Being present.

Are you happy here? Wherever "here" may be for you; both the physical location + in the moment in life you are in? I have been reminded of this bunches lately. Learning to appreciating the moment I am in + to be present; be it dealing with a screaming toddler, working with a client, cleaning the house, taking a webinar to learn about entrepreneurship, enjoying a nice glass of red wine, or having dinner (or even a disagreement for that matter!) with my partner. Good or bad, easy or uncomfortable; truly being present and appreciative in any of these moments takes practice, practice, practice! Still practicing... :) 

I took the picture above this summer while on a boat ride around Linekin Bay + Boothbay Harbor. My family and I were with friends enjoying the beautiful sun + blue skies, listening to music, slowly touring the coast of Maine, soaking in the moments. Yesterday I enhanced the image with the help of canva.com. This morning I made this image my screen saver on my laptop as a reminder to stop, take a deep breath, + soak in the moment - even if it sucks, I know the moment is fleeting and around the next turn maybe a moment like the one I recall from the image above. 

Make it a great day! Cheers, 

It's never too late....

We all only have one life to live.

 It's never too late. 

Go get that dream job, education, love, house, goal... whatever YOU hope for. 

You won't regret at the least giving it a try.

Allow yourself to be surprised by the journey. 

Be what you will be! 

HAPPY MONDAY Y'ALL! 

Pick-Me-Up!

Sometimes when I am in need of a little pick-me-up, I grab an old quote book and read a few quotes, on this dreary Thursday, it turns out it is just what the doctor ordered. I have a large collection of quote books both from my teenage angst-y years and some pretty amazing ones from my days of being an Outward Bound instructor. I have a chalk board in my office that I rotate quotes on. Just a quick glance at the chalk board to inspire and set your mind on a positive track. This is a tradition that I am carrying on from my mom, she always has a chalk board with inspirational notes on it in our house. As they say, "the apple doesn't fall far...." (Thanks Mom!) 

Thanks to Pinterest and to having a phone or computer always at the ready,  I do not have to search far to find inspiration or a daily pick-me-up. I have an entire board of dedicated to quotes on my Pinterest page, which you can find here. 

Today I discovered (through my favorite time-suck, Pinterest) a lovely little website called Recitethis.com It is a great way to take one of your favorite quotes and put it a picture form, tweet it, pin it, post it....just share your sun-shiny disposition and inspiring thoughts with the world!  

Here is a quote from my Choices Quote Book from my time instruction courses on Thompson Island Outward Bound. 

Here's to the powerful, little, don't-hold-me-down, bumblebee! Make it a great day! 

International Orange

Photo credit: http://www.jenniesbev.com/2010/02/23/two-homes/golden-gate-3/

While listening to NPR on my way to work recently, I heard an article about the Golden Gate Bridge how special, yet apparently accidental, the color of the bridge is. Here is the link to the article, so that you can hear to learn more about the color and the care for this national landmark for yourself.

http://www.npr.org/2011/04/26/135150942/the-golden-gate-bridges-accidental-color

It was interesting to learn of the origin of the color, as well as to understand the care and pride that goes into maintaining it's special color by a group of dedicated individuals. While the exact color is a secret, I started to notice this wonderful color (or something like it!) around me. I took a walk one evening after work and took a bunch of photos, with the awe inspiring Golden Gate Bridge and international orange in mind. This walk had me thinking further about how wonderful this color would be used in an interior space. What a bold color choice! Here is a great interior space that uses international orange to make a statement.

Photo credit and for some other interesting information on international orange: http://kk.org/ct2/2007/10/golden-gate-bridge-internation.php

See other orange ideas like this at: http://www.gaitainteriors.com/blog/?p=791

Check out this classy bedroom, an image shared on : http://www.bellemaison23.com/2009/10/black-orange-interiors.html

There are a plethora of orange interior accessories that I came across through my searches, my next post maybe a collage of orange accessories!

Thanks for reading!