lower picture) battled Mesothelioma. 
I am so honored to have met both of these amazing women and am so glad that I had the opportunity to spend the time with them that I did, to hear the stories of their families and the stories of their lives . I got to see the courage and the strength that each of these women had
and the fight with-in them to battle this horrible disease. Each of these women lost their battle this past month. I am a better person for having the opportunity to meet these strong women. Heaven is a much better place to have 2 wonderful angels like you. May you have the peace you both deserve.
I am so honored to have met both of these amazing women and am so glad that I had the opportunity to spend the time with them that I did, to hear the stories of their families and the stories of their lives . I got to see the courage and the strength that each of these women had
and the fight with-in them to battle this horrible disease. Each of these women lost their battle this past month. I am a better person for having the opportunity to meet these strong women. Heaven is a much better place to have 2 wonderful angels like you. May you have the peace you both deserve.
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