I Stood There Smiling

Okay, you know in the movies, when a woman is innocently standing in the window in the evening, looks over and the apartment across the way has the lights on and they see a guy naked, so they stand there and just watch?

This is real.

I come home from work late tonight and walk across the house to close the verticals in the living room... and pause. The guy that lives behind my parents house does not have curtains or window coverings and every light is on in his condo. The back of his condo faces the back of my parents condo [Yes, I'm still here and am staying here while they are snowbirds in Florida all winter]. 

I confess, I pause for a second. Does he really not have window coverings? It's late and with it being dark out there is full view to his house. For the record, I am not a nosy person. Quite honestly, I don't care what you have, I was more curious. I may have stood there for 10 seconds, when he walked up to his living room window. He was NAKED! What?! 

When I come home from work, I have a routine. I close the windows in the living room, then my room. So, I go into my bedroom to close the windows, when I see him walk through his room into the bathroom buck naked. Listen, you don't prance around naked at night with all the lights on and no window coverings unless you want to be seen.

Nice butt. Nice body! This guy is a health nut and does yoga on his patio, I've seen him out there a lot this summer. My mom had one recommendation when I moved in, "Don't fall for the guy behind their condo." He's single, but pretty certain he's an obsessive cleaner. He washes his satellite dish on the roof of his house too often and I did see him sweep the little bit of snow that was on his patio off the other day. An extreme perfectionist.

I know, okay, back to the window... Perhaps, I stood there for a bit [2-3 minutes] curious. He is in and out of the bathroom and going room to room. It's also been a long time since I've seen a man naked. 

Realizing I was smiling, I felt like a creeper and closed the blinds. 

It's dark at 5 o'clock now and now I know the neighbor prances around naked. This is going to be a long winter. 

Sweet Dreams

Being a tea lover, unsweetened iced tea for it's cold refreshing taste, sweet tea a special treat with sugar added, varieties of hot tea from Tea Co. businesses in countless flavors, to my newfound favorite, Sweet Dreams.

Hot tea is a comfort beverage and wanting to pick up a box of caffeine-free tea so I can enjoy a hot cup in the evening, I found this. 

Chamomile and soothing mint, it hit me that I've slept fantastic since I began drinking this in the evenings. 

A comfort evening beverage and a good nights sleep, I find I look forward to a great mug with comfort tea as part of evening routine.

And the Soul Felt It's Worth

Always up for a road trip and an adventure, one of my favorite things to do is find new places and experience new things. I had learned of a Christmas open house and popping the destination in my navigation system, I had no idea where it was and that made it all the more better.

Road trips, adventure, new places, a fabulous new mug, because coffee & tea bring me comfort & joy, creates the setting for an ordinary day turned extraordinary.

In the midst of the Christmas open house I saw an old fashioned house, turned gift shop and I went inside. It was one of those moments where everything was so beautiful that I was taking in the detail from room to room. Walking from one room to the next thinking to myself, who put this together? Bows and congratulations, beautifully done!

That's when I saw the print in a frame, And the soul felt it's worth and I stopped in my tracks just staring at it. So subtle, yet so powerful.

Not the mind or the heart that can be so fickle, but the soul, the spiritual principle and very essence of your being, the soul felt it's worth.

The shop was closing and I wanted to see the rest of the house. Let's just say, if it were a bed & breakfast, I would make a reservation, I wanted to stay.

Next door was an ice cream parlor, it's been a while since I've had ice cream and I went inside. Toasted Coconut w/chocolate shavings?! Honestly, it was the best ice cream I think I've ever had.

That print framed so simple and beautiful, I wish I would have bought it. The ice cream, amazing!

I'm going back this week.

I'm going to buy the picture, take my time in that beautiful house, stroll through room after room, and bring home some ice cream.

The perks of having a work schedule that is all over the place is that days off during the week are by far my favorite. Weekends are chaotic with traffic and hustle-n-bustle and honestly, people are crazy, and chaos drains me. Give me peace & quiet, the simple things that matter, and little traffic.

My road trip today far exceeded my expectations.

O holy night the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new glorious morn
Fall on your knees
O hear the angels' voices
O night divine
O night when Christ was born
O night divine o night
O night divine

Rowan's Christmas Stocking

I shared with Brooke this morning that I started Rowan's Christmas stocking a couple weeks ago and when I can, I sit down and work a couple hours at at time on it.

Let's just say, I'm on step 11 of 89. Sofia's stocking took me 50 hours to make, but it's worth it. Wait till you see it complete. The photo is my current situation.

I turn on Christmas movies and cut, thread, stuff and sequence each individual piece. I think of him and pray for him as I am making this and wonder all the years he will find joy when his Christmas stocking is hung.

When I was sharing with Brooke how far I still need to go with this, she said something that I never thought about. She said, "Thank you for making my stocking when the doctors told you I wasn't going to make it." 

Brooke was born premature and sick. When I delivered her, my doctor cancelled my tubal the next day and said he wouldn't tie my tubes, that my baby is very sick and most likely wouldn't make it, and that I was too young (29 yrs) to not be able to have another baby. He told me to prepare myself.

I pulled the rocking chair up to her incubator in NICU and I spent 9 days and 20 hours total making her Christmas stocking and praying. 

Rowan is 5 months old and won't know what it is now, but every year at Christmas his stocking will be hung next to his big sister's as the excitement and magic of Christmas fills his little heart. 

I love you, Rowan. 

xo

Underestimate Me

We had our monthly conference call with all 150 locations this afternoon and I got two shout outs on the call!

The first was the top sales people for holiday events across the country, only 8 names were listed and I saw my name on the webinar and it was announced over the call, then ...  

They ended the webinar talking about gratitude with several slides talking about the importance of gratitude and opened it up across the country for whomever to speak up and share what/who they are grateful for. It was cool to hear others from Arizona, Colorado, Texas, jump on the call and comment. 

About 15 people jumped in and made comments and I was stunned when I heard the Marketing guy from corporate (Virginia) jump on the call and say he is grateful for Dawn [me] at X location. That they underestimated me when they came on as the new management company at the beginning of this year, but that with this year I far exceeded their expectations and my sales carried the loss in our other division. 

Honestly, I was so shocked and honored that he was so thoughtful to acknowledge me. 

I think people are tired of hearing my name. My name is shared on many calls and I've made every corporate-wide competition they've had. 

When I smiled sweetly and asked who's the best salesperson here in Orlando last March, they underestimated me. That's where the fun begins!

Miss Understood

When my daughter, Mariah, was 2 years old she had done something and was in trouble. Papa, quick to defend his granddaughter, reminded me she was 2 years old and that I should reason with her.

I vividly remember my shock and thinking, perhaps even saying, "Who are you?! You are not the same person who raised me!" He may have laughed. It's just different when you are a grandparent.

Let's just say, it's come full circle.

This is a photo a couple weeks ago I captured when little Miss had an attitude. She is stomping to her room as a public display of not being pleased. I'm laughing, it really is the cutest thing ever. She stomped into my room, put on her sunglasses and sat down hard in her plush chair and clearly is not happy. She was probably further aggravated I was laughing at the familiarity of it all.

Oh, my sweet Sofia, I know all too well. xo

Yesterday's visit started off exciting when I walked in with cake and loaf cakes.

It's a good time to eat the icing off 2 pieces of cake, then lick the loaf cakes to see what she likes best. I love her eyes that light up in happiness and her excitement of all things new.

I cannot even remember what triggered unhappiness, it may have been when I was holding brother who happens to always be happy ...

... that she stomped down the hall into her room and shut the door pretty good. My Mariah just shook her head. That's when I shared a piece of valuable insight.

[Flashback to 22 years earlier and my dad telling me to reason with my 2 year old] "Sis, you were a door slammer, too." She didn't remember that, but both my girls were stomping to their bedrooms and door slammers from toddler years through teen years. I shared with her the best thing about it is, I didn't even care. I was glad you were behind your bedroom door and out of my sight.

When there's attitude, separate space is good. Two years old's get frustrated, too. If stomping down the hall to remove yourself from what is making you unhappy, enjoy your room. Cool off.

Sofia is two years old, she gets over things very quickly. Allow her to have her personal boundaries and self expression. Enjoy your few minutes of peace and solitude.

A Hallmark Worthy Coat

In Hallmark movies, the main actors clothing are combinations of reds, greens and whites. Heart-warming movies with bright and festive clothing.

Thanks to Hallmark and my upcoming vacation in the mountains, I was in search of a red winter coat. I'm a consignment shopper and I found the most fabulous red wrap belted coat (almost identical to the photo), then was thrilled to see the sales tag read $18! Checking out, the clerk pointed out the coat still has it's original sales tags on it, meaning it is also brand new and someone originally paid $140 and never wore it. Yayyy me!

That's because it was meant for me. Me and my pretty new gloves I put on today and realized driving they match my favorite scarf perfectly. 

It is a Hallmark worthy combination and perfect for my upcoming cabin vacation in the mountains.