Saturday Night At the Blue Moose

Last night my friend Jennifer and her finance and I headed out to the Blue Moose restaurant in Overland Park to her my Uncle play. He's always been a musician, and he's played on and off throughout the years, and now it appears he has a steady gig at the Moose. The last time I heard him play I was probably 13, so I had wanted to go and show my support. Our families have had a tumultuous decade, and this past Spring my Grandma, our only connection, passed away.  I basically had a choice, let it go and have these two families never speak again, or attempt to forgive and reconnect. As a Spirit Junkie, forgiveness is the number one key to happiness, so I made my choice. It hasn't always been easy, and I'm not necessarily looking for our families to be BFF's or anything, but I think Grandma would be proud that we've reconnected. I'm hoping to continue with my cousins and I'll probably end up viewing more shows at the Moose, or wherever else he might be. I really enjoy the show and liked the variety in the songs. I had no idea what to expect, neither did my friends, but we all had a great time.

Jennifer and I

Fried Pickles

The Moose!

Ok, it took me FOREVER to figure out how to a) record a video b) look at it on my camera and c) get it off my camera. I haven't developed any editing skills or anything yet, but I'm relieved to have figured out the hard parts. I've been meaning to do it for awhile so I can start VLOGing at some point. However, apparently I still have to change the format???? I had a few recordings of the show, and wanted to post one, but at this point I don't think that's going to happen. Next time. Just know that it was a great time and please, come out with me the next time!

31 Things Before I Turn 31: #28 Organize My Photos

Most of my albums are already quite organized; however, with the passing of my Grandma this Spring I inherited several boxes of photos. I have gone through them all, created an album, and I uploaded some of my favorites to share. I LOVE photos, and am sorry that I went through a phase in my 20's where I never took any photographs. Fortunately I received a camera as a gift last year, and have been able to take pictures wherever I go. Here are some pictures I pulled from Grandma's collection that I wanted to share.

My Grandparents 

My Grandma (wasn't she hip!)

My Grandad with my Dad

My Great-Grandma, Grandma and Dad

My Grandparents in their Golden Years

My parents with baby me

My parents the dating years

Baby Daddy

My parents (I believe my Mom was pregnant)

My Grandpa towards the end of WWII

My Grandparents

My Cousin Sloane

I LOVE this picture, how romantic!

So how am I doing on my 31 Things? I started slow, but I've checked about five things off my list, have another 4-5 in progress, and should get several more done by the end of the year. There are a few things I'll save for Spring, and possibly a couple things that just aren't going to happen, but we'll see. I'm going to keep it up and share on my blog!

Surviving Thanksgiving

Oh the joy of the holidays, the delicious smells, the changing leaves, Lifetime movies, and the family. While theoretically, spending time with family, preparing a special meal together, and sharing a common experience should be a joyous experience, we all know that's not always the case. How to cope? Here are a few tips to get you through and hopefully create a positive and loving experience.

1. Mentally Bless Each Individual. It doesn't matter whether you are atheist or deeply religious or somewhere in between. Blessing a person simply means sending them positive loving vibes. Science has shown us that everything is energy, and our thoughts affect that energy. They have done studies where they put one person in a room alone, and had another person send them nasty, horrid thoughts. The person in the room would visible change demeanour, and blood tests showed clumpy, angry looking cells. Then, they sent the person loving, kind, healing thoughts. This time the person appeared more peaceful and their cells were healthy and beautiful. The person in the room had no idea what thoughts were being sent, or what the experiment was, but it affected him because thoughts are energy. If you send those loving thoughts to your family members, especially the more difficult ones, before getting together, it can literally change the frequency and energy in each individual and therefore the entire family situation.

2. Set an Example of Gratitude. Ask each family member to share at least one thing they are grateful for. This is a beautiful exercise that will add positivity and warmth to the occasion. You can also mentally walk through reasons you are grateful for each person, which can help keep you positive around anyone that may have a more negative personality or vibe. Another way to use gratitude is to thank each and every person who provided your dinner. From the farmer's who planted the green beans, the shipping clerks who packaged the rolls, the drivers who delivered the food to the grocery stores, the clerks who stocked the food and checked it out to you, the family member who took the time to cook it, and if eating Turkey, take time to send a prayer and thank the animal for giving it's life for your dinner table.

3. EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). Let's face it, family time can bring up old wounds and emotions and insecurities. EFT is a wonderful technique that uses acupressure points to release emotional blockages. Check out Have a Holly Jolly Holiday With EFT to learn how to remove some of those blockages prior to Thanksgiving.

4. Communicate Dietary Changes Prior to the Day.  Many people nowadays have special diets, whether it's being vegan, gluten free, lactose intolerant or other changes for health reasons, it may be difficult to eat the traditional Thanksgiving meal.  Be sure to be gracious, but firm regarding your needs. Offer to bring a dish, or help with the meal planning. For more tips check out my blog entry Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World.

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!!!