{Just a thought}

"I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize.
The first is gentleness;
the second frugality;
the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others
and keeps me from thinking more highly of myself than I should.
Be gentle and you can be bold;
be frugal and you can be liberal;
avoid putting yourself before others and you can
become a leader among people."
~ Lao-Tzu

This quote just made me think today, so posting.

Hope your day is wonderful.

Image via:

{Tuesday Thought}

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order,
confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home,
a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past,
brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow.

- Melody Beattie

image via:iht

{A new bundle of joy named Ralph!}

Something amazing has happened in my life!

I have a new Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, a single woman with a new baby! Oh my!

No, no, this is not a Jerry Springer moment people, but it sounds like it doesn't it? {Wink!}

They told me his name when they asked if I wanted him....They said his name is Ralph.

I said, " R•A•L•P•H?"

I thought...., Ralph is an interesting name in this day and age?
However, as I was being told the details, a grin came over my face
and I lit up like I have not in a long while!

I knew right then and there that Ralph would make my eyes and soul shine!
I was ready for him right then! No rest for the weary.
Ralph would give me smiles in my day...and into some nights, as being a Mama
of this guy is no small task.

And I am thrilled to say that I smiled so very much when I looked into those big blue eyes.
I might have even shed a tear or two.

I got my new baby a week ago Friday......

Here he is...
He is a very handsome fella don't you think?!!!!

I feel so very blessed to state that the company I work for acquired
the Polo Ralph Lauren account as our new client.

Blessings come in all sorts of ways to many.

This is just a very cool way we as a company have been blessed
and given an amazing opportunity.

They have placed the care of this project in my hands to design.

I am just simply honored and will work hard to produce a product of excellence.


It is one of those dream clients that one keeps on a secret, "What If?", WOW list.

If you knew how small the company I work for is and the client base that
we have from Starbucks, to Tiffany & Co., each of which I have been fortunate enough
to work on, you would say we have been blessed! And we as a company are
making it through an economy that has been tough and called each of us to be brave.
So, I am thankful to have something very rare and cool to happen to
our team of people that will all work to make this excellent and magical!


On a personal note I wish I could begin to tell you how thrilled I am as
I live this lifestyle in taste in my home, clothing, how I carry myself
and even how I think concerning design.
....I just do.

Ralph Lauren also holds a tender place in my heart on a
personal level of a moment in time that changed my life forever forward and the
woman with a glow that I am today that can stand real, graceful, intelligent, funny
and not just a woman trying to obtain stubborn perfection!

I am still stubborn and catch myself in my perfection efforts, but there is grace and
a sense of strength within this peaceful determination now, which allows me to be
a woman that is human, a woman that is real, and to that I am thankful.


I promise to care for this baby well and count my blessings as I go.

"If you want greatness, you have to put the time into greatness.
You can’t have greatness overnight, and you can't have greatness
just because you snap your fingers.
I think the best thing that ever happened to me is that I was able
to express myself and find talents in me that I don’t think I have....
Did I do the right thing? Did I dig deep enough
and pull from creativity I did not think I had?
Am I settling for something that feels good to me?
...
I am drawing inspiration from my life....
The greatest pleasure is not accepting the ordinary but
a creative moment that says I reached higher and higher."

-Ralph Lauren

Images via Ralph Lauren

haut les coeurs
(oh lay ker)

: lift up your spirit, take heart, be brave! have courage!

Just a good thought for a great day.
Have a great week!

Image via: R.H.

"Your life begins the moment that you realize that you
are not a product of what happens to you...
that "what happens to you" is actually a product
of what you personally create or accept
from others as your own reality.
Once you have a full realization of this...
YOU without a doubt will be able
to start creating the life of your dreams!"

- Ingrid Vargas


image via: i heart this

{Happy Weekend}

Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those

who dared believe that something inside them

was superior to circumstance.

-Bruce Barton

Mind over matter.

In my mind I am soooooo at the beach, running into the blue-green water

with my toes in the sand and just happy and laughing

on a delicious, warm and sunny day.

It's a bit of winter in a way here in sweet Georgia and rain for a day or two.

Makes me appreciate the good though.

So I smile still.

Happy, Wonderful Weekend to You.

"Optimism is true moral courage."

— Ernest Shakelton

Believing for a great day for me and for you!

It's Gonna Be A....

...A Bright, Bright Sunshiny Day!

I was literally running in my heels out the door this morning to get to work.

To know me is to know that I will almost get whiplash to turn my head towards the sunshine.

And so I did...Whip my head around when I caught this glow out of the corner of my eye through the wooden blinds and SMILED soooo much!

I just stood there and said..."Mmmmmmm", "Oh My Land!"..."WOW"..."Thank you!"..."That is AMAZING!"..and giggled with myself at how tickled I get over sunshine.

It was sunshine in perfection, so I ran and got my phone and captured an image to throw a little sunshine your way too. So, catch it please and feel its warmth all over ya.

Wishing you an Amazing Day!

{Happy Day To You!}

Self + Confident = Beautiful!

image via farouche

{Nike inspired me to fly...You can too!}

Because I am gonna fly!

A little Nike inspiration for ya.

Albeit, glistening {SWEATY} haired-girl, yes.

But that smiling-happy-go-lucky free feeling is so worth that cost!

I love that feeling! Even if it is hard work.

Do you run? If not and you want to, you can start with walk/running.

I started this way.

You just gotta tell yourself "I can do this!"

And you can! I promise!

Here is a cool challenge. I signed up for it this morning.

It is out there for the world to see, so no backing out.

Or, I won't let me back out!

I have run for years and always done things behind the scenes in challenging myself.

The me in the past would possibly not tell you how far

I ran until ...well, ya know, I conquered my goal... {Silly pride, really!}.

OK, I would however, giggle with you

and tell you that I tripped over road-kill varmint running not long ago

and it flew up in the air and I screamed {like a girl, because I am!}

as a person driving saw me and smiled and then I laughed hard.

I find daily life is so silly sometimes and it might make you giggle too

{Yes, that actually happened! And I went back

once to see a dead snake, but that is another story!}.

I did not call dibs, but the varmint seemed to call dibs on me as it flew in the air! Oh my!

But, the me that is NOW, has to start somewhere again.

So in this journey you will see the good and well, the days I feel

all out-of-breath-aint-gonna-run-today-because-I-don't-wanna-be-out there!

... and be all good with it and just smile at my silliness...and get out there and run.

During November before work took every waking second,

I was running 4.5 miles in the morning and 4.5 miles at night.

Yes, that is 9 miles a day, everyday, but I wanted to challenge myself and

it was a great place for me to direct any stress from work.

And pound out any frustration I had with the world.

But a part of it I realized at one point was not healthy!

I know you are saying..."Ummmmmm yes, that

equates to unhealthy or just plain crazy! {Insert Smile}!"

I can be a "Game-On" competitive kinda girl.

Then HALT! I stopped running.

I needed perspective, to confront some things in life and just good sweet rest!!!!!!

Anyone who might be a runner, or the runners I

know when one starts running again, it is as if one has never run.

As in EVER! Or it feels that way.

Well, the first day is wonderful running.....then....not so much!

If not for you, then it definitely happened to me. My will needed to kick in!

I have begun again, to feel the freedom running brings again one step at a time.

I started with 2 mile runs...and breathing heavy.

The first day back...AMAZING!

Then ouch...

My body felt like molasses, so I walked in-between runs the first couple of weeks.

But something happened in my heart and this week it all changed.

I ran 3-4-5 miles consecutively for the last three days and for the right reasons.

I ran for the sheer joy of running, period!

I felt myself , albiet out of breath, {Oh my land!} but, I was SMILING!

I ran because it just felt good to feel my ponytail flapping back and forth.

I was just happy to be there and thankful to just be present in the moment and enjoying it!

Happy to feel free and positive.

It felt good to sweat {Ahem, I mean southern-girl talk for"glisten"!}.

I love that feeling. My hair gets soaked and mascara is everywhere, but I don't care!

I ran and sang {loudly} to great music that I love.

And it felt so dang good. Oops...I mean "dang" in the most endearing of smile terms!

I just added a minute, then another minute every time.

I mean that is how the 9-plus mile a day deal happened.

Yep, by adding one minute at a time.

This time around I am doing it because it just makes me smile,

and something that I can do by myself, or share with another, or many.

Some of the best conversations and laughter I have ever had have come out of running.

Some of those conversations are what helped me overcome athletic asthma in the past.

If I can do it, seriously ANYONE can!

So if any of you are doubter's, give it a try.

You might well find yourself achieving more than you thought possible.

I double-dog-dare you actually!

So, in this I found this Nike challenge and thought..."You know if you are doing it, well it might be good for another to want to sign up and feel that same feeling you feel when running."

So here is the link to many different challenges Nike offers to everyone.

Thank you NIKE! I love you! Mwahhh for making me feel inspired.

Lastly, I want to do a shout-out for my life-long kindred friend.

Paige is training for a half marathon to run at her favorite place, the beach.

She ran 8 miles on Sunday! You go girly! So very proud of you and happy for you!

{Just a Thought}