Morning Coffee???

In today's Ultimate Blog Challenge we are to write about having a cup of coffee with a friend in the morning, on our front porch. 

I can tell you that in the entire time I've lived in my house (13+ years) I've never had coffee on the front porch with a friend.  

I get up and hit the pavement most mornings with my dog, Randolph.  We walk about 30 minutes every morning.  And when I say walk, I really mean walk, stop, he sniffs, and then "baptizes" his chosen target, then we move along.  Then I come home a mix up a concoction of hemp powder (extremely high in protein and fiber), collagen powder (good for joints/skin/nails/hair) and a green veggie powder.  I also add a couple drops of lemon or wild orange essential oil.  I just ordered some liquid Tumeric, so now I'm adding a dropper of that too.  

Coffe is usually reserved for Saturday mornings.  I'm a decaf girl when I do drink and lately have found I don't even finish the cup. 

As for visiting with friends, well, we reserve that for lunches.  Without the guys around--so we can, you know, girl talk.  

How about you?  Are you a coffee person?  Lunch person?  How do you enjoy spending time with your friends?  

And as always, connect with me on social media!  The links are below!

Who has your heart?

Who or what has your heart?  For me, the first in line for my heart's affections (after my Lord) are my family.  

I'm privileged to be a wife and the mother of 5 children.  The picture above is of my youngest daughter.  I bet you can tell she's into horses.  This is her and horse, Spark.  My daughter is at college and has been working on a ranch and I haven't seen her since the end of July.  She was supposed to get to come home this weekend, and that didn't work out, so I came to see her.  The added bonus is I got to see Spark too!  If case you're curious, he's got something called a "slinky" on him.  It helps protect horses from the cold at night.  Horses grow a thick coat of hair in the cold weather to naturally protect them.  Show horses need to have a smooth, slick appearance, so owner wrap them in slinky's, sheets and blankets to keep them warm, and so they won't grow the thick coat of hair.

We had a good time last night and went out for Texas Roadhouse.  The baby girl was happy.  

Post who or what has your heart in the comments below. Add a picture and let's learn more about each other!  

Also, connect with me through the links below!  

Questions?

It's day 22 in The Ultimate Blog Challenge.

First of all, thanks for coming to my blog and reading about what we are doing in the challenge. I have a favor to ask of you! Now that you are here, what would you like to know?  What question would you like answered?  What is causing the most pain for you right now?

Go on, Ask Me Anything!

Tomorrow,  I will select one or two (or a few questions) and answer them for you.

So leave a comment below and ask me a question!

Thanks!

America, Long May She Stand

It's my favorite time of the year, and my least favorite time of the year.

My favorite time because it's fall, and my least favorite because it's election time.  I grow weary of negative campaigning, smear ads, mud-slinging and the general discontent an election brings about.

This year's presidential campaign has been particularly nasty.  I'm not a fan of either candidate. As a declared Independent, party affiliation does not sway my decision. I am excited about the prospect of a woman president, and I'll cast my vote for Hillary.  I'm not a huge Hillary fan, and there are many things about her that I don't care for.  When I look at her record of service at Secretary of State, and her knowledge of foreign governments and the work she has already done with them, I think that will serve her well as President.

I'm not thrilled about the options this year.  Even so, I will exercise my right as a citizen of the United States and cast my vote.

Underpinning all of this for me is the scripture that reads: There is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. (Romans 13:1b).
Because I know that God is completely in control, I'll just leave it up to Him!  And that brings me great peace.  

I Get Knocked Down and I Get Up Again

Today is The Ultimate Blog Challenge Day #20.  And today's challenge topic is about when I  faced a challenge.

I remember when I was studying for my Series 7 Securities License to become a financial advisor.  It was an intense 3 months.  Study and tests ever single day.  Then there were chapter tests and the build up to the ultimate final.  Taken at a center in front of a computer.  It was one of the most challenging things I've ever done.  None of it came easily to me because I didn't have a finance background.  I had a sales background.  There was one particular section that I just couldn't get. Options.  It just didn't make sense to me.  I tried and tried and tried.  I even was asked to be on a call with one of the trainers to help me get it.  Nope.  Nothing was working.  I thought my entire future hung on the outcome of this test.  {I've since learned that isn't true! and more about that at another time}.

So I went to my boyfriend's house and we literally spend 36 hours drilling and drilling and drilling options.  No eating out, no movies, no fun, just drilling options.

And I finally got it.  And I passed my final.  And I started a new future.  And that's another story there.

What I learned about myself through that process, and in other times in my life is that I'm not a quitter, I persevere.  I make sure that I see something through.  I rise up to meet a challenge and see it through.  It has served me well.  And that stick-to-it-ness has translated to me learning how to take care of me.

I Get Knocked Down and I Get Up Again
And whenever I think about that, it makes me think of this song:

My Top Ten Fun Things to Do

Today, I was asked to write about something that is fun to me.  I started thinking about it and couldn't come up with just one thing, so here's my top ten list!

10.  Spending time outside.  I absolutely love being outside.  And my favorite time of the year to do that is in the fall.  I live in Texas so we get about 2 weeks of fall.

9.  Reading a book-undisturbed.  I love a good novel. I read for my professional and personal development on a regular basis.  When I can find  quick, fun read, I'm all in!

8.  Cooking a gourmet meal.  I'll admit it--I'm a pretty darn good cook. I love to cook and eat.  My favorite thing is trying new recipes.

7. Playing piano.  I've played since I was 4 years old.  (I won't do the math for you). Playing piano relaxes me.

6. Taking a walk with my dog. My dog is really a dawg. He's a big 'ol mix of lab and hound. We don't walk as much as "stop, sniff and pee."  Well, he does that part--I'm along for the leash holding.

5. See an action/adventure movie.  I grew up watching Star Trek and then really got into Star Wars in college.  I'm always game for a good adventurous flick.

4.  Go on girls trips.  I have a great group of friends, and I love day trippin' with them.

3.  See my kids.  My chicks have all left the nest. Any time I get to see them, no matter how brief, is a red letter day for me.

2. Have a date night with my hubby.  We lead pretty busy lives, and being able to just relax and spend time together is my idea of perfection.

1.  Sharing my passions with others.  I love helping and sharing and just being.  It's the most fun thing about my life!

Are any of my fun things to do in your top ten?  Let me know!

Guiding you to Well Being

When was the last time you took a look at how you're doing?  You know--are you feeling peaceful or stressed? Is your day filled with anxiety?  Do you sleep at night?  How are your relationships?  Do you love where you work and what you are doing?  How's your health?  Are you sick with colds and the sniffles all the time?  Is your digestive track on track--or slightly off kilter?  Do you have frequent headaches?  What about your emotional state?  Do you live in a state of joy and happiness, contentment and calm? Or do you live with constant struggles and unease?

Did you know that everyone you come in contact with can "feel" your energy-and you can "feel" theirs?  

Everything I'm asking about contributes to your overall state of Well Being.

I'm Your Well Being Guide.  I guide you to the live the life you love.  

By incorporating energy work and aromatherapy, I am able to help you release negative energies you have stored up in your body and bring your body back into balance, so you can have that sense and feeling of complete well being. 

Energy.  It's all around you.  It's renewable, sustainable, viable.  You use it to fuel your vehicle, fly a jet plane, mow your yard.  It's from wind, water, coal, and nuclear sources.  Did you know that YOU-yes, YOU-are full of energy and you carry it everywhere you go?

You body is full of energy.  It full of positive energies that move you along your life's journey to live life with the fullest sense of contentment and peace possible.

There is the negative side of your energy, too.  Those negative energies are trapped in your body, in your organs, joints, muscles, all-over your body.  These negative energies are emotional responses that you created in a given situation and which are preventing you from being at ease. You may find that you carry bitterness, fear, a feeling of forlornness, shock, heartache and many other emotions with you. And you may not be sure from where they come. 

I use a healing method, called Emotion Coding,  to help you release these negative energies.  Through muscle testing, I am able to find and release these trapped emotions that are causing your negative energies.  Many people find they have less pain, more happiness and feelings of freedom when they have going through a session with me.  

I couple aromatherapy with the energy work I do.  Aromatherapy, using essential oils  helps you raise your vibrational frequency and set your energies to the highest levels possible.  Diffusing essential oils, massaging them onto your body and even taking them internally (I don't recommend this method except with the purest of all essential oils) are all forms of aromatherapy. 

If you would be interested in a complimentary session with me, please feel free to comment below, or connect with me on my social media sites.  

Let's #journeytogether 

Who's Your Super Hero?

Today's challenge is about Super Hero's.  When I was growing up I really liked The Green Hornet and his sidekick Kato.  Who was your favorite super hero growing up?

Now-A-day's I have a completely different kind of hero.  I want to introduce you to one of my current hero's.  Her name is Kathy Haueisen.  She's a friend of mine who has been through some similar things I've been through.  I asked her to write a guest blog and I'm going to share it with you here.  I hope you find her to be a hero too.

Do you know anyone who's been through a divorce? A combination of factors since the mid-1900’s have made divorce common. After my divorce I felt like I imagine Dorothy did when she woke up somewhere over the rainbow in the Land of Oz. Every aspect of life changed. Pre-divorce I moved about in the world of married folks from the home base I shared with a man I considered my best friend. When that came to an abrupt halt home base filled with new experiences – some of which I could have done without.

            Figuring out how to spend the holidays was particularly challenging. So was deciding how to handle family events such as confirmations, birthdays and funerals. Then there was the learning curve about what, when and how much to say about what happened.

            I knew about insecurity, self-doubt and worry before the divorce, of course. I well remember the panic I felt when my daughter and I were separated during a shopping trip when she was barely a teenager. I remember the fear I felt when a stranger made obscene calls to the house that my daughters intercepted. However, prior to the divorce, I do not recall ever having a full-fledged anxiety attack in which I was afraid for no specific reason.

            Post-divorce I many anxieties gnawed at me. Would I run out of money before I ran out of bills? Would I bounce checks? What if I got sick in the middle of the night and couldn’t reach a phone to call for help? What should I do about the ominous noises coming from the attic?  While these were hardly earth-shattering problems, they eroded my sense of confidence and well-being.

            Time really does heal many wounds. Part of my healing came though writing the novel Asunder about divorce, dating and re-marrying later in life. Asunder tracks the recovery of Ellie, the main character who divorces after thirty years of marriage. She is a nervous wreck as she gathers her adult children to announce she’s getting married again. Then, through a family crisis, she slowly finds her way back to a place of hope and healing.

            The accompanying discussion guide explores how unrealistic expectations about marriage set up people up for marital disappointments. The church is often a source of tremendous support for divorced people; but can also add distress when divorced people are either ignored or shamed for failing at this basic human relationship. The accompanying study guide explores what scriptures really say about divorce and addresses the many changes in assumptions about marriage – and divorce – through the ages from Biblical times to the present.

            The main thing I’ve learned is that divorce is not the end. It is the beginning of a whole new world waiting to be explored. That new world isn’t somewhere over the rainbow. It’s right over the threshold of home. Nor does it require a pair of ruby slippers to travel there. Rather, it takes courage to open the door, step outside, and greet the new world waiting on the other side.

Asunder: A Novel Approach to Divorce Recovery is available locally in Houston at Blue Willow and River Oaks book stores, from Amazon, or the publisher at www.blueocotillo.com. It will soon be available as an e-book from Amazon. The author is available to speak with your group on this topic.

I'd Come Running, If You'd Only Call

Travel.  I love it. It's one of my all-time favorite things to do.  I've been blessed to travel to Italy, Holland, Mexico, the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Canada, and many states, including to HI 3 times. 

Today's blog challenge is to think about places I'd like to travel, and why. 

The one place I want to go more than anything in the world may not be very exciting to you, but to me it would mean so much.  I want to go to Midland, TX and visit my daughter and her family.

You see, my daughter hasn't spoken to me for almost 5 years.  She decided to remove herself from our family, and has cut off communication with all of us, except for one of my daughters.  I have 2 grandchildren who I don't know, and who don't even know that I'm alive.  Oh what I'd give to hear her voice that said "Come see us Mom.  Come see the kids and spend some time with us."  

Because of the work I've done over the last several years, learning how to live a peaceful, balanced life, and what causes the imbalances in our lives, I understand where she's at.  I get her pain.  I understand what's behind her not being able to reach out, to pick up the phone and make that call.  I pray every day that she'll find healing and come to a place of forgiveness for all the wrongs she feels have been committed against her.  I pray that there will be a day when we talk every day, and that my grandkids know me and all their aunts and uncles.  

Until then, I hold her in a space of complete love. I hold no ill feelings toward her.  Just complete love. And, I miss her every. single. day.  I know that she has her own journey to travel.  So, I just do my thing, understanding her, and loving her.

I don't share this to have a pity party, or to garner sympathy.  I share it from the space that even though my precious daughter has made these decisions, I can still have a loving relationship with her. It may not be in person, or through communication.  It is, however, still a relationship of love.  From me to her.  Always and forever.  And maybe, someday she'll be ready to receive that love again.  

So when you see me say WhoopEE, I'm going to Midland, TX!  You can smile and know just what that's all about.  

 

Eight Days A Week

I work on the weekend.  Sometimes just on Saturday, and sometimes, both Saturday and Sunday.  I love what I do and don't really consider it "work".
Today, I spent 3/4 of my day sharing aromatherapy with folks at a school district Health Fair.

It was an absolute joy talking to parents, grandparents, and kids about using all natural, healthy, holistic alternatives for them to use to help their wellness lifestyle and create healthy habits.  The theme of the expo was Healthy Habits, Healthy Minds, and Healthy Bodies.  Aromatherapy contributes to all that!  

Purity and standards are important too.  My favorite aromatherapy line is sourced form over 40 countries around the world.  No pesticides, growth hormones, chemicals or synthetics.  Absolute purity. It's something I can be confident in representing, so when I'm working on a weekend, I'm proud of what I'm doing.

And sometimes, when I'm working, things don't go as planned. Like when I showed up today with a tablecloth for a 6' table and the table provided for me was an 8'.  Oh well!  Thanks to the organizers I had a back up! 

What do you do that you are absolutely passionate about that you'll get up at 6am on a Saturday and spend your day doing?  

#aromatherapy, #lovewhatIdo, #holisticlifestyle, #essentialoils, #healthy, #blogboost

Moving Forward

Today's blog challenge is all about where I have been, where I am now, and where I'm headed.  I don't make this stuff up--it's part of the challenge!

Someone commented on my most recent post that life throws up curves, and that even our best laid plans can go awry.  That is so true! My life has certainly taken twists and turns.  And what I've learned is that everyone's life takes those twists and turns.  I haven't met one single (or married for that matter.  Ha!) person whose life is EXACTLY the way they thought it would be.

10 years ago I was a very successful financial advisor.  The problem was, I HATED what I was doing.  The money didn't even begin to make up for the misery I was in. After taking a hard look at my situation, I realized that it was me-I had allowed myself to be influenced by others and didn't stick to what I knew would make me the happiest-serving others the way I defined that service to be.  So I left being a financial advisor and set out on a journey of creating the career I wanted for me.  That journey has taken me through some twists and turns of it's own. Have you ever read The Alchemist,  by Paul Coelho?  It's about this young man, who has a dream, and takes a very twisty journey to get to his dream. I compare my personal journey with his. And just like our protagonist, I learned that everything I've encountered along the way in my journey has led me to finding my dream.

Everything I experienced along the way in my journey has contributed to lead me exactly where I am supposed to be.  Here. Now. Serving. Guiding.  Living my life that I have created.

I guide people to find the life they love.  I'm certified as a Holistic Empowerment Coach and am completing certification in a particular energy work that helps you release trapped emotions that are keeping you from fulfilling your true calling. I incorporate aromatherapy into my work, because essential oils have amazing healing properties, both emotionally and physically.  The oils can truly work where no synthetic or chemical can.  I work with actresses, business coaches, entrepreneurs, Moms, children, animals (!), and anyone who wants to break free of the bondages they carry.
My work is so satisfying and fulfilling.  I LOVE what I do now. In fact, I don't even feel like I'm working.

So that's where I've been and where I am now.  Where am I going?  To the stars---I am building an incredible business that offers light and love to others.  I offer you a way to break out of the drudgery you carry and find peace.  Connect with me to find out how that could work for you.

See ya tomorrow!

Get Back Up Again

There's this song I like by Toby Mack and the lyrics go  like this:
We lose our way, we get back up again.  Never too late to get back up again.
I especially like the line Never too late to get back up again.
The older I get, the more I've learned that everyone has gotten down at one time or another in their lives.  Illness, broken relationships, unwanted moves, kid stuff, money woes, and sometimes things very tragic and horrific.
I've experienced my own "lose our way".  When my first husband left me and our family, I thought it was the end of the world for me.  I was raised in a bubble that didn't have divorce in it.  The shame I carried around my divorce was almost unbearable.  I stuffed so much of the shame and guilt I felt about what my kids and I went through that it finally caught up to me about 10 years later.
I've been blogging about anxiety and the negative effects it can have on someone's life.  I know first hand those effects.  My anxiety about all the things I didn't "do right" in my life caused me to have both physical and emotional pain.  It was really rough for me for several years.  So much so, I was seeing both a counselor and a pain management doctor. I really looked like this most of the time.

Then I took some time to begin healing from the inside out.  I allowed myself to forgive myself, and let myself off the perfection hook.  It wasn't easy.  It took hours/weeks/months of prayer and meditation, and that prayer and meditation is still a daily part of my life.
I also adopted a more healthy lifestyle, changing my eating habits, adding in exercise and using aromatherapy on a daily basis.
These changes have helped me grow into a person who loves myself, and has found a peace and calm I never even knew existed.  I even have learned to forgive my ex-husband.  Now I look like this.

I know that many out there struggle with anxiety and pent-up emotions about situations and feel real pain around them.  I'm here to share my journey with you and the modalities I've discovered that helped me. I've become a Certified Holistic Empowerment Coach and am completing my certification as an Emotion Code Practitioner, who can help you balance your energies and let go of trapped emotional pain.
Connect with me on Facebook or twitter.  My website is coming soon!  (My website designer was severely injured in a car accident in which he was t-boned this past weekend.)
Share your anxious situations with me and let's chat.
#anxiety, #wellbeing, #calm, #peace, #aromatherapy

Breathe Your Way to Calm

Today I'm interviewing my friend and fellow Holistic Expert, Amber Callahan.  Amber is a Yoga instructor, a Nutrition Coach, and a Regional Vice President with Arbonne.
When I shared with her about this blog challenge, she was excited to join me and we decided that she would share her #1 piece of advice for you on how to handle your anxiety.
Here's our interview:

I love Amber's simple, yet effective advice on how to bring calm to yourself and even how to teach this simple technique to others.

If you want to hear more of Amber's advice, find her past Podcasts on iTunes and Stitcher under PlantFit.  You can also find her at getplantfit.com.

And don't forget to clink on the links below to follow me, Your Well Being Guide.

What Kind Of Energy Do You Project?

Have you ever walked into a room, met someone and instantly had a feeling about that person?  Maybe your reaction is "Oh, I have a bad feeling/vibe about them", or "I really like that person." And this is before you've ever even had a conversation with them.

What you are experiencing is someone's energy.  Did you know that we all project an energy field?  Our bodies have biochemical and physiological activities that surround the body which can be detected through a device called a SQUID magnetometer.  Every tissue and organ in our body produces a specific, magnetic vibration.  These are called biomagnetic fields.  In fact, your heart's electromagnetic field is so strong you can take an accurate EKG reading three feet away from the body! *

To leave the scientific jargon behind and just give you some plainspeak--you project your energy all around you.  You've probably heard of the mind-body-spirit connection.  There is now scientific evidence that our bodies are an energetic, emotional, vibrant, and spiritual entity.  And everything in our body, our mind, our spirit, our cells, tissues, muscles, blood, everything--are in constant communication with everything else.  

What this all comes down to is this--we are beings of energy.  So the physical state of being and emotional state of being we are in at any given moment is projected through our energy field. 

When you are agitated, others can feel it.  When you are at peace, others can feel that too.  When you are stressed, full of anxiety, angry or even just tired, others feels that too.  The imbalances you carry with you, project to those around you.  You do have a "vibe"--it's your energetic vibration.  

You can positively or negatively affect your own energy field.  If you feel out of balance, something as simple as taking your shoes off and walking in the grass can bring your energy back into balance and help your spirit align again. 

As Your Well Being Guide, I can guide you to bringing your energy back into balance and help you not only project a positive energy field, I can help you feel grounded and peaceful.

Join my FB page or follow me on Twitter.  

*Nelson, B. (2007) The Emotion Code.  Mesquite, NV: Wellness Unlimited Publishing.  

#wellbeing, #balanced, #vibe, #grounded, #energy, #mindbodyspirit

Getting To Know Me

The old song--Getting to know you, getting to know all about you.  I can hear it playing in my head.  Julie Andrews sang it in The King and I.  So this blog will be slightly different because it will be Getting To Know Me, Getting To Know All About Me.

Sounds a little presumptuous, that you want to know all about me.  Because I'm in this Ultimate Blog Challenge, I'm following the suggestions of the creators and introducing you to me.
I took a life time out in 2008, after leaving a highly successful career as a financial advisor, and basically sat on my couch for 6 months.  I worked through a bunch of stuff that I had set aside, so I could just carry on with life, support my 5 kids, navigate a new marriage and do what every one else expected of me.  It turned out that carrying on with life, on everyone else's terms was almost my undoing.
When I decided that I'd had enough, and that I was ready to "do" lif
e on my own terms, I called a halt to the madness and took some time to figure out what I wanted.
It was the best decision I've ever made.
Because of my journey, I learned that there are literally 100 of thousand's of people out there just "doing" life every day. With no peace, no joy, filled with anxiety, loosing sleep, racked with pain, both physically and emotionally.  I can really relate, because I was there.
The coolest thing about my life now is that I "be".  I don't "do" life any more.  I live in a state of being that includes peace, sheer joy, forgiveness, calm, and happiness I've never known was even possible.
What changed?  I discovered that I choose my state.  And in that choosing I've discovered modalities that lead me straight toward the peace, joy, happiness and calm that was for so long utterly elusive,
Filled with compassion and passion, I now bring those modalities to others, and offer myself as a guide to bring you to being in the peace I've found, with all that encompasses.
I look forward to learning more about you.  And I offer my service to you.  Please feel free to reach out to me via my FB page www.facebook.com/yourwellbeingguide or through twitter @yrwelbeinggude to connect.
Namaste and Blessings to you.

Don't Let Anxiety Suck Your Energy