Mostly I don't like graffiti but there's something about this picture that I absolutely love! Probably has a lot to do with the colour of the paint. What do you think?
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Shifting Gears...and listening to the universe!
My most frequent phrase used these last few months is, "I guess the universe has other plans for me". I thought that things would look different right now. I thought I was ready to move on and do something new. The universe had other plans. But, you know what? That's ok. I'm rejuvenated and excited about the future again. I love what I do and maybe I just needed a kick in the pants to let me know that I'm not quite done on that journey. In the meantime, I'm not putting my life on hold until...
I used to do that around my weight: I'll wear that swimsuit when I'm thinner, or I'll go kayaking when a miracle happens tomorrow and I lose 20/30/40 pounds.
I'm moving forward with some other projects that will only enhance my life and make me a more happy, healthy and grounded person. I'm more focused on the goals and clearer about the path. That's gotta be a good thing - right, universe???
Check out my "Pretty Please Boutique" page on facebook.
I used to do that around my weight: I'll wear that swimsuit when I'm thinner, or I'll go kayaking when a miracle happens tomorrow and I lose 20/30/40 pounds.
I'm moving forward with some other projects that will only enhance my life and make me a more happy, healthy and grounded person. I'm more focused on the goals and clearer about the path. That's gotta be a good thing - right, universe???
Check out my "Pretty Please Boutique" page on facebook.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
10 Years Ago a Dream Was Born...
10 years ago at the beginning of October, bodacious was born.
10 YEARS!
that's just under a quarter of my life.
it's 1/2 of the time i've been with my george.
it's 10 years that changed my world.
i never knew what the business would look like or how it would grow.
finding our first location, selecting the name (so exciting!), painting our new digs (gotta find those pix), our first sale (we still have the $5 bill framed) and thinking this was the best.store.ever!
and it was...to us (which is all that mattered).
we were revolutionary in what we were offering women and we heard that feedback all the time.
i never imagined the successes we'd have or the experiences we would share.
i also couldn't have known the challenges that owning your own business would bring.
sometimes it's REALLY hard. (today is one of those days:)
it's been a phenomenal roller coaster ride - just when we thought we had things figured out, a new challenge would present itself and make us rethink the plan. and we did. we grew with the business and it (along with the customers) guided us through. we worked through our fears and maintained a friendship through some very trying times.
but...that's life, isn't it?
it's a roller coaster ride through experiences that hopefully help us grow and become wiser and better functioning human beings.
there is a new chapter being written now.
our bodacious baby is nearing it's teens and needs some love and gentle guidance.
i'm not sure exactly what the plot is or how this book/adventure will end for me.
time will tell.
in the meantime, i'm going to appreciate the blessings and the growth and the support.
your support helps a lot!
Friday, July 9, 2010
One more sleep...
Well, it's been 5 sometimes long/sometimes shockingly short weeks since I saw my George off at the airport to go on his 900 km pilgrimage in Spain. I didn't know what that separation would feel like or if the time/distance might make me feel differently. I guess my biggest fear was that it might make him feel differently.
Well the good news is, I believe it has done that to us both. Even before he left, there was a new sweetness there in anticipation of our separation. In our time apart, that feeling has only deepened. Through our facebook "chats", I believe we've discovered even more about our love and friendship. It's that, yes, we want to continue sharing our lives together and that experiences shared are even that more precious!
I'm certainly not suggesting that he wishes I was there for his walk. That was his journey...his dream. But I think the knowing that we'd be together at the end helped him too. Tomorrow I will fly to Madrid to meet the love of my life! I can't wait. I believe there are great things in store for us both and we are blessed to have our love and desire to share those together!
Ciao for now, my friends! Thanks to all for your love and support.
Oh yeah...Go Spain Go!!!
Well the good news is, I believe it has done that to us both. Even before he left, there was a new sweetness there in anticipation of our separation. In our time apart, that feeling has only deepened. Through our facebook "chats", I believe we've discovered even more about our love and friendship. It's that, yes, we want to continue sharing our lives together and that experiences shared are even that more precious!
I'm certainly not suggesting that he wishes I was there for his walk. That was his journey...his dream. But I think the knowing that we'd be together at the end helped him too. Tomorrow I will fly to Madrid to meet the love of my life! I can't wait. I believe there are great things in store for us both and we are blessed to have our love and desire to share those together!
Ciao for now, my friends! Thanks to all for your love and support.
Oh yeah...Go Spain Go!!!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
on a mexican beach...
i played around with some of my pictures today and am preparing to make some into greeting cards.
i love how this one turned out! this was on a beach in huatulco last april.
Friday, June 25, 2010
reflections...
as you may know, i sing in a choir. it's called 'threshold choir' - here is how they describe it...
The all-women Threshold Choirs honor the ancient tradition of singing at the bedsides of people who are struggling: some with living, some with dying. The voice, as the original human instrument, is a true and gracious vehicle for compassion and comfort. The choirs provide opportunities for women to share the sacred gifts of their voices at life's thresholds.
we've been singing together for about a year, learning songs, sharing our voices and preparing for the opportunity to sing at bedside. so far this year has been more about me - filling myself up with these wonderful harmonies sung with such love. learning to trust my voice and sing out. playing with the idea that i can sing and can even find the harmonies myself - sometimes:)
tomorrow, we move on to more learning. an all day workshop about taking the step towards preparing for that call. there was homework assigned via email. the "personal reflection worksheet" exercise came at the right time for me. it's time to be more reflective, look inward, answer some hard and interesting questions about my life and my desires.
some of the questions -
what or who inspires you? what is important in your life right now?
what brings you joy?
what is your source of strength?
what sustains you in difficult times?
and then there are the questions on mortality...
when you die, who or what will you be sad to leave?
if you had one month to live, how would you spend it?
my life has meaning because?
the one i enjoyed answering the most was
"write down some special moments you treasure in your life - would you like to share this with anyone?"
here's my answer but it's only the beginning
(such a nice trip!)
i'm sharing it with you:)
my high school english teacher 'seeing' me as a person and acknowledging that,
sailing for the first time in hawaii and lying on the boat with the dolphins under me,
committing my love to george in our seventh year of togetherness with our friends and family,
laughing so hard i almost pee my pants!
taking my mom to mexico,
family gatherings at my aunt and uncles' - so much singing!
swimming in the ocean in bali and pretty much anywhere else,
singing with my family at my grandma's 90th birthday celebration,
skinny dipping in gabriola,
working with my dad in his workshop (the comfortable silence),
holding g's hand while snorkeling in galapagos,
holding g's hand period!,
lying in bed listening to the birds,
putting on a wetsuit for the first time and feeling alive and free - just before swimming with the sharks!
singing with the threshold choir - the angelic harmonies and loving faces,
there’s so much more!
The all-women Threshold Choirs honor the ancient tradition of singing at the bedsides of people who are struggling: some with living, some with dying. The voice, as the original human instrument, is a true and gracious vehicle for compassion and comfort. The choirs provide opportunities for women to share the sacred gifts of their voices at life's thresholds.
we've been singing together for about a year, learning songs, sharing our voices and preparing for the opportunity to sing at bedside. so far this year has been more about me - filling myself up with these wonderful harmonies sung with such love. learning to trust my voice and sing out. playing with the idea that i can sing and can even find the harmonies myself - sometimes:)
tomorrow, we move on to more learning. an all day workshop about taking the step towards preparing for that call. there was homework assigned via email. the "personal reflection worksheet" exercise came at the right time for me. it's time to be more reflective, look inward, answer some hard and interesting questions about my life and my desires.
some of the questions -
what or who inspires you? what is important in your life right now?
what brings you joy?
what is your source of strength?
what sustains you in difficult times?
and then there are the questions on mortality...
when you die, who or what will you be sad to leave?
if you had one month to live, how would you spend it?
my life has meaning because?
the one i enjoyed answering the most was
"write down some special moments you treasure in your life - would you like to share this with anyone?"
here's my answer but it's only the beginning
(such a nice trip!)
i'm sharing it with you:)
my high school english teacher 'seeing' me as a person and acknowledging that,
sailing for the first time in hawaii and lying on the boat with the dolphins under me,
committing my love to george in our seventh year of togetherness with our friends and family,
laughing so hard i almost pee my pants!
taking my mom to mexico,
family gatherings at my aunt and uncles' - so much singing!
swimming in the ocean in bali and pretty much anywhere else,
singing with my family at my grandma's 90th birthday celebration,
skinny dipping in gabriola,
working with my dad in his workshop (the comfortable silence),
holding g's hand while snorkeling in galapagos,
holding g's hand period!,
lying in bed listening to the birds,
putting on a wetsuit for the first time and feeling alive and free - just before swimming with the sharks!
singing with the threshold choir - the angelic harmonies and loving faces,
there’s so much more!
Friday, June 11, 2010
My new flip-flops, pedicure and a heart at the beach!
2 years ago, I came to Gibsons by myself and wondered what it would be like to live here. Well, now I do and I can tell you, it's pretty great! Dreams come true...every day...if you believe. I have some new dreams now and am "secret-ing" them. Soon they will be made public and you can help me along the way.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
it's hummingbird season!!!
after hearing many hummingbirds whizzing around our heads during our walk around the block tonight, i finally took the hint and filled up our feeders. i think it was a bit too late tonight but i'm sure they'll be back tomorrow morning for their fill and i can't wait! happy sunny days to you all. i hope to be back and a bit more consistent...but you never know:)
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Signs of Love are Everywhere!...Even in Galapagos
Nature is our best teacher in life.
Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth that around every circle another can be drawn; that there is no end in nature, but every end is a beginning, and under every deep a lower deep opens.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Love and Hope abound! Here are some hearts I found during our journey through the Galapagos Islands and some other images I thought you might enjoy...
Happy Wednesday to you.
Coming soon...blue-footed boobies!
Happy Wednesday to you.
Coming soon...blue-footed boobies!
Monday, February 8, 2010
More Tortoises - in the wild...
The pix on my last blog featured the tortoises in the Charles Darwin Research Station.
In the following pix - they are in their natural habitat. Still on the island of Santa Cruz but now up in the 'highlands'.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Lonesome George and Co....
Lonesome George (Spanish: Solitario Jorge) is the last known individual of the Pinta Island Tortoise (Geochelone nigra abingdoni) which is one of eleven extant subspecies of Galápagos tortoise, all of which are native to the Galápagos Islands.[1][2] He has been labelled the rarest creature in the world, and is a potent symbol for conservation efforts in the Galápagos and internationally.[3] It is thought that he was named after a character played by American actor George Gobel.
George was first seen on the island of Pinta on 1 December 1971 by American snail biologist Joseph Vagvolgyi. The island's vegetation had been decimated by introduced feral goats, and the indigenous G. n. abingdoni population had been reduced to a single individual. Relocated for his safety to the Charles Darwin Research Station, George was penned with two females of a different subspecies, but although eggs have been produced, none have hatched.
George is estimated to be 60–90 years of age, and is in good health.[4] A prolonged effort to exterminate goats introduced to Pinta is now complete and the vegetation of the island is starting to return to its former state.
The presence of mixed race Pinta ancestry tortoises around Wolf Volcano, on neighbouring Isabela island, suggests the recent presence of at least one Pinta individual near Wolf Volcano. A possible purebreed Pinta candidate, male and dubbed "Tony", lives in a Prague zoo.
There is a reward of $10,000 for the discovery of a Pinta female.[5]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And here are some of the others at the centre - it was lunch time...
Not so lonesome George:)
Friday, February 5, 2010
An underwater ballet...
Before the shark incident of 2010 (not really an incident but I love the drama of saying I swam with sharks!), I got to witness one of nature's most beautiful and mesmerizing underwater ballets!Having baby sea-lions swim and play safely with us in the water was soul-tickling but witnessing the moving and graceful dance of this sea-lion with a school of silver fish almost took my breath away (insert snorkel here).
It was a truly magical performance. It couldn't have been lit more perfectly by the sun gleaming down through the water and the fish glistening as the sea-lion broke through the group - dipping and swaying as if listening to their own classical ballad. Our private show went on for several minutes and it was nature's perfection. Who knew these creatures could be so graceful?
The performance may have ended with a few of those fish ending up in the sea-lion's belly and they might not have so joyfully called it a 'dance' but that's all part of the circle of life.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
I swam with sharks!
What an adventure that was! I'm downloading all the photos (over 700!!!) and will attach a link for you here. Definitely a trip of my lifetime with treasured memories that will be hard to describe. I saw all of the below and so much more.
And...umm...I swam with sharks!!! (and lived to tell the tale:) Oh look, there's a sea lion, and a penguin and...look at those beautiful fish! "Shark, Shark!" screamed Walter, our naturalist/guide. I looked over to see if this was a warning to get out of the water fast or a call to come and have a look. He didn't look concerned so we swam closer to him. As we approached, he started humming the "Jaws" theme and laughing! I looked down to see at least 3 white-tipped reef sharks swimming (here's a video I found on youtube so you can see what they look like) right underneath us! Apparently they don't like humans unless you tempt them with blood. whew! I could hear my breath coming quicker through my snorkel but tried to remain as calm as possible. We continued to swim along and look at all the other beautiful sea creatures - happily leaving the sharks behind, when all of a sudden I looked down to see about 20 of them circling underneath us. I almost squeezed poor George's hand off and once again tried to keep my breathing under control. As with every other creature we saw in Galapagos, the sharks didn't seem to be too bothered by us and were happy to stay swimming with the bottom-dweller fish. I, on the other hand, am satisfied to say, been-there-done-that, and am happy to leave the sharks alone and move on to other adventures!
And...umm...I swam with sharks!!! (and lived to tell the tale:) Oh look, there's a sea lion, and a penguin and...look at those beautiful fish! "Shark, Shark!" screamed Walter, our naturalist/guide. I looked over to see if this was a warning to get out of the water fast or a call to come and have a look. He didn't look concerned so we swam closer to him. As we approached, he started humming the "Jaws" theme and laughing! I looked down to see at least 3 white-tipped reef sharks swimming (here's a video I found on youtube so you can see what they look like) right underneath us! Apparently they don't like humans unless you tempt them with blood. whew! I could hear my breath coming quicker through my snorkel but tried to remain as calm as possible. We continued to swim along and look at all the other beautiful sea creatures - happily leaving the sharks behind, when all of a sudden I looked down to see about 20 of them circling underneath us. I almost squeezed poor George's hand off and once again tried to keep my breathing under control. As with every other creature we saw in Galapagos, the sharks didn't seem to be too bothered by us and were happy to stay swimming with the bottom-dweller fish. I, on the other hand, am satisfied to say, been-there-done-that, and am happy to leave the sharks alone and move on to other adventures!
Friday, January 15, 2010
in 7 days...
We will be heading to the Galapagos Islands! I've seen the movie, looked at pictures online, and read a lot of blogs but I still can't get my head around what this adventure is going to look/feel like!
I hope to see this...
and this...
and this...
(although a bit freaked out about swimming with these awesome creatures!)
and I'm sure a lot of other weird and wonderful things. Time has been flying by more than ever! It's mid-January every body! That's wonderful news, isn't it? Spring will be here before we know it and the Olympics will be a distant memory (not that I'm wishing time to go quickly).
On the 17th (in 2 days!) I will be starting an online creative journey through this website...http://goddessschool.ning.com/ which I hope will inspire me to explore my creative side and challenge me to jump in to some of those unknown waters (with sea lions, maybe??). 2010...here we come! It's going to be a great year filled with some twists and turns and I'm ready for the adventure!
I hope to see this...
and this...
and this...
(although a bit freaked out about swimming with these awesome creatures!)
and I'm sure a lot of other weird and wonderful things. Time has been flying by more than ever! It's mid-January every body! That's wonderful news, isn't it? Spring will be here before we know it and the Olympics will be a distant memory (not that I'm wishing time to go quickly).
On the 17th (in 2 days!) I will be starting an online creative journey through this website...http://goddessschool.ning.com/ which I hope will inspire me to explore my creative side and challenge me to jump in to some of those unknown waters (with sea lions, maybe??). 2010...here we come! It's going to be a great year filled with some twists and turns and I'm ready for the adventure!
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