commercial break...

ok, I asked Hugh if I could post this on his blog. He nicely let me be a guest blogger... but I wanted to post this here as well. :) I will write more about my visit I promise! If you haven't read it... please read this...


Isn’t that post the sweetest thing? How nice was it of Hugh to say such great things about me?
I have to say what an honor it was to get to visit him. He was kind, understanding, and truly welcoming. I worried that I would get in his space too much, I mean, he does live by himself most of the time. But if I got in his way, he never once let me know it...even though I flooded his bathroom and broke a dish.
Like he mentioned in his post, we danced, we played, we sang crazy songs, we dished on tv stars, and we laughed and laughed and laughed. I don’t remember the last time I laughed that much! And we talked in the middle of the night as we were drifting off to sleep and we told each other secrets we might not have told anyone else before.
I am so happy to call this awesome person my friend.
I think because of my visit, I am more of a Standing Room Only fan. I am president of the club! I am the cheerleader on the side lines. So, let me do my cheerleading/presidential duties and do a little commercial message for Hugh, who would never do it for himself.

I don’t know about you, but I am willing to pay big bucks for my weekly helping of Entertainment Weekly, my local newspaper, or even to get Cable. I don’t mind paying to be entertained.
So friends, if you are at all entertained by Hugh and his writing, if you are carried away by the images he creates with his posts, if you just once laugh at something he writes, please click on the paypal button on his site and donate to SRO. Or, if you don’t have a paypal account, email Hugh or me and we will give you info on how to donate directly. Think of it as joining the fan club!

Go ahead. Join the club! All the cool kids are doing it!

Hula Boola and lots of love!!!
Nikki (Susiederk)

The Visit Begins.... part 3

Although I continually remain the President of the Standing Room Only Fan Club, Hugh and I actually became friends around December. We have continued this relationship ever since. In our emails, we talk about everything. We could talk about church and God and easily segue into bedazzling outfits or the latest LA gossip… without skipping a beat. I mentioned one day, that I wanted him to come visit us in Texas and he, in turn, invited me to LA. Little did he know how serious I would take that invitation (poor poor him). I bought the ticket in January and he and I waited with baited breath till July 10th.
We planned, we joked, we talked on the phone and dreamed of what it would be like.
We even began the countdown… 14 more days, 10 more days… 5 more days… (I was packed by this time) 3 more days… till it was down to hours… and then I was on the plane. Winging my way to a place I had never been, to see a person I had never met. How crazy am I?
All my friends thought I was crazy. Luckily, BT was on board and supportive.

The plane trip was interesting. It began with the drunken LA girls, buying too many mini Texas mugs at the airport gift shop. (Uh, DUH! Everyone knows you need to buy the BIG Texas mugs… Not the little ones.) They used words like “gnarly” and “for sure” and talked a little too loud for their own good. They were super tanned and super into themselves. “OH”, I thought, “am I ready to deal with the LA attitude???”
And then the plane was late and I finally got my luggage, and walked outside… and there they were! Live and in person! The famous Hugh and Polly! Right there in front of me!
All of a sudden, I knew… I was ready to deal with anything!

More to come…

Message From God.. (part two in a series)

At church a month ago, the guest minister asked the congregation if God ever talked to them. I looked around, astonished that no one raised their hand. God talks to me. I believe God talks to everyone. You just have to be still and listen.

God spoke to me in August. I am surprised that I was ready to listen… I was surprised I was ABLE to listen. I guess when God really wants you to Get It he makes it so you can hear.

We were chatting on rlp chat, like regular…nothing new. I was still in awe of Hugh and his way with words. That never changes. But that day, he was just plain old Hugh, the guy I liked to play the jetsons game with (although he totally cheated). He told us of his life and his birthday and we all marked our calendars and got ready for a virtual party. But God had bigger plans. HE talked to me that day. “Get his address,” he said. “Send him a package, everyone loves birthdays. This guy needs a big birthday gift.”

It took me three days to get the nerve to ask Hugh for his actual address. I was after all still the groupie. I was, after all, still the crazed fan in some people’s eyes. But I got my nerve one night and asked. He happily and easily gave it to me. He wasn’t worried. Maybe God talked to him too. I don’t know.
After asking about a million questions, I was ready to gather things for the package. Honestly, I don’t know what I put in that package. I think I knitted some stuff… I think there were some beads, maybe some balloons… it was meant as a party in a box. It was meant to say, “I think you are great, even if you don’t know me.”

He got it three days early and waited till his birthday to open it. He has more will power than I, certainly. I had done what God asked and it was good. It wasn’t about me. It was about Hugh and his birth, and a reminder from God that he is important.

In the Beginning...

I had crappy handwriting. The crappiest, I guess since every one of my elementary school report cards were very "concerned" about my handwriting. I also wasn't a great speller. I can remember the frustration, the near tears, one day when I couldn't spell the word 'church'. Phonetically it didn't look right... I just couldn't get it.
Because of the bad handwriting and spelling challenges, I was considered a terrible writer. Somehow my teachers couldn't get past mechanics to look at the actual story. Papers I wrote were never praised for content just bled red from errors.

Needless to say, I never never considered myself a writer. I spent so much time editing and trying to spell things right, I had lost all of my energy for actual writing. It was just not there.
But I did love me some great writing. I knew great writing when I saw it. I still do.
Someone once told me, "Good writers ride on the backs of better writers. Find writers you love and ride on their backs till you find your way."

Lucky for me, I know some great writers. That is so cool to get to say... I KNOW some great writers. I don't just admire them from afar... I KNOW them. Ginger for instance! If you haven't been reading her stories from Vacation Bible School, you are missing out on greatness.
And then there was RLP. Ginger actually turned me on to RLP and his honest, no bullshit look at church and religion. I can't just name one favorite story by Gordon Atkinson... I would have to name 5, or 10, or 100!!
And then RLP read this crappy catalog and decided he would quit preaching and go visit Hugh.
And I discovered the world of the Hughman.
How amazing is his writing? He totally looks at world in his own way. Right then and there, I discovered a kindred spirit! He wrote things I thought! I didn't just like Hugh's writing, I adored it. I soaked up every word, like a little kid learning how to play with a new toy.
Hugh's writing spoke to me... It blessed me. It made me laugh. And I love love to laugh.

Last summer, RLP changed his site and created a chat room. The chat reminded me of the after college days when The Circle of Friends and I were scattered to the four corners and we would try to meet and chat to catch up on each other’s lives.
And one day, it happened. THE Hugh Elliott stopped by to chat.
I was floored! It couldn't have been cooler if a movie star had popped in to chat.
THE Hugh Elliott, writer extraordinaire was there, talking to ME. Wow. I was overwhelmed.
I was beside myself. I was the groupie! I was the star struck girl... wanna be writer. Here in my midst was Hugh!

And that was just the beginning, as they say, of a beautiful friendship together...

Part two coming up. :)

California Dreamin...

"Everybody's got a dream... what's your dream?" -Pretty Woman.

I am headed to Hollywood, California tomorrow!
More on that later!!!
Till then...
What's your dream?

Super Powers...

In a session I was in recently, I was asked to introduce myself with my name, where I attend church, and what super power I would like to have if I were a superhero.
OY where is my mom when I need her?
My mom loves the superheros. She totally digs any sort of movie where someone has superpowers! X-men? yep... Superman/Spiderman... yep.
She loves them all. She even saw that crappy one with the kids in high school who's parents are super heroes. Yep. She loves her some Super Power stuff.
So maybe I should ask her that question. She might have already thought about it...

Six Flags of Texas is really in full swing and advertising is all over the place lately. I love how they are bringing back the Superhero into full focus. They have the Superman ride...The Batman... I have noticed though that in all their ads, they show Wonder Woman, but there is no NO ride for Wonder Woman! A disgrace!
There needs to be a Wonder Woman ride!!! For sure!
I can remember being 8 or so and walking around in my Wonder Woman Underoos. I WAS Wonder Woman. You can count on that.
I was fighting crimes, warding off bullets with my iron arm bands. I was a crime fighting machine!

So if I were given super powers, would they be the powers of Wonder Woman? uh, no. Would I like to have Jedi mind powers? hmm... maybe. Would I like to fly? Somehow flying seems a little overrated. How about shape shifting? hmmm... sounds like it could be fun. But then what if you shape shifted into like a bar of soap and then couldn't get back?!!! Yikes.
Actually, the real truth is, I would like to totally heal sick people... not in a "duh, doctors do that!" sort of way. Like in a, "let me touch you and make you instantly better" kind of way. I would be a superhero fighting the villain called AIDS and Cancer! Pow! WAM! I would get rid of those bad boys in one single swoop! No doubt! I would then move on to people who are sick or hurting emotionally. Feel like hurting yourself? Bam... you don't feel that way anymore. Is that a Super Power Really?

And what actually defines a super power?

I think God has given us a super power already. We don't need a cape or a corny costume. We live it every day... Our power is one to make people feel great, or really crappy. I have seen lately, some people use that power for extreme good, and I have seen people use that power for evil. I have to think... really reflect... how do I use MY super power?

How do you use yours???