Bliss List

This week, my Bliss List is simple:

1.  I love Glee.
2.  I love reading.
3.  I'm glad it is Friday.
4.  Angry Birds on Facebook
5.  Kindness of my friends, both online and in person.

It was a long, strange week.

Bliss List - It's Friday

Can that be all?  It's Friday and I'm glad.

My Bliss List

Liv Lane is the inspiration and leader of the weekly "My Little Bliss List" - an opportunity to highlight the goodness in life.  I love having the opportunity to participate. Thanks, Liv!

This week, my list is short but powerful:

1.  I finished two books in the space of a couple of days!!  Reading IS BLISS!  I'm so happy!
2.  I'm working on a show I love - WICKED.  I love doing it, but I'm excited to have some time to myself.
3. VerbTribe starts on April 1 with Patti Digh and I'm SO EXCITED!!!  I know that this will be a life-changing experience.  I can't wait to get started.

Thank you to all who come and rumpus here!  I love having you and I appreciate you so much. You are always on my Bliss List!!

TGIFand My Bliss List

It is FRIDAY and I am so happy that it is. It has been a strange week for me - no particular reason, just felt a little off all week.

I look forward to Fridays so that I can think about the week and the things I'm grateful for and that brought a little joy into my life. Thanks to Liv Lane for being the inspiration and coordinator of the Bliss List links.

So, here's my Little Bliss List for this week.

1. Even though I didn't get a photo of any of it, I loved seeing the snow covered trees, yards, roofs. It was so odd to hear a radio report of the "Heat Wave" across the U.S. as I drove up the hill towards the freeway entrance looking at two inches of snow in March here in the Northwest. Strange, but beautiful.

2. I went back to reading "The Hunger Games" this week and it has reignited my reading gene. I have been struggling for so long now - wanting to read but not finding anything that could pull me in. I wondered if I had lost the inclination. I am proud to say, I have not lost it. And I don't even think that it is because of this book - I think my brain was just ready to read. It feels so good - all I want to do is cuddle up with my book but I have to get ready for the show.

3. I watched the television show "Touch" this week and I was really moved by the whole episode. I think this show could be something really special. If you haven't watched it, I would recommend the episode that was on this week...I think it was Episode 2 of the series. Something about it just touched me deeply.

4. I am a big "American Idol" fan, but sometimes, I just need to hear the original songs. Last week was that week for me, so I downloaded Jennifer Rush's ORIGINAL version of "The Power of Love" and Mariah Carey and Boys II Men's version of "One Sweet Day". I just couldn't let the versions from the show be the ones in my head. And I listened to them while I played a game or two of solitaire this week. So beautiful they brought me to tears, as music often does. Sometimes it is really nice to be able to just go online and buy a single song - just to get the right stuff in your brain.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great weekend. Go get some Bliss!

My Little Bliss List

Thanks to Liv Lane, I now try to participate in the Little Bliss List on Fridays. It helps me to focus in on all the things that bring me joy and help me remember to be grateful for my life.

This week, my bliss came in a simple, lovely, warm package - sunshine.

I have never been a sun worshiper, however, I find that as I get older, a good sunny day at the end of February boosts my spirits in a way that nothing else really can. It is that glimmer of hope right before we have another 2 months of rain. This year, the February sunshine was a little delayed (or I wasn't paying attention) and came this week. We had a couple of days of nearly 60 degree temperatures (unusual for us in the Pacific Northwest at this time of year) and sunshine.  It was lovely. Even when I can only partake from the windows of my car or at my office, the positive effects of sunshine are undeniable.

Bliss List - TGIF!

From Liv Lane's Bliss List postings: Every Friday, the Little Bliss List provides a chance for us to celebrate the little things that brought us hope and happiness this week. I do believe when we focus on the sweet stuff of life, the sweet stuff multiplies. And by sharing those small gifts in our lives, we help others notice the gifts in theirs. 

Hi everyone!  This has been a challenging week, but in a good way.  I don't have a long list this week, but I am definitely grateful for a lot of things.

1. As you all know, I am a huge fan of Patti Digh, have taken a telecourse from her, have followed her blogs, her books and her Facebook. I'm going to be taking her VerbTribe course in April.  I'm so grateful to her for being so open and sharing so much of herself. It is inspiring and empowering to have someone to look to for guidance, support and inspiration.  I want to be a better person and I owe a lot of that to her.

2.  I love the television show "Friends".  I was slow to the show when it was on, but after Roby died, I became a huge fan. It helped me feel closer to him and now, I just love it because it is funny and fun with just the right mixture of silliness and seriousness.

3.  I am grateful for the people I work with.  I am fortunate to work with a bunch of professionals in person everyday who inspire me to be my best self. It isn't always easy, but I love it.  In addition, I have a support network of people across the country who make me laugh, lift me up and help me see different perspectives.  I feel like I have support from all sides and that really made a difference for me this week.

4.  Bliss consisted of some good, well-earned sleep this week.  I slept like a rock and I am very happy about that.

5.  I'm grateful this week to anyone who comes here to visit.  I love the blog and I really value the connections I have made here. Thank you!

Go to www.livlane.com to see where it all started!

Friday! Bliss List!

With special thanks to Liv Lane, I am participating in her Little Bliss List project again this Friday.  I love taking some time to focus on all the good and sweet things in life - I don't always take the time without a nudge.

1. I love color.  It has always been really important to me, even when I was really young.  I have been enjoying the colors of my life and finding ways to bring more color into it.  I'm waiting for my new necklace to arrive - there will be photos!  It is fantastic!

2.  I love this blog - 3X3X365 - it is really special. Every day, something beautiful is created.

3.  This week, I am grateful for Brene Brown.  Her videos have been a touchstone this week. I'm not sure what set me on this path - I've been a fan for a while, have read her blog for a while. Suddenly, though, something deeper resonated and I am now reading her book, "The Gifts of Imperfection".  I haven't gotten far, but I'm reading it.

4.  I was watching the first disc of the last season of "Friends" this week and Phoebe is so funny in these episodes.  I love "Friends". It is one of those timeless shows for me - it doesn't age, the jokes are still funny over time. Love it!

5.  This morning was beautiful and sunny. I had to pull out a pair of sunglasses!  I loved driving to work today in the sun.  It rained later in the day, but what a wonderful start to the day.

Simple joys, yes, but it is the little things in life that make everything so beautiful.

Back to Real Life

Now that I am done rehearsing for this show, I'm on to the next one - "Wicked". We perform on March 15 and March 31. I can't wait - I love the show, but it is quite difficult.

In the meantime (before we have started rehearsing), I'm going to be getting back to my BBTL class (the sixth week just rolled up - I will be catching up in the next few weeks).  Luckily, the Facebook group is going to stay up so that we can continue to connect with our cohort. I'm excited about that - a nice way to stay connected.  I'm sad to have the class be over, but I know I will keep using the information I am learning.

So in the spirit of my BBTL class, I'm posting a Bliss List.

Every Friday, the Little Bliss List provides a chance for us to celebrate the little things that brought us hope and happiness this week. I do believe when we focus on the sweet stuff of life, the sweet stuff multiplies. And by sharing those small gifts in our lives, we help others notice the gifts in theirs. (From Liv Lane's Bliss List post)


1.  Thanks to Liv Lane and all the BBTL classmates! I have loved the experience even though I have fallen behind. There is much for me to learn and many blogs to visit, but I haven't given up - just restructured my time so that I can get the full benefit of the class and the group.

2.  I love the musical Wicked!  My favorite songs change all the time, but I particularly love "What is this Feeling?" and "Popular".  Two other favorites are "Defying Gravity" and "For Good".  Oh! and "I'm Not that Girl".  See, my favorites change all the time.

3.  I'm loving my Letter Love 101 class with Joanne Sharpe.  I have been getting new art supplies to help me work on the class and I  LOVE IT!! (I tried to upload a badge here, but for some reason, I'm still struggling with Blogger and uploading photos. It is hit or miss right now.)

4.  I love books. No reason for saying that today - I just have been thinking about books lately and how much I love to read. Still trying to figure out how to carve out more regular time for myself to read.

5.  Still love Pinterest. It is a visual delight for me.  Since I can't manage the photo here that I want, here's a link to my boards.

6.  I have been zoning out playing Zuma Deluxe this week when I was feeling super-stressed out. Love mindless games for just such purposes.

7.  Love all the things that are coming in my life - Verb Tribe (mine starts in April), 30 Days of Courage...I'm thinking about maybe doing another art journal (self-paced) class. I feel like I'm changing inside. It isn't something people can see, it is something I feel. Something for me.

8. I ordered a book by Brene Brown today. I can't wait to read it. It is about perfectionism.  Her work on shame, guilt, authenticity, pefectionism...well, it really should be all I read and do. I feel as if she knows me. Scary but also freeing to know that many people experience these things in tandem. There is hope. I love that.

Man, oh, man.  I'm all blissed! I really do lead a pretty blessed life.  Thanks for playing a part in that!

TGIF! And Bliss List

It has been a long strange week and I'm so far behind in *everything*!  But I wanted to take some time to remember all the things that bring me joy and link up to Liv Lane's Bliss List this week.  I love finding/creating ways to look on the bright side of life, especially when the week has been a challenge.

Here's what Liv says about the Bliss List:
Every Friday, the Little Bliss List provides a chance for us to celebrate the little things that brought us hope and happiness this week. I do believe when we focus on the sweet stuff of life, the sweet stuff multiplies. And by sharing those small gifts in our lives, we help others notice the gifts in theirs. 

1. Last Saturday, we had our "Beginning of the Year" work party.  The end of the year is filled with holidays and bad weather and people are always upset if we have the holiday party when they are busy. I decided that this year was a good year to have the party in January when things are a little slower.  I couldn't close the office until Feb. 4, so that's when I had the party. We had it at Bullwinkle's Family Fun Center (a little like Chuck E. Cheese on crack) - huge with TONS to do and totally out of my comfort zone.  But what I loved about it was seeing all the families and employees come and enjoy themselves and each other.  I was really glad I did it.  (Blogger won't download the photo...I will keep trying)


2.  I overbooked myself for January and February in terms of taking classes that really require me to dig deep, do a lot of practice and reading, etc.  I love that I am now mature enough to give myself a little bit of a break and make some decisions about priorities and not beat myself up about it. Now that's progress!  (I'm still working through them all - just giving myself some additional time!)

3.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

4.  Pinterest!  Unfortunately, I have been reading that people are upset about Pinterest and that they earn money from sales when linked with partners. I'm not really surprised because all social media sites exist to make money, but I wish they were more upfront about it.  Still, I love my boards and I'm happy when I go to the site.  I tried to upload a photo of my boards, but for some reason, I have been having problems with Blogger uploading photos. Not sure what that's about.  If you click on the link above, it will take you to my boards (if you are interested).  I just like how they look. The colors and the blend of images is cool.

I know there is so much to be blissful about, so much to be grateful for in my life. These are just some highlights of the week. :)