From Blue Suede to Billboard
Bret and I attended the 28th annual Blue Suede Dinner and Auction at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in Jackson, TN. As you can tell by my outfit, we came to party in 80s attire. Can we please bring the big hair back? I'm a fan. I'm also quite tired of fighting frizz everyday. So let's embrace our ridiculous humidity with huge hair everyday. Team Big Hair Don't Care. Sign me up. I also went for Saved By the Bell themed nails, in gel, that I kept on far too long after the event. Issuing a formal apology for embarrassing my children here and now.
Dinner, dancing and shopping for a good cause. Here's my card.
The proceeds from the auction benefited The Exchange Club Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse. Their mission is to "provide support to families in preventing and dealing with child abuse in West Tennessee and to help both parents and children meet the practical needs of preserving and improving the quality of family life." In a word, incredible.
The live auction kicked off with big ticket items. Vacations, WBBJ-TV Advertising Package and a Hughes Eye Group gift certificate for Z-LASIK Surgery. Armed with the desire to never lose anything ever, I went to war with another bidder for the Z-LASIK gift certificate. It was exciting! Until I lost. Or gave up rather, and let the other bidder win. Despair.... But to my surprise, someone from the crowd authorized the auctioneer to give away another gift certificate and now I'm typing this without glasses.
I've never worn contacts. Well, that's not true. I wore them once. In a doctors office. Where they have you put them in and take them out before you leave with your prescription. I put them in, couldn't get them out. The doctor had to scrape them off my eyes while I died a little inside. Contacts, not for me. I would only wear glasses while editing or driving and the rest of my life was in 1.4 bokeh. Creamy at a distance. Photoshopped smooth. I know now, I've been missing some things. A lot of things. Most things, if we're being honest.
6 days after the event, it's surgery Friday and I'm on the very exclusive guest list at Hughes Eye Group in Jackson.
Bret and I arrive bright and early. The staff is friendly and reassuring. I'm neither of those things. Something about blinking seems a lot like breathing and I have to give that up while they shoot a laser into my eye ball. NO chill.
Back in the surgery room, I lay down for the procedure and Bret sits nearby saying sweet things to calm me down. It doesn't work. But I humor him.
Dr. Underwood explains the steps and the safety measures. For example, the laser will shut off if I were to sneeze and interrupt the pre mapped shape of my eye. Cool. Cool. That sounds great. I'm okay. I'm okay.
He places the suction over my right eye first. I found it comforting to squeeze my left eye shut. Overcompensating at it's finest. My eye is open, things are happening, then there's darkness, which leads to hyperventilation. I hear someone count down from 10, I take a deep breath, and it's done! Let there be light.
I felt more calm for the left eye. It's fine. I'm okay. Before I know it, I'm headed home. Matrix themed sunglasses and eye drops in hand.
The following days revolved around the eye drops like they were water from the gods. I worried the dryness would last forever. It didn't. I also unlocked the pro level achievement for dropping them into my own eyes. Something we thought for sure I would never do after the first day of "can you help me with the drops."
Almost 3 months later, my eyes are healed and vision is sharp. So good! I occasionally think, "driving at night, should have my glasses" or sit down to edit and feel like I should have them. Only to prove myself wrong. It's almost hard to believe how improved my vision is. I'm so grateful to Dr. David Underwood and the Hughes Eye Group for their generous donation to The Blue Suede Dinner and Auction.
After the procedure, the Hughes Eye Group reached out to me for a video testimonial. I was happy to participate! I met with their videographer and gave the most awkward spill of how Z-LASIK changed my life. He also came along with me on a shoot to capture the action. Aka: no speaking to a camera. Which is for the best. Not long after, they followed up with me asking if they could use my image and quote on a billboard in town.
A quick call to BH Social for a blowout and now I'm larger than life on the 45 by-pass. The best part, I can actually see it with 20/20 vision. Truly life changing.
Kimberly, Photographer, Patient
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