There’s No Place Like Home

Old Mesilla – You’ll find a lot of history here including tales of ghost spotted in one of the restaurants even today!

I recently had the opportunity to go back home for about a week.  I was in Las Cruces, NM not only to visit my parents, but I was also on program as the main speaker for my childhood church’s Centennial celebration.

A lot of people — A big deal!

I was so glad when my 45 minutes speech (which I thought was 15 minutes) was over.  I worked on that thing for nearly 9 hours and still wasn’t sure how it would be received.  As I told the crowd “When you go home, you just have to get it right.”

Boys II Men filmed their music video “Water Run Dry” here and you’ll also probably notice a few scenes from here in Transformers 2.

Fortunately it went over well and I’m so humbled to have had that opportunity.  Out of the many speaking engagements I do each year, this certainly will make the top three.

 

 

I also of course got a chance to indulge a  little while I was in the Land of Enchantment.  There’s nothing like the real deal.   People always ask me what is New Mexico like?  It’s like a lot of places.  We have grocery stores and mountains.  Yes, it gets quite cold.

 

The food is phenomenal!

 

You have to make your own fun at times but, isn’t that almost everywhere?

Apparently NM has its own drink now. In case you’re wondering that’s the Zia symbol which is on the state flag.

What Are You Superstitious About?

Can’t you hear the Stevie Wonder song ….

The fact of the matter is we all have superstitions.  I find it funny too, because even though I don’t really believe in (all) of them, I find myself doing things to avoid getting jinxed.  Here are a few I’ve learned over the years:

1.  Don’t sweep over someone’s foot or cross over their leg (bad luck)

2.  Eat black-eyed peas on New Years Day (good luck/prosperity)

3.  (This one is from a good friend of mine).  Don’t buy your girlfriend/boyfriend shoes, they’ll walk out of your life.  Also, don’t buy them a watch because time will run out on your relationship

4. Don’t walk under a ladder (bad luck)

5.  Don’t split a pole (bad luck)

6.  Don’t break a mirror (7 years of bad luck)

7.  Avoid black cats (bad luck)

8.  It’s bad luck to leave the house through a different door than the one you came in from.  (WDBJ7 Producer)

9.  Step on a crack…break your mother’s back

10.  Kiss a clock  i.e.  1:23am/pm  12:34am/pm 1:11am/pm (good luck)

Now let’s here some of your superstitions!

Just call me “Dancing Davis” (Video Included)

Let’s get the most pressing question out of the way.  No, I didn’t win.  However, the Salvation Army’s Turning Point won in a huge way this past weekend.

Dancing with the  Valley Stars brought in an estimated $28,000 dollars in profit for the local domestic violence shelter.

I had such a great time being one of this years “Stars”.  Kudos to my teachers Terry and Dawn Hall.  Terry and I cha-cha’d our butts off.  So much, so, I almost slipped at the end.  But instantly I reverted back to my cheerleading days and just kept hearing that inner voice say “Stick It, Stick It”.  I’ve also got to give credit to the professional teacher.   He held on to me pretty well.

CLICK THE LINK TO SEE ME DANCE  http://www.wdbj7.com/videogallery/73282825/News/WEB-EXTRA-Watch-WDBJ7-s-Hollani-Davis-routine-during-Dancing-with-the-Valley-stars

I had such a blast.  I do have to say though, the real “Dancing with the Stars”  on that network, not to be named, is definitely a lot harder than it looks.  Then again, those contestants practice 8 hours a day.  I practiced a total of about 4.

Thanks to all those including my sister and wonderful co-workers who came out to support.  Now, onto the next challenge, whatever that may be!

One of my biggest regrets….

Hollani Davis interviewing a student at Axton Elementary School in Henry County, Va.

So, this definitely falls under the category “If I would’ve known then, what I know no.”  I remember sitting in my high school Spanish class thinking what a waste of time it was.  Boy was I wrong.  Even though I was born and raised in New Mexico and surrounded by Spanish, I never learned to speak fluently.  Sure I know the standard greetings.  I know how to conjugate and I can make out a sentence every now and then.  That’s about it.  I’ve gotta say it’s one of my biggest regrets.

I had the chance to do a story recently on Hispanic children in the Henry County school district.  Virginia as a whole is seeing more students come in speaking very little English (or at least it’s not their first language).  The thing is, eventually, they’re learning it.  It’s tough and sometimes seems impossible, but they are learning because of teachers who refuse to give up.

Obviously, a topic like this can turn political, fast.  From immigration, to “This is America, speak English”.  The truth is, if we all sat back and thought about it, when has America ever been about just getting by, or just knowing the basics?  Shouldn’t we pride ourselves on expanding our horizons?

I commend these kids who have two different languages under their belts.  In my book, it makes them a little more knowledgeable and certainly more well-rounded.  Perhaps we could all take a lesson from them.

Sometimes you need a MIRACLE

I was invited to tour the Children’s floor at Roanoke Memorial Hospital to help spread a little cheer. This is one of the patients I met. We both discovered we have a love for Oreo Blizzards at Dairy Queen.

I have been having such a crappy few days!  You know those days when things just aren’t going your way? What is it, one step forward, two steps back?  Then, to top it all off, I was in a car accident over the weekend.  Needless to say, I’ve been a little down and feeling sorry for myself.

Then, I was going through my email last night and I was reminded of last week when I visited a lot of the sick kids at Roanoke Memorial Hospital.  Some of these kids, where out and about playing one day and in the hospital the next.  We’re talking life-altering health issues.  Babies, so tiny, they’re not even a pound.  They’re parents are stressed, grieving and some barely clinging on to hope.  Despite all this, these kids are MIRACLES.

Remembering this was the miracle I needed to let me know, life isn’t so bad.