This Mama carries a "bucket list" in her purse. When she has a moment, she checks it to find something new she can do. Attending the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be scratched off the list this month as she performs in the parade.

"To see the parade is one thing, but to get to perform in it with The Red Hot Mamas takes it to a whole new level. I couldn't be more excited and honored! NYC, here we come!" she said flashing her dazzling smile.

Elaine grew up in an Amerasian home. Her mom was raised in Saigon, Vietnam, and her dad in Minneapolis, Minn. The Vietnam war brought them together. At great personal sacrifice, her mother left her culture and her family (never to see her mother again), for love and freedom, and to ensure her precious baby girl would be born in the United States of America. Elaine views her birth in the greatest country in the world as a miracle.

Growing up as an American teenager reared by a Vietnamese mother seeking to instill the importance of cultural roots in her created a household of conflict. Elaine likens it to the movie, "Joy Club." In her mother's desperation to influence Elaine, she constantly reminded her daughter American teens were blue-eyed blondes and she was not.

When Elaine tried out for cheerleading and won a spot on the team, her mom said, "Why they pick you? You're Oriental." She told Elaine to cover up her square jawline as her face was too big. These remarks led Elaine to low self-esteem, anorexia and bulimia.

In spite of the challenges, Elaine knew her parents were doing their best and hit her knees nightly praying her mom could see her family again to find inner peace.

Eventually, Elaine got to travel to Saigon with her parents. Her dream come true evolved into a twisted nightmare as Vietnamese relatives wanted $50,000 in U.S. dollars to allow her mom to see her father. They decided not to meet the monetary demand and stood in disbelief, as their smiling Vietnamese family turned them away from seeing Elaine's grandfather without the money. Determined not be victimized, Elaine took her parents back to the family home unannounced. The surprised aunt's quarreling escalated. Elaine collapsed in sobs. The stoic aunts asked, "What's wrong Hong Suong? (Elaine's Vietnamese name)." Elaine explained she waited 35 years to travel the world to meet her grandfather. They relented, but not before giving grandfather a sedative. They got to "view" him. Elaine says, "The sight of mom longing for her father is burned into the fiber of my being."

During this complete culture shock, the trip provided deep understanding as to why her mom is who she is. Elaine wonders if she would have the courage to leave everything familiar for the promises of America. She gained appreciation, compassion, and love, as well as a solid lesson in not judging others.

In 2009 Elaine, with her husband, Todd, had the honor of meeting her grandfather without sedation.

Elaine reverently shares, "I realize the sacrifices mom made so I could be an American. It was by the grace of God, she made it to Spokane, Wash., in time for my birth. My Amerasian life would be quite different on the streets of Vietnam."

Elaine finds beauty in Vietnam and its people. She forgave her Vietnamese family as it is a different culture. Above all, she is thankful for her parents' love, sacrifices and foresight to secure an American future for their unborn child.

Her advice to others in search of their own identity in families of cultural conflict, "Embrace your heritage and identify with your cultural traditions. In the United States of America, we have the opportunity to create our own ways in life and not be a prisoner of the past. The past shapes who you are. Transcend boundaries and self-imposed limitations; don't be a prisoner of another's past, like I'm no longer prisoner of my mom's past."

A tiny, gray-haired, Vietnamese lady walks 12 miles through Coeur d'Alene daily. Walking keeps Elaine's dear mom sane.

Meet Elaine Damschen

Age: 45

Married: 3 children

BA in Elementary Education, Master of Business Administration

Co-owner and President Mainstream Electric, Cd'A/Spokane, ZAPP Electric, Seattle, Red Hot Mama Administrative Production Team

Red Hot Mama: 2 years

Enjoyments: Family. College and NFL football. Baking. Shopping. Photography. Scrapbooking.

Highlight of her life: Mothering twin 19 year old boys and 13 year old daughter

Life motto: "Live life on purpose; not out of habit! Keep doing things for the first time."

RHM Besties: Cheerleading. Amazing and diverse women to know and love.

RHM Tuffies: As a leader in life, following another's vision requires different skills.