Smile

I have always been a big supporter of smiling and smiling often. Sometimes, though, reality gets in the way and we let difficulty or sadness or misfortune get in the way of smiling as often as we should. It's amazing how finding just one small thing even on the toughest of days to smile about can have a massive effect on your soul. I been making a big point of smiling more and finding the happiness in as much as I can. I am trying not to dwell on little things, trying not to let things get me down, trying to see the beauty in things I would walk past before, making of point of giving OTHER people a reason to smile every day. If I can do one thing for a stranger or other person every day to make them smile, I will have accomplished a new goal. Be it helping a neighbor dig out their car, helping someone with a lot in their hands, telling someone they look nice. I have caught myself doing this unconsciously lately and the ability to make someone else smile has been having a profound effect on me. I don't know if it's the new year or the cumulative effect of a very intense past year but I have felt more positive and happy lately then in a while. I have made myself stop complaining about the cold as much and embracing it. I am saying hello to strangers more and telling my friends I love them more. I am seeing the good in many more things. I am appreciating what I have and relishing the good things in my life. I am enjoying solidarity at times and internal peace. I am pushing out the negative and finding the positive. I am smiling.

I'm not sure what it is...being home for a while, being on a new work account, having a new year to reflect on the past year and realize all that it has meant to me, looking around me at all the beauty I'm surrounded in. Whatever it is, I like it and plan on keeping it going.

Find a reason to smile every day.

Out with the old, in with the new

It is 2010, hard to believe. I don't even know where this past year went but it surely went quickly. Looking back and reflecting on 2009, my mind spins. It was an overflowing year. A year filled with challenges and victories, tragedies and comedies, sickness and health, love and loss. It was a year many things were put into perspective, many lessons learned, many emotions felt. It is also a year where I spent more of it traveling than not which was a whole secondary world and life.

Some highlights of 2009:
- My mother surviving and progressing every day
- Healthy beautiful babies of the Smith's and Kouri's
- Engagements and weddings of some dear friends
- My oldest sister, Alli, getting hitched and celebrating in Mexico
- Surprising my sis, Colleen, for her birthday
- Completing my first half marathon
- My promotion
- Madz my crazy cat I saved
- Getting to visit some amazing parts of the US and see old friends
- Winning a big award for a work account
- Falling back in love with snowboarding
- Mittens and chairlifts
- Seattle
- Making some great new friends
- Amazing ladies in my life

Now it is a new year, a new beginning, a refresh. Sometimes I think it's funny how we look at the turning of a new year as a fresh start...like we are only compelled to institute change on January 1st instead of immediately upon seeing a need for change. I guess sometimes we just need an impetus. Anywho.

Looking ahead at 2010 I have some goals in mind, some things I want to accomplish, things I want to work on, people I want to see. I am not sure if I'm going to make any actual resolutions...I think are a little overrated and I want to set goals all year, not just one day for the whole year. One thing that I do "resolve" to do though is making sure that I tell people how much they mean to me often. If 2009 taught me anything it's to say what you mean and mean what you say, and be sure people know you care about them, and not be afraid to tell new people your feelings towards them. You just never know.

To all my friends and family reading this, I love you all. Happy New Year! May 2010 be full of luck, laughter, love and life.

Where does the time go?

Wow, I didn't even look at the date on my last entry because it would just be shocking or depressing, not sure which. Lucky for me, I don't have dispense life or death material so it's not a huge deal.

Let's see. The past few months have been pretty much monumental, a piece of my life that will forever be in my memory and that has permanently shaped me. I saw my family a ton this summer but under unfortunate circumstances that my Mum was in the hospital, as pretty much anyone who reads this knows. In an effort to keep a very rough event in it's place, I will not delve deeper except for this, a quote that sums up a lot: "The great art of life is sensation, to feel that we exist, even in pain." Oh that and do not neglect telling people how much you care about them and love them...we do not control everything and you just really never know what the last thing you say to someone will be, so make it good.

On a lighter note, the improvements have been such that our whole family, Mum included, will be going to Mexico for Thanksgiving! And to celebrate my oldest sister getting married (via elopement in The Seychelles). I can't wait. Yes, the sun is a very high item on the list of what I'm psyched about but more so to see the fam.

Other than that, I've been in the same travel boat of living out of a suitcase more often than not. And although I've been home for a good 2 weeks (amazing how that seems like a treat to me), I am off again this weekend but for an amazing wedding weekend! Happy Wedding to the amazing Brierley Wright (soon to be Horton) and her wonderful fiance Andy Horton!!!! Black tie fun, here we come.

Up Next

I feel like a broken record when I talk about my travel schedule and how often I'm on the road, and I thought this summer would feel different. Last summer I was literally gone 75+% of the time. Going into this summer I knew I'd be traveling for 8 or so days per month so figured it'd be much lighter. Well, some things came up that changed that and I, once again, feel like I live out of a suitcase. Actually, I pretty much DO live out of a suitcase, in airports, hotels and the likes.

Next up on the docket is Labor Day weekend in FL to spend time with my parents. This will be the first time in a while I'll be able to just pack a carry on bag. Crazy. I'll get back on Tuesday night and then 5 days later (just enough time to unpack, do laundry and repack!) I'll lug my giant suitcase back to the Burlington airport to head out west for 9 days in Salt Lake City for the 4th stop of the summer Dew Tour. I have never spent time in SLC (only in Park City one winter) so I'm excited to check the city out, hopefully find some good restaurants and watering holes, catch up w/my event friends and more. And even more exciting is Mini B is driving over from Aspen to work for me for the weekend. I have spent all summer with all guys (I guess there are worse things) but I've been dying for a female side-kick, partner in crime. And who better than Mini B! It will definitely add a lot to the weekend to have a close friend with me and someone to hang out w/during down time. Yahoo!

Time to get packing!