Friday, December 19, 2003

Hello and Season's Greetings to all! Happy Hannukah to those of you who celebrate Hannukah!

This has been a busy week! Tuesday and Thursday, I hosted my very first teleclasses ever, "Trash the Resolution: 5 Steps to Making Changes that Really Last". A good time was had by all, and I will be doing the teleclass again. The next two Saturdays, I will be doing the class in person in my office. I am very excited!

Wednesday, Awareness Village hosted it's first Annual Holiday Open House for the merchants in the office complex (though everyone was invited!). It was a successful evening. Several people came to share warm wishes, hot apple cider and snacks.

As Santa says, "Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!"

Friday, December 12, 2003

Happy Friday! Yesterday afternoon, I went to Carson City to run a couple errands. On the way back, I started singing a Christmas carol with the radio. (If you must know, it was "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". LOL) I must be getting into the spirit of the season!

This morning, local TV was filled with news of the holiday food drive. It reminded me to decide what I would do this year for those less fortunate than I. It doesn't have to be anything big, a can of food, an hour of time, a cash donation, or even a simple prayer. Have you thought about what you might do? If you have some ideas, please post them in the guestbook.

I am also interested in holiday traditions. Is there something special you and/or your family do during the holiday season? Please share! Ciao!

Thursday, December 11, 2003

Hello all! It’s a beautiful sunny day in Incline Village, Nevada! According to the TV weatherman last night, Old Man Winter lovingly deposited 13 inches of snow here yesterday. That seems like a lot, but I’m not the person doing the measuring. I am happy, nonetheless. One of my favorite things to see is snow being hit by sunshine. It looks like someone took a bag of glitter and spread it out over the ground.

The last couple of weeks have gone very well. People have been signing up for the "Trash the Resolution" teleclass, but there are some spaces left. Email me at julie@awarenessvillage.com or phone me now to reserve your spot!

Wednesday, December 03, 2003

In November I went to New Orleans. I had a great time. I’ve been there several times, but this time I visited a few new places. I have a timeshare condo in the French Quarter at the Quarterhouse, an awesome place! I went to the New Orleans Botanical Gardens in City Park and the new location of my favorite restaurant, Old Dog New Trick. My friend, Matt, joined me, and it was really nice to show him around to some of my favorite places. Highlights of the trip were City Park, Audubon Park, CafĂ© Du’Monde, Central Grocery (Matt loved the Muffaletta sandwich!), walking around the French Quarter, sitting on the levy people-watching, and one of the Haunted History tours. There are so many things to do in New Orleans! You can’t be bored when you are there!

Next door to the Awareness Village office is my friend, Jan Foss’, Studio and Gallery, Watercolors by Jan Foss. Jan has been a painter for 20 years and teaches watercolor classes and workshops throughout the Tahoe/Reno area and in Minnesota, where she works with a greeting card company. She paints mostly flowers (which she is particularly passionate about) and landscapes. Her teddy bear paintings are soooo cute! She uses a watercolor technique to make the teddy bears look really fluffy, and then she adorns the finished product with a real ribbon! Check out her website!

One of Jan’s favorite things to paint is personal angel portraits. All she needs is someone’s name to develop the portrait. Before she sits down to paint, she meditates and prays. The portraits represent a deep trust in the creative process, and a connection with the source of her creativity. Who do you know who would like to have an original, one-of-a-kind, personal angel portrait?

On November 7, Jan hosted a show of one of her students, Trina Gold. Trina has done some fantastic watercolors, including some of irises and scenes from a family ranch in New Mexico. Trina and her husband also have a music studio, here on the north shore of Lake Tahoe, Big Water Studios.