January 21, 2026

"Hold your course and don't let go..."

This morning I have the desire to go somewhere.

I'm feeling a pull for Costa Rica...

then I pop back into reality,

and it looks more like shopping for tires,

and touring Walmart.

Who knows...? could be fun.

Journaling...

Don't worry about having it all figured out in advance;

you'll connect the dots as you go.

'Reading in a spiritual way is reading with a 

desire to let God come closer to us.

Not to master knowledge, to let God's 

Spirit master us.'

Keep your eyes open, make a plan, then get busy executing it.

"A do-nothing attitude usually

results in a nothing-done state."

Choose worthwhile ambitions.

Don't busy yourself with things that merely occupy your time.

Are you catching up on everyone else's life,

or exploring and examining yours?

Get clear about what you believe will last in your life.

What helps others & inspires you?

Be energized and grateful, and throw more of your life 

into it.

be well...

xoxo

💖

"...We too have an inner compass that guides us through

life. If we take the time to listen for the subtle cues

of our intuition, we can learn to trust our instincts

at a deeper level. 

Take a moment to be still and welcome 

the wisdom of your intuition."

"God doesn't usually shout over the noise.

He speaks in the quiet of the present moment.

We've  normalized busyness as success.

Always moving. Always producing.

Always on.

Slowing down is an act of trust in a 

culture that glorifies speed.

Choose presence today."

~Dr. Josh Axe~

'Be the woman who doesn't wait anymore.

She booked the flight, took the risks,

hired the coach, and lived a life

God placed in her heart.'

💝

Journal Dump

Today, I have a new soup recipe simmering on the stove.

A loaf of sourdough raising, and a batch of protein balls made.

The kettle is on for hot tea, and I'm getting snuggled in

to (finally) watch the movie

"Casablanca".

It's Molly-Mom recommended.

Some notes from my journal this week...

Give up striving to keep everything under control.

Faith often tells us to go in the opposite direction

of what basic instinct tells us to do.

Giving to life is our real need.

'Trust means you're ready to risk what you already have.'

God's not asking you to figure out all the logistics.

Bring what you've go. He'll take care of the rest.

'When we try to copy someone else,

we're no longer the incredible, unique person 

we were created to be,

but a poor knockoff of who they were created to be.'

'If you're worried that revealing your true self will 

change your relationships- it will.

Some will drift away,

but the truest relationships will stay.'

Negative thought patterns will grow weaker

practicing thankfulness.

You  can grumble, or you can praise.

Refocus on positive attributes rather

than the negative. 

Don't weigh yourself down with responsibilities

that are not your own.

Live in anticipation of the cumulative effects 

of the small daily changes you make.

Fight the urge to become apathetic & lethargic

or to procrastinate.

"Take away what you are known for,

and whatever is left is who you are."

Be the most genuine, authentic you.

be well...

xoxo

💖

This quote made me tear up this morning.

It's a (good) thing. 

I can lighten up.

"You need not leave your room.

 Remain sitting at your table and listen.

You need not even listen, simply wait.

You need not even wait, just learn to become quiet,

and still, and solitary.

The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked.

It has no choice; it will roll in ecstasy at your feet."

Thanksgiving

...was hosted by Brandon and Molly this year.

All Thanksgivings are special, but this one

was one of the best.

On the road trip there, I reflected on past Thanksgivings.

There were times Brandon would go to his Dad's and I 

would be invited to celebrate with my girlfriend and her family.

(The same family that played matchmaker & hooked

hubby up with my phone number, back in the day.)

Then there's the Thanksgiving that Brandon and I were pet sitting 

for his Dad and girlfriend when they went out of town.

 We had an invite to join those same friends,

but an ice storm moved in.

We had two choices.

Risk driving an hour to celebrate with our friends,

(and perhaps stay the night)

or risk a 10 min. drive to Walmart to purchase all that we needed

to have our own celebration at home.

We chose the latter.

A quick trip to the store, a thawed turkey with all the fixings for our meal,

and each of us selecting a movie to buy that we could watch together.

Mine...Eat, Pray, Love.

His...Zombieland.

A meal in the oven.

A fire in the woodstove.

Zombies & Zen and a kitten with the zoomies

who kept racing up the Christmas tree...

still ranks as one of my best Thanksgivings to date.

This one tucks right in beside it.

 Our families gathered and met, and stayed overnight.

Great conversations paired with copious amounts of laughter.

Pets to cuddle, football games, and an amazing meal.

Later, fun rounds of Shanghai Rummy, 

nibbling on homemade rolls & pie.

It's a Wonderful Life playing in the background.

Up early, and reconnecting at the kitchen table.

Getting to know little (quirky) things about each other,

sipping coffee, tea, and  Dr. Pepper.

 Brandon baking cinnamon rolls.

Then, a little Birthday celebration for Molly,

before we all headed back home.

It was perfect.

I'm swooning on a gratitude high.

be well...

xoxo

💝

"I am grateful for what I am and have.

My thanksgiving is perpetual."

~Henry David Thoreau~

"Happiness is the consequence of personal effort.

You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it,

and sometimes even travel around the world for it.

You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations

of your own blessings.

And once you have achieved a state of happiness,

you must never become lax about maintaining it.

You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming

upward into that happiness forever, to stay 

afloat on top of it."

~Eat, Pray, Love~

"I've never been good with farewells so...

that'll do pig."

~Zombieland~

 

Slow Simmer

"I want you to take some time to sit back &

allow yourself to simmer in your accomplishments for a while." 

~Coach Kelly~

As I simmer, I thought I'd add some inspiration

to the pot, and watch a couple of feel-good movies.

Tucked within those were a couple of quotes to marinate in.

'The average person lives 27,375 days. That's all we get

if we're lucky, 27,7375.

At first it didn't seem like a lot of time.

But then again, how many days do we remember anyway?

But everything can change in a day.

In an instant.

And what might be missing becomes very clear.

A full life can't be a series of forgotten days.

If you're not happy change.

Shift gears.

Take a chance.

Later is not guaranteed.

Life is not meant to be lived later.

Look for moments.

A laugh, a kiss, a dance.

Collect moments everyday.

Because in finding those moments, you will find yourself.

Live for today.

Live for now.

Let the moments of your life guide and inspire you.'

~All My Life~

'If you fill your glass with hate and fear, pour in your worries

about the past and future, 

you're probably going to be miserable.

If you fill your glass with love and caring, 

miracles can happen, wars can end,

people can be different.

That's the secret. 

We can all change.

You just have to take meanness and turn it into gold.

With that, the war is over.'

~Milton's Secret~

live well & in peace...

xoxo

💕

 

December 30, 2024

What a fantastic little getaway to huddle together

as a family over the weekend, and celebrate Christmas.

All under one roof.

Afternoon till morning.

Our very own version of a quirky little Hallmark movie.

*love*

During our little road trip,  I listened to the audiobook

"Be Water, My Friend. 

The teachings of Bruce Lee" 

What a great book so far.

"Empty your mind. Be formless. Shapeless.

Like water. You put water into a cup, it becomes the cup.

You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle.

You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot.

Water can flow, or it can crash. 

Be water, my friend."

~Bruce Lee~

It started me thinking of my coaching,

and what I've learned about bio-individuality.

And how so very different we all are, and are meant to be.

Yet...we compare, and try to conform to our outer world,

never learning about our own unique selves.

How can we possibly become everything we are meant to be,

if we don't have a clue to who we are?

How can we heal, or be happy with our life...

if we don't have any idea what truly works for us?

Yeah...it's nutty.

Most of us just learn to survive.

That was not a part of God's plan.

I was a slave to my past.

I needed to find my own voice.

I needed to be enough.

My habit of choice, was to try to "fix" everything!

Well...that's not possible.

Just sayin'.

I had to get out the way.

I had to trust myself...

(still working on that. Got to know you, before you can trust you.)

Then as if that's not a big enough challenge...

trust, open up & surrender to a God that I hardly knew...

and, that He's also in you.

It can get confusing.

I'm learning as I go.

Water gave me a good visual to meditate on.

Journaling has been a great tool for me.

It keeps me on track.

Mostly.

I still like to go off road quite a lot.

Some notes from today...

God is leading you along a way that is uniquely right for you.

The closer to Him you grow, 

the more fully you become your true self.

Enjoy the adventure of finding yourself

through losing yourself in God.

'Today find out who you really are.

There's a beautiful person within you that has

no need to build your identity around suffering.

Learn to let yourself blossom.

Don't miss any more of the wonderful opportunities

available to you to live, grow, and enjoy.'

There's so much to appreciate in this life.

Don't waste another moment feeling

sorry for yourself.

"...the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on

our disposition & not our circumstances."

~Martha Washington~ 

be well...

xoxo

💝

Amazon link for the book, "Be Water, My Friend"

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=be+water+my+friend+bruce+lee&crid=37EXPQESPNSKQ&sprefix=Be+water+m%2Caps%2C140&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_10#:~:text=https%3A//amzn.to/40e7WD1

 

November 5, 2024

Today the constant swirl of to do's seem to be fading away,

leaving some space for dreams, and creativity.

I have been enjoying some quiet rainy days at home,

reflecting, unpacking and just putzing around the house.

Twinkle lights, candles, books and a cat on my lap.

 Hygge mode.

Today I am thankful for:

Hubby coming by to pick me up so we could go

vote together

My dad. Today is his birthday.💖

Long catch up phone chats with my girlfriends.

It was good to hear their voices after 3 weeks.

The sun peeking out from the clouds, 

and a walk in the woods by the lake.

Hubby picking up Mexican carry out for dinner.

Graduating as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach.💞

Finding a quote that I wrote down  from the movie "Dog Gone"

(Netflix)

"You live in a bubble,

eventually you suffocate."

My favorite journal takeaway for today:

Avoid the temptation to doubt yourself.

Be willing to go for what you know, when you know it, 

with or without the company of others.

Happy voting !

xoxo

💗

 

Right Path

Perspective is everything.

"Learn to take good of your mind, body, heart and soul.

Meditate, spend time alone, take a walk and explore nature with your senses.

Write about your thoughts and feelings, do something your passionate about.

Go out with your friends, laugh, dance, be silly, be weird, be playful, be childlike.

Do all the things that bring you joy and laughter.

Take your focus away from those things that cause you to feel pain, stress, anxiety,

fear and unhappiness, onto things that make your heart sing,

onto those things that make you happy."

This week:

Reading: The Lincoln Highway by Armor Towles

Learning: tapping Meditation, and today... I hit day #200 on learning Swedish.

Favorite quote: " If you cannot make yourself what you would like to be,

how can you expect to have another person exactly to your wishes?

We want to see others perfect, yet our own faults go unattended."

Appreciating:  Going to the theater with hubby to see the movie

"Where The Crawdads Sing"

Wondering: if someone tells me I look like Robin Penn, 

if I can see the resemblance?

 I googled it. The verdict is still out. 

Goals: decluttering and organizing our home.

Feeling: Happy my Dad called to chat today.

xoxo

💖

 

Seeds

She got me all excited to go someplace new,

so that we could buy seeds

& learn to make our own (hibiscus)tea.

After a bit of a road trip

sketchy gravel roads

& her imitating the banjo theme to "Deliverance "...

our imaginations ran wild.

We conjured up visions of what our lives looked like up ahead.

And we laughed.

And laughed some more.

Then suddenly there was a radical shift in scenery,

and we were just tickled pink by it all.

By beauty.

By life.

💖 

Revenant

I figured I could close my eyes, if I had too.

I did.

The cinematography was beautiful.

The determination and the strength of the human soul was real.

Leonardo was NOT cute...but he was amazing ! 

I left appreciating everything... even my lip balm. It was a good date.

XOXO