On the verge......;-)

Good Wednesday night! Can you believe my sweet February is almost over in 5 more days?

I have to say every waking moment I'm thinking of the event of my life--thus far. It seems to take priority in my thoughts these days.:-) It's overwhelmingly exciting, lots of work, and constant reminding myself that this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I mean you only plan your first and God-willing last wedding, once.

Tonight, I began assembling my invitations. It made me happy! I spent hours searching for an invitation that I felt was me and my dear one. Then more hours finding the right font, then even more hours finding the right words. And finally after 2 weeks--they arrived! Ahhh, one more check off my "to-do" list -- as the official wedding planner for that special day. :-)

The last few days have been an adventure. My birthday was Friday. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. :-) Thus, my new year has begun! Mother Nature gave me a very much appreciated gift of warm weather in mid-February in NYC. It reached 60 degrees that day. I got to spend it outside with my dear one, enjoying the delightfulness of this creative, tough, hip, eclectic city. I am grateful.

I've been feeling on the verge of many different emotions....from giddiness to sadness to exhilaration to silliness. I embrace each one, realizing it's my life and I'm living it. I'm painting it day by day with all that I do and even all that I don't. I'm learning about myself even when I least expect it.

Most essential revelation of today--Don't doubt, just do. :-)

How fitting that I stumbled upon this quote by one of my favorite spiritual gurus today, and it totally resonates with me:

"It takes courage...to endure the sharp pains of self discovery rather than choose to take the dull pain of unconsciousness that would last the rest of our lives." ~ Marianne Williamson

 

I want to be awake in my living, even when it's feels easier to sleep through some stuff. :-) If I can do it, you can. Right? Your positive energy fuels my positive energy and vice versa. Let's keep climbing, don't look back!

 

Sending zest your way! keep on, keep, keep on..............................

 

So loving this & that right now...:-)

Hello and welcome to Wednesday night!
It's February. The shortest month. My Birthday month. Ahhhhhhhh. In essence the beginning of my new year.

I was just thinking about things and information I'm so loving right now. What about you? Have you made any new discoveries this year so far? I'll start first--here goes:

1. Totally appreciative & loving the sun glowing even on a cold day. (& loving capturing the sun like I did here in this photo I snapped). Tomorrow's forecast is in the 50s. And on Friday, my birthday, 64 degrees. That's a sweet present from mother nature. ;-)

2.The daylight lasting a tad longer than it was a month ago.

3. Bitters Spray from urbanmoonshine.com. Helps ward off the queasies. :-)

4. Green Italian olives. No, not those basic green olives you find everywhere. I’m talking about this perfectly round, pretty bright green, superbly delicious green Italian Olives. I discovered them in Sahadi’s Fine Foods in Brooklyn. That store is a jewel!! Fresh goodies like olives, dried fruits of every sort, dark chocolate covered ginger…and sooooo much more.

5. Yoga. I am not where I want to be, yet I’m learning to enjoy the journey. No judgment, simply do it and smile.

6. The Well Being Journal. I stumbled upon it while waiting in line at Whole Foods. I was intrigued by the articles so I bought it. It is overflowing with golden information for our well being and health. 2 nuggets that stayed with me after reading several articles this weekend:

********Cereal is no good. No matter where it’s bought. The processing of it, which is called extrusion, zaps out all nutrients. A more in-depth explanation is in the WBJ. For me, it's bye-bye to cereal.
********Margarine is just not good for you. According to the WBJ, Margarine processing uses the cheapest seeds, most of which are full of pesticides and genetically engineered. The manufacturers steam clean the oils, which removes all the vitamins and all the antioxidants, but the solvents and pesticides remain. I let go of margarine years ago, however reading the WBJ reminded me to keep it out of my diet forevermore. :-)
Bottom line, eating whole foods, foods from the earth with little or no processing, is the way to feeling better, looking better, acting better being better. It’s not so easy in our fast-paced society, but for me, I’ve decided it’s worth the effort. Better now than never.

7. Georgia NY Salon & Boutique. I had the delight of visiting and having my mane done at this shop last night. My stylist, Elizabeth, was very thoughtful; she listened to my hair goals and used the most scrumptious products on my hair. The boutique is filled with fun and pretty pictures of the owner's children and travels… and with tons of all-natural, organic, wonderful skin/hair and beauty products. Even a few gorgeous jewels grace the shop's shelves. This was a little piece of heaven for a gal like me— who's always on the hunt for the best moisturizer ever! :-) I must go back soon.

8. These sparkly TOMS shoes, because I just dig sparkles. ;-) And I love the fact that TOMS gives a new pair of shoes to a child in need per pair bought!

Sending peaceful vibes your way. Tag you're it!

Oh what a life! :-)

Hello out there! It's Friday, almost Saturday. I'm so happy to be blogging tonight.

What a week! I'm truly engrossed in wedding planning, just 2.5 months to go. Wowee! You can't imagine how many websites are out there with every little tidbit, any item, a gazillion ideas for "your' wedding. A gal could go bonkers. But, I'm still swimming. Yay! :-)

I can appreciate a productive week! What about you? This week I learned a little more about myself. I learned that it's OK if I'm not the same exact person I was a year or 10 years ago. I'm growing, blossoming, becoming more of who God created me to be. I am open to understanding myself more and being the best CDM I can be...day by day.
I"m learning that to listen more, smile more, get over things more. Simply let go of agony and keep walking towards the sunshine. I admit some days it's just not that easy. However, I've decided to do my darndest to enjoy the now of my life. To be constantly grateful for all this is beautiful in my world, despite any pains, pitfalls, and hiccups.

 So, let's celebrate! There are a few things worth celebrating right now. Here goes:

*** My little sister, Jana Kay's birthday was Thursday. Yes to another fantastic year!!!!

*** The people of Egypt and their perseverance!  Yes!! I love what our President said about Egypt today:“For Egypt, it was the moral force of nonviolence -- not terrorism, not mindless killing -- but nonviolence, moral force, that bent the arc of history toward justice once more.”

*** Congrats to my friend Willie on his recent engagement and for having the coolest wedding date I've heard of so far (at least personally) 9.10.11. I really dig that!!! :-)

*** Kind words. It's really so delightful to get an unexpected compliment. 3x times this week. Wow, that really rocks! I really dig telling someone how amazing they are too. Never hurts. ;-)

*** Kickboxing! My all-time favorite workout, hands down.

*** Sparkling Natural Spring Water. Oh so refreshing!

*** The sun shining no matter how low the temp is. I love you sunshine.

*** My dear one. He make me smile. He is the most patient and engaging man I know. I'm deeply grateful for his love. :-)

*** My brother is coming to my wedding. Yippee!!!!!!!!!!

*** I was in a commercial this week! A real commercial that will air on Time Warner and Cablevision. I was asked to volunteer by my company. Kewl. :-)

*** Options!

*** Weekends.
Your turn!

Sending new beginnings your way. Tag you're it!

Just wondering....:-)

Good Thursday Night! Is it me or did this week fly by? In fact, this year is zooming... so far. And what a winter we are having on the east coast. I've lived in the northeast for almost 16 years and this is the first winter that I can recall where we've had consistent snow weekly. I've worn my snow boots almost every day this year, so far. Layering is essential. :-)

So I am wondering a few things....Curious to know what others may think. Here goes;-):

~Is it me or does America or at the society I'm living in right now, just really not honor aging? I am so sick of seeing commercial after commercial telling me how to anti-age. I mean wouldn't anti-aging  mean to cease existing? Growing older aka being alive should be something to be proud of. Something to give thanks about, especially if you're pain free, brain~functioning, and able to love & smile, right? :-)

~I was rereading one of my favorite books this morning, A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson, and was reminded that I am the star of my life. Sometimes, I forget that--this--what I do, what I put my energy towards, every single day --is my life story, my feature film. I must remember it's not a dress rehearsal. This is it. Do you ever think about that?

~Where's the most magical place you've ever been? A place where you felt like you were in another world and time. A place where you discovered how tremendously wondrous God's green earth really is.  A place where you felt closer to humanity. So far, for me, that was Egypt. I pray for her peace.

~Do you ever try visualizing? I do even when I'm not trying. It's just imagining, sometimes. Dreaming in color, I tend to think. I'm visualizing a few things for the upcoming months. I'm giddy with excitement. What about you?

That's all for tonight. I say YES to the weekend. Bring on the fun! :-)

Sending curiosity your way. Tag you're it!

It's the little things:-)

Hello and welcome to Monday night! The first day of the week, the last day of January. Yes, time waits for nothing. I must confess January didn't start off as I had intended. I had a beautiful New Year's Eve and day. However, I spent the 3 weeks following fighting a cold. I am thrilled to say today, Jan. 31st, I'm better!!!! My voice is back and my energy level is almost 100% back to norm. I'm a grateful gal!

Do you ever notice that it's the little things that really make life much sweeter? Like on a Monday morning when it's 23 degrees, thinking of something small but oh so sweet can bring a smile to my face. And when I"m smiling, I'm living and not just going through the motions. What makes you smile on Monday? What made you smile today?
For me the following made my day a little bit brighter despite the frigid temps. ;-)

*** Getting a seat on the train during rush hour in NYC.

***a clean path to walk amidst the piles of snow on the sidewalk. No slipping. Yay!

***Being able to button my pants with a leggins underneath. Gotta layer in this weather. :*)

***Waking up 30 minutes early to meditate on my intentions for the day and stretch. Ohm.

***Sharing in someone's joy. 2 folks on my floor got engaged over the weekend. Everyone was spreading good wishes. Was nice!

***Arriving home before 7pm and getting my laundry finished before 9pm. Yes!

***Starting my day off with a freshly juiced bett, carrot, ginger, lemon and spinach juice.

***Asking my dear one what was his high of the day and getting the response, "talking to you." Ahhh, my heart is full. :-)

***Enjoying a Tate's Chocolate Chip Walnut cookie. So crisp and delish!

***Being alert all day. That's always a plus. lol.

Your turn!

Sending smiles your way. Tag you're it!