Tag Archives: relationships

Here’s to new beginnings.

Posted on January 2013 | 9 Comments
Tulips

These are my tulips from my garden. They don’t bloom every year but when they do, well, there you go.

I think most people who are reading this can read between the lines and know exactly what I’m thinking. I may be wrong on that I may be right but generally speaking I think people are smart enough to tell if I’m being a true person over here expressing what my heart feels or if I’m trying to make it all look lovely with a bunch of pretty pictures and smiles.

I think you know. Then sometimes I think you know but then how could you know if I don’t tell you what is going on in my life? How could you know? Tell me. Use your words.

Words. Here they are. Ready? Since starting my blog, I’ve had a lot of fun with it. I’ve learnt that the most rewarding parts are when you receive compliments that turn into long conversations of people actually helping each other. I’ve met people I didn’t expect to meet. Hello. Nice to see you.

I’ve also learned that if I don’t say how I’m feeling you aren’t going to know. So I’ll tell you.

I’m doing well, and you? How are you?

All things considered. I’m making a decision now in this moment to be nice, to be kind, to have integrity, to be a whole person and hopefully to have a cheerful disposition.

Love you mom. ♡

Love you mom. ♡

I’m choosing to publish this article and then spend some time around the house that desperately is calling for love and attention. It’s a lot to handle. It’s a lot to balance.

Life is just an act, isn’t it, an act of balance, give and take. Who would have ever imagined that by publishing a blog I would have heard some of the comments I have heard, met the people I’ve met.

I miss my family abroad. I miss my friends who are far away.

I feel connected with them here on facebook and over the internet. Thank you for that.

I love my house — so call me a pentofola if you will. A pentofola is a house shoe or slipper generally regarded as something you wouldn’t go out in. It’s not a compliment. It’s just me being lazy and enjoying my garden.

How are your days passing? I’m working on spiritual and physical health by exercising, reading, eating well but more than anything trying to put into practice the ideas of love and forgiveness.

Each day is a new challenge and I fall short of God’s wonderful mercy and love but I pray and I start again. For the most part, it seems to be working.

As always friends, I hope this post finds you lovely, lucky and in love.

God bless. Thanks for visiting.  Also on a special note, I would like to say hello to my friends who have been reading this blog since I’ve started it. It means a lot to me.

Julie

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Posted in happiness, Inspiration, learning, motivation

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If I can figure out how to write a blog, anyone can.

Posted on September 2012 | 15 Comments 
 Would you like to write? Please do.
I am safe in the universe and all life loves and supports me. Thx LH.

I am safe in the universe and all life loves and supports me. Thx LH.

If you would like to be a published writer, it’s easy, just do it. I started writing as soon as I got a crayon in my hand.

When I was 11, I started keeping a small lock and key diary with a bright yellow and red Snoopy picture. I would write whatever came to an 11 year-old’s mind.

I have entries in my diary about what I would do for my birthday party, where my family went and who I liked and didn’t like at school. The diary entry that makes me laugh is My sister hit me. Now I realize the importance of those four words.

I found a place for myself, a place to put my own thoughts but most importantly I have proof 30 years later that my sister hit me. ;)

As I got older, I started writing travel diaries. I have about 15 handwritten diaries in my garage that I wrote when I was between 19 and 30.

I like to keep a journal while I’m travelling. I like reading them after a number of years has past as reading the words brings me right back to the place I wrote them.

If you want to write, do it. Just take out a pen and write. 

How to get published.

The first time I got published as a writer I was in high school. It helped to have friends. I was president of my high school so the job was sort of just assigned to me. One of my teachers came up to me and said Julie, you are going to have to write a weekly article for the school newspaper.

A couple of weeks later, I saw my name in print for the first time with a headline saying Howdy Cowboys. What a laugh.

From then, I moved to Europe and remained one of the few people who actually knew English so it was pretty much certain that I would get published in the first English magazine in our city. Luckily for me, the publisher was a good friend of mine. She had great taste in style and the magazine was a big success in my humble opinion.

From there, I just continued writing. I would write or suggest stories to my publisher and she usually printed them. Sometimes, my publisher friend, Ali,  would give me assignments, for example she’d say Julie, there’s a new art opening on Friday, can you cover it? I continue to write for pleasure just as I continue to paint pictures of flowers, just as I love reading other people’s stories.

Also, I would suggest you write from the heart and write as you speak. Finally the easiest way to get published is to publish yourself — just as I am doing here.

Thank you for visiting. Comments are appreciated. Have a great day.

Have you ever been published? What sort of things do you like to write about?

I’d love to hear if you’d like to leave a comment below. Thanks.

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Posted in happiness, journal, motivation, relationships, writing

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Swim away from the cake — updated motivational technique.

Posted on July 2012 | 5 Comments 
Hi friends. Welcome.

I am putting every ounce of myself to becoming a better blogger, writer and communicator.

Swim away from the cake!

More importantly is that I am trying to make a positive change in life.

Thank for visiting if this is your first time here. Welcome back visitors, feel free to leave comments, I truly appreciate them. 

What motivates you?

My best friend kicks my bum in tennis and probably anyone elses. When we were playing at university we were great partners. We spent our time between matches actually doing cartwheels on the court.

We were paired up with a couple of strong guys who were so serious about tennis. One day our coach pulls us aside and assigns us new partners. Not those guys, Not those guys, we chanted — they’d kill us at tennis.

Sure enough, we  found fantastic new partners, the super strong guys.

I’m building bridges here.

Stay with me folks. There IS a reason I’m telling you this.

The reason is this. I like to find what is behind someone’s motivation. Is it someone who comes over, puts your hand on your shoulder, smiles, and says good job, or is the person who gets behind you and yells ‘DO IT!’?

Ti voglio TANTO bene.

Ti voglio TANTO bene.

When I was on swim team in high school, my sister was my best motivator. She’d follow me back and forth across the lanes and scream ‘Go, Go!’ Her coaching strategy was swim toward the chocolate cake and away from the shark.

Just pretend

Be a kid and pretend you are the best. Walk across the room at this moment as if you have a cape on your back, I don’t care if anyone’s watching — all the better. Our mind will literally follow suit.

When my best friend and I were back playing singles tennis, she’d say Julie  — You’re going down with such conviction, I had no other choice then to believe here. Guess what? She usually won. She still does.

The point is, get out there, do your best.

Go! Go! Just get out there and do it! Be the positive change you want to see. That’s all we can ask, isn’t it?

Have a positive mental outlook and a strong belief that you can win. If you don’t believe in yourself, well then, I do. Go!

Have a nice day and thank you for visiting.

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Posted in family, holidays, Inspiration, journal, motivation, teaching, travel, writing

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10 Insider Tips to Start off your Day Right.

Posted on July 2012 | 15 Comments
All year long flowers.

All year long flowers.

1) Put your best foot forward.

Regardless of how many mistakes you have made in the past today is a new day. Just by making a decision now, you can make your dreams come true by believing in yourself. Think of the adage of the train who said I think I can I think I can.

Before you know it you can overcome any obstacles.

2) Overcome obstacles.

It’s all about the way you view them. There is always a good side to every story. When a door closes a window opens. What could be good? Opportunity. The world is your oyster. There are infinite possibilities. Look at your obstacles as stepping stones to your future.

3) The world is your oyster.

God gave us this wonderful life so we could live it to it’s fullest. Now is your opportunity to live life to its fullest, love and learn.

4) Make attainable goals.

Simplicity

Out with the lists of stopping smoking, losing weight and getting rid of old habits. In with the lists of positive choices. Choose a healthy lifestyle that includes rest, relaxation, good food, exercise, abundance, lots of water and happiness. Make your goals to be state driven.

That means desiring what you have.

Set yourself up to play a winning game.

5) Have state driven goals.

It’s not the money that makes us happy, it’s what that money can buy. Let’s just jump over this hurdle and stop wanting more money. Start to have happiness in the terms of joy, love and peace of mind. You have all that you need in this moment.

6) Be the change you desire in the world.

Instead of complaining about what is wrong, start finding what is right and then start acting how you want to be. Decide to avoid any self negative talk. Your mind can hear you and it might just believe what it hears.

7) Model good behavior

So your not perfect, neither am I. But I do try. I set myself out to be the best I can be. At times I don’t know what good behavior is like so I find someone who I think is doing it right and I try to do it just like them.

*8) Be sensible my dear child

Get a good night’s sleep, drink lots of water, do some exercise, eat well and hug someone.

One thing I’ve learned is to moderate behavior. Make good choices because you think they are sensible, not based on desire. Be thankful for what you have and try to want less.

9) Go green.

Go green.

Start talking about recycling and then do it. Start dividing your trash into paper, plastics, glass and organic waste and then deposit them in the appropriate bins.

10) Laugh

Sometimes laughter is the best medicine. Dedicate some time of your day to things that make you happy, like love, family and friends.

Remember, live life with passion as if it were your last and first day. Live life as you were looking through the eyes of a child. All things are possible through God.

What do you think? What would be your insider tip to having a good life? I would love it if you left me your ideas in the comment section below. Thanks!

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Meeting Intelligent People ~ might suprise you. Probably won’t.

Posted on April 2012 | 13 Comments

Cappuccino? Yes, please!

I’m moody.

I have a temper.

I’m not always nice.

I’m not always honest.

Sometimes I lose my patience and yell.

Sometimes I’m difficult to be around.

I even read this post about how to write 50 compliments. I thought great idea. I tried. It’s in my draft box. Couldn’t do it. I just can’t because today I’m not my own best friend.

The child in me is asking for help.

If I could only be young again! If I could only be innocent again. There’s that song going on in my head When September Ends and it says innocence can never last. Would you like know why?

That darn thing called knowledge has to peak it’s little head and ruin the fun for everyone.

The begs the question if it is better to just dig your head in the sand and not know anything. Happy go lucky carefree days of youth. Swoosh. Gone.

Now real life sets in.

I had a long talk today with a friend of mine, Sofia. When I mean long, I mean about two hours over lunch. She inspired me unbelievably. We talked about politics, classes, teachers, we even joked. We talked about art and music. We helped each other out.

Here’s the catch. This girl was nine. That’s why I love youth. That’s why I believe in our future.

I mean it. I was stunned. I showed her one of my paintings on my cell phone and she said it rivaled Van Gogh. She says to me, you know, I like it because it isn’t all perfect and straight.

To make this world a better place.

To make this world a better place.

I asked her what her plans for life are. She has it pretty much figured out. First plan was to marry Justin Bieber. If that fails, she’s marrying rich. If that fails she says she’s going into politics.

I ask her why? She says because she wants to make the world a better place.

___________

Makes my overwhelmed state of life seem so silly. Why do grown ups mess everything up? We talked so long about education and the importance of learning. I taught her how to do her multiples of nine on her hands. I taught her what Chinese Math is by singing and learning by singing. I taught her how to count her seasons on her knuckles.

I admire her.

And she me, I believe. It’s friendship.

I notice how people’s friends all sort of look alike. I mean, my best girlfriends and I are almost equal in height, coloring, etc. Same with my husband’s, sister’s, children’s, etc.

What I think is special is when you cross those boundries and the old man and the
young child hold hands. How black meets white. How a homeless can talk with a rich person and share their experiences hoping to make this world a better place.

I'm praying for you. I am. ♡

I know I’m a dreamer. Aren’t we all to some extent? I just wish life were more simple. Too many problems to begin listing them. I am just thankful I have an outlet through writing, through walking, through painting, through participating, through helping and through friendships.

In the meantime, as always I hope post finds you lovely, lucky and in love.

Julie

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Posted in Inspiration, learning

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Abruzzo ~ fresh on my mind.

Posted on September 2011 | 3 Comments

It was super sweet of my husband to organize this family trip to Abruzzo. It took us four hours without traffic to get there and five hours with traffic to come home. We stayed for a week and well, the last evening which was our wedding anniversary celebration was nothing less than magical.

Do you know that moment when you are relaxed eating and all of the sudden you see two guys walk out carrying speakers and amplifiers and you think, Oh. My. Gosh. There goes my quiet dinner?

Well, lucky for us, the guys put my favorite two cds on at a low volume and I loved it. They were Michael Buble and Pino Daniele. The evening literally was an evolution from us finding the place, parking, being the first to sit down, as the kids immediately found a place to play as they ran off towards a jumpy bouncy thing that later filled with more kids.

Then, we walked past a sign that said Oggi Sposi and we realized there was a wedding in progress inside the restaurant. We were outside by the pool with a view of the Mediterranean.

The food was good, our waitress was adorable and sweet. We took some pictures, watched people and just talked for the longest time.

What a special evening.

Then as if by magic, or on cue, out walks the bride down to the pool with all of her friends.

They were a very beautiful couple and it was quite a glamorous wedding. I noticed that the groom was having a hard time standing up as he had probably been celebrating for the entire day. His friends thought it would be funny to undress him and throw him into the pool.

Guess what? It was. He was smiling. His new bride was smiling. For a minute I let my heart get carried away into the celebration. Weddings truly can be something magical. I know mine was. We laughed. We danced. I walked into visit room number two because it was raining, and we all had moved inside.

Inside room number two, my husband’s friends all started smiling, clicking their glasses with silver, toasting me, and chanting, ‘Viva la sposa’, meaning Here’s to the bride.

Flowers

One of my paintings. Flowers

>I tell you, people still come up to me and say it was the most memorable wedding they have ever been to. It was. 20 or so Americans came to visit. My dad made friends with Vitmar. My dad still asks me how he Vitmar is when he calls.

Abruzzo.

Yes. Our vacation. It was absolutely lovely. We spent our time between restaurants, the jacuzzi, swim pool, shopping and the beach.

I feel at this moment very lovely, lucky and blessed. I’m trying to hold on to the feeling as long as I can, as real life faces me. As they say here, I’ve recharged my batteries.

As always, I hope this post finds you lovely, lucky and in love.

Julie

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Bl❀ggity bl❀g bl❀g.

Posted on August 2011 | 7 Comments

Hi friends and welcome back. Nice to see you. Welcome new visitors.

Hello Africa! Hello Asia! Hello Europe! Hello Australia! Hello Canada! Hello south America and above all hello U.S.A! Did I leave anyone out?! Hope not!

What motivates you?

Key kitty kitty kitty. That's me talking again to my cat. : )

Key kitty kitty kitty.

My best friend kicks my bum in tennis and probably anyone else’s. When we were playing at university we were great partners.

We spent our time between matches actually doing cartwheels on the court. Sometimes we’d do them during matches. :)

One day our coach pulled us aside and assigned us new partners. Not the Chinese, we chanted. They’d kill us at tennis. They were serious players.

Sure enough, my best friend and I found ourselves paired up with fantastic new partners.

I’m building bridges here.

Stay with me folks. There IS a reason I’m telling you this.

The reason is this.

I ask you, What motivates you most? Is it someone who comes over, puts your hand on your shoulder, smiles, and says good job, or is the person who gets behind you and yells ‘DO IT!’?

Can I let this go? Will I let this go? When? Now.

Oil Painting I made for my BFF.

When I was on swim team in high school, my sister was my best motivator. She’d follow me back and forth across the lanes and scream ‘Go Julie!’ Her coaching strategy was swim toward the chocolate cake and away from the shark.

The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle.

I prefer swimming towards the chocolate cake. But I think both motivators will work.

When we were back playing singles tennis, my best friend would look me in the eye and with a sly smile say You’re going down.

She’d say it with such conviction she would win! I think this is called psyching me out.

She’s an awesome tennis player.

The point is, get out there, do your best, don’t be afraid of things that are new, go towards your goals and model good behavior hopefully doing cartwheels inbetween.

Have a nice day and thank you for visiting.

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A to Z me¸.•´* ♫.

Posted on March 2011 | 2 Comments

This post has been inspired by my blogger friend G at decibelbelownormal.

♡ Sometimes in order to be happy in the present moment you have to be willing to give up all hope for a better past.

♡ Sometimes in order to be happy in the present moment you have to be willing to give up all hope for a better past.

I’m going to give it my spin on it and not quite follow the rules as I think you can write any A to Z you want. So here goes something.

A ~ Angels friends following me around, lifting me up. Quite sure about that one.

B ~ Business at hand never seems to end. Now it’s art gallery, ebook, teaching, housekeeping.

C ~ Come on! Let’s go getter’ done.

D ~ Dogs’ barking bugs me, especially during walks. I love other peoples dogs, they are awesome.

E ~ Everyone on my facebook list. How did it get so unmanageable. I can’t possibly know that many people although somedays I try to convince myself I do.

F ~ Facebook. It has taken over my life in a get me out of here kind of way. I told one of my best friends on a phone call that i want off, then we were both back chatting in no time. Strangely addicting.

G ~ God. Who else?

H ~ Hello out there! Hello anyone who is reading this.

I ~ I love you. I’m lucky in love.

J ~ Julie Bulie Bo Bulie Banana Fana Fo Fulie. First called by my sister who sent me into tears, then I told the story to Diana who thought that was too cute, Julie Bulie, and then on and on, the nick name has stuck.

K ~ Kiddos. Two of them. Loves of my life. Darling little guys so full of life and wonder.

I ~ In the moment. That’s my focus. Oaammmmmmmmm.

L ~ Lisa

M ~ Marie

N ~ Nobody knows me like they think they do although maybe they do. Can’t tell.

O ~ Overworked

P ~ Parent

Q ~ I quit.

R ~ Relax.

S ~ Sometimes I just get a little bit tired and need a break. I’m big on hot green tea with honey.

T ~ Trust

U ~ Why you little…

V ~ Vicks. I’ve been sick lately and love this stuff.

W ~ Well, where the heck did you guys come from?

X ~ Exiting Now.

Y ~ Yes! Definitely Yes.

Z ~ Zane, coolest name ever. It’s the name of the son of two of my closest friends.

~~~~~

Hope you liked it.

Have you ever written an A to Z me? Just curious.

Julie

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