lighter and loving it!

I am so very excited to say I have met my 2008 weight loss goal! I made a goal for myself in Jan 2008 to lose 1 lb a month for a total weight loss of 12 lbs for the year. As of today, I have met that goal with 13 lbs lost!!! I intend to keep my goal at 1 lb a month for 2009 to continue a slow and steady downward spiral.

It wasn't easy, as everyone knows. I have a few times throughout the year were that 1 lb a month seemed unobtainable. But, at the beginning of the New Year I couldn't be happier knowing I actually reached the goal set. I am know at the same weight as I was before becoming pregnant with Hudson, who is now 2 years old. By 2010 I will strive to be at the same weight pre-Ethan!

I decided 2 years ago not to diet per se, but to concentrate on engaging in regular physical activity and maintaining healthy eating habits, emphasizing lowered fat consumption, and an increase in vegetables, fruits and whole grains. I have tracked my weight loss journey on http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/ since 2006. I find when I stay focused and actually use my calorie counter I feel accountable for what I put in my body, eat less, drink more water and work out more regularly. For me, journaling makes it easy to see how far I've come and keep track of where I'm going.

yes, we can!

Obamicon.Me is a neat-o Web app that lets you put your image in the style of the famed Shepard Fairey Obama poster. Just upload a photo, then choose a word to go with it. So fun, I couldn't resist trying it! Make your own at obamiconme.pastemagazine.com.

I tied to volunteer my time last night at the Mesa United Food Bank but, unfortunately there was a mix up. I arrived at 6:30 pm and saw a note on the door that United Food Bank did not post the call to volunteer on the usaservice.org website. They apologized and gave me a name of someone to call and sign up to be notified directly from United Food Bank when they need volunteers. I was happy I got out and tried to help but, bummed I didn't actually get to do anything. I would have offered my time elsewhere had I known. Since they didn't post the event on the website they had no way of contacting the 37 people that signed up to let them know not to come.

I'm going to take a mid morning break and go watch the historic inauguration of Barack Obama with CNN. An estimated 2 million supporters have gathered to watch Obama take the oath of office at noon! January 20th, 2009, we will all stand together with a new President in celebration of our common values, shared aspirations and the hope Americans feel that the course of our nation will change. I hope you too are able to watch history unfold!

i heart telecommuting

This week at work has been all about going green! Soft Flex Company has explored the green work environment for some time but, we have never formally expressed these practices to each other or to our customers. The New Year presented the perfect time to discuss what we do as a company and individuals to tread lightly on this wonderful planet. Check out Soft Flex Company's green practices.

Bert & I telecommute for Soft Flex Company, as do 1/3 of the Soft Flex staff. This means a strong reduction in vehicle emissions and fuel consumption as we are not adding to the congestion on the road. Our home-based office is very close to being paperless as the majority of our work is performed online. We, as home-based employees, also add to the conservation aspect by not packing lunches or eating out, waste incurred here includes: food containers, plastic baggies, cups, plastic eating utensils, and paper waste, such as napkins. It feels great working from home for many reasons and having the additional bonus of helping our environment makes it all the more merrier.

I hope telecommuting gains more momentum for companies in the future. Many people ask how do we get any work done, but really how can we not? Bert & I still have deadlines and goals to meet. I enjoy having the freedom to plan my day and the trust to be able to work unsupervised. The trust given to you to be able to work on your own accord is enough to motivate me. The discipline needed to work from home may seem like a lot but, ultimately you have things to get things done. If you do them, they aren't going away so; you might as well get to work! I honestly wouldn't want to jeopardize my position with the company by not completing the tasks asked of me. Why would I want to "slack off" and get laid off when working from home is a gift in and of itself that I don't want to take for granted.

Sure, there are some downsides - of course there is. I do not get out much (if at all some days). I rarely meet my co-workers face to face. I have to dedicate a portion of my home to "work" and essentially never leave work. And, I sometimes feel like my design skills get stale because I do not have any design colleagues sitting next to me to bounce ideas off of and learn from. However, all these things can be overcome.

• Instead of getting outdoor time to and from work, I need to take some time outside after work or open my windows!
  
• Instead of making friends to go out with from work, I have to get involved in social groups with people that have similar interests (which means my friendships may be longer lasting as they are people I have more in common with then just were we work).
• I have purchased an armoire that can be closed when the work day is done and I have to shut down my computer. This prevents me from feeling like I have to sit at my desk off hours.
  
• And, I have to frequent design sites and blogs to work on tutorials (my 2009 goal) to keep ideas fresh and my skills sharp!

I love working from home and I love that Soft Flex Company has been open to telecommuting for over 5 years. And, I really love that this arrangement also helps out our environment in big ways.

weekly reflection

I just finished 30 min of Dance, Dance Revolution for the Wii (aka DDR). It is pretty fun and definitely gets you sweating. I also took a hip hop dance class at my gym on wendesday night. Now, that was a lot of fun! The instructor was really energetic, totally enjoys dancing and she threw in a little freestyle time. I love to dance and being that I don't "hit da club" very often, on wednesday nights I'll have some have fun, work it out and maybe learn a new move or two for when I get out on the dance floor! I went to the gym every day this week and did a mix of cardio and yoga and I lost 4 lbs. 4 lbs in 1 week - that NEVER happens and it feels amazing!


In even more amazing news, my friends Chris & Wendy welcomed the arrival of their adorable little boy, Quinn, on Jan 6th! I am so happy for them. He is beautiful and I wish I could visit and give Quinn a little snuggle. But, they live on the other side of the country so, that won't happen anytime soon. Thank goodness for facebook so, we can keep in touch, see pictures and hear stories of their life together.

silver and gold

Make new friends,

but keep the old.
One is silver,
the other is gold.

A circle is round,
it has no end.
That's how long,
I will be your friend.

My good friend and long time co-worker with Soft Flex Company, Sara Hardin brought her boyfriend Josh, her dog Honey and another member of the Soft Flex team Jamie, to our house for a post holiday celebration. Although Jamie & I have been working together for over a year...and although I know Jamie well from our "internet friendship" of emails and online chats...we have not gotten to meet each other face to face. So, while Jamie was in Arizona visiting her family I'm so very happy she came to our home to share a nice afternoon with our family. It was wonderful to meet one another. Funny, how Jamie & I wore the same color shirt - that was not planned but, it was a pleasant surprise ;)


Truly my friends are the silver and gold in my life. I am blessed to work with wonderful people. I cherish the friendships I have with my co-workers. For me, having honest friendships with those I work with creates an environment I want to go to each and every day. Many of my past co-workers are still dear friends of mine today.

I seek out spiritual friendships, a relationship with common interests and that is the responsibility of both friends and both bring something to it. I enjoy engaging in mutually helping behavior, such as exchange of advice and the sharing of ourselves. Sara and I have this kind of friendship and I am so grateful for it.

Chihuly: The Nature of Glass

On the evening of December 26th my friend Egor, my mom and I headed out into the bitter cold (it really was cold - I think it was in 30's brr!) to enjoy the Chihuly: The Nature of Glass exhibit at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden. It was well worth the shivering! This is Chihuly's first exhibition in an outdoor desert environment and he was clearly influenced by the desert surroundings and catered many of his sculptures to reflect the imagery of the native plants.

Dale Chihuly is known for his innovative glass sculptures, and his work is immediately recognizable for its grand scale and vibrant colors.

Here are some pictures I took at the garden:

Desert Wildflower Towers, 2008 (detail)

Chiostro di Sant'Apollonia Chandelier, 1995

Orange Hornet and Eelgrass Chandelier, 2008

Float Boat, 2008

Blue Fiddleheads, 2008

Neodymium Reeds, 2008

The Sun, 2008 (detail)

This was a spectacular exhibit and I encourage all those in the area to see it. I would like see this again with Bert and also treat his mom to a visit when she is feeling better. She was supposed to go with us this evening but, an unforuntate fall left her with a broken knee and unable to go.

weekly reflection

Here i am on the cruise ship's *adult only* serenity deck. Today I am reflecting on this moment. It was by far my personal favorite and looking at this photo just conjures up all the tranquil feelings I had while lounging there.

luna! hi luna!

"Luna! Hi Luna!" This is what little Hudson shouted out one night this week while looking at the moon. It was so precious. He sat on our outdoor swing and waved his hands up to the moon. "Hi Luna!" Both my kids have a random vocabulary of Spanish words thanks to the kid shows Dora and Diego. I love it! I enjoy learning the words too and we use them regularly.

The moon has been very bright and beautiful this week. I was wondering if it was a full moon because it was so bright. So, I looked online (got to love all this info at your fingertips) and viola! I found the U.S. Navy Astronomical Department website where you can type in the date and location and see Sun and Moon facts. Check it last night's moon.

Sun and Moon Data for One Day

The following information is provided for Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona:

Thursday
13 November 2008      Mountain Standard Time

SUN
Begin civil twilight       6:31 a.m.      
Sunrise                    6:57 a.m.      
Sun transit               12:12 p.m.      
Sunset                     5:26 p.m.      
End civil twilight         5:52 p.m.      

MOON
Moonrise                   4:50 p.m. on preceding day
Moon transit              12:08 a.m.      
Moonset                    7:34 a.m.      
Moonrise                   5:41 p.m.      
Moonset                    8:48 a.m. on following day

Phase of the Moon on 13 November: waning gibbous with 99% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated. How cool is that! See the Sun and Moon data for your neck of the woods.

take a hike

This weekend we went to Usery Mountain Regional Park. Usery Mountain Regional Park offers over 29 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. Park trails range in length from 0.2 miles to over 7 miles, and range in difficulty from easy to difficult. We love taking the kids for a hike on the Merkle Trail.


If you are looking for an easy, relatively short hike, the Merkle Trail is barrier-free and stroller friendly. Plus, there is a playground located right off the trail. So, we can hike 1/2 way then stop and play for awhile and then continue the hike. It's wonderful! Our friend Craig (and Hudson's godfather) is visiting from Florida this weekend, here they both are riding the slide at the trails playground.


This picture shows a gorgeous view of the Superstition Mountains seen while hiking. The trails within the Usery Mountain Regional Park have enough elevation to offer spectacular vistas of surrounding plains. ahhh ... heavenly. I just love the Arizona desert.

never pull off the road

On Halloween night my 2 sisters along with 2 girlfriends were driving to meet my parents out at a local bar to celebrate. They were driving down a main road in the neighborhood we grew up in and were harassed by some guy in a white van with brown stripes. The guy screamed at them to "pull over" while stopped at a light. My sister continued to drive on and the guy began screaming psychotically at them to pull over. He drove was closer and closer to their car trying to push them off to the side. My sister had to jump the curb to get away and turned off the main road into an area of side streets. The guy continued to follow them at top speeds. One of their friends in car got the police on the phone who told them to immediately leave the side roads and get back onto the main road. After a few panic stricken minutes of chase my sister was able to lose the guy in the van at an intersection.

Luckily, everyone is OK. Unfortunately, they were unable to get a license plate #. Sadly, things like this happen. I am unsure if this was a very nasty Halloween prank or if some serious harm would have been done had he somehow cornered them. I shudder at the thought. This is why Halloween creeps me out.

beading: pendant gifts

This past weekend I met up with 3 of my favorite ladies: Erica, Laraine and Suzan. We are friends from high school who all turn 30 this year and decided to celebrate together in West Palm Beach, Florida. It is amazing that we have kept in touch all these years and even though we all live apart and don't talk to one another often enough it's like we haven't skipped a beat when we are together. I feel blessed to have them in my life. Erica was our hostess with the mostess and we had a fabulous weekend staying with her, Steve and of course Bella. I wanted to give these important women in my life a special gift. I picked out one of my original paintings turned resin pendant for each of them and then beaded a necklace to match the pendant design. Above is a photo of us on Saturday night all wearing our necklaces! (Laraine, Suzan, me and Erica) Check out each necklace below:

Erica's moon & stars necklace, as teenagers Erica was way into astrological designs so, choosing this pendant for her was a no-brainer.

Laraine's 3 daisies necklace, a long time ago I sent photos of my paintings to friends and family and Laraine commented on how much she liked this one so, I knew this pendant had to be hers.

Suzan's sunflower necklace, Suzan is a strong woman who is a lot of fun and this painting expresses that with its bold colors and sunflowers, which in and of themselves are cheerful so, this pedant was a natural choice for her.

Thanks for all the fun times in the past, present and future. I love you ladies!

obama mama

our anniversary

Yesterday, was our 7 year wedding anniversary. We spent the day as we do most days, working at home together. Our kids were with Nannie who agreed to keep the kids for dinner so, Bert & I could go out. That is a huge treat these days. We tried to go to an indian restaurant but found they were closed on m,ondays so, we instead went to an irish pub in downtown tempe called Rula Bula. We had been there a few times before years ago. The weather was nice so we sat outside in the courtyard and enjoyed each others company and some fabulous homemade fish & chips and for dessert, irish bread ice cream which was heavenly. Bert & I realized yesterday that we in fact spend on average 23 hours together every day! How sweet it is to be loved by you :)

swimming in style

I received a chain email from my aunt and almost died when I saw this picture in it. I'm pretty sure, no positive, I had this exact bathing suit as a child. This image sure brought back memories (and with me memories are sometimes hard to come by). What style!

30 is the new black

Thirty is choosing your own path, opening up to new possibilities, never settling for less ... Thirty is giving of yourself, taking risks, aiming for success ... Thirty is the new black!

Happy birthday to me! I'm turning 30 tomorrow! Although I have been celebrating since July ;) My fantastic husband, Bert, threw me a surprise bday bash while we were visiting our family in NY on July 4th. What a great time, I was super surprised and saw some family & friends I hadn't seen in years, and Bert had to plan the party with my family (hehehe). It was truly awesome. Thanks, babe.

Bert & I will be headed north tomorrow to the middle of nowhere (Alpine, Arizona) to visit our friends Carla & Mark. We will have no computer, no tv, no kids, no phone (possibly) - ahhh bliss! I am soooo excited to hit the cool weather and just relax. Strange that I have been on this earth for 30 years when some days i feel like i'm seeing the world for the first time. No birthday blues here - I am truly happy with where i am, how my life has evolved and am looking forward to the next decade of my existence. I desire to be happy in the present and so i will be!

I received a super sweet card from my friend Dan that states: Some people radiate love and leave happiness wherever their smiles have been. You're loving heart makes the world a more beautiful place. Gosh that's sweet. I can only wish that those words hold true throughout my life. Nothing would make me happier then to leave happiness wherever my smiles have been.

12-30-95

12-30-95 marks the beloved day Bert & I met in a parking garage outside Madison Square Garden after a Phish show. A good friend introduced us. Here is the ticket stub from that fantastic night. Who knew at the moment I met my soul mate, my best friend, my true love, ahhh ... Phish, alright meeting Bert is pretty spectacular too! Seriously though it was the first time we laid eyes one another. We ran into one another a time or two after that at a few other shows. However, it wasn't until Summer of 1997 (11 years ago!) that we really got a chance to know each other camping out at the Great Went held on Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine. Here are some other ticket stubs we have held onto over the years:

childhood nature

I'm feeling a little creatively under the weather. I have a desire to work on some paintings but the arizona heat is creating havoc on my plans. My "studio" of sorts is setup in our garage and it is crazy hot out there right now. I usually to wait until the evening to paint when the kids are asleep and the garage is a bit kinder temperature wise but, in the midst of summer even the evening doesn't offer a break from the heat. I have one painting left mid-way that I need to finish and a few ideas that I can't wait to get started on.

For my birthday I received the very thoughtful gift of a michaels gift card. What better way to celebrate then with new art supplies! I purchased 3 large canvas' to create a series for myself. This weekend was first friday's art walk in downtown phoenix and I went with a few friends. It is always a joy to see and feel what artist's have to say. I took that inspiration along with some insight from a book I'm reading and came up with what I think is a great idea for my series: the nature of my childhood. I have yet to decide what elements of memories I will use as my muse but, I compiled the word montage above to get myself thinking. I will for sure incorporate my grandparents weeping willow tree. I had wonderfully magical feelings arise when that tree was recalled in my memory this weekend. I can't wait to be able to express those feelings!

paper arts: blessings

Here is my first scrapbook project. I think it turned out sweet. I decided to pay homage to Bert and I as kids and used some of our favorite childhood photographs. Below are 6 pages from this cute little 12 page book.

This spread is a tribute to Bert:

And, this spread is a tribute to me:

On this spread and placed photos of both of us together. Left side has portraits of us and the right side shows us on our first day of school.



This project began as a mother's day idea. I wanted to give Cindy, my mother-in-law, a scrapbook kit. She has boat loads of photographs and I thought it may be a nice hobby for her to learn and treasure. I wanted to help her get started so I bought myself a kit as well from my friend Krista who sells Creative Memories supplies and we took a little workshop together at Krista's to get going. I am happy with how my turned out. I haven't seen Cindy's finished book yet but, I do know she bought another kit! It may turn out to be a fun hobby for her after all ;)