• Travels

    Five Short Term Goals

    Time flies when you’re living out of a suitcase. Suddenly Thanksgiving is nearly upon us, and although I’m not hosting the holiday itself, our boys (plus one!) are traveling to Knoxville. Travel life is so lacking in routine I thought I’d better make a short list of some completely doable goals I need to accomplish between when I get home late tonight and Thursday: 1. Unpack and do laundry. (I know, that’s actually two tasks. #HowIRoll) 2. Grocery shop for staples plus some of the boys’ favorite foods. 3. Bake some holiday cookies to send home with the boys. 4. Wrap Hanukkah gifts so the boys can take them home…

  • Confessions

    Research is Formalized Curiosity.

    I have always been a curious person. Some might call it nosey, and admittedly on occasion that’s true. Mostly I just have an insatiable thirst for knowledge about lots of different things. I was sitting here watching “Price is Right” with my mom (yes, on purpose!), and I started thinking about how I would prepare to be a potential contestant on the show. If I had tickets to be in the audience, you can bet my butt would be living at Best Buy for two weeks before the taping, doing pricing research. In addition, I’d be consulting with a travel agent on the varying costs of world travel to many…

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    Travels

    Comfort is Relative.

    I think I have flown from city to city more in the past 18 months than I have in the last decade combined. Other than that one time I got stranded at the Newark airport because of a flight that kept getting pushed back until finally the crew had timed out on their hours (still thankful that Liz and GarthNHRN came all the way back to the airport to pick me up!), I generally don’t have airline issues other than turbulence. Jim and I mainly use two airline companies because we are members of their frequent flyer programs. This week I flew to Arizona with my mom, and the airline…

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    Something That Could Change Your Life

    Just Breathe.

      I have always struggled with quieting my mind. I was born that way, but my tendency to have multiple projects going on at any given time (along with my worry about every detail that exists) doesn’t make my life easier. Many of my friends have suggested meditation, but I’ve never actually tried it. A couple of years ago a friend suggested the website “Do Nothing For 2 Minutes” and I thought that was pretty amazing but I always forgot about it. Also, I have to be on my computer to use it. (Click it; it’s pretty cool!) My new watch has a “Breathe” function on it, and I’ve had…

  • Motivation,  Something That Could Change Your Life

    Make It Sweet.

    I think as we get older, we tend to reflect on life so much more than we did in our younger days. I know I do. My appreciation for the little things and my laser focus these days on gratitude and blessings stems from my absorption of the fact that Life as I know it could end at any moment. I’m known for being a go-getter, and that trait comes in handy especially these days. I don’t wait for things to happen; I try to make them happen. What about you? Are you the driver in your life, or a passenger? If you’re riding shotgun, let me recommend you scoot…

  • My Friends Have Mad Skillz

    Thank You Notes

    I adore being around fellow creatives. Whether I’m enjoying lunch with just one friend (bouncing ideas off of each other and sharing goals, dreams, and suggestions) or spending time in a huge group of people with varying creative skills and volume levels (as I did over the weekend in Texas) I almost always leave inspired and ready to tackle my own planned projects or create new ones with fresh ideas from friends who are always thinking. I went into last weekend only knowing about half of the women in the house and made fast friends with the rest. One of those was Nancy of Midlife Mixtape, who I feel like…

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    Confessions

    Dream Home

    One of the things I love about traveling is checking out the home styles that are popular or traditional in any given area. This weekend I was in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, enjoying a girls’ weekend at a gorgeous vacation home, courtesy of my friend’s generous in-laws. One morning a group of us took a walk around the resort area and I was struck by the beauty of the homes there. Several of them had so many windows that one could see all the way through the homes to the water behind them. (I love looking inside other people’s homes! But not in a creepy way!) The landscaping was generally amazing. Other…