Summer has never been my favorite season… too hot for me even in coastal Southern California. This summer is going to be different…. in fact it already has been!!

I’ve been facing my stuff instead of stuffing my face and feeling like a million bucks… my goals will take a year or two but I’m high on life right now and know…. “Motivation is what gets you started, Habit is what keeps you going.” Stay tuned =]

I’ll be celebrating another birthday tomorrow… #63 =] and when I blow out all those candles I’ll be wishing for less of me to love. Yep, wishing for less instead of more!!

Last week we prayed our way as a family through a medical scare with my brother John. God answered those prayers generously and now in solidarity as a family we have all embarked on a “FAMILY FIRST HEALTHY CHOICES CHALLENGE” that will run from 6/21/10 to 9/6/10 (and beyond for some of us) as we tackle weight loss, heart disease, high blood pressure, smoking and exercise issues, as well as drug and alcoholism (there I said it) and all the emotional baggage that goes along with any addiction.

My addiction is food. But I’m NOT going on a diet, although I do have a lot of weight to lose, my goal is a life style change…. a new approach to nourishing my body…. to rewarding myself… to loving myself unconditionally. My goal is… “Eat to live not live to eat” “Eat to thrive not thrive to punish myself” “Eat to survive not eat to kill myself” “Eat to live life fully not hide behind the food that’s turned into debilitating fat”…. and I’ll be using a tool, probably for the rest of my life, called SparkPeople online. I encourage everyone to join (it’s free) and do whatever it takes to light(en) up your life…. don’t wait until you’re 63!

Eating is not my only addiction… I quit smoking 8 years ago and I’ve lost weight before so I know I can do it again. What I have realized is at 63 years old life is not going to wait for me… it will go on with or without me… so I choose to be around so I can participate in our childrens lives as they raise our grandchildren and as my love and I grow old(er) together and while my mom & brother are still around….. because family is everything to me. There is nothing more important… except perhaps ones health.

Happy 59th birthday to my perfectly imperfect husband… and in honor of Mother’s Day I know that these are the “little” things my mother remembers about my Dad =]

ROCK N” ROLL

We rocked on Friday at Katy & Ryan’s wedding then rolled on Easter Sunday with a 7.2 earthquake… what a weekend =]

Thank you Mr. President and all the Democrates dead and alive who have worked for decades and decades for the people of the United States of America on this historic day as we all watched the debates and then the vote and today the signing of a health bill that will serve ALL… even the naysayer’s… some threating to move to Costa Rica if it passed. Now THAT would be the cherry on top!!!

In his own words…. President Obama: “Today, after almost a century of trying; today, after over a year of debate; today, after all the votes have been tallied, health insurance reform becomes law in the United States of America — today.”

“We are a nation that faces its challenges and accepts its responsibilities. We are a nation that does what is hard, what is necessary, what is right. Here in this country, we shape our own destiny. That is what we do. That is who we are. That is what makes us the United States of America.”
GOD BLESS OBAMA =]

Happy first day of Spring!!!!! This March is so full of final, finals for “The Wedding” we’ve been planning for a year that I thought it would be nice to take an hour and reflect on the past while preparing for the future by honoring Mother Earth, for without her we would not be here. So on March 27th I will sit in silence for 60 minutes with all lights and appliances, TV’s, computers and phones offline while I realign with gratitude for all things living and dead. Won’t you join me? And remember…“Climate change is the greatest human induced crisis facing the world today. It is totally indiscriminate of race, culture and religion. It affects every human being on the planet,”.~Archbishop Desmond Tutu

“Blackle.com - Saving energy one search at a time”. <——– check it out =]

What a sweet month this has been!! Filled with grandchildren and wedding plans… Valentine’s Day and Bridal Showers. So much to do in 28 short days… now where’d I put that “to-do” list??? Oh yeah, I left it in front of the TV while watching the Olympics….
“GO WORLD” =]

Jewels of wisdom and pearls of insight come with years of reflecting as this golden girl continues to fade to silver…. not a bad thing… more like the honor of wearing well earned wrinkles as badges of a life well lived. Honestly, I’ve never been more content! And if I were a kitty you could hear me purring =]

Unfortunately, 2009 was not a good year for a lot of people… some wish the last decade never happened. As for me the past ten years brought us another daughter-in-law and a son-in-law, an engaged daughter & future son-in-law as well as five grandchildren, which BTW I have had the honor of being present at all their births!!!! Our business flourished and we were able to remodel our home from top to bottom. We added 10 years to our marriage making it 29 and counting. Granted there were years of sorrow and many deaths but lessons were learned and life is beautiful as we skip joyfully into 2010. I’m excited as our family prepares to grow even larger and stronger while we plan for Katy & Ryan’s wedding and the great possibility of more tiny feet and sweet little cheeks to cuddle and love and keep us hopeful and happy as we grow wiser into our old age!

So many people are scrambling this holiday season to make ends meet and still celebrate Christmas. The birth of Christ is so much more than gifts and parties. It’s a time to be kind to others and Xerox has made it so easy to remember those who are often thousands of miles from home serving their countries during these holiday months so…
“Let’s give THANKS in support of our troops!!”

Our eight year old grandson asked his mommy “that” question this Christmas and insisted she “tell the truth” so of course she did, with heavy heart, and now he’s found a new connection with those of us who “know” but wish we didn’t by winking at us every time Santa’s name is mentioned. I don’t think he’s put 2 & 2 together yet…. but he’s got another loose tooth and Easter will be here before we know it. Too bad… the magic is just never quite the same when you know how the trick is done. Oh how fast they grow!

My favorite time of the year is here again and even though we’ve all been sick with the flu and bronchitis I’m thankful and happy so sing it……………..