A few of my favorite things

As it is the last day of the year, I will list my favorite things that I can remember about my year. If I've left out something huge...it doesn't mean I didn't love it...it means I have a bad memory.

1. Travel (DC, MD, VA, NYC, MI, TX, AZ, IL, Canada)


2. Cleaning lady


3. Reading


4. Training to be a coach


5. Coaching


6. Certified as a coach


7. My daughter singing on stage


8. My son learning that he loves baseball


9. Teaching my daughter and her friends do the Hoedown Throwdown


10. Dates with my husband


11. Walks with my friend


12. Friday wine downs with friends in the 'hood


13. Celebrating my 40th with my dearest friends (in Austin)


14. Communing with my tribe of coaches in Phoenix and in Chicago


15. Coaching Martha Beck (twice)


16. Changing schools


17. Getting healthier


18. Learning my limits


19. Therapy


20. My Monday morning calls with my peeps


21. Seeing my family more than once this year (three times in fact)


22. Celebrating 14 years of marriage to my dear husband


23. Watching my children grow and mature and loving every minute of it


24. Realizing that I love to read, learn and then connect what I know with others


25. Writing my blog (duh!)


26. Getting to know my almost adult nieces better


27. Photographing babies


28. Feeling artistic


29. Being grateful


30. Deep practice of my coaching skills


31. Staying healthy


32. Seeing rows and rows of tulips
    
33. Recognizing what I'm passionate about (and what I'm not)


34. Changing behavior patterns for the better


35. My husband's love of his new car


36. Having more time to myself (ie less PTA stuff)


37. Coincidences


38. Meaningful connections with friends and family


39. Hummingbirds


40. Being a Positive Polly

To love and be loved

Upon returning home from 10 days with both sides of the family, I have an overwhelming sense of how much I love my family and am loved by them in return. I am feeling full and I am extremely grateful. Just knowing that I am loved makes anything I chose to do feel possible...but also I know that loving myself is where the true magic comes in...and I'm working on that!

At risk

Here is what COULD have been packed in our luggage...

• Cast iron pot


• Supplies to make soaps and shampoos (liquid and dust contents)


• PVC pipe made into a marshmallow shooter


• An opened up cylinder can with a spring attached to it (to make thunder noises)
• Remote control


• Battery operated can opener (as seen on TV)


• Cuisinart hand mixing device

Is it me, or could these elements be considered as some sort of "device" used to threaten the plane and its passengers? Needless to say, I shipped most of those things and left the Lego's, jewelry making kits, clothes, and the such to pass through the xray machines. Given the recent terrorist activities, I think it was a wise choice.

Joyful Moments

My time away from writing has been filled with family, food, festivities, fun (in the snow especially), friends and frantic unwrapping of gifts. I love both sides of my family and love my individual relationships with each and every member. My life is rich and for that I am grateful. Now back to more F's (minus the frantic unwrapping). My wish is that everyone I know and love (and even those whom I don't) can notice and appreciate all that is good in their lives...its worth the noticing.

Peace on earth and good will toward 'humans'!

Gratitude X 10

1. Our own family Christmas (yesterday)



2. My husband's cooking



3. Anticipation (from my kids)



4. Celebrating each other's gifts



5. My new Flip video camera



6. My new cell phone (I'm now operating in the 21st century)



7. My new rain boots (from my daughter)



8. My new cozy blanket (from my son)



9. Our Christmas tree



10. My family.

Picture taken with studio lights (new to me), tripod and camera on timer. It was actually a fun adventure!

Testing my stress

Today I was told I was young, fit and healthy. I want to adopt the woman who said it!

Why was I told this? Because I had a stress test today. I had three women working on me like the fairies from Sleeping Beauty. I felt well cared for as they attached doll-sized jumper cables to my body to measure my heart. I saw my heart on the sonogram machine and I had a mini-out-of-body experience as if I had been here before. Well its cause I have, but the heartbeat I was seeing was my own this time, not my baby's. It is so cool to actually see that workhorse doing its job...fascinating. So once we got a looksie at my heart at rest, I then had to get it revved up to look at it on the other side of rest...which the doctor's like to call stress.

This stress test involves walking on a treadmill as it gradually gets steeper and faster. Here is where I witnessed a phenomenon that I knew in concept but hadn't really witnessed. The concept is that the younger and healthier you are, the harder it is to stress your hear out...and I learned that the hard way. On this treadmill they want you to go from a resting heart rate which I think I saw the number 26 to the number 80. So, I'm chugging along trying to impress them...

sidenote: You're not able to wear a jog bra because they need access to your heart (which happens to lie beneath your boobs) and so on the treadmill I'm trying to impress while also feeling really uncomfortable in the boobage area.

My heart rate was VERY SLOW going up and so I ended up having to go 5 iterations of incline and speed increase and still had to hold a fast run for a bit before it hit 80. Then funny, the nice fairies become more like a pit crew at that point because you have to SPEEDY FAST get on the table and stick the sonogram in the boobage area to witness the heart 'under stress'. I was all sweaty and breathing heavy and just a general mess but...we got what we came for. I felt the whole thing was fascinating and comical at the same time...and I have to say, if I can live in that space (fascinating and comical) for most of my life...I will feel fulfilled and less stressed. I believe that is why with most things, I see the twisted spin.

On that "twisted spin" note...I told the fairies that I could really make the whole thing go a lot quicker if they could get me into some catastrophic anxiety feelings...like maybe, that H1N1 shots give you cancer "on the spot"...that would work!

So my lesson today is healthy hearts take time and energy to stress out. So I intend to keep my heart healthy and to avoid the stress ...life is less sweaty and messy that way...and by golly, harness the boobs when running!

Room for improvement

It seems as if I am in a reflective mode as of late, so I thought I'd start with things about 2009 that I would hope not to repeat in 2010. I will try my 2 minute trick where I'll put down whatever comes to mind in no specific order. Here goes....

1. Anxiety
2. Lack of confidence
3. Bad mommy moments
4. Losing my purse
5. Losing socks
6. Losing control of the mess in the house
7. Feelings of inadequacy
8. Drinking too much
9. Fainting
10. Weight gain
11. Too much mindless time on the computer
12. Not enough alone time with my husband
13. Worrying about schools for the kids
14. Too much PTA
15. Feeling unfocused
16. Saying yes when I meant no
17. Heartbreak
18. Feeling helpless
19. Comparing myself to others too much
20. Not living in the moment enough

Weird...I didn't have the "number" setting on my writing and I finished at 20 without even knowing it. My mind is OCD even when I am not paying attention.

So looking at what I wrote, I could see turning each statement around to its opposite (and to the present tense) to 'set the record straight' so here goes.

1. I am safe and so is my family
2. I am in the process of gaining confidence in myself and the gifts I have
3. I am a conscientious mom who is doing the best I can
4. I respect my belongings
5. Socks are replaceable
6. My house is my sanctuary and I keep it so.
7. I am good enough
8. I drink in moderation
9. My lifestyle and healthy habits make my heart strong
10. I eat to fuel my body and exercise to support my heart; I experience joy and comfort in activities other than food
11. I use my time wisely on things that fulfill my purpose and my soul
12. My children are safe and they are appropriately challenged at school
13. My relationship with my husband is valuable and I enjoy alone time with him
14. I choose to devote my time to doing good in ways that are fulfilling to me
15. I have tools with which to help me focus on what is important to me
16. I honor my yes's and no's based on what feels good and right for me
17. I experience what life gives me fully and in the moment, and I know that I give love as best as I know how
18. I have tools to change my thoughts about any situation
19. I know that my path is my own and I have a great life
20. Reality is the moment I am in, nothing more, nothing less.

OK people...that felt REALLY good and powerful. What a shift to be able to write those statements and know that each are (or can be) true. I recommend this as a way to start the new year. I can see posting these statements somewhere visible to remind me. This activity took no more than 10 minutes...so ready, set, go! It is so WORTH IT!