Change...

My best and most positive mental moments are when I am running. Not the first mile or the second, but when the groove kicks in around mile 3 all of a sudden I feel a surge of positive energy, focus and hope. Words start crossing my mind like freedom, breath, air, space, joy, love, commitment, focus, courage. Really, the words cross my being as I look up. I never look down and I never wear headphones, I want to change and grow, not just become physically stronger, and I believe breathing and seeing are key to growth.

It all started 12 months ago or so. I found a quote that changed my life. I say that a lot. But it did. Here was the sequence of events...
- I found the quote in my husbands paperwork, he had carried it around after he found it in Quiet Moments/Catholicdigest.com
- I started to make a slight change, I did 10 push ups that day
- the next week I moved from 10 push ups to 10 push ups and a one mile run that killed me
- from there I ran weekly and became happier and less stressed and concerned about what others thought. My inner compass became more and more clear.
- in April, I will run my first half marathon. I am proud to say that I will run with two of my sisters, Molly and Megan. Megan and I just started running this year.

I could go on and one with the list, but it's got to stop somewhere so I can type the quote. Enjoy!

'Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles, and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self confident, and more and more successful.' - Mark Hansen

It all starts with loosing the fear and taking the first step.

The photo is from a wedding I did this Fall, taken in Sonoma by the talented Anna Kuperberg.

Happy Monday

Giving thanks

I snapped this photo the other day because I was in love with the color. The soft crisp winter sunshine on our creamy white house paint, the orange door, the pot, the tiffany teal mug, the blue clogs, the chipped white table. It was a Saturday, my favorite thing to do is run in the morning, come home, make coffee, and putz in the garden as long as I can.

But, when I looked at the picture again today, I realized God has given me everything I longed for. A garden of my own, children sleeping - or so the sign says...., a great cup of joe, a home and a family, a simple garden table on a porch of a house on a busy street, freedom. Transplanted ornamental kale and succulants making their own way. Pretty great.

A Song For Simple Things

I've had this on my fridge for years, passed on by a dear friend. Maybe it was growing up on Mt Veeder with lots of freedom, siblings, fresh air and imagination - Corbin's words touch me.

'I have a heart for small and lonely things
First star; far steeple on a gathered town;
A need for separateness to heed a circling hawk,
Or know an owl's low and sleepy tremolo
Before the line of sun slices down the hills
To brighten golden boulders in a brook.
I am in love with lovely, simple things.

I've hungered long for shy and hidden things -
The plunging woodcock's amorous trilling from the sky,
A dazzle-sheen on beetle wing beneath the bark,
Old foxfire in a rotten stump I scatter with a stick,
Or cooling kiss of a milkweed silk along my cheek,
The pepper-tingle of nasturtium seeds I bite -
I am in love with hidden, simple things.'

HAROLD CORBIN

Photo by Kristen Loken / Flowers by Kathy Hoffman /

Quintessential Barrel Room...

Whewww, what a week. This morning seems like a long time ago.

I had to post this picture of a rehearsal dinner I did in the Fall. More images on this to come. Barrel room, amber tones, garden roses, rusted candelabra, amazing linen - visuals don't get better than that, wine county at it's best. Oh, and it was harvest season. I can just stare and stare.

flowers by Kathy Hoffman and photo by the talented Anna Kuperberg.

Off to rest and drink some tea.

Be who you are and be that well.....

I can't take credit for that great thought. The credit goes to an amazing Saint who changed my life, St. Francis de Sales. I believe today is his feast day. There was a time about 5 years ago when I was over my head in work, waking up already behind and buried in tasks, meetings, details, timelines, you name it. It was my biggest wedding season ever; my team and I did 21 full service weddings.

That year, I stumbled upon a quote of his and kept it on the fridge for years. Agg, cannot find it at the moment, but in essence, He said...'do one thing at a time and do it as well as you can.' Wow. Process that for a minute. Total peace, because one doesn't think about the next task if one is giving 100% to the present task. The ripple effect in your business and personal life of doing 'one thing at a time as perfectly as possible' is astronomical. My stress level went down and my quality of product and service went up.

From that point, I became a bit of a follower of his ideas. Here are some of his thoughts I keep nearby and handy (his sayings abbreviated in to my own words...)

Give the Holy Spirit permission
Be persistent in your prayer, don't stop knocking on the door
Accept and do not be afraid, grow in your faith
Difficult situations form me, the PRESENT is God's will
Be steady in the course of holiness, never give up
Follow God's will in making decisions, if we act upon holy inspirations, it will bring us peace
Learn to embrace your cross
Do not be discouraged by your failings, that is how we learn. Get up and move on

Abandon yourself completely to God's will - His will is perfect in His time.

New Beginnings

I love new beginnings
I love New Years
I love new notebooks and brand new black medium sharpies
This blog is my new notebook and sharpie.
I'll write about anything that inspires me. There are no grades, I am not competing, I'll speak my mind. I'll share my faith, my work, some of my family and pretty much anything that catches my heart, eye or imagination.

Ellie's smile catches my heart.

'Mission Statements' aren't just for companies

Over the past 10 years I grew to really love working on my business, making it grow, making it better, improving systems and communication and learning how to stay real and close deals. I am missing some of that right now; so, it was timely to find an article in www.inc.com about www.holstee.com Mission Statement. LOVE IT! Trust me, if you've not yet read their inspiring mission statement, take 5 minutes to do it. And then take another 10 minutes to write your own.

What do you think of the idea of a mission statement that is an expression of who you are and where your values lie, a manifesto that is genuine and personal, yet something folks around you can identify with. Mission statements aren't just for companies. We all need a manifesto.