Heart Opening for February

"your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work

and the only way to do great work is to love what you do.  if you haven't found it yet keep looking.  Don't settle.  As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."

"Almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarasssment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

"so follow your Heart and enjoy the ride"

Steve Jobs

{oh..my beating heart}

my son with hair

my boy

he has never had this much hair in his lifetime

he has been growing it out since November

his hair always stood up straight when it got long

henceforth he would just get a "butch" cut

i think it looks awesome now

he does not plan on cutting his hair and will keep it growing.  It has finally

laid flat and it looks great!

speaking of hair, we have two foxes living in our yard, i have never seen a fox that close

our dog likes to think it can catch them and chases them,

i am trying to get a photo {tricky}

be blessed today

I have landed

Hi

I came back yesterday from Regina - good to sleep in my "sealy posturpedic"!

it was a very sucessful time in Regina and then Calgary, Choices Seminar my final weekend!

I am just going to share some photos....

Choices friends..this is Ursula we all loved her, she had a great laugh

more Choices friends, Caroline and Brittany, wonderful young ladies

having breakfast at Smitty's in Regina with my niece and my sister; my niece skipped high school that morning to see me as it has been a year since we saw each other in person, she is so sweet

and my mom (she is 82 years old) probably would not like me mentioning her age....

my dad (82 years)

it was five nights away and I stayed with my brother's family two nights,

two nights at the Radisson Hotel, Calgary

one night at hubby's business condo

Nucca appt Monday

then flew back to Regina

drove home Tuesday

back at work today!

enjoy each day this week everyone!

leaving on a jet plane..

i am flying to Calgary on Friday, to finish up a Choices Seminar session and then pop in to see my neck doctor.  It is cold out so I am glad I decided to fly with my air miles this time  and free up the travel time.  I am nervous and excited!

see ya when I return!

Big Island, Quotes and January 15

here are some photos of one year ago, the Big Island of Hawaii,

yes, will go back to this island some day

{sigh) tommorrow is January 15,

for those who know of my loss

understand that grief never ends;

it is just the beginning of more beautiful things to happen

"you are the last dream of my soul"

{Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities}

photo taken by my son Tommy

"We love: That's why life is full of so many wonderful gifts"

Rumi

photo taken by my son Tommy

"to be, or not to be, that is the question"

{Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1}

"be occupied, then, with what you really value and let the thief take something else"

Rumi

"Hang in there, it is astonishing how short a time it can take for wonderful things to happen"

{Frances Hodgson Burnett}

to my heroes, Tommy, my son

Brian, my husband

Graham, who I have lost,

my wise companion and guide has told me this:

my spirit and my love for Graham is for me to keep forever

Graham has work to do, and he is doing it!

so be kind to my spirit, left life in more, sing about it! He and all of us will hear it then!

new in the kitchen...

my Christmas gifts were interesting this year and I haven't even used this one yet (Kitchen Aid Mixer) in the background of this photo, but my hubby sure has; that is why I still keep him around. He does not mind cooking/baking and their is alot this mixer can do! 
My new coffee press from my brother is cool and I am getting good at making an excellent pressed cup of coffee

 
French Coffee Press

(one tablespoon of course ground coffee (suitable for presses) for each cup of coffee you want place into glass pot. Note for stronger tasting coffee simply use more grounds.Pour hot water (not boiling) into pot. Leave a 25 mm (1 inch) minimum space at top of pot. Place the press into the coffee pot (do not press down yet) and let the coffee brew for at least four minutes. Now, slowly press on the top of unit until you have touched the bottom of the coffee pot. voila!  it is now ready to pour.)

On New Years Day we had some kitchen helpers; my kitchen is open to anyone who wants to bake or help with meals. It seems that my family Tom, Brian like to cook and bake and our nieces are taking an interest too.

{love the long blue feather in her hair}

making "grainola bars" a new Loonyspoons recipe by Greta and Janet

Our New Years Eve celebration was watching the timeless classic movie "The Princess Bride" {love}

now for hopefully more of this fabulous WARM winter weather!

Winter Wednesday

I went back to work yesterday and then my Wed off was today, so here is what I did with my day off.  I was at the hairdressers for a cut and colour this afternoon. I was playing around with my new iphone 4, while my colour was saturating my hair. It is so amazing and easy to use, i can google, check e-mails, take pictures, check weather updates, use google maps, telephone, text message, facebook, but I do not blog on it, (yet). I am liking this new "toy"!

 Mantracker attempted some photos with the iphone so it is a bit faraway, but that is me riding Ben, in both photos.

 Yes, Summer is still with us and is doing quite well, he doesn't come into the house anymore because the steps are a problem for his hip, even tho we made the new deck steps with him in mind, so we now have a heat lamp set up over his bed in the barn to help with his hip pain along with the vet medicine he takes twice a week.

we rode an easy 4 miles today and Ben still does not like that little click over his head that my iphone makes so he is blurry in this picture.  It was such a nice warm January day.