Tracy: Flying High

This past weekend Bryan and I went to Vermont to ski/snowboard. It was a learning day for him on the board and a day for me and my college-friend Tanya on skis. We flew up on Friday morning, in a Dash 8 plane, the same type of plane that had crashed the day before near Buffalo. I usually don't let that stuff bother me. Last time I flew was the day after the plane crashed into the Hudson. But, it does start you thinking about what's important to you and how quickly your life can change. I want to be sure that I am living my life each day. I am in the starting stages of another detox and hope to gain some clarity over the next few weeks. With this detox I plan to make some significant changes in my mindset. I want to stop thinking in the negative about myself and my body image. I have a lot to live for-my family, Bryan, Andrea and all my best friends, my future, and most of all, myself. I don't want to have any regrets when it is finally my time. My time is now to be present and accounted for in my own life.

Andrea: Wednesday Book Blog - Twilight

So I finally did it, I read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. The books and the movie have gotten so much attention and I do enjoy a story with a supernatural twist to it, that I thought it was about time to find out what these books were all about.

I must admit, I was not disappointed, I was sucked in (no pun intended) from the very first chapter and I could not put the book down! I started the book on Wednesday night and finished on Saturday night. I was away for the weekend and when I got back to town on Sunday night, I ran right to B&N and bought the 2nd book in the series New Moon, which I am sure to finish in the next day or 2 as well. Luckily I have a trip planned to B&N on Thursday so I can pick up the next 2 books in the series.

I am glad that I waited to read the books because it is nice to be able to read all the books at the same time instead of having to eagerly await the release of the next one. I enjoy the characters and their story and although it sounds funny to say, the sweet love story between Bella and Edward. Let's be honest, is it not every high school girls fantasy to be able to have her boyfriend sneak in her in window everynight. I can't wait to find out how the characters develop and where the story goes. Lucky for me, I really have no idea where the storyline goes and what happens to the characters and that is very fun to look forward to with 2.5 more books to go in the series. Off to continue reading........

Andrea - February is For Me!

Back in December I checked out my calendar for the coming year and gratefully realized that I had a "quiet month" in February. Being who I am, I am always flying off somewhere(literally), scheduling this, doing that and as much as I love doing everything that I do and being busy, having a schedule such as that can catch up with ya. So I decided to keep my calendar unfilled as much as possible and to dedicate the month of February to me, doing all things that are for and about me to better my mind, body and soul.

So during this Month for Me I am catching up on all the Dr. appointments that I seem to keep putting off, dentist, eye dr. physical etc. I am doing a 28 detox to rid my body of toxins and yes a few unwanted pounds. During this detox I am also going to learn more about eating healthy and taking care of myself past my month for me. I am going to start meditating again and get a massage.

I am taking time to focus on projects to grow my business that I never seem to have time to tackle and I am going to read all, ok some, of the books that have been piling up in my "to read" pile and I am going to pay off my credit card and get my finances in order.

I am even going to join a gym, gasp - join a gym, that is a big one for me. Okay I admit, that one remains to be seen, but hey at least considering it is a big thing and a step in the healthy direction.

I am going to clean out my closets and all the corners and crevices where I put stuff I don't know what to do with. I am going to replant my plants that need it and I am going put my pictures in photo albums.

And I am really going to do all of the above, okay maybe except join the gym, that one is still a wild card in my plans, but I am going to do all of the above and just thinking about it gets me excited and feeling good. February is For Me and in March I am going to celebrate all I accomplished in my month for me with a few days on the beach in Aruba! Life is good!

Andrea: Wednesday Book Blog

The Wednesday Letters

by Jason F. Wright

This is not one of my "normal" types of books for reading, but when I read the review of it somewhere, something spoke to me and said "you have to read this book". So I listened and I bought it and I read it and loved it!

It is such a sweet sentiment, starting on their wedding night, the groom writes a letter to his wife promising to write here a letter every Wednesday. The story is told from the perspective of the bride and groom's children when they find 39 years worth of letters.

I always know a book and/or a movie is a good one by 2 things, 1. I don't want it to end and 2. after, I can't stop thinking about it. This book was both for me. It was sad, happy, full of love but not mushy and sweet. An easy and quick read but one that made my heart happy and I will admit brought a few tears to my eyes. A great touch is in the back cover of the book there is an envelope and inside is a Wednesday letter.

Andrea: Wednesday Book Blog

Almost every year around Christmastime Patricia Cornwell publishes a book from her Scarpetta series. This year under the Christmas tree I found the 16th book in the series that started in 1990. The latest book is entitled Scarpetta after the main character Kay Scarpetta, a private forensic pathologist.

I did not start reading the series in 1990, I think I discovered these books a few years later, but since discovering them, I have read all of them and each year I look forward to the next book. Although when I finish the book I don't like having to wait a whole long year for the next one. This book, to me, was again no disappointment. For me it is an easy and interesting read. The book has 4 main characters that are in every book and I love seeing the development of each character and how the relationships evolve amongst the group. I am not always happy with what happens but I see, as the story line progresses this is where it has to go.

So if you are a Scarpetta series fan, you will probably enjoy this book. If you are not a fan but are looking for a new author/series, I recommend these books. You can pick up any book in the series and follow what is going on, but I think it is better to start at the beginning and follow it through for the sake of the characters. I will warn you though, the books are suspense and mysteries and the main character is a pathologist so if you scare easily or don't like a bit of gore or murder, these books might not be for you. If you like mysteries, Law and Order and CSI, these books are for you.

Finding the Happy

We all make lots of resolutions in December and on New Years Eve for the year is about to start, and we make them with the best of intentions. But usually by now, only 17 days into the new year, we have already slipped up on well, maybe half of them.

So this year I made only 1 resolution (but I also made lots of intentions, it might be semantics here but it works for me). My one resolution this year is to be happy. Now I have written about this before and those of you that know me, know I am a pretty happy person but we all have our times and more and more I see my happy slipping and the grouch coming out and well frankly, I just don't like it or me when that happens, so I am focusing on being happy.

For me the way to do that is to just focus on the moment, be present and see the good in the moment I am in. When things overwhelm me or when someone gets under my last nerve, I take a deep breath and exhale it out and try to find the happy in the situation. It takes constant practice but I have really found that it has been working for me. Things that normally get to me, start to creep in and then I change my thinking and I find the happy.

This is not something new and profound to me or to anyone else for that matter, but it is a conscience effort and it is one that has been working and one that for me needs constant reinforcement and reminding. But I have noticed that the more I do it the easier it is and the less conscience an effort it is and more an automatic.

Coincidentally for Christmas I received from a very good friend the book "The Art of Happiness, A handbook for Living" by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler M.D. I am only about 90 pages into it but I have found it very interesting and very helpful in reminding me of my resolution, my quest and my happy. I do recommend this book even though I am only 1/4 through it.

So my happy for this moment (and at 1:46pm today I have had many already) is that I had hoped to have time to write this blog today and I did with some time to spare in my packed agenda today! Go me. I am happy.

Good Things in Life

Last night I had dinner at one of my favorite places with some of my favorite people. My family (well part of my family as I am lucky enough to have a large family I love very much) at Fat Cat in Norwalk. The dinner plans were last minute for me as I had other plans for the night that got postponed. So when my aunt called in the late afternoon to tell me the family dinner plans I jumped right on it excited for the unexpected dinner.

I was the last to arrive and as I walked into the restaurant I saw one of the greatest and happiest sites - My family filling up the whole back part of the restaurant (there was 13 of us) smiling, laughing, eating and generally enjoying each others company. And to make it even better, their faces lit up with hellos and hugs as I walked up to the table, even if I did not get to eat my favorite pizza, I would have been very full and satisfied right at that moment. I wish I had my camera with me to capture that moment forever as one of the best moments to start my new year.

The rest of the evening was wonderful, we ate delicious pizza, sipped on some vino, celebrated my aunt's birthday (happy happy again Aunt Patty), spent time with my cousins visiting from NC (good luck Jerry), caught up with my local cousins and tried to learn the game the kids were playing.

Even though it was a rainy, icy evening, the sun was shining last night in the smiles of my family as we enjoyed each others company. What better way to start the new year and even though I did not have my camera to take that picture, it will forever be in my memory as a great night.