A Run With A View

I love living in Redwood Shores. It's stupidly expensive to live anywhere in the Bay Area, but the views are priceless. 

I went for a 5K run this morning training for the upcoming Color Run at AT&T park in San Francisco and a Zombies, Run! Virtual 5K. 

I felt like Snow White as all my animal pals came out to cheer me on today. Yes, I will stop midrun to snap a picture. 

By far the most incredible thing I witnessed was these leopard sharks. 

Feeling very privileged and thankful to live in such a beautiful part of our country. 

Thai Massage

My husband decided to show his appreciation of me and all I do by booking me a massage. What a sweet gesture! At least that's what I thought...

So I arrived and the massage parlor is gorgeous. Dark hardwood floors and softly lit sparkling chandeliers  Lovely relaxing music is playing and I am given bamboo sandals to wear. Then I am escorted to my "room" which is curtains surrounding a platform bed. I undress warily eying the cracks between the curtains then settle down to await my massage. 

The masseuse asks if I prefer light, medium or hard and I say hard because I've had deep tissue massage in the past and loved them. 

Big mistake. Really BIG mistake. 

First she sat on my back and then proceeded to literally walk all over me. I hadn't noticed the pole and scarf above me that assisted her tightrope act. Heels digging into pressure points over and over. Hurt so good until I finally felt each spot begin to relax. 

As she knelt down and began using her elbows on my spine I briefly wondered how much my husband paid this tiny Thai lady to beat the holy hell out of me. And why did she seem to be enjoying it so much? 

I'd like to say I spoke up and asked her to dial it back to medium or even light, but I didn't want to look like a wimp. So I bit my tongue and endured my pummeling like a champ. I mean, at one point she braced her body against the wall and pressed her feet deep into my shoulders.  She worked my entire body from head to toe for 90 minutes pulling and stretching me into yoga positions that I didn't even know I could do. 

Afterwards I felt stronger and like an incredible amount of blocked energy had been released. I also used a heating pad and sat in the hot tub. Sweet relief. 

I now know what it's like to be completely dominated and at the mercy of my captor. And you know me, I totally tipped her well for the torture. 

The moral of the story is don't say hard unless you mean it! 

Guns

Honestly, I'm tired of the gun debate. Both sides get irate and nothing gets done. We all have to admit there's a problem, right? Whether the deaths are mass shootings, homicides, suicides, accidental discharges surely we all can agree that reducing these incidents would be a good thing? 

People throw their hands up in the air. They say this is the world we live in today. These things "just happen". 

So, let's talk about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). It happens. It's tragic. It's beyond awful and no one wants it to happen to anyone. We don't know exactly what causes it, although we have some ideas and we want to do what we can to mitigate those factors. 

One solution would be for everyone to just stop having babies. No babies=No SIDS. But a lot of us happen to think babies are pretty great. Some of us have babies and really have no business having a baby, but most of us love and care for our babies as we should.

So in 1994 after studying other countries and doing research the Back to Sleep campaign was released. It didn't stop SIDS completely, but it did reduce deaths by 50%. FIFTY PERCENT! That's huge! 

Now imagine we all worked together, looked at the factors. Did some research and found something that would reduce gun deaths by 50%. How incredible would that be? 

Maybe it's higher taxes so we can provide mental health care to those who need it. Maybe it's limiting ammunition. Maybe it's bringing criminal charges against parents who don't keep their guns properly stored. Maybe it's something that people smarter than me in the areas of gun safety figure out. 

But isn't it time to quit debating semantics and actually DO something? 

Influenster-YSL Vox Box

I absolutely adore Influenster. Who doesn't love getting free products in the mail to try and review? The last box I received was also a YSL themed Vox box and I was thrilled to try more of their makeup. 

Yesterday I found my Vox Box in the mail. 2 gorgeous shades of lipstick compliments of YSL and Influenster. 

The first thing I noticed was how nice the golden tubes felt in my hand. Very old Hollywood glam. Then I opened them up and was blown away by the stunning colors. 

On the left is Fuchsia and on the right is Rose Stiletto. Both gorgeous colors for fall. I couldn't wait to try them both. So I did! 

I feel like Fuchsia (on top) is a fun color that left me feeling a bit saucy. Great for date night or wine with my gal pals. Rose Stiletto (bottom) is definitely my new go to color. One friend told me it was "Autumn on your lips!" which I thought was a perfect description! 

I'll admit I am mostly a tinted lip balm or gloss kinda girl, but this lipstick is super hydrating and feels lush on my lips. I will definitely be wearing Rose Stiletto everywhere from the school run to Starbucks. I even wore it to cheer on my Patriots today. 

My lips actually feel smoother and better after wearing it, not dry and cracked like some long wearing brands. Thank you YSL and Influenster for getting me fall ready! 

Guest Post for #Letterclub

I wrote this post for my GlobalPenFriends (#letterclub) blog.

You can view it on their site here.

When my friend asked me to write a blog post on crafty ideas for snail mail I was flattered. I continue to insist that I am not half as creative as she thinks I am, but I do like to scour Pinterest for ideas and adapt them to my needs and supplies. For years I have enjoyed embellishing plain notecards with stickers and decorations tailored to the occasion and taking into account the individual's personal tastes.   

               

Recently, I came across Folder Cards. I fell in love with the idea of a card as a surprise full of hidden treasures. Nothing fancy or expensive, just a little something extra to make it special, whimsical and fun.

First, I get out all of my supplies. I have been shopping the sales and clearance aisles for bits and bobs so I most always have something on hand to inspire a design.  My latest purchase was a bulk package of mixed paper that I got for half price so I started there.

Then I added some scraps of leftover paper I had and small bags and envelopes to folder. I used hot glue, because that is a tool I feel most confident with. Glue sticks, regular glue or tape could work as well. Just whatever you have on hand.  

Of course I wrote a personalized letter and tucked it into the large envelope of each card. I filled the rest of the cubbies with stickers, scraps of paper with treasured quotations, heart punches to represent kisses and hugs, bookmarks, & photographs. 

             

         

These were rather large cards that I was sending in parcels with other items so I had the space. I also did a few smaller notecard sized examples to send to my pen pals. 

          

I did get some feedback that while some items were a hit, others were a miss depending on the recipient. Once again it is about knowing your audience. Some people despise confetti for other's it's a delightful addition. Best to err on the side of caution. 

One other small touch I've been adding to my correspondence is a personalized stamp I had made from Nostalgic Expressions. It has been generally well received, although how my postman feels may be a different story. 

               

                                     My Crafty Snail Mail Corner

Remember, it's the content that counts. A beautifully handwritten letter needs no adornment, but sometimes it's fun to get your creative juices flowing. Have fun with it and happy crafting!

Flawed

My friend posted pictures on Facebook of a gorgeous table she had refinished. It was stunning and I told her so as did several other friends. She thanked us, but said the table had a flaw on the right side and she wasn't satisfied it. People were even offering to buy this piece, but she wouldn't hear of it unless she could fix the mistake. 

I'll be honest, I had to go back and study the pictures to even know what she was talking about. I finally noticed a spot that was perhaps slightly different than the rest of the finish, but to me that was part of the charm. It was obvious in a good way that this was not a machine manufactured item. This furniture had been lovingly and beautifully restored by my fabulously talented friend and I thought it was perfect. 

It made me think, how many of us see glaring imperfections in ourselves that are nearly invisible to others. How many times do we let these so-called flaws keep us from trying for a promotion or asking out someone we are interested in getting to know? 

Let's cut ourselves some slack and realize that even with our "messed up" bits we are worthy of admiration and our beauty shines through. Scars are proof of a life well lived after all. 

PS I've got to say, that is one badass table! If she wasn't so sweet and genuine I'd be viciously envious of her skills. 

#Am Writing

Writing

My thankless task.

My never ending journey.

Give up. Give in. Get it out. Breathe again.

Joyless existence.

Chained to my inner monologue.

Gawd not her again.

I cannot listen to her drone on about helplessness or hopelessness or the futility of life.

Here come the tears

Tears and electronics don’t mix you idiot.

Distraction mode.

Activate Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

Compound worthless feelings.

Check mail.

Submission accepted.

Cue euphoria!

Begin again.