Simple, great moments

I am developing a workshop surrounding Positive Psychology - still working on the title and times. I think it will be a class format. I love to create and feel fortunate that I have a profession where there is so many opportunities to do so. If you want to join in on the discussion, start with taking the questionnaire: www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu and click on VIA Signature Strengths Questionnaire.

There are so many great moments in my life. Here are three I captured with my phone:

Enjoying another amazing, beautiful summer night on our tandem.  Ah, I just had to stop and enjoy and click before I started pedaling again :).

Cricket 'finding the trash'. Not just good, but great girl!  I know past good girl it might be blah, blah to her but I proceeded to tell her thank you and how much that means to me that she can find the trash in unfamiliar areas.

This beautiful flower in our backyard.  I love how they just keep sharing and giving more starts.  This one is for you Natalie and your yard.    

What's in your store for your weekend?  

Hope it is full of some great moments :)!

Seeing Beautiful

We enjoyed a beautiful hike this past weekend as a family. This is one of the lookouts to enjoy our beautiful city. I enjoyed experiencing my family enjoying the view. Kendall is nearby reflecting ... out of camera range. There are many ways to experience the beautiful view. Listen to the sounds. Experiencing the moment with my family. Smelling the joys of the outdoors. Feeling the slight breeze blowing. It was a little chilly as we climbed.

Cricket is posing in this next picture to share her beautiful tag that says:  See Beautiful.  We do.  It was such a special treat to get to spend a wonderful lunch with this beautiful woman and friend in Atlanta last month.  I am touched by her passion and sharing such a beautiful message.  What a special privilege to get to write a post for her blog here: http://seeabeautifulworld.blogspot.com/2012/05/on-seeing-beautiful.html

Getting a little time this morning to work in the garden is beautiful.  The picture below is with Cricket in harness in front of our friendship garden.  It needs a little love right now.  It is full of perennials and rocks shared from friends in our old neighborhood and even from our old house.  It helped to feel like we brought a little of the love from our last neighborhood here!  

Sometimes I'm asked how I garden blindly.  I have found various tips helpful throughout the years.  I try to carry all my gardening tools in a bucket to keep track of them.  I also have one of Mimi's pouches that I love  that I carry my phone and a few dog treats and I used to carry little note pad with a big marker so I can write down if I think of something -- however, these days I use my iphone to simply record myself a note.  Have I mentioned how much I love my iphone and ipad :).    

Isn't my helper in the garden beautiful? 

Have a beautiful day!

Tree Tradition

Cricket was not real thrilled when we arrived at the Nursery. Her princess paws are not a fan of their gravel pathways, but we needed flowers for our front porch and a peach tree so she was a good sport.  The tree fit in the back seat.  Its amazing what we can fit in this car. 

Family tradition is that you jump over the tree before it is planted.  Then, you can tell your kids, grandkids you jumped over the tree when it is big.   Our kids jumped over all the trees in our yard before they were planted as did Steve in his yard growing up.  Although she was a bit confused, Cricket did her part and jumped over the tree.   

Steve jumped over it after it was planted but the photographer, that would be me, didn't get a great shot ... fuzzy and missed the great jumper so take my word for it, he jumped from the higher rocks over the tree.  He's still able to walk! We'll be riding Saturday for a great cause, Multiple Sclerosis through our beautiful Cache Valley that we love.  

Kendall stopped in to jump over the tree!   

Beautiful Moments

I like that this post is almost on a Thursday. The featured day for Natalie's Define Beautiful posts. They leave me lifted and inspired.

Cricket has some beautiful collars  to choose from in the morning.   Oh dear, now I've got another step in my wardrobe process - matching my outfit to Crickets! I can see we are going to really enjoy these beautiful collars made by Denise.

I'm reflecting on beauty from within as I get the opportunity to speak to a group of ladies at a Retreat tomorrow evening.  I will attend with a black & blue cheekbone.  In a hurry this morning, I didn't use my cane while watering the flower pots and had a too close encounter with the electrical box.  Ouch. 

They want to hear about my journey.   I will share some of my experiences that we can identify with as women -- mine just happen to have a little blindness humor.  The moment of feeling beautiful as I learned to french braid my daughter's hair without vision.  The moment of beautiful empowerment as I learned to organize my clothes and gained assertive skills without vision.  The moment of beautiful organization as I created a plan to keep the kitchen floor (and the rest of the house) clean without vision.  The moment of visualizing beauty as I learned to apply my make-up without vision.  These are beautiful moments.  I feel beautiful as I remember celebrating as I learned and relearned these tasks.  Another beautiful, yummy moment will be enjoying the dutch oven potatoes to be served at this event. 

Our plan is for Cricket to wear her pink collar.  I'll wear my grey suit with a pink shirt to match her.  Such a fun, beautiful moment.  Somehow, I'll find a way to mention my tether that is used for running.  Sweat is beautiful.  

Have a beautiful day.