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This is a picture from one of our lake web sites. It's technically a dammed up lake, created from a river. We locals still affectionately refer to it as the rivah/river, depending on where we're from. The river is a community, our own little dysfunctional family. There's quite a spectrum of people from the lifers to the slumming yuppies to the rather colorful characters, and a whole cast and crew.

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We all know each other, and we all care about each other, and we all get annoyed with each other from time to time. Sometimes it's like living in a fishbowl, but as I've talked about so many times before, these people are family. If anyone ever needs anything, these neighbors and this family is there for you - without even giving it a second thought - just as if you had known them all your life.

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Yesterday, a member of our river family passed away. She was young, and it was very unexpected, and we're all profoundly sad by this loss. I know she had been going through a rough time lately, and it is devastating for me to think about how she probably never would have known how much of a loss her passing created, and how many people loved her.

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It makes me think about how easy it is to take people for granted in life - assuming they'll always be there. We can't go through life with kid gloves on, worried that everyone around us is frail, but we, or at least I, can do a better job of letting the people in my life know that I love them. ...taking it easier on people, being a better listener, and trying to bring joy into the lives of the people we love, and the people we don't yet know...

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I try to bring joy into the lives of the people I know, but I have room for improvement. I know that what I'm taking away from this tragedy doesn't even remotely compensate, but I do try to be introspective in times like these, and in the spirit of self awareness and self improvement, I'm taking away a renewed desire to share joy and happiness, to be more present with people, and the reminder to tell my loved ones that I love them.

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So loved ones, you know who you are, I love you!

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Be well today. Each day is a gift.

So far, so good

I'm having a really good week. I love the work I'm doing for our new client, and I love working with an organization with such a wonderful and altruistic mission. I'm such a bleeding heart, it's true.

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My parents tried to return me when they realized what a little liberal I was becoming as a young adult but it was too late. ;-) You're all stuck with me!

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Anyway, I'm loving the work, and even though I've been extremely busy, I've had a great feeling of accomplishment, and I've been learning a lot too.

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I ended up working from home yesterday, and I'll spend Friday in the office. It was a good thing I did because I never would have made it through the volume of work I had to do with the usual office distractions. I always find it odd that I can get so much more work done at home, as opposed to at work.

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Our house is kind of hot. None of the AC's work very well, and by 10AM yesterday, I was getting quite lethargic from the heat. It was no problem, though. I put on my swim trunks and ran outside and jumped into the water!

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Well, not exactly...but that's how I envisioned it happening. In all actuality, with my bum knee, I hobbled down the walkway into the water, but once in, I totally jumped off of one foot. Henry joined me, and it was FUN.

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I was only in the water for a few minutes, but I went back up to my office and worked in my wet trunks and t shirt for the next few hours. It cooled me right off! When I got hot again in the afternoon, I did it again.

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I'm in my very warm office today, and I'm really wishing there was some sort of dunk tank here.

It's occurring to me now that Alison's pool is only about 5 minutes from here. I think I'm going to do some lunchtime swimming next week if it's still this hot. I hate to take a break for lunch, but if I'm hot, I'm going to. I get more done if I'm not melting into my chair.

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Oh! Also good news, my boat is fixed, and I think I'm going to have it back tonight! It was only $300 or so to fix it, and that's a relief. I hope it's all set for the rest of the year, because I'm ready to do some yachting! ;-)

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We have plans to meet up with friends later tonight, but if I have my boat and it's sunny out, I'll be on the water! I think it's time for me to take a night off from work....although I need to check my Friday deadlines first!

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On the health front, I think my eye is getting better. My knee is very slowly getting better. I hope it's fixed in 2 more weeks.

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I hope you are all well!

Using Facebook for Good

As my dear friends know, I don't use facebook for social purposes. That's way too much personal information to put out there. Me? I just pour my heart out into 11 carefully crafted blogs. LOL3

Anyway, I don't use facebook (other than for work), so all you facebook users, which is basically EVERYONE ELSE in the world, please do me a solid.

I want to get 100 responses to my healthy living habits survey. The responses are still trickling in, but I think I still need about 40 more to reach 100. Will you please post a link to my survey on your wall?Come on, all the cool kids are doing it.

Here's the survey link: http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB229B23QZ9QJ

THANK YOU!!!

(And yes, to my most loyal readers who noticed, I did post this same post on 2 blogs. That just means I really mean it. :))

I'll sleep when I'm dead

Tom and I landed a new client yesterday. They are a really great organization, and I'm really looking forward to being a part of their foundation. They basically need an entire HR function set into place for them, and they are a global company, so this will be a fun challenge.

As my loyal readers know, I'm already quite busy with my current work and project load, but I will find the time to squeeze this in. They have some very aggressive deadlines, and Tom and I have 2 weeks to accomplish a big portion of the work they need done.

I anticipate very long hours, but I'm going to try to make it as fun as possible - working outside or out of restaurants/cafe's... Between my full time gig and this, I won't be surprised if I need to put in 80 hrs/week for the next few weeks, so I'll need to change up my scenery.

Today I'll spend 10 hrs on site working for one client, and tonight I'll work 4-5 hrs outside by the water, where the waitstaff (aka - the Darce) at 11 AH will attend to my every need. LOL. See - I have it all worked out. ;-)

Photo shoot - by popular demand :)

They took over 1,000 photos - Kitty was kind enough to narrow them down to 150 for me to choose from - here are about 10 for my fans. (LOL)

Putting on a happy face

LOL

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So yesterday I was feeling slightly miserable between the exhaustion, 3 day headache, knee and eye issues, and rain, but I had blogged about trying to make the best of the day...putting on a happy face...choosing joy over misery...

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I did my best, and I ended up having a perfectly fine day. I made sure I took a few moments to laugh with people in the office, I focused on the positive, I avoided situations where I would hurt my knee more (which I should have been doing all along - I'm stupit), and so yes, my day was perfectly fine. It wasn't a great day or an awesome day - it was just a normal day.

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I think we control so much of our outlook in life. Somethings and some emotions may be out of our control, but the way we handle and respond to things makes the difference in our journey. I always hear the phrase, "It's not the destination, it's the journey." I don't know who said it - I've seen it attributed to many different people, but the point is so true.

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So many times we are just waiting out our current situation, hoping to get to our goal because then we'll be happy or comfortable or satisfied or rich or whatever it is we're looking for. If we can realize that each step along our journey is truly part of what "it" is all about, we will be more inclined to focus on making each day count.

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Today is a new day. I'm pretty sure it's a cloudy day. I would prefer a sunny day, but a cloudy day is better than a rainy day. I have someone coming to take my boat out of the water, and he's going to try to fix it today. He can do that on a cloudy day, but not so much on a rainy day. I'm hoping he can fix it today or tomorrow because it's supposed to be sunny this weekend, so it would be fixed just in time.

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Sometimes when I'm sick of being stuck in the house, or I'm sick of the rain, Darcy and I have theme nights to try to change it up. We don't do it as often as we used to, but we may have Chinese night where we order or make Chinese food and have Chinese drinks and play Chinese games, or we'll just have a game night or a monte carlo night or just something to change it up to make an overcast blah Thursday night a fun night. We always have a blast, and I think tonight is going to be a theme night. It's been yucky all week (again), and I've been tired - we've both had headache's all week, and I think this is just the thing to change it up and to spike the blah with a little fun.

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I better give Darcy some notice so she can get Henry the appropriate attire! ;-)

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LOL - enjoy your day, be it sunny or gray.

You go, Manchvegas!

Forbes Magazine just named Manchester, NH the cheapest place to live in the US! Well, not exactly... They rated Manchester, NH the *best* cheap city to live in, in the US. You can read the full story here.

The honor was bestowed upon us based on the following criteria: low crime rate, best employment opportunities and best over all quality of life. Booyah! Oh yeah, and we don't have any sales or income tax!

Take that TJ - maybe flannel isn't so bad after all??!!

LOL

I think Forbes figured out something I've known for a long time. Manchester has great restaurants, great sports teams, a lively downtown, super easy accessibility to Boston, the White Mountains and the ocean, plenty of entertainment, and you don't stick out if you're a bit overweight. ;-)

Can't you just feel my Manchester Pride??!!!

Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down

You kids are probably too young to remember the Carpenters, and their songs.

It's a rainy day...I'm exhausted - I was in the office from 7-5 yesterday, and then I had to rush home, get changed, eat dinner, and head over to a ball game for work. I didn't get home until 10. Normally, that wouldn't be too much of a challenge for me, but I'm still recovering from pneumonia so I need a lot more rest than usual.

So yes, it's rainy, I'm tired, my knee hurts, my eye is bothering me, I've had a headache for 2 days, and I have a ton of work to do, yet all I want to do is curl up on the couch and watch tv with my puppy.

No such luck!

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I'm going to do my best to choose joy today. I'm going to think positive, make the best of my situation, and I'm going to choose to have a great day. :)

I'll let you know how that goes.

I love summer

Yesterday afternoon we had friends over, and we paddled over to cupcake island since the boat hasn't been fixed yet. We had such a nice time, and I can't believe it was the first day we'd been out there since 2 months ago.

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I had a blast, and I want to make sure we get back out there soon!

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Tomorrow morning, we are heading out to the ocean for my photo shoot...at 4:30 AM! It's for my CD cover, and we're going to be there for the sunrise. Kitty took care of all of the details, but it was a last minute arrangement, so I'm not extremely prepared.

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I'm very glad to have this scheduled, because that's the last piece (aside from the CD cover art/design that Kitty will do once the photo shoot has been completed) that I need to do before I can order copies of the CD. I had been too sick to do it sooner.

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Darcy and I will be getting up at 3AM to have time to get ready and get to the ocean for 4:30. I hope I wake up when the alarm goes off! The life of a rock star is quite challenging! ;-)

Back to Work

I've been so busy with everything else, I don't think I mentioned to the blogosphere yet that I accepted a full time job with one of my clients...about a month ago... While I wind down some other projects I'm working on, I'm going to be going into the office Tuesdays through Thursdays during the summer, and then I'll start full time after Labor Day. I can still keep my consulting business as well, so it's a good situation.

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I'd been working 40 hrs/week for them for a long time anyway, and this way I get benefits and more job security, but the content of the work will be pretty much the same, so I'm excited for the opportunity. The job is an expanded role from my last full time job, and it's exactly what I would have picked as my next step in my career, so good for me.

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I started my weekly schedule in the office today. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about going back to a normal office schedule (even though it's only 3 days a week now!) since I hadn't had a normal office schedule in so long. Even in my last job before I was laid off, I had the flexibility to work from home quite often. I haven't had a job that required me to be in the same office every day for probably about 5 years. Boy, was I spoiled!

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My first day back in the office went really well! I was very busy, and booked solid almost every minute, but it made the time fly by. I really like the people I work with, so that's always a huge plus. Also, the commute is the shortest commute I've ever had in my entire life.

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Cheers to new beginnings!

www.kcsings.com

I uploaded one of my songs to my website, if you want to check it out. Don't forget to sign my guestbook. :)

A beautiful thing

Amanda and Nick had an absolutely beautiful weekend for their absolutely beautiful wedding. We had such a nice time, and I'm so very happy for them.

Here is Amanda and her dad walking down the aisle:

The very handsome Nick waiting for his beautiful bride:

The scene below was the best part of the wedding, in my book... Amanda has an adorable five (?) year old daughter who Nick has loved as his own since they've been together. He is so good with her, and she adores him completely. After Nick and Amanda said their vows to each other and exchanged rings, Nick got down on his knee and read his vows to Alex, promising to be a good Daddy for her, and supporting her, etc..., and then he gave her a ring joining them all together as a family. There was not a dry eye in the place. It was the sweetest thing I've ever seen, and Nick's dance with little Alex was a close second.The happy family after the ceremony:

Amanda does floral designs for weddings as her career, and the flowers at this wedding were UN believable. I left my camera in Lanie and Billy's room after the service, but I'm hoping Lanie will share her pictures with me, so I can post the flowers. They were almost as stunning as the bride. :)

I told Darcy today that whoever invites us to their wedding next is going to have some *pretty* big shoes to fill. LOL - the weekend was beautiful and wonderful, and the food was fantastic - everyone had a great time, and we wish this happy family the very best that their life and love will offer them.

Big XO.

Weekend Away

Our friend's Nick and Amanda are getting married on Southport Island, ME this weekend. We rented out a little cottage in nearby Boothbay Harbor, and it's pet friendly, so our darling little Henwy will be joining us.

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Tomorrow night is an outdoor lobster/clambake thing by the ocean, and later on there'll be a fire. I'm hoping to feel well enough to hang out with everyone for a while, but I'm nervous to be near the coast at night while I'm still recovering from pneumonia. I'm going to bring lots of layers!

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The wedding will be outside on Saturday. I'm *so* glad the weather is supposed to be nice. They are an adorable, loving couple, and I'm really happy that everything is working out well for them! They each deserve a wonderful wedding, and a long lasting love. They are very good kids.

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I'm hoping the sun will dry out my congested chest tomorrow while I lay out by the pool at our resort!

A good thing

I bought a pair of plaid shorts at Old Navy when I was in Nashville. When I wore them for the first time, I realized they were actually reversible. Cool! I know that reversible shorts are kind of dorky, but for someone who travels frequently, and only brings one carry on suitcase, reversible clothing could open up a whole new world for me. ;-)

Art Project

We had the downstairs bathroom redone while we were away, and now we need stuff to decorate it with. Since we've been sick, we haven't left the house to get the stuff we need. I decided to paint a wall hanging today (pictured above).

I need to paint the border another color, because that is just entirely TOO much blue. I asked Darcy what she thought of the painting, and she did her best to convince me that she liked it, but I could tell otherwise! LOL

Oh well - I'm certainly not married to it, and obviously, it only took me a few minutes to do, so I may redo it another day when I'm feeling better. All I did was a little painting, but it sucked the LIFE out of me because of my pneumonia.

We left the house to go out to lunch with Lanie today. I knew I had to try to venture out in the world since I hadn't since last Thursday. My lunch made me a little sick to my stomach, and I got home just in time. This has been a heck of a run, my friends. :) (Shouldn't I be losing more weight than just a few lbs??? That's the whole *point* of looking forward to a stomach flu!) LOL

Anyway, I am ca-raving a nice meat and potatoes home cooked meal with rolls and gravy. I can't remember the last time I had that - actually - I think it was 3 months ago for Darcy's birthday. It's very rare we make a big, filling meal like that, but I'm due. Too bad the 2 cooks in the house are too sick to cook.

Oh, Heeeeeeenry!!!! JK - he's still recovering too!

I think tomorrow when I'm feeling better (fingers crossed) I'm going to go to the store and get stuff for a roast beef dinner. Yum. :)

Just another day in my hood

Making a movie

Well, I recorded a CD, so why not make a movie? LOL - I'm doing a documentary about my experience recording a CD, and I'm so very blessed and lucky to have a friend who happens to be an emmy nominated film producer - helping me tremendously. We don't know each other that well, and it's so generous of him to help!

I didn't even know what program to start with, and he told me what I suspected - anything worthwhile would need to be done on a Mac. Soooo, not wasting anytime, natch, I bought an iMac this morning. The thing is SO cool. I know I'm going to be a huge Mac fan...I held out for so long because of the money, but I got a super good deal on a floor model.

This should be a really neat experience. When I'm done, if it's any good, he's going to help me shop it around to film festivals and HBO/Showtime, etc... COOL!