I am a hopeless romantic at heart, and adore a good love story. I was able to be part of the incredible journey my niece and her recently married, husband Broc shared with their families over the last two years. Their romance blossomed quickly, and both knew they were meant to be together. Although they lived many miles from most of their tribe, they wanted to include everyone in their love story.

My brother and sister-in-law were blessed to have the first grand baby in the family. This tiny, beautiful, baby girl was given the name, Chanel Alexandra; it suited her to a tee. She looked like a precious baby doll, and everyone instantly fell in love with her, including me.

Spending time along the coast of California with my family, was a dream come true. It was a chance to spend time together, creating memories and having fun. Amazingly enough, my siblings plus my Mom and Dad were able to make the trip. One of my brother’s daughter, lives and planned her wedding in northern California.

First stop was Pride Mountain Vineyards. The drive alone was spectacular, hills and valleys around every curve. Upon arrival we were greeted by our host, Paul, and within a short time handed each person a glass of wine, then started the tour. There was a couple celebrating their first wedding anniversary, and a woman celebrating her birthday.

I attempted to lift the door but it wouldn’t budge. I thought tackling it from outside might be easier, it was not. I could only get it to raise two inches. I tired again and again, but came up with the same results. I had so much to do that day, including two doctor appointments, a meeting, and a picnic….not to mention the normal workday in between.

Living near two big cities provides ample opportunity to attend major sporting events throughout the year. I usually make it to at least one or two, but for some reason this year was different…..nothing was on the calendar. As luck would have it, I was invited to a baseball game; the Cubs vs the Cardinals. The group of people going were split on who they were rooting for. One thing I knew for certain, half the people driving home would be elated, and the other half would be irritated…..HA!

With my recent closet clean-up, I was feeling I didn’t have the right combination of clothing to pack. Because of the location of my adventure, I needed to pack for cool as well as warm weather, and realizing I didn’t have enough, or better put, I just wanted a few new things…….the shopping began.

I have had a lot of things going on in recent weeks that have added stressful moments in my life, and I sent out an S.O.S. I mentioned I needed an in-person meeting and within minutes, it was arranged. To accommodate schedules, we planned meeting later than normal. Even though one girl was out of town, if possible, wanted to join by phone.

As my daughter gets ready to head to Canada for a summer internship program, she has been busy this week spending time with her friends. They travel in packs to each other’s apartments, homes, restaurants, stores and such. Recently, some have been over helping her pack, providing advice and encouragement, as well as just hanging out together. Usually I am in a different room, but can usually hear them laughing and chatting from anywhere in the house. It’s like music to my ears.

During my daughter’s senior year of college she applied for several domestic and international internships. She received her degree in Biology and has always dreamed of having a career working with animals. Fortunately for her, and not so fortunate for me, she was awarded her number one choice, Brazil. With all the talk of crime, human trafficking, and the Zika virus alert, I was less than enthusiastic about the news. She was also awarded another internship in British Columbia, Canada, that I was excited for her opportunity.

One woman from the church faithfully organizes everything to do with the children’s curriculum, and truth be told, I’ll gladly let her. However, if she asks for volunteers, I usually say yes. This year my role was to help in the craft area, as well as all around support for the group.

Several months ago I kept hearing about a book that described the life-changing magic of decluttering your life. The more I heard about it, the more intrigued I became. I thought the concept sounded good, but I needed a good chunk of time to dedicate to the first step.

Do you have weeks where you find yourself in a constant, crabby mood? That happened to me last week. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was causing so much irritation. Everyone has off days, but this was kind of extreme for me; and usually doesn’t linger for long. This time I couldn’t shake it.

I believe everyone was put on this earth with special gifts and talents that no one else can duplicate; making each of us, one-of-a-kind. Some may recognize this at an early age, while other’s lag far behind. For me….yep, you guessed it….. I was a lagger. Looking back, I believe mostly because I doubted I had anything to share, more special than the next person. What I didn’t realize until much later, we all possess something wonderful and great. Like me, I think many search for the answer to the burning question….”What was I put here to do?”

I’ve always thought of myself as a positive person, but once I heard the words within this video, I realized I was guilty of casting negative words upon myself. Then and there I decided to change those negative thoughts into positive ones by committing to meditation for forty days and forty nights on the Power of I Am.

Do you ever have those days when you think everything is going smoothly, but later learn, it just wasn’t so? Recently, I spent the day with two girlfriends, and in order to protect their identities from our lapse in judgement, I will refer to them as girlfriends one and two (GF1 and GF2). I am not sure if the outcome of the day was due to a few cocktails or our aging minds….HA!

As we began flipping through magazines, quotes, colors, and assorted art supplies, we each had growing piles of what we wanted to include on our boards. It happened to be an on-and-off stormy evening. About an hour into creating, my friend’s husband announced we may want to go outside to get some inspiration; there was a rainbow…..no, make it a double, we all but bolted out the door!

This week just so happens to be Volunteer Week, and the opportunity I volunteered for was beach clean-up. What made this opportunity more special to me was the lake is located within my community.