Where did the past 4 weeks go?

… or what’s been happening in MY busy life???  LOTS … and most (but not all) of it quite enjoyable!!! This morning I’m wishing I hadn’t upgraded to the most recent version of Firefox because everything moving slower than molasses at the moment … taking much longer than usual, but hopefully it’s just my laptop’s security getting used to the new way things work and everything will be back to normal speed soon.

Three rooms of my home have been de-cluttered thanks to help from my 2007 Taos ‘writing buddy’ Jan of My Dumbo Feather, and her good friend Kathy. After traveling from Minnesota to catch up with family & friends in Northern California, they arrived in Southern California for a two-day visit and stayed for SIX … putting their considerable organizational and Feng Shui skills to excellent use for about half of them … teaching me to do things in tiny steps … celebrating along the way … and I’m exceedingly grateful to them both!

Of course that leaves one more room downstairs plus a bathroom, laundry room, and pantry to deal with before I begin upstairs, but I’m amazed at what we accomplished in just 3.5 days of dedicated effort together. I’m caught up in the momentum and doing something every day to keep myself moving in the right direction, feeling confident I’ll finish the task much sooner than anticipated. Here they are on my front patio on their last evening ready to eat delicious pizza from Munchies, but I prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner for them using my rusty but adequate ‘culinary’ skills most of our days together.

It wasn’t all work and no play however. Since they arrived on ‘Taco Tuesday’ we dined in the Barefoot Bar of Duke’s by the HB Pier then walked the Tuesday evening ‘street fair’ that evening. On Friday I gave them a guided tour of the local coastal area … driving out on the Balboa penninsula then taking the ferry to Balboa Island before continuing south through Newport Beach, Corona Del Mar, Laguna and all the way to Dana Point Harbor before turning for home. Unfortunately neither the Chart House nor Cannons were open for lunch so we ended up at Ruby’s Diner for tasty burgers instead. Jan and I walked barefoot on the beach at the shoreline looking at rocks & shells in the surf while Kathy (who had fallen and injured her hip earlier in the trip) sat on the bluff above overlooking the ocean.

The place seems lonely without them … especially since my sister & her husband left to visit family & friends up north for a couple of weeks, but Ms. Kitty and Molly keep me company and I’ve been busily catching up with gardening tasks … weeding, pruning, repotting plants, etc.

In some one-on-one coaching the past couple of months, Isabel Parlett (the Soundbite Shaman) has been helping me work through ‘money & marketing’ issues and I’m making steady progress. I’ve established a PayPal account attached to a newly established checking account for Labyrinth Journal so when my first journal is published finally, people can purchase it there. In addition, I’m participating in Lissa Bole’s free ‘Jupiter-Midas Effect’ virtual symposium and trying to catch up then stay current with the two-month intensive ‘Get Your Work Out There’ training with Samantha Bennett & Steve Harper because ‘life’ has tossed a few health related hardballs for some dear friends of mine and we’d all appreciate your prayer for healing, comfort, courage, and strength to face whatever comes. I’ll be attending the Awesome Women’s Hub Tour event in Riverside this weekend.

There’s more but I’m out of time for now. I’m closing this post with the exciting news that my first ‘Writing the Labyrinth’ journal with the theme of ‘Choice’ is at the printer and should be available very soon! If it’s successful, I have several more such journals on other themes ready to go right away. I’ll leave a link on this site when it become available, but this is what the cover will look like. It’s a cropped ‘portrait’ version of a ‘landscape’ snapshot of the labyrinth on the Mabel Dodge Luhan grounds taken last summer.

Thought for Today
“The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you.”
John E. Southard
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7 Responses to Where did the past 4 weeks go?

  1. Karen says:

    Wow–I’m almost overwhelmed by all the photos of your home–inside and out. I don’t think you’ve ever shared so much of your personal life in one go–I love it! I love peeking into to others’ personal spaces, and yours looks absolutely delightful! Comfortable, comforting, lovely…

    That’s so wonderful that Jan and her friend were able to visit with you. It sounds like it was indeed a fun experience for all of you.

    And congratulations on the nearing of your first journal publication–I can’t wait to buy my own copy!!

  2. Virginia says:

    You’re right that it has taken me quite a while to be comfortable enough to share my personal life in the ‘virtual’ world … but when I started Giraffe Journal back in September of 2010, I decided to blog as ‘me’ as authentically as possible … following your good example (and Kara’s too).

    Looking at the photos inside and out that I’ve shared here, I realize I’ve published such images on my previous blogs … but always under a ‘pseudonym’ that gave me an illusion of privacy … whether or not it existed in truth. I rather enjoyed creating this update complete with photos yesterday because doing so reminded me how much fun it was to begin blogging back in 2007. I’m hoping I’ll be able to get myself to share more regularly like I did back then, and visit other blogs more regularly too when life seemed simpler and blogging was a totally new experience.

    Thanks for dropping by. I look forward to catching up with all you’ve been up to at your new site, which reminds me … I need to add that link to my sidebar. I’ll letcha know when the journal officially available. I really appreciate the feedback you provided and made changes in the draft I send you back then. Cindy emailed me last night that they’re working on the ‘watermarked’ templates. I’m eager to hold the finished product in my hands. Hope you have a delightful day!
    Hugs and blessings,

  3. kara says:

    Virginia,
    Thanks for dropping by and leaving so many comments. I have yet to reply to them all.

    I love seeing all your photos of your home. It looks so comfy and relaxing both inside and out. Most exciting is to see your book cover!! Like Karen said I am excited to buy my own copy.

    Have a great weekend at the awesome women’s hub!

  4. jzr says:

    Virginia, Looks like you are getting lots done and having fun too! Your home is lovely and looks warm and cozy and your garden is beautiful. I’m a plant person too! Congrats on the new book. Let me know when it’s ready!

  5. Gail says:

    Way to go, Virginia. I too have been mostly offline while at a writing workshop in Wildacres, NC. It was hard work, but lots of fun with more parties and skit shows and readings than I could take. It is a beautiful site near Little Switzerland, NC, very isolated, so few people left the mountain. Now I am trying to catch up and get ready for my daughter Courtney and my granddaughter Norah to arrive this Tuesday for about 10 days/ So I will be offline somemore — and am thinking about cutting back sevefrely on my Facebook/gmail time. I have LOTS to read andf think ab out, not to mention lots of re-writing. Take care, and we’ll connect again at some point.
    Gail

    • Virginia says:

      Gail and Joan,
      Ohmygosh – I can’t believe you left these comments more than 6 years ago and that I’m only finding them today. Health issues have kept me from publishing and/or checking this blog and my website until now, but I’ve just updated my hosting and am hoping to be sharing again soon. Don’t know if you’ll ever see this response, but I do appreciate your visits and comments greatly – if belatedly.
      Hugs and blessings,

  6. Pingback: My Recurring Lessons on Health and Well-Being … | Giraffe Journal

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