The greatest challenge of Cupcake Mission is getting individuals to believe that they can make a difference by doing something which requires minimal effort but yet has a far reaching impact. Some people think they don't have the time, some people think they don't have the resources. All it takes is one person thinking that she/he can make a difference and the planning will become effortless...

It has been a long time since I blogged, but I am inspired to blog again after seeing Julie and Julia (as I'm sure a million other people are inspired, too). I got away from it because I was partly busy and partly lazy.
But I'm back, at least for now.
I got a wild idea on my way home from work to launch a nationwide Cupcake Mission to raise money for The Michael J. Fox Foundation. I am not one to dream big and not act upon it, so I started researching cupcake bakeries all across America. I had pages of scrap paper listing cupcake bakeries and I finally compiled a legible list where I could send a mass invite to the first annual nationwide Cupcake Mission.
I sent the mass email out to over 60 bakeries and discovered the personal approach is far better. Only one bakery responded "yes" to the mass invite and two others graciously regretted. They have a great "out" though...September happens to be the month for "Cupcakes for a Cause" and bakeries nationwide are raising money for children with cancer. It is a very noble cause and I encourage anyone who knows of a bakery participating in Cupcakes for a Cause to order dozens!!! And keep supporting these bakeries/cupcakeries!!!!!
There are 8 bakeries/catering services who are participating in The Cupcake Mission and all are eager to raise money for The MJFF through cupcakes!!!! I have only met one of the store owners, but I am certain I have found new friends in cities from coast to coast.
Nothing is impossible when you dream big and act upon it.
Normally I would say I can't wait to see what I dream up next, but I haven't finished living this dream.
Sweet Cupcake Dreams to All!

It has been a whirlwind of fun and sugar feeding frenzies. I have just returned from NY and DC and I question why I don't live in NY, the cupcake capital of the world???? I feel so alive and free there and I can't imagine laying my head down long enough to sleep although I forced myself to crawl in bed on several occassions finding I only needed four or five hours of good rest. DC is great, too, but I must admit that given a choice, I'll take NY. It feels like home. So many nooks and crannies and cross streets and whimsy. Joy Joy JOY!!!!
I am so gratefult o Ann Warren of the Cupcake Cafe for hosting us in her lovely cafe located at 18 W. 18th street. She concocted the most Adkins friendly breakfast ever to complement our cupcake debauchery. We had eggs and ham in a cupcake liner!!!! Oh, yes, a cupcake liner. Superb! She had fresh fruit awaiting us and tempted us with waffles but several of us went straight for the chocolate cupcakes. Laura told her hips that they would just have to give in for the day and allow her the tasty indulgences. Two representatives from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Megan and Dana, joined us and they are amazing! GO TEAM FOX!!!!! I will commit to annual cupcake missions on behalf of the MJFF but I wish I didn't have to (I wish there was a cure for PD so I would not have to raise money for the Foundation....let's all help make the Foundation go out of business!) All of my friends can be summed up as OUTSTANDING, AMAZING, SUPPORTIVE, FUN LOVING PEOPLE WITH BIG HEARTS AND JOYFUL LAUGHTER. Thank you to all my loving friends who rallied on behalf of CC Mission and MJFF. Bridgid, Cassandra, Laura and friends-YOU ARE ALL SUPER ROCKSTARS. YA, you are my touchstone and Lexie and Amelia are BFF. My dear soul mate Carolyn and her lovely daughter Kate are stellar and I am so grateful to know you. Ben and Stephen are AWESOME! My husband Alex and daughter Chickpea are far more meaningful to me than I can ever express in words.
I have set the goal to raise $1000.00 for the MJFF and we are more than half way there. I have faith...
DC was fun and simple. Magnolia Mafia gathered at the lobby of the Ritz and indulged on Georgetown Cupcakes to raise money for the cute little pygmy elephants. $70.00 was raised and I can't wait to give the cute little elephant to Lexie. KC, Emily, Mary, Jenn, Kristen and Andrea are all my steel magnolias. You lovely ladies are what dreams are made of. Thank you for your amazing and enduring friendship.

The Carolina's are ever so lovely and how I miss Wilmington, NC on a daily basis. One could say the CC Mission started in Wilmington at a party with a smattering of Coastal Cupcakes...or one could say that there are so many roots to Cupcake Mission it's hard to say exactly where it officially originated. Nevertheless, the Carolina's are always on my mind and I have Cupcake Mission updates:

Hickory NC--CC Mission postponed due to family illness. I am wishing my aunt a speedy recovery and a healthy upcoming surgery. After a full recovery that we are all counting on, we must celebrate with a round (or a dozen) of cupcakes!

Greenville, SC--A mini CC Mission with some impact. Small is good and very enjoyable. And the Greenville Humane Society has $50.00 more today than it did yesterday so hopefully the animals will benefit somewhat from our small but full-hearted efforts. I suppose I am an optimist or a minimalist or both: but I believe a little goes a long way!!!!

Never underestimate the power of a cupcake!
Meg

Cupcake Mission takes Manhattan!!!! This is my nod to the Muppets Take Manhattan. Miss Piggy is my all time favorite rockin' chick. And to the girl who called me "Miss Piggy" when we walked home from school everyday in the fifth grade(so I was not a svelte little girl), I say thank you. Miss Piggy kicks *!@
The details are still baking but here are some of the ingredients: 9 a.m. Tuesday June 23rd--meeting at The Cupcake Cafe at 18 W. 18th st. Here we will fuel up on eggs (protein) and round one of cupcakes. The cost is $10.00 per person, plus cost of food, travel, and incidentals (we will hit Canal Street) 100% of the admission fee goes to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's research. Completely inspired by his words to do the next right thing, I pay tribute to his bravery and my grandfather's courage in the battle with and against Parkinson's. My grandfather, Opa, was quick-witted, humorous and adventurous. A month before his passing, he fell from his hospital bed and when my father discovered him, Opa said that he was sight-seeing. I dedicate the adventure of the NYC streets to Opa's memory and the hope of finding a cure.
Other bake shops scheduled are Sugar Sweet Sunshine and Buttercup...bring running shoes and a sense of humor because we may very well throw the frisbee in Central Park. My original idea of running sprints along the Hudson has been postponed because my lovely Chickpea is accompanying the tour with baby stroller, gear and all.
Long live the Miss Piggy's in our world who are sassy, fun loving and open to loving unconditionally and wholeheartedly!!!!!!

The cupcake mission is going international and I am so excited!!!!! Tanya Dorfler and Carolin Paulus will host a CC Mission in Germany to benefit the Ronald McDonald House. I tear up when I think about this particular mission. All the causes that have benefitted and that continue to benefit from the CC Missions are all so deserving. I have a special place in my heart for children battling terminal illnesses and their families that endure pains and fears that I cannot even imagine. Everyday the nurses and volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House try to make an oasis of sorts so that the families and children can escape reality momentarily between medical tests and results. I am so grateful for all their efforts and their dedication to the children and their families. I am also extremely grateful to Tanya and Carolin for all their efforts and enthusiasm. They radiate inner and outer beauty and pure joy for life and share their passion for helping others with such elegance.
From this side of the Atlantic I dedicate this mission to the loving memory of Jalisa, a spirited young girl who left us too early. She taught me how to dance to "Sorry Miss Jackson" and "The Thong Song" from a hospital bed with an IV attached. At the strangest of times Sorry Miss Jackson will come on the radio and I feel the sense of an angel. Jalisa taught me not to take any day for granted, to notice the small things, even when someone changes lipstick colors. She was wise and strong beyond her years and I am forever grateful for the time we had together. I am forever sorry that I wear my emotions better than any fashion trend of the week, and I am so sorry that she could sense my weak heart moreso than she ever let on in person. I use to take her happy meals from McDonald's, the fries were our favorite. But she called me one day and told me that she was tired and going to sleep so I said I would bring a happy meal tomorrow. "OK Miss Meg" were her last words and we never had the last goodbye.
So to Jalisa, Tanya, Carolin and all the wonderful people who show up at the CC Mission to benefit the RM House, I raise an extra big frosted cupcake to you--may you always remember to dance and notice the times when your friends change their lipsticks.

I am so excited about all the upcoming individual cupcake missions! I will have to break in new running shoes and find exciting parks to run sprints in each city to counter all calorie consumption. But cupcakes for charity means enjoying sans guilt. So I may skip the sprints and find new muscles in my fingers pulling back all the paper linings of the yummy confectionary treats! One and bite, two and bite, three and bite!!!!
Soon I will be busting out the calculator and totaling how much money is raised for causes, people, or animals in need through Cupcake Missions. This is just an idea I had, something fun, social, pro-active and easy. I am so not an Alpha mom who goes to the end of the earth to decorate for my two year old's party. I put out old holiday plates and mis-matched cups and call it a happy birthday.
It's great when individuals, businesses, and organized groups all rally for cupcakes and causes. I think we can all make a difference and have a lot of fun doing it.
And that's what this is: fun, not work. This is not my job. This is my passion. I hope others are inspired to make a difference in their community or contribute on a national/global level, cupcakes or no cupcakes.
But cupcakes are much more fun!

I watched a clip on "you tube" this morning of the Run for the Wall segment in Jackson, MS. There is no background music provoking any feeling, just raw footage of the bikers making the trek across the country from California to D.C. to pay tribute to our veterans.

Pete Tyer, the director of the MS Chapter of Hog Owners, who enthusiastically accepted the cupcake mission to raise money for the Trail of Honor, shared a story with me one day.
He told me that he was working traffic for the event and a Vietnam veteran walked past him and Pete said "Thank you for serving our country." The Vet teared up and said that in the 40 years he had been home, no one had ever thanked him.

I openly admit I never thought to thank a person in uniform before I started working with Pete and my father on the cupcake mission on behalf of the Trail of Honor, and my father is a 2 star General in the Air National Guard. A friend of mine thanked him once and I thought he had just held the door open for her.

Cupcake mission or not, we have soldiers, men and women, who sacrifice their time with their friends and family, sacrifice their very lives, to protect ours. Whether you agree with war or not, the fact is, the sad fact is, is that it exists so the responsibility of protection falls on someone. If you see a man or woman in uniform, please go out of your way to thank him or her. They have fought, or are fighting, to protect us on our homefront.

I look at my dad with new eyes now. I see him as bigger than I ever imagined-and that's pretty big because I already held him up on a pedastal. My thank you is more heartfelt and I am proud of what he has done for our country, continues to do for our country, and I am proud for all the battles he has fought but not always won on the homefront, too. He has taught me "character" from a very early age whether I was ready to embrace it or not.

There were so many special moments at the cupcake mission in Jackson, MS on April 11th, and the one I will treasure most, is riding in on the back of my Dad's bike. It was a moment of pride, admiration, enthusiasm, and gratitude all wrapped up in one bundle, a moment shared between father and daughter, General and civilian, Harley owner and a Harley owner wanna be.

Of course other moments stand out as well: meeting the wonderful Pete Tyer himself and his lovely wife, Linda, embracing Savannah Triplett, gold medal mother of Andrew Triplett who I have not seen in almost nine years, and sitting on Big Sexy's bike. Some people are "in the know" and some will just have to leave that to their imagination.

If you are in the Jackson area, please go to the Trail of Honor event May 16-18th at the Harley Shop on I-55 South and not only support the people who are making the trail such a special place, but also pay tribute and respect to the people riding through on their Run for the Wall.

The sound of rolling thunder will forever change you...

It is more challenging than I imagined to convince people to accept the cupcake mission. I have officially stalled. And for anyone who read my first entry, I am afraid of flying. Which is ironic, because when I graduated high school, all I wanted to do was skydive which made no sense to my father, the pilot. He agreed to the skydiving lessons as long as I would take 10 flying hours on the very Cessna style plane I would be jumping from. I only took six hours realizing I would never solo so reluctantly my father granted me the skydiving lessons. I almost backed out of those, too, but my grandfather, Opa, had a few words of wisdom that convinced me to jump. Opa was a wise man full of wit, humor, and one-liners that summed everything up. His one-liner of the day was, "At least you don't have enemies shooting at you." Why that put everything into perspective and gave me the courage to jump is beyond me but it was the most immaculate sunset I have ever experienced to date.

But I digress...back to stalling out. Having spoken to friends, they are all incredibly supportive but flat out of time and unsure that their efforts will actually make a difference for the better. While it is easy for me to disagree, it is more challenging to be persuasive. But I will....

I have contacted one business in Atlanta, a cupcake bakery of all things, and I am waiting to hear back if they, too, will accept the cupcake mission and donate all proceeds of the sales for the day (or a portion of the proceeds) to a charity of their choice. In time I will disclose the bakery because regardless of them accepting the mission or not, everyone should go support them and fill their tummies with absolute yummies. Again I face the challenge of persuasion (why did I drop debate in high school???) but I never underestimate the power of a cupcake and I have hope and faith that the cupcake mission will be in Hotlanta soon...

I’m still in the process of discovery.

My father is a two-star General and pilot in the Air National Guard. I am afraid to fly.

My mother is a brilliant chef and I manage to send instant cheese grits all over the kitchen counter.

My husband is a focused business man and I am a creative artist. As an eternal optimist, I see this as balance.

Our daughter is two and head strong—I have met my match.

As a freelance writer for Longleaf Magazine, I have eaten my weight in cupcakes and lived to write about it. In search of the perfect cupcake, I found that cupcakes have far more depth than I ever gave them credit. They are powerful sources for fundraising and this epiphany was my first inspiration for the documentary. This epiphany, combined with my long time obsession with all things dessert and my drive to reach out and help people, has led me on this journey to save the world one cupcake at a time.

As a long time actor, I tried my eye at film making and my first short film, “You’re Too…:” is entering its sixth film festival in March. “You’re Too” won an award at Broad Humor in California in June of 2008. Other screenings include the Women’s International Film Festival in Miami, FL, Austin Women’s Film Festival in Texas, Cucalorus Film Festival in Wilmington, NC, Dixie Film Festival in Athens, GA and Reel Women Film Festival in Beverly Hills.


As a wife, mother, creative artist and student of life, I am totally loving the ride.