Blue Lollipop Road

January 10, 2016 In Inspiration, Photos, Today Is The Day

a little crazy never hurt anyone

Rainy chilly Saturday night, not feeling so hot with a little bit of a cold. All snuggled in I am, and in a effort to be not only productive, but reflective, even with the sniffles, I’m flipping pages going through a couple old notebooks. (My regular give it a once-over after I’ve used up all the pages to see if I missed any “to-do’s” or important things, then toss.) This is what I see just a few page flips in:

(“Tons” of money kind of cracks me up. Was I having a 6 year old moment there?)

I can’t say I’m surprised I wrote the above on a certain friends birthday in February last year…what would have been her 37th birthday. She’s always on my mind, but on a few specific few days each year like her birthday, I make sure to doubly check myself to make sure I’m practicing what I preach and making my best attempt to live my goals.

Like you I’m sure, I fail miserably at being on point with all things all the time, I say yes to things I shouldn’t- that suck time and energy and don’t give back personally, professionally, or financially nearly enough, I forget to have gratitude as much as I should, and every once in a while I even have baditude! (Bad + attitude.) The worst? That damn gerbil wheel I despise so much is found under my own two feet too, every year or so. (Until I fling myself off, screaming and tearing…just jumping and gasping for that non-gerbil wheel air I love and need to survive and thrive.)

Thankfully when we find ourselves slipping into bad habits, and spin, spin, spinning like those little rodents- we have THE CHOICE to jump back into whatever awesome reality we know is out there, just as fast as we realize we’re spinning.

To my sweet, funny friend who inspired me to write this “Keep in mind” trio, thank you for reminding me that we all deserve to be crazy happy.

Indeed we do.

#TodayIsTheDay #KickYourOwnAss #StayTheCourse

What makes you crazy happy?

PS ~ You know what would make me crazy happy? If you scrolled down to the bottom of this page and signed up to get my blog posts via email, that’s what. Whoop!

January 5, 2016 In Inspiration, Links, North Carolina, People, Photos, Uncategorized

a long winter’s nap?

Nah…I’m here!

I know It’s been a few weeks, so sorry to leave my blog followers hanging. You know I love to write and share here. I promise to post more regularly. 2015 felt like a whirlwind of what month is it? Then, boom! Here we are kicking off 2016.

Even though work has been very busy, we did manage to escape for a couple days, continuing to follow our “less stuff, more experiences” lifestyle, and opted to buy and spend 2 nights at a friends beach house in lieu of physical gifts for Christmas this year. Whaddya know, it ended up being near 80 degrees in North Carolina for a few days! Yeah!

Bike rides, beach time, and sand in toes was a very happy holiday time:

Nerd pose! I was wearing one of my Play It Forward shirts, so wanted to try and make you laugh:)

Here’s to having more freedom in 2016! Dip your foot in the chilly beach water, then jump in, baby! This is our one life and the blue lollipops are all out there for the taking.

#LessStuffMoreExperiencesHappyLife #BeachChristmas #FindYourMojo

December 14, 2015 In Florida, Photos, Travel

whistle with me!

My idea of a merry Christmas is living inside this Corona commercial:

(Pretty cool story, don’t ya think?)

Send me to the warm & beach, baby!

This is where I was exactly one year ago today; December 14th, 2014:

Ahhh…

Here’s to great adventures wherever you feel like you’re in paradise, this December!

How do you holiday?

#MoreTravelLessStuffHappyLife #Adventure #HolidayBeachBum

December 9, 2015 In Photos

just another day at the office

This was my yesterday:

Hoarded House

I wanted to make sure I got a photo of myself in case anyone didn’t believe me that I had a seriously interesting day. The look on my face is totally cracking me up:

Oh those times to just lift and click quick once to get a photo and don’t even look until later. This one is jackpot accidental perfection for the archives. Hilarious. I am terrible at poker face!

After the visit to this house, I got a milkshake. Because, you know- sometimes you just need a milk shake at the end of a very adventurous work day:

Never a dull moment here!

What’s the view from your office?

#AdventuresOnTheBlueLollipopRoad #Hoarding #ChocolateShakePlease

December 4, 2015 In Freedom, Inspiration, Links, People, Videos

you will never need what’s in that box

Ahhh- I SO love this! Graham Hill is great. I watched this video a few years ago and thought it was completely awesome and spot-on. When it popped back up as I was perusing the TED Talk archives this week, I thought it deserved another post.

Making room, “for the good stuff”:

Years on the road owning so little and always hearing from people I met wishing they could “do more”, was the prefect opportunity for me to create my business and help clients do just just that. Oh the freedom of unleashing what we do not use or really need, so we have more time, “space”, and money!

Here’s to getting rid of all that weighs us down.

#LessStuffMoreFreedomHappyLife #LiveSimpleDoMore #TodayIsTheDayWhatAreYouWaitingFor?

December 3, 2015 In News & Updates

shop blr

In helping my clients downsize, organize, move/relocate, and make those general life transitions happen, I often end up with bunches of like-new/great shape furniture they need or want to get rid of.

So of course I’ve created a Facebook page, called Shop BLR.

A few pieces of business attached to the Shop BLR page:

1.) If you happen to be on the search for a particular item, please let me know! I will add you to my match up list and keep eyes and ears peeled for you for when the perfect piece pops up.

2.) It would be swell if you would “Like” and share the page. (Thank you:)

3.) I add new items each week so make sure to check back regularly.

Being green, saving money, and having gently used furniture in your home is awesome! Investing a bit of DIY love into older items is awesome! Having only pieces you love in your living space is awesome.

Most importantly, if you or anyone you know has household or furniture items you’d like to simply donate, I have partnerships with some AMAZING nonprofits that help kids, women from domestic violence situations, and Veterans. I’d love to match you up and make sure any unneeded items go to people who can use them!

Questions? Drop me a line:

Diane(@)bluelollipoproad.com

804.339.6514

#LessJunkMoreDoingGoodHappyLife #Upcycle #GetCrafty

December 3, 2015 In Inspiration, Live the life you want to live

how to find money & happiness this holiday season

1.) Stop going to Target. (That absurd “Dollar Spot” section right when you walk in the door riddled with plastic crap made in China should seriously be outlawed.)

2.) Stop going to the mall.

3.) Stop shopping online for things you, your kids, your brother, your mother, and your neighbor don’t need.

Black Friday sale, Cyber Monday sale, sale for no reason to warp your mind into thinking you need it to be happy sale…all this holiday shopping marketing and mayhem blows my mind. Moreover, the fact that so many of us still buy into it all (literally and figuratively) in the year 2015 when we know better, makes me feel like I want to smack my fellow humans to wake us up and out of the drone zone.

People, what are we doing?!

Can we discuss some examples of what you, me and the people you love and I love/like/work with/share office or home space with/teach our kids might actually need for gifts or “treats” this year?

*Our health

*Some extra free time

*A break

*A good laugh

*Some love/lovin’/a big fat hug

*A few extra hours of sleep

*Quality, accepting, comfortable, company

*Yummy fresh food

*Clean water

Every hour we spend at the mall, we’re not spending making dinner with friends, playing with our kids, or making whoopie with someone we’re in love with. Every hundred bucks we spend on our 20th pair of jeans, the newest electronics, or another pair of shoes, we don’t spend on an extra mortgage payment to pay off our homes a year earlier, a gym membership that could help keep our hearts ticking a few years longer, or a credit card payment that could finally set us debt free. Every minute of time we spend on putting energy into “stuff” instead of ourselves and the ones we love around us, we are failing at truly taking advantage of this ONE SINGLE LIFE.

I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t like wasting time when it is the only thing we cannot get back.

Later in life or at the end of this life, our kids won’t remember that time they got the coolest toys for Christmas at the expense of you working until 11pm every night, they will remember when you showed up to 4th grade school lunch as a surprise on a random Tuesday. Later in life or at the end of this life our friends won’t remember that trinket or tchotchke we ran around like mad trying to find just in time for the holiday gift exchange, they will remember when we were a shoulder while they went through a horrible divorce, or that we were the only one who visited that time they were sick in the hospital. Later in life or at the end of this life, our spouses won’t remember how we left the fanciest and sparkliest gifts underneath the tree, they will remember how we always made coffee for them on lazy snuggly Sunday mornings, or that we left secret love notes around the house for them to find at random.

Save your money and save your time. Don’t buy (ahem) into this shopping frenzy chaos. Instead, maybe go call your mother or grandparents, tell them you love them, and that you’re on your way over to their house right now so you can all have tea and eat cherry vanilla ice cream together.

‘Tis the season to prioritize.

#LessStuffMoreTimeTogetherHappyLife #ThingsThatMatter #HappierHolidays

***(Have you signed up for my blog post email notifications yet? If not scroll on down to the bottom of this page and join the party now! :)***

December 2, 2015 In Inspiration, People, Videos

i’m a scrapper. you should hire me

Seriously.

My Grandfather has always called me a Pisser. (Translation: feisty girl who will never give up until she makes “it” work/happen.)

My friend Gigi tells me my business cards should read: “Diane Peacock, getting shit DONE since 1978.”

I have to say I agree with them:

There’s something to be said for a person who’s come from humble beginnings, gotten their ass handed to them more than once, or um…ten times, and still comes out the other side ready, wanting, and willing to fight to make things happen.

I’m that girl.

What drives your purpose and passion?

#Fearless #GetItDone #NeverGiveUp

November 24, 2015 In Links, Photos, Restaurants, Vermont

baby it’s cold outside

…but It’s nice and toasty here at one of my favorite places on the planet; The Blue Benn Diner.

27 degree VT – you’ve got nothing on a hot cup of coffee and a counter seat here!

If you ever plan to travel through Southern Vermont, make sure to put this on your list of places to nosh. I’ve probably written about this place now about 100 times. Never gets old and I can never get enough. You will love it that much, too. I promise.

This is my office today. Where do you work?

#LessStuffMoreDinerHappyLife #Travel #Vermont

November 23, 2015 In Be active, grow, Inspiration, North Carolina, Photos

circus frenzy fun

(Originally written Thursday 11/19)

This week has been 150 miles an hour with work. Actually, the past several weeks have been at that speed. I dig it. In fact, I thrive in it. I’m loving my work more than I ever have before. It’s pretty awesome. I’m flying high on work life happiness and keeping the chaos for my clients to a minimum even though days end up being like a 3-ring circus sometimes…out of everyone’s control. I can understand why people hate the whole moving process, but that of course makes me more and more determined to not only throw the curveballs back during this stressful time for my clients, but make it fun along the way, too.

How do I recharge after corralling all the monkeys and managing the circus?

At the end of a long day, not much feels better than being outside in the air (especially when It’s 71 degrees at 6pm in late November) running, then coming and sitting here with my balcony door open to just breathe and reflect for a few minutes:

*(No filter, thankyouverymuch:)

Having a body healthy enough to go for that run, even though I’m exhausted makes me feel motivated to do more, and having a clean, safe, clutter-free space to live makes me feel grateful. Combine that with that fact I’m about to go on a huge road trip to feast for Thanksgiving to see people I love and who love me…what more could anyone ask for?

The next time you feel like you’re smack dab in the middle of a Barnum & Bailey show, just step outside and move your body to keep your sanity, sweat out the stress, and get a little perspective. That, or grab someone you love and give them a big fat hug. The circus will somehow leave town peacefully on It’s own, and you’ll be left standing there remembering the things that really matter.

#LessStuffMoreFreshAirHappyLife #GetMoving #Sunset