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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Katy Perry- incredibly inspiring

This weekend I watched a special on E about Katy Perry. Love her or hate her, she said the most fascinating quote, "You got to go on a journey to fulfill your dream."

Granted I paraphrased the quote a touch but the message is still the same. My friends, we are on a path to our dream. And each day we struggle to reach our goal. No matter what we are pursuing we often imagine the end result-be that publication, a finished art piece or etc. But the truth is-this moment, right here, leads us to our dream.

The tears, frustration and friendships that we form while pursuing our hearts desire is the journey. You can't have the end result without the journey.

There is something beautiful that awaits you. Your dream is going to help people. Keep going, keep climbing.

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Turkey Day

There are no words that could express the gratitude we have for our readers/friends.

So many of you return to read our words each week and we are in awe. We are lucky to have you in our lives. More than that, we are grateful for you!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Give yourself some time to recharge

Some people go shopping to refresh their minds and spirit, other people play video games or sports. Me? I have to get in touch with Mother Nature. And lemme tell you, Nature loathes me.

I swear every time I venture out into this wide world, something horrid happens. You, my dear friends, know about the recent skunk episode. If not, here you go, http://threegnomes.blogspot.com/2011/10/embarressing-moment-alert.html

Anyways, this weekend was a farm filled weekend. For three days I resided near a black barn that was nestled in the mountains. Not only did I milk a cow, I also made a farm hand seriously grossed out when I slipped in the goat dung.

I touched a lily pad. Okay, that happened when a rock near the water wobbled under my foot and my sorry-butt went careening into the lake. But hey, I touched a lily pad and that's what matters. Plus, I got a nice shot with my camera, so all is good.

I walked in the rain and got chased by a ticked off goat named Louis.
Drama followed me around every corner and strangely, I feel rejuvinated. Which leads me to a novel idea, instead of pushing ourselves to exhaustion, let's all take a moment for ourselves.

Do what recharges you-doesn't matter what it is, just recharge your battery.

*And remember to check out Maegan's post (it's right below mine) to enter into our giveaway and read about the journey of a fascinating author.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Russo's horrid day

You know those day where nothing goes well? Yep, that would be today for me. I awoke early for an intense day of writing and this is what I see-



My best friend, Jameses lounging in his Snuggie and eating my Coco Pebbles-N-Lucky Charms together in one bowl. First off, EWW. Second off, sitting next to him is my foster cat, Lux. She has a smug look on her face as she has attacked my edits for the day. There's paper all over the floor and Jameses is just eating away and sobbing about some sad sap on the Dr. Phil show.


I shrugged my shoulders-just another day in my house? Wrong, it got collectively worse. In the late afternoon, I was dancing while doing the dishes. Not really the smartest idea but Kanye was blaring so I had to dance. Needless to say, I slipped on the floor.



Later in the day I broke my decorative dish in half. And I wonder, is it is bad sign that I broke a dish with the following saying:




Yep, it's official. I am jinxxed because not but 5 minutes letter I trip down the stairs. My new potted plant tips over and fall on my knee-brilliant.


My friends, some day's just aren't going to go in our favor. And that's okay because usually the day after a sucky day rocks-so, bring on the fun, I say, because tomorrow will be be much better.


Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Life is a mash-up of joy, sorrow and serenity

The past few weeks have been filled with tragedy. Someone very dear to me is losing their eyesight at a very young age. This person is my rock, they have been through so much already and the thought of them losing their sight makes me pause and reflect.

I write this blog post not for pity or condolences, I am merely trying to to figure out why life can be so beautiful and yet so cruel.

My friends, there is no escaping the truth-life is a complete mash-up of joy, sorrow and serenity. You have not really lived until you face something that is frightening. The trick in surviving is not in the cliche quotes-'it's always darkest before the dawn,' or 'stiff upper lip.'

No, the trick in really living is to look a frightening situation in the eyes and realize-you are stronger than any obstacle that is thrown in your way. Never forget that truth.



The pic was taken during one of my weekend exursions-so peaceful.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

My family is dysfunctional and more

Challenge of the Month: Crazy Turkey Day adventure

Most Thanksgivings are filled with food, family and sometimes, fighting. For me, its not a Holiday if the cops aren't called. As my brother says, "We put the fun in dysfunctional."

Let me give you the dirt. A Holiday usually starts with a 10 minute prayer given by my father, who rambles on and on. And just when my eyelids are as heavy as an anvil, my Aunt interrupts him and says, "Oh, just shut up already."

And thus the chaos starts.

I usually plop down in the best seat in the living room-a purple plushy chair near the fire place. I can watch the madness perfectly from my cozy perch as I nibble on my Southern cornbread.

My Uncle, who has one singed eyebrow from deep frying the turkey, carves into the hunk of meat. Okay, normal enough but did I mention he carves the turkey with brand new scissors? Yep, he's on probation and can't use a knife. I smile at his persistence. He knows Thanksgiving is important to my Aunt (his wife) so he focuses on making each slice of meat look beautiful on the plastic red plates.

My other uncle, who is a recovering addict, helps my lil cousin put green olives on his toes. My cousin giggles repeatedly at the frog toes.

All the while, my Aunts and Uncles try to get the other riled up by calling each other majorly dirty words. I mean, words I wouldn't even call my worst enemy.

My Auntie opens a can of beer and burps, while my triplet cousins yammer on and on about some Disney Channel movie. Normal as normal can be until the neighbor-guest begins to pontificate about something that doesn't even matter at the moment, which really riles up my Auntie.

The neighbor and my Auntie get into a heated argument and the neighbor has no idea what tornado he has walked into-Sure, my relatives may seem cruel to other but that's because they are family. They can diss each other but if any outsider disrespects my family, they get eaten alive.

Needless to say, the neighbor gets thrown out of the house, which pissed my dad off. And then all I hear is a slew of cuss words flowing out of the mouth of my Aunts and Uncles. They all combat each other with words as the turkey is passed down a long table.

To me, the madness is calming because underneath all the angst is an understanding-these crazy, dysfunctional relatives would have back in any situation that would scare most people.

Sure, I had a ridiculous upbringing. At age 8, I learned how to pickpocket. When I was a gawky teenager, I could pick a lock with 2 bobby pins. But there has also been goodness, through my dear fam I have also learned how to battle my nasty lil demons. Most importantly, I have learned loyalty, which is the best gift. I'll take the dysfunction any day.