Here's a quick and painless reminder for the "soon-to-be's". And I'm finding some points to be of great aide for any couple - courtesy of Corey, the Editor of Simple Marriage.
The world is seemingly moving at a faster pace. Everywhere you turn, the pace is quick. Deadlines are moved up, workload is increased, kid’s schedules are packed, to-do lists are long, housework never ends – it’s chaos.
At least it feels this way.
Has the world really sped up? Are there more things happening today than 50 years ago? No, and no.
Some things around us may involve more pressure and feel like it’s moving faster, but many times it only feels this way. Thanks to the Internet and cable we hear about everything that happens, immediately.
Our interconnectedness through technology has helped create the illusion of a faster paced world. It’s also created the illusion of less loneliness and isolation – but there’s nothing that can replace real life connections with other people. Physical contact and interaction is vital.
This loss of contact and the perceived pace of the world produces a feeling of chronic anxiousness and a decrease in the ability to find pleasure in some of the simple things.
Honestly, when was the last time you stopped and took in the smell of fresh baked bread? Or colored with crayons? Or walked barefoot in the grass? Or took a few minutes to just breathe?
No where is the impact of our pace felt more than in marriage and family. It’s extremely difficult to move hurriedly through your day and then slow down enough to enjoy your family or your spouse in the evening.
Some of the reasons marriage and family relationships go through sour patches is the squeezing they get from our schedules, disconnection, and pace. It’s easy to get caught up in other things and have the immediate outweigh the important.
To reverse this, here’s a few ideas to try:
Start small.
No change in life is easy or comfortable. Working to let go of the pace around you and creating your own speed takes time and should be attempted in small, incremental steps. Begin by giving yourself permission to slow down. This may seem like a no brainer, but many people believe they don’t have permission to slow down. You do. Whenever life seems to move too fast, take a deep breathe. Three to five slow, deep breaths will slow everything down.
Leave the office.
And I mean leave the office. Shut off all projects, messages, emails, phone calls and conversations and leave the office at the end of the day. Most everything can wait until the next day, so leave it alone until then. As an added help, create a routine to help you disengage from the office on the way home. Walk down the stairs slowly rather than taking the elevator. Drive down tree lined streets rather than the interstate. Walk or bike home from work if possible. Listen to good music while on the train or bus. Stop by the gym for a workout. No matter which way you transition from work to home, make it intentional. Breathe. Relax. Breathe. Let work go. Then walk through the door to your home and enjoy time with those you love.
Turn off all electronic gadgets.
This one is simple. Turn off the phone. The Internet. The television. Spend time talking, playing games, take a walk outside. The point is, unplug and connect with other humans.
Be 100% present.
This is tough at times. But it also is a source of increased tension in life. When I’m with my kids and have other things on my mind, my kids become a pest and source of frustration – at least that’s the way it plays out. When I’ve got work on my mind, my son’s request to play cars is an annoyance rather than an invitation into the world of imaginative play with my child. Whatever you are doing, focus on being 100% present. Multitasking is impossible anyway. Focus on doing one thing at a time and being 100% present while doing it.
Take a walk.
Make it a priority to walk with your spouse and your kids each day. There’s tremendous benefit to being out in nature, even if it’s nature in the city. Want a sure-fire way to improve your marriage? Walk and talk with your spouse at least 30 minutes a day.
Eat outside.
There’s something great about being in nature. There’s something even greater about sharing a meal with others outside. Head to the park for a picnic, eat on the patio at home or restaurants.
Prepare for your day.
Spend a moment at the end of your day preparing for the next day. Pick out clothes, make lunches, talk with your spouse. Then in the morning, before you jump into your day, take some time a simply sit quietly. Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. Breathe slowly, meditate, pray. What a great way to start each day.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
"I Need a Favor..."
“Mayday, mayday…we have a favor dilemma.” I know…there are thousands of ideas to choose from. From stylish, to inexpensive, a unique choice or personalized; there are just too many out there. Some may want theirs to match their wedding theme, others may want something they know will be useful for the receiver. Either way, it’s a decision that will eventually have to be made. Well with a little creativity, this can be something to fit your theme, something affordable and can be neatly dressed to look unique and stylish. More importantly, it just might be something useful to most, if not, to all people in attendance. Even if you decide you want a combination of favors for your guests, let one of your choices be an EDIBLE FAVOR.
You really can’t go wrong with this selection (unless you have a guest or two allergic to your edible favor-woopsie). Again, there are hundreds of edible favors to choose from and it’s obvious that the choices go on. You can get as creative as you want, or simple as a tasty truffle.
My first pick for no particular reason is a Fortune Cookie favor.
For my wedding, I actually chose this as a 2nd favor for our guests. The fun thing about fortune cookies is that majority of the time, you’re able to customize the “fortune message” inside by thanking your guests for coming, or adding a favorite Bible verse or quote. The company I went with was Fortune Nut Cookie, located in Belmont, CA. I decided to go with them because not only did they provide a reasonable bulk price, but the fortune cookies were wrapped individually in their own baggies. Plus, the gal who assisted me was very helpful the whole time.
A next choice you can guarantee your guests won't complain about a beautiful mint tin filled with your favorite mints or other candies. Not only can you choose a mint tin suitable for your wedding theme or colors, this piece can also be personalized with your names and wedding date.
Anybody and everybody loves cookies. You can get as creative as you want to when it comes to the packaging and the cookie of your choice.
One suggestion is to go to your favorite local bakery and cut a deal with them to provide you with x amount of cookies with either your monogram, a certain design or color from your wedding theme. If you have a helpful crew, why not bake your favorite batch yourself. Stack 'em up in a clear baggie that you can find at your nearest craft store, tie it with a colored ribbon, and you're all set.
Yes, the selections are still plentiful and you can go way beyond these few I've listed. Good luck with your favors!
You really can’t go wrong with this selection (unless you have a guest or two allergic to your edible favor-woopsie). Again, there are hundreds of edible favors to choose from and it’s obvious that the choices go on. You can get as creative as you want, or simple as a tasty truffle.
My first pick for no particular reason is a Fortune Cookie favor.
For my wedding, I actually chose this as a 2nd favor for our guests. The fun thing about fortune cookies is that majority of the time, you’re able to customize the “fortune message” inside by thanking your guests for coming, or adding a favorite Bible verse or quote. The company I went with was Fortune Nut Cookie, located in Belmont, CA. I decided to go with them because not only did they provide a reasonable bulk price, but the fortune cookies were wrapped individually in their own baggies. Plus, the gal who assisted me was very helpful the whole time.
A next choice you can guarantee your guests won't complain about a beautiful mint tin filled with your favorite mints or other candies. Not only can you choose a mint tin suitable for your wedding theme or colors, this piece can also be personalized with your names and wedding date.
Anybody and everybody loves cookies. You can get as creative as you want to when it comes to the packaging and the cookie of your choice.
One suggestion is to go to your favorite local bakery and cut a deal with them to provide you with x amount of cookies with either your monogram, a certain design or color from your wedding theme. If you have a helpful crew, why not bake your favorite batch yourself. Stack 'em up in a clear baggie that you can find at your nearest craft store, tie it with a colored ribbon, and you're all set.
- image courtesy of www.marthastewartweddings.com/
A favorite, soothing moment I try and have a few times a week is sipping on my cup of tea (I know I'm not the only one who enjoys this). I think this is just a cute idea; especially if you get to personalize the tea bag itself. It's low-cost and quaint.
As a side note, if you're thinking of buying gifts for your Primary Sponsors or grandparents, a wonderful idea is to locate some beautiful, inexpensive tea sets for them to appreciate. It'd be a great combination, don't you think?
My last but not least pick is the brownie or cake lollipops. In other words...Lollicakes. My husband and I actually have a friend who is starting out her own side business in San Deigo. She's a newbie just like yours truly, and is successfully enjoying what she's doing. Place your order and have them mailed to you within a week before your wedding. Your final step would be to personalize them with a your preferred color ribbon.
Congratulations Joyce, and good luck with A Sweet JOYous Occasion.
Yes, the selections are still plentiful and you can go way beyond these few I've listed. Good luck with your favors!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
.LetLove. shine
Tina here~
Introducing LetLove Photography http://www.letlovephotography.com
She's an amazing, beautiful upcoming photographer here in the Bay Area. And I'm putting her on blast---sisterly-positively-all love blast!!
This is the moment she's been waiting for and things are sweetly coming along for my girl Lileth D. Rau. She's always had the eye to capture the most beautiful images, and has gained alot of knowledge about photography along the way.
I've known this girl for over a decade-way over a decade actually. And I love her to death (she knows it). She has a fun-loving spirit, speaks her mind, and isn't afraid to go one-on-one with you in basketball. I respect her with all my heart.
She inspires those around her to look beyond the impossible... and I love that she's doing that with every shot. I can go on and on about my "sis", but I'll savor it for later blogs. There will definitely be more updates and plugs on LetLove Photography-stay tuned.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
.Living2Love.
**blog excerpt from http://tinay-pie.blogspot.com/
Tina here~
This is the flow of my mind...at this time:
Dedicated to all those who keep pushing, climbing, thriving and striving for success…to get that sense of completion or at least come close to it.
Abraham Lincoln once said:
You have the power. And as I read article after article on Etsy about people like me & you, who are “living on what they LOVE”, it makes me happy that I personally know people taking those steps to LIVE what THEY love…just like us.
Doing something you love doesn’t always paint a pretty picture...especially when you’re starting out. But I bet if you keep the following below in mind (keeping that passion strong, and building your brand), it can lead you toward a beautiful mural. These are just some thoughts that I have…there’s more to it, but I want to share mine:
It takes WORK (extra, double, triple overtime from your every day work).
It takes TIME (last night I was multi-tasking like no other: folding laundry, organizing a room, calling the bride with questions, taking notes, whilst chatting with Courtney, and taking a break to have some cereal and milk for a snack. Time flew by after 3 hours messaging back and forth. But we got a lot done!).
It takes DEDICATION. Coming home from 8 hours work, and 1 hour of commute time, you really have to push yourself and motivate yourself to get back on the saddle and start working on that thing you Live to LOVE for.
It takes PATIENCE. Boy, when you’ve worked so hard on something, and know you did all of the above by putting in your extra work, time, and dedication, you feel a reward is bound to come. “It has to come” you tell yourself. Maybe so...maybe not this time. Having patience can really be helpful in an example like this. I’ve learned to remind myself that though a lot of effort was put into something, I may not be rewarded at once, but as long as I know I did the best I could and I get one compliment, I can move on to the next one.
It takes an OPEN MIND. The ideas are plentiful, and the opportunities are continuous. Step out of the norm, and get into projects and hobbies you never thought you’d be caught doing. You never know what you’re capable of if you don’t try.
It takes an OPEN BOOK...literally. I’ve read a few books over the past few months, and I have gained more knowledge now about marketing, business, networking, building up my personal brand, etc…than ever before in my life. And I’ll continue to do that.
It takes FAITH. Believing that all is possible, you're "stepping out in faith", as Victoria Osteen puts it in her book Love Your Life
It takes LOVE. The love you have for something you’ve always wanted to do, or always had a keen interest on can make you feel wholesome…in a way that you never thought would be possible.
To my husband, Jay, who amazes me every time he is challenged with a task, and I watch him go through it, and watch him overcome it, he’s remained in a state of success no matter the circumstances. He leads me toward this bright future and believes that I’m capable of things I may not see or can’t quite grasp the idea of just yet. He reminds me of how to handle my time, and if I stress out, take a break-simple as that. He shares with me his ultimate goals and the love he has to be able to give back, to climb up the ladder of success, and to share this all with me. He shares his love about all things that are possible for us.
To Courtney, with the unstopable mind of creative flow. She knows, I know, we know..."lesdodis."
To family & friends who support, who love...believe it.
Tina here~
This is the flow of my mind...at this time:
Dedicated to all those who keep pushing, climbing, thriving and striving for success…to get that sense of completion or at least come close to it.
Abraham Lincoln once said:
"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing."
You have the power. And as I read article after article on Etsy about people like me & you, who are “living on what they LOVE”, it makes me happy that I personally know people taking those steps to LIVE what THEY love…just like us.
Doing something you love doesn’t always paint a pretty picture...especially when you’re starting out. But I bet if you keep the following below in mind (keeping that passion strong, and building your brand), it can lead you toward a beautiful mural. These are just some thoughts that I have…there’s more to it, but I want to share mine:
It takes WORK (extra, double, triple overtime from your every day work).
It takes TIME (last night I was multi-tasking like no other: folding laundry, organizing a room, calling the bride with questions, taking notes, whilst chatting with Courtney, and taking a break to have some cereal and milk for a snack. Time flew by after 3 hours messaging back and forth. But we got a lot done!).
It takes DEDICATION. Coming home from 8 hours work, and 1 hour of commute time, you really have to push yourself and motivate yourself to get back on the saddle and start working on that thing you Live to LOVE for.
It takes PATIENCE. Boy, when you’ve worked so hard on something, and know you did all of the above by putting in your extra work, time, and dedication, you feel a reward is bound to come. “It has to come” you tell yourself. Maybe so...maybe not this time. Having patience can really be helpful in an example like this. I’ve learned to remind myself that though a lot of effort was put into something, I may not be rewarded at once, but as long as I know I did the best I could and I get one compliment, I can move on to the next one.
It takes an OPEN MIND. The ideas are plentiful, and the opportunities are continuous. Step out of the norm, and get into projects and hobbies you never thought you’d be caught doing. You never know what you’re capable of if you don’t try.
It takes an OPEN BOOK...literally. I’ve read a few books over the past few months, and I have gained more knowledge now about marketing, business, networking, building up my personal brand, etc…than ever before in my life. And I’ll continue to do that.
It takes FAITH. Believing that all is possible, you're "stepping out in faith", as Victoria Osteen puts it in her book Love Your Life
It takes LOVE. The love you have for something you’ve always wanted to do, or always had a keen interest on can make you feel wholesome…in a way that you never thought would be possible.
To my husband, Jay, who amazes me every time he is challenged with a task, and I watch him go through it, and watch him overcome it, he’s remained in a state of success no matter the circumstances. He leads me toward this bright future and believes that I’m capable of things I may not see or can’t quite grasp the idea of just yet. He reminds me of how to handle my time, and if I stress out, take a break-simple as that. He shares with me his ultimate goals and the love he has to be able to give back, to climb up the ladder of success, and to share this all with me. He shares his love about all things that are possible for us.
To Courtney, with the unstopable mind of creative flow. She knows, I know, we know..."lesdodis."
To family & friends who support, who love...believe it.
Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love. -Rumi
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
This Logo Won
Tina here~
I can't even begin to tell you how many emails were exchanged trying to get a sense of where we were going with our C&C logo. Contemplating on what we envisioned for our logo, and meshing them together to create something we both can smile about is a pretty tough project. We both have insane similarities, creativeness, and ideas that can compliment the other person's idea, and can work to agree on something quickly, and you'll know that just by working with us, or reading our blogs. But to our surprise, something so simple can actually take a while to perfect to our satisfaction. We had one hecka of a time choosing the different logos that popped up.
Counting from the very beginning when we started inquiring with our gal-pal Jo (who is on an excellent start in designing things such as these), I think we went through about 59...that's right, a fifty-niner attempt, that consisted of different styles, colors, fonts, placement of initials, designs, shapes, sizes...back-n-forth to what fits us best. You'd think our Mission Statement or our About Us page would take a little longer, but not so much. Who knew how much time would be spent on deciding on such a small little part of our start-up. I think because we hail from the Virgo zodiac sign, we gave that "attention to detail" toward this logo that we wanted to make sure we were both happy with it. After hours with Mr. Lionel's Photoshop expertise, and more exchanging of emails and chat messages, sharing each other's opinions, we are now set. We finally concluded with something that represents us, obviously (the simplicity of it makes me smile).
I can't even begin to tell you how many emails were exchanged trying to get a sense of where we were going with our C&C logo. Contemplating on what we envisioned for our logo, and meshing them together to create something we both can smile about is a pretty tough project. We both have insane similarities, creativeness, and ideas that can compliment the other person's idea, and can work to agree on something quickly, and you'll know that just by working with us, or reading our blogs. But to our surprise, something so simple can actually take a while to perfect to our satisfaction. We had one hecka of a time choosing the different logos that popped up.
Counting from the very beginning when we started inquiring with our gal-pal Jo (who is on an excellent start in designing things such as these), I think we went through about 59...that's right, a fifty-niner attempt, that consisted of different styles, colors, fonts, placement of initials, designs, shapes, sizes...back-n-forth to what fits us best. You'd think our Mission Statement or our About Us page would take a little longer, but not so much. Who knew how much time would be spent on deciding on such a small little part of our start-up. I think because we hail from the Virgo zodiac sign, we gave that "attention to detail" toward this logo that we wanted to make sure we were both happy with it. After hours with Mr. Lionel's Photoshop expertise, and more exchanging of emails and chat messages, sharing each other's opinions, we are now set. We finally concluded with something that represents us, obviously (the simplicity of it makes me smile).
So here we go...on to our next mission. We're trying to familiarize ourselves with the awesomeness of wix.com, grabbing our domain through godaddy.com, setting up our Google Voice, and spending time on our website, sorting through gobs of information that we're considering. And of course, the countdown has begun for the Valdez-Barillaro wedding to happen in 31 days (exactly a month from today)....get outta here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)