Being patient is the key...

Well, I really did not want to become one of those bloggers who has a great start and then falls off. However, I can see that is what happened to me!

I had all these great things happen, all these wonderful dreams coming true, and then I hit a rough patch. Did I really want to write about these rough times on my blog? Not at all! This is a place of dreams, not disappointments!

However, there is a silver lining in every cloud, so I got that it was time for me to start blogging again! Besides, I love to write and who better to share my ups and downs with than all of you! ;)

So, I just wanted to begin with a special "Thank You" for all of you who still read my blog. As sporadic as it is! :)

The last few months I have definitely been on a journey. A self-exploration if you will...
Where did I last leave off? Um, I think it was that I was moving, right? Right. I thought this was going to be a piece of cake, chocolate cake at that. :)

I started in January, with about 3 trips to Miami. Then I came down again in the beginning of February and haven't left yet.

I 'thought' I was only going to be in town for a few days, that it was going to be NO PROBLEM for me to find a place, write the check and have a move date. No such luck. I've been down here almost a month! (Thankfully I've had a place to stay too!)

So what have I learned and why is it taking me so long?

In the last few weeks I have narrowed down where I want to live. At first, I was looking in Midtown and Brickell. Then I looked in Downtown. I wasn't satisfied. What I realized was that, I didn't want to look at another building and I really wanted a sunset view with water.

After about a week, I decided I wanted to be back on the beach. What I mean by "the beach" is living on South Beach. (Yes, it's hot, sultry and fun just as you would imagine.) ;) However, with the views that I want, I will be living on the bay, which is the bay side of South Beach.

Since I used to live on South Beach, with the same sunset and water views, I know exactly which buildings, and lines in the buildings I would like. The tricky part is, can I get what I want for the price I want to pay?

I've seen lots of places that would work for someone who just wants a place, but I don't just want "a place". Even if I'm only renting something for a year, I want it to feel like my home. A year can go very quickly, but if I'm unhappy, it will feel like eternity.

That's where the meat of the journey comes into play. I've discovered that finding my dream pad can be correlated to finding my dream man, dream job or anything else I want to create in my life.

What do I want? Where am I willing to compromise? What are my non-negotiables? I have to be clear about what I want and what works and doesn't work in my life. I have to trust my gut and intuition.

Being patient has been key and I've discovered that I have no patience. Lol!

A few times, after making offers and being rejected or just waiting for something to come on the market that I'd want to see, I wanted to run away! Like go on a mini-vacation! I was restless, frustrated, depressed, questioning if this was the 'right' choice, and simply miserable.

I'd go out to see a place, make an offer and wait. I'd be anxious, nervous, excited, fantasizing about all the parties I'm going to throw, and then I'd find out my offer wasn't accepted. Or I'd see a place, think it could be the one, take my time and then present an offer only to find out an offer was already accepted. I've discovered that a "maybe" is a "no". If I know it ain't "the one", I need to trust my gut and move on.

It hasn't been easy, but thankfully I have great friends, so anytime I feel like crap, I call them. :)

So, I've learned a lot. Like the tiny red flags that go up when a Realtor says "you can fix it and give the owner a bill" before I've even moved in. I want an owner who has integrity from the beginning. Or, finding out the owner lives in another country and travels a lot. What happens when I need something to be fixed?

There are a lot of details, but now that I know clearly what I want, waiting doesn't seem that bad. Just like knowing my dream man will show up when the time is right, so will my dream pad! Yes, I wish I was already living in my new home and decorating. :) I'm sure my friends in NY wish the same. I just have to remember that everything I want is worth fighting for and it's worth being patient.

So, as I continue to dream of my new diggs, I remain thankful that I haven't settled! I know what I want and ain't gonna stop 'til I get it! :)

What dreams have you stopped dreaming about because you settled for something less? Have you ever given up on your dreams because you didn't have patience?

I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please post your comments! And if you'd like to guest blog, please let me know! :)

'Til next time, thanks for reading and Happy Dreaming! :)

New Year, New Life...

Ok, so I missed November. I apologize for that. I did have a nice Thanksgiving. Did you? :)

Also, Merry Belated Christmas, Happy Belated Chanukah and Happy Kwanzaa! ;)

So much has happened since I last wrote that I just didn't know when to start the next post, but here it goes, finally!

Remember the post about my Dream city, Dream man and Dream job? Well, I've found my dream city!

Completely unbeknownst to me, it's a place I've already lived!

After returning from Phoenix and LA on a recent trip, I realized though both cities were nice, neither one had 'that' feeling, the kind that says, "this is your home."

And so I returned to the thought of, "well, the answer will soon reveal itself."

The next day my girlfriend called me and I explained to her what happened and she said to me, "Lisa, every where you go, you compare to Miami, so why don't you just move back?"

In that moment, I had the "duh light bulb" go on, and my choice was made!

It was so true! I had lived in Miami and South Beach for 4.5 years prior to moving back to NYC and I was looking for a city that was warm like Miami, on the water, had beautiful sunsets and a place that I already knew amazing people. Miami was staring me in the face the whole time, but I just thought since I had already "been there, done that" that it had to be somewhere new!

Well, this past year has been life altering, so I am actually moving back with a new mind and new perspective, so it's perfectly fitting! :)

So, what about the Dream man? Ok, so the guy from my past didn't work out. Though he is dreamy (oh so handsome), our paths and schedules were misaligned and sadly I had to complete that. However, he is a wonderful man and I will always be grateful he came back into my life.

I have a feeling though, a gut feeling that once I get to Miami and get settled, my dream man will show up! I am ready! :)

And about my dream job...

I am currently working on a business plan to take it to the next level. I am STILL excited about developing this idea and bringing it to life! Stay tuned!

So, with the New Year upon us, I am entering into 2010 with my dreams alive, and ready to welcome it all with open arms!

What are you excited for in the New Year?

Wishing you a blessed, safe and Happy NEW Year!

'Til next time, thanks for reading and Happy Dreaming! :)

What happened in October? Part II

So, here we are with Part II!

I told you you wouldn't have to wait long to find out the rest of the story! ;)

Ok, not only did I have a great birthday celebration, but I finally feel like I have arrived.

You are probably asking yourself, "what does she mean by that?"

Well, I'm going to speak to the women here...

Women, have you ever asked yourself, "When will be the day I am going to feel comfortable in my own skin, secure and confident with who I am as a woman?"

If you have, then you know exactly what I am talking about.

For years I have been very critical of myself. I'd harshly judge my body, cry when I looked in the mirror, stay home when I'd really rather be out, fake a sickness when I didn't feel I was good enough to be at a party, etc. Not fun!

Well, in the week preceding my birthday, I was with an incredible group of people in Los Cabos, Mexico. We were there to "Transform Yesterday's Strategies." (This is a vacation course offered through Landmark Education.) While half the time it was great to be in Mexico and be sipping Coladas by the pool during the day, it was in this course that I grew up into the woman I always wanted to be! (And always knew that I was!)

I discovered in this course that I had been living with a "strategy" that a 13 year old girl made up. Essentially, without going into too much detail, when I was 13 I made up that I was undesirable, shameful and needed to cover myself up. Having discovered that this was a strategy made up by a child (and my brain was not fully developed either) it was a RELIEF to let it go! As a result, I now had this new open space for me to step into and create whoever I wanted to be!

So, with this new year in my life, this new celebration of my life, I created being a beautiful, loving, lovable, inspiring and creative woman! :)

What fun, right?

And then Halloween was coming up so I was going to have the opportunity to put my body issues to rest and wear a sexy costume! Yay!

After asking several men in the costume store which costume they liked best, I went with "Air Force Angel." It was a one-piece jumper, with buttons up the front, short sleeves and piping down the legs of the suit. It hugged my body too, so any issues with lumps and bumps would just have to take a back seat on this one! I even considered at one point to wear a body slimmer, but knew that I would not be honoring the new woman I am! So, I put it on, and then courageously stood up in a room of 200+ people and shared that it was a breakthrough for me to wear the costume! What a feeling!

I got lots of compliments that night, but since we're talking about dreams here, let me say this is my biggest dream realized thus far. Dreaming of the day when I can say I feel comfortable in my own skin and that I am a beautiful woman (with conviction) is a true blessing and accomplishment.

So, October was a very full month as you can see! Birthday surprises galore!!! I apologize for not sharing sooner, but I'm back now! :)

And now we're in November! Ooh, Thanksgiving is coming up! I wonder what dreams will be fulfilled this month! Stay tuned! :)

'Til next time, thanks for reading and Happy Dreaming! :)

What happened in October?

So more than a month has passed! Where have I been?

October was a GREAT month!

Part I - I had a Birthday!!! Another year older, and feeling like another year younger!!!

This was the first year, that as an adult, I had a birthday party! For years I had dreamed of having a big birthday celebration, but honestly, I was afraid no one would come! Seriously!!!

So, years passed and I'd celebrate with my family and some friends for dinner and drinks, but this year I put my foot down! :)

Not only was it a big deal for me to have a party, but a friend asked if she could share my night with her and her friends, since her birthday was right around the corner! Now, let me tell you, at first I thought "hell no!" I had finally got the courage to have my "own" party and I wasn't going to share it with anyone! LOL!

The more I thought about it, I realized it wouldn't be very "adult" of me not to share! Like, 'go play in your own sandbox!!!'

Ha ha! No, that wouldn't work for me.

So, I welcomed her and her friends, and we had a huge birthday blowout!!! We reserved space in a small lounge on the Lower East Side and though it rained that night and the Yankees were playing, we had about 40-50 friends come through and celebrate! It was special, loving, fun, joyous and everybody had a great time!

My dream to have a great birthday party was fulfilled AND I met so many new and wonderful people, that it was better than I ever could have imagined!!!

So, not only did the line, 'sharing is caring' provide plentiful results, but it also enriched my experience! Mission accomplished! :)

And so my friends, that is Part I of where I was in October...

Tune in for Part II, arriving soon! :)

'Til then, thanks for reading and Happy Dreaming! :)

Princess for a day!

Hi guys! :)

I just got back from a girls trip to Disney World!!! What fun!!!

Me and 3 girlfriends made an "adult" trip to visit with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Pluto and all the princesses! It was so cool!!! :)

Well, one of my long-standing dreams was to have breakfast with the Disney characters! Mind you, I have been to Disney twice before, but never had this dream come true!

I told one of my girlfriends who was planning the trip about my dream and she made it happen!!! Gina, if you're reading this, you are the BEST! I know I've thanked you many times before, but seriously, you went above and beyond and it was super duper, amazing and wonderful what you made happen!

So, to fill you guys in, Gina not only made reservations for us to have breakfast in the CASTLE with the PRINCESSES, but also made dinner reservations at Chef Mickey's so we could dine with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and Goofy! All my Disney dreams complete!!

Imagine this...

It's a sunny and warm day and at 10a four beautiful and amazing women are walking towards the Disney castle. They are excited, eager, giddy and can't imagine what is going to happen next. We get to the restaurant and get our Table pass, a laminated card with Cinderella and Prince Charming on it and it has the number 1 written on top. We are told we get a picture with Cinderella as part of our breakfast! So, we get on line with all the other kiddies and wait our turn to pose with Cinderella! Wow! How cool! She looks so pretty in her blue dress.

After all the other kiddies are done with their pictures, we whip out our cameras and take individual pictures with the Princess, lol! This was just too good to miss out! Haha!

Well, it gets better! We are led upstairs to the dining room and are seated at our table, and Snow White is already making her rounds! We got there just in time!!!

But first, the table. At each place setting there was a Wishing Star. I thought it was for the waiter, like when you're at the Churrascaria, and you either say more food or less with a card on the table. LOL! I didn't realize the Wishing Star was for me to keep! There was also a wand, Cinderella's Royal Table Wand to use with the Wishing Star! How perfect! My wish already came true!!! :)

So, one by one the princesses come out to greet us...Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine and Belle! We took pictures with each one! It was so cool! The dining room was pretty too! You definitely knew you were in a castle! The windows were all stained glass, and we still had a beautiful view of The Magic Kindom.

Also, the food was YUMMY! There were fruit cups, assorted pastries, and a full serving of eggs, bacon, sausage, au gratin potatoes, and this yummy fried dough blueberry thing! LOL! Orange juice and coffee was served too. And, if we wanted seconds, thirds, whatever, we got it! The breakfast was definitely magical and perfect!!! So many pictures, fun memories with my friends and another dream fulfilled!!!

It just goes to show, you are never too old to have your childhood dreams come true!!! :)

'Til next time, thanks for reading and Happy Dreaming! :)

Standing in my dreams...

Hi my people!

Been M.I.A. for a minute...I know.

I've been trying to decide what dream to share next, but really, it's that I have really HUGE dreams and have been afraid to say what they are, out loud! Like, am I ready to share with the world?

Well, this past weekend I was in a course called Wisdom Unlimited. It's a course offered through Landmark Education-an organization dedicated to transforming your perception of your past and giving you access to a new future. (To find out more, go to www.landmarkeducation.com).

Wisdom Unlimited is a course that meets over 10 months and there are 5 weekends. It is a course that is designed to re-presence your dreams and passions in life and have you fulfill on them, while getting to know your community and having fun!

This past weekend was our 3rd weekend, and we talked a lot about our dreams. Like what are some dreams you've had and have forgotten about? And if all was well, like there was nothing for you to do but live your dreams, what would you be doing with your life?

So, what are my dreams?

Well, to start, by the completion of the course, which is in the end of January, I want to be living in my dream city, with my dream job and be living with my dream man.

Ok, I'll share what all that looks like to me.

Living in my dream city...

I grew up in Long Island, graduated from Syracuse University, lived in NYC for a few years, moved to Miami for almost 5 years and have been back in NYC for about 3 years.

I can positively say that the warm weather of Miami agreed with me. :) I love warm weather. Hot and humid doesn't bother me. My preferred climate is 80's and sunny, near a beach.

You're probably wondering, why did she move back to NYC from Miami, right? Well, I missed my family!

However, I am not sure I'd want to move back to Miami, though it is the closest to my family and friends versus moving to California. (Yes, California is a contender right now.) I'm in inquiry of it all right now. A friend of mine also asked me to wait until the course is over before I make a decision. So, I'm honoring her request. I also believe where I live depends on my other two dreams, the dream job and dream man.

So, let's take a look at that...

The dream job...

I want to create a TV network that is available worldwide, in as many languages as possible, where all the programming is empowering and inspirational. It's the place to go whenever you need a "pick me up" and it's available to you 24/7. It's a dream bigger than me, but I'm clear that I want to make a difference in the world in a huge way and this speaks to me!

Currently I am creating a website as a platform for this, and I'm looking for people who have inspiring stories they want to share, writers who are interested in writing about the good news in the world, guest bloggers and anyone who would like to be a part of this project!

:)

This is something I am creating in NYC at the moment, and it could take me anywhere in the world, as it's in the world that I want to be a contribution!

And now, the man of my dreams.

Until recently I was closed off in the world of love. I had been that way for 8 years. That's a long time to be without love.

Someone from my past recently re-surfaced unexpectedly, and he has opened up my eyes to what's possible, and I've just been afraid to let go! He has disintegrated all that I thought my dream man should look like, and thus has allowed me to be free and be present! For the first time in 8 years, my guard is down. HUGE DEAL!

Now that I'm open and can see clearly what I want, what I really, truly want is to be married to my best friend, my partner in crime, a man who inspires me, supports me, loves me, appreciates me, a man who I am attracted to inside and out, is up to great things, and loves life and people! My promise is to be and give all that in return and then some! Could it be the man from my past? Possibly! He is amazing! And, even if it's not him, I know there are great men out there, so I'm not worried one bit! :)

Dare I dream to say what I really want and make it happen? Yes!

I've been single for so long that I've been slightly resigned to even wanting to have a family! Like, how could I possibly think about having a family when I've been shut down to being in love? But, deep down in my inner core of being a woman, I would love to be a mom, someone who contributes to another life and have her life be contributed to as well, and I'm sure in ways I can't even imagine.

So, there you have it folks! Some of my dreams, in a nutshell. I have a lot to think about, and I am excited and glad I shared it with y'all! As I continue this blog, I will share what's opening up for me around these dreams and will still be sharing about other dreams too! I'll be checking in and updating. :)

By the way, I welcome guest bloggers on here, so if you have something you'd like to share, let me know and we can make that happen!

So, 'til next time, thanks for reading, and happy dreaming! :)

Guinea Pig Dinner

Yummm. Guinea Pig. Who would've thought?

Hahaha. Just Kidding. I didn't eat Guinea Pig.

I've heard it tastes just like chicken though!

So, here's the thing...I don't cook. I live a pretty simple and standard bachelorette life. Some drinks in the fridge, and a can or two of soup, just in case I should starve.

However, as I get closer and closer to wanting a serious relationship, I've considered that I might *want* to cook for my man one day and I really wouldn't want to embarrass myself.

So, not too long ago I went to visit a friend in Austin, TX and she invited me to a Guinea Pig Dinner. A Guinea Pig Dinner is where everyone makes a dish they've NEVER made before and we all get to be the guinea pigs! This is where the cooks and the non-cooks have an equal opportunity to make something fabulous or not! (Was my thinking.)

Anyways, my friend picked me up from the airport and we headed straight to the supermarket. Thankfully, there were FREE recipe cards and I was able to pick out a dessert I knew I would like (and seemed easy enough to make) and picked up all the ingredients on the spot.

My friend left me to her kitchen, and she was no help at all!!!

Ok, I know that is the point, but I'd be meeting all these new people and I really wanted to make a good impression! Still, she left.

Well, guess what? The dog ate it.

Hahaha! No! Actually, it turned out great!!! Everyone ate it up!

Well, there were leftovers, but the host ate it up over the next few days! LOL!

Oh, you probably want to know what it was that I made, right?

Ready? Drumroll....

Cream Cheese Banana Pudding!

It was made with vanilla pudding, Nilla wafers, bananas, cream cheese, whipped topping, milk, sugar and bananas.

Sounds yummy, right? (And high in fat, but who cares?)

I even made a smiley face out of the bananas on top! LOL! Nothing says, "nice to meet you, I hope you like this" like a smiley face from cut-up bananas! ;)

In any case, I was so inspired by this idea (and that no one got poisoned), that I brought it back to NYC!

This past Saturday evening I hosted the 1st NYC Guinea Pig Dinner! It was a success too!!! 15 people came, and just about everyone made a dish. ALL the food was GREAT! The ones who didn't make a dish, bought dessert, but that was a last minute request of mine because I thought we might be lacking in that area.

Ya' see, when organizing for a dinner of this size, it's important everyone share what they're making (appetizer, main, side or dessert), so that not everyone brings the same thing. However, it is also just as important to share what food you are making because we ended up with 4 chicken dishes. Not that it's a bad thing, but variety is good too.

Ok, back to the story...

This time I made two dishes! I got courageous!!! ;)

They were easy, but yummy too!

I made "Annie's Fruit Salsa" (courtesy of www.allrecipes.com) and served it with Stacy's Cinnamon Sugar chips. A hit!

I also made Cilantro & Mint Melon Salad, (again, www.allrecipes.com) and even though I forgot to put it out (it was in the back of the fridge!) the after party enjoyed it!

So, the point is that I've been DREAMING of being comfortable cooking, confident that when the time comes, I can make my man a meal! Having these dinners is an easy way to learn, and without pressure! Everybody is in the same boat! And it's fun too!

Got questions about hosting your own Guinea Pig Dinner? Please feel free to ask!

'Til next time, thanks for reading and Happy Dreaming! :)