Christmas 2004

sending out some china girl love

china girl sent me the sweetest note today. she's coming to a city near me very soon!

Still upgrading...

last night, i was invited for a secret celebration with apr buddy. it was bittersweet since she has yet to receive official word about her test results. we both know she passed but there's always that chance when you haven't heard anything yet. since we've been with each other throughout the entire process, i couldn't help but feel incomplete in toasting to success when my success should include hers. despite that, we enjoyed the evening by "bonding" more about life as a 30 year old and what that looks like professionally, personally and beyond. i revel in a sincere connection and it makes me appreciate people in a whole new way.

I PASSED!

i did it! i did it!

i passed my APR exam.

i can do it!

just telling myself this today...i can, i can, i can. just have to. i have to!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last night, Mr. Wonderful and I headed north for a few days to enjoy food, fun and family. So far, it's been very nice but so different than what I've become accustom to over the last several years. In the past, I would be sleep deprived, running on caffeine and smiley all day long. It was tough since I'm not 16 anymore but I would make it and still have a good time with best brother and Mr. Wonderful. Today, I just want to be present to what I have been given and surrounded by people I love. I am thankful for so many things, for so many people. I am thankful to God for blessings and for strengthening me through the loss of many...It has brought me to this moment of pure gratitude and joy.

thankful for joy!

my be fri (pictured left) who is pregnant. her belly is still smaller than mine.

a couple weekends back, i went to atlanta to visit joy and marty and as a bonus, the majority of joy's family was there for ella's dedication so i got to witness that and enjoy time away with people i have grown to love and respect for so many reasons. every time i see them, they make me feel like part of the family and right at home. i am so grateful for their love and friendship.

below is pretty much the only photo i have off of my camera of joy and i from the entire weekend. just know that you should never peruse an unfamiliar camera and graze the format button the morning of the day you're leaving -- big mistake. now, if you know joy's family, you know that the fact that she and i are pictured below in a restroom at a highlands thai restaurant is, believe it or not, quite appropriate.

i love you joy! thanks for a fantastic weekend.

house hunting

mr. wonderful and i are on the hunt right now for a house. we've seen a good amount over the last several weeks and hoping to make a decision very soon.

A Man that Cooks is a Man I Love

Happy photo: Mr. Wonderful cooking

some of his famous mushroom soup.

Love him!!!

acceptance

A few thoughts that watered my growth today.

read the below comment on another site and had to post it here in total agreement. seen this a million times. the next conflict or difficulty you encounter, be sure to take a moment and consider the source.

Some folks try to think for others because they are afraid of what they might find if they look inside themselves.

also, the following was shared by Dawn through e-group discussion regarding Thanksgiving and dealing with difficult family members:

I had in-laws in my first marriage that despised me. I just decided that there was nothing I could do to change them or how they felt about me but thatI also did not want to behave in a way that gave them an excuse to say. "See? THAT is why we can not stand her!" I decided to react to things in a positive manner. I was not guarded and tried to find something to enjoy about each of them. For instance, while my mother in law did not like me she did raise myhusband and he was a conscientious worker, etc and I honored that she was part of the reason for how he turned out.I was true to the person I was but because I realized that their reactions to me were those of fear it made it easier to understand why they acted likethey did. They felt that I was not good enough for their son and that I would some how bring him down to a lower level. How sad for them! To live yourlife in fear and from fear is the worst type of existence. Living your life from your heart and in love is the ultimate and most fulfilling way to be.When I understood that it gave me pity for them.Looking at any situation from the "outside" and "observing" it rather than becoming part of it also helps in stressful situation. We can choose to participatein a situation or not. We can allow a situation to effect us or we can decide to just watch the action. We do not have to absorb the feelings of others and make them ours. Know that and practice it and you will find that many things that "make" you angry or upset will no longer have control over you or your life. When you know that, you will gain the ability to keep your own power rather than giving others or situations control over you.

every moment

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
(1 John 4:16)

bringing home the beacon

so today, i just finished my first beacon award entry. it's one of those times where i feel like i've given mental birth to something that's been growing over the last several months. since the project is still underway, the entry (beautifully presented in a fancy schmancy folder) was a bit premature but for me, at least this time around, it was the process, not the prize. needless to say, i am very glad it's nicely packaged in a fedex box and on its way to DC to be thrown into a pile of other entries, thumbed through and possibly judged by a panel of seasoned industry professionals. oh great. now, i'm nervous and there's nothing i can do because it's gone and in the mail.

brett, jan & dragonfly

hanging with the sa gang. this is one of the few photos i have to prove that i was in atlanta last weekend.

happy photo

my nephew is almost a year old.

time flies when you're so darn cute!

gift giving

in nine days it will be thanksgiving and then in 40 days it will be Christmas. the list of who to purchase for and ideas of what to buy each person has been drafted but still, there's so much to do and so much to consider.

one consideration is the whole gift giving thing. every year, mr. wonderful and i pile in a car and head out of town to meet up with our family on Christmas eve. in tow, we have a ton of things i've purchased for each person, emergency gifts for the unexpected guests and gift wrapping. i guess this year with so many things being different for all of us, i kind of find myself hesitating to what we do all the same way. of c ourse, i want to buy gifts for everyone. it is by far one of mr. wonderful and i's favorite things to do. so to change it up, i'm thinking about making a point to not do the following while giving gifts this holiday season:

-- no gifts that would take up a huge amount of space (unless someone really needs a table or a lamp)
-- nothing similar to what has been given before from other people or me
-- more experiential gifts
-- special and personal over expensive and hollow
-- creative gift wrapping over the usual paper and bow (too much wasted paper)

i enjoy gifts but not as much as i enjoy giving them. as of right now though i do not have the space nor the use for any appliances, clothes or trinkets. it's funny how the same people will never ask you what you could possibly want and they continue to purchase things that neither mr. wonderful nor i have any use for. now don't misunderstand me please. we are extremely grateful for everything but our whole point of being a part of holiday gift giving is NOT for the gifts but for the people.

we truly enjoy seeing everyone and spending time together. what other time of the year does that happen? it's bothered me for years that families in general just simply do not come together unless there's a holiday attached to it which is probably why i create parties and get togethers as often as possible because most people require some kind of special occasion to feel compelled to even attend. but what about all the other days? if only i could express somehow that the real gift is your time, not your money, not the food you made and not your beautifully wrapped gift. the presence of the people i love is a present, the best kind. sometimes, i think about being radical and not accepting any gifts but i would assume that most people buy gifts for the same reason i do. but i do have to ask, "couldn't we all just bake cookies together and play cards or something?" i'm cool with that.

after reading this article by cheryl richardson, i was impressed by several points she made about "reclaiming your holiday" through five steps that will make for a nice holiday season:

-- temper your expectations
-- mine the past
-- set a new intention
-- start planning
-- CELEBRATE!

Take a more mindful, deliberate approach to these next couple of months, you'll reclaim your time to spend with people you love.

monday night soccer

played well last night and lost with Team Amanda by one goal. i really wanted to beat this team too. oh wellsies. we're done until next year. after the game, i snuck onto the field with Team Brett and they lost by one goal. i did make a really great shot. it missed so once again, they're done for the rest of the year. thankfully, cc united asked me to come back next week as they are in FIRST place. it will be fun to play one more game before the soccer hiatus. after the games last night, i met Team Amanda at the ale house and enjoyed getting to know everyone better. it really is a great community of people of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds. this year has been so much fun thanks to soccer and so many other new things happening in my life.

random happy photo

super sisters: cin, moi and to at my bridesmaid

luncheon back in 2004

i'm here!

so, i arrived in atlanta and everything was so smooth...plane on time, nice people sitting next to me, good take off, good arrival, all of it. but then, the baggage claim devil got me. it took over my experience and i stood in the area searching in the sea of luggage for something that looked like mine. no such luck. it never arrived so i had to file a claim and leave with my dear joy who was tired of circling the airport. we picked up kelly (funny girl) at her house after we got lost. thanks joy. i stepped in dog crap and didn't know until we were driving for at least ten minutes. i had to hold my shoe outside the window until we got to ru san's, a cool sushi restaurant in buckhead. so yummy! while we were there, i got the call...MY BAG ARRIVED!

it was so great to see kelly and catch up and the icing on the whole evening was the arrival of my bag...the one that had everything except magazines in it.

i am here safe and sound and in the presence of super duper people who i am so happy to see. tomorrow we're off to the dedication of baby ella.

off to see my joy

leaving shortly for ATL and couldn't be happier since it's not only friday but the day i get to give a hug to some of the most amazing people God placed in my life who taught me so much about friendship and about family.

can you say cute?

lost the soccer playoffs - 1 to 0

it was a valiant effort but we didn't score a goal and they did so we're done for the rest of the year. love the team though and the way we all just enjoy having a good time no matter what.

soccer playoffs tonight!

this could be the last week of soccer on a wednesday night for the rest of '06. hope we advance. results of the below games to come tomorrow. until then, wish the Voodoo Posse luck!

6:35 3)Bud v 6)Cleats

6:35 7)PBSJ v 10)Bs United

7:30 2)Express v 7/10Winner

7:30 8)TM United v 9)Ricardo

8:30 8/9Winner v 1)Ma Papa's

8:30 5)Voodoo v 4)Buckets

look who won it all -- EXPRESS!!

Playoffs Nov 8th

Bud 2 v Cleats 0

Bs United 1 v PBSJ 0

Express 3 v Bs United 0

TM United 1 v Ricardo 0

Ma Papa's 2 v TM United 0

Buckets 1 v VooDoo 0

Final Four Nov 15th

Express 2 v Bud 1

Buckets 2 v Ma/Papa's 2

End of Reg.Buckets 4 v Ma/Papa's 3 (P.Kicks)

Championship Game

Express 3 v Buckets 1

Congratulations to Express

Capt - Mike Nunez

Mvp - Pam Mattheus

HM - Dermit Quigley

thanks gator boy

i was trying to think of a nickname for s.e.g. who i had the pleasure of seeing today at lunch. initially, gator bait came to mind but then hyper boy surfaced. others include bell boy or happy gilmore. still not sure which one to go with so i may try and keep them all and insert into this blog when appropriate. either way, he's cool. i wish him the best this holiday season and remain, as always, available to help when needed.

TWO DAYS UNTIL JOY!!

Okay, I can no longer contain myself. In two, yes TWO, days I will be in Atlanta visiting my bestest frie in the entire universe -- JOY! Who, by the way, is expecting her own little bundle come April. To top it all off, the entire family will be there to witness the dedication of her brother's little baby girl. It's going to be great even though I'm sure it'll go by so quickly. So excited!

I VOTED!

It was late and after work when I voted so I didn't get to wear my sticker throughout the day. Thought I'd let the world know here on the blogosphere.

On another note, exactly one year ago today I started this BLOG. My how things have changed in a mere 365 days.

seeing the fracture before the break

i was talking with a good friend last night about how sometimes a friendship can become fractured much like a bone in the body. without proper attention, care and usually, rest, it can never heal properly. what started out as being nothing, turns into a full break of everything that you tried to hold together even after nothing turned into a little something and then a little something more and more and more until one day, crack! everything is different and whatever attempts you made to prevent this from happening is lost. but even with broken bones, you can still live and celebrate what's not broken. and, with time, healing takes place. it reminds me over and over again how God makes each one of us so unique, so special, with our own set of bones that can get hurt or broken.

Reminded today by the following from Rick Warren: You are unique. It’s true. There's not anybody in the world like you. There never has been, and there never will be. When God made you, he broke the mold. God does not create carbon copies; he only creates originals. If you were to search the whole world, you wouldn't find two people who had the same footprint or fingerprint or voiceprint. Each person is unique. Why did God make you different from every person who's ever lived? Why did he go to all that trouble? Because he wants you to know how much you matter to him.

Congrats Linda & Dan!

the little boy is no longer in this belly. linda gave birth last night.

linda's someone's mommy now. amazing!

Dylan Kroha Rosenberg
Born: Sunday, November 5th, 9:41pm
6lbs, 3oz
19 inches long

mummie glowie's messages

my mother (aka mummieglowie) recently wrote mr. wonderful and i cards for our second year anniversary...we received them a couple weeks ago. after sharing it with the mr., i read them again and couldn't help but appreciate the way she expresses herself from mother to daughter and from mother to daughter and her husband, it was sweet and inspired a moment, a rain moment, to just breathe in and enjoy.

in her card to both of us, she writes:

You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world.
-- Woodrow Wilson

in a card to me that's already printed, it reads:

My Daughter, Your birth was a joy and a blessing! Having you in my life has provided me with my greatest opportunity for growth, and for that I am grateful. I have come to understand and accept that love has brought us together for a reason. I have learned so much about myself from loving you and learning to accept you as you are. Watching you grow and develop has provided me with some of my greatest joys. Watching you learn from your journey has taught me how to let go. Your talents and potential are extraordinary, and I thank God for the gift of being your parent. Thank you for sharing all that is uniquely you. I love you!

in the same card, she writes:

Dear Baby Girl ____,

May "u" go for the Gusto Glows. My silver living behind my darkest clouds. You, who has the gift to heal everyone around her whose wounds need to be mended. Perhaps other than hers come 2nds??? For the Good of Human Kind w/such depths!!! In return, a Boomerang of Showers of Blessings steering your way.

w/love,
"MummieGlow"


i enjoyed her brief "surprise" visit the other day. i don't know how she does it but she does and never ceases to amaze me. love you mummieglow!

friends since 1991

rojo, gin-g, et moi

the Happiest B to ToJo

wrong racquet, new holiday

played racquetball today with a new 47 year old who said to me that from 30 to 47 goes by so fast. i wholeheartedly agreed not because i am 47 but has anyone stopped and smelled the pumpkin lately?? it's NOVEMBER people. what the hay? i blinked and now seven at night feels like ten. by this time, i've got cards already done and gifts already bought. since december will be significantly slower professionally, i guess i'm enjoying the lull in activities and not missing the necessity to hurry up and get it all done before the 25th of december where i am usually a total zombie and not sure how to spell my name from burn out (in a good way, of course) and sheer physical exhaustion. hallelujah! people will receive cards from me in december, maybe even late december, instead of the day after thanksgiving. i just might be able to work out regularly this festive season and avoid gaining the holiday 15 since i'll have some extra time and none of my good friends will send me chocolate or cake for gifts. (still send cake in march please) maybe this year i can make gifts from hand rather than shop online and pay extra for gift wrapping. oooo...maybe i'll make wrapping paper like i did six years ago! this year, i can agree to attend a cookie swap or two (props to rhonda who never gives up on me) instead of creatively excusing myself from attending anything that requires me to bake (seriously, it's not a pretty sight). i can go to the mall for pleasure, for the joy of holiday shopping (woohoo), instead of having to meet with management, spy on workers, pick up donations and fluff trees and display information. i can take some days off in november and before december 24 to just do holiday stuff or here's a crazy one -- relax! for this holiday season, the possibilities are literally endless. at the same time, i can feel the withdrawal setting in as i would normally be preparing for the seven week rush of adrenaline and caffeine. i'll miss the people, the opportunities, the privilege to serve something much bigger than me. to share His love with others and to understand what that really looks like in the faces of hundreds of individuals and families. to stand beside a team of people who are dedicated to the same purpose, the same mission...that is exactly what will forever be a part of who i am and who i strive to be, no matter where i find myself living or working.

Happy Halloween!

Some cute kids in costume enjoying the treats! Thanks to the brother and fab friends who sent these adorable pictures my way.

Baby Yoda

Tinkerbell

Buzz Lightyear

Cinderella

halloween prep @ the d's

had a great time last night at the d's celebrating halloween eve. food was great! kids were all so cool in their costumes. mr. wonderful and i are so thankful for fun and friends who don't mind dressing up for special occasions.

awesome job genius!

cute tinkerbell

the scientist (love the hair)

the witch with the coolest socks ever!

we are the champions (of last night)

last night was awesome! voodoo posse won 4 to 1! by far one of our best games ever. we're on a roll. in addition to mike, ymir and chris scoring a goal, i scored a goal too! it was great to finally get one in since i've had plenty of opportunities but last night, it finally made it in the net (thanks chris).

heading into the playoffs with a winning season. yea!

monday night soccer

absolutely wonderful weather for soccer these days. team amanda played last night and tied with team brett. i've played on both teams which is always strange considering i know the names of everyone on the field and what foot they favor. everyone played well overall. too bad we didn't win. we were so close! i had a personal best with this new team so i am looking forward to next week.

saw it on a sign the other day

We are called to be witnesses, not judges.

remembering

if the only reason i learned how to play trombone was to create this moment for matt's birthday in january, then it was well worth it. i miss her a lot today.

Birthday Wishes to a very Creative Cat!

love my little nephew

that's just fantastic

I was talking with a colleague earlier today about the next few months as we are both in the same boat and trying to paddle somewhere great together. I always enjoy finding a reciprocal connection with another person as far as hopes and aspirations for a certain project or initiative. You just never know what you got with them until you're there. It gets me all happy and compels me to do a great job because someone else is just as committed as I am.

don't make GREMLINS

In my opinion, there is information sharing overload and the tools to do it are countless but there are some things you shouldn't share via insert latest gadget and/or form of communication. Such as AND I start with email. You should NOTpress send after typing the following words:

-- I'm pregnant.
-- I'm getting married. (mainly to family and close friends...thinking of you KT ;-) )
-- I'm leaving Las Vegas (the Sheryl Crow song just came into my head...Sorry.)
-- I quit this job! (at least have the decency and take the pleasure out of letting someone you've worked for understand how sincere you are in this decision by telling them face-to-face.)
-- Your mother/brother or anyone your close to just passed away.
-- Your blood work report came back and you should know that you ________
-- I'm getting a divorce. (mainly this one wouldn't be good to your spouse or close relatives and friends. I've received a mass email from a friend who got divorced three months after the elaborate and dazzling wedding. )
-- It's over. (specifically for the dating crowd because you just don't e-break up. I don't care what the culture says or how much change has happened in the last few years. Ending a relationship over the phone is mucho bad...By email, now that's just plain mean.)
-- I'm in the hospital. (prefer to get the call personally to do the quick question and answer thing...it helps get the right information out and not give anyone a cardiac arrest while sharing fthe info with others.)
-- I need to borrow money. (at least have the courtesy to pick up the telephone or better yet, have a face-to-face so that the giver understands what the need is by listening and looking at your expressions.)
-- I won the lottery. (at first this may seem like a good idea BUT the funny thing about email is that it can travel fast to everyone in the world so unless you want to world to know, don't put it in writing via email.)

The list can go on and on...For the most part, anything that is life changing, monumental, that will create a strong response by the person or people you're sharing this information with, is just not appropriate to send by email. Remember that email is technology's version of Gremlins. There's a lot of rules behind its existence in order to maintain some type of control. Feeding them after a certain hour can result in multiple monsters that are difficult to get rid of...Pressing send with a serious conversation involved for any aspect of life should be dealt with delicately, cautiously and personally. If not, you'll end up with a really messed up toy department and a very sad and sick Gizmo who at one time was really cute and cuddly but now, is the creator of a big mistake that will take forever to reconcile.

good ole mr. symonds

couldn't help but feel like the following paragraph written by symonds could apply to so many different things --

And need I remind you just how insert whatever got here? We got here by being bold, by having the guts to take chances and by worrying more about conquering new worlds than protecting old ones.

the power of being nice

sent this out to a few dragonFLY friends earlier today...enjoyed the read and hope you will too. :-)

Christian Science Monitor
from the October 16, 2006 edition –
see actual article here

At work, 'nice' is on the rise
In a huge shift from the 'me first,' 'greed is good' attitudes of the 1980s, corporations seek a kinder, gentler culture

By Marilyn Gardner Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

Patrick Morris could call it "a tale of two companies." As a new college graduate beginning his first job in public relations at a major cosmetics firm in New York, he knew he would be the proverbial low man on the totem pole.

"You feel you're going to get put upon and crunched and tossed around," he says. But instead of the huge egos and "attitude" he expected, he found himself surrounded by good, caring people. "It made all the difference in the world and helped to shape me into the professional I am today."

By contrast, his next job at a television shopping channel proved to be "an environment full of finger-pointing and backstabbing," he says. "It became a nightmare to go into the office."

In comic strips and movies, tyrannical bosses produce plenty of laughs. Think of Mr. Dithers, Dagwood Bumstead's nemesis in "Blondie," or Miranda in "The Devil Wears Prada." But in real life, managers like these are hardly funny.

Today, in a competitive age that sometimes takes a "nice guys finish last" approach to business, a quiet cultural change appears to be under way. "Nice" and "kind" are becoming operative philosophies in some companies, among them Mr. Morris's first employer. Those adjectives are also showing up in titles of books and organizations. They stand in sharp contrast to the 1980s, when a "greed is good" attitude prevailed in some quarters and business books carried titles such as "Corporate Combat" and "Office Warfare."

"There's a huge shift we've observed," says Russ Edelman, one of the founders of Nice Guy Strategies, a consulting firm in Newburyport, Mass. "Companies are fundamentally saying, 'We need to employ more ethical practices as well as create an environment that supports a nicer mind-set.' Organizations are asking, 'How can we create an environment that is friendly, welcoming, and warm, but also ensure that people in the company are held accountable and can achieve success?' There's a balance people are struggling with."

Workplace observers attribute some of the changes to a reaction against corporate scandals at Enron and Tyco. "In the past decade there have been a lot of egomaniacal bosses," says Tim Hiltabiddle, one of Mr. Edelman's business partners. Sept. 11 also heightened the yearning for a kinder workplace, he says.

Yet that approach is "not about everything being nicey-nice," Mr. Hiltabiddle emphasizes. Nor does it mean being wimpy and naive, lacking backbone, or serving as a doormat. Being too nice, in fact, carries its own perils. "People might take advantage of your good nature," he says.

As one way of framing the issue, Hiltabiddle and Edelman sat down in a restaurant and drew up a Nice Guys Bill of Rights on napkins. Those rights include speaking up, setting boundaries, taking risks, valuing your time, and being accountable.

Studies show that niceness can also produce bottom-line rewards, such as increasing productivity and reducing turnover, says Robin Koval, an advertising executive in New York and coauthor, with Linda Kaplan Thaler, of "The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World With Kindness" (Doubleday). Being nice, she adds, can mean "having the courage and creativity to stand up for what you want, but doing it in a way that is not ugly or threatening."

Women, Ms. Koval finds, are typically taught the importance of being nice. That can produce stereotypes. Noting the popularity of the book, "Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office," she says, "We take issue with that. We think we're nice girls, and we have corner offices."

For men, nice is a more liberating idea, Koval adds. "They're the ones who have been socialized to think, 'I've got to be a tough guy, never show my emotions, it's a dog-eat-dog world out there.' "

But "dog eat dog" isn't the only modus operandi. "To be successful in business, you need to have a certain threshold of knowledge of your industry and techniques," says Peter Handal, CEO of Dale Carnegie Training in New York. "But it's not enough just to be good at what you do. In my experience, the people who reach the top are nice. They're people-friendly. They're ones who can communicate with people around them, up and down."

They're also the ones who avoid what Duane Boyce, author of "The Anatomy of Peace," calls "false niceness." He explains the term this way: "If I'm not focused on results, I'm just expecting my friendliness, my politeness to get me by. That's not nice."

In the political arena, this is shaping up to be another season filled with harsh campaign ads as candidates trade jibes and paint negative images of their opponents.

"It's so disheartening that election after election becomes about tearing down the other person," Hiltabiddle says. "It's not constructive in building something; it's tearing down."

Yet politics creates unique challenges. Assuming the role of a politician, Mr. Handal says, "The way I get ahead is either I sell people on me, or I knock you. There's only a binary choice. In business or nonprofits, there are lots of choices.

"Who moves up in organizations? People who are liked."

Customer service is another field filled with negative images. "People are tired of the indifference that we're receiving from so many companies these days in the name of customer service," says Ed Horrell, author of "The Kindness Revolution: The Company-wide Culture Shift That Inspires Phenomenal Customer Service." He notes that consumers want service "peppered with some respect and dignity and kindness."

Mr. Horrell praises companies known for excellent service, such as Nordstrom, FedEx, L.L. Bean, and Chick-fil-A. Their emphasis on core values - dignity, respect, courtesy, kindness - begins at the top and requires commitment from the CEO and managers all the way down to front-line workers. "The way they treat their employees is virtually always the way they'll treat their customers."

For Morris, the publicist who tells the tale of two very different companies, the positive examples set by his bosses and co-workers at the cosmetics firm continue to influence his work as public relations director of his firm in Troy, N.Y.

"If you want people to perform, and you want people to do a good job, you have to treat them nicely," he says. "It's not to say you don't lose your cool sometimes. But if somebody makes a mistake, what's not going to help them is to have an intensely negative reaction to it. What's going to help is to say, 'How do you think this happened? What do you think we should do to fix it? What steps should we take next time that this doesn't become a problem?' That's the way I was taught."

That kind of approach can pay big dividends. Pamela Gregg of the University of Dayton Research Institute in Ohio praises her bosses for "going out of their way to be nice to those around them." In addition to being fair and expressing appreciation for jobs well done, she says, they give employees "free rein to take risks and make what we can of our jobs."

Everyone works hard, Ms. Gregg says, so her bosses often lighten the mood with levity. One employee will soon celebrate 45 years with the institute. For others, 20, 30, and 40 years of service are not uncommon. Last year the Dayton Business Journal rated it one of the Top 10 winners in its "Best Places to Work in the Miami Valley" contest.

In an era of corporate downsizing, even cutbacks offer an opportunity for companies to soften their approach. "The act of laying someone off does not mean you're unkind," Horrell says. "A kind person does not want to do that, but there's a kind way to do it."

Making a case that "nice is very powerful," Koval says, "We all have to network with each other. We all work in teams. Unless you're a chemist in a lab bent over a test tube, nobody works alone. The old command-and-control way of doing business is clearly over." She adds, "Meanness is so last millennium. Niceness is the future."

cutest baby in the world - check those teeth

Baby and Mommy enjoying a beautiful fall day.

He didn't enjoy eating the snowcone daddy got him. Yuck!

He loved it when Uncle Wonderful let his arms fly like a bird.

love the thursday

lovely day here in the sunshine state...it's thursday...i am wearing a new sweater (yea, no jokes. it's in the 70's and for us floridians, it's cool out there)...had a great lunch with group team member and talked to several people today via email, phone, im, etc. isn't it amazing and scary sometimes how many people we communicate to in one day? i can be on the phone, have someone in my office motioning my thoughts to and read my email and respond all at the same time. even as someone who is in the communication business, i still am amazed and frightened by it all. i enjoy the opportunity to multi-task but then, i quickly find myself circling the office after a few hours of work just to gain clarity so i can write that feature newsletter article for the entire company of ga-thousand people to skim through. i'm tired. pooped. don't like to use that word but today, it's the best word out there for my current state. plus, it reminds me of someone who makes me laugh daily about the subject. (like i'm gonna tell you who!) anyways, it's chinese night (thank God!) and i couldn't be more ready to just sit back and relax. so, whatever you're doing, wherever you are -- enjoy and for goodness sakes, turn the blackberry off!

preciously prego

Love this photo of the Dr. and the Beauty. She's 35 weeks along. Thank God for this Lisa Baker photographer girl because this photo is so precious! It arrived today in my email in-box and totally made my day. To think, I saw Beauty last year get married and this year in NYC and now, SHE'S HAVING A BABY!!!

time flies when you're in love

TWO years ago...Mr. Wonderful and I became husband and wife. I love him more and more every day!

happy anniversary to my mr. wonderful

weekend view

the love key

leaving town for a few days to celebrate mr. wonderful and i's second year of being happily married. he truly is wonderful. to prove it, he's planned a weekend of relaxation on the beach and spent last night cooking food (chicken curry) for our trip. we will be in a highly remote area so as long as we have good food, good conversation and each other, we will have a great time commemorating #2!

upgrading your conversation

i have found my new bumper sticker -- upgrade your conversation. absolutely love it and must share it with all since how many times do conversations happen without purpose or love or anything really worth talking about. these past two days have been very different but amazing. the conversations have been so rich. it all started on wednesday during strategic planning. i know that's hard to imagine but really, i am on one of thee most dynamic teams in all of cable world and i found myself completely immersed in the good energy. then, yesterday was a complete adventure of which i am so thankful. i learned that i am someone who takes the bad and makes it fun...keeps glowing (and growing) no matter the obstacle. also, i am okay with disagreeing with people more and more because most of the time, that's what makes the conversation worthwhile. i think the hardship comes into a situation when people are NOT listening and they only hear their own thoughts and bits and pieces of yours which leads to misunderstanding, which leads to frustration, which leads to a confrontation, which leads to more NOT listening, which leads to total explosion and many bad things (especially if you're dealing with someone who doesn't deal with themeselves). been there, done that. so, i am happy to report that conversations that have taken place in the last 48 hours have been solid. like today, i began with a great connection with mr. wonderful about his current office environment. of course, he sees right through a lot of the muckity-muck and focuses on what he does best -- do a fantastic job and not get caught up in the never-ending drama. then, the presidents of the local pr community came together to discuss how to bring everyone together. love those kind of talks. they each are so impressive and strong. i have grown to love and respect my pres. and could only hope to carry the leadership level she has displayed throughout the whole year. after that, i engaged in many conversations at the office. lunch with one of the marketing directors who just happens to be someone i connect with because our paths seems so similar by way of geography and finding the current situation. plus, we share a love for thai food. always a thumbs up in dragonfly's world! during the day, i continued to engage in conversation with my superiors who just happen to be so incredibly in tune with what's happening and how they are a part of moving things forward. after work, and this is where it only continues to get better, i had a great conversation with kathy about life, love and possibilities. she is the inventor of "upgrading your conversation." while we were talking, i made the following notes for myself and since it was an ABC conversation -- A = Kathy and B = DragonFLY and you the reader, are C = not there, you might not be interested in the rest of this...it's for me and my accountability: What's wrong with being selfish? (one of the topics was about taking time for you vs. time for everyone else. trying to fit it in AFTER everyone else is taken care of.) Why can't the weather just be unpredictable? ( i really like this one since just looking at something as what it is instead of putting expectations all over it. Guilty as charged!) How can this represent a life? (we talked about trish's funeral and the photos displayed...they were beautiful photos of her but they're only pictures, not a life, she was so much bigger than a photograph. ) What will represent my life? (inspired by the previous question obviously.) What is the context of the conversation? (really being present to what someone is saying not the words coming out of their mouth.) Where does being upset and disappointed show up for me? (inspired by the previous question) And finally, always a good questions to ask -- In what ways, am I purposely being responsible and not being responsible? Delving futher, how is that effecting my choices in how and who I choose to be?

Upgrade your conversation, you will only become better at you.

that's information

it's not that you're busy, it's how you're busy.

found my coffee...woohooo! the woman on the mug looks like me except i am smiling much bigger!

talking a lot this week to people who have a lot on their plates. when there's more to do than time will allow. on my way to soccer last night where i was questioning my crazy idea to play two games in a row instead of just one, i heard the song with the lyrics, "it's better to wear out than to rust." seems to be a reoccuring dragonfly theme this week with all that's going on. it's been such a good place. being busy but a good busy. i can't help but wonder what would be a better word for busy...active? involved? energetic? crazy?

no coffee, discombobulating

i am trying the no coffee thing today. why? because i like to torture myself. seriously, i really need to cut back.

does hot chocolate count? one chocolate, two chocolate, three...heheheheee!

in another land of thought -- isn't it amazing what you can get done in a lunch hour? lunch, car wash, tour of old orlando and thoughts of stopping by to get some coffee but resisting the urge since there was a nice piece of sugarfree gum in my purse that won't stain teeth and will keep breath minty fresh.

soccer tonight with team amanda! something new this week. look forward to another adventure at ward field. shannon may stop by...she rocks the library!

another weekend

my weekend in four words - driving, sleeping, working and relaxing. it was a mixture of all. not well mixed but a lot more of working than relaxing. happy to report, this will be my last complaint about some work since i'm finally letting a portion of it go. it's been two years and i'm ready to just focus on my one job...we'll see how long it lasts since those who know DragonFLY know better.

so proud of china girl

REDHEAD CHINA GIRL
Grade 2, Changning Campus

I am very excited to be teaching second grade! Through living in China, I am able to combine my love of teaching and my love of traveling to create a memorable experience unlike any other. Until now, I have lived my entire life in the sunny state of Florida in the United States. I received my Bachelors degree in Elementary/Exceptional Child Education from Flagler College in St. Augustine, and then continued on to receive my Masters degree in Elementary Education from University of North Florida. I am also certified to teach ESOL students. I taught second grade for four years and first grade for one year in Jacksonville, Florida. As much as I love the beach, living in a great city like Shanghai has been an exciting change.When I'm not teaching, I'm usually exploring Shanghai. I love riding my bicycle, reading, writing, and of course, shopping! I also enjoy trying the many restaurants around town. I'm particularly excited about traveling in China and other countries in Asia! I look forward to getting to know the children and families here at SCIS.

good way to start the day

First thing this morning, I found these cute photos of Sons of Artists waiting for me. So adorable! I can really see artist mommy and artist daddy there. Time certainly does fly!

sheep or wolf?

met mr. parmet the other day and on his biz card it says

The price of being a sheep is BOREDOM.

The price of being a wolf is LONELINESS.

Choose one or the other with great care.

Thanks for the beach sun!

Just want to send a THANK YOU to the rock star family for allowing Mr. Wonderful and DragonFLY join in on the weekend fun at the beach. I caught up on my reading and the latest in rock star mom's life. She is on the go even with another little rock star kid on the way! We were making up names throughout the weekend for the little one -- Blaise, Mossimo, Santa, Hunter, Thor, Dawson, Zeus, Hagan, T. It was fun to namestorm. Whatever they choose will be perfect. My favorite rock star name is STING. Maybe that's what they need to go with...rock star dad already looks like him. I am emailing their fan club right now.

Jim turned 40 at Room 3nine!

Billy the redhead and I at Hobo's 40th birthday at Room 39!

We were wearing t-shirts with his high school photo (mullet included).

He was voted Most Likely to Rock.

I think he's fulfilled his graduating class' expectation.

Happy Birthday to HOBO!

got a problem? one way to find a solution.

when you sit down and really think about how to go about solving a problem, things become so clear. first and foremost, figure out what the problem is. many times, we mistake a problem without really understanding the source. what's really going on here? am i upset about the dishwasher being broken or am i just stressed because i know that i'll have to figure out how to fix it like i do with everything else and in the meantime, it's going to take away from my already piled up list of to do's that i try and stay on top of daily? to dig even deeper -- i am really upset about being stressed and not having enough time to do everything. so once the problem is identified, i begin to think of possible solutions: i can fix it. i can try to get ted to fix it. i can choose not to fix it and handwash the dishes. i can go ahead and get a whole new dishwasher.

so those potential solutions are a good start. from here, i pick one that seems most reasonable. maybe it doesn't work so instead of trying to bang my head against the wall and do the whole thing again, i try something else. this time, it almost works but not quite the way i thought it would. so, again, i look at another possible option and just for the sake of brevity of this post, it works! the dishwasher is now in working condition. i feel much better because i have time to do something else and i move forward happily to the next thing on the list.

when it comes to problems, i think of how many times i forget this simple exercise of just understanding what's really going on and then taking the time to come up with some viable solutions. now, not every problem or as some would say, challenges for growth, extend the luxury of time to figure it out thoroughly but when it does, instead of jumping in and possibly making it harder, try and remember to take some time. to stop. to breathe and to regroup. to think about it and for a lot of us women out there -- to talk about it. then, most importantly, begin working on solutions. even more importantly, MOVE FORWARD! when faced with something similar in the future, know what worked and what didn't. try to stay the course of being able to see the many problems that come our way on a regular basis and how it's a way to stretch ourselves and challenge our abilities to know that we can make it through anything. i mean, anything! to encourage and reinforce that, look closely at some of the people who surround us. think about some of their obstacles that they endured which ended up being what brought them to us as a friend or to a better place in life. think about the difficulties that you've experienced personally and how being on the other side of them sheds light on how strong the human spirit is and how by choosing to move forward, any one of us can face whatever it is knowing that there's hope because we're alive.

TMI

Too Much Information

day off from the weekend

i got to work this morning and thought, i should be home today. the weekend was so full of activity i could barely breathe before the next thing.

so, as far as the best of for each day, below is an attempt to try and encompass it all:

friday: amy lyn arriving :-) going shopping with her, making a cheese tray and getting a new green bag

saturday: hearing the quote -- Every baby born has the capacity to change the world. it gave me goose bumps. briefly riding around on a green motorcycle...

sunday: having coffee with ted, sr., luis wearing green to coordinate with my outfit

monday: hoping that it will be a NAP!

somewhere else

i am working this weekend but in my mind,

i am here...

Victory for Voodoo

Played two great soccer games last night. Won both but the most important win was with the Voodoo Posse! I have missed kicking the ball around for the last three weeks. So glad the rain stayed away long enough...There were a couple of light showers throughout the night. The last time we played the red team, the field felt like a swamp. Just for laughs, I actually found a picture of Swamp Soccer.
To another great season!

best thing of the day: playing soccer

tiara PRESident and dragonFLY

and for the best

monday: the possibility of brainstorming with imagineers and my meeting with andrea
tuesday: remembering trish with ted


i was reminded tonight how important it is to not be afraid. also, i was reminded how some people just understand. they've been given this amazing gift to see a situation and instead of lashing out, they know how to embrace what is really happening and carry it forward instead of letting it drop into a place of ugliness.

“Do not be afraid for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name. You are mine.
When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up;
The flames will not consume you.For I am the Lord, your God,The holy One of Israel, your Savior”(Isaiah 43:1-4)

aha!

Yes! I started reading a new book that I want to finish before giving the DragonFLY report on it. So far, I am very impressed.

Here's an excerpt...Title to come later.

THE PURPOSE OF FRIENDSHIP

-- To give our heart a place to rest.
-- To support the unfolding story of our life.
-- To challenge us to GROW and become our BEST.
-- To give us a place to play.

If I had money to buy a billboard, I would want to highlight the following to people:

Confidants listen without judgement!
Treat our friends' confidences with respect if we want trust to grow.

remembering the lives lost

these are days

happy birthday catherine!

i'm not only the president of cathy's fan club, i'm also a member.

***

a TRUE FRIEND challenges us to be REAL with ourselves and with them.

one minute i'm ready to have a nice dinner with friends and the next minute, i am potentially on my way out of town to an exotic place for the weekend. such was my weekend...never quite knowing where i'd end up. i do believe it all worked out the way it was suppose to. i love my friends...the real ones. the ones that share, listen, understand, see, recognize and are themselves.

on friday, which i just started typing accidentally as frienday, i had an opportunity to help support one of my best during a difficult time...i was willing to go and do whatever. it ended up that she just needed my availability for comfort which was fine because she's got bigger fish to fry in the grand scheme of things. but then, the evening opened up for another way to connect with a friend who i've been away from for way too long. no excuses, i was going to see her. so i did. the visit ended up being the cherry on top of an exhausting but absolutely wonderful week. she and i talked about so many things that i rarely get to talk about with anyone. the sign of a great friendship is the inspired conversation that comes along during your time together. because of this experience, i shall return along with mr. wonderful so that she and i can resume the conversation while the guys take on the little people. thank you for welcoming me, embracing me and challenging me to think about what's important.

saturday, mr. wonderful and i did our breakfast thing. i'm thinking about breaking the law and marrying a blueberry pancake. as strange as that sounds, i just love 'em. if they weren't so starchy and topped with evilness, i'd have one every day. instead, i mind the thought...too much of a good thing...i can't even remember but you know how it goes. we prepared the koos for our departure later that afternoon. we've been traveling with kitties, litter box and insulin shots but this time, i put my foot down and said, "no! we travel with people only today!" cats are way too stressed in a car and i had arranged with catlover friend, to take care of them for the whole 27 hours we were planning to be away. got to the big house by dinner and enjoyed family time and football in the background. met up with joe at square one which was so dead. i remember when that place was packed wall to wall. what happened? despite the lack of people, we had a swell time.

sunday morning breakfast is key...where to go? i basically turned right out of the big house neighborhood and trusted that i'd find something yummy. sure enough...i did. they had great coffee, great food and most importantly, a display of the most beautiful cakes you ever did see. jackpot! along with the coffee and cake, was a casserole of conversation that continues to shed light on the crazies and all of the corruption in the cracker box. i can't complain. life is really good. after breakfast, there was a flurry of activities which included a quick shopping trip and a joint push out the door of all the males. i was left by my lonesome which was the plan all along. i did what any woman in need of some relaxation would do, i soaked. i was in the tub almost an entire afternoon. since i finished my other book on the car ride, i started reading the new one and got about halfway through it while i sat in the tub. it was absolutely perfect. to round it all off, i traveled down and got myself some phad thai noodles. excellent. it rained. i didn't care. jets flew over the house and made the earth shake. i didn't care. the jags beat the cowboys. i didn't care. the only care i had was to relax, read my book or not read my book and thoroughly revel in the beauty of allowing myself to just be. i highly recommend it.

a few best things of the day -
friday: pumpkin pie with cool whip and the love it was served with
saturday: dancing with mr. wonderful
sunday: where do i begin? solitude.

yours

Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours.
~ Ayn Rand

tiara president and you're fantastic

I AM STILL LEARNING.
~ Michelangelo

started the day at first watch with three cups of joe (woohoo) and some fancy oatmeal. always tastes better when someone else makes it. then, k and i left for jacksonville. before we knew it, we were conference calling and discussing upcoming strategies of how to message this and how to coordinate that. so amazing what you can get done while driving from meeting to meeting. the actual destination, aka meeting, was "fantastic." got to see my pal get her new tiara as the president of all of north florida pr. she was adorable as she stood proudly behind a podium that was about the same height as her. she certainly handled the whole process with total poise and good humor -- my favorite combo in any public speaking venue. just fyi for y'all -- pr folk can be pretty persnickety about how you communicate..they're the experts ya know. table talk was good...talked to a former grocery store chain corporate communication senior director about life after a company she moved 2,000 miles to work for (with husband and children in tow) goes bankrupt. enjoyed a presentation about the importance of ethics, diversity and leadership from the current national pres. who is cooler than cool. met three flagler seniors getting ready to graduate in december. hugged wendy who is heading up the sunshine state and kicking some big ones publicizing one of the chicken soup for the soul guys newest project. stopped by mr. j's house but found it empty. he was still out and about with the "old farts" on the golf course. to wrap the meeting portion of this endless word spicket, the whole experience was full of good connections and an opportnity to see how things are done elsewhere. the drive was a bit rocky back to o-town because of the rain and i-4 traffic (one of my dislikes as you may recall). had to get back in the office to keep images in check. k goes back without me...where am i? at home? at the nail shop (that was the plan if i would've been told to go)? nope! instead, i grabbed the umbrella and walked from the parking garage after sitting in bumper to bumper traffic while cats and dogs fell from the sky. coincidentally, king j opened the door for me. "perfect," i thought. he needs to see my utter devotion to coming back from a four hour drive, to spend the last hour and a half in the office to deal with a total of two hours of traffic to and from the office. it totally makes sense on planet insane! just keep smiling at him. laugh at the funny joke even though your umbrella has made a huge water stain on the "only for special days" green jacket. back at the office - i perused the email which ended up being a good thing. chatted it up with my office neighbor and ate the last two of my favorite teeny dessert bars that were left over from yesterday's meeting. sugar always throws me into optimism. thank goodness! it made the thought of sitting in traffic again somewhat bearable. talked to sweet mother of four kids under six who doesn't believe in television, on the ride home...dinner is on for tomorrow night. told her how much she meant to trish and got a bit teary-eyed. the day i called her to give the sad news, i ended up crying over the phone to her husband about it. poor guy. i don't think he understood a word i said. men don't really speak female cry-anese. made it home in nowhere near record time and made a point to just read through catalogs and dream about getting new lamps for fifteen minutes that felt like seconds...unwinding...feeling social again...changing my outfit...ready to go back out to the big bad world of crowded roads and bad drivers. met the crew at i.d. for the thursday chinese food eating contest. mr. wonderful (with big mouth) won as he scarfed all of my lo mein. yes, he did order but as usual, he liked what i ordered better. heard the latest about some crazies that drive people, good and intelligent people, to question the point of using rational thought when it doesn't seem to work in certain environments with certain unreasonable indivduals. everyone is hanging in there which makes my heart smile. they got they're crazy shot that's good until at least the end of the year. that's where i went wrong. anyways, i ended the evening with a call from the be-fri. love that girl. she had lots of great things to share. hope you got the dog in...when i get a dog, i am going to send it to your house too. life is good, really good. the only reason it's less than perfect tonight is because the dolphins lost to the steelers. i promised mr wonderful a.k.a. #1 dolphins fan, that miami would bring it but somehow they fell short. my apologies to mr. wonderful. dragonfly doesn't know american football and also does not own a crystal ball.

from left field -- happy birthday m.r., wherever you are!

best thing of the day: blueberry tootsie pops

best things

The present moment is where life can be found. And if you don't arrive there, you miss your appointment with life. You don't have to run anymore. Breathing in, we say, "I have arrived." Breathing out, we say, "I am home."
~Thich Nhat Hanh

Some of the best things of the day since I last posted:

Friday: cats in the car

Saturday: sleeping in, more dreams for me

Sunday: walking into a mess on Hawthorne and being a part of the transformation, soaking in the tub and reading a hundred pages of the latest page turner

Monday: having a thank you moment with Mr. J, holding my nephew who is the most beautiful baby in the world, seeing my brother

Tuesday: red velvet cake

Wednesday: finding trish's old lipstick box in the junk drawer. remembering how much she loved it and how i would make special trips to the mall to find it for her.

**************

Find the best in every moment, every person. There's good for each of us packaged in a gift box full of life and wrapped in time.

Today, I received Jennifer W.'s newsletter. How can you not love her? She is a fabulous writer who comes across so personable. Seriously, I feel like she's one of my best girlfriends.

Strangely today and mostly Monday, I feel for Terry. He has no idea what he's missing...

likes & dislikes

dragonFLY dislikes:

1. onions
2. inconsideration
3. trash-filled cars
4. spam
5. bad coffee
6. cheap pens
7. unfriendly people
8. greasy breakfasts
9. supermarket sushi
10. i-4 traffic
11. liars
12. big spiders
13. cell phones in a movie
14. coca-cola/pepsi
15. yelling car commercials
16. bad strawberries
17. lamb
18. cookie cutters
19. cooking
20. dirty dishes and silverware
21. strong perfume
22. jelly fish/bees/anything that can sting you
23. stale cupcakes
24. rubber neckers
25. airplane bathrooms
26. smelling cigarette smoke
27. any movie with tom green in it
28. super sizing
29. forgetting birthdays (i'm guilty of this but i still don't like it)
30. instant information all the time whenever and wherever
31. excessive selfishness
32. low ceilings
33. mold
34. saying goodbye
35. my knee
36. tiny tubs
37. curtains/blinds/drapes closed at all times
38. mean geese
39. deadbeat dads
40. ignorance
41. corn syrup
42. liver
43. cheap haircuts
44. bad grammar (it's everywhere, even on the dragonFLY blog)
45. small minded thinking
46. insincere apologies (I'm sorry but...)
47. people who destroy beautiful things and/or people
48. arrogance
49. judgers
50. senseless crime
51. bullies or people who abuse power
52. cancer

dragonFLY likes:

1. tj
2. laughing
3. surprises
4. good books
5. breathing
6. journals
7. well written tv
8. bloggers
9. good photos
10. board games
11. magazines
12. packages
13. j.jill clothes
14. gilmore girls
15. handmade jewelry (spec. by Vickie D.)
16. green
17. saag paneer
18. jennifer weiner
19. music that connects you
20. simplicity
21. mild organization
22. boats
23. cake
24. bringing people together
25. making stuff - cards, gifts, paper airplanes
26. the keys
27. sunshine
28. giant flowers
29. truffles
30. post its
31. new places
32. friends
33. learning a different language
34. the ocean
35. yoga
36. soccer
37. blueberries
38. learning
39. high speed internet
40. dictionaries
41. celebrating for and with other people about anything positive
42. massages
43. familiar smiles
44. art
45. bobby's world
46. unplanned discounts
47. word of mouth about anything good
48. driving fast - i was born to be a race car driver
49. nice paper
50. animals, big and small
51. givers over takers
52. listening
53. good conversation
54. taking time alone
55. parades
56. survivors
57. climbing trees
58. watching sunsets and sunrises
59. a new box of crayons
60. a library card
61. singing karaoke
62. taking photos
63. arnold palmers
64. the #9
65. bartering
66. walking backwards
67. receiving a letter
68. writing a letter
69. sharpies
70. nice people
71. good customer service
72. making the best of whatever - "it's not what happens to us!"
73. cool lamps
74. ted's curry chicken
75. taking responsibility
76. soul collage
77. choices
78. being uplifted and uplifting others
79. focusing on what's important
80. support
81. relaxing
82. card shops
83. true friendship
84. tea -- hot, cold, whatever
85. true love
86. Thai food