HelloAgain

Good morning new month: JUNE

There are some pretty good things about this month:

* 15 years ago I became a mom in this month (on June 4th to be exact.)

* The month of June became more beautiful than any other month, exactly 15 years ago.

*June rhymes with balloon, and oh how I love balloons ~check out that lovely kid on my banner, holding balloons and dreaming up beautiful things.  Yes, she will be 15 this month!

*June is just fabulous!  

Good morning, June, happy month.  Thank you for everything! 

Little ordinary things

A handful of joyful memories from this weekend

Happy and safe Memorial Day everyone!

Joyful mornings

Flowers on my table = JOY 

Working on a dream

Like the boss (Bruce Springsteen) would say it,

"The sun rise up, I climb the ladder. The new day breaks and I'm working on a dream."  

My two rules

Rule number one: ALWAYS DO SOMETHING. 

1. When fear paralyzes you, pray.
2. When you are filled with doubt, choose faith.
3. When you are sad: cry if you must, but only for a brief moment; then proceed to pick up a good book, call a caring friend, pick up your camera to capture life around you, write a letter to heaven, sing a favorite song (or just listen to it), watch an inspiring movie, go buy yourself flowers, eat a chocolate, drink some coffee…take action towards healing yourself.  Sadness is not a good long-term companion.  Chocolate and coffee are always really good helpers in this business of making oneself happy. 
4. Whenever you are busy or overwhelmed: begin an exciting new project.  Nothing creates more energy than a new creative endeavor.  It will ultimately free your mind to get all the important things accomplished. 
5. When you are tired: PLAY! And then take some time to rest, and dream.
6. When someone hurts you: Forgive, and forget.  Life is too short to waste it on bad feelings.  Choose the happy memories and keep a content heart.  Be wise though.  If the hurt is truly monumental, move on.  Or move away if you must, but forget the hurtful feelings towards the transgressors.  Nothing ever good comes out of holding grudges.  
7. If you feel misunderstood: take yourself lightly!  Not everyone around you will see things the way you do.  In fact, hardly anyone ever will.  If that ever happens, you’ve found a soul mate!

Rule number two:  DO NOT EVER STOP BEING YOURSELF.

1. Remind yourself that being you is the best gift you have to give the world.
2. Do not stop believing in the magic of your own dreams.
3. Smile often.
4. Do not be afraid to say no. 
5. You don’t always have to do it all. 
6. Ask for help.
7. Learn something new every day.

 

Making rules is fun! 

* Blog post inspired by Linda and Karen's awesome new book: You Rule: The Art of Taking Charge.  I love books that inspire you, and invite you to share your own perspective.  Some people are insighful, creative and funny (like Linda and Karen) and others, like me, might just be a bit too mushy or silly, but that is the beauty of life.  We all need to have our very own rules to live by, our own unique perspective!  

 

Back from Philly and a new kind of busy

* Photo above taken by my friend Beth.

Early this month I traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a work related three-day conference. This was my first time in that beautiful and historical city.  I do not have enough wonderful things to say about this glorious place.  I only wish I had had more time for sight-seeing!  It was truly inspiring to walk around those sights of such historical importance to our country.  

I have a re-newed love for Benjamin Franklin and his legacy. And I have a new list of books (all about his life) to read.

I would love to go back to Philly some day with more free time to just walk around and take it all in.  On the last day we were there, we had two free hours to walk around before we had to head over to the airport.  We walked about two miles from our hotel to the Rocky statute (I needed a photo of Mr. Balboa, a special request from the husband who is a huge fan of the Rocky movies), and back.  During those two hours, my camera managed to capture one thousand photos.  I have no idea how that happened!  

Any free time I had in the evenings, after the conferences were over, involved picture taking, good food, and Starbucks!  And that reminds me, another thing I loved about Philly is their love for coffee, chocolate and gelato!  I was in heaven I tell you.

If you are interested, you can view some of the photos I took in Philly right here.

And well, life has been a new kind of busy around here.  It is INSANE how time does fly.  The days, the weeks and the months seem to melt together into a pile of blur; but so grateful for it all.  Blur and all.  

The edge of the world

“She always had that about her, that look of otherness, of eyes that see things much too far, and of thoughts that wander off the edge of the world.”
― Joanne Harris

Looking up into the clouds is amazing, but looking through the clouds from above is utterly magical.  Up there where dreams begin and never end.  Where thoughts are as clear as ice, and as real as it gets.

I love flying, can you tell?

So many flowers so little time

One of the things I love the most about the month of May is the blooming flowers everywhere!  

This is the time when most of my favorite type of blooms begin showing up in every place I go, and every unexpected corner. 

The month of May houses special holidays such as Mother's Day, Teacher's Day, my mom's birthday and a few good friends' birthdays as well.  Lots of little cards and things to make in May. It's like a national crafty month in our house!

May is always such a great month.