Free To Be Lovely

With holidays and time off just around the corner, for some of us, it means getting ready for travel and adventure! I asked five of my friends, Kim, Suzie, Chantal, Kristan, and Leslie to tell me what things they need to have with them when they travel. I added my own creature comforts to the list. Beauty Supplies Kim swears by the Moisture Bound Sleeping Recovery Mask . I never would have thought to travel with a facial mask , but Kim gives a compelling argument. She takes advantage of the travel time by applying the mask during the flight and then wipes it off just before the plane is about to land. She says the mask leaves her skin glowing and hydrated, and she arrives at her destination looking all rested and refreshed. Between you and me, I’ve never seen Kim “look tired,” in fact, she has some of the most beautiful, dewy skin I’ve ever seen. I can only imagine how amazing she looks after a long day of travelling. One of my beauty “loves” for travelling is an all-in-one ...

Have you ever had a strange conversation with someone that left you scratching your head in confusion? I did, just last week...

Last week, I attended a work conference in Las Vegas. Having been apart from Karl for over a week while he traveled, I was thrilled that he could join me and work remotely from the hotel while I filled my brain with eLearning tools and technology. Usually when we go to Vegas, we stay with friends and don't go down to the Strip. This time, we stayed at The Mirage hotel, which was where the conference was held. It had been a while since I had spent time on the Strip, and I had forgotten some key things. The Strip is Expensive If you're like me and you like to have food on hand in case you get hungry, then bring some snacks with you or pick some up at the airport. If you have a car, stop at a grocery store off the Strip to get some water and food. Of course, there were tempting bags of chips, candies, and water for sale in the hotel room, but I didn't see any prices listed. Assuming they would be pricey, I went to the hotel store. I bought two bottles of water a...

Friday morning on my way to work, I was overcome with joy and gratitude to be living in Portland. The trees were dressed in an array of beautiful fall colors gracefully posing against a backdrop of mist-covered mountains. This incredible sight reminded me of how, at the beginning of the year, I had decided to be more thankful and present in the moment so I wouldn’t miss out on everyday gifts like this. Over a year ago, on a group motorcycle trip, I had an enlightening conversation with Karl and a good friend of ours, Chris. The three of us were mic’d up. As we rode, Chris introduced Karl and me to the Itty, Bitty, Shitty Committee. The Itty, Bitty, Shitty Committee, which I’ll just call Itty Bitty, is that negative voice in your head that tells you how terrible you are and reminds you of all of your shortcomings, whether real or imagined. Since that day, whenever we get together with Chris, we continue where we left off, sharing our progress in trying to rein in Itty Bitty and chan...