say whaaaaaaaaaat....FRIDAY??!!

how did you show someone love today??

“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.”                                        - morrie schwartz

ox kolleen

...monday music and things that make life a little sweeter

SOME THINGS I THINK THAT 

MAKE LIFE A LITTLE SWEETER...

'

PAINTED BUILDINGS

 TIME WITH FRIENDS (OLD AND NEW)

SPENDING TIME WITH A

DEAR FRIEND TO CELEBRATE HER

BIRTHDAY ON THE STREETS IN NASHVILLE

 COFFEE AND MIMOSAS 

 LIVE MUSIC

 BOOTS, BOOTS AND MORE BOOTS

BOOKS

PINK BUSES

(all photos from my recent trip to nasvhille)

and this song

say whaaaaaaaaaaaat wednesday?

another wednesday already here!

so today's question is fun...

a bit reminiscent

spring is in the air and that means

prom is right around the corner.

do you remember what your

prom theme or song were when you were 

a senior in high school??

if memory serves me right...

mine was "the flame" by cheap trick and

i am not really sure of the theme...???

anyway...

fun to stroll down memory lane sometimes...

hope you think so too!!

(now i am off to pack for nashville...

celebrating a dear friends birthday!!)

happy rest of the week friends!

ox

kolleen

monday music inspiration and a lesson

i've learned that unconditional love

does exist outside of a parent and child.

                             - me

i am heading to the santa barbara bowl

tonight to see these guys and can. not. wait.

outside venue, music, wine and my best friend = good stuff

happy monday my friends.

ox

kolleen

say whaaaaaaaaaaaat wednesday?

okay...i have a confession to make

"my name is kolleen and i am

a reality TV Junkie".

from The Bachelor to the Housewives 

to The Real World (on MTV...where it all began)...

i can't seem to get enough!!

i have watched nearly all of the "Housewive" episodes

and am completely addicted to Bethenny Ever After...

she makes me laugh and 

i just love the way her husband adores her!

so...tell me...

what is your favorite reality tv show??

I'm better for it Friday...VALERIE'S STORY

today i am so honored to have

my dear scarf sister Valerie share

her "I'm Better For It" story.  

her story is powerful and inspiring.

 i am so grateful to her for sharing it...
remember...there is healing power in our stories
and in our words.

*************************************************

I believe in the power of this moment.

One night when I was sixteen, 

I saw the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. 

Just moments before, my self imposed death 

had been accidentally interrupted by a stranger. 

Who am I to be here, 26 years later, 

recalling the still vivid memory of a 

purely joy-filled moment of seeing a 

school of dolphins swimming beneath the moon 

racing the cruise ship I was on, 

the very ship that moments earlier 

I had fully expected to watch leave me 

in the dark depths of the Atlantic Ocean without notice?

I believe in faith.

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary,  faith means:

1. a confident belief in the truth, value or 

trustworthiness of a person, idea or thing.

2. belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence

3. loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance

As a child I was sent to Sunday School, 

I went through the motions by learning the 

“important” passages and attending the

 significant ceremonies and rituals of various religions 

but none of them resonated with me 

enough to become mine. 

Yet in one night, when I was 16 years old, 

I found unwavering faith in something bigger than me.

Why was this younger, sadder self 

prepared to throw herself off of the railing 

she had climbed upon at the tail end of the ship? 

How did she become so resolute that she felt 

a soothing calm wash over her as she 

closed her eyes and breathed what she thought 

were her last breaths? 

The whys escape my older, braver self, 

though I know it was not a decision 

reached lightly or impulsively. 

But something greater than myself saved me that night. 

My savior came in the form of a Portuguese cruise employee 

who was attending to some job that 

put him in my path at that moment when, 

eyes closed, body poised, soul calmed 

I was saying my goodbyes to this life. 

I will never know what he said to me or 

what he thought seeing me 

but his words broke my reverie and brought me 

front and center in that moment. 

One night, when I was 16 years old, 

startled and scared 

I followed the railing away from 

the chosen moment of death toward the voice of people 

who were on deck pointing out into the sea. 

My head turned, and there, in the bright beautiful moonlight 

that I had neglected to notice before 

(what else had I failed to notice?), 

was a school of dolphins racing next to the ship. 

They were jumping in and out of the water, 

crossing paths with one another, 

frolicking with what I could only imagine 

as playful joy and in my hypersensitive 

awareness of the moment, 

I saw this gift as an offering. 

The dolphins’ joy felt like warm, knowing arms 

wrapping around some broken piece of me, 

reminding me that I had barely begun to live. 

In this moment it was revealed that 

individual moments happen and in them, 

circumstances and perspectives 

can change in an instant. 

I simply had to be brave enough to stick around 

and see what happened next.

Since that evening there have been several 

“chance” encounters that have occurred, 

other moments that have changed my life’s trajectory, 

always ultimately for the better. 

They have not been completely positive 

and I certainly would not have chosen some of those lessons 

for myself but when I stood 

front and center in those moments, 

took a deep breath and held steady to my faith, 

a meaning always emerged and 

I am always left feeling 

profound gratitude for the experience.

I believe I am part of something bigger 

than what I see before me and 

I believe my role in this life is to simply 

be present and mindful in all of the moments that I can. 

Since that day, when I was 16 years old, 

my faith has never left me and 

even when the lessons have been painful, 

my faith has always sought to protect me 

and help me to become the 

best person I can be… in this moment.

I have no doubt that I am better for it. 

you can visit the beautiful, brave Valerie 

at:  valerietookes.wordpress.com


i am so grateful for this beautiful soul
being in my life and i know i am better for that!
thank you Valerie.


ox
kolleen

say whaaaaaaaat wednesday???

happy wednesday friends!

i was born and raised in small 

town, illinois...when i was 23 years old

i ventured out west to phoenix, arizona and 

stayed there nearly 14 years.

now i live in california....

but i imagine myself living

in many different places...

i think there is a bit of gypsy dwelling

in this soul of mine!!

so...here is my question today:

if you could live anywhere in the world

where would you live?

ox

kolleen

monday music and a goodbye

Dear 38,

thank you for the love, the memories made, 

the lessons learned,

the laughter and the tears.

Hello 39,

it is nice to meet you.

Please be kind to me...i promise to be good!

ox

kolleen

here is my choice for today....this song makes me happy.  

"glow, i wanna see you glow

i wanna see your daylight shining all

around your heart."

enjoy my friends...hope it makes

you smile and glow!!

...GO BLUE!

as some of you may already know....

i have a beautiful, handsome boy 

who was diagnosed with autism at nearly 3 years old.  

he is my bonus son and i have learned so

much since he has come into my life...

and i continue to learn 

every.  single.  day.

the month of april is "autism awareness" month 

and to show your support we ask that

you "LIGHT IT UP BLUE" 

on April 1-2.

show your support please!

1 out of 150 children are diagnosed with autism

every year...

i pray that will change and someday

there will be a cure.

happy weekend

ox

kolleen

GO BLUE!!