Solanco HS Relay for Life
Monday, June 26, 2017
VLOG - Solanco HS Relay for Life
Super short post this week. I am so very happy to share with you my experience at the Solanco High School Relay for Life. Many thanks to my super supportive babysitter, Kristin for helping to capture the footage and put together this incredible video. Enjoy!
Solanco HS Relay for Life
Solanco HS Relay for Life
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
The secret to a perfect marriage
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I hope that the title grabbed your attention enough so that you would stop by and read what I have to say. First off, I am no marriage expert. I have, however, been married for 25 years and I have learned a few things along the way. First off I'll tell you there is no such thing as a perfect marriage. Every married couple endures periods of trials and tribulations. Handling those difficulties is what helps to give a marriage longevity. Read on for some of my random thoughts I have learned along the way and who knows, you may find that common ground to help your marriage, give you a happier marriage, but not necessarily a perfect marriage.
First of all, be prepared to say you're sorry even when you're not sure what you did wrong. Sometimes in a relationship the other person can get angry or upset with something that you said or did or maybe even something that you didn't say or didn't do but the perception is that you should have done differently. Often times an argument evolves because the other individual does not really know or understand what went wrong. So my advice to you is do your very best to understand, and even when you don't give a meaningful and sincere apology and work really hard to better understand from their perspective.
My second random thought is to recognize misplaced aggravation and allow for the space and the time necessary to work through that period. I know myself I go through moments of being aggravated and the ones closest to me, the ones I love the most bear the brunt of my aggravation. I am not perfect-- I readily admit this-- but I do know that it happens. If you're feeling the brunt of misplaced aggravation do your best to recognize it and not engage. On the flipside if you were the one exhibiting the misplaced aggravation be ready to make up for it in a big way!
My third random thought (and my favorite) would be to kind and loving words and loving touches all day long. Sometimes a sweet text goes a long way. We have so many emoji's that we can use when we're texting we can send really fun messages to our spouses' to keep things fun and light. When your text are filled with pick up milk and are you getting the kids off the bus and others it will quickly take the zing out of the relationship. So make sure throughout the day you were choosing kind and loving words and also sharing loving touches. Start and end every day with a hug and a kiss and then throughout the day and make sure you're getting plenty more hugs and time alone.
My last little tidbit of advice would be to recognize that every situation is temporary. I started off saying all marriages have periods of trials and tribulations. When you recognize that, this period of time is only temporary and there's an opportunity to work through it you will be able to see through to the end and get to a better place. A few years ago my husband and I were doing some serious renovations on our vacation rental. It was an especially difficult time. Because we were both working really hard and trying to accomplish so many tasks in addition to managing our two kids and working full-time jobs. During this time. I had to tell myself over and over this is only temporary this will be done at some point. Now because of that difficult time we endured together, we have a thriving vacation rental business and we reap many rewards. We can look back on that time and recognize that we learned a lot from it and we made it through together.
I hope that the title grabbed your attention enough so that you would stop by and read what I have to say. First off, I am no marriage expert. I have, however, been married for 25 years and I have learned a few things along the way. First off I'll tell you there is no such thing as a perfect marriage. Every married couple endures periods of trials and tribulations. Handling those difficulties is what helps to give a marriage longevity. Read on for some of my random thoughts I have learned along the way and who knows, you may find that common ground to help your marriage, give you a happier marriage, but not necessarily a perfect marriage.
First of all, be prepared to say you're sorry even when you're not sure what you did wrong. Sometimes in a relationship the other person can get angry or upset with something that you said or did or maybe even something that you didn't say or didn't do but the perception is that you should have done differently. Often times an argument evolves because the other individual does not really know or understand what went wrong. So my advice to you is do your very best to understand, and even when you don't give a meaningful and sincere apology and work really hard to better understand from their perspective.
My second random thought is to recognize misplaced aggravation and allow for the space and the time necessary to work through that period. I know myself I go through moments of being aggravated and the ones closest to me, the ones I love the most bear the brunt of my aggravation. I am not perfect-- I readily admit this-- but I do know that it happens. If you're feeling the brunt of misplaced aggravation do your best to recognize it and not engage. On the flipside if you were the one exhibiting the misplaced aggravation be ready to make up for it in a big way!
My third random thought (and my favorite) would be to kind and loving words and loving touches all day long. Sometimes a sweet text goes a long way. We have so many emoji's that we can use when we're texting we can send really fun messages to our spouses' to keep things fun and light. When your text are filled with pick up milk and are you getting the kids off the bus and others it will quickly take the zing out of the relationship. So make sure throughout the day you were choosing kind and loving words and also sharing loving touches. Start and end every day with a hug and a kiss and then throughout the day and make sure you're getting plenty more hugs and time alone.
My last little tidbit of advice would be to recognize that every situation is temporary. I started off saying all marriages have periods of trials and tribulations. When you recognize that, this period of time is only temporary and there's an opportunity to work through it you will be able to see through to the end and get to a better place. A few years ago my husband and I were doing some serious renovations on our vacation rental. It was an especially difficult time. Because we were both working really hard and trying to accomplish so many tasks in addition to managing our two kids and working full-time jobs. During this time. I had to tell myself over and over this is only temporary this will be done at some point. Now because of that difficult time we endured together, we have a thriving vacation rental business and we reap many rewards. We can look back on that time and recognize that we learned a lot from it and we made it through together.
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
What is a Fair Weather 5-ker?
For years now I've considered myself a treadmill TrackStar. That's right, in the comfort of my own home with my TV playing or I listen to some music and get on the treadmill and just go go go! However, in the last 18 months I found myself getting involved in 5K races. It's a great way to get outdoors and benefit a local community service organization. I've got a running buddy in my friend Krista, who goes with me on most of the races. We have enlisted our friend Claudine as well to get up and get moving. We always finish but we don't always run the entire course. Krista has been doing great; her pacing and her time has improved quite a bit. My time has improved as well but not when I run the entire course. I am pleased to say that I have won a few races in my age division. That spirit of competition and the recognition of winning is what keeps me going. The 5K races also come with a host of other benefits. Sometimes you get a gift bag full of goodies; everything from candy and gift certificates to a T-shirt and sometimes even complementary drinks at local restaurant. But more importantly I want to get outside and run. I call myself a Fair Weather 5K-er because while I like to run outdoors, the weather needs to be great, well at least pretty good. Early mornings are best. But if I wake up and it is raining and 40 degrees...I will wait for the Fair Weather.
Thursday, June 8, 2017
Miss Next Level Youth
Representing Pennsylvania in the Mrs. United States pageant has afforded me many opportunities to attend events within our community. I was privileged to attend the Miss Next Level Youth Pageant last Friday night. This pageant system was established by Evelyn McCleod approximately 10 years ago. Evelyn is no stranger to Pageants, having held many titles throughout her life. She saw an opportunity within the Pageant community to develop a pageant that fostered mentorship, leadership and community service. With that in mind, Evelyn established the Miss Next Level Youth pageant.
This is a pageant system which has a focus on mentoring and leadership. Winners mentor other contestants but they also hone their leadership skills. This is important for women all across our country to continue to develop these skills and establish value for their future goals. I applaud you, Evelyn McCleod, for your commitment to developing the youth within our community and ensuring their growth in leadership and mentorship. Congratulations on a spectacular event.
This is a pageant system which has a focus on mentoring and leadership. Winners mentor other contestants but they also hone their leadership skills. This is important for women all across our country to continue to develop these skills and establish value for their future goals. I applaud you, Evelyn McCleod, for your commitment to developing the youth within our community and ensuring their growth in leadership and mentorship. Congratulations on a spectacular event.
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Confessions of a Glamour Mom
It takes a lot of hard work to try to maintain a youthful appearance and at 51 I find myself working double and triple time. I am all for modern day technology and even modern medicine when appropriate. Photos are one of the greatest ways to show how well you're taking care of yourself, but of course even photos can be enhanced.
My favorite trick is using this easy to use program called Portrait Pro. You simply upload your photo and just an instant it identifies the face in your photo and then enhances it. You can go all out glam or you can make just minor imperfections disappear and leave the photo as it is. Below are two photos I took last week. Actually, I only took one photo and the other one is the same image enhanced with Portrait Pro. Making those minor changes meant that I could leave my house with little to no make up on and have a great morning with my son at his picnic, and still pretty's pictures that made me look… Well little younger than 51.
Thursday, June 1, 2017
That's right...I am always smiling! Welcome!
So happy you stopped by to visit my blog. Posts will be forthcoming about my life in general and my year of service as Mrs. PA United States 2017.
It was such an incredible journey to get to the stage of Mrs. PA. WHEW! I had so many friend and family members supporting me and that is what made it truly memorable. I feel so blessed to be given this opportunity and I certainly do not want to disappoint. My year of service will be focused on advocating for the Mrs. PA/NJ United States pageant and also raising awareness and fundraising for cancer worthy causes.
I lost my Dad to cancer almost 18 years ago. Hard to believe it has been that long. He still appears in my dreams, I can still hear his voice, and sometimes I even think I see him. It feels strange. The loss of a parent is traumatic but I have found some solace by putting my energy into charities that wholeheartedly want to eradicate cancer. It's an awful disease and incredibly painful to watch a loved one endure their final days in this manner. I hope and pray we find a cure and soon.
It was such an incredible journey to get to the stage of Mrs. PA. WHEW! I had so many friend and family members supporting me and that is what made it truly memorable. I feel so blessed to be given this opportunity and I certainly do not want to disappoint. My year of service will be focused on advocating for the Mrs. PA/NJ United States pageant and also raising awareness and fundraising for cancer worthy causes.
I lost my Dad to cancer almost 18 years ago. Hard to believe it has been that long. He still appears in my dreams, I can still hear his voice, and sometimes I even think I see him. It feels strange. The loss of a parent is traumatic but I have found some solace by putting my energy into charities that wholeheartedly want to eradicate cancer. It's an awful disease and incredibly painful to watch a loved one endure their final days in this manner. I hope and pray we find a cure and soon.
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