Words Of Whimsy

A year has passed almost....

Well it has been nearly a year since I last wrote on this blog and that is because I spend most of my free moments on the computer on Face Book. However I could not give up this space.  I feel like there is a reason I have it...not sure exactly what it is but I think maybe it is coming to me.  

They say a lot can happen in a year and it is amazing how much can...if you want it to or even if you don't want it to.  But sometimes those unwanted changes are life's way of telling us to lift our wings and fly because we might be stuck someplace we hadn't realized we had been stuck until something forced us to simply MOVE.

Last May I decided to give up the job I dearly loved at Menlo Park Health Care to pursue an opportunity that presented itself to me as the GOLDEN EGG with all the bells and whistles a gal could want...it seemed to be a DREAM JOB and within less than a week of applying I had had two interviews and an offer with better pay and better benefits or so I thought...  So I decided to pack up everything that was COMFORTABLE to me and take a risk and go for it.  The package was not as GOLDEN as I thought, I took home the same amount of $ though I made more ( I went from hourly pay to salary, and my benefits that I had been paying for out of pocket at Menlo were indeed paid for but I didn't realize I was giving up a really great insurance plan for a DEDUCTABLE plan that would cost me more in the long run) and I gave up a 4 mile commute that took less than 10 minutes to get to work, for an hour long commute across town on public transportation or I could drive across town and pay $55 a month to park and walk 1/2 mile one way to my building. Then after giving all this up to take this DREAM job and beginning to find myself a new home at my new job and just learning their new system I was terminated two days prior to my probation being  up.  Needless to say I was DEVASTATED.  

I am not sorry I took the risk..because typically I am not much of a risk taker and I honestly hadn't ever thought about losing my new job. I am learning many wonderful lessons about me and people and LIFE.  I am not the type of person that goes into a relationship and says "If we break-up"....nor do I start a new job with the mind set of "If I get fired...." When I start anything I am the type of person that goes in both feet firmly planted on the ground! I am trusting by nature and I appreciate those traits about myself.

I know I LOVE working with the Elderly population and that this is truly where I am in my element and I love the lessons and gifts I get from this population through their Grace, Wisdom and Life Experiences. I continue to return and visit many of my residents at Menlo Park to this day because they hold such a sweet spot in my heart.

During my time off from work, when I am not job hunting, I am trying to use this time as a GIFT and note waste any of it.  I have been cleaning and purging and organizing my house one room at a time.  I have been meeting and re-connecting with old friends I haven't seen in years. I have been taking classes and working on my creative outlets and have learned how to fuse glass and have been working on my new love of knitting and now take my latest project with me whever I go. I have started therapy to do some inner house clearing and work on myself and I am back to focusing on my physical health and weight loss goals again.  I am enrolled in an awesome BACK ON TRACK support class at Kaiser for people who have had Bariactric Weight Loss surgery.  Through all the stress of the past several months and changes..I neglected myself and resorted to old unhealthy eating habits and had gained about 10 pounds back and could see I was headed in the WRONG WRONG WRONG direction and needed to GET BACK ON TRACK!! This class just happened to come at the right time, I started exercising again and just completed walking my first HALF MARATHON.   A goal I am mentally and physically VERY PROUD of.  I have already lost 3 pounds in the two weeks since the class started and I am feeling great about my new re-directed focus towards HEALTH again.

I am feeling my wings fluttering and loving flying again.  I have a job interview on Halloween morning for a job I would LOVE to have becasue I can totally see myself doing the work and offering them what I know I do best.  I will keep you posted on the outcome of that.

I am trying to remain upbeat about the sunshine going away and the darker days ahead as fall and then winter approaches...I have a hard time with the gray dark days, it is not so good for my spirit and depression sometimes hovers, but I am determined to do what I can to bring light into my life in all the many wonderful ways I can. I am blessed with wonderful family and friends.

Hope you have a wonderful Halloween and may the many bright Spirits in your life be touched on Day of the Dead.

 

 

It has been too long since I have actually blogged..I have been in facebook world...much has happened in my life since I last wrote.

Currently I am the Social Services Director at Menlo Park Health Care a company of Eagle Healthcare (www.eaglehealthcare.net) and I find this job to be challenging, and extremely rewarding..I receive amazing gifts from my residents on a daily basis and I work with a wonderful staff. If you or anyone you know is ever recovering from an illness, or injury or surgery or is on Hospice and cannot be at home please give me a call at Menlo Park 503-252-0241 and I would e happy to give you a tour we are located at 745 NE 122nd Ave. Portland, Or. 97230 and we have scored excellent on our past two state surveys.

In May 2010 I underwent a life changing experience and decided to have Gastric Bypass surgery....this is NOT for everyone...and is NOT the easy road to take..It IS a LIFE LONG JOURNEY!!! So far 8 1/2 months later I have lost about 87 pounds since my highest weight last February 2/26/10 and I feel like a new person. I am a work in progress...in the days and months ahead I hope to use this platform to journal more about this. Please continue reading if you are interested.

I hope life is treating you all well and that you are all happy and healthy.

It has been too long since I have actually blogged..I have been in facebook world...much has happened in my life since I last wrote.

Currently I am the Social Services Director at Menlo Park Health Care a company of Eagle Healthcare (www.eaglehealthcare.net) and I find this job to be challenging, and extremely rewarding..I receive amazing gifts from my residents on a daily basis and I work with a wonderful staff. If you or anyone you know is ever recovering from an illness, or injury or surgery or is on Hospice and cannot be at home please give me a call at Menlo Park 503-252-0241 and I would e happy to give you a tour we are located at 745 NE 122nd Ave. Portland, Or. 97230 and we have scored excellent on our past two state surveys.

In May 2010 I underwent a life changing experience and decided to have Gastric Bypass surgery....this is NOT for everyone...and is NOT the easy road to take..It IS a LIFE LONG JOURNEY!!! So far 8 1/2 months later I have lost about 87 pounds since my highest weight last February 2/26/10 and I feel like a new person. I am a work in progress...in the days and months ahead I hope to use this platform to journal more about this. Please continue reading if you are interested.

I hope life is treating you all well and that you are all happy and healthy.

Spay Day 2011 Online Pet Photo Contest

Spay Day 2011 Online Pet Photo Contest. Please vote for my dog Sophie and help support MANY animals in need at the Humane Society!  We appreciate your vote and support to the many animals at HS.  That is where we were blessed enough to find Sophie!  :)

Happy Holidays from My house to yours....

Happy Holidays to You and Yours~



 


Consider your last minute shopping at one of my favorite local shops that has just relocated to the sweet Montavilla neighborhood~  Union Rose  unionrosepdx.com or Trillium Artisans located at SE 90th and Foster http://www.trilliumartisans.com By shopping at one of these two stores you have the opportunity to shop local from MANY DIFFERENT ARTISTS under one roof!

and AFTER Christmas from 12/26-12/31 my Favorite Clothing Store MAGICAL CREATIONS PLUS-SIZE BOUTIQUE is having their ANNUAL YEAR END 50% off the ENTIRE STORE SALE  located at 43rd & NE Sandy  ( a great opportunity to get GORGEOUS PLUS SIZED clothing at an amazing price)

http://www.magicalcreationsboutique.com

I hope the New year is prosperous, abundant, peaceful, healthy and happy for you and yours.  Find me on facebook! See you in 2010!!!

Happy Holidays...Cool Contest...shop Local...

Well I have been spending my days on facebook and neglecting my blog..but thought I woud take a moment to drop in and say hello and wish you all Happy Holidays.  It is frigid cold in Portland, Or. where I am..no snow yet but the East winds are howling and it is is FREEZING! 

I also wanted to put in a plug for a wonderful website I have found called Where Women Create http://www.wherewomencreate.typepad.com and they are having a daily contest called the 12 days of Christmas where you can pop infor the next several days (today is day # 7) and enter with a comment daily (all prizes announced 12/14...they are giving away amazing things by talented artists.

So please pop in and leave a comment and you too just might win something wonderful.   

I also wanted to put a plug in for UNION ROSE  http://www.unionrose.com which has just RE-LOCATED to SE 78th and Stark in the Montavilla neighborhood.  Stop in and shop local from one of the over 30 artisans there (including picking up a hand crafted Holiday Card from yours truly)!

For those of you over size 12 or with plus sized lovelies in your life MAGICAL CREATIONS Boutique http://www.magicalcreationsboutique.com located at NE 43rd & Sandy Blvd in the Historic Hollywood District is collecting food for the local food bank and with every donation of 3 cans of food or more until XMAS EVE you will recieve 25% off your  entire purchase...help others and enjoy GREAT SAVINGS YOURSELF!

and of course I can't forget to mention the incredible TRILLIUM ARTISANS http://www.trilliumartisans.com located at 90th and SE Foster in Portland ( or shop on-line)
 where everything is made local and out of re-claimed and re-used items....Gotta love that! I personally sell my handcrafted photograph bottle cap magnets here.

If you have great ideas of places to shop local in Portland I would love to hear about them and also please share the news about any other contests you might know of...

Happy Holidays!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

What I love about Fall...

Well I am feeling the familiar feelings that come with Fall.  Other than Summer it is probably my most favorite season.  I LOVE the color, it is one of my favorite times to photograph Nature, all the leaves and trees and changing colors I try so hard to capture the beauty I see with my camera.  Ever since I was a kid I have collected leaves, I still do when I go on walks with Sophie...not sure how many books around my house  I have with pretty delicate leaves pressed between wax paper and paper towels in them, as if I could capture the still beauty in the moment they fell from the tree.  Try as I might, I never really do, but something about picking the leaves up and taking them home with me and bringing that little bit of firey color inside to savor warms my heart.  I LOVE trees and in the fall when they are so flaming with color in their transition about to shed their leaves for the long winter is when I love them best and feel the strongest affinity with them. 

I love Fall for all that it brings, for me it is about:

*digging out my hats and scarves and mitts (many knit by the knitting Goddess Heidi of Heidis Hats ~You can find her lovely things at

Union Rose: Locally made goods, beautifully designed in Portland, Oregon )

Drinking Hot Spiced Cider

cozy nights on the couch with a fire and a good tv show

Good hot soup ( I am SO SAD my favorite soup cafe the Blue Moose on NE Fremont Just closed...anybody have other suggestions for great soup places)

Reconnecting with friends I haven't seen in a long time...I am a Football widow, Frankie is GLUED to the TV on Monday nights,  so I want to make Monday night my night to go have dinner with a friend each week, it helps get me out of the house, reconnect with people, try new places to eat, and I am loving Facebook for helping reconnect me with so many peeps I haven't seen in so long!  If you want to go have dinner or coffee or a cocktail let me know!

So those are some of the wonderful things I love about Fall...What do you love about Fall?

Trying to learn the mechanics of posting some things...

I worked really hard and created a great slide show of our recent trip to Maui and have tried to post it here for you all to just click on...from what I can tell that hasn't quite worked...BUT what has worked is the the link just below all this if you CUT and paste it into your browser it will take you to the slide show!  I hope you enjoy it very much and I would appreciate your comments...especially if you all have travelled the infamous Road to Hana and took the BACK ROAD all the way around the Island!  What an Adventure.  Kind of like being on the Indiana Jones Ride at Disney Land minus the boulder for like THREE HOURS!!!  Oh but it WAS breathtakingly beautiful! Mahalo and Aloha Becky