Strange things...

-There was a curious squirrel outside my office window for a while when I arrived at work this morning. It seemed to want to come in a stay awhile with me. It stood on its hind legs with it's front paws on the window just staring in at me.

-I saw and experienced my first real wrinkle. It's a crease more than a wrinkle and it's in my forehead. It didn't really bother me when I first saw it, I felt more like, "Aha, that's what people are talking about..." But it seems to grab my eye every time I look in the mirror now. I ask myself, "How did that get there? Will it always be there? Will this become something I'll fret over like so many other women?"

-I attended my first yoga/pilates fusion class at the SMU gym and ended up being the only participant to show up. So, I received a private lesson. It was intimidating and cool and a great workout. The instructor was maybe 20 years old, probably a dance major here at SMU and I felt as though he had no worries in life.

-People who don't get up every morning and go to a "job" intrigue me. I'm not talking about people who work from home, or who travel for work, I'm talking about homemakers and retirees. What do they do all day? Don't they get bored? Do they sleep in late when they want, shower only if they want to, eat whatever and whenever?

-I find it easier to cry and express emotion when watching a TV show than when something dramatic is happening in my own life. My latest craze is Extreme Home Makeover. I cry at the previews! I'd like to think this is because nothing in my life warrants the kind of raw emotion that someone who is in such a situation that they're needing a home warrants, but I'm pretty sure it's something else altogether.

-I have always had a sick competition with my Mother over beauty pageants and the kind of things that just don't matter all that much. When I was very young, I would pick a winner and she would pick a winner and if my girl didn't win, I would cry and cry. Not because I cared for the girl so much as I wanted to beat my Mom. Well, last night it reared its ugly head again because my girl on Dancing with the Stars, Julianne, won the competition for the second time and the only other dancer who has done that is, you guessed it, my Mom's favorite, Cheryl. What was my thought when they handed Julianne and her partner the trophy? "The competition is on!" (Smiles, Mom!!)

-People put so much energy into their wedding day - the plans, the upsets, the stresses, the intricate details - but do we put that much energy into our marriages?

-I'm actually, honestly playing with the idea of getting another degree after I finish my masters next semester. Now that is crazy!!!

What I'm Thankful For

It's that time of year again when people come together to give thanks and to be with family. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because one's only obligation is to share in the abundance with those we love and reflect on what we are grateful for. And that's no obligation at all, but such a blessing!

This year, I am thankful for the people in my life...
my siblings who love me and have always looked out for me
my Mother who is all her own person
my grandparents who make me chuckle
my Father who is always so jolly
my nieces and nephews - every moment with them is such a joy
my New York family who I miss every day, especially on holidays
my friends, without whom I would be lost
my Husband, who fights for me and for us, and who comforts me and keeps me close to his heart.

I am also thankful for...
my new job that I love
my new car that still gets me excited about waking up and driving
inspirations that remind me how blessed I am
therapy
massage
dessert
time alone
great books to read
a friendly smile
a hearty laugh.

Wishing you and yours a time to reflect and be thankful.

New York for the Holidays

Since I can't be in New York for the holidays this year, my sweet mother-in-law has been bringing New York to me through her fabulous photos of all the traditional holiday preparations in the Big City. From the skating rink in Bryant Park, the twinkly lights on all the bigs buildings, the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center to the awesome window dressings in all the department stores, she has really made me feel as close to New York as can be. Nothing compares to a Christmas spent in New York City, what a gift to have family there to visit and to have a New York Mom who cares enough to send me a small piece of what makes New York so wonderful. Here I share some of her gifts...

Leaves changing

City lights

Lord & Taylor, choir and lights

Fabulous department store window - Carmen Marc Valvo, a favorite designer

Another wonderful store window

An appropriate part of this great gift of the holidays in New York, a holiday chef as part of one of the department store windows!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hopeful Expectations

I remember when I was a little girl I would pull everything out of my closet 0r my dresser drawers and I would organize things, throw stuff away that I did not need and I would replace everything I had taken out in a neat and orderly fashion. I would clean my room, dust the shelves and vacuum the floor, putting everything in its place. Then, when everything was sparkly clean and just right, I would bounce down the hall to where my Mom was and excitedly ask her to come see what I had done. She would get that knowing smile on her face and follow me to my room. My Mom would "ooh" and "ahh" at my work all the while thinking to herself, "what kind of child gets this excited about cleaning?" It would thrill me to tackle these projects and then receive the utmost praise and validation from the most important person in my life. No, I wasn't destined to be a housekeeper or manager of the Container Store, though I would be really good at both, I just enjoyed the process of getting things in order and then having someone appreciate it.

Two nights ago I experienced this phenomenon again, but this time I was on the other end of the praise. My Husband has a room in our home that is all his own - his office. It's a wonderful room that has needed some TLC lately due to some poor construction issues when the house was first built. Now that the structural problems are fixed, the walls are patched and the carpet installed, Greg must tackle the task of getting the room just right. (Boy do I know that feeling!) It's still a work in progress, but on Tuesday he'd made a few adjustments and asked that I come see the results of his work. Upon entering the room and seeing the furniture, which has been moved around countless times, in yet another new positioning, I also saw that look on Greg's face. It's the look that I would get as a child watching my Mom enter my room to validate my work. It can only be described as "hopeful expectation." I melted when I saw this look on my sweet Husband's face, and I was also literally taken back to those numerous times as a little girl when I felt exactly the same way. How interesting that Greg and I would both get this hopeful expectation over doing the same types of projects and tasks.

We all experience this hopeful expectation throughout our lives. We thrive on that positive energy that comes from hearing someone you love and respect tell you that you've done well. Imagine how different I would be as a person if, after seeing my work as a child, my Mom had said, "that's good, sweetie, but maybe you should've hung your jackets like this instead," or if she hadn't been willing to walk down the hall to see my work. Though I don't intend to overdramatize this, I do think that how we respond to someone's hopeful expectation of us can truly affect that person. So, when Greg asked me what I thought of his new furniture arrangement in his office I turned to him, smiled and said, "I think this is the best it's ever been and I can't wait to see what else you're going to do in here. Good work!" Though my words were probably a little less impactful to a man of 35 years than for a child of five or six, I knew it could do a world of good none the less.

Who knew that I would learn so much from myself as a little girl that would apply to myself and my marriage at age 28. Who knew that the simple praise and validation from my loving Mother for cleaning my room would make such an impact on me forever and, therefore make an impact on those I love most. It goes to show that you never know what footprints you are leaving on another - walk softly and praise often.