Have any of you ever seen that show, Secret Millionaire? The show basically documents a millionaires experience where they go undercover in a city that has high poverty and crime and they volunteer at organizations. In the end, they donate however much of their own personal money to the organization. My friend, Jessica, told me about this show last week and I was pretty obsessed with watching it. Every show puts you on the brink of tears because even though in the end these organizations are getting thousands and thousands of dollars from essentially a stranger, it’s amazing to see how much people have sacrificed in their own lives to just help other people.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of going to Give Kids the World, a local non-profit organization in Orlando, that exists only to fulfill the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. They bring their entire family to Central Florida, for free, and give them the experience of a lifetime with trips to the attractions, a wonderful home to stay in for, and lots of activities around the grounds, including ice cream for breakfast, movies at the pool, and even pirate vs. princess dinners. They have helped over 115,000 children get their wish and the organization is truly truly amazing. On a weekly basis they have about 7,000 volunteers help them make these memorable experiences happen for these children and family.

Even though I didn’t get to work directly with any kids, it was just amazing to walk around and see everything that they have built, from the ground up, to help other people.

When I went, we split up in two groups – one was to do some hard manual labor outside and one was to set up Christmas for the kids in their theatre. (They set up Christmas every week for the kids.) Of course, I ended up in the manual labor group where we took up juniper bushes and their roots and then built a drainage ditch. Talk about sweating!

Between watching Secret Millionaire and the volunteer work I had the pleasure of doing a few weeks ago, it just makes me realized how much more we can give and do for people less fortunate. Even if it’s only a few hours.

How do you give back?

*To learn more about Give Kids the World, visit http://www.gktw.org/

“Never be afraid to be proud of yourself. You are made of magic and you share dust and light with the stars that shine above you.

Laugh. Truly laugh. Let life and all of its folly steal the breath from your body and replace it with the staccato melody of giggles and guffaws; the laughter that comes without fair warning and continues without apology.

Never be afraid to follow your heart. Take all you have and risk it, truly risk it for where your crazy heart decides to take you. Do not ever think you, exactly you, are not capable of chasing your dreams and do not ever think that you, exactly you, are not worth being chased.

Be kind. Always. Give love freely and never wait for it to come back. If it breathes, grows or has even a single cell bouncing around inside it, love it, too.

Take care of yourself. It’s up to you to keep your heart beating and your lungs filling and your legs running long past when you should have found your way to shuffling off this mortal coil and starting fresh.”

-Tyler Knott

*photo credit: http://weheartit.com/entry/11596298

Regardless of how much I want to sleep for just a few more hours (hell, I’ll take 15 minutes) when my alarm goes off, I really try to start the day with an open mind and a smile. I try to have a a positive outlook that today will be better than yesterday and I pride myself on doing that. However, there are those days where it really doesn’t seem to matter how big my positive outlook is, the Universe just craps on me.

A year ago, I would say the bad days all pretty much had to do with my job (thank God I don’t have that problem anymore) but today the chaos of the week simply caught up with me and my emotions got the best of me. Fighting with friends, uncomfortable situations, lack of sleep, and an injured hip was the majority of my frustration. So, I decided I would go to yoga tonight & relieve some stress since I couldn’t go running.

I headed to a yoga place close to my house when I get a call informing me the scholarship I thought I got was really just miscommunication and I didn’t get it. Then I get to the yoga place only to find out that it was closed (even though their online schedule said they had a class tonight).

Let me ask you something. Have you ever had so much build up at once and you literally feel like a ticking time bomb? Yeah, that was me.

I had 2.5 seconds to decide if I was going to go home or haul ass across town to make a different yoga class. So, I hauled ass and I got there with 2 minutes to spare. And let me tell you, yoga owned me tonight. This was only my second yoga class, ever, and it was no beginner action. I don’t know if you’ve ever done a yoga class before, but you’re so focused on trying to do the poses and breathe (I have a hard time remembering to breathe) that every single thing that was on your brain instantly disappears.

I honestly have no idea if I was doing anything right and I honestly don’t care. Sweat was just dripping from everywhere, even my calves! But I have to admit, I was kind of counting down the minutes to the end of this power hour (I did mention this was not for beginners, right?). Then, we got to my favorite pose – the Savasana. This is a pose where you lay on your back, arms to your side, palms up, and you are in total relaxation. They call it the “dead man” pose. This is usually where everything that was on my mind before comes racing back but today was different. I was in a completely new place – and at some point, I even forgot that I was in a room full of people. It was pure stillness. And it was awesome.

When I left to go to my car, a moment from my North Carolina trip came to mind.

The day we left for North Carolina it was a little bit cloudy in Orlando. Gray skies & a forecast of rain for the weekend. We went through security, grabbed a little breakfast, and then waited for our flight. Once we were on the plane and up in the sky, we eventually broke the dark cloud barrier and you know what was above it?

The sun. And it was shining so brightly and it was surrounded by white fluffy clouds and blue skies. It made me remember that the bright side of every situation happening in your life is actually there – you just have dig deep & push through it…you’ll eventually find it.

So, let the Universe kick your ass. But get back up and find a way back to your happy place…even if it’s just through an hour of yoga.

Well, if you didn’t know by now, I got a new job. *HOORAY!* I’ve managed to work my way up to finding a full-time can of awesomeness where I get to do what I am most passionate about. All. Day. Long. It’s kind of weird to tell you the truth. I’m so used to doing a million and one different jobs everyday that when I’m left alone to create my masterpieces (modest much?) I’m left wondering why nobody is bothering me. Ha. I’m sure the feeling will quickly fade and I will fall into a graphic designing bliss soon enough but for right now, I’m simply going through some (fabulous) changes in my work life.

Often times, I find myself thinking that the way life works out is so funny. I’ve spent a good deal (basically all) of this year building my “personal brand” and working diligently to expand my network and skills. Roughly 8 months later and I’m actually at a job I’ve been absolutely craving to be at. Just seems funny (and awesome) to me.

Earlier this week I was talking to my brother on the phone. He just recently graduated (Congratulations, Josh!) and we were talking about him looking for jobs. He was a little frustrated, as I’m sure most are that are currently looking for a job are, and I found myself saying to him:

When the timing is right, doors will open for you.

Read that line again. Slowly.

Think about it. Just because what you want isn’t happening RIGHT this very second doesn’t mean it won’t happen. It doesn’t mean that you won’t find that dream job, or that love you’re searching for, or a couple extra bucks in your bank account. All it means is that the universe is diligently working to move things around and little by little everything will fall into place. All you have to do is just keep pushing, working hard, find TRUST deep in your soul, and believe with all your heart that it IS in fact going to work out.

Keep putting your good vibes out in the universe. It will return the favor. I promise. =)

Have you ever been to Tijuana Flats for their dessert? My oh my, it is SO GOOD! It’s warm cookie dough flautas, lightly dusted with powdered sugar, and chocolate sauce to dip it in. That = a serious dessert and it was much needed last week when I met my lovely sister for a quick chat. We were catching up and shortly after she asked the age old question, “how are you?,” I found myself crying over this amazing dessert and really…who cries over dessert?

I’ll be honest. I’ve been in a funk. You see, I have this thing called I like to act like absolutely nothing is wrong and everything is just hunky dory when in fact it’s really not. I also have this thing called I like to pretend I am superwoman and can do everything tossed in my face and absolutely kick its ass and then some. The result of all this has been a life full of freelancing, LadyBallers, blogging, eating way too much, going out of town, business meetings, getting more involved in my community, and spending too much money – basically a bunch of chaos. And this crazy awesome chaos has also resulted in losing sight of important things like eating healthy, working out, figuring out if I want to go back to school (yes, I’ve been contemplating this), and ultimately finding my dream career.

I feel like I keep diving into all this stuff hoping it leads to where I want to be – especially in a job I want to be in. But at the end of every day, regardless of my accomplishments, I feel like I’m just running around in circles – getting nowhere. I know I have to “pay my dues” and “good things come to those that wait” but damn. I’m tired of waiting! I’m not asking for the whole kit n’ kaboodle but maybe something small that tells me, “you’re on the right track.” It’s SO frustrating to constantly feel like you’re running in place. And the things is, I don’t actually know how to GET where I want to be. I don’t know if I’m going in the right direction. And I surely don’t know what move I should make next.

But what I do know is that I have to slow down. A lot. So, I’m taking a couple weeks/months (eh…I’m playing it by ear) and I’m determined to get my health back on track, figure out if I can make school happen, and most definitely make moves to land my dream job. I don’t know how long it will take or what will have to be compromised for it to happen, but I know that I have to gain some control back, slow down, and get back on track.

So, in an effort to start my week of strong, I went to Cranes Roost on Monday to go for a run. I think I was on lap two or three when I came up to one of the hills. From a distance, I saw in front of me a cute little family – a Mom and Dad pushing a stroller, an older one walking off to the side (clearly he didn’t want to be associated with his Mom and Dad – haha), and just in front of them, a little one on a tricycle. As I watched the little boy on the tricycle get closer to the hill, I just knew he was going to have a hard time getting all the way up. He got about a fourth of the way when all of a sudden, I saw him starting to roll back slowly. So, I ran up behind him and asked him if he wanted help. His eyes LIT up and he quickly nodded his head. I started pushing the bike and telling him to pedal really fast. All he really did was just look at me smiling (and I’m sure he parents were thinking I was probably going to kidnap him). But eventually, we got to the top of the hill, and I asked him, “are you good?” His eyes just lit up and he nodded his head.

Oddly, this made me see clearer that…

There’s always going to be moments that will test me.
There’s always going to be moments where I might fall.
There’s always going to be moments where I might stumble.

But I have to remember that these are just moments…little speed bumps on my journey. Even though I really wish I could be superwoman, I realize now that it’s really okay that I’m not. And I know that even if and when (you know there will be a when) I try to be superwoman again, there will always be someone to push me and help me along the way, even if it’s just for a moment.

*Starbucks photo credit goes to Brandon Stephenson because he’s the awesome/silly friend that sent it to me and I have no clue where he got it =)

I think the last time I heard that saying was in a snarky “na-ne-na-ne-boo-boo” voice from one of my siblings. But last night I was chatting with my roomie/best friend/honorary sister/most amazing person ever — telling her all my crazy stories of the day, when I realized…

I’m getting what I want.

Um…scary.

And as much as I can say I have always wanted this, this is absolutely the last thing I ever expected. Now, of course I’m not just dancing through my days without barriers, but I can say things are quickly shaping up and all those things I’ve been wanting are slowly but surely happening.

Last year, I showed you my vision board, where I laid out travel goals, business goals, and me goals. On Monday, I launched a social networking and blog website for sports lovers with three fabulous ladies. I am helping to plan (and attend) Florida DrupalCamp, and I’ve started interning 8-12 hours a week.

Last year, I told you that I had the travel bug. Well, in two weeks, I’m heading to Austin, TX to attend TCEA. In April, I’m heading to San Francisco, CA for DrupalCon (which by the way is the first check off the vision board!) and I’m hopefully going to Denver, CO this summer for ISTE.

I don’t know if it’s good karma, hard work starting to pay off, if The Secret is really true, or if positivity leads to open doors, but I’m taking it and I’m running with it as fast and far as I can go. So, I’m curious to see if you ever made your vision board? And also curious to see how your 2010 is shaping up so far.

Besides this sickness that’s quickly approaching, I think I can officially say I have no complaints for 2010. And I’m going to ASSUME this sickness is some weird coincidence and not the universe conspiring to tell me, “na-ne-na-ne-boo-boo…you got what you wanted.”

*photo credit goes to Ian Suarez

Well, my hairdryer caught on fire this morning, my laptop is now giving me the blue screen of death and the only thing that got me through today was my Pumpkin Spiced Iced Latte from Starbucks and remembering my “me” day from this past weekend.

I am an avid fan of “me” days. Love, love, LOVE them to pieces. Just grab my keys, a book, my iPod, and I’m off for an adventure! When I go on my adventures, there never really is a question of where I’ll end up, just a matter of when I’ll get there.

I always end up at the beach.

My favorite beach at the moment is New Smyrna Beach on the East coast of Florida. For those of you that have or have not been there, it is one of those beaches that you can drive and park your car on the beach. (Love it)–And I have a small confession. In addition to being an avid fan of “me” days, I’m also an avid fan of people watching. And the beach really is a fun place to do that.

All those old ladies that have leather looking skin, or those teenage boys that probably just got their drivers license and now they just drive up and down the beach, hanging out the window with ridiculous music blaring. Or all the surfers waxing their boards before they head out to the water. Kids building sand castles or burying their Dad in the sand. Have I mentioned I really love the beach? :)

The beach “me” days really aren’t just about the people watching (although it’s really fun) — it’s more important than that. It’s the place I go when I need to relax, cry, smile, remember, appreciate, write, draw, hope, get a free pedicure in the sand, reflect, and let go.

There is something in the movement of the clouds, the sand between my toes, the sounds of the waves crashing over my iPod’s most recent crush, and the sun shining on my face that lets me do all those things.

Has anyone ever told you to “leave it at the door”?

Well, I leave it at the beach. I let the waves swallow up my worries and let the cool breeze drift hope and love through me to start fresh, appreciate the good stuff, stay grounded, and get through another day of blow dryers catching on fire and laptops breaking.

What do you do for “me” days? Where do you go? Please share!