Today is my birthday! In recognition of this annual occasion my husband gave me the best gift EVER!

I am officially a shareholder of Facebook stock! He said I spend so much time on Facebook that I might as well be an owner.

Let me say upfront that we own stock in many companies but none excites me as much as knowing that out of 2.74 BILLION shares of stock, I own

FIVE!

Yeah… I’m soooooo money!

With this newly acquired clout, I now witnessed my power to make drastic changes in a very short period of time. In just a few short days of owning this highly anticipated stock, it fell from $45 a share to $31.

If only I could lose weight that fast!

As a shareholder, I plan to take my responsibilities quite seriously so I’m entertaining questions and suggestions for improvement which I intend to address during the first Annual Shareholders’ Meeting. Never fear… the first thing on my agenda is the Timeline issue.

And about that recent drop in stock pricing? As Gordon Gekko once said, “Don’t run when you lose, don’t whine when it hurts. It’s like the first grade, Jerry…nobody likes a crybaby.”

Now where is my tissue?

The Birthday Girl!

“If thou hast two loaves of bread, sell one and buy flowers. Although bread nourishes the body, flowers nourish the soul.” Anonymous

I had a beautiful day today! It started off this morning conducting a two hour training session for a client that I absolutely adore. There was laughter, connection, and during one of the small group discussions, I happened to spot one of the participants braiding another’s hair. This made me smile. (I realize that this would probably seem odd to most people but the client happened to be a large Hair Salon & Spa where braiding is common practice!)

On my drive home, the sun was shining so brightly that I decided to give myself a few hours of “soul time” before hitting my desk work again. I have a full day training session scheduled for tomorrow and I know myself pretty well….. A short break to nourish the soul always ignites heightened creativity once I return.

I frequent several nurseries in the spring and before long I found myself heading towards Mercersberg, PA to Trayer’s Nursery, one of my favorite spots for procuring annuals at a reasonable rate. Just an hour of breathing the intoxicating fragrances of lavender, basil, and thyme while selecting a variety of blues, pinks, and yellows to grace my window boxes and flower pots was time well spent! I returned with a truckload filled with garden treasures but more importantly, a head and a heart now focused on the looming task at hand.

For me, flowers nourish my soul. Perhaps your soul is crying for that quick run you promised your sneakers this morning. Whatever your preference, take the break.

You’ll be glad you did.

Julie

“I don’t know what lies around the bend, but I’m going to believe that the best does. It has a fascination of its own, that bend.” (Anne of Green Gables).

I’ve always been a planner. I decided my college major when I was 16. I began planning my wedding to the man I was dating as a teenager when I was about nineteen. (And we’ve been married almost 33 years). I wanted an old house, two kids, and that’s exactly what I got.

I believe in vision boards, to-do lists, and have always had a five-year plan.

This embarrasses me…… now.

Last week I returned from my long awaited and highly planned trip to Italy. I snapped this picture en route to the 14th Century Villa we stayed in while visiting the Tuscany area.

I was captivated by this little town because of the gentle bends and turns in the road. Rounding each curve presented a delightfully idyllic surprise even more exquisite than I could have ever imagined. Soon I began to savor those unplanned moments of pleasure and found myself revelling not only in the magnificent scenery but the fact that not knowing what was around the bend was part of its intrinsic beauty.

Life is like that too, isn’t it? An unexpected handwritten note appears in the mail; a job offer you never saw coming; the phone call from a new client that excites and surprises you; a meeting gets postponed, offering you a delicious excuse to curl up with a sweet treat and a few stolen moments with a new book you’ve been dying to start.

Part of what makes life so interesting is imagining……and wondering….. what will be around the bend?

“It has a fascination of its own, that bend.”

I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

Julie

It’s been five days since returning from my Italian vacation. Although I plan to save most of my adventures for the next book I can’t possibly let this week pass without making at least a few comments or observations about my experience. So here goes…..

Lessons learned in Italy:

1. It’s funny how you can trick yourself into thinking you’re speaking Italian simply by adding an “o” to every word and using an accent!

2. There is no “to-go” in Italy. Life, wine, and cappuccino are an art form and should be savored, not hurried.

3. Life is short, eat the gelato!

4. A smile translates into every language. So does kindness. And rudeness.

5. Michaelangelo created David when he was 26 years old. I still, at times, wonder what I’ll be when I grow up.

6. Guido and Luigi are to Italy what Smith and Jones are to the US.

7. Driving directions should never be evaluated by committee!

8. When vendors refuse to negotiate, walk away dramatically only if you are willing to live without it. Grovelling is so unbecoming!

9. Everything is better with cheese!

10. Good art will always take my breath away.

Ciao!

Julie

An icon died today. Dick Clark, the name synonomous with New Year’s Eve, passed away at the youthful age of 82.

I’m going to miss him.

He saw me through those turbulent adolescent years when I silently answered his traditional “who are you going to kiss?” question with “I haven’t a clue.”

Dick saw me through those exhausting early parenting years when my new year’s outfit consisted, not of sparkly sequins, rather a sweatshirt that reeked of baby spit-up. Dick led the countdown as I toasted in the new year with a bottle of formula in my hand and a baby nestled in my arms.

He smiled warmly through the TV screen as I anxiously waited for my teenaged sons to return home safely from their respective parties.

In recent years as our empty-nest home reminds us of the passing of years, Dick Clark’s youthful exuberance for life served as testimony that every year deserves to be ushered in with optimism, hope, and celebration.

Rest in Peace, Dick Clark! When the ball drops this year, I’ll lift my glass to you.

“Who are you going to be kissing?”

Dear Blog.

It wasn’t you.

It was me.

I got distracted with other things, (like speaking) which is how I actually make my money.

I neglected you and for that, I’m sorry. But the truth is I was getting bored with you. Our relationship had gotten stale and I admit, I wasn’t caring enough about you to put the sizzle back! And so I did the worse thing a person can do in any relationship. I ignored you.

If it makes you feel better, I felt extremely guilty about it. People would ask me about you and why I hadn’t written. At least I was truthful. I took the blame saying I just wasn’t that into you anymore.

However, this morning I had the great pleasure of emceeing The 4th Annual High Rock Marketing Summit and now I’m stoked again. There were several speakers who reminded me what I knew when I first started blogging about this time last year: That showing attention to someone(thing) doesn’t have to be in large, demonstrative sweeps. You just need to be consistent.

So I’m back and I’m listening.

What do you want to talk about?

Julie

I hope you don’t mind but I need to brag a little bit. OK..maybe I’ll brag alot but I’m really excited to share some great news with you.

My brother, John, is a numbers guy by day, but by night (and weekends), he’s an amazing photographer! To give you an idea of what a great brother (and photographer) he is, he painstakingly photoshopped an unfortunate lipstick faux paus from my face several hundred times when he photographed my recent book launch party. In his words, “I had a streak of lipstick coming out of the corner of my mouth so wide that I looked like The Joker.” (He’s really funny too!)

He made this loving gesture first, because he didn’t want me to be upset when I saw the photos. (Which discounts the theory that a woman is more likely to tell you when you have broccoli stuck in your teeth than a man!) Secondly, because he’s a perfectionist. Both are the qualities of a great photographer!

But I digress.

Recently John learned that he won four Merit Awards in the 2012 Single Image Contest featured in B&W+Color’s Color Special Issue. To put this in a context that you may be more familiar with, it would be the equivalent of having four of your pictures featured in the annual swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated! Yeah, it’s THAT big!

The award winners were selected from twelve different countries and my little brother was the only photographer who won more than three awards. In other words, he won the mother lode of recognition!

Ask me how proud I am!

The publication is on newstands now. Look for Issue 90, April 2012 which features the 2012 Single Image Contest Winners. John’s photos appear on pages 41, 102, 145, and 230.

My magazine copy sits on my desk. Every now and then I open it to see his beautiful art and it makes me smile! My favorite picture is of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland, taken when he and his family travelled there this past year.

To see more amazing pictures or to learn more about his work, go to John’s website at www.johnkuhnphotography.com.

If you are female and between the ages of ohhhhh…… 50 and 60-ish, you are undoubtably aware that Davy Jones passed away unexpectedly this week.

Davy was my first boyfriend and I graciously shared him with millions of other women who adored The Monkees, second cousins-twice removed from the British phenomenon called The Beatles.

When celebrities die, I am sad but admit that I never really understand why some people seem to struggle with the news more than others.

Until my Davy.

When I heard the news, I immediately flashbacked to an image of a skinny, underdeveloped redheaded girl with an overabundance of freckles,struggling with adolescence and the shyness and awkwardness that accompanies puberty.

Davy was my Justin Bieber with his boyish good looks and his perfectly coiffed hair. He was the imaginary boyfriend I hoped to someday have and I knew every one of the Monkees songs by heart!

I slept with his album under my pillow.

Seriously… I did.

And so, now I get it.

When we mourn the loss of a celebrity, especially when that person came into our lives during our formative years, what we are mourning is, in a sense, our own mortality and we become keenly aware of the passing of time.

Davy played a prominant role in my pre-teen years when I had most of my life ahead of me and was trying to figure out who I would become. Life was full of possibilities and the future was waiting to be written.

I’m no longer thin and underdeveloped! (ha!!) I’m no longer shy but at times find myself in situations where that awkward little girl lingers inside, wondering who I will become next and what the future holds.

Good-bye Davy. Thanks for being there for me. And just in case you’re wondering…..

I’m still a daydream believer!

Julie

Next Saturday I am going to be a pageant judge for the Frederick County Distinguished Young Woman Program. I am really excited about this opportunity for several reasons.

First, because I have never done anything even remotely like this before unless you count the time I served as a judge for a youth public speaking contest. I’m not sure I should really bring that up because if I recall, I rallied heavily to let all the contestants win against the advice of the contest organizers. Apparently giving everyone a trophy only counts in little league sports. Go figure!

The second reason I’m excited is because I’m all for world peace.

Truth be told, when the organizer of the FCDYW Program asked me to be one of the judges, I hesitated because I feared my invitation would be rescinded if they knew about my past. In the spirit of full disclosure I think it’s fair that the world knows I am a two-time loser in the pageant arena.

When I was 6 years old, my mother entered me in the “Little Miss Valley” pageant which showcased little girls in the greater Middletown Valley. In spite of my best efforts to be cute, the crown was bestowed upon little Miss Mary Ellen Pasike. Mary Ellen, a younger contestant with perfect dark hair and eyes, captured the crown after she jumped onto the lap of the pageant emcee, “Happy Johnny”, Frederick’s beloved radio personality.

This manuever occurred after the audience became abruptly aware that a bat mysteriously entered and began flying around the elementary school auditorium during Miss Pasike’s interview. The crowd, upon seeing this endearing moment displayed by my arch nemesis and competitor, “awwwwww’ed” in unison, cementing the audience’s approval. To this day, I’ve hated bats and am still awaiting the official video recording which will confirm my suspicion that the bat was planted.

I’m not bitter.

To add insult to injury, my mother, not wanting her daughter’s only attempt at competition to end in a losing streak, entered both my sister and me in the “Little Miss Frederick” contest several weeks later. Sadly, Mama Ruth returned home with not one, but two crownless daughters!

And so, she who cannot win becomes a judge!

For more information on the Frederick County Distinguished Young Woman Program, go to:

https://distinguishedyw.org/programs/state_n_local_programs/maryland/local_programs/frederick/

You won’t be able to miss me. I’ll be the one holding the bat cage!

Julie

It started off innocently enough. My niece, Andrea, and I were doing the dishes on Christmas evening when she happened to mention seeing something on Pinterest.

“Are you on it?” she asked.

I had heard the word mentioned before but was unfamiliar with the latest craze in online addiction and doubly unaware of how quickly an activity as innocent as attaching pictures to a virtual bulletin board could consume the unsuspecting soul.

“No,” I replied. “What is it?”

Andrea described the basics but ended her brief educational moment with “……if you were on it, I would DEFINITELY follow you.” Cue up the music….”I will follow youuuuu…. follow you wherever youuuu may gooooo.”

Who wouldn’t want to be followed????

Two months later…. “my name is Julie and I’m a Pinterest addict.”

Do not bother to reach me between the hours of 10 pm and midnight because I’m busy pinning. Your house could be on fire but before I’d respond, I would check to see if there are any cool tips posted on how to put out said fire.

I know how to create a bird feeder out of a slinky.

I know 1001 uses for vinegar and now possess over 200 soup recipes!

I know how to turn a discarded tire found by the side of the road into an artfully displayed hanging basket.

I know the tastes and habits of total strangers whom I’m convinced are my long lost soul sisters because we like the exact same things!

The problem is….. I probably won’t have time to really do much of it because I can’t tear myself away from the computer.

They say the first step in dealing with an addiction is realizing that you have a problem.

Houston….. we have a problem.

I don’t mean to end this post abruptly but it’s almost 10:00 and it’s pinning time!

Julie