Category Archives: Gratitude

A Bazillion Things That Make Me Happy and Grateful

Posted on
34

This post started out simply enough; in the spirit of Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday), I thought I’d share the top ten things that make me happy and grateful. Within a matter of minutes though, my list became enormous, quickly growing from 10 to 110, then, well…you can see what happened.

My peeps, of course, are what pack my heart most with gratitude…as do my dear friends and the fact that I’m healthy and still relatively fit. Most of all though, I’m grateful that I’m still grateful; that life still feels like an outrageous gift that is meant to be celebrated each day. That the magic has yet to fade. Here are a few more things that make me happy and grateful:

Teachers
Art
Hand-written letters
My husband’s cooking
Dining al fresco
Laughing until I cry
The view out my window
The way I feel after a long run
The smell of freshly ground coffee
Chocolate
Quiet moments
The feel and smell of a new book
Sand between my toes and hours at the beach
Learning to say, “What the hell, you only live once!” at a very early age
Random acts of kindness
Being surrounded by talented people
Books, books, and more books
Photography
Small world moments
Red licorice
Red wine
Paper stores
People who work hard at making a difference
The smell of eucalyptus trees
My daughter’s hugs
Knowing I can always stand on my own two feet
Levis
Butterfly kisses
Early mornings
Warm weather
Happy endings
Ideas
My three brothers
The Beatles
The blogging community
Writers whose words swirl into magic
Finding something I’m passionate about and diving in head first
Reading in bed on a Sunday morning
When the right words come to mind at the right time
Creativity
History
Old movies
Flip-flops
Globes
Long showers
The sound of rain
Sun streaming through my window when I write
Finding a perfect moment in each day
Quotes that inspire me
Lists
Cupcakes
A fire in the fireplace
Convertibles
Surprise parties
Airplanes that take me on new adventures
Discovering–new places, ideas, cultures, books, music
Neighbors
My daughter’s art
Roasting marshmallows
People with nice manners
When my husband brings me coffee in bed
Long meandering conversations with my BFF
Wrap around porches
Boogie boarding
Learning something new
Aspen
Typography
Real deal lemonade
Eye-crinkling smiles
The smell of Coppertone
Freshly baked bread
Helping somebody
The power of our imaginations
Getting smarter as I get older
Bubble baths
Margaritas
Grandparents
Old houses
Old friends
Popcorn
A bouquet of flowers-especially tulips
People who are working hard to find a cure for cancer
“A food”–almonds, artichokes asparagus and avocados
Watching my husband when he’s in his creative element
Book stores
Fall colors
Stuffing
HGTV
Designing cards
The internet, and what it offers
Friends who “get me” without any explanation
Birthdays and my favorite holidays: Valentine’s Day and Thanksgiving
When people do the right thing just because it’s the right thing to do
A good night’s sleep
Marathons
Picnics
Invitations
Journals
Time to myself
Time with my family
Iced lattes
Thesauruses
Chaise lounges
Matinees
True love
My laptop
Long summer nights
Backyard parties
Concerts
Belting out favorite old songs
Dancing in the kitchen with my husband
Hearing my daughter laugh from the belly
Having a fairly big extended family
The number 7
My inner drive
Fresh crisp sheets
A really great work-out
Vanilla milkshakes
Colors-anything but beige
Traveling
Slippers
Being outside
Charming accents
Magazines
Fitness
Sushi
CBS Sunday Morning
People who don’t know they’re funny
The way chocolate martinis and jazz go together
Seeing the lightbulb go off in my daughter’s head
Homemade chicken soup
The New York Times
Libraries
My Ipod shuffle
The bubbles in bubbly
Candlelight
Watching my daughter sleep
People who take a chance on you when it goes against reason
My gut instinct, which has steered me right most of the time
Watching an exquisite ballet performance
People with infectious enthusiasm
Cute old couples
Rose gardens
Photo albums
Dogs that look like mops
Finding something you thought was lost long ago
Living with no regrets
Reunions
Hummingbirds
Baby fat
Loyalty
Thursdays
Cookie dough
Cool postage stamps
Memories of my grandparents’ houses
The way my husband’s hand automatically goes up to his heart when he throws his head back in laughter
The cool breeze you feel when you sit next to a rushing river
Figuring something out all on my own
The passion of Pavarotti
The perfect writing pen
The improbable
Amazing Grace

What three things are you most grateful for (besides your wonderful friends, family and health)?

7×7 Award

Posted on
11

A few days ago blogger, Julie Farrar, nominated me for the 7×7 Link Award. I must admit, I was tickled pink, especially coming from Julie, whose down-to-earth and often-humorous blog, Traveling Through, is always a joy to read. Thank you, Julie!

7x7 Blog award graphicThe way it works is that you review all the posts you’ve written and then list your top posts under seven different categories.

The other part of the award is that you pass it on to seven other bloggers.

Simple enough. Here goes…


Most Beautiful: Mom. A tribute to my beautiful mom on what would have been her 77th birthday.

Photo of my mom when she was at the beach

My second choice is The Geography of Bliss, which reviews Eric Weiner’s beautiful book and celebrates the happiest places on earth in words and pictures.

Geography of Bliss book cover photograph

Most Helpful: 10 Things You Learn When the Love of Your Life is a Photojournalist. I’m not exactly sure how helpful this post is, but it gives a glimpse into the unpredictable lifestyle of a photojournalist, and the impact it has on a relationship.

Most Popular: Jeffrey Aaronson’s Improbable Journey with Steve Jobs, the Guy Who Changed His World (and Ours)–Part One and Part Two. This two-part post is by far my most popular. It has been read and mentioned everywhere from India, Italy and Thailand to Denmark, Canada, Romania and Japan.The posts pay tribute to Steve Jobs and the friendship my husband shared with him when they were both 29-years old. It also shares personal anecdotes and rarely-seen photos from the weeks leading up to the launch of the first Mac 128K computer.

Photo of Steve Jobs at Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, CA, 1984

Steve Jobs leading his team in a meeting at Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, CA, 1984. ©Jeffrey Aaronson.

Most Controversial: My Crash Course in Living Through the Lens. While I don’t think this is controversial, the folks that run the show in the country where information is often censored might have a different opinion about what happened during the Democracy Movement in Tiananmen Square.

Photo of the Democracy Movement in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, ChinaPhoto of soldiers in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China 1989, Democracy Movement

Most Surprisingly Successful: Improbable. This is my inaugural post announcing the launch of my blog. I was astounded by the reaction.

Most Underrated: How Jeffrey Created His Most Published China Photo THEN…My Michelle Obama Moment NOW. I’m not sure I’d call it underrated, but this one received a few less views than others. I included a video in this post.

Most Prideworthy: Beyond Rangoon THEN…A Feather in Her Cap NOW. This post shares how Jeffrey photographed Burma’s democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, when she was first placed under house arrest in 1989, and also celebrates a memorable moment in our lives now.

And now for the other part of this award, I’d like to nominate the following fantastic bloggers for the 7X7 Award. Click on their blogs below to check out what they have to say. You won’t be disappointed.

All Write

Allegro non tanto

Being Arindam

Crazy Lady with a Pen

Nubian

Play 101

Suess’s Pieces

The Blog of a Vet’s Wife

Have fun with the 7×7 Award, fellow bloggers! And thanks again, Julie, for the award!

The Colors of Change

Posted on
9

The good thing about a blog is that it can evolve and change over time, just like all of us. My initial goal on Saturdays was to curate interesting things I stumbled upon each week and feature them in my “Saturday Sizzle,” but I’ve heard from several of you that you’d rather hear what I have to say than see/read a re-post of what’s already out there.

That is quite a compliment. Thank You!

Sooooo…while I’ll still plan to share things I find intriguing, inspiring or just plain funny, I’ll do that on Twitter or Facebook. Now on Saturdays, when time allows, I’ll post more of my own musings, or perhaps even an occasional personal picture or design creation.

I thought I’d start by sharing this unusual photograph of Olivia that I created with my IPhone on the 4th of July. Jeffrey, Olivia and I were in Aspen, laying on our backs watching the fireworks. Olivia was wearing glow in the dark jewelry and holding a glow stick that sparkled with different colors.

This is what I saw.

Photo of Olivia on the 4th of July

Mom

Posted on
28

Photo of my mom when she was at the beach

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then clearly I don’t need to say a thing.

But I will.

In honor of my mom, on what would have been her 77th birthday, I’m breaking every blogging rule out there and going “off topic.” Forgive me for this indulgence, but here’s to the beautiful person who brought me into this world and helped make me who I am today. Her spirit, love of life and knee-slapping laughter will always be carried deep in the crevices of my heart.

Photo of my mom when she was a young girl

See more pictures by clicking here

Jeffrey Aaronson’s Improbable Journey with Steve Jobs (Part Two)

Posted on
32

See Part One in my 10/11/11 Post

FEBRUARY 1984: After calling the magazine to tell them what has transpired, Jeffrey is on a plane heading to Cupertino, CA. The editor is stunned by the access Jeffrey has been given. Jobs has been notorious for being private and avoiding the media.

Photo of original Apple Computer sign in Cupertino, CAFor Jeffrey, the magazine assignment becomes much less important than capturing an exciting moment in time, knowing Steve Jobs and his family of co-workers, are creating one of the coolest things he has ever seen: a personal computer that’s small enough to sit on a desk, and one that can be used by anyone, not just scientists, business people, or computer geeks. The drawing and painting capabilities alone have him dazzled, not to mention the the word processing.

Jeffrey spends a week at Apple headquarters and photographs like a fly on the wall. One of Jobs’ colleagues questions why Jeffrey is being allowed into proprietary meetings, but Jobs insists. “He’s my friend and you can trust him, so he’s staying. Now let’s move.”

Photo of Steve Jobs at Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, CA, 1984

Steve Jobs leading his team in a meeting at Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, CA, 1984. ©Jeffrey Aaronson.

Read the rest of this story and enjoy many rarely-seen photographs of Steve Jobs in our ebook, Steve & i, which is now available on Amazon for the Kindle devices, Barnes & Noble for the NOOK and iTunes for iDevices.

Steve and i book cover

Jeffrey Aaronson’s Improbable Journey with Steve Jobs(Part One)

Posted on
28

THEN: THINK DIFFERENT (Part One)

February 1984: It’s a classic winter day in Aspen. Snow is falling like heavy cotton as photographer Jeffrey Aaronson sits hunched over his light table, editing film. As he lowers his loupe and glances up from his slides for a moment, he suddenly notices a flash of brown amidst all the white outside his window. A UPS truck is pulling up in front of his studio. Jeffrey isn’t expecting a package, so curiosity immediately tickles his frontal lobe.

In a matter of minutes Jeffrey finds himself staring at a large white box sitting on his studio floor. He can do little more than shake his head and smile when he sees the word Macintosh printed on its side, along with its signature design.

Inside the box he finds a brand new Apple Macintosh 128K computer along with a keyboard and a new thing called a mouse. He also finds a hand-written note from Steve Jobs. It simply reads:

“Be a part of the future—Steve”

At that moment, Jeffrey knows he has just opened up more than a computer box; he has opened up his entire world—a world in which anything is possible. Not because of the machine per se, but because of the impact the machine’s creator has had on him. The computer is merely a symbol of all that is possible when a brilliant imagination is supported by hard work and fearlessness.

Jeffrey smiles at the boldness of his friend’s characteristically minimal note, and is stunned by his generosity. But then again, not really. In the past month, Steve Jobs has bowled him over countless times…

Steve and i book cover

Read the rest of this improbable story and see many more rarely-seen photographs of Steve Jobs in our ebook, Steve & i, which is now available on Amazon for the Kindle, Barnes and Noble for the NOOK, and iTunes for the iPad and other idevices.

Wow NOW Versatile Cow

Posted on
13

NOW: THE VERSATILE BLOGGER AWARD

OCTOBER 2011: I’ve been blogging for a little over a month now, and I must say, it has been a month to remember. I had no idea what to expect when I started this adventure so I guess I can’t say it has surpassed my expectations since I didn’t have any.

But I can say this: I’m completely bowled over by all the support and enthusiasm I have received from you. Your comments, emails and phone calls have reminded me why writing is so rewarding.

Here’s another reason why this first month has been so much fun:

The Versatile Blogger AwardThe Versatile Blogger Award was recently bestowed upon me by two bloggers whose work I admire very much: Michele Bunn (MediaMichelle) who writes Crossing the Line (Learning to fly over the mainstream), and Harper Faulkner who writes All Write (It’s All About Writing). Both are wordsmiths who leave me thinking, laughing, and celebrating life’s quirky and poignant moments. You won’t be disappointed when you check out their blogs. Thanks to both of them for nominating me.

As part of this award I’m asked to share 7 things most people don’t know about me, so here it goes:

1) Whenever I’m terrified to start something new, I know it’s the right thing to do.

2) I’m much more likely to cry when somebody does something nice for me than when I’m sad.

3) I won the 2nd grade spelling bee. How’s that for random trivia?

4) Red Vines have a wicked hold on me…licorice, that is!

5) I’m in total awe of teachers. Growing up, I always thought I’d be one (at least when I wasn’t dreaming of being an artist), but now I know I’d make a HORRIBLE teacher.

6) I write in a journal every day, and have done so for years. One of the most meaningful things I do is jot down my Perfect Moment from each day. Oh geez, I know that sounds way too Oprah’ish, but it’s true. It’s usually just a quick one-liner I scribble on the side of each day’s entry–like today will probably be, “The smell of eucalyptus trees after the rain,” or “Made it through my spinning class without too much pain.” The reason I do this is to remind myself to be grateful for what each day brings. I could be having a perfectly crappy day in every way, but no matter what, there’s always a perfect moment. Could be as simple as, “When the golf ball shattered our car windshield on the way home from picking up Olivia from camp, thankfully nobody got shards of glass in their eyes.”

7) I am fiercely proud of and grateful for my three older brothers. Each is as different as can be and each makes me a better person.

Photo of my three brothers

My three brothers: L to R Scott, Tim, Mark

My oldest brother, Mark, is a solid, spiritual, hard-working, electric guitar-playing, flyfishing, teddy bear who wells up at the drop of a hat. He walked me down the aisle (actually it was a trail) on my wedding day, and that’s something that will forever be etched in my memory. My middle brother, Tim, is the perfect mix of a Harley-riding, art-car driving, eccentric artist who’s stubborn, yet creative, fun-loving and fiercely protective of his peeps. I will never forget when I was a young kid playing street hockey with all the neighborhood boys and one of the kids started calling me names. Tim was right there ready to kick his ass. Scott is the youngest of the three and a bit of a wild card. He’s ridiculously smart, highly-caffeinated, athletic, and funny as hell. This guy can weave a tale, I tell you. Get him started on politics and be prepared to stay for the duration. My most recent reason to be proud of him is that after being in the newspaper industry for more than twenty years, he has chosen to go back to school to earn degrees for a second career. He’s in class with kids younger than his own son and he’s giving them all a serious run for their money–while still working full-time, I might add. Whoooyaaa for my three adorable brothers. Did I mention that I’m one proud and lucky sister?

Okay, so now you know a bundle of random stuff about me. Here’s the other rule of the award. I’m supposed to nominate 15 other bloggers for this award. Here’s a start, in no particular order. I’m so new to this blogging thing that I still have much to discover! If there’s a blog you know I should check out, please be sure to send me the link!

Allegro non tanto

The Things She Thinks About

Africa Inside

Blog of a Vet’s Wife

Latin Journeys

While the Dervish Dances

Play 101

Kidzmet

And Away We Go The Dsylexic Writer

Frugal Healthy Simple

Traveling Through

Nominees, now it’s your turn to do the same!