today

when i was diagnosed with hodgkin's lymphoma- i made a promise to myself that i would try to do at least ONE new thing everyday.

note: difficult to do when you're stranded home because of weather and chemo-feelings.
note 2: difficult to do when you used to be wonder woman in the home.

today was one of those days where i figured i'd tap back into my child-self and do some crafts. what better thing to pitter the minutes away doing than making stationery?

i am OBSESSED with stationery.  i honestly would never need to go to the store to pick up any, ever again. today, i thought it would be fun if i made my own designs. let's face it, i had a lot of the materials i needed available to me from years of accumulating cute stuff.

the photo map:

i think...this will continue. adding more to my list (:

what do you think?

please keep toasty this weekend!

love me,
the globetrotting gamine

lazy summer days

there has been plenty going on in my world as of late. bulletting everything wouldn't even begin to be enough. let's start off with the super duper fun things i can remember.

in my world, summer means this:

1)

 wine with friends. everywhere. beer with friends. everywhere. party party.

2.)

 planning future...plans. designs. events. publicities. ah, same old adventurous things that i'm in love with.

3.)

writing- and researching EVERYTHING! I have almost read an entire-library full of books this year...actually, two libraries. I'm moving in on the third library and am researching a fellowship i'd like to do. this and my upcoming book(s)- making me happy.

4.)

writing- the lists, the manuscripts, the notes. i'm writing it all and i have every facet available to me to do so. my house often looks like a school's study hall without the students and bad smell. i've discovered about myself this year that when i'm writing, i'm much more likely to do it swiftly with a pen in my hand rather than type it out. this has kept me motivated.

that and my haters.

there are so many good things going on around me that it's overwhelming to take in. i am thankful for so much all year round, but especially in the summer time. for me, a lot of reflection and friend-seeing goes on at this time of year. also, vacations and movie-watching (if you've been reading along ;) )

one of my beautiful friends is actually reading one of my books as we speak- and i am waiting to receive one of them back from a publisher. these past two years have been quite a whirlwind for me (and quite a few people around me) and it's all been for the better. i love karma and trust in God and the universe now more than ever.

more than my dreams have come true. i am so blessed.

and thankful thankful thankful.

more soon, and keep cool ;)

~the globetrotting gamine

the learning saga

i've been very reflective-selective this year, the big 3-0.
selective of who i'm friends with, who i hang out with, where we go- this is something that i've earned.
more things like that of course, but everyday i am so thankful for my life and grateful to the people who have flitted in and out of it.

reflecting on how things could have been if people never did this makes me all the more thankful.

20 (more)  unrelated things that i've learned about myself:

1. i could care less about awards shows (but yes, i like the dresses)
2. i prefer to live in jeans.
3. swimming makes me really happy.
4. i am very not materialistic, and like to wear the crap out of my favorite clothing pieces.
5. what people say about me and think about me makes me sad that their lives are dull.
6. i make the best tzatziki sauce.
7. my wedding day was not the happiest day of my life- the day i knew i was going to spend the rest of my life with my husband was. having a party to celebrate that fact was nice, but not the be all, end all.
8. if you don't stick up for and stick with your own goals and dreams, you'll look back resenting only yourself. my Momma taught me this when i was little, so I have no reason to look back.
9. if the "important people" in your life don't celebrate your own goals and dreams as you do/with you--then they aren't important.
10. those dreams and goals i'd laid out so many times over have already gone above and beyond, and i'm not even 31 yet!!
11. the people who are happy for things that you are happy about are keepers- the rest will always treat you like an acquaintance for whatever their reasons are. don't try to figure them or their reasons out- it'll waste your time because they don't have reasons.
12. family is everything- and it goes beyond blood.
13. happiness starts within yourself.
14. having a bucket list could be an addiction. (but this is me- so really, any list is an addiction!!)
15. green tea makes me happy.
16. i'm a procrastinator, and it is something i struggle with every day. 
17. i can write more than one book at a time. 
18. i wish i could dedicate more time to illustrating and photography, as i do with writing.
19. after 7 years of preparing 1-3 meals a day, i've gotten a hang of this cooking thing! you can tell by my menu blogs thinning out :)
20. i am thankful for everything everyday. seriously. i whisper thank you all the time.

what have you learned this year?

simply happy.

hi bloggie friends!

how are you? i hope all is well in your worlds. right now, the clock is ticking for me to do some last minute EVERYTHING before easter time. a few months ago, i had no idea how busy my life would be though i wanted it to be.

i am so happy that a lot of you who know of my project(s) have e-mailed me to wish me well. i need it! my to do lists have had babies. i don't know what they've named them...as of yet. (this is me being silly on only one cup of coffee today.)

teeny to do list for this...month?:

1. find someone to help me redesign this website...if you know someone, please pass them along to me :)
2. fix my master-to do list
3. send one of my projects on their merry way
4. start researching for the next big milestone in my life
5. plan plan plan
6. work on resume, because it needs a total revamping
7. mark dates of events coming up on a calendar- i have been really bad about this and i don't mean to be
8. buy mousse for my unruly hair-- feel free to send me the name of a great one!
9. use old papers for scrap paper- something i've been doing for the last 4 years and you should, too! especially if you're into lists like me!
10. learn to make a new dish...my cooking has been amazing lately. yes. i am tooting my own horn. toot.
11. blog more. i've been lagging. the photos sitting pretty on discs will not be pleased about this. (this goes hand in hand with the new website idea- maybe i'm holding out?)

if you want me to add anything to my list, life, to photograph for your amusement, let me know! until then...happy weekend [even though it's thursday!]

also, if anyone is willing to do an agenda book giveaway- please just send one to me. i need it. lol

spring. yay!

hello friends:
we have had a very busy week!
how are you?

we hope you are good.

today, pup wanted to share some words of wisdom...

1. be thankful for everything you have
2. be thankful for everyone in your life
3. every circumstance that's handed to you makes way for something better
4. puppies are real cute

we hope that today marks the most wonderful springtime of your life!!

hugs, 

from

the globetrotting gamine and pup

love and celebrations

there has been quite a lot of celebrating

going on in these here parts.

it always seems that autumn into winter

brings a lot of events, birthdays and anniversaries

back around into our lives

and i am always stopping to reflect

those who have been here before us

and who are still protecting us from above.

it seems as if every celebration we have,

even if it's the littlest moment

like baking cookies together

or giving our puppy a squeeze,

our gratitude towards the universe

brings us even more gifts.

i am so thankful for my life-

shelter, water, food,

a husband who is without a doubt my soulmate

and knows me better than i know myself;

a family, who in the words of 'lilo and stitch'

is still good,

and friends that i couldn't even have dreamed about 2+ years ago

who i am convinced made their way in

when the negativity was thrown out the window.

there is so much to be thankful for in everyday

that i hope you look for the good in even the smallest moments-

because it turns out that

those are the ones that matter.

love me,

the globetrotting gamine

i sit here thinking...

(my best friend and me)

hi!

thank you for stopping by.

if you've been here before,

thank you so much

for reading

and your sweet e-mails
and cheering me- and us- on!

thank you
thank you.

what you have to know
if this is your first time here--
is that i'm a writer...
photographer...
illustrator...
and massive foodie.

i read...everything.
i love hand written notes,
and spent on the beach
with my hubby (LML = love of my life)
of the past 7 years.

my puppy is my life,
my family is amazing,
and i have the world's greatest friends.

so--i cook, i write, i drink wine...
i love to organize, plan and travel
and i love tea, blogs, and yoga.

LML loves the beach, studying,
gardening,
and cigars.

my job?
homemaker, writer,
mama to the bestest doggie in the world.
wife, daughter, auntie.

my passion has allowed me to
write for FuzionMag
which is a new obsession of mine.

i love writing and illustrating my children's books
and novels.
i've self-published 4 of my works
and i won't stop there.

i collect:
stationery, seashells,
books, coffee mugs,  postcards,
maps, cookbooks,
from around the world.

there is so much more
that i'd like to share with you...

and i will.
and i hope so much
that you will share with me, too!

happy 11-1-11

a few years back...
LML and I made the trek
into NYC
to watch

the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

I know I must have mentioned this-
but...
so much fun!!

Please check out this video
and the ones to follow.

We haven't been able to keep that
as a tradition...
but during this month
we are thankful for our life, family, puppy...

and so SO much more.

We hope you are, too!

insanely thankful- an essay

here i am- it's the night before my 30th birthday.
i feel like i'm coming to the end of a roller coaster and now my real fun can begin.

i can't help but think to myself- whoa, 30? Really?
i know i can't possibly ask how i got here, because I know.

i know what i've been through, lived through-- what and who and when i've loved, what i've liked not-so-much--
and how thankful i am that this is my life. mine.

how lucky i was to be born into my family...
to have the friends that never hurt me and always, ALWAYS took care of me..
to have the friends that made me understand what true friends are.

how lucky i was to have the childhood i've lived...
that i'd met my husband at such a young age and KNEW...
how lucky i was that the life i was meant to live followed me around like a shadow and never ceased to give me a 'wake up' kick in the ass.

how fortunate i was to go to good schools...
for my parents who gave me everything they possibly could, and for my sisters who watched out for me.
for my grandparents, who i miss so much and who were a second set of parents to me.

how thankful i am for the block i was born and lived on...
the schools i went to and the experiences i've had--
not all of them outstanding but they do make for good stories i've written ;)

for the people i met in the workforce since the age of 16,
and everyone i met while i was, officially, a school counselor...
for the opportunity to be pushed into writing as if a sumo wrestler was trying to teach me a lesson.

there are so many moments i remember from days past that i will never forget...
like... sitting in a patch of sunlight on my living room floor, witnessing the banter between my Grandma and Grandpa.
like...having my friends running through my house, and one throwing my shoe up into my gutter...

i wonder if it's still there!

i will never forget the days of watergun fights, watching movies with my friends, eating endlessly, saving my friend from an oncoming bicycle-slaught, remembering every single moment i touched my husband's hand when i was a 13 year old with a crush...
i can't help remembering "my kids" who taught me so much...
i will never forget looking into the eyes of my peers and breathing a sigh of relief that others outside my circle might actually know me for who i really was--because they did, do...

i will never forget the scary and hysterical moments with everyone i've come across-- my mentor who was a part of my very soul and probably hanging out with my Grandparents at this very moment...

the days under the sun...the boys i had a crush on, especially the one who owned my heart from the very first moment...

i will never forget the days i spent with my crazy niece-- who would chase people down with babybottles filled with water to spray into peoples eyes and her endless shrieks...that were just to annoy people and not at all from laughter. i remember when she used to sneak upstairs on weekend morning so we would watch scary movies and try not to scream to wake up Grandma.

i will never forget the day my first nephew came home...and how i couldn't even pick him up because he was so small....or the times he would make his way up the stairs and crawl into bed with me, holding his two pacifiers. it seemed that the only time he would sleep would be when he was with me. and when he was awake, he was happiest playing with LML.

i will never forget the day i met my youngest nephew- with his button nose and big brown eyes. and the fact that he farted in my hand as if to state, ' yes! i was born into this family- haha!'

...when i swung on my sisters' hair...
...discovering and exploring the library with my older sister...
...pets on the head from grandma and mom...
...grandpa helping me with art/easter homework because he was an artist. and a photographer. and a great man....
...my dad and his amazing brain, though he doesn't think so. and the fact that anything he cooks is ridiculously yummy...
...and the fact that i have his eyes...
..and the stories of my amazing family...

there are so many things i will never forget, that made me ME. so many people that hold a special place in my heart that it's unbelievable.

i am so thankful...and not just because i'm almost 30.

because i'm still me, and i still am. and i always will be....

so thanks...
for buying my books, listening to me prattle on, supporting me and encouraging me. thank you for the hugs, for letting me take pictures to post..or even of whoever is reading this.

i wish i could have captured every moment. but i've kept the near and dear ones very close.

thank you :)

just came by...

(note:: the above is not my property. i found it on google images. i love me some 'peanuts'-- charlie brown reminds me of LML...and i'm snoopy.)

to wish you all a wonderful weekend---


and thank you for reading/commenting/liking my blog!

it truly means  alot to me...especially since a few weeks back i hit the two year mark.

holy crap!


so have fun...take pictures...write me notes...

love,
the globetrotting gamine

thankful for...

i, the globetrotting gamine, do hereby declare that i am of sound body and mind and i so do declare that i am thankful for:

• love
• karma
• my family <3
• my littlest best friend, puppy
• the guy i've loved since i was 13, LML
• a roof over my head and the heads of my family, and loved ones
• my incredible friends
• the opportunities that present themselves to me everyday
• food, restaurants, farms, smoothies, juice
• wine
• writing
• the ability to read and write and draw
• many creative outlets
• my sense of humor which i believe has helped my sanity immensely
• and so, so much more!

happy trails <3

love me,
the globetrotting gamine