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For my 'Merican friends, do you have any big plans for the 4th of July? Like last year, we'll be hanging out with my family in Gig Harbor, devouring watermelon and shooting off fireworks over the Puget Sound. Ahh, summer is here.
Over the weekend, 9 gals and I retreated to the Wild Wild West (aka Solvang, California) to celebrate our girl Alissa's bachelorette at a funky western-themed estate, Circle L Ranch.
The house reminded me of the vacation rental we stayed at for my own bachelorette, except instead of 70's ski memorabilia, it was full of western kitch. There were horseshoes embedded into the stone floors, animal paintings above the beds, vintage western movie posters on the walls, and cowboy knick-knacks everywhere you turned.
Naturally, we played up the theme and brought western attire for our night out on the town. We hit up the infamous Maverick Saloon for a crazy night of line dancing.
Most of the weekend was spent lounging around the pool and feasting on elaborate home cooked meals. But we took one day trip to Santa Ynez for tastings at Fess Parker, Rancho Sisquoc and Foxen wineries.
Such a fun weekend with a fabulous group of (cow)girls. YEEHAW!
1. Remembering: all the beautiful butterflies from Sunday's Father's Day excursion to the Tropical Butterfly House. A giant one landed on Hal's head and hung out there for awhile! It must have loved his sweet smelling pomade.
2. Working: out like crazy doing barre. People warned me it'd be hard. I didn't realize how hard until I attended my first Pure Barre class! I pretty much died and vowed to never go back. But since I still needed to get swimsuit ready for this weekend's bachelorette, I signed up for Barre3 online workouts to do in the privacy of my own home. Much better. No more embarrassing myself in public!
3. Watching: Season 2 of Orange Is The New Black, along with the rest of the world. I just finished the final episode and cried tears of joy. It was so so perfect. If you saw it, what did you think?
4. Securing: our first studio for ABC Do-Re-ME! We completely lucked out and found the perfect space with exposed brick walls, tall ceilings and huge windows overlooking downtown Tacoma. I'm envisioning bright white walls with colorful poufs and floor cushions.
5. Planning: a little getaway to Lake Chelan at the end of the month. It will be a much needed breather from our recent life changes. And quite possibly our last hurrah for awhile. There will be sandy beaches, electric tandem bicycles and boating adventures in our very immediate future!
How about you? What have you been up to lately?
The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next.
- Ursula K. Le Guin
"We have to let you go." I sat frozen. Unable to digest what my boss just said. My firm was downsizing and my job, my life line, my security blanket for the past 6+ years, was suddenly yanked from my grip just a few days ago.
I spoke little of my job here on the blog. Because it was a means to an end. It paid my bills and provided for me and my husband while he began a commission-only business in commercial real estate. Timing couldn't be worse. I'm still supporting my love. We're still trying to start a family with costly fertility treatments. I have 4 trips booked to LA as a bridesmaid this summer. How on earth will we both survive off one person's unemployment check? That is a great question. One I'd love to know the answer to.
Maturity, one discovers, has everything to do with the acceptance of not knowing.
- Mark Z. Danielewski
Fear is an fascinating emotion. I can let it paralyze, and push me into another cushy 9-5 in the same industry. Or I can let it catapult, and throw me into a new and freeing space of self-employment. Which is, as you know, my ultimate goal. My whole life, I've chosen the safe road. And although I still hesitate to say it, I think I'm finally brave enough to face uncertainty head on. I have the strongest urge to follow my intuition and step into the unknown. For I've been told that it is in these periods of discomfort that life's most important adventures can arise.
There is a fear that keeps us alive. And a fear that keeps us from living.
- Rusty Wells
Worry will surface, no doubt. But I have to remind myself that every time I use the present to stress about the future, I'm choosing to sacrifice joy today to mourn joy I might not have tomorrow. That's no way to live. It's going to require a whole lot of courage, faith and trust that we'll be taken care of. That we'll find a way through this uncomfortable mess. That when we allow scary situations to be, when we let go of old comforts and allow space for uncertainty, we make room for magical opportunities to appear.
Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.
- Rabindranath Tagore
I don't know what will happen in the next 6 months. I haven't made any hard decisions. And I promise to keep all options open. But I do know that today, in this very moment, I feel strangely hopeful. Determined. And free.
If you've ever wanted proof that thoughts create our reality, here ya go. The latest research by two U.S. academics prove that you can think yourself happy, by simply trying to be happy!
According to studies published in the The Journal of Positive Psychology, participants were instructed to focus on improving their happiness while listening to to happy music. Those who actively tried to feel happier, reported the highest level of positive moods.
Intention is everything!
Do you find this to be true in your own life? Tell me in the comments below about a time you've been able to create happiness with your thoughts. What was the outcome?
Hope you had a fair serving of cheese yesterday. Because did you know? It was National Cheese Day! I'll be marking June 4th on my calendar to celebrate properly next year with one (or ten) of these cheesy recipes.
Plus, how to make your own mozzarella!
