CLT Tag

February 23, 2017 In Live the life you want to live, Operation Charlotte, Photos

at the end of the day

Balcony sunset time could never get old:

Sunset

…especially when it’s 80 degrees in February.

Interesting that we all too often make life complicated and spin fast when what we could really use is just a few simple quiet moments in the fresh air to stare up at the sky.

It’s fun to stop and think about what really matters and what we’re running around for, eh?

#AlwaysLookingUp #KeepItSimple #GetOutside

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December 7, 2016 In Articles, Links, North Carolina

gettin’ hitched

I went to a lot of weddings this year. My sister recently teased me, “Mom and I think you’ve been to more weddings than anyone else we know!”

Probably true. I love weddings. I love, love. I am a love geek.

So yes, I love weddings, and I’m a huge, huge schmoopy (thanks, Goette!) love geek, but I’ve never wanted my own big wedding. Read this piece from today’s Charlotte Agenda about getting married at the courthouse. Yeah! Perfection. Katie & Nick are my kind of peeps with their simple but sweet wedding plan and execution.

In 2015 as invites to weddings kept coming into my mailbox, I was thrilled for 2016 travel; Napa, Tahoe, Aspen, Charlotte…hello awesome celebration spots! Lucky me to have amazing friends living in fabulous places. I had a blast. If you catch me on a good day I might share details about the 6 hours straight I spent on the dance floor after Aspen nuptials wearing my animal print stilettos every second thankyouverymuch. (Thanks, Ronnie!) Lets just say I’m still giggling from that one. Misbehaving is sometimes fun, much deserved, and completely necessary.

Some people like big parties, some like small. I like a dance party. However you like to plan and do your party, do it. I will be there every time. Celebrating love and knowing there is plenty out there is all that matters:

Surprises

You might see me at a courthouse soon, at a fountain in Madrid, or just on another dance floor. Life certainly does take turns we don’t expect.

Here’s to love in every shape/color/size/place. Cheers my friends!

Blue martini

(Of course It’s a blue martini!)

#OnlyTheBeginning #LessStuffMoreLoveHappyLife #Celebration

*Have you scrolled to the bottom of my web page and signed up to get these blog posts in your email inbox yet? Please do! Feel the love:)

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October 19, 2016 In Links, North Carolina, Operation Charlotte, People, Photos, Projects & Organizations I dig

learn about the secret lives of hoarders

Have you ever been curious to learn about why some people get addicted to “stuff?” Do you have someone in your life affected by hoarding? Come learn with us tomorrow night! We (the Carolina Organizers group) are hosting my good friend (and former boss), Matt Paxton from 4pm – 8pm at the Harvest Center of Charlotte to talk about who hoards and why this dilemma isn’t going away.

I’ve personally known Matt for 10+ years and have come to know this fantastic guy with immeasurable experience in the hoarding world very well. He makes this otherwise uncomfortable subject approachable and has helped countless people live happier, healthier, better lives through his work. His style of teaching is the perfect balance of being humorous, and compassionate. This will be a great event for anyone who wants to understand a little better about this subject and the attachments we have to physical things.

Here we are a few years back when I worked for Paxton in VA:

Paxton award

Register here now and join us tomorrow night, Thursday October 20, 2016!

#LessStuffMoreFreedomHappyLife #Hoarding #Addiction

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September 22, 2016 In Books to read, North Carolina, Operation Charlotte, Photos

i wish

I fell asleep texting with a friend last night at midnight telling him I felt like I was living in a war zone with the sound of helicopters and pop, pop, pop outside my windows. I live a few blocks from Uptown (Charlotte’s “downtown”) where lots of violence and madness has been happening.

I’m currently sitting at a Starbucks, just a few miles outside Uptown trying to focus on work and epically failing. It feels impossible to keep my mind out of the spin cycle thoughts of how incredibly messed up humans are these days. On a happy note, a police officer just walked in near me and a guy standing in line shook his hand and thanked him…then bought him a coffee. That made me smile.

I had a lunch meeting before this and when I walked in the restaurant, I passed by a table of 4 police officers.  Full uniforms and bullet proof vests. I stopped and thanked them, shared that I had just sent an email to some good friends of mine who I consider family (firefighters, police officers, ATF, FBI.) They thanked me for thanking them. Part of the email I sent to my public safety friends:

I have no idea how you ever had the selflessness to decide you wanted to do that kind of work however many years ago. I wish I was that awesome.

Oh the gratitude I continually have for all of the men & women in public service of any kind who help gift us freedoms and safety.

THANK YOU!

3 days a week in the early morning, I run in Uptown Charlotte, through the exact blocks that are now smashed to god knows what and ridden with graffiti after last night. Thursday mornings are typical run day for me. I ran a different route today. I had the inclination to crank out my normal routine and run through the heart of The Queen City as per usual to survey the damage, but I quickly snapped into…yeah…no…I don’t need to see that.

The media is awful, social media is worse. Nutty people are given free platforms to create chaos, and we react. It makes my head spin in shock and disbelief. I have numerous thoughts and opinions about the state of my city, this country, and this world, but instead of ranting about those, I will share what I thought about during my run this morning on that alternate route I took…

I kept thinking of the words, I wish.

I wish that each and every one of us, each and every day took just 5 minutes. 5 little minutes in silence, away from phones, laptops, TV screens, etc. to think about things like:

*What it felt like the first time we got our hearts broken
*What it would be like to be a police officer and get spit on
*How we felt last time we stood over a casket
*What that gut-punch feeling was like when our friend called to tell us they had cancer
*What it would be like to lose a baby
*What our days would entail if we were in a wheel chair
*How it feels when others judge us
*What it would be like to grow up without a mom or dad
*Those years we were broke as a joke
*How helpless we feel when someone we love gets hurt

Maybe if we took just 5 minutes to stop and think about what life has been, could be, or is for so many around us…we’d be much more loving, understanding and less violent with each other.

I wish.

Zero Violence World

#Charlotte #HowIWish #HateNeverWins

 

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June 10, 2016 In North Carolina, Photos

no filter sunset

8:17pm, Thursday June 9th. I walk in and this is what I see:

Image 2

No filters, no adjustments, just a quick shot from my old iPhone. Pretty awesome.

There’s something about a sunrise and a sunset that just feels…ahhh…

The best part is that It’s getting better as I sit here on my balcony, take it in, and type.

What makes you feel peaceful?

#Sunsets #SummerNights #LessStuffMoreMomentsHappyLife

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May 9, 2016 In Do good, Inspiration, Links, North Carolina, Operation Charlotte, Photos

why you should always hold the door open

I love holding the door open for people. While we all live in all too fast-paced reality of the work day, there are few ways we can experience such a happy interaction with a stranger like we can when we wait that extra few seconds to simply hold the door.

Funny I posted about doing good earlier today. Doing good feels so good! I love the look on a strangers face when I hold the door open- the absolute surprise for such a little thing.

I just walked into Starbucks to camp with my laptop for the afternoon, and a couple guys followed me in. I held the door. (I had to count to three-one-thousand for them to catch up to me, so perhaps I looked awkward, but I didn’t care.) I got a big thank you, then walked into the restroom before ordering. When I came out I got behind these same two guys in line as one of them said “…and whatever she’s having for holding the door open for us!”

Whoop!

They thanked me again, complimented my dress, (hello blue!- my favorite color…wink wink:), and I thanked them again.

Thank you fiesta!

I’m still smiling now as I type. That 3 minutes made my day. People being nice to each other. How easy is that?!

I hope you will join me, and hold the door please, (on everything) just for a few extra seconds. Make sure you smile at a stranger when you can. What you put out, always comes back in some form or another. (At least, I keep still believing.)

Starbucks office

Thanks for my coffee, guys!

#DoGood #BeNice #LessHurryMoreDoorHoldingHappyLife

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January 22, 2016 In Links, North Carolina

baby it’s cold outside…

…but I make a damn good grapefruit vodka martini inside!

Cocktails keep you warm

It’s 4:30pm Friday January 22nd and we’re sitting in Charlotte, NC at home during this “epic” (thanks, CNN) storm Jonas. First snow, and more coming. Cars are already completely encased in their bubbles of frozen water which means you have to chisel around your doors to get them open unless you want to wait until everything melts. Cars look like this one in Buffalo, NY parked near Lake Erie recently:

Frozen Car Lake Erie

Ok, so maybe it isn’t quite that bad, but it is definitely hard to break into your own car during storms like this in the south.

This was the view of a freeway near my apartment this morning. It’s typically packed, often bumper to bumper Monday – Friday:

Charlotte Freeze

Nobody.

And this was my view of Uptown (what people around here call downtown):

Charlotte Freeze

You can’t even see the buildings. Whiteout. fog out. Don’t go out. The city is completely shut down.

SNOW DAY!

So what to do?

Yes, we were responsible; Thanks to the interwebs, after sleeping in a little, we “hit the (work) books” to wrap the week, and just now got the bright idea for tropical delicious cocktails. (Did I mention our friends were supposed to fly to Mexico for their honeymoon today and are instead, stuck in the queen City until stormageddon stops? Boo. We made our above drinks in honor of them. When life give you lemons…make cocktails!)

Whether it is January or July, this is my favorite martini to make at home:

*Ice in a shaker with at least 1 generous sized squeezed wedge of both lemon and lime

*Vodka of your choice, and amount of your choice. (Hey, I’m not your mother. Go for the heavy hand if you want. No one is watching:)

*3/4 grapefruit juice. (Preferably fresh grapefruit juice.)

*1/4 heavy splash of cranberry pomegranate juice and light splash of orange juice

*Shake it up and serve, baby.

Stay warm out there! And if you need any help with this cocktail recipe, (or anything else fun, drop me a line here.)

#CocktailsKeepYouWarm #LessStuffMoreFunHappyLife #SnowDay

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