Hi All,
Today is another fabulous day (though it's going to be hot)...Make sure you hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Water is the best, squeeze a lemon in there or something-keep it simple. We hope you'll come to class and chill out with our A/C while dancing your fanny off-but make sure you're well hydrated and well nourished beforehand, ok?
2010. It seems to be shaping up to be a 'year of change' for many of my friends and me. Me? As most of you already know I'm going bionic by having a hip replacement. I have a birth condition called hip dysplasia and the only fix is to get the joint replaced. I've never had surgery of any kind and the last time I was in the hospital it was only because I was born there. The Big J saved me from being a cripple, according to my very accomplished surgeon. So just know that dancing with us in class, like I always say, will SAVE YOUR LIFE...mine too. Seriously. So, it's a definite change for me to do this and be away from teaching for 4-6 weeks. I've never been out more than 4 days in the last 15 years. Change? Yeah. Needed? Yes. I have to take care of me so I can continue to 'take care' of all of you! Why didn't I do it before? I was busy building a business. I needed to make sure we had enough instructors and processes in place to handle everything smoothly for YOU (our valued clients) and our staff (our incredible instructors and CM's). You all know the date and, if you don't, check out my letter on the desk.
I have a friend going back to school at age 40 to change up her career. She's great at her current one-but wants something more/different and I'm SOOO proud of her. I got one friend who is sending her 2nd and last child to college. That's tough, but she's handling it with grace and love. She's a proud Mama and has done a fantastical job with both her girls. I'm proud of her too.
I have one friend who is facing something she needed to face and letting things into the open that needed some airing out. Huge change for her. I am incredibly proud of her and happy a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. We've had 2 instructors move on and make change in their lives-and they are both happier and WE are happy for them! We have a class manager having her first baby and an instructor buying her first house-change! WONDERFUL, happy changes!
Mr. P&P is getting back in shape after 2 years of focusing in taking care of our baby, Ally, through her cancer treatment and her journey to heaven (and taking care of ME during that time too) and welcoming our new baby, Lilly. She's a wonderful handful but now it's time for him to focus on himself. Oh and he is also finishing his Master's degree...and working. Not that he's been busy or anything. So proud of him for taking care of himself. He even made his OWN appointment for a physical and went last week before I even knew it. That's hard for a guy and he did it-so proud of him! Thankfully, he'll be able to work from home during my recuperation and I promise to try and go easy on him! (But I'm still getting that bell! HAHA)
What changes are YOU making in your life? Are you afraid to change? I am...sometimes. But, I'm finding more and more that change is good. I knew that-I've made good, previous change in my life but it's still scary.
So, comment and let us know what change YOU are making...if we all stick together the change won't be so scary or hard...because we'll do it TOGETHER!
See you in class!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Integrity...and getting the word out!
Hi All,
First, let me say...spectacular weekend. Period. Today? Same weather. Awesome.
Second, we had a great time at J&J's bridal shower-such a wonderful family, a fabulous couple and I can't wait for the wedding. Thanks to DF for driving and JL for coming too-I love you ladies, you are so fun to hang with!
Lastly, I spent this morning finding out that SOME businesses have no integrity. Sad. I knew this but usually I can navigate around it. Here's the story:
I must have run over a nail yesterday, on the way to the Center. When I came out of class, my tire was almost flat. I drove across the street to put air in it and try and find a place to get the nail out (I could see the nail). Sunday-no one open. The tire seemed to be holding air and K brought over their compressor so I could put air in it on Monday to get to the tire place safely.
So, got up this morning and decided to go to Sullivan Tire in Bedford. Why? Because we always go there to have our tires installed/serviced and they've always BEEN good to us. (Plus, it's right near WF, where I needed to go after.) I was there by 8:20am and they brought the car right in...
The guy comes out and tells me they cannot fix it and I will need to get 4 new tires. (Sidebar: I will need tires...in the Fall. My tires are fine and I knew that but, you wonder you know?) He wants to slap cheap tires on it today-I say NO WAY...Michelins or nothing and I have no time to wait today. He makes lots of noise about my certain future need for AAA if I leave with the nail in the tire...blah blah blah. I call Mr. P&P, he says get an estimate for the Michelins and make an appt. for later in the week. Done. SUV tires aren't cheap but, again, we have planned for this...in the Fall so the $$ are saved for it. I leave and Mr. P&P tells me to go by the local guy and see if he can patch the tire (aka 'a second opinion'). I go to WF, head up to Chelmsford and, sure enough, local awesome guy patches my tire...safely...for $17. He tells me "You don't need tires now, you have tons of wear left on these and you obviously keep them inflated properly and rotated." Why yes, I do BTW. (This JAP check her tires ALL the time and fills them when necessary...)
Morale of the story? Unfortunately SOME businesspeople have zero integrity. The guy thought he'd strong arm the 'girl' into spending 4 figures on new tires TODAY. Uh, no. Mr. P&P called and canceled our appointment and let them know that, come the Fall, we'll be taking our big ticket purchase elsewhere.
So, I'm here to RECOMMEND Rudy's Mobil in Chelmsford Center-they are honest, fast and treat women with respect. It may not be the cleaniest place you'll ever go, but you will save yourself, oh, $1000 there!
See you all in class.
First, let me say...spectacular weekend. Period. Today? Same weather. Awesome.
Second, we had a great time at J&J's bridal shower-such a wonderful family, a fabulous couple and I can't wait for the wedding. Thanks to DF for driving and JL for coming too-I love you ladies, you are so fun to hang with!
Lastly, I spent this morning finding out that SOME businesses have no integrity. Sad. I knew this but usually I can navigate around it. Here's the story:
I must have run over a nail yesterday, on the way to the Center. When I came out of class, my tire was almost flat. I drove across the street to put air in it and try and find a place to get the nail out (I could see the nail). Sunday-no one open. The tire seemed to be holding air and K brought over their compressor so I could put air in it on Monday to get to the tire place safely.
So, got up this morning and decided to go to Sullivan Tire in Bedford. Why? Because we always go there to have our tires installed/serviced and they've always BEEN good to us. (Plus, it's right near WF, where I needed to go after.) I was there by 8:20am and they brought the car right in...
The guy comes out and tells me they cannot fix it and I will need to get 4 new tires. (Sidebar: I will need tires...in the Fall. My tires are fine and I knew that but, you wonder you know?) He wants to slap cheap tires on it today-I say NO WAY...Michelins or nothing and I have no time to wait today. He makes lots of noise about my certain future need for AAA if I leave with the nail in the tire...blah blah blah. I call Mr. P&P, he says get an estimate for the Michelins and make an appt. for later in the week. Done. SUV tires aren't cheap but, again, we have planned for this...in the Fall so the $$ are saved for it. I leave and Mr. P&P tells me to go by the local guy and see if he can patch the tire (aka 'a second opinion'). I go to WF, head up to Chelmsford and, sure enough, local awesome guy patches my tire...safely...for $17. He tells me "You don't need tires now, you have tons of wear left on these and you obviously keep them inflated properly and rotated." Why yes, I do BTW. (This JAP check her tires ALL the time and fills them when necessary...)
Morale of the story? Unfortunately SOME businesspeople have zero integrity. The guy thought he'd strong arm the 'girl' into spending 4 figures on new tires TODAY. Uh, no. Mr. P&P called and canceled our appointment and let them know that, come the Fall, we'll be taking our big ticket purchase elsewhere.
So, I'm here to RECOMMEND Rudy's Mobil in Chelmsford Center-they are honest, fast and treat women with respect. It may not be the cleaniest place you'll ever go, but you will save yourself, oh, $1000 there!
See you all in class.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A real friend
Hi All,
Hope you're all staying dry on this rainy, windy day. I think Winnie the Pooh would say, "It's blustery outside!"
Speaking of Winnie the Pooh...his BFF is Tigger, right? I remember part of one story where I think it was Pooh who said to Tigger "I just wanted to be sure of you." To me, that means (whether it was Tigger and Pooh or not) that Pooh just wanted to be sure Tigger was there, just there if Pooh needed him.
Sometimes we know our friends are there, but we still feel alone. And sometimes, as the friend who is 'there', we don't notice or 'tune in' when our friends really need us because they don't ask-or feel like they can't ask.
And, to bring this back to 'real' people...women often think we have to be 'Superwoman'...the perfect wife, Mom, friend, sister, daughter and on and on. We think if we don't keep all those 'balls' in the air, we're a failure.
We also think that, since we've always been the 'strong' one for everyone else, if we ask for help and reach out...we're weak.
These things can lead to us really hurting ourselves in a variety of different ways.
It doesn't have to be that way and it takes a HUGE amount of courage to step WAY out of your comfort zone and ask for help and admit you can't do it all.
And, as the friend that's 'there', you have to reach down deep when someone asks for help or tells you something that shocks you and find the unconditional love that person deserves. You have to realize that understanding and non-judgement is what this person needs. They do not need your anger (those some anger is understandable) or disappointment-they are already angry and disappointed in themselves. The outside forces that have helped create this issue have to be recognized and dealt with; however the person must take personal responsibility and, if they do, they need to be praised for that.
So, Pooh, I'm proud of you. I am here and I've always been here and I'll not be going anywhere ever. Remember that only God can judge. Remember that you are an incredibly special person and you have done a very courageous thing. You are back on the right path and that is all that matters now. I knew that your family would be there for you as you have always been there for them. I promise that I will be a more present friend to you and hold you up when you need it. You can count on me.
Now let that incredible weight on your shoulders go, let the rest of us help you carry it. You are not alone anymore.
And to all of you-when a friend is trying to tell you something really listen. You know... that friend you think of that's really strong and always listens to your stuff and is there for you-stop. Listen. Are they trying to reach out to you but you're too busy to hear them? Everyone is busy and no one is blaming you...but did you really HEAR that person reaching out? Did you just assume (we know what happens when we do that) that they are 'just fine' because they 'always are'??? Or, maybe it's your sister, daughter, wife...listen. Watch. What are they really saying? Reach out. They say they're fine and don't need you-go anyway. Just give them the opportunity to open up even if they never do. You might find they DO need to open up and they DO need help this time. And when you do, you'll find out how good it feels to help someone who is always there for you!
Hope you're all staying dry on this rainy, windy day. I think Winnie the Pooh would say, "It's blustery outside!"
Speaking of Winnie the Pooh...his BFF is Tigger, right? I remember part of one story where I think it was Pooh who said to Tigger "I just wanted to be sure of you." To me, that means (whether it was Tigger and Pooh or not) that Pooh just wanted to be sure Tigger was there, just there if Pooh needed him.
Sometimes we know our friends are there, but we still feel alone. And sometimes, as the friend who is 'there', we don't notice or 'tune in' when our friends really need us because they don't ask-or feel like they can't ask.
And, to bring this back to 'real' people...women often think we have to be 'Superwoman'...the perfect wife, Mom, friend, sister, daughter and on and on. We think if we don't keep all those 'balls' in the air, we're a failure.
We also think that, since we've always been the 'strong' one for everyone else, if we ask for help and reach out...we're weak.
These things can lead to us really hurting ourselves in a variety of different ways.
It doesn't have to be that way and it takes a HUGE amount of courage to step WAY out of your comfort zone and ask for help and admit you can't do it all.
And, as the friend that's 'there', you have to reach down deep when someone asks for help or tells you something that shocks you and find the unconditional love that person deserves. You have to realize that understanding and non-judgement is what this person needs. They do not need your anger (those some anger is understandable) or disappointment-they are already angry and disappointed in themselves. The outside forces that have helped create this issue have to be recognized and dealt with; however the person must take personal responsibility and, if they do, they need to be praised for that.
So, Pooh, I'm proud of you. I am here and I've always been here and I'll not be going anywhere ever. Remember that only God can judge. Remember that you are an incredibly special person and you have done a very courageous thing. You are back on the right path and that is all that matters now. I knew that your family would be there for you as you have always been there for them. I promise that I will be a more present friend to you and hold you up when you need it. You can count on me.
Now let that incredible weight on your shoulders go, let the rest of us help you carry it. You are not alone anymore.
And to all of you-when a friend is trying to tell you something really listen. You know... that friend you think of that's really strong and always listens to your stuff and is there for you-stop. Listen. Are they trying to reach out to you but you're too busy to hear them? Everyone is busy and no one is blaming you...but did you really HEAR that person reaching out? Did you just assume (we know what happens when we do that) that they are 'just fine' because they 'always are'??? Or, maybe it's your sister, daughter, wife...listen. Watch. What are they really saying? Reach out. They say they're fine and don't need you-go anyway. Just give them the opportunity to open up even if they never do. You might find they DO need to open up and they DO need help this time. And when you do, you'll find out how good it feels to help someone who is always there for you!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Things I've loving right now...
Hi Everyone,
Hope you are all out enjoying today's wonderful weather!
A couple things we're loving around Rancho P&P...
-Cocoa Metro dark chocolate milk. Mr. P&P loves chocolate milk. He has it has his dessert after supper and I found this 'to die for' dark chocolate milk at...where else?...Whole Foods. Is it cheap? Uh no. Is it worth it? Yes.
-FairyTale Brownies. Go to the website www.brownies.com. KA, one of our instructors sent us these brownies as a Thank You when she got certified and I've now sent them to, oh, 4 different people for different events or thank yous.
-Our homeowners insurance agent. Thankfully, I'm not loving them because of some tragedy in my home-I'm loving them because they have gone to the mat for us with bogus charges on a minute second mortgage we have. We believe our 2nd mortgage company is run by gypsies out of a van...we've been dealing with a bogus charge on our 2nd mortgage for months, where they say we supposedly have no homeowners insurance. BTW, we have and have always had insurance...it has not lapsed for 1 minute in 12 years. After almost 6 months of work by our insurance agent, our issue is solved (or so the gypsies told me today on the phone) and we can all move on. I literally sent the insurance agent those brownies today-to thank them for all their hard work!
Just some things we're loving here right now-stop by and let us know what YOU are loving right now!
See you all in class!
Hope you are all out enjoying today's wonderful weather!
A couple things we're loving around Rancho P&P...
-Cocoa Metro dark chocolate milk. Mr. P&P loves chocolate milk. He has it has his dessert after supper and I found this 'to die for' dark chocolate milk at...where else?...Whole Foods. Is it cheap? Uh no. Is it worth it? Yes.
-FairyTale Brownies. Go to the website www.brownies.com. KA, one of our instructors sent us these brownies as a Thank You when she got certified and I've now sent them to, oh, 4 different people for different events or thank yous.
-Our homeowners insurance agent. Thankfully, I'm not loving them because of some tragedy in my home-I'm loving them because they have gone to the mat for us with bogus charges on a minute second mortgage we have. We believe our 2nd mortgage company is run by gypsies out of a van...we've been dealing with a bogus charge on our 2nd mortgage for months, where they say we supposedly have no homeowners insurance. BTW, we have and have always had insurance...it has not lapsed for 1 minute in 12 years. After almost 6 months of work by our insurance agent, our issue is solved (or so the gypsies told me today on the phone) and we can all move on. I literally sent the insurance agent those brownies today-to thank them for all their hard work!
Just some things we're loving here right now-stop by and let us know what YOU are loving right now!
See you all in class!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Just Popping in!
Hi Everyone,
I know...ridiculous that I haven't posted for awhile-sorry!
We hope you all enjoyed Mother's Day!
There are lots of kinds of Mothers:
1. Moms of human kids
2. Adoptive Moms of human kids
3. Moms of furry kids (#1 and #2 can also be furry kid Moms)
4. Dads who are Moms
5. Other family members who are Moms (Aunts, Godmothers, Grandmothers)
6. Friends who step in as Moms at different times
I think we could go on and on (oh and don't worry, Dad...we won't forget that this goes for Dads too)...
The things about Moms, no matter form they come in, is that they love unconditionally. You really can't be a true MOM without that. There are, of course, a lot of other elements that make a Mom, but this post would be 1000 pages long if we went into them all.
So, my hat is off to ALL the Moms of the world...I hope you enjoyed your special day!
(PS Lilly does give Mother's day gifts (Ally did too) and I got a pedi at my fave spa-going on Tuesday and a nice 'bitten' card!)
I know...ridiculous that I haven't posted for awhile-sorry!
We hope you all enjoyed Mother's Day!
There are lots of kinds of Mothers:
1. Moms of human kids
2. Adoptive Moms of human kids
3. Moms of furry kids (#1 and #2 can also be furry kid Moms)
4. Dads who are Moms
5. Other family members who are Moms (Aunts, Godmothers, Grandmothers)
6. Friends who step in as Moms at different times
I think we could go on and on (oh and don't worry, Dad...we won't forget that this goes for Dads too)...
The things about Moms, no matter form they come in, is that they love unconditionally. You really can't be a true MOM without that. There are, of course, a lot of other elements that make a Mom, but this post would be 1000 pages long if we went into them all.
So, my hat is off to ALL the Moms of the world...I hope you enjoyed your special day!
(PS Lilly does give Mother's day gifts (Ally did too) and I got a pedi at my fave spa-going on Tuesday and a nice 'bitten' card!)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
