Merry Chrisrmas Memories

Happy Monday after Christmas and last Monday of 2010! We all heard it as young people, the older you get the faster time passes -- how true it is!

Our Christmas holiday was just perfect. We went to visit family in the bay area and had a wonderful time visiting with family and friends. We made the trip home on the 24th to be sure to have cookies and milk out for Santa.

Christmas was idyllic.Like a classic story, Mason was up at 5 AM ready to see what Santa brought and try as we might, Dave and I were not successful in convincing him to go back to bed. Go figure! We all opened our gifts and enjoyed seeing what everyone got. Mason got a recycled computer (new to him!) with more Legos than one boy should ever get in one day! Dave got several history books, one in particular -- The Gettysburg Companion. It's just one more intentional step to that dream job as a park ranger in Gettysburg National Park! Along the lines of visualization and intention, Dave gave me a guidebook to visiting New England. We will spend the early part of 2011 planning our 10th wedding anniversary in Vermont to see the fall colors. I can't wait! After the gifts were opened, Mason played with Legos (darn near all day!), Dave worked in the kitchen making an amazing prime rib dinner and I kept my personal tradition alive, I napped on the couch with Spencer! Not all day, but at least an hour was spent in midday, luxurious slumber! At some point during the day we watched National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, ridiculous humor that's a holiday must!

After many phone calls and dinner, we pulled out the sleeping pads, bean bags, blankets and pillows into the living room where we all cuddled up to watch Miracle on 34th Street. The fire was flickering, the tree was lit and we all just slowed down and fell asleep. I just can't think of a better Christmas, ever. It was the best one ever!

As we head into the new year, there is much work to do. I have two books to write, along with a companion blog and a glove business to grow. If all goes as planned, our patent will issue in 2011, how cool will that look hanging on the wall? Do me a favor, pick up the phone and call a couple of sporting goods stores near you and ask for ZipperBack Gloves. When they say they don't have them, suggest they carry them. If you feel so inclined, you can let them know we have no minimums so they can try us out with an order as little as a dozen or two! Big smiles!

Have the happiest new year ever and be sure to reflect on all your blessings. It's been a tough few years and though there have been difficulties, there is also much to be thankful for! Focus on the good and watch it grow! I love you all and look forward to hearing back from you about your holidays! Love, Kathy

Christmas Pictures

Mason with Santa - He's getting to be such a big guy!
(Mason, that is - laughing!)

My cousin Lisa and I - vowing to spend more time together in 2011!

Mason, cousin Kayla and Aunt Terese

Mason and Grandma Mary

Ric and Terese

"Elf Dave" sitting by the little fire. This makes me laugh!

Dave's bio-family! Sister Kisti, Mason, brother-in-law Mark, nieces Kelsey & Brooke and nephews Lane & Evan.

Just a nice shot of us as a family to wrap up 2010

Ornaments. Just make me smile and I thought they might make you smile, too!

Holiday Traditions And Belief

With less than one week before Christmas, it's safe to say, ready or not, here it comes! Christmas and the new year on on the horizon and they are coming no matter what.

I made a very concentrated effort this year to not shop. I didn't want to go into shops or the mall as like most people do, I felt like giving what I want to get; enjoyable experiences. I saw this with Mason when he decorated his cookies to give his school bus drivers, teacher, and principal -- he loaded them up with icing, tons of it, just the way he likes to eat them! It made me smile to see him so proud of giving what he made. Beautiful Christmas cookies are only one of our holiday traditions.

Another is visiting Santa! At the ripe old age of seven, Mason is questioning his belief in the mythical characters of Christmas. The doubt started with the fairies that bring little treats each day to the Advent calendar. Mason informed me on Friday that he believed I was the fairy who put the treats in the boxes. "Really? Why do you think that?" I asked. "Because I see that you put foil wrapped snowmen in the gift basket for Ms. Morris (his teacher) and those are the same snowmen I got two days ago in my *opit day." He said firmly. Uh-oh I thought as I came back with a very quick and clever reply. "Oh Mason, that's silly. Just because we have something the same doesn't mean the fairies don't exist. Do you think that if Santa brings Legos and you can also buy them at the store that that means Santa isn't real?" Silence. I waited hoping that I'd stalled the inevitable when Mason said, "Good point. I'm gonna be keeping my eye on those opit day fairies but Santa's real, oh yeah, Santa's real!" Now Mason still believes in Santa but he will be the first one to tell you the Santa in the mall is not the real one. Mason is well aware that the man in the mall is a helper, an agent if you will of the big man himself -- legitimate enough to share his list with for sure.

Before we wrap up the gift that is the Monday Motivator before Christmas 2010, let me share with you a budding optimists view of naughty and nice and what could land in your stocking Christmas morning. Like all parents this time of year, Dave and I leverage the, "You better be good. Santa can see you and if you're naughty, you just might find a lump of coal in your stocking." This year, Mason quipped, "Well, I don't really want coal but if I got a lump, I could burn it in the stove and it would keep us warm. Did you guys know you can burn coal to keep warm?" He asked. What do you say to that? I just smiled, feeling very proud that we are raising a thinking and optimistic young man!

Merry Christmas friends, you are loved and appreciated!

* Opit Day -- When Mason was just learning to talk, we would talk about his Advent calendar and say, "Oh, we have to open the next day!" He caught on very quickly and began to say, "Opit Daaaayyy. Opit Daaayyyy" pointing to the calendar. It stuck and now Advent calendars in our family are referred to as "Opit Days."

Happy 44th Year!

Merry Christmas Friends!

It's been busier than usual here at Partak Central with all the things mentioned last week and now we add Mason has strep throat, an Operation Mom dinner on Tuesday night, Mason's Christmas program at school on Thursday night and a few other not so noteworthy commitments as well. I baked a gazillion cookies on Sunday and as busy as I am, I'm looking forward to decorating them. I can already see snowflakes that are bright purple and vibrant yellow with white sparkly lines and of course, you all know how I love my Christmas bear and moose! Mason and I also did a Gingerbread House together. I wanted to do this one as my project, all mine, but Mason wasn't having it. He made his presence known. Smiling!


Since it's been busier than usual, I haven't gone all out with the indoor decorations and even enjoyed letting Mason do his own thing with them. He doesn't have the same style I do, but that's what makes it so wonderful, it's all Mason.


So it's my birthday on Friday and can I just tell you, I am loving getting older! I feel like I have so much more to offer the world and I feel better offering it. I'm loving my life and all that it entails; the good, the bad but especially the mundane. I love dinnertime, sitting in the hot tub under the stars, going for a run with Dave, Spencer on his leash and Mason on his bike, and watching the news in bed. From my very core I believe that our lives are made richer and more worth living by having people to love and share the day to day activities with. Thank you for loving me and being interested in my life. Big 44th year smiles and love to every one of you! Kathy

A Good Problem To Have

Have you ever had a good problem? You know, the kind that has you jumping through hoops and running in circles but you're actually grateful that you have the issue? Well, I have just such a situation right now. I'm going crazy juggling inventory, fielding customer questions, trying to handle web site issues, taking new retailer information and orders, and filling ZipperBack Glove orders directly from our site. It's a lot of work for one elf (it is Christmas after all!), but I think we all agree a season-two sell out would be a good thing!


With the success we are seeing with ZipperBack Gloves, we are also happy to report a huge upswing in the participation and community support for See's for Soldiers. We are in year six and have grown from a single Kiwanis club to 14 clubs all throughout the state of CA and Sutter Buttes Canine Rescue in Yuba City as well! Fox40 did a piece on it yesterday as well as The Eagle radio station. You can se Dave in action at www.seesforsoldiers.blogspot.com. And speaking of Fox 40 news, they are doing a piece on ZipperBack Gloves on Tuesday. I'll send you that one next week! Smiles!

Dave, Mason and I went to cut down our Christmas tree and it's up. As it goes with Dave and Christmas, bigger is better and we have a 12 foot tall tree. It's possible he's even outdone himself with his outdoor decorations this year. I'm baking and pouring lots of love into goodies that when all wrapped up will be our gifts for Christmas. Needless to say, things like sitting down to write keep getting pushed by the wayside and Monday Motivators go out on Tuesday evening. I started addressing Christmas cards last night and was thinking about a year-end letter to include with our personal card. I smiled when I realized there was no reason to add another thing to my to-do list as you guys don't need a year-end letter, you get a weekly update! Of course that lead me right back to that I hadn't written it yet and by a technicality, Monday was over. Welcome to my world of long lists, circular thoughts, and good problems to have.

Happy Tuesday and know you are able to handle all that comes your way, good and bad. Problems will come and go so you may as well do the best you can and enjoy the journey because after all, is there really a destination at all?

It's Officially The Holidays!

Happy Holidays! Yep, we can officially say that now!

This last weekend we celebrated our biggest Thanksgiving Saturday ever, eighteen people! I'm still amazed that we all fit in the house and fit in the house we did! With the rainy weather outside, there was nowhere else to be but in the house and you know where everyone lingered? In the kitchen! We prepared turkey, stuffing, green beans, several kinds of cranberry relish, mashed potatoes, gravy (special recognition goes out to Mike and his team for resurrecting the mess I made of the gravy!), ham and so much more! All together in a small, and very inefficient kitchen we talked and laughed. I believe with all of my heart that love grows best in little spaces...kitchens, houses, beds, you name it, if you are in close quarters and you love each other, it's all good! We all have so much to be thankful for and let us remember to be grateful every day, not just on the third Thursday of November.

Thanksgiving is over and the energy of Christmas is all around us. Lights are going up, radio stations are playing Christmas songs, and toy advertisements are everywhere! I took my fall decorations down last night and it was a little sad, but that's true for me every year! Now I'm looking at boxes of gingerbread houses, pencil Santa's and so many meaningful decorations. Mason is excited to get the lights up and go get a tree. But first it was time for bed and back to school the next day.

So after a hot bath, teeth brushed and jammies on, I was putting Mason to bed - he was crying. He told me he didn't know why he was crying but he just couldn't stop. I tucked him in and was kissing him while explaining that we've all had a very full and busy weekend. I went on to say that sometimes you just need a release, a good cry to decompress. Just as I said that Mason farted. I didn't miss a beat and said, "Sometimes you release pressure through tears from your eyes or a fart from your bottom, you just have to let it out." He laughed...and cried (but laughed a little more) while I turned out his light and closed his door. I heard him softly say, "Good night mama, I love you." So much to be grateful for, everyday I have Mason, I have so much to be grateful for.

Happy Holidays friends, I love you all!

Saturday Thanksgiving Pictures

Our Gratitude Turkey

Regina and Mike

James and Lisa

Steve and Roberta

(Happy Birthday Ro!)

Heather, Josh and Greg

Dave's "Day of Impending Doom!"

Ray, Ro, Dave and Heather

Regina, Diana, Lisa, and me

Julie and Diana

The Partak Family

Kathy, Dave, Mason, Mary, Terese and Ric

Getting To Know Spencer

Today I am going to test my talent as a writer. We all know how something can be funny in a moment with certain people, but when you try to share it later, the humor is lost. This is special enough and the message of joy feels good that though it's not laugh-out-loud funny, I'm going to give it a go!

We've had Spencer as a part of our family for a year and he's a really sweet dog. He couldn't be more different from Riley and some say that's a good thing, I don't know, I wish he were a little more of a cuddle bug like Riley was. But that's beside the point. In this last year, Spencer has been slow to show us his personality, or so we thought!

This caramel colored cocker spaniel loves a ball, no, he's crazy for a ball! He will bring it back and bring it back and bring it back until you are fed up with the sloppy-slobbery ball. As it is with kids and bedtime, parents know the routine has to start thirty minutes before you actually want your child in bed, right? It's the same principal with Spencer and his ball. We have to take it away and hopefully hide it prior to bedtime because he will spend at least fifteen minutes frantically looking for it. I said hopefully hide because if he sees where we put it, his efforts will be spent attempting to get it, no matter where it is. As we turn out the light and tuck ourselves in, he will succumb as he fluffs his spot at the foot of the bed, always with a big, big sigh and those sad eyes.

The ball-obsession is one side of Spencer, another is his raccoon quality. Yep, he's a thief! Most of the time we can spot him on the run with something in his mouth as he hurries out the dog door. I know he has stolen something because he never hurries to go outside. I think he secretly loves it when I catch him because then it turns into a game of cat and mouse as he will run away, but come back just close enough for me to think he's surrendering - only to turn on a dime in the other direction! It's heartwarming to see him come to life and play like that, until he crosses the line.

Last week I was processing glove orders, addressing envelopes, and as always, including a handwritten thank you note. I went to get more cards and when I came back there were gloves missing. I looked to see if they fell off my bed or if I absentmindedly carried them into my office when I thought, Spencer! I called him and he came running, excited to see what I wanted. Uh-huh, I wasn't buying that sweet smile and those big puppy-dog eyes, he took my gloves. I started toward the door and he sped past me getting outside first confirming what I already knew. I started to walk the yard and what do I see? The box of cinnamon See's suckers from my bag - "Why, that little..." I said. Apparently he doesn't like cinnamon as they were out of the box but not eaten. I kept walking and saw something gray sticking out of the blueberry bush. Mason's shark, buried, all but the tail. Onward I go to find hidden under leaves and in bushes throughout the back yard a flip-flop, a stuffed eagle (he has a penchant for stuffed animals), a pirate eye patch, the other flip-flop, a teddy bear, a torn up box and finally, the gloves that sent me on this scavenger hunt to begin with! As I am carrying the loot he is right along side me wagging his tail and reaching up to take something back! I put everything on the table on the deck to grab my camera to photograph the evidence. When I came back out, there he was, darn near up on the table trying to decide what to take back! Or who knows, maybe evaluating what I found and what I didn't! Laughing! Scroll down to see the pictures.

Our animals have such distinct personalities and no matter if they are cuddlers or like to sleep on the floor all alone, they are full of light and love...sometimes mischief, too! After the deep sadness I felt this time last year, I am laughing and loving again with Spencer. I thought he was slow to show me who he is when in fact, I have not been paying close enough attention!

And there my friends is your Monday Motivator, pay attention and tune in to those you love. They are showing you who they are every minute of every day. With lots of laughter and love!

Evidence!

The complete pile of loot.

I caught this shot just in time, you can see that Spencer is in the process of getting down. Also, notice that things have been moved, primarily the ZipperBack Gloves! Little stinker.

It's Tuesday?!

Hello friends! I am well aware that it is Tuesday...afternoon....late! Yesterday was a whirlwind on the tails of a very busy weekend. I'm sending out a place-holder so you all know I am still alive and kicking (yep, you guys e-mail me when I don't send out the MM). The good thing about that is if anything ever did happen to me, it wouldn't take long to determine I was missing or dead! Laughing!

I'll have lots of fun stuff to share next week as it's Mandarin Festival time in Auburn and I'm planning to win the grand prize in the recipe contest on Sunday! In the meantime, I have my nose to the grindstone and I'm juggling Mason's moms and dads duties while Dave is in Santa Barbara. See y'all on Monday!

Happy Anniversary Honey!

"It's Monday! It's Monday! Starting a new week! It's Monday! It's Monday! Get on your feet!" This is a little ditty I sing to Mason on Friday mornings to wake him up (I use Friday, not Monday) so I thought I would wake you up with it today!

Tomorrow is our anniversary, nine years. I have to share that my marriage to Dave has so far exceeded my expectations! I love, love, love my life with you honey! Happy Anniversary.

This weekend was fun, not super eventful which is a nice change from the normal go, go, go! Saturday I took Mason and Kyle to the 4-H Make It and Take It craft fair where they made Christmas gifts for family members. The boys had a ball and really took pride in the gifts they made. Mason played soccer and from that point forward, we were home and in for the rest of the weekend.

Dave had drill this weekend so he had to get up early both days, but Sunday, Mason and I got to stay snug and warm in bed. It felt so good in our pajamas, we stayed in them all day! We watched television, ate whatever we felt like, watched movies and basically just relaxed. Dave was able to come home early and he got right in the swing by putting on his pajamas and crawling in bed with me! We sat in the hot tub and enjoyed the rain as we plan the weeks ahead with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year.

An update on my Intentional Winning book/blog, I've received some great subjects on dreams NOT come true but I need some more. I'm looking for that thing that maybe as a youngster you thought you wanted to be or maybe even something more recently. Did you want to be a Nurse? Or an astronaut? What was that dream job and why didn't you pursue it? It's not a big deep thing, I wanted to be a actress and until I was 30 I didn't pursue it because I believed I was too big and not pretty enough. When I did pursue it, I learned that I was plenty pretty enough (in fact, I was once told I was too pretty to do commercials!) and my weight was manageable. I took a different path to marry Dave and have Mason - a very conscious choice! My acting dreams are not dead, not by far, they are alive and well in different clothes. So here's an example of what I need from you: "I wanted to be in the military but could not because my vision did not meet their criteria." "I always dreamed of writing for a living but never did it because I didn't think I could make enough money to support myself and my family." "I always wanted to start a business but never went to college so I don't feel I have the skills to run a company." You get the picture, what did you want to do and why didn't you do it. Get to it, write back and tell me what it is/was for you!

Gear up for the new year, it's less than eight weeks away. Don't wait until January first to think about what you want to make happen in 2011. Start now and when January one comes, you'll already be on your way! Happy Monday!

Happy November First!

Welcome to November!

This Halloween weekend has been nothing but fun! Well, some work too, but more fun for sure! Friday Dave surprised me with Halloween costumes he picked out for the two of us, Little Red Riding Hood and The Big Bad Wolf! WOW! How thoughtful! The local newspaper came over to interview us about the way Dave does up our house with Halloween decorations. They took some really great photos, check them out here: //www.http//auburnjournal.com/detail/163611.html After that, we went to James and Lisa's Halloween party and then out to the Auburn Ale house where we shared funny dating stories (before we were an us) and laughed like we were young and dating. It was fun making people smile as we walked in all decked out in our oh-so cute costumes!

Saturday Mason played soccer and his team won - again! The Pistol Pete's Pirates are undefeated. It has been wonderful watching these boys learn to work together and work the plays they learn in practice. Dave and I made caramel apples for the team and I have no doubt the gummy worm coming out of a pile of candy bones made them all that much more fun to eat! We spent Saturday afternoon cleaning house and then it was time to get all decked out again for more parties. We went to a work party and then to Pistol Pete's where we met up with James and Lisa. We walked over to a little bar in town where we found our groove laughing and dancing enjoying all the costumes and smiles. After all that fun, it was hard to believe that we hadn't even arrived at Halloween yet!

Sunday, we got up and read our story in the newspaper and then went for a family run. Mason on his bike and Dave and I (with Spencer) went for a run downtown. It made me think, since we don't do Thanksgiving on Thursday, why don't we do the 5K Run To Feed The Hungry? I think we need to consider it. If you are local, do you want to go, too? I digress, so we ran some errands, got groceries, and watched Beetlejuice on TV. Dave did homework and then it was showtime! We had tons of kids, people who saw the house in the newspaper came to trick-or-treat and see the lights. It was really fun and made Dave really proud. Mason and Dave went trick-or-treating and now it's all done. I hope you had a fun weekend and I would love to hear from you, leave a comment and tell me a little about your weekend. In the meantime, scroll down and see the pictures from our fun-filled weekend! Happy Halloween and welcome to November!

“Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.” Ashley Smith

Halloween Photos

Our front door - a little fall with a little Halloween

More ghouls greeting our little trick-or-treaters!

The witch in her lair - skulls and bones tell the tale!

More lost souls! (This is Mason's display. He's very proud!)

The Pumpkin Patch - the sweeter of the displays.

Mason, Kyle and Evan doing the downtown trick-or-treat.

Robin's Nest Daycare! So cute!

Dave and Kathy as The Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood

Kathy and Lisa

Sweet!

Scary!

This Wolf stands alone! Oh yeah!

Lisa asked, "What would you pay for a look?"

And a Big Hunk? Oh, la-la!

A Birthday Party And A Storm!

It's been that kind of a weekend. Mason's birthday party was on Saturday and the plan was to cook up some hot dogs in the backyard, let the kids play, and then eat cake. It was fast becoming clear that even if the rain didn't get here early (which it did), it was going to be too cold to hang out in the backyard. Call me crazy, but I didn't feel like whipping the house into shape for 26+ guests to move the party inside. We went to Old Town Pizza and had a ball. The rain meant some of our "No" RSVP's turned to "Yes" so that made for a the-more-the-merrier scenario. All I could think the whole time was, WOW! Look how many friends we have! After pizza we went to the high school where the students put on a haunted house. Certainly not a Hollywood production, but the kids thought it was fun!

Sunday was heavenly! We slept in, stoked the fire, had pancakes for breakfast, played Monopoly and basically just enjoyed the storm. It poured here, something like 3 inches of rain and snow was expected last night at the higher elevations. We did venture out to sit in the hot tub and it was raining so hard, we put one of our patio umbrellas smack dab in the middle of the tub! It made the soak so much more enjoyable. I bet that was pretty funny to see, neither of us wanted to get out and get the camera so you will just have to use your imagination!

With that, use your imagination a lot this week. Imagine what you want your life to be. Imagine one little thing you can do today to make that happen. Imagine you are wildly successful. I will imagine you are taking that action because to me, you can make it happen, all you have to do, is do!

Fall Is Finally Here!

Welcome Fall!

For real this time! Oh, I'm not fooled by this lovely rain we had yesterday, I know we have lots more warm, dare I say even hot days left this year, but the cool weather and rain was a welcome treat!

This weekend was a nice balance of "got lots done" and "did nothing." Don't you just love when things balance out like that? I do! Saturday was the annual Community Festival in Auburn. Mason and I had recipes entered in the contest and Mason won 1st place for his cookies. We also went to Mason's soccer game and yet again, the Pistol Pete's Pirates won! It's safe to say that Saturday was a winning day! We spent the afternoon decorating the house and enjoyed the evening visiting with Mike around the fire in the backyard. We made s'mores and the specialty for the night was the key lime pie s'more! It was really yummy, but still doesn't rank above the pumpkin pie s'more!

Sunday it rained! Dave split some wood and we put the lawn furniture in the garage. I did the grocery shopping while Mason played and Dave napped. Yep, while Dave napped - he never does that! We all ended up in our jammies early hanging out in the living room enjoying our first fire of the season. All in all, it was a lovely weekend.

Now we head into a new week and I have a proposition for you; how would you like to start making your dreams come true right now? Yes! I'm starting an Intentional Winning In Life group that will meet twice a month with e-mail updates the other two weeks. My plan is to work together to get the ball rolling on making your dreams come true and see some significant results within 90 days. If we start in November, that will have you well on your way by February 1st. How cool will it be to be two-thirds of the way to living your dreams instead of making a resolution to start on January 1st? Come on, I'll show you my plan and help you find a way to make your dream come true, no matter where you are in your life, you can do it! If you don't want to join my group, but would like my two cents, send me your dream and why you haven't pursued or achieved it and I may select your dream for my blog in 2011. You don't have to send some major essay, just what your dream is/was and why you didn't follow through. Dave's is that he has always dreamed of being a Park Ranger in a national park. He got detoured by marriage and military deployments. That simple!

Have a great week and if you're not already, find five things everyday to be grateful for. More is better and if you can just focus on what's right, it's safe to say you will barely notice that which is not. Happy Monday friends!

Inspired!

Happy Columbus Day!

I had an amazing weekend! It started early on Friday with Dave and I driving up to South Lake Tahoe. We stopped off in Apple Hill where I performed my ritual Thanks to the Harvest Gods for all the abundance and beauty they provide (Yes, I really do this! Ask Dave or Mary D., they've been-there, seen-it!). It's a fun way to show gratitude and appreciation during my favorite season of the year.

We arrived in Tahoe in time to visit some of our retailers and a couple of prospects, too. We had a lovely dinner overlooking the lake, it's incredibly difficult to not be romantic sharing a delicious meal while watching the sky turn pink at dusk. Perfection! We went to play cards for a little while and had a blast in Cabo Wabo at Harvey's. Not only did we not lose the cash we started with, but we won the money to cover dinner. Not bad!

Early Saturday morning, Dave drove me to the north side of the lake where I met up with my new Leadership Auburn class. We did an intense day and a half of leadership training that was great fun! I am so blessed to be surrounded by and continually meeting amazing people. See what happens when you do a ritual giving thanks? Laughing! On our way we stopped at Taylor Creek where we walked the nature trail to see the salmon spawning. An impressive display of nature at work. I suppose we see those impressive displays everyday but they blend into our regular environments so we don't give them the time and awe they surely deserve. The morning walk was was a special way to end our date. Now I'm back from my weekend, completely inspired and ready to go.

So today is a holiday, are you off? Dave is. I didn't think I was, but the banks are closed so guess what? No work for me! This is good news because I have lots to do and I need your help. All of you know about my Intentional Winning In Life concept and anthology book series plan. I'm ready to start sending that plan into action! November first marks the three year anniversary of writing my blog, can you believe it's been that long? Here's the plan and how you can help:

Each month starting in January I plan to take a specific topic, the topic of your dreams placed on hold, and show you in twelve posts (give or take) how to put that dream back to work making you happy!

• I need you to share with me what it was you wanted to be when you grew up, or a dream you realized later in life that for one reason or another you stopped pursuing. I also need to know why you came to believe you couldn't see it through.

• I also need you to put this call out to everyone you know in hopes that with your blessing, they will share their dreams not come true with me, too.

• I'm going to pick ten of the most popular topics and two of the most unusual to work with next year. This will then become the foundation of what Intentional Winning In Life books will be about. Intentional Winning In Wine Making. Intentional Winning In Writing. Intentional Winning In Nursing. You get the idea. This is going to be really fun, and if I use your topic, how cool will it be to have a real road map to making your dreams come true?

Will you help me? Send me your dreams and why you are not pursuing them and send this request out to your family and friends. I can't wait to make things happen as this year wraps up and we welcome a new year!

With love!
Kath

Weeknd In Lake Tahoe Pictures

The apples are all shades of green, yellow and red!

And then the get dressed up for the holiday season.

Everywhere there are pumpkins! Big, little, green and orange.

At the summit before dropping into Tahoe, I got to meet "Super Dave!"
I love that man!

We took a stroll on the beach before dinner.

After dinner we got a little schmoopy in front of Riva Bar & Grill.

We won! The money we started with plus $80! Not bad!

Saturday morning, very early, we walked along the Rainbow Trail to Taylor Creek. If you haven't been, go! It is a lovely little park with so much to see.

With the salmon spawning, the bears are feeding. I wish we could have been there in the late afternoon. Maybe next year.

Just pretty, pretty scenery.

The light from the start of our walk to the end of it (about 20 mins) was enough to go from dark on the water, to great light on the water.

See what I mean? Isn't this picture gorgeous? Can you imagine what it will look like in a week or two when the colors really come out? I can!

It was tough to get a shot of the fish, but I did my best with my Blackberry.

This is the name of the resort where the leadership training was held. Think 1950's resort where the wealthy vacationed for the summer. Think Dirty Dancing!

This is the patio off the dining hall at the resort.
The light when the sun was setting was just so soft.

Finally, having nothing to do with the weekend, this is THE BEST fall coffee ever If you like the the savory fall flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, and cloves, you will love this Cup 'O Joe!