GRATITUDE LIST

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Many people have a Wish List this time of year, which, by next week will turn into a Resolutions List.
I used to do both, but I’ve decided to spend the last few days of the year focusing on things for which I’m grateful: big things, little things, good things and even not-so-good, because ultimately, I’m still here. And I don’t take that for granted.

Meeting Santa & Mrs. Claus in Fredericksburg, TX

On December 12th we went to Fredericksburg overnight again with friends. It’s a charming old town begun by German immigrants, which has now become known as the Napa Valley of Texas for its many beautiful vineyards. The whole town was decorated for the holidays, and while strolling Main Street, look who we met!

Normally I would just take a nice photo of them – which I did – but neither of us wanted sit for our photo. Vanity, I guess. But, they began chatting with us, in between an occasional kiddie photo… and Santa and Mrs. Claus won us both over.

I’m trying not to fall off the arm of the chair, and everyone is looking somewhere else, but the spontaneous joy of doing something silly was delightful. And now, memorable. I am very glad to have met them, and want more spontaneous joy in my life!

Speaking of joy, my dear friend Holly (nianow.com/hollynastasi) sent me a little gift to “make things sparkle,” her wonderful words… and upon opening the box, I found two long strands of twinkling star-shaped lights run by solar power. They were just the inspiration I needed to finally decorate. We were actually feeling a little bah-humbug about it (highly-unmotivated is our buzzword) but we knew if we did nothing, we’d regret it. And, just like that, magic!

Now motivated, I went on to make a holiday greeting card out of a photo I’d taken two years ago. Feeling it was just a little plain, I decided to add some glitter to each card. I was so proud of myself when I sat down with my glue-stick and a tube of multi-colored glitter and got to work. And I loved the results, the icicles were all sparkling and bright!

Later, talking to my friend, Maria – who teaches Coffee Break Creativity – (she has helped me branch-out and really enjoy making art… letting go of my perfectionism!) she told me she never uses glitter, and now I know why. There is glitter everywhere, andI will never get it off of, or out of everything, I’m certain! Everyone who gets one of those cards is going to hate me… LOL! Live and learn. Sorry!

So, from my house to yours, I gratefully (and glitter-free) wish you a lovely holiday season, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy, Healthy New Year! Thank you for reading, for commenting, and for all of your good vibes. Lots of love,

XO Donna

If This Then That

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We got up at the butt-crack of dawn this morning in order to be out of the house by 8:30 am.  Maybe it really wasn’t that early, but it sure felt like it!  We had to take our new BMW motorcycle to the dealer for it’s 600-mile check-up. We need a good amount of lead-time in the morning, since neither of us is the “get up, get out of bed, drag a comb across our head,” type of person. We both need breakfast, and a cup or two of coffee.

The ride from our house to San Antonio was done mostly on back-roads through the hill country, with very little time on highways, and it was smooth sailing all the way! With the rain we’ve had this spring, everything is lush right now. Cactus are flowering, deer have spotted fawns, and goats are in every field with their kids clowning around nearby. And it doesn’t matter whether the fields are rolling and grassy, or hard-scrabble without a blade of grass in sight, that’s the good thing about goats – they’re adaptable that way! Cover 3

It would seem like driving/riding two hours down and two hours back would be a hassle, but the very best part of the day for us is our “lunch date” when we go. We always head over to Cover 3 for lunch on their outdoor deck. It’s like a mini-vacation! Great food, great service, wonderful ambiance. We talked about the fact that there are a lot of things that are up in the air that will stay there till something else happens first, and this is where life gets either very interesting, or very stressful, depending on how you look at it.

If  this then…?  Or, if that then…?  I like to have contingency plans for things. I may not follow any them, but I feel more secure if I know they’re there.  And I know that “Life is what whappens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”  Nothing is carved in stone. So we spent our time day-dreaming about “next steps” as we sipped martinis and enjoyed our lunch.

I’ve always been a big advocate of “date nights.” They’re important to get us out of our rut, I mean…routines, and keep our relationship fresh and sexy. But, I think I have become an even bigger advocate of an afternoon lunch date!  I can’t wait until the bike needs it’s next check-up at 6,000 miles.  But maybe I won’t have to wait that long!

XO Donna