Hummingbirds are my favorite little bird and I love when they come to visit me on my porch each morning! They are so sweet!

Have a great Sunday!
Until next time,

I usually don’t make New Year’s resolutions for the simple fact, that like most people, I never keep them.

 This year I didn’t make any kind of resolution “out loud”, but I did secretly vow that I would try to get up an hour earlier each day.  I had no particular reason for deciding to do this.  I certainly didn’t plan on running around the block every morning or God forbid, going to the gym before noon.

So, for the past two weeks I’ve actually been able to do it. I’m up every day around 5:30 or 6:00, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised that I actually love this time. I let my sleepy dogs out, make some coffee and then just sit and enjoy the quiet.,

The other day I was a little more “alert and oriented”, as we say in my business. This time as I sat there, I paid close attention to how the sun came up, and as the minutes passed how its light constantly changed the beautiful colors of the sky. Whether it was crystal clear, or whether a dark cloud that looked ready to burst floated by, the absolute beauty remained unchanged.

I guess you could say I had an aha moment. I remember thinking to myself that just like the sky, I had the ability to have a beautiful day too, despite how many things might change throughout my day.  I reminded myself that for me, it’s really all about remembering just a few things, and keeping a few others in perspective:

• It’s about remembering that throughout the day, I can’t control what people say or what people do, just how I chose to react to them.  
• That sometimes it’s just easier to let it go. If I ask myself the question, “Is this really going to matter tomorrow”?  The answer is usually “no”.
• When I project positivity, the people around me are as equally affected as when I project negativity.  I choose to be positive.
• My in-box will never be empty. There will always be something more that I want to do. It’s okay to save something for tomorrow.
• Kindness matters
• A smile goes a long way

Anyway, I started my day and made it a good one. It was easy. And at the end of the day, I’d like to think that the beautiful sunset I got to enjoy, this time with a cold glass of wine, was my reward.

Until next time,

Last week I met my sister in Illinois to visit our Aunt and Uncle. While we were growing up, they lived way out in the country, in the middle of acres and acres of corn fields, in a beautiful white farm house. One of my favorite places was the old barn.  Even though it was scary at night, I still remember the smell of the hay, gasoline and fresh soil.

The ride out to the house was just beautiful.  Not a cloud in the sky, crisp fall air and long, winding, quiet roads.

When we got to the house, we walked around just remembering all of the fun we had as kids. We were outside from sunrise to sunset. Playing, running, catching fire flies and picking corn.  When I turned to look down the driveway, I saw this man just driving his tractor slowly down the road.  He didn’t seem to be in a rush or have a care in the world.

Sadly, the farm house is for sale as my aunt and uncle are older now and have moved closer to the “city”.  I took a lot of photos and I know this place will always hold a very special place in my heart.  So many memories… Such good times… Good-bye farm house…

Until next time,

My blog has been down for the past 1o days so I’ve had some extra time away from the laptop. I took one full morning to just walk around my neighborhood and actually pause to see the beauty that surrounds me. There is definitely something to be said about unplugging from the internet. Sure I checked out Facebook a dozen times a day and responded to emails, but I made a very conscience effort to get out of the house, with just my camera and keys. I’m thinking that this might be something healthy that I should do at least once a week. It centered me. It helped put things into perspective. It reminded me not to take each day for granted. It let me rediscover that I still have full use of my five senses and it brought me joy. Can’t beat that!

Until next time…

For the first time I am going to try to spend the entire summer in N.C.  With three “adult children” at home, ages 23, 21 and 19, I am not holding my breath… I AM trying to enjoy every minute of it.

One of my favorite places in the mountains is The Swag.  Although I haven’t spent the night, I try to get up to the Inn early enough to take lots of pictures.  This wheel barrel caught my eye as the sun peeked through the trees.  definitely inspires me to start planting some beautiful flowers.