Category Archives: gratitude

Still Grieving

Back in January, shortly after his 15th birthday, we found out my little dog, Griffin was sick.

I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much.

We knew he wasn’t feeling well. And we knew, at 15 he was quite old. We knew once he turned 13 or so that pretty much any day could be his last.  In fact, our last big vacation with him, up to Mendocino, we said we knew that that would be the last one he’d go on with us.

Happy Birthday Griffin

So we made the most of that trip. And we made sure that any trip we took without him, we always had someone staying back at the apartment with him.

morphine makes it better

goodbyes are never easy

Almost two months, to the day, we found out that his brother, Charlie was also sick.

Sweet CharlieFor some reason, there weren’t as many tears. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t as sad. I think it was honestly easier to say good-bye to him since were weren’t dealing with emergency room visits. And again, we saw how skinny he was getting. We weren’t really surprised.

Here’s one of the sweet shots I got of Charlie before we took him in to the vet. I love this photo.
Saying Goodbye to Charlie

Here’s a photo we took a couple days before we said good-bye to Griffin. We knew once he started letting the cat snuggle that he must not have been feeling well. But at the same time, this is such an adorable photo. It really shows how close they were. Where one went, the other went.
Griffin and CharlieNow, months later, we’re both still grieving. But things are getting easier.

And we’re starting to talk about getting some new, fuzzy little ones. Not today. Not tomorrow. But soon.

 

It’s Officially Fall!!

Harvest Charlie

And no, I don’t mean autumn.

We don’t have many, full on seasons here in LA.  We’re pretty much either hot with cooler nights, or cooler with cold nights.  And not all too much of anything else.

But what we do have is a rainy fall.  And I love everything about that.

For someone reason, no one (but gardeners) seem to be aware that we rain on and off through most of October.  They might recall that it often rains on Halloween, but not much else.  Yet I remember each year and each year I get so excited when those 90 degree days drop down to the low 70’s.

Today was that first day.

The sky was grey as drove to work.  The air was crisp.  You could feel the humidity in the air.

Then as I was packing up for the day to head home I hear over the PA system “all teachers: rainy day plans are in effect.”  Woohoo!

Mind you, it didn’t even rain long enough to rinse all the crud off my car.  But it was enough to make things uncomfortable as I walked the block to my car.  And now I hear that we’re 100% set for rain tomorrow and I’m thrilled.

Next up, I’ll be putting some soups, chile and stews on.  And I can’t wait.

‘Cause tomorrow’s another day
and I’m thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain.

It’s Time For Tea

Tea

I don’t know if you know this about me, but I love tea.

I’ll take a good Irish Breakfast tea any day.  The sweeter, the blacker and the creamier it is, the more I like it. I think half the fun of my trip to Ireland was drinking entire pots of tea throughout the day.  Yes, I love it that much.

Unfortunately it’s really only something I drink at home (unless I’m going “to tea”) and usually only when the weather is cooler…which is any day now here in LA.

A few years ago, when I was involved with Constant Chatter (check out the new magazine that we’ve got going!) I participated in a couple of our tea swaps.  And I loved having the chance to try out some new teas.  Many of which were very new to me (really, I’m pretty traditional with my black or assam teas).

So when one of my online friends (and fellow Tranquilista classmate) Melita over at Gussying Up the Tuttle posted that she was organizing a tea swap, I had to sign up to participate.  And I’m so glad I did.

Not only did I get some fun new teas to try (like a super yummy citrus camomile – dealing with a cold, so I’m avoiding the milk and hence, the black teas), but thanks to Melita’s fun survey she sent each of us, I also got some fun gifties.  My new tea swap friend,  Julie from Savvy Eats sent along some freshly baked pumpkin scones (which the hubs proceeded to eat – these could be them) and some interesting season salts from Garlic Gold Nugget along with my teas (which I haven’t yet tried).

Out of all teas she sent, I think I’m most excited to try the Chocolate Orange Rooibos from and the Green Tea Chai, both from The Whistling Kettle (in NY).  She also included some other interesting greens to check out. While I enjoy green tea, it’s never something I really search out.  So I’m looking forward to trying something new.

Of course, I sent my own package out a little late (oopsie).  I sent along a fun (if not spiritual) read which I don’t recall the name of at this moment and bunches and bunches of tea.  No really…I mean bunches!

A friend ordered me a bag of assam tea from her co-op last year and I didn’t realize quite how LARGE a one pound bag would be.  So I shared the wealth and filled an entire zippied sandwich bag…along with a few other fun selections.  I hope she’ll be happy with what she gets.

And now, all this writing about tea has me craving a cuppa 😉

A Birthday Gift for My Entreprenurial Friends

I am all about finding great resources and building your success toolbox. And more often than not, I’m also all about sharing those resources with you guys.

Usually I do this over on the Success for Solopreneurs Facebook page (link) or directly on my business blog (link). I figured that since today is my birthday, that I’d share the gift that I offered up to my friends, fans and followers.

It might not e the sort of thing you’re into – you know, not being an entrepreneur and all – but if that is you’re thing, I do hope you enjoy it. And if you know anyone that could benefit from this great list of resources, feel free to pass it along and share the wealth.

My Gift to You: Solopreneur Resources-Palooza

Image: VintageAdBrowser.com

7 Years: We Will Not Grow Old

Happy Anniversary to my Sweetie

Thank you Lenka for the reminder that though we might have a long way still to go…we will get there!

We Will Not Grow Old

You and me will be lying side by side…
Forever, forever…
Underneath this adolescent sky…
Together, together…
And you will hold my heart inside your hand…
And you’ll be the one, the one to tell me…

Oh, we’ve got a long, long way to go…
To get there, we’ll get there…
But oh, if there’s one thing that we know…
It’s that we will not grow old…

I made you swear that our hearts will never die…
No never, no never…
Cause no one seems to believe that we can fly…
Forget them, forget them…
Oh, you told me…

Oh, we’ve got a long, long way to go…
To get there, yeah we’ll get there…
But oh, if there’s one thing that we know…
It’s that we will not grow old…

We’ve got a long, long way to go…
To get there, we’ll get there…
But oh, if there’s one thing that we know…
It’s that we will not grow old…

Oh, how could we know that day, it came with age…
That oh, the feeling would fade…

Oh, we’ve got a long, long way to go…
To get there, we’ll get there…
But, oh, if there’s one thing that we know…
It’s that we will not grow old…

Oh, we’ve got a long, long way to go…
To get there, yeah we’ll get there…
But, oh, if there’s one thing that we know…
It’s that we will not grow old…

No, we will not grow old…
We won’t grow old…
No, no, we will not grow old…
No, we will not grow old…
We will not grow old…

Copyright © 2009 Sony Music Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

How to change the world. Ten (not so) easy steps.

I read this piece by Heather Plett and over at Sophia Leadership and it touched me.  Enough so,  I thought I’d share it with you.

In honour of the courageous people in Egypt, who are putting themselves at great personal risk to impact change, I’ve been thinking about what it takes to change the world. This list is as much a reminder for me as anything. There are so many of these things I need to work on – so much courage I need to muster before I’d be ready to join them in Tahrir Square.

1. Shut up and listen. Listen deeply. To the wisdom of God. To the wisdom of others. Just listen.

2. When it’s time to speak, get the cotton out of your mouth and SPEAK, damn it. Speak truth to power. Speak kindness to the hurting. Speak justice to the oppressors.

4. Put your work boots on. Don’t be afraid to get dirty. Get grease on your hands. Pick things up that need to be moved. Go the square. March. Get busy.

5. Put your paint clothes on. Make art. Beautiful art, challenging art, scary art. Just make it. And then share it. The world needs more art.

6. Pay it forward. Kindness is contagious. Spread it.

7. Get down on your knees. Or down on your mat. Pray. Meditate. Even if you don’t believe prayer will change the world, it will change YOU, and that’s a good start.

8. Don’t just tweet it, DO IT! Sometimes talking makes us complacent and we forget to act. Get out there and ACT. Listen to the wisdom of Jen Louden for your inspiration.

9. Don’t let the bastards win. Some people, who’ve let power and riches get to their heads, would prefer that you roll over and play dead. Don’t do it. There’s enough apathy in the world without you adding to it.

10. Give something away. Stop listening to the marketers who want you to believe you’re nothing but a consumer. Let your primary energy be your GIVING energy instead of your consuming energy. Shift the balance. Give until we’ve ALL got enough.

And a bonus one:

11. Dare to dream. Dream BIG. Dream of a world where there is justice for all, food for all, freedom for all, peace for all, water for all. Dream of a world where there is less garbage (both literally and figuratively) and more beauty. Let your dreams drive you.

Original Source

Thirty Days of Gratitude: Family of Friends

The NM Gang

DAY ELEVEN – Family of Friends: It’s often been said that we may not be able to pick our family, but we can most definitely pick our friends.  I’ve always been blessed with an amazing “family” of friends…everywhere I’ve lived.  This trip back to New Mexico, I was able to sit down, like a family over a good, home-cooked meal, with my dear friends.  Richard and I are in the middle there, my best friend (and former roommate), Julia and her man Ed are on the left, and my mother-figure (for lack of a better term…this is the woman that made me cry when she came into the ready room at my wedding), Effie, and her main man, Doug (who often feels like my big brother).  It took a while – and a LOT of laughter – to finally get this picture, but I love everything about it.

So for today…I am so grateful knowing that I have an amazing family of friends that I can always count on for love, laughter, advice and a great dinner!

Thirty Days of Gratitude: Modern Medicine

DAY EIGHT – Modern Medicine: I’ve written about it far too many times to even bother recounting, but yes, I seem to be sick…again.  I actually just finished my first week of antibiotics. But well…I fly again this week and I still feel all congested. So I opted to try for a second week as well.  My goal here is to just not make things worse than they are.  And while I’ve been on antibiotics far more than I’m comfortable with, let’s face it…modern medicine works.  Then again, up until this last flight, I was doing just fine going the herbal and homeopathic route too (which I’ll return to hardcore once I get back home).

So for today…I am grateful that I have the best doctor in the world – she doesn’t even require me to see her for my sinus infections and she’s always there when I need to heal – and for the wonders of modern medicine.

Thirty Days of Gratitude: Vampire Diaries

DAY FOUR – Vampire Diaries: Okay, time to be completely honest, I started watching Vampire Diaries a little over a year ago (my husband was taking a phone call and there was nothing else on that I could watch without him – meaning the rest of the stuff on the DVR was “together” shows). I got hooked. Immediately. I must say, it’s not nearly as cheesy as it could be. I think they’ve done a great job with the storyline and when each episode ends it leaves me excited for the next (and no, I’ve never seen nor read any of the Twilight series). And of course, there’s Ian Somerhalder. I loved him on Lost and I love his strung out lover, bad boy character on Vampire Diaries. If you haven’t yet seen the show, check it out. Or just check out this video clip from last year – hot, hot, hot!

So for today…I am grateful that when Boone died on Lost, he didn’t really die forever – I can see an even sexier version on Vampire Diaries.