Living within a few miles of the lakefront, we are subject to lake effect snow. This week my area was in the path of a heavy storm. It fell on-and-off for two days, and in the end had accumulated about a foot. It was beautiful but……….Holy Snowstorm, Batman!

I’ve been with my company for eleven years, and in all that time it’s been a well-known secret that when someone leaves, whatever was left in their cube or office is fair game for the takers. A week ago, I was working with a colleague and in the process of a project discovered two, fancy, expensive ergonomic desk chairs that had been abandoned. These chairs are like gold, and it’s very difficult to get your hands on one.

This past weekend I was invited to spend the night at a friend’s house, about ninety minutes from home. We were having dinner with a group of friends nearby, and she offered me one of her guest rooms for the night. “Absolutely”……which ultimately made things much easier for me.

The first night in Rome, the hotel recommended the local restaurant i Clementini. Upon our arrival we were greeted by a friendly wait staff and escorted to a back room. We dined on delicious seafood, fresh baked bread, and bottles of wine. The staff spoke some English, and we ended up having a great time getting to know them. They were very attentive and laughed right along with us.

We have so many fun memories, which often become part of our conversation. I met Ge’ several years ago in Rome, Italy. I knew the moment we were introduced, we would stay connected as friends. We met through a mutual friend, spent a few fun days together with a small group, and haven’t stopped laughing about the adventures since.

We were completely intrigued. I piped up and asked, “Anyone want to try it with me?” One friend immediately answered, “I will.” No sooner did she get the words out of her mouth, another friend loudly declared, “Hell no, not me!” She wanted nothing to do with the treatment.

Last week my nephew Garrett participated in the X-games Snocross event, held in Aspen Colorado. For those that aren’t familiar with the competition, it’s said to be the greatest winter action sport athletes competing annually from around the world. To participate in the games is by invitation only, unless you were lucky enough to be on the podium the previous year.

A few weeks ago, I was honored to co-host a workshop we titled Uncovering Your Buried Treasure. As women and mothers we often give to everyone else first, and don’t think about our own needs. In my case, I was blessed to stay home when my children were born, and gladly gave up my career and my identity to raise my children, and take care of my family. I became known simply as Andrew and Hannah’s mom.

So, I put my big girl panties on, committed to the assignment, took a deep breath, and sent individual messages to some of my friends and family. What happened next took me by surprise…..every single person but one replied within an hour. No one asked for any further explanation, they just replied with what I asked.

It’s that time again when I pick my word for the new year. It was getting close to the end of 2016 and I hadn’t gotten any feelings or signs about my word. So, I started listing some off in my head, and came across one I thought fit…..grace. I need to show myself more grace, but the problem was the word wasn’t speaking to me, and I was just trying to pick one out of desperation. Not sure why I thought it was mandatory to have this word before the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve….I’m a nut.

Happy 2017! This is the first New Year’s Eve I have spent outside the USA. Three friends and I went on an adventure to Cancun, Mexico. The weather was warm, the water was blue, and the drinks were frosty and tropical, at an all-inclusive resort that catered to our every need. 

With the Christmas holiday behind us, I have to say this year’s family get togethers were filled with laughter and fun. Each year to celebrate being together we participate in some sort of goofy hoopla. For this year’s Christmas Eve party, a white elephant gift exchange was decided upon.

The end of last week my daughter returned home from her three month internship in Brazil. She was a beautiful sight for sore eyes; it had been a long time since I had held her tight. While she was away she made plans to redo her bedroom upon her return. I was good with that, and figured she would settle in for a few days before the project got underway……HA!

I thought I was doing a pretty good job of being still and listening to what my heart and soul needed, but I was picking and choosing what I acted on. It’s not that I was being outwardly defiant, I was just trying to control the situation on my own terms, and NOT wait for divine timing.

When looking at the first snow, do you see the possibilities around you? Are you taking that leap of faith and jumping into the unknown of something new? Do you feel your heart leap at the thought of the newness, or are you holding back?

After day two of no communication from an earlier text I had sent, I thought it was odd. When day three arrived without a response, I started to become concerned. I reached out to one of her friends; they had also not heard a word in a few days. That’s when I started to really worry; especially after her friend thought I should call the consulate……”What?”

As the holiday season begins, it reminds us to stop and give thanks for our blessings. Even though I have a daily gratitude practice, I don’t always take time to let others know how special they are to me.

Earlier this week was a full moon; not just any moon, but a super moon. It was in the news, social media, and people everywhere were talking about it for several days before. This moon was closer to earth than it’s been in almost seventy years.  An event I didn’t want to miss.