Invest wisely

If you don't spend your time, others will spend it for you. Or better still, if you don't invest your time, others will invest it for you.

Do you want someone other than yourself investing your precious time?

No, I didn't think so!

I challenge you to think about five things that are important to you and then look at how you are spending the next four days - Thursday through Sunday. This way you get some weekday & some weekend time. I'm sure there are more than important things in your life, and maybe those things change from time to time. But are you investing your time in what you believe to be most important?

What are you doing related to those five priorities?

Are you investing well?

I'll go first. Here are five things that are essential in my life and how I'm investing my time over the next four days:


1. Faith - going to mass on Sunday morning with my family.


2. Family - hosting a Sweet 16 party for my stepdaughter & immediate family on Sunday


3. Friends - spending Thursday evening with one of my best pals, Melissa, who is in town for a visit.

4. Self care - participating in a Reiki share on Saturday. I'm actually going to be giving & receiving Reiki at this event so not only is it a beautiful way to take care of myself by receiving a treatment, but I can also give back as well since Community Service and giving back is also on my list (but I promised we'd only work on our top five). This also supports another priority of mine Health because this energy work is very healing and the event takes place at The Bloodroot, an excellent vegetarian restaurant, so there will be a delicious healthy lunch as well. See how one choice can support many priorities? But I did say five, didn't I?


5. Business - exhibiting at a corporate Health Fair on Thursday and then spending a full day of working on business strategy with a fellow biz owner on Friday. We're heading up to the Mercy Retreat Center in Madison so we can really focus. Not only will I be brainstorming on how to help my business to flourish, I'll be spending time with a good friend and we'll be making it fun as well (sunscreen, bathing suits and wine will be packed and ready to go).

Now it's your turn. What investments will you be making in the next four days and how to they support your priorities? Feel free to share all five or please share at least one and spread the inspiration!

A Father's Day reflection

My dad, Thomas V. Hallett, was definitely an energetic, make things happen kind of guy. Although he died suddenly just days after his 52nd birthday, his legacy is always with me.



He is my daily reminder of the "life is short" cliche which shapes my choices and actions. His example encourages me to ask myself often what kind of person do I want to be? How do I want to be remembered? What kind of contribution do I want to make in this world?



Business Insurance magazine ran a wonderful story/obituary following his death.



In honor of Father's Day, I thought I'd share the following excerpt from that article which ran in March, 1993:



"Tom was a bundle of energy," [a friend & colleague] said. "He was an instigator, and was always provocative and always a joy to be around. " "He really felt that he wanted to be a success in life and in business," [observed another friend & colleague] "He was relentless in touching all bases and doing everything possible to make things happen. He was a real inspiration."




So today, be a joy to be around and honor your father.



Miss you and love you dad!

It’s mid-year 2010. Do you know where your intention is??

I'm excited to introduce the inspiring Lorin Beller Blake founder of Big Fish Nation our guest blogger today. Lorin is about getting it done! She is author of From Entrepreneur to Big Fish: 7 Principles to Wild Success. I had the fantastic experience of participating in one of her Big Fish programs.

Since I'm a big advocate of setting intentions and creating accountability, I really wanted to share Lorin's Twitter Party concept with you. You can follow Lorin on Twitter at LorinB or follow me at khrzasa!

Looking forward to hearing your intentions and to begin setting some of my own.

Take it away Lorin.......

It’s mid-year 2010. Do you know where your intention is??

Intention is the tone we set and keep as we carry out everything we do (business, personal, or something inbetween), or simply what we want (or intend) to accomplish or complete.

Although it’s not difficult to set an intention, it is sometimes challenging to remember on our own to set an intention every day.

So in March of this year, we launched the Big Fish Twitter Party – a virtual shared “intention journal” for us to each post our DAILY intention.

It’s time to re-energize that party, so this blog post is your invitation (or re-invitation) to join this intention-setting movement. Note: Everyone is welcome, this is not exclusive to Big Fish Nation members!

Here is how it works: You just tweet your intention for the day, and at the end of your intention, be sure to add the hashtag #BigFishIntention. (See recent blog post for more details).

Why do this??

1. FOCUS: Setting our intentions DAILY requires us to clarify our priorities and our focus each day, and writing them down makes them even more powerful. Twitter is the perfect tool for this, keeping our intentions short and to-the-point.
2. ACCOUNTABILITY: Sharing our intentions adds accountability to each day. A quick Twitter search on “#BigFishIntention” shows each person’s tweeted intention for the day, so others can see and support your intention. Accountability is a strong business tool, so let’s add it to our intentions!
3. CONNECTION: The more we tap into our network of resources (see recent blog post), the richer our businesses can grow – literally and figuratively! When others tweet their intentions, we get insight into what is valuable to them and their business. This is important information for making powerful connections, and we find new people to follow on Twitter.
4. INSPIRATION: We all need inspiration to keep moving forward. Sharing our daily intentions gives each of us new ideas for motivation and inspiration, and even new approaches for handling practical issues.
5. EXPERIENCE: Each of us who tweets an intention with the #BigFishNation hashtag is a member of the (unofficial) Daily Intention Tribe. As I said in last week’s blog post, tribal membership and leadership need to become part of everyone’s business toolkit, and this is a perfect “practice tribe” for you. Do you want to lead? Lead by example then encourage others to also post their intentions.

If you’re not using Twitter, you can still participate in any of the following ways:

1. Join Twitter: It’s free — just sign up at http://www.twitter.com), and you can immediately tweet today’s intention.
2. Start your own Intention Tribe on Facebook: Post a status update telling people your intention for the day and asking “What is yours?” You can do this *any* day!
3. Start your own Intention Tribe via email: Ask people in your valued network to email their intention to each other daily. Most of us have overflowing email IN boxes, however, so I recommend keeping this email tribe to just a few members. Even just one other person can make a big difference in accountability!
4. Create your own solution: What other ways can you think of to effectively and efficiently share daily intentions?

I have a challenge for each of us today: to set today’s intention to begin or renew the practice of setting and sharing our daily intention. I hope to see you online!

Write Your Way to Weight Loss

You’ve tried it all before - counted calories, joined a weight-loss group, and exercised until you could hardly walk. And even if you succeed in dropping a couple of inches, the pounds seem to come back faster than they left.

Does anything really work? According to study results from Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, keeping a food diary is the best predictor of actual weight loss. A food diary is a written log of all the food that you intake each day. The diary can give you insight into your eating patterns. But, it only works if you stick to a few specific guidelines.

Judi Sheppard Missett, founder and CEO of Jazzercise, Inc., offers these suggestions for keeping a food diary.

• Log everything. That’s right. Record everything that you eat – from the handful of peanut M&Ms off your co-workers desk to the three bites of macaroni & cheese you eat from your kids’ plates. If you don’t have paper handy, then scratch it out on a napkin. When you actually see every morsel that you’ve eaten recorded on a page, you may be surprised at the volume of food you’ve ingested in a given day.

• Keep track of the details. Write down the time you ate, the food that you consumed, the location where you ate (i.e. – your car, your desk at work), and your feelings. Logging your feelings can be a helpful tool. You may find that you reach for crunchy snacks when you’re stressed or creamy treats when you’re sad. Then, you can determine some alternate ways to cope with these emotions that don’t involve food.

• Stick with it. Keep your food journal for a minimum of three consecutive days. Include at least one weekend day in your food journal, as your weekend habits may be vastly different from workdays. After these few days, you may begin to notice patterns. From there, you may wish to continue your food journal until you’ve reached your goal weight.

• Be proactive. Once you’ve noticed patterns in your food diary, take some proactive steps. If you find that you constantly celebrate with food, then choose another way to reward yourself for your next success, such as a manicure or massage. If you notice that you eat from the vending machine between 2 – 4 p.m., then toss some nuts and dried fruits into a desk drawer for your mid-afternoon slump.

• Write it down first. Once you’ve had some success with keeping your food diary, you may want to step-up your tactics to another level. The next time you’re tempted to reach for a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, grab your notebook and pen instead. Commit to five minutes of writing down your feelings. During the course of writing, you may be able to identify some emotions – anxiety, guilt, sadness, or even hunger. After the five minutes is up, if you’re still craving Chunky Monkey, then go ahead and have a reasonable portion. But, in many cases, you may just save yourself from mindlessly ingesting 500-plus calories.

This post is compliments of Jazzercise, Inc.

Project :Touch Your Toes

When was the last time you touched your toes?

We all know flexibility declines with age, and if you spend a lot of time in front of the computer, your hips and psoas muscles (which connect your lower back to the front of your hip bones ) and hip flexors get tight. In addition to flexibility, posture becomes compromised.

For many of us, touching our toes has become further out of reach. So, inspired by my yoga classes, as well as a few recent articles I've read recently, I've decided to call this month's Fitness Challenge Project: Touch Your Toes!

Every day for 30 days we challenge you to do these 3 stretches.

Downward Dog Get onto all fours, hands, shoulder-width apart, knees under hips. Press down through your hands and lift your butt until feet are flat on the floor. Keep knees slightly bent. Hold for 30 seconds.

Supine Stretch Lie on your back with left knee bent, foot on the floor. Bend your right leg in and pull towards you. Extending the right leg and flexing your foot. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on other side.

Standing Stretch Bend at the waist, knees soft. Alternating legs, contract your quadriceps muscle (down the front of your thigh) and you’ll feel a stretch in the back of your thigh. Hold for 30 seconds.

You'll be touching your toes in no time!

Not sure what the moves look like? Check out our Fitness Flick.

Jessica's "Daily Affirmation" & my choice today

I saw this quote on someone's Facebook status today.

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of sorrow - it empties today of strength. "

No credit as to whom originally said it, but I like it and it fits my mood this week.

In the same vein, I've noticed that "no worries" is a popular response these day. I hear it said and written often and I like it. I think it's a step up from the "Don't Worry, Be Happy" phase of the late '80's.

It's been a challenging week or two, all things without of my control. And I've decided to find more strength and less worry in both the quote and this adorable video which has been flying around the web for weeks - "Jessica's Daily Affirmation." Definitely worth 49 seconds to watch it.

Today I'm choosing, like Jessica, to put my energy into strength rather than worry, to positivity rather than 'what ifs'. I'm even going to steal her line about liking her hair, cause I actually am having a good hair day.

What are you choosing today?

Take a moment to say it

Yesterday I was corresponding with a Jazzercise colleague whom I have always respected. She's a top notch professional and is great at what she does. I had gotten the info I needed and thought about writing a last email just letting her know what a good job she does. Then I thought, nah, she knows she's good. She probably gets hundreds of emails a day and why needlessly fill her in box?

On second thought, why not?

It took me all of one minute (maybe less) to write a quick one liner to let her know that I appreciate and admire her.

Well she took a minute to reply:

"Awe......thank you so much. That really means a lot to me to hear that from my peers! You made my day "

Now I'm very glad that I made the small effort.

And 'they' always say - what goes around comes around........later in the day I received a private Facebook message from a fellow owner who wrote:

"Some day I hope to be established like you! : ) "

Now that made MY day! So I guess 'they're' right!

Take a moment to say it today!

National Fitness Month 30 Day Challenge

Take our 30 Day Fitness Challenge!

We dare you....


Thanks to Jazzercise customers Mirella, Rachel, Lori & our camera woman - Beth! This is our first Fitness Flick and we did it in one take!

Blog thoughts on the bike

Last weekend I rode in the Five Boro Bike Tour for the second time, and once again it was truly an amazing experience. It was also a good reminder of a few important lessons I sometimes overlook.




1) We can really surprise ourselves. - We make things much harder in our mind and often we can do much more than we think .

It's been two years since I've done this ride, which obviously makes me two years older! And I've been on my bike probably a total of two hours since that last ride. Not exactly what you'd describe as sufficient preparation. Since I was able to complete it last time (including riding the bridges - the biggest hurdle), I decided to be easy on myself this year. I figured I'd proven I could do it and this year I'd have no qualms about dismounting and walking the bridges if necessary. But guess what? It was much easier and I really sailed through this year.

Had I built it up too much in my mind? Maybe, but it was a good reminder to believe in my own abilities.

2) Enjoy the ride and take in the sights. We've all been told to take time to smell the flowers, yada, yada, yada. And these days we don't feel the experience counts unless we've put it on Twitter or captured the photos for Facebook. However, when you're riding a bike among 32,000 people, you really have to be in the moment.

In the first hour I saw many sights which I'd have liked to take pictures of - the Gospel choir on the street corner in Harlem, the family on a bicycle built for three, the man with a blow up doll in the kiddie seat behind him (ok, that was just plain weird), the double amputee pedaling his recumbent bike with his arms.

And while I'd love to have captured the moments with photos, I had to keep my hands on the handlebars and simply enjoy the experiences.

3) .Ask yourself what else you're capable of. I got to thinking about how many other cool experiences are out there waiting for me. Maybe it's another physical challenge, but maybe it's stretching the boundaries in other ways. How can I make choices and create experiences to enrich my life so that I life it to the fullest?

Well that question will have to be answered in another blog post, but as you might suspect, I am cooking up a fun new challenge with a friend. Stay tuned.

Don't wait for a rainy day....

I was happy to have a rainy Sunday this weekend to regroup. When my schedule gets too busy, I like to clear off a day to just BE and it helps if it's a rainy day.


So I spent a perfect Sunday leaving the house only to go to church. Then it was a day full of relaxing, cooking, puttering, and watching a French film. I'm much better with subtitles in the afternoon!


I also had a chance to browse through my growing stack of magazines. One of my favorite parts of"O" magazine is Oprah's column "What I Know for Sure." In April's issue she talks about how our relationships with others reflect your relationship with ourselves.


How right she is! In order for our relationships to flourish we really have to care for ourselves, yet so often caring for ourselves is viewed as selfish or followed by guilt.


I think she sums it up with this: "The key to meaningful connections with the people in your life is making yourself whole by honoring your body, mind, and spirit - filling the voids that cause you not to love yourself. You can't give love if you don't have it. And you can't receive (or even perceive) it because you won't recognize it when it shows up. You've got to care for yourself in order to be able to care for others. "


Oprah, I couldn't agree with you more! And this time I won't wait for a rainy day to do just that.

What's your excuse?

In the fitness industry we hear a lot of excuses as to why people don't exercise. I know how it is. I've made my own share of excuses when something I want to achieve seems too difficult or daunting.

Do you frequently use excuses to get yourself out of doing what it takes to reach your goals?

Any of these sound familiar?

“I don’t have time.”
“I don’t like to sweat.”
"I have kids with busy schedules."
“I feel claustrophobic when I’m out of breath.”
“The rest of my family would never eat that.”
“Then I’d have to shower before I go to work.”
“I have to travel a lot in my line of work.”
“My shins hurt when I do that.”
“I have asthma.”
“I get a rash when I do that.”
“Then what do I do with all those sweaty clothes?”
“I’ll start Monday.”
“I’ll start the first of the year.”
"I have bad knees."
“I’ll focus on that next year.”

Lots of people talk about making a change. But when it comes right down to doing the hard work or making the tough decisions, they prefer to offer excuses as to why they continue living their lives just as they are.

This applies to any life changes, not just your health.

I know for me it comes up sometimes in business. For example, prior to opening the Jazzercise Fitness Center, I operated out of a church hall. A commercial space was out of my price range. Fairfield County prices were just unattainable. There's a small profit margin in this industry. Get the picture. I had a long list. AND I might add, all true statements, right?

BUT I realized (with the help of a fabulous biz coach) that I was a victim of my own excuses. I would never find a space if I continued to operate with this mindset and let the excuses take the forefront.

Whether it's making a career change, a relationship change, or changes in your health habits don’t be a victim of your own excuses. If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you've always gotten!

We've all heard the famous quote "Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results." It just isn't going to happen.

So ditch the excuse and make the change.

Prepare your body

I've registered for the Five Boro Bike Tour (my 2nd time) and today I got an email letting me know that it's only 24 days away.

YIKES!

Now I exercise most days of the week, so I should get too worried, right? The last time I did this race - oops, sorry Joe, I mean TOUR, I had not been on my bike for probably a decade. And I didn't train. I just showed up.

But isn't showing up half the battle sometimes?

With record breaking temperatures this week, we are thinking summer. Maybe you've already unpacked the shorts and are eyeing the bathing suit.

Beautiful weather can inspire you to get out and get moving. So whether you're embarking on a 42 mile bike tour without training, or simply committing to a new exercise routine, there are a few things you need to think about to prepare your body. That was the theme of one of the Five Boro emails sent weeks ago which I hadn't bothered to open until now. These tips were loosely inspired by that email....

If you're new to the world of exercise, start at the beginning. Everyone needs to start somewhere. So dust off your bike helmet, or sign up for a Jazzercise membership, or call a friend to go for a walk (better yet - do all of the above!) A varied workout routine is more likely to keep you interested and on track.

Make a date with yourself to exercise. Check off 60 of those required activity minutes by making a plan. Your schedule will always be full, there will always be laundry in the basket, and there's always going to be some excuse not to do it.

Step it up a notch. Once you're on a roll and exercise has become a habit, keep it fresh. Try new classes, use heavier weights, or give yourself a challenge - like riding 42 miles!

Start small, start now and prepare your body -- not for bathing suit season, not for summer weather, but for LIFE!

Here's Team Checkered Flag at the Five Boro in '08.

Go team!!

Easter Blessings......

You're never too old to color eggs

After a glorious Easter of mass, conversation, family and chocolate (and some delicious deviled eggs), I am curled up reading Mitch Albom's "Have A Little Faith." This is purely accidental. It's not by design that I've been reading a book about faith during Holy Week. In fact, from the stack of library books I took out recently I could have just as easily been reading the "Fudge Cupcake Murder."

At some point midway in the book, Mitch asks his Rabbi about the secret of happiness and the following conversation ensues:


"Be satisfied."
That's it?
"Be grateful."
That's it?
"For what you have. For the love you receive. And for what God has given you."
That's it?
He looked me in the eye. Then he sighed deeply.
"That's it."

So as Easter winds down, I ask that you think about what God has given you and all of the love you have received. And be satisfied and grateful.

I know I am.

Feel the difference

This thought comes from a favorite blog beU. Bookmark it and check in when you need a dose of inspiration. What I really love is their pledge:

the be pledge

I WILL be more, do less

I WILL be and let be

I WILL be who I am

I WILL become what I want

I WILL begin inside

So now that work is done for the day, laundry is spinning, kitchen is clean, I think I will just BE. Maybe read, maybe not. Maybe just let the words of pledge above seep a little deeper into my consciousness and remind myself that I am enough, and that no matter what swirls around me, I will begin inside.

Go ahead and just BE.

I dare you.

Begin again.

These days people are working harder than ever, but often are still struggling. This tends to breed a lot of frustration and complaining. Have you ever noticed that people have a tendency to "bond" by complaining to each other about all of the bad things happening to them. I often experienced that when I worked in Corporate America. It was just easier to commiserate and complain about the company than to look for the good.

For me however, focusing on the negative has a tendency to bring my mood down even further. When you are around this type of "glass half empty" person, does it make you feel better or worse after listening to a litany of complaints? Negative tends to attract negative.

My challenge to you for this month is to observe how often you complain. I've tried to be more aware of this during the season of Lent (and we're halfway through, so far so good!). It definitely helps me to make that attitude adjustment more quickly. A complaint can be something simple, such as "Ugh, my back is hurting again, " or "I really hate my job." I read recently (can't remember where) that instead of focusing on the negative energy created by the complaint, try to "begin again." In other words, try to find a solution to the problem instead of wallowing in the negative mood state.

So, if your back is hurting, you may want to say to yourself, "Hmm, I'd better get back to yoga class because that really helped last time." Or, "Maybe I should polish up my resume and look for a better option."

Sometimes, we complain because we feel powerless to change a situation. I believe that there is always a way to change a situation or at least change our attitude towards it.

When you do this exercise, don't be surprised if you find out that YOU are looking at the glass half empty at times.

That's ok--just "begin again!"

K

PS A great website for encouragement on learning how NOT to be a complainer is www.acomplaintfreeworld.org

The unsustainable lifestyle of the modern day woman

What a heading, right?! I hope it caught your attention.

It comes from a blog post from Christine Arylo who according to her website aims "to inspire and dare people to live and love their truest selves – at ALL times. Everything here is about you being exactly who you are without reserve, with total freedom."


Christine describes herself as an Inspirational Catalyst (which I love!). I read Christine's book last year and just love her message, basically because most simply it is about loving yourself.


I encourage you to check out her blog http://www.daretoliveyou.com/blog/ and read her recent post about how women are running themselves into exhaustion.


Then I CHALLENGE you to take her 40-Day Self Love Challenge "The practice is this: Every morning before you get out of bed, ask yourself the question... 'What do I need to do to take care of ME today?'And whatever it says... you have to do it! No matter what. Especially if feels like 'no way I don't have time. It's the only way to break the crazy patterns in your head."


I emailed Christine about her post and challenge and said I wanted to share it with my customers and readers and she replied "its all about inspiring the love, and yes, a mention and a link would be great!" So, please check out her site, and commit to taking this challenge with me. I'm going to start March 1st. Feel free to begin whenever it feels right for you....but really, what are you waiting for?

We'd also love to hear about your experiences, so please consider posting to this blog, Christine's blog, or sending an email or Facebook message to share your experience.

Or click on this banner to go to Christine's site.

Bring on the JOY!

To guard myself and my spirit from the gloom and doom that seems to be so prevalent in the air today, I need to consciously work on my outlook every day. While it sometimes seems like an effort, it really isn't as hard as it seems. Sources of joy & happiness are around us everywhere!


My fellow entrepreneur, mastermind buddy, and friend, Beth writes about this in her latest blog.


Like myself, she confesses to be addicted to inspiration.


"... every time I feel inspired, I try to share the source of my joy. Today, it was a short film that highlighted the beauty of the human spirit. I know many people that have been struggling in rough times recently. When I watched this video tonight, it made my heart sing. I love it when people find true joy within themselves. If you haven't already, watch Lemonade, and then pass it on to someone you know who could use a little encouragement."


This video particularly hit home for me, having been laid off from my corporate job in 2002. Losing such a nice big paycheck and generous benefits was definitely scary as I was single at the time and the only source of financial support for myself (not to mention a Fairfield County size mortgage needing to be paid).

I choose to follow my dream and forge a new career path. I am able to continue that path, and navigate the speed bumps by seeking out inspiration to stay positive.

Where can you look for inspiration & joy today?

Beth recommends......

" Whether it be amazing role models and everyday heroes, or pausing a moment to admire a sunset. There is incredible beauty all around us. All we have to do is pay attention."

So take a look around. It's right in front of you.

Enjoy!



PS Check out Beth's site for Aetheria Spa, a wonderful spa in a charming Victorian house in New Canaan. Now there's a place to go for some JOY!

Connecting

This year instead of making a long list of resolutions I won't keep, I created an intention for several different areas:

• Health
• Career
• Money
• Significant Other
• Family & Friends
• Fun & Recreation
• Environment
• Personal Growth

This idea came from a goal setting teleclass from the wonderful Lorin Beller (hopefuly you'll see Lorin here as a Guest Blogger soon!). Then I had a great half day Mastermind Session with my pals Barbara & Beth where we got out the colored markers and poster board to brainstorm and plan for the year. I thought sharing some of these intentions and the actions I plan to take around them might provide some food for thought. So let's take Family & Friends ('cause that's an easy one!). My intention in this area is Connection . To me that means actively connecting with family and friends, spending quality time together and nurturing the relationships in other ways as well. Seems simple. But do we REALLY take the time to nurture these essential relationships in our lives? Here's how the connections have evolved lately:

• Meeting my golf buddies Helen & Cathy for a great evening enjoying fondue
• Keeping up with my dear friend Melissa who lives in Raleigh on Facebook everyday
• Having a Sunday family dinner with my hubby's family
• Eating lunch with my mom before going to volunteer at the Soup Kitchen (a monthly ritual)
• Having an email exchange with an out-of-town friend to catch up
  
• Calling my grandfather to chat on Sunday
• A fantastic evening with my Jazzercise community for our annual Breast Cancer Fundraiser
  
• Writing a thank you note to a friend (see Pina & connecting at the Fundraiser above)
  
• Spending time with my family and going with my nephew to see Blues Clues
  
• TRYING to schedule lunch with another dear friend who I don't see too often (still working on that one!)
  

Some of these things are simple and require little time & effort. Social Media outlets like Facebook can make keeping up with folks very easy (almost too easy sometimes, right?).

What's your intention with the special people in your life? And if you're desiring more connection, how will you connect today?

Looking back at 2009

Photo: A special 2009 Memory

A lot people have been saying good riddance to '09, on to bigger and better things in 2010. It has been a tough time for many, but I began thinking about what some of the highlights of the year were.


In no particular order.......

• Being a part of the team for the Women's 64th Cursillo weekend this spring. Amazing.

• Hosting fave Tim Roberts for two awesome dance classes and getting to know him over lunch. (Stay tuned for a repeat this fall!)

• Meeting weekly with my inspiring Monday night prayer group. Can you believe we've been meeting for 10 yrs!
  

• Attending my 25th High School reunion and reconnecting with old friends, plus making some new connections too.

• Spending time with my adorable nephew, especially for four days at the beach and two CT sleepovers.

• Meeting some great new friends this year and looking forward to developing those friendship.
  

• Spending a relaxing week in Aruba and making one of my best drives ever on the 9th hole - over the water!
  

• Trying new things like boxing and making truffles and designing a website.
  

• Taking several fun trips to NYC with lots of cool women to see some great Broadway shows and even an adventure to the Martha Stewart show!

• Recognizing that tough times can also bring out the best in people and there's a lot of goodness out there!
  

Here's to living with BOLD INTENTION in 2010!

Here's to a fresh start.....

Since I am a HUGE list maker and goal setter, I love the promise of a New Year, a fresh start, and blank planner pages. Yes, I know this is the age of technology. I have an iPhone, I blog and regularly update my Facebook and Twitter accounts, but I NEED the blank pages too!

Anyway, this year, before I pencil anything into the crisp, blank pages of my new Franklin Planner pages, I want to make sure I schedule my time properly. I know that my happiness and health depend on keeping my priorities in order. God, my family (which extends to many special friendships), and time to care for myself all must have top billing in my calendar.

Today I'll kick off the New Year with family & friends filling our house to share a Mexican feast. My intention today - to enjoy family & friends.

After all, when you start with your priorities in order, anything can happen. I have a feeling it's going to be a VERY good year.

All the best in 2010!