So in the past year you become an empty-nester, 5 year cancer survivor, turn 50, re-connect with your BFF from more than 25 years ago and you are still wondering what direction you should go...what is your journey? So what do you do? You pack up yourself and your husband to spend the week with the aforementioned BFF and her husband and son whom you have never met! And if that's not radical enough, you attend the Get Radical Conference in Washington DC. And that is exactly what I did several weeks ago.
So let me give you a bit of an overview of each of the motivating, inspiring RADICAL women that we saw....
Doreen Rainey, RADICAL Success Coach and Conference Founder, who left her career of 17 years in Human Resources to start her own professional development company to help others take charge of their lives and yet keep that ever delicate balance of successful career and personal well being. She also offers different levels of coaching, from teleseminars to small, intimate retreats in Southern Utah. She is such a highly enthusiastic and energizing speaker that help but feel passionate about what you can achieve, no matter what. This was her 3rd Get RADICAL Women's Conference.
Rhonda Britten, founder of the Fearless Living Institute, spoke of overcoming those emotional fears that hold us back. In order to do that you need Awareness, Skills and Support. Identify your fear, learning techniques to deal with them and the support you need to keep moving forward, be it a friend, life coach or even a spiritual leader. Rhonda didn't let her own personal tragedy early in life define who she is but rather it defined how she learned Fearless Living. Rhonda was the only witness to her parents' murder-suicide at age 14. What she learned in overcoming that experience, she passes on to others so they may be as Fearless as she.
Deborah Owens, author of A Purse of Your Own: An Easy Guide to Financial Security. Deborah encourages the start of Purse Groups which not only gives you the support that you need to accomplish challenging goals but also makes you more accountable for your decisions. Check out A Purse of Your Own Community Group Site.
Ali Brown, founder of Ali International, enjoys teaching women how to become successful entrepeneurs and designing their own destinies. She runs a multi-million business enterprise but as witnessed on a recent Secret Millionaire episode, she is generous in helping others less fortunate.
Jillian Michaels - arguably THE Media Superwoman for health, fitness and wellness. However, she showed that emotional and spiritual health is as important as physical well being. You must form an emotional connection with your dreams in order for them to come true! "What are you going to do everyday to make you life better and happier?" Her new book "Unlimited: How to Build an Exceptional Life" has just been released.
Neicy Nash, actress, host and producer of "Clean House"shared how her faith, her family and her humor helped her during her toughest times. What you learn during these hard times you need to then help others going through the same thing. And keep it real - you can't give 100% to everything 100% of the time, you just have to do the best you can at that time!
Each of these women have amazing stories and even if you just heard one of them, you cannot help but be inspired! But to hear them all?? Well, it can put you in sensory overload! Your initial instinct is to run out to buy all of their books, sign up for their services and scour their websites. But wait, don't get so caught up in their personal experiences that you confuse their path as yours. Let's be honest, how many of us (me included) have done that, over and over only to be frustrated and get no where? You need to take the time to reflect and process all that emotional, inspirational, and motivational information that is coming at you a mile a minute. Take the time to look within yourself to determine which path is yours. Will it be a religious, a faith-based, a spiritual, a mystical, a intellectual, a tough-love or a combination approach...only you can decide. It is your own journey. Only you can live this life and once you decide what and who will help guide you on your journey, do not be afraid to follow your path. And do not be afraid to share your journey with others because even if they are on a different path right now, you never know when someone might need to ask for directions.
After much thought and reflection of all that I have heard and read about different paths in the journey we call life, I keep coming back to my religion....to me that is the path that I need to take...albeit one that I have too often strayed from but feel that is where I need to be.
So what is your path on life's journey?
Marcia, Marcia, Marcia
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
BFF's Reunited & the Grand Social Experiment
I'm sharing this blog post written by my friend, Rhonda.....
7 days together in one house after a 23 year absence and when the husbands have never met!
We so enjoyed Marcia and Jeff's visit to Maryland from 3/25/11 to 4/2/11. It was a 6-hour drive South for them from Mexico in Upstate New York to Germantown in Northern Maryland. They arrived with a car full of food and wine - so what's not to love about that? Jeff and I hadn't seen each other in at least 100 years so we started off with a tentative hug. Kevin was off washing the van when they arrived (family joke) and took quite a while to get back. I think the guys both had a bit of social anxiety but you can't really blame them. We're proud they were willing to do this grand experiment for the sake of the ladies :-D.
Marcia and I celebrated our birthdays (her 50th and my 46th) by attending the "Get Radical" Women's conference in DC on 3/25. We got motivation (and some laughs) from Doreen Rainey, Rhonda Britten, Jillian Michaels, Ali Brown, Deborah Owens and Niecy Nash. For lunch we walked around China Town and had a bite at the Pot Belly Deli. Afterward we wandered a few blocks to the National Portrait Gallery in the beatifully restored Patent Building and shared a birthday toast of vino in the lovely atrium (ok, the Cabernet had a screw top but who cares when the location and the company were magical and we were tuckered out so it tasted like award winning wine). Truly a very nice day with my long lost best friend.
Kendall (9) got to meet and bond with Marcia. Made my heart go pitter patter. Since we both missed sharing the 5 other kids (Lauren, Aaron, Eric, Ryan & Donald) growing up during our 23 year hiatus (yikes - what were we thinking?), it was so sweet to have this last chance to share a kid! Marcia brought Kendall his own "kid" knife for the kitchen (big, big hit!) and spent time baking with him - they made gooey filled cupcakes and a scrumptious cake. Kendall was ever the "hugster" and took to Marcia within seconds of entering the house. She may never recover from all the hugs. During the baking events, Marcia Skyped with Aaron so we got to "meet" online. (Hoping for more of that later).
The culinary theme continuned when Jeff and Kevin shared a little male bonding by getting out the tools, putting the new BBQ together and tossing back a few cocktails. Jeff made us a lovely meal almost every night (NY Steaks, Pork Loin, Beef Burgundy, Mac & Cheese, Lasagna). Kevin made his signature Margaritas and Quesadillas and we had to introduce them to Yumm Bowls. I worked on organizing the kitchen and vowed to start cooking more. (Marcia informed me that flour from 1996 might have bugs in it. And it did - ewww). We girls visited the Lancaster Market in Germantown to check out the fresh pickin's from our nearby Pennsylvania Dutch neighbors down from Amish country. Hard to believe we never went out to dinner once. Jeff left us with a bounty of food in the fridge/freezer and wine in the mail slots that will keep us going for quite some time!
Did I mention that cheese was mightily available? Marcia was also somehow present and involved in all the cooking (hmmm, I suspect she just might be the brains behind us all).
Another theme was electronics. Wow - we are all just so plugged in these days with our laptops and smart phones, aren't we? It seemed we were constantly checking our social networking and looking for car chargers and outlets. Marcia and I both love photography so had fun there too with our digital SLR's and phone cams.
Marcia and I enjoyed sightseeing at the Cherry Blossom Festival (blessed with awesome weather and an early bloom on that day), a drive around to some of the DC sites and a visit to Frederick, MD. The weather was chilly and dull on most days so we took it easy a few days too. We did all of our exploring alone with just the two of us - Jeff suffered terribly from a pinched nerve in his neck so couldn't do much. It was hard to watch him suffering - especially since it was also his birthday (51st) and he'd never been to DC. Kevin also had to start work unexpectedly (gotta love the golf industry in the Spring). So we made the best of it sneaking out when we could. Overall, we had a great time rekindling and introducing the family. It seems we are all quite comfortable together which is good news to Marcia and me because we aren't letting this friendship go again. By the way, I got the biggest hug EVER from Jeff before they left (ok, maybe he was resting on me due to his shoulder pain but I'll take it!)
Love my BFF! More get-together's to come! Next up? Hopefully a cabin stay late this summer in Mexico, NY. Until then, Marcia is next off for her annual "Sister's Trip" and has a vacation planned with Jeff in North Carolina. We have Judy and Ivan coming in late May and Ryan is coming for the summer in mid-June so there's plenty of excitement this year. Yeah us!
Rhonda Tisinger
Friday, April 1
7 days together in one house after a 23 year absence and when the husbands have never met!
We so enjoyed Marcia and Jeff's visit to Maryland from 3/25/11 to 4/2/11. It was a 6-hour drive South for them from Mexico in Upstate New York to Germantown in Northern Maryland. They arrived with a car full of food and wine - so what's not to love about that? Jeff and I hadn't seen each other in at least 100 years so we started off with a tentative hug. Kevin was off washing the van when they arrived (family joke) and took quite a while to get back. I think the guys both had a bit of social anxiety but you can't really blame them. We're proud they were willing to do this grand experiment for the sake of the ladies :-D.
Marcia and I celebrated our birthdays (her 50th and my 46th) by attending the "Get Radical" Women's conference in DC on 3/25. We got motivation (and some laughs) from Doreen Rainey, Rhonda Britten, Jillian Michaels, Ali Brown, Deborah Owens and Niecy Nash. For lunch we walked around China Town and had a bite at the Pot Belly Deli. Afterward we wandered a few blocks to the National Portrait Gallery in the beatifully restored Patent Building and shared a birthday toast of vino in the lovely atrium (ok, the Cabernet had a screw top but who cares when the location and the company were magical and we were tuckered out so it tasted like award winning wine). Truly a very nice day with my long lost best friend.
Kendall (9) got to meet and bond with Marcia. Made my heart go pitter patter. Since we both missed sharing the 5 other kids (Lauren, Aaron, Eric, Ryan & Donald) growing up during our 23 year hiatus (yikes - what were we thinking?), it was so sweet to have this last chance to share a kid! Marcia brought Kendall his own "kid" knife for the kitchen (big, big hit!) and spent time baking with him - they made gooey filled cupcakes and a scrumptious cake. Kendall was ever the "hugster" and took to Marcia within seconds of entering the house. She may never recover from all the hugs. During the baking events, Marcia Skyped with Aaron so we got to "meet" online. (Hoping for more of that later).
The culinary theme continuned when Jeff and Kevin shared a little male bonding by getting out the tools, putting the new BBQ together and tossing back a few cocktails. Jeff made us a lovely meal almost every night (NY Steaks, Pork Loin, Beef Burgundy, Mac & Cheese, Lasagna). Kevin made his signature Margaritas and Quesadillas and we had to introduce them to Yumm Bowls. I worked on organizing the kitchen and vowed to start cooking more. (Marcia informed me that flour from 1996 might have bugs in it. And it did - ewww). We girls visited the Lancaster Market in Germantown to check out the fresh pickin's from our nearby Pennsylvania Dutch neighbors down from Amish country. Hard to believe we never went out to dinner once. Jeff left us with a bounty of food in the fridge/freezer and wine in the mail slots that will keep us going for quite some time!
Did I mention that cheese was mightily available? Marcia was also somehow present and involved in all the cooking (hmmm, I suspect she just might be the brains behind us all).
Another theme was electronics. Wow - we are all just so plugged in these days with our laptops and smart phones, aren't we? It seemed we were constantly checking our social networking and looking for car chargers and outlets. Marcia and I both love photography so had fun there too with our digital SLR's and phone cams.
Marcia and I enjoyed sightseeing at the Cherry Blossom Festival (blessed with awesome weather and an early bloom on that day), a drive around to some of the DC sites and a visit to Frederick, MD. The weather was chilly and dull on most days so we took it easy a few days too. We did all of our exploring alone with just the two of us - Jeff suffered terribly from a pinched nerve in his neck so couldn't do much. It was hard to watch him suffering - especially since it was also his birthday (51st) and he'd never been to DC. Kevin also had to start work unexpectedly (gotta love the golf industry in the Spring). So we made the best of it sneaking out when we could. Overall, we had a great time rekindling and introducing the family. It seems we are all quite comfortable together which is good news to Marcia and me because we aren't letting this friendship go again. By the way, I got the biggest hug EVER from Jeff before they left (ok, maybe he was resting on me due to his shoulder pain but I'll take it!)
Love my BFF! More get-together's to come! Next up? Hopefully a cabin stay late this summer in Mexico, NY. Until then, Marcia is next off for her annual "Sister's Trip" and has a vacation planned with Jeff in North Carolina. We have Judy and Ivan coming in late May and Ryan is coming for the summer in mid-June so there's plenty of excitement this year. Yeah us!
Rhonda Tisinger
Friday, April 1
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Yeah, well it looks like I took the whole summer off....maybe I have in a sense. Sometimes it's good to step back and take a good look around.
Everyone's on a journey.....sometimes our paths will intersect, sometimes run paralell, and sometimes way on the other side of the world. But it's our life experiences and how we react to them that guides us down our certain path of life. And just when we think we found out where we are going, life comes along with another new twist or turn.
For a long time, I felt that my path was to be everywhere for everyone. You know, volunteer for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, church, active in union at work, school board, etc. And I'm not complaining, truly! I learned so much, met such great people and had a great time. Then almost 5 years ago I got my breast cancer diagnosis. The support from family, friends and my medical providers were amazing - they kept me up and going. When you are done with treatments you experience relief and happiness. But then it hits you....inexplicably you miss the feeling that everyone is there for you. Don't get me wrong - they are there but because it had been so intense there seems to be a bit of a letdown. Then factor in changes in brought upon by chemo and a certain age....well, lets just say that it is not uncommon to feel a bit depressed. I think that one of the reasons that I kept pushing myself was that I was not let going to let that bring me down.
So after constantly pushing myself, I finally asked myself why? What was I doing? Where was I going? After much reflecting, I decided it was time to exit the freeway and take some time for me! No more BOE meetings, no more push and pull, no more you gotta go, go, go!! Wow! What a change that was. A much needed change. And you know what? I like not having to do so much! I needed the break. I thought I'd be ready to take on some new challenges after a year but even though I tried, I just wasn't ready. I'll volunteer to do things but I'm just not into organizing or making a long tern commitment. Selfish? Maybe. But for me, it is what I need at this time.
I started this post way back in September and just came across it again. Ironic as I just spent several days helping prepare for a Holiday Open House for Jeff's new business venture. But that's the key - it is Jeff's. I will certainly support him and help in many ways, but I'm not putting in huge amount of hours in addition to my full time job. I still have my time to spend with Jeff, family, friends and ME. And time to resurrect my blog....for me :-)
Everyone's on a journey.....sometimes our paths will intersect, sometimes run paralell, and sometimes way on the other side of the world. But it's our life experiences and how we react to them that guides us down our certain path of life. And just when we think we found out where we are going, life comes along with another new twist or turn.
For a long time, I felt that my path was to be everywhere for everyone. You know, volunteer for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, church, active in union at work, school board, etc. And I'm not complaining, truly! I learned so much, met such great people and had a great time. Then almost 5 years ago I got my breast cancer diagnosis. The support from family, friends and my medical providers were amazing - they kept me up and going. When you are done with treatments you experience relief and happiness. But then it hits you....inexplicably you miss the feeling that everyone is there for you. Don't get me wrong - they are there but because it had been so intense there seems to be a bit of a letdown. Then factor in changes in brought upon by chemo and a certain age....well, lets just say that it is not uncommon to feel a bit depressed. I think that one of the reasons that I kept pushing myself was that I was not let going to let that bring me down.
So after constantly pushing myself, I finally asked myself why? What was I doing? Where was I going? After much reflecting, I decided it was time to exit the freeway and take some time for me! No more BOE meetings, no more push and pull, no more you gotta go, go, go!! Wow! What a change that was. A much needed change. And you know what? I like not having to do so much! I needed the break. I thought I'd be ready to take on some new challenges after a year but even though I tried, I just wasn't ready. I'll volunteer to do things but I'm just not into organizing or making a long tern commitment. Selfish? Maybe. But for me, it is what I need at this time.
I started this post way back in September and just came across it again. Ironic as I just spent several days helping prepare for a Holiday Open House for Jeff's new business venture. But that's the key - it is Jeff's. I will certainly support him and help in many ways, but I'm not putting in huge amount of hours in addition to my full time job. I still have my time to spend with Jeff, family, friends and ME. And time to resurrect my blog....for me :-)
Monday, May 31, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Life's a beach!!!
Great advice......not just for the beach but for life as well....
What appears as a fun, light-hearted collage is really a collection of wise advice for everyday. This will be on my desk, for sure!! 'Cuz life's a beach!!
Edited with Photogene
Marcia
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Spring Fever
Today we headed out to enjoy the beautiful sunshine, play with my camera that I got for Christmas, have a picnic and also ended up visiting a couple of wineries...Hunt Country and Heron Hill.
Here are some pictures that I managed to get - not all of them have been edited yet
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Finger Lakes |
Labels:
family,
Finger Lakes,
upstate NY,
weather,
Wineries
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
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