Thursday, August 19, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
GROW, BABY, GROW
My roses look like they have a second wind!! One of the three bushes has at least 7 blooms! There is another rosebush that looks like it may have some buds!! I am super psyched! They have looked so rough the majority of the summer, it's nice to see *fingers-crossed* that they are back and growing!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
JULIE + JULIA
For book club, we completed Julie + Julia by Julie Powell. I was super excited we chose this one from the hat, as I have been wanting to read it forever!! The movie was very good, but I actually liked the book better! They definitely complement one another very well...
I found a deep connection to Julie - she messed up in the kitchen, got a upset about it, and in the end took a deep breath and got the job done - completing 3 or so recipes a night from Julia Child's cookbook: Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Julie took on the adventure of cooking every single recipe from MAFC, blogging about it, and risking her marriage to Eric, her long love. She took on a new role, really changing her life and setting it around her crazy goal!! Cooking in her cramped NYC apartment, finding all of the ingredients - which was an adventure in itself, she decided this goal that was "not easy, just simple".
"... I began to ponder; this life we had for ourselves, Eric and I, it felt like the opposite of Potage Parmentier. It was easy enough to keep on with the soul-sucking jobs; at least it saved having to make a choice. But how much longer could I take such an easy life? Quicksand was easy. Hell, death was easy. Maybe that's why my synapses had started snapping at the sight of potatoes and leeks in the Korean deli. Maybe that was what was plucking deep down in my belly whenever I thought of Julia Child's book. Maybe I needed to make like a potato, winnow myself down, be a part of something that was not easy, just simple."
Julie was stuck in a job that was just not fulfilling. She didn't feel fulfilled with her life in general. She had a wonderful husband - but she needed something more... This is why the book Julie + Julia exists. It is comforting to know that you can put a goal in a place - work hard at it - and it could in fact change your life! Julie helps convince the world that once you set your mind to something - no matter how crazy people think you are (like her mother, for instance) - great things can come out of it!
Julie taught me that you don't have to be stuck in a crappy job and lose everything creative or everything wonderful about yourself. You should always be reaching for something more. There is more to life than mere work and paychecks. If passion is not in your work - then find it somewhere else in your life and GO FOR IT!
My favorite segment of the book was crustacean-related. The lobsters. How she could have her lobster "victims" in a brown bag on her back seat - driving around frantic NYC - hearing them moving around behind her - I am not sure I could do this!! It was kind of heart-wrenching when she described having to kill her victims... Again something else I don't think I could do!!
I found a deep connection to Julie - she messed up in the kitchen, got a upset about it, and in the end took a deep breath and got the job done - completing 3 or so recipes a night from Julia Child's cookbook: Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Julie took on the adventure of cooking every single recipe from MAFC, blogging about it, and risking her marriage to Eric, her long love. She took on a new role, really changing her life and setting it around her crazy goal!! Cooking in her cramped NYC apartment, finding all of the ingredients - which was an adventure in itself, she decided this goal that was "not easy, just simple".
"... I began to ponder; this life we had for ourselves, Eric and I, it felt like the opposite of Potage Parmentier. It was easy enough to keep on with the soul-sucking jobs; at least it saved having to make a choice. But how much longer could I take such an easy life? Quicksand was easy. Hell, death was easy. Maybe that's why my synapses had started snapping at the sight of potatoes and leeks in the Korean deli. Maybe that was what was plucking deep down in my belly whenever I thought of Julia Child's book. Maybe I needed to make like a potato, winnow myself down, be a part of something that was not easy, just simple."
Julie was stuck in a job that was just not fulfilling. She didn't feel fulfilled with her life in general. She had a wonderful husband - but she needed something more... This is why the book Julie + Julia exists. It is comforting to know that you can put a goal in a place - work hard at it - and it could in fact change your life! Julie helps convince the world that once you set your mind to something - no matter how crazy people think you are (like her mother, for instance) - great things can come out of it!
Julie taught me that you don't have to be stuck in a crappy job and lose everything creative or everything wonderful about yourself. You should always be reaching for something more. There is more to life than mere work and paychecks. If passion is not in your work - then find it somewhere else in your life and GO FOR IT!
My favorite segment of the book was crustacean-related. The lobsters. How she could have her lobster "victims" in a brown bag on her back seat - driving around frantic NYC - hearing them moving around behind her - I am not sure I could do this!! It was kind of heart-wrenching when she described having to kill her victims... Again something else I don't think I could do!!
"When I got home I peered down at the lobster to see how he was doing. The inner plastic bag was sucked tight around him and clouded up. It looked like something out of an eighties made-for-TV movie, with some washed-up actress taking too many pills and trying to off herself with a Macy's bag."
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
WORDS OF WISDOM - DON'T SETTLE
The below advice from Paul Ferrini are words I tell my friends, but forget to tell myself... Always remember not to settle!!!
"Most of you know what you want, but you do not wait for it. You are constantly compromising your needs and your values to fit the situations which present themselves to you. You take the job or the relationship not because it offers you what you desire, but because you are afraid a better offer won't come. You live your life afraid to take risks because you do not want to give up the security you have.
I have news for you. That security is your death knell. It prevents you from asking sincerely for what you want.
If you are ready to release negative, masochistic, people-pleasing patterns, you must be willing to stand in the conviction of who you are, no matter how others respond to you. You must reach down deeply inside yourself and affirm yourself as you alone know yourself to be."
Paul Ferrini, in "The Silence of the Heart"
"Most of you know what you want, but you do not wait for it. You are constantly compromising your needs and your values to fit the situations which present themselves to you. You take the job or the relationship not because it offers you what you desire, but because you are afraid a better offer won't come. You live your life afraid to take risks because you do not want to give up the security you have.
I have news for you. That security is your death knell. It prevents you from asking sincerely for what you want.
If you are ready to release negative, masochistic, people-pleasing patterns, you must be willing to stand in the conviction of who you are, no matter how others respond to you. You must reach down deeply inside yourself and affirm yourself as you alone know yourself to be."
Paul Ferrini, in "The Silence of the Heart"
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Honeymoon Dreams - COSTA
I am so excited I am all ready reading all about it and trying to get an idea of what there is to do and see!! I am a big fan of lists... So, of course Costa Rica needs a LIST!
Here is what I have come up with so far, I will add more as I keep talking to friends about what they recommend... At this point I am trying to figure out which areas are less touristy, more unknown! Some say the South Coast ? Let me know your thoughts :)
1. Climb Cerro Chirripo
2. Bungee Jumping
4. Beach - relaxation is KEY!!
5. Tenorio Volcano National Park / Rio Celeste
6. Scuba Diving
Friday, July 30, 2010
MEMORIES I DON'T WANNA FORGET!
ON TOP OF THE WORLD
Red Furry Earmuffs on the top of a 14er.. YES!
ShelleBelle + I
Backpacking with Amelia-Badelia
Resting with my Honey
Rockies Game with Meg + Daniel + HOT Chocolate!
Auburn Football with a Gator in an Auburn Jersey, LOVE IT!
Ultimate Frisbee, how I miss thee!
My FLA Gals... Do we ever stop talking (or laughing for that matter) ?!
Getting Cheeky at the Cheeky Monk
Not sure.. but this is me in a nutshell.
TN Chickadees!
Halloween.. Or maybe this was just a typical night out?
Definitely need some Ali time!
Rest in Peace, Muffin. I love you Peanut!
Sunday, July 11, 2010
SITTIN ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY
We took a recent trip to Northern California to discover new places and attend a beautiful wedding! Here are some of my favorite memories from the vacation...
VIEW FROM THE HOTEL - SAN FRANCISCO
THE HEART - SYMBOL OF SAN FRAN
PRETTY GRAFFITI..
THE BAY BRIDGE
THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE IN FOG
MORE FOG... A BIT SURREAL
THE CHURCH - HEALDSBURG
QUIVIRA VINEYARDS - HEALDSBURG
THE BRIDE'S BOUQUET
THE RECEPTION
RECEPTION AT NIGHT FALL
OVERHANG DETAIL - HEALDSBURG
NO FOG THIS TIME!
COOOLD WATER BY THE BAY!
HANGING WITH THE LOCALS...ACTING LIKE TOURISTS!
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