time is fleeting...

                                                 and 2010 is about out...



This past year has been delightfully active and interesting... filled with lots of traveling... Austin, Florida, NYC, Steamboat, San Francisco and of course... FtWorth! and plenty of company... siblings, parents, nieces, nephews, daughter, son-in-law and 4 out of the 5 grands!!   whew!  It's been a year to look back on fondly while making wonder-filled memories to cherish.  And I've only taken 19,500 images to document all of the fun! LOL

Last year around this time I found  myself drawn to a few blogs and have followed them all year.  Two of them have been life changers for me.  The first one is written by Christine Kane who is a Mentor to Women who are Changing the World.  She is a wonderful writer and quite the motivator.  This summer I took her UpLevel Your Life Mastery Program and found it to be so beneficial that it will be something I'll look forward to repeating year after year!  If you want to experience a game change in your life you should definitely subscribe to Christine Kane's blog!

In Resolution Revolution: A Better Way to Start Your Year  Christine writes about choosing a single word for the year as opposed to making the endless lists of New Years Resolutions that go by the wayside... by February (if you make it that long!)  Finding that one blog and implementing that one idea made my year ~ oh so...  different.  And I mean that in a good way!  ☺   Last year the word I choose was focus.  I thought it sort of funny and a bit ironic since I have such a love for photography but as the year went ticking by I found it to be a very personal choice.  Suffice to say it worked its magic!  So as this year ends and 2011 is begining I am once again pondering my word for the new year.

The other blog I found myself on weekly was Ann Voskamp A Holy Experience.  I love the way this woman writes!  She has a way of capturing your attention and leaving you with the desire to ... just - be a better you while acknowledging God in all things.  With her large family {6 that's -SIX- kiddos-homeschooled and husband, The Farmer} I find her truly incredible ... how does she find the time to write?  Her simple humble style is so powerful... encouraging and inspiring ... just a beautiful testament to her faith.  It's been through her words that I've been reminded of the importance of grace.

On Mondays she posts her continuous one thousand gifts reminding me the importance of gratitude in all things... and inspires me to keep track (actually writing) of gratitudes daily to the One that matters.  A gratitude journal is key for keeping my attitude lined up in the right direction.  What a beautiful gift this woman is for the rest of us!

I want to thank both of these ladies for sharing themselves in this cyber world.  It would be pretty unlikely without the big www that I would have had the opportunity to make such a connection and for that I am truly filled with gratitude!

Best wishes for 2011!
Happy New Year!



❤

from Telegraph Hill and beyond.... {to North Beach}

This is the second blog of our California trip!  You can see part one here 

To get up to Coit Tower we started up the steps at Filbert

then took about 10 more flights just like this!
BUT the views alone were so worth it!  So much to see!

Both the Golden Gate and the Bay Bridge

Coit Tower:

-Alcatraz-

When we finished there after all the oooowwwing and aahhhing 

we were famished and went down the street on the other side 

towards North Beach.

Found a great place for lunch called Mama's  

Perfect everything... YUMMY ... food, atmosphere, everything!

*

BTW- here's our next home:

GREAT VIEWS!

*

more pics of this trip here and here!

last week at this time...

Wow... it's hard to believe how quickly a week goes!  With no regard to our circumstances 

good or bad...  time moves forward.  We just got home from California on the red-eye Monday morning and it's Friday already.  Every day when Chuck gets home from work he says "Do you know what we were doing LAST week at this time?"  Then he proceeds to tell me where we were at and what we exploring at any given time of that day.  It really was a fabulous trip!

After going through almost 3000 images where do I start?  Don't worry I'm not going to post all of them here! We only had one event we that we really wanted to be at and that was the Sonoma Wine Tasting at the McMurray Ranch on Saturday afternoon.  The rest of the time we just played it loosey goosey 'cause we were on VACATION!  For any of you reading that know Chuck and I that may be a surprise because we're both just a little  anal-retentive.  We decided we would just get up in the morning and take it from there.. 

and that worked beautifully!

So on this post we'll just stick to Thursday.  I'll let the pictures tell the story.

As you can see we were ready to get started with C & C's Excellent Adventure!

Candlestick Park

The Bay Bridge

Heading to Pier 39...                  

and straight to Harry Mason's Design Studio

my very favorite earring designer since 1987!

We were lucky enough to go when Katherine, his wife, was there!  She sold me my first pair at FtW Main Street Days way back when and of course, she showed us the new designs.. .  just love 'em!

We love the Pier 39 area because you can see a lot from right there... like Alcatraz.

the sea lions and the G G Bridge: 

the Golden Gate Bridge that is...

and Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill-
speaking of... that was our next trek.




more pictures of this trip here!!

framed...

*

for fun...

finished one.. starting another!

*


Ok... well Sunday was my last day of my online class and Today?  We start all over!  That's the beauty of this class ~ it's ongoing... Once you've completed it you can actually pick it up anytime and do it again and again.  Although I felt lost or behind some of the time Christine did a wonderful job encouraging us. There really isn't a good way or a bad way, a right way or a wrong way.. Just don't give up!  There were a lot of exercises that I had completed earlier this year .. i.e. clearing out, organizing, cleaning so I felt a little ahead of things.  Then there were writing exercises that were difficult to start let alone finish and I fell behind miserably.  At this point, feeling familair with the process, I am confident that I will get more out of it this second time!

I have recently had some dealings with some things and people that would have normally pushed my buttons.  The experience was completely different for me this time as I was able to implement some key things into practice and it was...  well.  AMAZING!  What a difference!  It worked!  It really worked!  wo-hoo!  I think I'm actually moving some dirt!

This blog is a must read for me:
Christine Kane

Every post inspires me ... one time it was
How to make the best smoothie on the planet
It made me giggle AND I've been experimenting with different smoothies for months now.  lol ... and they are so good after a 2 or 3 mi hike!

ok .. well that's it for now. no pictures here today ... just words!

make it a great week!

*

ch-ch-ch-changes...

I've been on a journey since the beginning of the year ~ a journey of exploration.  For the first time ever, I’ve been ‘still’ from the outside and observing the inside.  There’s  been a lot of reading - some blogs, some books and lot’s of thinking.

There’s been a lot more time for gratitude - with so much goodness in my life that has been taken for granted over the years.   Yes… there’s a shift going on and it’s definitely for the  positive!  And even though it sounds cliche, the more I learn the more I find that I don’t know…  lot’s of discovery going on!

The other day I made some little affirmation cards:

I printed mine out on post-it picture paper so I could put them up in different places around the house or in my car.  If you’d like to print out a copy of your own you can find them here.  I’m thinking of doing a new set every couple of months.  

... feeling a little tattered and torn?

*

...Is the heat of summer starting to take it's toll?

It's happening to the best of us!

*

living the life...

*

out.takes

is he adorable or what??

see a few of the keepers...

Like	Be the first of your friends to like this.

*

summer breeze

*

Our last few days have been absolutely amazing!

 The breeze is just enough to keep things on the mild side... especially in the shade!

and the evenings?  

PERFECT!

Sweet days of summer, 

the jasmine's in bloom 

July is dressed up and 

playing her tune...

❀❀❀

in the summertime...

*

summertime will be gone before we

know it..

so enjoy reaching for that summer su

n

and watching the lightening bugs

before it disappears

...In the summertime

when the weather's high,

you can stretch right up and

touch the sky…

~mungo jerry~in the summertime

more best shot mondays here

still recovering...

*

This replaces my usual Monday post. Last week I was able to travel to NYC where I visited my niece ~ REZ. It was an amazing whirlwind of activity all 4.5 days. Upon arrival her smiling face was all I remember of that crazy busy airport. As we rode back in the taxi to her place she asked me to list all that I wanted to take in and my list was long! As I read it off - stating maybe it was a little too much for the allotted time we had together, she smiled broadly and assured me "all would work out". As time went on I realized I was in the best of hands!

*

She plotted out each day showing me on a little map where we were going and all the things that were in that general area. While she has lived there less then a year I was constantly filled with astonishment as she led me throughout downtown by subway, bus, and taxi. Even though she grew up in a tiny town in Northern Colorado I could tell that she has embraced life in the Big Apple as her destiny, for now at least ! It was such a treat to see what a terrific job my brother and sister-in-law have done in preparing their oldest to meet the real world. The values and ethics they have instilled were so evident in action and conversation as each day passed. I am so thankful for the short time we had together and so very proud of the beautiful young woman she has become. Oh and in case you were wondering, on that last day when I rechecked my to do list? I was able to check off each and every single thing listed! As I think back on that fabulous trip I am filled with gratitude for so much:

*51-75

*

*

*

*

the sweet ties of family

*

*

the vastness of the oceans

*

*

our freedom to worship

*

*

*

*

diversity

*

*

*

*

*

sweet sounds of music

*

*

*

sharing a meal

*

*

a cool summer evening

*

*

beautiful artwork

*

*

*

my adorable niece:

*

what are you grateful for??

bsm

❤