Happy Thanksgiving!

May your day be filled with friends and family.

I hope you find time to reflect on what you are thankful for.

Danielle, Maryann and Christina.

Thankful Day Sixteen

Today, I am thankful for...

I am thankful for where I am and what I have.  I am thankful for a warm house and food in my fridge, for friends and family, and for my business and clients.

I am so fulfilled and grateful to everything I have.  I think this thankful series has made me really think about what I have, as opposed to what I don't have.  I am filled with joy and peace with where I am and where I am going.

Thank you all for reading and coming on this journey with me.

Thankful Day Fifteen

Today, I am thankful for...

Compassion in love in action.  It doesn't mean feeling sorry for someone, it means genuinely caring for a person in such an intense way that you will do anything in your power to help them anyway you can. 

Being compassionate is an action - not just saying you are.  It can be the simplest action of donating money to a charity - to see that there is someone in need and helping in a way you can. 

It is lack of love for ourselves that inhibits our compassion toward others. If we make friends with ourselves, then there is no obstacle to opening our hearts and minds to others.

Today, I am thankful for compassion
Goal: To be compassionate with others.

Thankful Day Fourteen

Today, I am thankful for...

Most people that know me know that I am all about instant gratification.  When I want something, I want it now.  Take for instance, I want to get an iPhone...badly.  But I am waiting until, hopefully, it is available on Verizon.  I cannot wait for this to happen and the anticipation is killing me!

But I am thankful that I have something to anticipate, even if it is as silly as an iPhone.  I'm sure there are people out there that are not looking forward to anything happening and I think that is truly sad.  To have nothing to look forward to would not be a life I would want to live.

Sometimes anticipation can help you just get through the day.  I'm sure everyone has days where they have had enough - just the thought of getting home or going to dinner or the weekend - can drive you to finish the day.

I also love that I can anticipate the future - especially with my business.  I can't wait to see where I will be next year or in 5 years.  It is going to be amazing!

Today, I am thankful for anticipation.
Goal: To be more in the moment and let the anticipation be there. Let go of instant gratification.

Thankful Day Twelve

Today, I am thankful for...

I am so lucky to be able to make my own choices.  I can choose what I want to do, when I want to, where I want to..etc etc.  There are many people that cannot make choices because of their finances, where they live, or who they live with. 

There is such freedom in making choices - I can make bad one and good ones, and learn from them so when I make another choice I can use my experience to determine what to do. 

I can choose the hard road or the easy road. 
“There are always two choices. Two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it's easy.”
I love this quote and it fits so well into this post. 

More than things, I can choose how I act and react, I can choose my attitude and I can choose my feelings. I can choose to be happy or sad, I can choose to forgive or not.

I can choose to make my life how I see fit.

Today, I am thankful that I can make choices in my life.
Goal: To choose wisely.

Thankful Day Eleven

Today, I am thankful for...

I am so glad I know the value of hard work and what it means to work hard.  Hard work is something that challenges and pushes you. 

Lots of people will do what is easiest and avoid hard work.  The superficial opportunities in life will be sought after by many, many people.  The tougher challenges will have less competition but a lot more opportunity and gains.  When you are challenged, you will see great rewards for your hard work.  If you avoid hard work, you avoid doing what it takes to be successful.  You will reach a higher level when you stop avoiding and fear hard work.  You must be willing to work hard for what you want, it doesn't just fall into your lap. 

You build your character by working hard.  You make mistakes, learn from them and move forward.  I read somewhere about what makes you embrace hard work and the answer was purpose.  It went on to say that if you are living with purpose, hard work is not an issue.  You know where you want to be and you have the determination to get there, and a little hard work doesn't deter you.  If you have no purpose, you avoid hard work because it doesn't matter what you are doing so why would you work hard. 

Purpose is the why and hard work is the how.

Today, I am thankful for hard work.

Goal: To work hard each make and make my purpose known to everyone.

Thankful Day Ten

Today, I am thankful for...

I am truly thankful for forgiveness. 

Forgiveness is given freely with no expectation of something in return or any exceptions.  You may not forget what they have done, but you will not hold it against them anymore.  You won't hold a grudge or use it against them when they are down.

To forgive is an act.  You are acknowledging that you were hurt, and you may have to grieve as well.  Then, just let it go and be done with it.  Don't think about a way you can get back at them or what you can do to make it even, it will only continue to haunt you.  By forgiving someone you choose to let go of it - not to get even, either with thought or deed.  When you do that, you can be free and will be cease to be haunted by what it has done to you.

I would not be where I am right now without forgiveness - by me and by others.  There will be people throughout your life that may disappoint you or that may need your forgiveness - friends, family and co-workers.  Life is too short to not forgive.

"Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember. We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future." 

Beverly Flanigan

Today, I am thankful for forgiveness.

Goal: To be more forgiving in my life.

Thankful Day Nine

Today I am thankful for...

I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to have another try.  To have another chance to do it again and learn from my first mistake.  I am so so thankful that I have been willing to give second chances to others - to let them learn and grow and give them another chance.

We aren't perfect, we are going to make mistakes and if we are given another chance, my hope is that you truly understand and take advantage of what you are given.  There are times where you only get one shot and wish you could have a redo, but you are not able to. 

As I grow and learn, I have tried to take advantage of the first chance I get - to act like I may not get another shot at this.  To take advantage of each opportunity the first time it comes around, because it may never come around again.

A second chance is giving someone that has disappointed you in the past an opportunity to - hopefully - not disappoint you again.  It takes courage and faith to give someone another chance because they may just end up disappointing you again.  By giving someone a second chance, it tells a lot about the kind of person you are.  They allow us the opportunity to show compassion and kindness, the opportunity to demonstrate our trust and confidence in others.

Is there is a person in your life that deserves a second chance? 

Today, I am thankful for second chances.

Goal: To give someone in my life a second chance.

Thankful Day Eight

Today, I am thankful for...

One of my favorite things to do in my spare time is to read.  I love everything from suspense to romance to inspirational.  One of my goals in life is to have my own library.  I would love for it to be a little room beside my bedroom with a cozy chair, fireplace and a TON of books.  I am well on my to TONS of books.

I have so many favorite it would be hard to narrow it down to just a few.  But here are some of my favorites:

• Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson
• The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
• The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
• My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
• She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
• Marley and Me by John Grogan
• The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

I love where book can take you and how they can take you there.  They can open your heart and expose you to something different.  They can inspire you to change your life and the way you do things. 

I love being a part of book clubs and find new, interesting books to read.  I am also on goodreads and love to look through the book to find great new reads.

Today, I am thankful for books.

Goal: To read a book that is outside of my comfort zone.

Thankful Day Seven

Today, I am thankful for...

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love pictures.  I always have my camera in my bag, waiting to capture all the moments I can.  I love being able to look back over them - I can instantly remember what I was feeling at the moment.  This is especially true now that I am a mother.

Yesterday, I was looking through an online gallery of pictures from my little girl's first year.  I hadn't seen many of them in quite a while.  I remember what I was feeling in the moment they were taken.  Being a new mom there are so many emotions that you are feeling and it can be overwhelming.  Now, being where I am and able to look back, is priceless.  I cherish those days being home 24/7 with my newborn daughter.  I love the snuggles and crying that only I can soothe.  Now those moments have changed into something different but equally as good.  My little girl telling me she loves me or that I am her best friend, I cherish those moments just the same. 

From when she was just a tiny baby,

to a bigger baby,

to a little girl,

to a toddler,

to a princess,

and a model.

I am so grateful and lucky to have these images to look back on.
There is a poem called "Famous" by Naomi Shihab Nye.  In that poem, there is a line that stands out to me and fits this post:

"The bent photograph is famous to the ones who carries it and

not at all famous to the one who is pictured."

I carry all of these pictures in my "wallet" and they mean so much to me.  They probably don't mean anything most other people but to me, it means so much.

I have one last picture to share, every time I see it, it brings tears to my eyes. I love it.

I never want to forget how I felt that day, at that time. 

Today, I am thankful for all of the captured moments of my life.

Goal: To be sure to capture many, many more.

I want to thank several photographers who have captured moments in my life:
Elegant Images
Enoch Photography
Dawn Gioia Photography
Real Photography
Mansurov Photography
**I am grateful to you and your art.**

Thankful Day Six

Today, I am thankful for...

I am so so so thankful that God did not answer all my prayers.  If he did, I would be in a completely different place. 

Could it be better? Possibly, but I am not sure.  Could it be worse?  Most definitely.  There were so many times in life that I prayed and it didn't come out how I wanted it to.  But it is not about me.  It is about Him and what is planned for my life. 

I know there is something great for me in my life.  Instead of praying for something, I want to start praying for Him to do his will - guide me and show me what you want me to do, not what I thnk I should be doing.  Thank God for unanswered prayers - just because he doesn't listen, doesn't mean he doesn't care.  In each moment, we are exactly where He wants us to be.  Why should I interefere with that?  All of my expereinces, good and bad, have proven to be right and have put me where He wants me to be...and where I want to ultimately be.  I have had that "a ha" moment many times - so this is why you put me in this place/situation and out me through this.  This what I should be doing.  He is putting me on a path that has been set for me, and only me, and one day, it will be revealed.

Today, I am thankful for unanswered prayers.

Goal:  To live by Him and not by me

Thankful Day Five

Today, I am thankful for...

In every sense of the word. 

I am thankful for those that have been down this road before...then they stop, turn around, and offer advice on how to make it though.  They are business leaders, prophets, and college professors.  They see life from a different perspective and encourage you to do the same.

In the last month, I have been able to see two teachers speak about their passion and themselves, Sean Low and Lara Casey.  While they spoke about two very different things, they inspired me in their own way.  They laid out a path and said let me help you.

I am also thankful for all the teachers I have had, in the traditional sense of the word.  From elementary school to college, I was so blessed to have wonderful teachers.  I have a handful that made a significant impact on life.  I kept in touch with them and even invited them to my wedding.  It takes a special person to be a teacher to our youth.  It is a job like no other.  Teachers can make a difference in each student's life they teach.  They can be a wonderful mentor and sometimes, being the adult roll model for a student.  My husband in a teacher and I am so proud of him.

Today, I am thankful for all the teachers in my life.

Goal: To reach out to and thank them.



Thankful Day Four

Today, I am thankful for...

I am so happy to be alive and thriving.  There are many, many people around the world that don't know if they will live until today or have another day. 

I am thankful for time.  While I was at MTH 2010, we did an exercise about what life is too short for.  For me, the most signifigant one was "Life is too short to have meanlingless moments."  Some days I find myself "wasting time," waiting for a family member to show up or doing nothing. 

I am blessed to be here and be alive, to be in good health and have my family around me.

Today, I am thankful for today.

Goal: To be present in each moment

Thankful Day Three

Today, I am thankful for...

I love my family more than words can express. 

I met my husband while I was in college.  At the time, I never would have imagined him becoming my husband.  After a few years of dating and going though our ups and downs, I knew he was the one for me.  He proposed to me at a park in Boulder after we had brunch.  He played me a beautiful song he had composed and asked me to be his wife.  I can remember the day clearly, and it still makes me cry.  10 months later, we became husband and wife.  Our wedding day was one of the happiest days of  my life.  In the years since we got married, I have only fallen more in love with him.  He has become an amazing man and he is more than I could have ever imagined.  He is caring, honest, trust-worthy and hard working.  He makes me laugh on a daily basis, even when I am having a down day.  He is my greatest joy.

My daughter.  Hmm...where to start?  She is amazing.  I always say, I cannot believe I made her.  The type of love a parent has for a child is indescribable.  I never thought I could love someone more than my husband and myself, but she showed me that you can.  I never thought I would willingly give my life up for someone else.  I love her unconditionally.  She is spirited and full of life.  In her short three years here, she has made me a better person.  She has made my life complete.  She has changed me in ways she will never be able to fully comprehend or understand.  It is astounding how much you can love one person.  Everything I do, I do for her.  She is unbelievable. 

Today, I am thankful for my family.

Goal: To express to them how much I love them

Taken by Dawn Gioia Photography

Thankful Day Two

Last week, I was able to experience something amazing...and I want to share it with you all.

Today, I am thankful for...

For those of you that don't know, Making Things Happen is put on by the fabulous Lara Casey.  I went to the workshop in Houston, and was fortunate enough to meet Emily Ley and Gina Zeidler.  I was expecting a business workshop - where we talk about our business, our brand, and how to make it better.  What I got was something completely different.  It is a workshop like no other.

I was nervous to go and kept thinking of ways I could get out of it.  I had spoken with a few collegues that had been and they said it was wonderful and to go in with an open mind...and a box of tissues.  Tissues, really?  For a business conference?  It made me very, very nervous.

The workshop was beyond words.  By the time I left, I was drained and emotional.  I was overwhemed with possibility and what is ahead for myself and my company.  It is amzing what 11 hours with wonderful people can do to you.  Everyone was so real and authentic, and you couldn't help but be that way too.  The room was filled with hopes and fears, passions and dreams, as well as many, many tears.  Everyone laid it out there for others to see, and we all became inspired by each other, but by ourselves too.  Everyone was encouraging and didn't pass judgement, which made it even easier to open up. 

The community that has come out of the workshop has been exciting.  To have 17 new friends, I would say best friends because of all we shared, that have experienced what I have, with me and in their own way, is priceless.  Not only have the people I met there been amazing, but the community of people on Twitter and Facebook that have gone through the workshop have been so encouraging. 

I would love to do this workshop again, to feel continually energized and awakened to possibilities, would be marvelous.  To be able to be in a room with people being so authentic and real on a regular basis would be...I can't even put it into words. 

There are several things that I came away with and I would like to share a few:

• Feel the fear and do it anyway
• Begin anywhere
• A year from now you will wish you had started today
• Life begins at the end of your comfort zone

Taken by Gina

I stepped outside the fear and found clarity and peace.  I feel energized and ready for the world.    I was challenged to find what truly, truly makes me happy and go for it...why wait?  What am I waiting for?  Life is too short...

Today, I am thankful for Making Things Happen 2010.
My goal: To be authentic in everything I do.

Thankful: Day One

November.  This time of year is my most favorite.  I love the colors, the weather, and the food.  Thanksgiving is in a few weeks, my daughter will turn three the day after and then Christmas will come a few weeks after that... I love spending time with friends and family.  Even though there is a lot going on, I try to slow down and reflect on the things that are most important to me.

So on that note, everyday for the next two weeks, I am going to post about what I am thankful for and what I am going to do that day to make it my focus.  It is my hope that this will help me to take it all in, remember what is most important to me in life, and keep it at the forefront of my focus for the day.

Today being Veteran's Day, I think it is most fitting to honor them.  So today I am thankful for...

I have very strong feelings about our military and their sacrifices.  My dad was in the military, so I grew up in that lifestyle, and I have to say it was amazing.  I learned to adapt to new situations and people quickly, and learned a new type of camaraderie from other military families, something I have not seen outside of that world.  I traveled the world and met many different kinds of people.  I learned that family is the most important thing. 

When people ask me where I am from, it takes me a moment to answer because I don't think I am from one certain place...sure I was born in Florida, but I didn't stay there long.  I lived in Germany, California, Alaska and finally ended up in Colorado.  I think I am from the military lifestyle, not any single place.  I am a "military brat," and proud of it.

My sister was in the military and went to Iraq a several years ago.  I was still in college at the time and was so fortunate to be able to visit her before she left. 

(Side story:  I went to tell one of my professors that I would not be in class for a couple days because I was going to see my sister off to Iraq.  This professor had a rule that if you attended all classes for the semester, you would get extra credit.  She mentioned I would not be excused from class for the time I missed and therefore, would not be eligible for the extra credit.  I was in shock.  I told her, you have got to be kidding me, you will excuse a football player because of a game, but you will not excuse me, even though I am going to see my sister that is leaving to go to a WAR zone and fight.  I was livid.  Needless to say, I didn't need the extra credit because I got an A and my sister came home, but still, it bothers me to this day.)

I cannot tell you what it is like to have a family member overseas and in danger.  It is constantly on your mind and heart.  On top of that, she had a daughter and husband at home.  She is amazingly strong and I am so proud of her.  I was so glad that I was able to see her off and to see her come home. 

My brother-in-law is also in the military.  Currently, he is serving our country in Afghanistan.  I am so proud of him and honored to call him family.  He left his family at home too - my sister, my niece, and my nephew.  I can't imagine how hard it is to be away from your family for months at a time, especially during the holidays.  I can't wait for him to come home in the new year. 

I am indebted to all military personnel - past, present and future.  You have made a huge sacrifice, and you have done it for millions of people you don't know.  You enable me to live a life of freedom and choice.  You make our country safe and fight against people that want to harm us.  Thank you for being so brave and putting your life on the line, so I can live in comfort. I am so grateful for you.

I am so blessed to live in a country where I can choose what I want to wear today, choose what I want to do, and choose how I want to live my life.  I am blessed to live where I am free to make my own decisions and choices.  I owe it to these brave men and women - the ones that came before us and gave us this great gift, the ones today that put their life on the line, and the ones in the future that will continue to fight for our way of life. 

Today, I am thankful to be free.

My goal: Thank each person I see in uniform today.