This is amazing ... gives me goosebumps all over!

Make Time for Small Reflections

Stop, look, listen & enjoy!

Lots is happening in my life right now so I've not had much time for posting or blog visits. If you're interested ... I am publishing more frequently at my new self-hosted website. Click to check out Giraffe Journal at WordPress.

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I'm happy. I can't figure it out. What am I doing right?
- Charles Schulz

Molly has a New Friend ...

Make Time for Small Reflections

Molly has a new playmate ...
a puppy named Guapo
who is FEARLESS!

Click to embiggen for better viewing and
for others participating in Camera Critters and Pet Pride

Lots is happening in my life right now so I've not had much time for posting or blog visits. If you're interested ... check out my new self-hosted website ... Click to check out Giraffe Journals at WordPress.

If you missed them, I hope you'll find the videos in the previous post as inspiring and life-affirming at I do. They're well worth a look & listen ... seriously!

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"The only things you get to keep in life are the things you give away." Marianne Williamson

My September 2010 Gratitude List

Make Time for Small Reflections

I'm not sure just why I chose to publish my gratitude lists at Happily Retired Gal way back when (rather than here at Small Reflections) ... especially since the coding demands there makes the task so challenging each time I do it, but I seem to recall sharing August's list here as well. Methinks I'll continue that practice (at least for as long as I continue to maintain a 'sidebar' gratitude list here) ... so here's September's list as I begin a list for October.

September - 2010
1. my Explorer is ready to hit the road again next week after having some maintenance work completed today.

2. for a productive morning at home followed by a pleasant afternoon with my sister ending with 'fish tacos' at Duke's ... delicious day & dinner!

3. the sun's breaking through earlier again this morning after a couple of overcast days here at the beach.

4. a lovely lunch with a good friend, the kindness of strangers, learning to use Skype today and helping someone else get started with Skype too.

5. that I discovered and am participating in a Festival of Change at Online Clarity.

6. I watered the yard deeply in anticipation of the trip and that my neighbor will feed Ms. Kitty in my absence.

7. I'm packed & ready to drive to Phoenix, AZ tomorrow with my sister where we'll spend the next 6 days.

8. that Molly loves to visit Camp Ilene when I travel & can't take her with me ... for 4 additional free Buttermilk Spice muffins from Mimi's Cafe to bring with us ... and that my sister wanted to stop at the Cabazon outlets yesterday because I found an excellent 'deal' on a lovely white bag at the Brighton store.

9. to be attending the Your Purpose Summit with Baeth Davis this weekend even though I'm thoroughly confused at the end of the first day's sessions.

10. Barb encouraged me to attend the VIP party last night even though I felt overwhelmed because this morning clarity has come through my journaling and I'm ready for what comes next.

11. for yesterday's 'private analysis of my hand' along with the many people I've met who have helped me figure out my 'purpose' and the book I'm going to publish with the help of the people at Vervante.

12. for some 'down time' Sunday afternoon to relax around & swim in the pool at the resort & spa after the event ended ... finally!

13. for the delightful & surprising ways things fell together on the drive back from Phoenix. It's good to be home again.

14. for emerging clarity about the books I'm going to publish & the business I'll begin based on them.

15. all 8 of the domain names I wanted were available at GoDaddy so I bought them all ... and I've connected with a website designer I met last weekend who I'm hoping will develop my site with me so I can devote my attention to other things.

16. Michelle at GoDaddy 'tech support' called this morning and helped me set up 'LabyrinthJournal.com' to be hosted at Wordpress as a 'site under construction' with an email attached to it for 'business' purposes clear signs of progress.

17. for a good night's sleep and breakfast out with a friend this morning since I've not yet gotten myself to a grocery store since returning home from Arizona on Monday.

18. I've created a new place to playfully share stories online called Giraffe Journals and hope you'll want to check it out & play with me there ... just because.

19. a friend told me about the Surf City Surf Dog contest at Dog Beach this morning ... it was great fun and I took lots of photos to share, but for now ... here's a 'kewl' YouTube video is from the Los Angeles Times:


20. for visitors to my new self-hosted blog, Giraffe Journals at WordPress who left supportive, enthusiastic comments as I step out into this virtual world to be known ... just as I am.

21. for all the wonderful resources coming my way to help with this huge transition in my life.

22. to know I'm changing in small but significant ways each day as I step into my future ... pursuing my purpose passionately!

23. I'm one of the first six to sign up for the six-month Get Your Book Done Live training with Christine Klosur & Lynne Klippel. That means I receive a free one-hour 'coaching' call as a bonus in addition to big savings on the cost by paying in full up front!

24. for people like Marianne Williamson who inspire millions to step up & take meaningful actions ... making a difference. I highly recommend watching this interview:

mashable on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

25. for a pleasant lunch & visit at Z' Tejas with a friend this afternoon ... sharing a delicious enchilada entree & yummy skillet cobbler dessert!

26. for 'Rick' at GoDaddy tech support who exhibited great patience and resourcefulness in assisting me with 'access' issues at my new self-hosted Giraffe Journal site last night after I changed the URL earlier in the day.

27. for a lovely afternoon at the Lyceum Theater viewing 'Alice' followed by dinner at Mimi's Cafe in Newport Beach with friends yesterday. Life is good indeed!

28. I spent the morning on my front patio writing & occasionally visiting with passers-by while Molly played with a new neighborhood puppy named Guapo.

29. to get my hair cut today ;-)

30. for the Women on Purpose Online Telesummit ... the first 3 calls have been filled with useful information!

FYI - My previous Gratitude Lists can be found at Happily Retired Gal, my new WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this 'Daily Gratitude List' in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what's right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2010 Lists - July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2009 Lists - December, November, October, September, August, July June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists - December, November

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"God gave you the gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say 'Thank You'?" William Ward

An invitation, inspiration, and my new Website ...

Make Time for Small Reflections

... just because. Lots is happening in my life right now so I've not had much time for posting or blog visits. If you're interested ... check out my new self-hosted website ... Click to check out Giraffe Journals at WordPress.

I hope you'll find the links below as inspiring and life-affirming at I do. They're well worth a look & listen ... seriously!

I invite all to participate
and spread the word far and wide ...

I'm grateful for Peacebook on Facebook
and the uplifting resources people share there.

Nick Vujicic is one
amazingly inspirational fellow!

I love this song
and think I'm going to sing it daily too!

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for today
"When you arise in the morning, I invite you to think of one thing. What is going to change today? And what part will you play in creating that change, in being the conscious cause of it?"
Neale Donald Walsh

Life is good ... let me count the ways ;-)

Make Time for Small Reflections

Scroll down for Random Tuesday Thoughts,
Wordful Wednesday & more ...

Mabel Dodge Luhan House

... our meeting room

and a few Outdoor Views of the grounds
around the Mabel Dodge House

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in My World and Outdoor Wednesday


Herein are my Morning Musings
... just for the JOY of it!

... followed by a few photos from Taos below
Click for others participating in
Random Tuesday Thoughts, Wordful Wednesday
and Just for the JOY of it

Yes ... life IS good ... delightfully BUSY too, but you won't hear (or read) complaints from me. I'm happily engaged in many new activities taking me away from blogging for the time being ... but hopefully not forever. I try to keep my sidebar Gratitude List updated as time permits ... and hope to continue the process I started a few years ago because counting my blessings tends to make life even better all the time. On this final day of August, I've decided to add this month's list here ... just because. I'll transfer it to Happily Retired Gal tomorrow (if time permits) or as soon thereafter as possible ... beginning a NEW list for September.

August - 2010

1. for another long & good night's sleep ... time this morning to write & wander the grounds around K's house by myself while enjoying morning coffee ... perusing & taking a few notes from the lovely books about Labyrinths that K left on the night-stand ... walking her labyrinth alone (after walking it with her last night) ... connecting with her over coffee on the patio later, sharing personal stories (along with laughter & tears) ... reading & responding to her 'black book' ... savoring breakfast on the patio with K & R ... watching & photographing hummingbirds at the feeder before showering and packing up to hit the road for Flagstaff. I'm so happy the Mountain Lion fetish spoke to her!

2. an easy drive from Placitas to Flagstaff yesterday (gaining back the hour I lost as time changed from Mountain to Pacific) ... with gentle showers along the way that paused for me to carry in my luggage before starting up again & falling through the night ... another wonderful night's rest ... and morning pause in the rain for me to load 'stuph' into the Explorer ... followed by an easy drive today from Flagstaff back to Corona where I picked up Molly who was 'tired, clean, sweet-smelling, & happy to see me' ... then home again where we're happy together.

3. for time to transition back into life as I live it while holding on to the energy & ideas from the retreat ... telephone connections with friends 'C' and 'S' ... making plans to connect later this week ... a lovely visit in the blue chairs on the patio with neighbor 'B' who looked after the yard & Ms. Kitty in my absence ...

4. for another restful night ... writing while getting laundry done this morning ... checking out & listening to the first 3 of 21 'Successful Authors Secrets' talks after Jen shared a link in a follow up email ... being reminded of 'abundance & support' ... realizing I don't have to do anything alone.

5. I picked up mail yesterday afternoon so I could pay bills electronically this morning after doing some writing because this afternoon I'll be driving with friends to the Laguna Playhouse to see 'Life Could be a Dream' ...

6. for a lovely long visit with 'C' to catch up over lunch ... sharing a bit of my Taos experience while learning what's being going on with her.

7. I could help out neighbors with guest parking issues on this BUSY 'surfing contest' weekend ;-)

8. I responded to Facebook 'friend' requests and sent friend requests of my own using the 'retreat roster' (along with 'invites' to retreat participants without FB accounts) as a way of reconnecting after being back home almost a week ... then added links to recent blog posts.

9. for a lovely & longer than usual visit with friends at this months Retired Gals Lunch.

10. fascinating & practical information from the daily Successful Authors Secrets calls this month.

11. I managed to share some photos from the Taos Writers Retreat with other participants at the Google Group & Facebook today.

12. for a delicious 'taco meal deal' at Mimi's Cafe for $9.99 ... starting with salad & ending with a petite dessert (bread pudding) currently in my refrigerator waiting to be enjoyed later along with a free 4 pack of muffins in my freezer ;-)

13. the Verizon Wireless store in Newport Beach had a Palm Pre Plus I could look at ... even though they couldn't give me the low 'online price' of $29.99 in the store.

14. for leftovers from Mimi's Cafe, time to write & organize photos to share, and sunshine finally here at the beach!

15. I ordered a Palm Pre Plus online this morning and learned it was FREE with a 'smartphone' upgrade & 2 year contract renewal (rather than the $29.99 online deal I saw last week that seemed pretty good at the time especially considering it lists for $699 and I've always liked Palm OS products).

16. my sister and her husband arrived home this evening where they'll stay for a few weeks taking a 'breather' and dealing with 'necessary stuph' before they hit the road again right after Labor Day next month.

17. my Palm Pre Plus arrived this morning and I managed to get it activated and data transferred from my old LG phone.

18. with help from Palm Tech Support I managed to get my 6 year old old Palm Life Drive (that hasn't been backed up for months since my old Dell running XP crashed) to HotSync with my newer Dell laptop running Vista after which another Tech Support person helped me successfully transfer other data from my computer to my new smartphone ... pretty nifty ;-)

19. for a new perm & haircut yesterday and time to 'play' with my new Palm Pre Plus today ... teaching myself how to use it effectively.

20. for a pleasant lunch & catch up visit today with a good friend after which I ran a bunch of errands which included using my 20% coupon at Staples on writing supplies.

21. for this 5th day in a row of BLUE SKIES & SUNSHINE here in Southern California at the beach ... it's been a long time coming since summer is almost over and school will begin soon.

22. I uploaded three more albums of Taos photos to my Facebook page and picked up LOTS of 3x5 cards to begin a writing project.

23. I signed up for an online challenge for a 40-day 'Inner Mean Girl Cleanse' & shared at Facebook after which a few of my Taos friends joined too. We're ready to release old toxic habits that no longer serve & replace them with more loving ones.

24. I called Palm Tech Support with my questions this morning because I learned nifty new editing shortcuts & lots of other tips too ;-)

25. I met my sister & her husband for breakfast at Mimi's Cafe in Long Beach this morning ... we had a delightful catch up visit.

26. for this entire day spent with my sister ... visiting as we ran errands together, shared a tasty 'sushi' lunch at Matsu in Huntington Beach & free lattes at Peet's later in the day when we stopped by to purchase a pound of specially ground coffee for the new 'French Press' mugs (purchased at Sur Le Tab in Newport beach earlier in the day).

27. I've signed up for a 4-day event in Phoenix, AZ designed to help me clarify my purpose for a writing project ... and my sister has agreed to come along as my free guest so we'll have 6 days together since we'll drive both ways. Molly will enjoy another week at Camp Ilene in Corona ;-)

28. I finished & mailed off a hand-written letter to a friend from the Taos Retreat this morning and enjoyed a lovely phone connection with another retreat friend in the late afternoon.

29. for today's wonderful celebration with family & friends at McIntyre House in Los Angeles ... as a loved one celebrated a year of sobriety!

30. I've signed up for a Festival of Change at Online Clarity ... "a celebration and exploration of how we align ourselves with the flow of change - simply, naturally, and with a deeper, richer awareness" ... and am looking forward to participating 'virtually' in another event tomorrow night: A Call to Conscious Evolution: Our Moment of Choice at Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles.

31. I'm meeting my sister, her husband, and friends for breakfast this morning ... after which my sister & I will spend the day together again.

FYI - My previous Gratitude Lists can be found at Happily Retired Gal, my new WordPress site. It is my intention to keep this 'Daily Gratitude List' in my sidebar indefinitely because I believe it makes sense to focus on what's right in our lives regularly. Click for:
2010 Lists - July, June, May, April, March, February, January
2009 Lists - December, November, October, September, August, July June, May, April, March, February, January
2008 Lists - December, November

Below is a 'screen shot'
of my Palm Pre Plus uploaded to
Facebook then saved to my laptop
so the resolution isn't the greatest but ...

... I'm actually IN this photo
along with all the participants of the
2010 Writers Retreat in Taos, New Mexico!
Yes you can click to embiggen ;-)
Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won't come in." ~Alan Alda

Today Google Celebrates the 71st Anniversary of ...

Make Time for Small Reflections

... The Wizard of Oz film with this nifty logo!

It takes me back. How about you?

Click to watch memorable musical Wizard of Oz clips on You Tube and check out Wizard of Oz film facts for a bit of nostagia ... and (if time permits) check out the rainbow over Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, New Mexico shared at Sacred Ruminations today ... just because ;-)

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"Pleasure is the flower that passes; remembrance, the lasting perfume." Jean de Boufflers

I'm back ...

Make Time for Small Reflections

Although there's no REAL juicy post here, I have published at Sacred Ruminations this morning (including more sky views there) and shared a bit of my Taos - 2010 experience here as I updated my Gratitude List in the Sidebar and promise to publish something more here (and at Happily Retired Gal) soon.

For now, here are a few variable but beautiful
SKIES from the trip ...

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in Looking at the Sky
and Finding Beauty

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"The really nice breezes blow through my body and into my soul." Astrid Alauda

Morning Miscellany ... Beautiful Blossoms

Make Time for Small Reflections

Scroll down for Ruby Tuesday, My World,
and Outdoor Wednesday

One last ripe lemon
fell from my tree yesterday
and new green ones are

ripening as the
tree bursts forth in new blossoms
for more summer fruit

The images below have been altered
in Photoshop Elements with the
Watercolor Filter

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in Today's Flowers, Macro Monday,
Mellow Yellow & Mosaic Monday

Click to embiggen for better viewing and for others
participating in My World, Ruby Tuesday
and Outdoor Wednesday

Small Reflections ... Smile Back

Thought for Today
"Today we understand that motivation -- and therefore engagement -- comes from loving what you do. You love what you do when you are in the right job, feel values and are given opportunities to grow." Terri Kabachnick