I Kondoed my clothes this past weekend…so freeing! Pics & post coming up this week!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
I’M MOVING AGAIN….and pregnant…okay, let’s just get that April’s fool joke out of the way right now!
My friend, Tara, brought this appetizer to a party a few years back and everyone loved it! I’ve made it numerous times since. It’s always such a crowd pleaser…and everyone asks for the recipe. So…here you go!!
Endive Parmesan Appetizer
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBS mayo
2 TBS lemon juice
2 TBS olive oil
1/4 lb. parmesan cheese chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup pecans….I buy the “pieces” (you can also use walnuts…or maybe even pine nuts?)
2 to 3 Belgian endive, separated into leaves
Toast the pecans until pretty dark. Whisk together the garlic, salt, mayo, lemon juice in a bowl. Toss in the parmesan, celery and pecans (I like to do it when the pecans are still a little warm because it melts the cheese a little bit)…and mix thoroughly. Spoon mixture onto endive leaves and arrange on a platter. Enjoy!
This makes a lot of appetizers. I doubled it for Easter last weekend, using two endive, for approximately 25-ish people and there was way more filling than endive and it filled a large platter. One recipe is plenty!
Bon Appetit!
This weekend is the San Diego Crew Classic, the largest regatta for primarily 8-oared shells and my team is entered in three women’s masters races. I’m looking so forward to coxing for all three boats, and the beautiful weekend ahead with amazing women. To my team-mates who read this blog (…and a tribute to my Canadian friend, Tara)….and if you’re just like being inspired, this is all it takes…inches!
Let’s do this girls!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
I’ll bet you didn’t know that this past Sunday was International Day of Happiness?! …and that, in a recent poll, the happiest country in the world is Denmark….which makes my planned trip there in September even more appealing!
My friend Maggie, whose on my rowing team, knows how much I love positive daily affirmations and just making life the best it can be. She told me I needed to read Shawn Achor’s book, The Happiness Advantage, and let me borrow it. I had seen his Ted talk, so I was familiar with him, but had never explored the entire book….and WOW, am I glad I did!! I loved it so much that I downloaded my own copy from Audible and have listened to it a couple of times. It’s not just a feel good, “don’t worry, be happy” book. It’s like a text book for a class that teaches you the science behind happiness and how to implement it in your daily life. It seems frivolous, unrealistic and to some even insulting to tell people ”just buck up and be happy.” The thing that sets this book apart is the in depth science that Achor goes into to explain and teach why it’s just better, more productive and healthier to be happy.
Over the next few weeks I’m going to go through Shawn’s book and synopsize the chapters or key points of the 7 Principles of Positive Psychology that I feel are compelling and important and hopefully will help you. This is in no way a substitute for the entire book and I would encourage you to buy the book or download it on audible and listen to it while you’re driving…or walking/whatever..it’s pretty fascinating.
So, as a teaser I’ll just let you know that at the beginning of the book he outlines the 7 Principles of Success/Positive Psychology, and then goes back in depth in the subsequent chapters to elaborate. They are….
Stay tuned and I hope you’ll join me on this scientific discovery of happiness. It’s worth re-visiting over and over!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
inspiration at the Women in Travel Summit this past weekend #wits16
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
For years I’ve taken the 55N to the 22W to the I5N to the 101N to the 134 (you’ve seen that SNL skit right?) up to the San Fernando Valley to visit my family in L.A., just to get there….and end up pretty much missing everything in between. So, this past year or so I decided to make a concerted effort to stop and enjoy all that L.A. has to offer. I’ve stopped at the Getty, taken in the Museum of Photography and stopped to see a friend or two along my route.
I’ve been hearing from my friend, Courtney, about all the cool things the new gentrifying downtown L.A. has to offer and it was time I saw a bit of it for myself. So, when we were going up to my sister’s for the Academy Awards party about three weeks ago I chose L.A.’s Grand Central Market as our stop for lunch. It’s a pretty cool place, packed with energy, people, over 30 unique places to eat or grab some artisan food to take home ….take a look!
It was a fun and worthwhile stop on our otherwise trafficy trek up the L.A. freeways. There’s not much to do in the immediate area in the way of shopping, but the amazing architecture of the Bradbury Building and The Million Dollar Theatre are within a block or two and definitely worth a look…or a walking tour.
What are you doing this weekend?!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
I recently read an archive blog post from my friend over at C’est Christine about a college professor she had and his memorable quotes. The quotes really resonated with me and I loved her thoughts on each. So, with her permission, I stole the quotes from her site and pondered them from a different perspective (she’s in her 20’s and I’m 55)….
I joyfully accept the choices other people make.
You only have control over yourself…unless your a parent and then hopefully you have some influence while they’re young (maybe not control?) over the choices your children make. Let’s hope your behavior and modeling rubs off on them a bit? This quote totally reminds me to revisit a certain part of the serenity prayer…”accept the things you cannot change.” I cannot let the choices of others dictate my mood or actions. It’s so easy sometimes to get caught up in other people’s bullshit and drama…….and on the flip side, you can also truly enjoy and be part of the choices that other people make….either way, when you make a habit of going over this mantra in your head it’s pretty easy to come back to yourself and realize that other people’s actions and choices are not in your control…nor should they be. Sure, you can make suggestions and be of guidance to someone, but ultimately their life and choices are their own.
Stop putting age limits on things.
Julia Child collaborated on her first book, “The Art of French cooking” when she was 46. It was published when she was 49. Hopefully, you’re going to be 80 or 90 some day so do that one thing you’ve been putting off and meaning to do. Take that risk. Fail…and fail again…but just do it. There’s a Chinese proverb that says “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Okay, they’re clich├®s, but ”you’re only as young as you feel” & “time waits for no one.” In my mind I’m in my 20’s and there’s still a whole lot of living to do!
Collect experiences, not possessions. Possessions possess you.
I’m like a broken record when it comes to this one. I would say if you ask my kids about their childhood, they’d remember the road trips to Mammoth and the river, the parties in the neighborhood with all the kids, the things we did as a family. I don’t think they’d even remember most of the birthday gifts they received…although there may have been a few special ones? When you think back on your life I can almost guarantee that you’ll remember the experiences, not the stuff. I know, it’s easy to say from where I sit in my comfortable house, but it’s not the house that I cherish, it’s the home and memories that have been made here….just as I cherish the moments I had in my 200 square foot apartment last year. If you want some proof, read An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff. I read the book and was privileged to see & hear her speak yesterday. Her book is proof that it’s the experiences and memories you create that count.
Embrace this moment because it’s probably the last time in your life you have no idea where you’ll be next year.
Whoa, ain’t that the truth! Your life can change in an instant…for better and/or worse…so try to live in the moment and enjoy the day, month and year you’ve been given. You won’t regret a day well lived…and you won’t get today back….don’t sweat the small stuff…and most of it is small stuff. I’m a planner and I love having something to look forward to, so living in the moment is a challenge for me sometimes, but I try to remind myself often that I won’t get this day or experience back, so best to enjoy it now.
Wow…in re-reading and editing this post it’s just one big clich├® (predictable and unimaginative according to wikipedia)…and I’m okay with that. My mom used clich├®s often and I like to think of them as just another form of daily affirmations. I don’t think it hurts, right?
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
