holidays

Happy (almost!) New Year!
Take the next three days to get ready for a fabulous 2010!

PS For readers in the Tallahassee area, it's not too late to sign up for the 2010...Begin Again New Year's Day Retreat! Hope you will join us!

Shopping. Parties. Presents. Food (usually waaaaaaay too much!). Lights. Carols.

This season is so fun and so festive. I love it!

And, this year it's a little quieter than usual. I'm taking to heart the retreat work that I've stepped into this year.

I'm experiencing more quiet.

I'm giving myself permission for more space.

I'm realizing that I could knock myself to be the perfect friend/daughter/coach and extend myself to send cards, write personal greetings, buy gifts for everyone I love and care about (a verrrrrry long list!) ... but instead, I am choosing sanity... and just doing the best I can.

I'm spending time in silent gratitude saying over and over every day "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

This has been a challenging year for a lot of people that I know, myself and my family included. But there is so much to be grateful for. We are truly blessed.

I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and look forward to celebrating an exciting NEW YEAR with you soon! Thanks for reading, for being my friends, colleagues and supporters.

~ Elizabeth

PS If you are feeling ready for some R+R yourself but are also seeking the company of women, I invite you to consider joining me in the next few weeks...

2010...Begin Again - A New Year's Day Retreat on Jan 1st, 2010

New Year Solitude Retreat - A Woman's Retreat for Self Care and Spirituality from Jan 29-31st, 2010

Join me and Geralyn Russell this evening at 8 pm EST for our FREE Teleclass "Dissolve Holiday Stress NOW: 3 Simple Solitude Practices".

You'll take time to...

- BE

- BREATHE

- REST from the holiday chaos

- CONSIDER how you want to do the rest of the holiday season a little bit differently

Click HERE to register for this hour oasis and experience a bit of solitude this evening...

 (Geralyn Russell and I at BPW's Divas & Desserts - what a festive occasion!)

Is this holiday season wearing you out? That's a sure sign you aren't taking enough R+R time for yourself!

It’s easy to get caught up in the demands of life and miss the warning signs that you need to go on retreat NOW.

How do you know if you need a retreat?
~ You are tired or overwhelmed by all you have to do
~ You are scattered or lack focus
~ You can't find peace and quiet at home
~ Your creative juices are all gone
~ You give your time and energy to others and routinely put yourself last
~You have no energy left
~ You are grieving
~ You need new perspective
~ You want to DO less and BE more
~ You are experiencing a life transition (a move, new job, marriage, divorce, the birth of a baby or a new business)

It’s time to nurture yourself. You deserve it AND taking time off will leave you feeling
~ happy
~ grateful
~ inspired
~ rested
~ joyful
~ relaxed

Doesn’t that sound good?

I’m planning two special retreats for you in January 2010...Begin Again and the New Year Solitude Retreat on Jan 29-31, 2010 but you don’t need to wait until then.

~ Decide you're ready for a retreat! (yes, even now as the holidays approach!)
~ Pick a day, time and location (even 15 minutes of relaxation can restore your soul)
~ Choose activities that will nurture your mind, body and spirit (journaling, meditating, walking in nature, dancing, singing, creating art). 

The holiday season can be a whirlwind of activity and demands on your time and attention. You can choose to retreat and renew your body, mind, and spirit. Then you'll enjoy the season a whole lot more! :-)

After the holidays, I’d love to have you join me on retreat January 29-31, 2010 so that you can...

~ Rest
~ Focus
~ Enjoy peace and quiet
~ Explore your creative side
~ Put yourself first
~ Renew your energy
~ Achieve a new perspective
~ DO less and BE more
~ Come away inspired about LIFE!

And if you need a break NOW, join me for my FREE Holiday Teleclass Wednesday December 16th at 8 pm EST called Dissolve Holiday Stress NOW!

It's that time of year again. I don't need to describe it to you. Most people either love it or dread it. There aren't a whole lot of fence-sitters on the topic of the holidays. If you are ready to disembark from the holiday crazy bus, here are three simple steps to help you.

1. Create Space. Pull out your calendar RIGHT NOW and look at the month of December. Are there hours or days that are not accounted for? Choose a few chunks of time - 30 minutes here, 2 hours there, an entire day (wow!) - and block them out just for you. This is the season of giving, but if you don't start by giving yourself some spiritual food in the form of space and time to breathe and think, you won't have anything left to give anyone else!

2. Envision your Ideal Holiday. Take a blank sheet of paper and write 5-10 things that would make your holiday just perfect. Then, talk with your loved ones about how you can incorporate some of these ideas into your holiday plans.

3. Self Care SOS! Make a list of all the things that help you to destress. Post it on your refrigerator and every time you feel the holiday crazies coming on, choose a self care tool that will come to your rescue. Examples: eating an organic meal in a relaxed environment, getting a babysitter for 3 hours so you can go do yoga, meditate for 10 minutes before you start your day, saying no thank you when you really don't want to do something.

If you want more tips and inspiration from me , I invite you to join me for two exciting events in December.

*** For Tallahassee area folks: I'll be the keynote speaker on Tuesday Dec 8th at the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Professional Women's Forum and I"ll be talking about how to thrive during the holidays!

*** For people all over the country: Join me and Geralyn Russell for our Dissolve Holiday Stress NOW! Free teleclass on Wed Dec 16th from 8-9 pm EST. It's sure to be a respite in the midst of a busy holiday time!

Holidays can put a lot of pressure on finding just the "perfect gift" for friends, family and clients. While it's important to consider the recipient's needs and values, it's equally important to consider your own.

What kind of gift giver do you want to be?

1. Creative Gift Giver - Give the gift of art. Store bought or hand made. Something that will spark the imagination and inspire a little bit of right brained celebration.

2. Intellectual Gift Giver - Give books. Give educational games and toys that open the mind. My new favorite place to shop for kid's gifts is Mindware. Their tagline is "Brainy Gifts for Kids of All Ages". Cool, eh?

3.Wise Investor Gift Giver - This is my husband! Oh so mindful about educating his two nephews about the value of the dollar. Give U.S. Savings Bonds.

4. Experiential Gift Giver - Buy tickets for an experience - a sporting event, the theatre, a concert - or a gift certificate to a favorite restaurant or local spa.

5. Green Gift Giver - Be mindful of Mother Earth! Be a patron of organizations and companies that support our planet. One of my favorite resources for green gifts is Low Impact Living.

Obviously there are many, many types of gift givers in this world! I'd love to hear ideas from you about what kind of gift giver you are going to be this year?

My dear friend Licia Berry and I have finally done it! After months of talking about it (mostly Licia bugging me saying 'c'mon, Elizabeth - it's fun!' - she has 2 successful radio shows already on the air), we have launched The Celebration Station on Blog Talk Radio.

Our first episode is called "Much Ado About Mamas" and we spend 30 minutes talking about the mother figures in our lives - both the external real live women in our lives and the internal mothering we give to ourselves.

We chose this as our first topic because of the upcoming Mother's Day holiday and our Loving Your Inner Feminine retreat in New Mexico on Saturday, May 10th.

Whether you can join us in New Mexico or simply want to take time reflecting on the mothers in your life and the mothering you give to yourself, I encourage you to click here to listen, learn and be inspired to celebrate all that you've learned from the mothers in your life and be reminded that even once you're grown, you can still mother yourself!

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

~ An old Irish Blessing

I know for sure that in the final analysis of our lives - when the to-do lists are no more, when the frenzy is finished, when our e-mail boxes are empty - the only thing that will have any lasting value is whether we've loved others and whether they've loved us. -- Oprah Winfrey

I know a lot of people consider Valentine's Day a "Hallmark holiday" --- one that has been overcommercialized and forced and stuffed down our throats. They say it's only a holiday because the media and retailers say it's so.

But I say, what's so bad about a holiday that celebrates love? What's so bad about expressing how you really feel to the people that you care about? OK OK so maybe we don't need all that chocolate and we certainly don't need to rack up credit card debt to impress people with material s-t-u-f-f but seriously folks... taking time out to

- write words of endearment to your sweetheart in a card or letter

- actually go out on a date (a candelight picnic in your living room can actually be more romantic than a big night out on the town!)

- spend time with friends and family laughing and celebrating love and life

- treat yourself to a bubble bath or anything else that makes you feel good about yourself

...well, I think these things are wonderful!

Valentine's Day reminds us to be more mindful and conscious of expressing our love. If more people said "I love you" every day to their partners, their parents, their children, their friends I think the world would be a better place.

One of my happy memories of childhood is getting ready for bed and going to each parent, hugging and kissing them and saying "I love you" and hearing it in return. Now in my marriage, we go through a similar ritual every night. There is peace and comfort in hearing that you are loved and in expressing it to another. Some people say that "the L word" is overused, but I never tire of hearing it - or saying it.

I love you dear readers, dear friends, dear family! Happy Valentine's Day!

Christmas, like so many holidays, is a good reason for friends and loved ones to come together and celebrate something that matters to them. I believe the essence of this wonderful holiday is all about love, family, togetherness, generosity and appreciation.

We had a great time laughing, playing games, telling stories and simply enjoying being together.

We teased Kathy (my birthmom!) that her house looked goofy decorated with Santa Claus and snowmen in February but she didn't care. She was just delighted to have the whole family together, to have Brad safely home from Iraq and to share the spirit of love and giving with everyone. 

Christmas in February? Yeah, a little goofy. Sure, a bit out of place. But OH so much fun!

Eric and I in our new home, Tallahassee, FL

December 2007

It's HOT down here... in the 70s and while it certainly is beautiful weather - blue sky, white puffy clouds, green, lush foliage - it's still HOT! For me, it's kind of like scuba diving which I never could get a hang of. Breathing underwater is just not natural. And having this kind of weather and decorating palm trees in December is just WEIRD! People say I"ll get used to it, but I miss the cooler weather of the mountains.

So, I'm dreaming of SNOW to keep me cool! I'm good at visualization but a photo helps.

This photo was taken of me and my dear friend Licia Berry on a trip to Colorado last year. It was VERY cold and there was LOTS of snow. YAY! Well, Licia and her family are escaping their cold environs for a week and are coming to Florida over the holidays. I'm so excited I get to see her and her sweet family! Many of my blog readers know Licia because she used to live in Asheville too! Check out her family's amazing adventures of traveling the country by visiting their family website.

Not only do we get to visit together, we are going to PLAY together in a formal way! On New Year's Day, we are hosting a workshop for women called "Create a Great 2008!" in Tallahassee from 3-6 p.m. We'll be doing guided imagery, collaging and setting clear intentions for the year ahead. Juicy, fun stuff!

Forget football, come join us on New Year's Day! You can register here.

And if you don't live in the Big Bend area, consider organizing a gathering yourself on New Year's Day! It's a fun way to kick off the new year with intention and joy! Need help? E-mail me for ideas!

In our "Get Off the Holiday Crazy Bus" teleclass last week, Licia Berry and I had a terrific group of wise women who shared some wonderful strategies for practicing self-care during the hectic holiday season.

1. Honor How You Feel. This time of year is touted to be festive and fun and yet a lot of us experience complex emotions like grief and sadness and depression. Allow those feelings to be part of your experience and seek professional help from a therapist or personal help from a friend or family member to support you if you need it.

2. Spend Time In Nature. As one participant explained it "My whole system relaxes. I get away from the 'doing' and focus on the 'being'. I get to soak in what's real and I feel centered and grateful." So whether it's a hike in the woods or simply sitting on your back porch for a few minutes each day, time outside can do wonders for the spirit.

3. Be Playful. Be intentional about seeking fun and laughter during this time of year. Watch the Comedy Channel, go to a comedy club, see a silly play, spend time with children and/or pets and just laugh. It will boost your spirits for sure!

4.Thursday night bubble baths!

5. Get regular massage.

6. Meditate and stretch. Daily.

7. Listen to good music. Whatever makes you feel VIBRANT.

8. Enjoy good food. Whether you are cooking it or eating it, make eating healthy, yummy, nourishing food part of your holiday season. Bless your food and express gratitude for the fuel that keeps you juiced up and alive!

And just for kicks... the one that had us all rolling with laughter... when all else fails...

9. Eat ice cream out of the carton! :-)

Self Care Strategy:

Turn off all the lights, make yourself a cup of tea, and enjoy the warm glow of a Christmas tree late at night while others are asleep

Gift Giving Strategy:

Shop locally! Buy gifts that you can't get at the mall. That way, they'll be unique and you'll support local businesses.

Gift Receiving Strategy:

Tell people exactly what you would like or need for the holidays. Make a wish list. Be clear. You help your friends and family know what to get you ... and you get something that will make you happy!

Holiday Card Sending Strategy:

In each person's card, share with them the following: "What I really appreciate about you is..."

Decorating Strategy:

Only put out what you really really really love. Go through the rest and donate to your favorite charity so you don't have to store it or unpack it again next year and groan.

Family Strategy:

When gathered with relatives, ask everyone to share their favorite holiday memories. You'll probably learn some things you never knew (asking grandparents to participate in this is always special) and be reminded of holiday traditions that you may choose to resurrect.

Care to add any of your own? Please comment!