People of interest: Christiane Amanpour

There are people in this world who are truly interesting. Those that have impacted my life, without knowing about. As a child I remember watching Christiane Amanpour reporting from far off places, war torn countries. Because of her, and the images I had of her I formed the opinion that women can do anything.


She has been the epitome of professionalism. A woman of grace and courage and while I do not know her personally she has inspired me. When her family couldn't return to Iran they made a new life. When her sister decided journalism wasn't for her Christiane stepped and took her classes and became an accidental journalist.

She has left CNN to host This Week for ABC News and I wish her the best of luck.

Where I've been.

So. I'll never tell you guys when I'm going on vacation. Why? Because even though I know you're all  wonderful, there are those who monitor blogs, facebook and the like, for just that information. What that means is I was on vacation in the wilds of West Virginia.

My family made the twelve and a half hour drive to Charleston, WV in one piece and spent time with those near and dear to us. My godson was one of the bunch. So we headed to the Greenbrier where we had a relaxing few days at a really awesome house. I'm sad to say I can't find the cable to my camera but I will post pictures soon. I saw Bears and deer and trees galore. It was a peaceful vacation.

Some interesting things came out of that vacation. My godson loves nature shows so we watched a video on Stoats.

Ok so the other place I went to was RWA Nationals. Which I will post pics from though not many. It was a little overwhelming with two thousand people, but it was fun and informative. I'm so glad that I decided to attend in Orlando this year versus New york as my first conference.

And in keeping with my vow to let you guys see what interests me, Have a look at one of the blogs I follow. Punctuation Mark

My Website is up!

So I guess you guys noticed that some changes have been going on. My website is now up and running. Jaxadora Design   has done a wonderful job, she nailed it on the first try and has been really patient with me. She's also changed the look of the blog. Wink , wink.

I opted to keep my blog at blogspot instead of on the site itself. that way if something goes wrong with the website it doesn't go down. well that and the fact that you guys already know where to find me and really why make you break your habit. It takes way too long to train yourself into a new one.

So, that being said, what do you think?

Blogging and Family.

I'm a lurker.
Yes, I lurk on the blogs I follow. Occasionally I pop up and make a comment on something I find interesting but not always. Sometimes I come across something that's so thought provoking or beautiful that I can't comment. (See Holly's Blog).
The point is that more people than you expect actually read what you have to say or the pictures you post and appreciate what you've done. In the end the only thing they leave is a number on your counter or info on your analytics page.

That being said. It's been a rough week for myself and my family. My cousin has been gravely ill. He still is sick, but is getting better.
I can't imagine a world without my Eddiemundo. My little cousin who's six foot something. In my head he's stuck at three year old. Chubby and inquisitive. A sweet little rascal who turned into a man.
A man who knows his own mind. Who is steady, determined and focused. With a smile. Well, what a smile.
We love you Eddiemundo!

Fear of Failure. and the Fourth Of July.

Atychiphobia is defined as the irrational fair of failure.

To some extent I believe everyone suffers from this phobia. There are always moments of self doubt. everyone I know has had them.

I have vivid memories of my mother saying "Nothing beats a trial but a failure."  Don't let those moments of self doubt turn you into a person who never attempts anything in life. Don't let your fear paralyze you. And if for the moment you get stuck, find someone anyone that you trust and voice your fears. If you don't acknowledge them you don't know how to fight them.

Just a thought.  OK. On to where I've been.


Hope everyone is having a great summer. The kids and I are taking it  easy. Though the little one decided jump into the pool this weekend and ended up cutting her chin on the swim out. I mean what is a major holiday without a trip to the emergency from.

Except I didn't have to go to the emergency room. Thank God for After Hours Pediactrics and Dr Ballelos, who patched her up.  Can't tell you how grateful I am to them. Especially since this isn't the first time we've been there. That's when she'd jumped off couch and broke her Elbow. They were excellent then too.

Here she is wearing my shades while we wait for her chin to numb.

Anyway hope you guys have a great summer!

Dreams.

I fell asleep one night and got a really clear picture of my Grandmother sitting in her favorite green Adirondack chair on her porch. With her gray streaked, thinning hair rolled into a bun. Her loose house dress on. Her brown all seeing eyes, on the sea.



It occurred to me that she'd been haunting me for a while. Gradually building up and solidifying her presence. Over time when the random voice would sound inside my head. It was her voice. When out of my mouth would come her sayings.

Now I see her clearly. So clearly in fact that when her mouth moves I can hear her voice. That is, when she talks. You see my grandmother was a listener.

She listened more than she ever spoke. She watched all those around her with an eagle, if kind eye. The weight of it fell upon you only when she wished it. She saw deeper than anyone ever wanted to admit. When she spoke more often than not, we had to listen.

It hurt more often than not, that truth. She wrapped it in her sayings, her parables. In the end they were just that, truth.

Be still. Be quiet. Listen.

This suits my mood today!