Phenomenal Beauty: "It's a Journey, Not a Destination"

By Tanya Michelle Hutchison

Phenomenal Beauty is a must read! It will make you reflect and think about your childhood. It will make you laugh, cry and shout hallelujah all in one breath! It's a testimony of God's love and how we can overcome any obstacle, find our beauty, and break the cycle of defeat.

It's a unique story that will empower you to take action or challenge you to do something you have never done before. After reading this book, you will never think of the word "Beauty" the same again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: Feb 15, 2007
• ISBN: 9781412207706

Tanya Michelle Hutchison

Tanya is a wife, mother, sister, friend, and role model to many. She speaks with candor and conviction as she shares with her readers intimate details of how she overcame many challenges to become the beautiful woman she is today. Her heartfelt inspirational truth will help others to live life on purpose, persevere and discover their beauty too. Her book will take you on an incredible journey!

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Copyright 2006 Tanya Michelle Hutchison.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4120-8222-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4122-0770-6 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Trafford rev.12/13/2018

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Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Autograph Page

Introduction

1 — What Is Beauty?

2 — Mirror, Mirror On The Wall Who Is The Fairest Of Them All?

3 — The Journey of A Million Miles Begins With One Single Step

4 — Beauty, Beauty, Beauty!!!

5 — Beauty and the Beast

6 — A Series of Unfortunate Events

7 — Don’t Quit

8 — Highland Park High School

9 — A New Season

10 — Western Michigan University

11 — What a Girl Wants / What a Girl Needs

12 — Beauty, Power, Love and Money

13 — Hello Stranger!

14 — Friendship

15 — Marriage is a Threesome

16 — A Mother’s Role

17 — Beauty is a Distraction

18 — I’m Still MAD!!!

19 — Behind The Orange Curtain

20 — Home Sweet Home

21 — The Night I Met Oprah

22 — Beware of the Dream Stealers

23 — Are You Beautiful or Ugly?

24 — It’s Not Too Late!

25 — The Ultimate Beauty Secret Is …

26 — Lessons Learned

How to contact us

Epilogue

About The Author

Notes Page

Self Evaluation

Dedication

My darling daughter Erice Michelle, a person of faith, intelligence, beauty and discipline. Always know that you are loved!

Acknowledgments

It is with deep gratitude and appreciation that I acknowledge the contributions of the following people to this manuscript.

To:        My wonderful husband Charles Hutchison, and my amazing

sons Charles-Julian, Chandler Monroe, Chandon Lane, Chasdon Chazzy Ernest. We are family!

Will and Sharon Blount

Johnny and Linda Dawkins

Desmond and Loretta Goodloe

Eric and Connie Bell

Eddie J. Peterson

Janet Congo

Ariel Rucker

Pastor Tommy Stewart

Pastor Doug Fields

Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer and his beautiful wife Togetta, thanks for being a positive influence since my arrival to California in 1984. Your ministry changed my life!

Autograph Page

Introduction

Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him

—Aldous Haxley

E very woman is in search of her beauty. Do you know how to find yours? I knew at a very young age that there was something unique about my life, but I could not quite put my finger on what it was. I was different than the average person in so many ways. I never seemed to fit in at school or with other girls. It took years to discover what that unique-something was, but the beauty is… I now know my purpose for living.

This memoir is going to take you on an incredible journey of self-discovery. It’s a book that every human being can relate to. Especially females!

Girls want to be accepted, teenagers need to be validated, and women desire to have a significant life so that we can leave a legacy for others.

In order to fulfill the desires of our heart, we must remain open to what God’s plan is for our life. God is the only one who knows exactly what we need, how much we need, and exactly when we need it.

Sometimes the plan that God has for us appears crystal clear. Other times, the road is so foggy that we must believe before we can see the picture in its luminosity. This book is about beauty, but a non-traditional kind. It’s the kind of beauty which is not talked about often. It’s called Phenomenal Beauty! Phenomenal Beauty is the beauty which only God can give to women because it’s unconditional and it transforms lives.

As we begin our travel on this journey together, I must warn you about the forecast of what’s ahead otherwise you may hit a pothole and get stuck along the way. You will encounter dream stealers, mad people, unfortunate events, love, relationships, romance, sex, lies, forgiveness, fame, misfortune and a beast that tries to distract us. No need to worry about the climate, because God went before us to pave the street with gold. All we need to do is acknowledge His work and receive the beautiful gift He designed for us long before we were formed in our mother’s womb, and then we can overcome any obstacle.

As long as we don’t give up hope, the victory is ours even when we are stuck on the side of the road with no where to go. It is my desire that you will read this book and become better, not bitter, about bad experiences. I want you to feel empowered enough to do something you’ve never done before. Go ahead, make God’s day! I dare you.

As you walk with me on my personal beauty journey, you will soon witness why it took me years to discover… My Phenomenal Beauty!

What Is Beauty?

A gentle and quiet spirit which is very precious in the sight of God

—1 Peter 3:4

When I hear the word "Beauty" so many wonderful thoughts come into my mind’s eye.

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I’m on the top row, left center waiting to hear my name called out!

Mirror, Mirror On The Wall Who Is The Fairest Of Them All?

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced

—Kierkegaard

W hat is the most outrageous thing you have done to gain recognition? We achieve success and participate in various activities because we are inspired to do so. Sometimes it’s embarrassing to hear our name called out as people thank us for a job well done. There are other times we expect notoriety because of our work ethic and we feel we deserve to be recognized. I hope you can relate to this chapter as I share a beauty pageant experience that inspired me to write this book.

We all hope our name will be called as the most beautiful of all. I was on stage in front of hundreds of people in Skokie, Illinois waiting to hear my name called out as one of the top ten delegates vying for the title to become the fairest of them all at an International Pageant competition. I was the reigning Mrs. California International titleholder, competing for the top prize.

I had worked hard for the past year preparing for this moment. I was stronger mentally, physically and spiritually than I had ever been before. I had a purpose that I was passionate about and a story that I was sure the judges would be impressed with.

I was so confident I was the cream of the crop that I told certain friends not to even come to the preliminary competition because it would be a waste of their time and money. I told them to only come to the final competition because I knew I was going to be a semi-finalist and possibly advance to win the crown.

The preliminary competition is considered to be an elimination process which makes it easier to select a winner during the final show. It gives your friends and family members the opportunity to watch you on stage just in case you don’t make it to the semi-finals. The number of semi-finalists is determined by the pageant officials and is a smaller number than the preliminary competition. Once your name is called out as one of the top semi-finalists, you are one step closer to your goal of winning the crown and hearing your name called out as the new titleholder.

From past experiences, I’ve always made it to the semi-finals and I’ve always stood out in a crowd… So why would this be any different. That’s why I didn’t think there was a need for my support group to attend this long drawn out preliminary process.

For this pageant, I was ready! I did what I had been instructed to do by the pageant officials. I was prepared by the most professional team of experts in the industry from wardrobe, cosmetics, interview coaching, fitness and nutrition. I did not skimp financially in any area. My posture and positive radiance was strong and contagious! I had a winning attitude that felt magical and would make anyone’s negative talk turn positive if they passed by me. I had the best of the best on my team, and I felt I was the best that California had to offer to the pageant world.

Just in case you are wondering what I had to do to prepare for this beauty pageant journey, let me give you a little glimpse behind the scene. I did things that I normally would not do. For example, I shaved my legs, neck, face, lips, and arched my eyebrows.

These things never seemed important because the hair in those areas were unnoticeable to me. An expert noticed and mentioned that my hair was leaving a shadow in areas which made me look older or may not be attractive from a television camera’s perspective; therefore it had to be removed.

Other than shaving my arm pits regularly as an adult, I had only shaved my legs once when I was a teenager. I did that against the family rules and cut myself while shaving. I started bleeding profusely and it was at that moment I vowed I would never do that again. Now, someone was suggesting I go against the vow I had made to myself in the name of beauty.

It didn’t stop there. I went on a Master Cleanse which consisted of not eating solid food for 15 days! I only drank water with freshly squeezed lemons, pure grade B Maple syrup, and a dash of Cayenne pepper to increase my mental toughness. After I proved to myself, that I was mentally ready to handle the next challenge, I hired a personal trainer, running coach and a dietitian to give me the competitive edge and winning look. I drastically changed my eating habits from eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, to eating every two hours whether I was hungry or not and drinking more water than I thought was humanly possible. I was also instructed not to eat any food two hours prior to my bedtime. I could go into detail about the visual poise aspect of the training and what my fashion consultant and dress designer had me do from shopping non stop to soaking in a tub of Epsom Salt to reduce bruising, swelling and excess water weight in my hips and thighs, but I won’t.

The training and preparation was intense! The best way to describe it is to say I felt like an Olympic athlete preparing for the Olympics. I lifted weights three days per week for one hour to tone my arms, legs, buttocks, thighs, back, waste and abdomen. I would do cardiovascular training seven days per week from one to four hours per day, depending upon what my day entailed. I would end the day by rubbing my body with hemorrhoid cream and wrapping my lower body with Saran wrap. After my body was wrapped, I would sit in a sauna for forty five minutes to sweat the impurities away, which gives the skin a better texture and muscles a firmer look. At least that’s what my personal trainer told me it would do.

I took enzymes to help digest the fats, proteins, and carbohydrates from the foods I ate. I took a multi-vitamin to give me additional energy and more vitamins with anti oxidants and omega-3 fatty acids to protect my skin cells from environmental pollution better known as free radicals. I took an appetite suppressant three times a day to curb my insatiable appetite, to build my muscle mass and to increase my metabolism. I also drank protein shakes in between meals to help build my lean muscle mass, and I took a routine colon cleanse vitamin at night to keep my colon healthy.

I began going to a tanning salon. I got weekly facials and body wraps, provided by the pageant sponsor, and used the best anti-aging skin care products on the market to give my skin a beautiful flawless look. Hair care and nail treatments consumed another 2-4 hours per week depending upon what I needed at the time of the appointment. It didn’t take me long to realize that beautification is time consuming and very expensive.

I felt grateful to be the chosen one to represent my state. I was willing to do what ever it took to increase my chances of bringing the crown home. The preparation was grueling, but a chore that I was motivated to complete. It was early mornings and late nights of training. The mornings were so early that I thought it was night time because it was still dark outside when I would wake up to go to the gym. There was a constant awareness and focus that followed me like a cloud of smoke every where I went as a visible reminder of what my intentions were. There wasn’t a moment that passed where I was not thinking of what my purpose and goal was for this competition and why I would be the best candidate for the position.

I was qualified for the job, over forty, married for fifteen years, birthed five children and I looked fabulous! My inner beauty matched my outer beauty and there was nothing more to be said or done. Or was there?

When it was all over my name was not called out as a semi-finalist in the top ten or as a finalist in the top five. Instead of celebrating my victory, I experienced extreme mental exhaustion and numbness in thought. I went through the motions of smiling, standing tall on stage, to show respect for the individual who won by clapping for her and later congratulating her on her success with sincerity.

I felt uncomfortable that my family and friends had traveled so far and they did not get to see me crowned. This ending was not the one that I had expected. How could I return home to tell my sponsors and all the other people who supported me that I had let them down and did not win the title which we anticipated celebrating upon my return home? I thought about my teenaged daughter who was sitting in the audience. What was she thinking about this injustice? The hardest part about this experience was not being able to share the crown with my team of supporters. They deserved it more than I did because they had contributed