Favorites

Big China Trip Concluded:

FAVORITES

- Forbidden City

- The Great Wall

- Summer Palace

- Bob taking me along to eat every night

- Hostel

- Cheap Cab rides

- Feeling like a superstar everyone taking a pic of me

- Getting a taste of a vastly different culture for the first time

- Learning a few chinese words I'll most likely never forget

- Feeling Safe

- Sitting first class from Tokyo to Chicago

NOT SO FAVORITES

- Scammed by a rickshaw driver=vulnerable

- being touched and feeling too much pressure to spend money at the silk market street

- getting lost by a taxi driver and therefore not getting to eat "good duck"

- not getting a chance to get a "foot massage" (next time) but scored a face massage on the seven hour layover in Tokyo!

- Overcoming jetlag

TODAY'S Favorites

- Found a great honest auto mechanic on craigslist (may seem like a bad idea I know)

- making dinner for friends

- planning more trips abroad

- apple/berry cobbler and bread pudding

Apache Blessing

May the sun bring you new energy by day

May the moon softly restore you by night

May the rain wash away your worries

May the breeze blow new strength into your being

May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life

The Greatest

Reasons why my life is amazing

Peaceful - when things quiet down

Healthy - physically and mentally

All love surrounds me - friends and family

Leaving on a jet plane - whenever I want

Traveling abroad - finally!

Very flexible job - enjoyable too

Not having to commute anywhere :-)

Knowing what makes me happy - oh happy day!

oct #2

Today... days of warm weather are over. Everyone is talking about how cold it is already and you practically need a coat today. It's time to put on the duvet cover..

Newfound.. appreciation for hot tubs, steam, and sauna rooms. Its going to be a nice treat this winter.

Thinking.. spending time relaxing with close friends and family can be just as healing if not more right now as to being busy working. A no brainer really but being at work is a steady atmosphere.

Tomorrow... going to get a visa to go to china which will be the farthest place I have traveled yet.

Today

Today I am seeing... A long layover in Richmond.. beautiful fall day does not make me want to start my work day at 5:00 pm. Looking forward to fall but not winter.

I am feeling... Possibly a cold coming on.. or a yucky weight of going through a break up. So many ups and downs. Never know what today will bring. I'm trying to see through the future and know that this is a good thing. They say they are always for the best and I wish it could feel like the best thing right now.

I am hearing.. My hotel room fan.. makes me want to take a nap not get ready for work.

I am thinking.. only positive.. my future travels.. weekend San Antonio with Vanessa, few weeks later weekend in Mexico, next Beijing, Kansas, then Dubai in Feb. and Germany in May??!! Somewhere I would like to squeeze a weekend in NY to see my friends who live there... So much to see and so little time. (sigh)

bye bye summer

A new season is approaching along with a season of life changes and a new direction... but exciting adventures lay ahead.

GIRLS IN MY CIRCLE   When I was little,  I used to believe in the concept of one best friend, And then I started to become a woman. And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up, Life would show you the best in many friends.   One friend is needed when you're going through things with your man.  Another friend is needed when you're going through things with your mom.  Another will sit beside you in the bleachers as you delight in your children and their activities.  Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke, or just be..  One friend will say, 'Let's cry together,' Another , 'Let's fight together,'  Another , 'Let's walk away together.'   One friend will meet your spiritual need, Another your shoe fetish, Another your love for movies,  Another will be with you in your season of confusion, Another will be your clarifier,  Another the wind beneath your wings.   But whatever their assignment in your life, On whatever the occasion, On whatever the day,  Or wherever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and hair pulled back,  Or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself .  Those are your best friends.   It may all be wrapped up in one woman, But for many, it's wrapped up in several..  One from early school years, One from later school years,  Several from here and there,  A couple from old jobs, On some days your mother,  On some days your neighbor, On others, your sisters, And on some days, your daughters.   So whether they've been a friend for 20 minutes or 20+ years,  AND ONLY IF YOU'D LIKE TO, Pass this on to the women that time has placed in your life To make a difference.. Including the one who sent it to you. Thanks for being in my circle.      If the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, you can rest assured that the water bill is higher there too!       "Live Simply, Love Generously, Care Deeply, Speak Kindly and Leave the rest to God"