Simply Exciting.

Going along with the crowd is thought to be a "safe" route by many, though it's not always the correct one.  Its easier to take the path of many others, because if by chance, the outcome isn't as desired, you won't suffer through it alone.  Going your own way and trying something different than others will sometimes lead you to the finest outcome.  For example, you may get completely sick of your career and want to try to turn a favorite hobby of yours into one, go for it!  Don't exist in your life, live, enjoy and plow right through it, it is yours after all.

As my friend was in Milan for business, he came across a artist from a tiny town.  The man has no T.V or internet or any idea that other opportunities lie out there for him.  We then wandered through the thoughts of whether or not its better to be ignorant to all of life's possibilities but learn to appreciate and just stick to one thing, or to have a clear a view of your potential and keep waiting for what you want.

 I seem to always enjoy an scenic route in many situations in life and I don't mind getting lost while there either.  There is so much to see in the world, why keep your setting so small or all of your days so planned?  Some people believe in ultimate simplicity, they are happy with a simple job in a small town, having the same bottle of beer every weekend at the same bar and not much diversion from that.  A life of this sort to many is enjoyable and they have little need for much more excitement.  I on the other hand, fear ever having a life of that sort, I love new things too much to be stuck in a rut of monotony.

There are many things I love that are simple. One of the reasons I love Country music so much is that every song is usually about love in some form or having a good time with friends.  Never will you hear Brad Paisley sing about the new Rolex on his wrist.  Always coming across satisfaction so easily doesn't sound so bad at all.

The most important things are pretty simple, family, friends and health, everything else is just sprinkles on the ice cream sundae of life.  Sometimes I for a second I wish that I didn't require so much entertainment and have such a high level of expectations for myself, because then satisfaction would come much more readily right?  I then quickly realize that I'm just not that person.   I love to keep my world open to new people, foods and adventures and take opportunities presented to me to the max.  On the other hand,  I am most positively sure that whenever the day comes that I have a baby, I know that I'll be so in love and awe that the last thing on my mind will be jumping from place to place, I will want to savor the moment.

Variety is the spice of life.  I've often pondered the thought of there being one perfect career for me, but have come to the conclusion that there isn't, I portray interest in many different things and want to cultivate them all.  I take something from everything I do, places I go or people I meet.  I love that the artist devotes so much of himself to his work and that alone seems to keep him happy but i feel that he is missing out on so much.  A happy medium of fully enjoying the little things and living life to the fullest, is the most attractive state of mind to me.  Being able to be happy with less, but also opening yourself up to always welcome more of what life has to offer, will bring one the best of both worlds.

There are times in life when its great to live lavishly,run forward without abandon, get lost, take a lot of risks and live like its your last day on earth.  There are also times when its nice to sit back in your favorite spot on your couch, in your most comfortable sweats, with a bowl of popcorn, a glass of wine and the people you love. I myself, don't feel i have to choose between excitement and simplicity, because each day I can "put on different shoes."  So like I say while shopping for a new pair of heels," I'll take both. "

Hey, Im just lookin' for a good time.

"The rule is that you never ever talk about forever but you never say never in life."  This is one of the lines from one of my favorite Lady Antebellum songs.  Commitment in general is sometimes hard for some of us.  Committing to a career, relationship or even a gym-schedule scares some people a bit, but two important things that accompany responsibility are opportunity and joy.

People sometimes shy away from opportunities presented to them, if they feel they may not be able to fulfill expectations.  Everyone is different, which is why personal experience is the best teacher of all.  I always tell clients at work about my own personal salon horror stories (from back in the day), this makes them laugh and also thankful that I speak of these situations in a past tense!  If I never screwed up someones hair-color, I would've never learned how to fix someones  else's.  Life presents us with a surprise situation from time to time, though at the moment we are nerved and have no idea how we will complete or fix the task at hand, usually in the end, we laugh about thinking we weren't capable of completion. Never shy away from an assignment of any sort because someone else had a bad outcome of a similar situation (even if that other person is you in the past).  You are not them, you have a different heart and a different mind and by doing so you'd only be missing out on would could be a grand chance that will lead you to many other places.

Committing to a relationship is feared by many, when its time to take the next step, you may get the urge to start backing away.  Maybe you're not interested in your date enough to move things forward, or  at the present time in your life, you don't have the mindset or time to devote to them and don't want to ruin a future chance for a relationship.  Some will fake feelings just so that they don't have to be alone,  being single can be lonely.  The correct relationship can bring much joy, the wrong one will cause a lot of unnecessary misery.  I enjoy spending time with people that I feel at home with.  When someone  is not on the same page as me in any sort of way, I don't usually want to spend my down time with them.  Waiting for the correct yin to your yang is essential.  When people ask me why I am still single, my answer is never a man hating comment, its simply "He's not here yet."  The longer we are alone the more stuck in our ways we become, keep this in mind when a "petty" issue arrises.  You don't always have to be right, especially when the differential of the argument holds little importance.

I am on my 7th out of 9 weeks of the Insanity workout.  Im sure you've heard of it, its known to be the hardest workout put on DVD.  A few months after I purchased the set of discs, I finally took the first step and opened the box.  Although I've been working out for many years,  I heard about how hard it was from friends and feared that I would never be able to finish or even keep up with the people in this video.  Everyone was right, the first month was hard as hell, but I finished it.  The second month's workouts are longer and more challenging than the first, but during each workout, I fight through it and before you know it, I'm checking another box off of the workout calendar that comes with the program.  In many of life's challenges, half of the battle is pushing play and getting started, before you know it, your at the other end of the tunnel.

Fearing change is more normal than not and sometimes you have to become uncomfortable to get comfortable.  We all have fears that that we won't be the best at whatever goals we pursue.  It is mandatory to fail at a few things to achieve ultimate success.  If you never start up your engine, you'll never see how fast or far your car can go.

Magical Cookies.

Years ago I discovered my love for baking goodies for my family and friends.  I'd ask someone to tell me a favorite dessert of theirs and then proceed to perfect it.  I love to make people feel special on their birthdays and my way of doing so is by preparing their favorite treat!

Dessert is my favorite part of a meal.  Although I enjoy cooking, I find baking and decorating something sweet to be more therapeutic and exciting.  I've learned some of my favorite recipes from people in my family or friends.  The taste of a favorite food or act of preparing one can be nostalgic.  I still remember rolling meatballs in my grandmothers kitchen when i was little and when the smell of my mothers Cream Puffs permeates through my house every few weeks I find it to be comforting.  Whether I'm making my father's favorite "Ice box" cake (stove prepared pudding layered with graham crackers and put in the refrigerator overnight) or a fancy Lemon Merengue Pie as per request of my friend Irwin at work it gives me great pleasure to roll up my sleeves and bust out the ingredients!

My friend Eric works with me at Xoma Salon  and is the best make-up artist around. Eric celebrated a birthday last week and he happens to love Magic Cookies.  Magic Cookies are delicious,  they are loaded with graham, chocolate chips, coconut and walnuts and also are super easy to make!  I like to use this recipe from  Taste of Home.

Ingredients

• Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13 x 9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.
• Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter in small bowl. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with fork.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Loosen from sides of pan while still warm; cool on wire rack. Cut into bars or diamonds. Yield: 2 dozen bars. 
  
  TIP For perfectly cut cookie bars, line entire pan with foil, extending foil over edge of pan. Coat lightly with no-stick cooking spray. After bars have baked and cooled, lift up with edges of foil to remove from pan. Cut into individual bars.
  
  VARIATIONS
  
  Substitute chocolate chips or nuts with candy coated pieces, dried cranberries, raisins, mini-marshmallows or butterscotch chips.

Give a little.

You have the friend that would do anything in the world for you without expecting anything in return and you're also blessed with one who's always looking out for only themselves and  how they can benefit from a situation.  I've always been one to give and have learned over the years not to expect anything in return from anyone when I do, this way I am rarely disappointed.

As our lives evolve we often go separate ways from friends that we were once closer to, it's not as easy to drop everything and share all of our friends special moments or support them during hard times.  Great friends will always be there for you when they can and at least attempt to be when they can't.  There will always be a time when you're not available to a friend when they need you, but make sure that your presence is known.  If you often get so self involved that you're always forgetting about the people close to you, the moment when you need someone, don't be surprised if you turn around to an empty room.

Giving is much more gratifying than taking.  I love buying a special present for someone and watching them open it up.  I get so excited to watch their eyes light up like those of a child who just found out that they're going on a surprise trip to Disney World that morning.  One day when I have kids of my own I'm totally pulling that one on them!

I recall a night years ago, a few friends and I were at the diner drinking coffee and chit-chatting for hours like usual.  We got on the topic of winning the "Mega Millions" and went around the table asking what everyone would do with the money.  The first thing I could come up with was to go around to all of the places I frequent, hand a big fat check to someone who's always pleasant, helpful or just puts a smile on my face and watch them jump around uncontrollably in sheer joy and excitement!  I love designer  goods, planes, vacations, cars and houses just as much as anyone else, but the thought of doing that a handful of times, would be more fulfilling than all the Louis Vuitton bags in the world.  To know that I just made someones day, lifted any type of money worries off their chest, gave them more time to relax and be with their families and to experience a lifestyle that they never thought possible, is  definitely up there with the blissful feeling I hear you get on your wedding day or when your child is born.

Giving doesn't always have to be to someone else, sometimes it's your turn to be on the receiving end of your own generosity.  Whether it be a compliment, nice meal, mani- pedi, long gym session or new watch, its always nice to show yourself some love too.  When you only give to others, you risk burnout, taking care of yourself is essential if you want to correctly tend to anyone else.

Benevolence doesn't always have to do with money.  A small gesture or word said from one person to the next can change the tone of that individuals whole day.  When one person is helpful to another a chain reaction has the chance to begin.  I viewed the most beautiful video the other day and it melted my heart.  Be always gracious, 'cause love makes the world go 'round. :)