i am...

humbled today.  feeling the love and loving it.

i decided to change my facebook profile pic last night.  sounds simple, but it's not easy for me to like a picture of me.

i read so many nice things from my friends today that i am truly humbled and grateful beyond belief.

after i changed said pic on facebook, i "discovered" Oprah TV.  i did not get the memo that she is still doing her thing (i watch re-runs of King of Queens and any ro-co that's on if we aren't already watching a netflix movie or Storage Wars).

she had Joel Osteen on several episodes as i watched and listened.  they are awe inspiring, those two famous people. "the words you speak can become your destiny."  it sounds really basic, doesn't it?  only saying good things about yourself.  positive declarations.  saying i am...

today i said, i am beautiful.

"dream big and pray bold." ~ oprah

a special thank you to Chris for capturing the true me.  heart hands and smiles  xox

nurture your free spirit...

what a wonderful weekend!  i missed my Martin (he was having fun at a boys weekend), but my time with Caroline made up for that, pinkfold.  giggle!

we attended Pinkalicous, the musical, on Saturday.  it's a series of books about PINK!  and we got to see it in action.

we dressed the part (duh) with lots of pink and glitter magic on AND we got the actors autographs!  what a special day...

i also got to see a movie this weekend with a bff... "the perks of being a wallflower."  LOVED IT!  the message I received from it is:  nurture your free spirit.  define what that means for you...but just do it,  please.

have you seen a dog LOVING the wind out of a car window?!  why should they be the only ones?!

just LOOK at the fun in her face! ( i promise, we were safe.  it was a slow drive down our street with moon roof fun.)

nurture the love you have for life everyday.  it will reward!  heart hands and smiles.  <3 :)

blessed...

it's my birthday.  i love birthdays!  not really sure why, i just do.  it's happy, it's a time to celebrate life.  you get to wear a tiara and you have birthday powers!  what's not to love?!?

this 45th birthday i feel blessed, beyond comprehension.  so blessed, lucky, grateful, loved.  best birthday ever!

balloons on the ceiling!  what could be better?!  smiles for miles.

saw this when we went shopping for steaks at the local butcher shop~it just describes my day!  (martin is making dinner tonight.  the mushrooms on the stove smell heavenly.)

loving that i am vintage now.  it's hip and cool, right?!

OMG~i got sharpies.  i love them.  so much.  words cannot describe.  happy color writing to me!

my sweet husband brought my fave flowers to work for me!

the MOST thoughtful gift from customers that i am now lucky to call friends. <3

3 generations of cooking for my kitchen wall.  sigh.

heart bowls to treasure from my forever bff.

a bottle of bubbly to start the evening.

my tiara is fixed!  let the reign continue!

have i mentioned how blessed i am?!?

gratitude is oozing from my soul.  heart hands and smiles. 

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

hearts always remember...

while time does heal, hearts always remember.
when i thought of what picture i wanted to post to celebrate mom, this was the one...

this is the pure essence of Alice.

signing off with a heavy heart, remembering my mom.  xoxo

happy birthday Mom

63 years ago, a star was born.

hello, Alice Zika.  baby of three beautiful daughtees.  (that's family speak, not a typo.)

her smile and radiant personality made you feel at home, no matter where you were.  she just did that effortlessly.   (i only aspire to have inherited this terrific trait!)

bringing joy and laughter with her always!  she commanded the room.

thanks Mom for just being you, always and forever.  loving you, your amy leigh <3

happy happy day of you.  it's your birfday, we gonna partay like it's your birfday!  (giggle!  you loved my birthday call with that silly song i love so much.  sigh.)

miss you to the ends of the earth...thank you for always being our biggest cheerleader of love.

forever friends...

one encounter
one small kindness
can make a difference

i had the honour of talking to one of my Mom & Daddy's high school friends today.  she called to tell me what a difference they made in her life.

"your mom was the FIRST person i met at GW.  i went there to enroll my junior year all by myself.  the principal called her over the intercom to come show me around.  i'm pretty sure she had her cheerleading uniform on.  she was beautiful, and so kind to me, always."  (well, i may have put a few of my own words in there, but you get the focus of this amazing conversation.)

now...45 years later, she is my friend, reminding me what amazing parents i had.  we agreed that my brother and I are so much like them.  always hosting, loving and guiding the people that we encounter every day.  never meeting a stranger, because we enjoy making everyone feel at home.

feeling most gracious today for forever friendships, especially the ones that span generations.

she also reminded me that i have some treasured photos!

heart hands and smiles for miles...

small town...

we live in Dallas, yes Dallas.  (i will never forget meeting a man that said everyone "says" they live in Dallas, but they actually live in the 'burbs)  our zip code is 75214, proudly.

but, we are so VERY lucky to have a small town feel here in yummy East Dallas/Lakewood.  tonight is a perfect example of why we love it so much...

we decided to go out for a beer and a bite (we are home-bodies people, so this is big for us ;).  why not head to Taco Joint that recently opened up where our neighbors son Brandon works?!  we got to see my boyfriend Brandon, and his friend Drew that works there too.
awesome number 1

we sat at the bar and got to meet Wyatt the bartender who is 22, giddy to be married almost a year (proposed in the sand in Florida!), heading to dental school and just a really, really nice guy.
awesome number 2

met Marissa (said with a roll in her beautiful accent from Spain) and Jim who travel the world and are clearly in love, that are house-sitting for her dentist daughter & son-in-law.  (small world here people with the dentist thing...i used to be a dental assistant you know.)  we talked and talked about England, Spain and Dallas.
awesome number 3

some crazy Mother nature winds came through while we were there and almost swept away small children and their food on the patio.  (just a BIT of exaggeration here)  but, helping in the quick escape and clean up made me appreciate our neighborly way here in East Dallas even more.
awesome number 4.

we had fantastic food for cheap! just look at these tacos...YUM!  awesome number 5

Wyatt gave us koozies!  awesome number 6

they have a salsa bar! and yummy margaritas!  awesome number 7 & 8

all in all, what an awesome evening!  simple life lovelies are good.  so good.

heart hands and smiles  xox

daddy love

sympathy~
noun:  a relation of affinity or harmony between people; whatever affects one correspondingly affects the other.

i dislike the word sympathy for some reason, but i'm not sure why.  it sounds lovely, doesn't it?...

looking through my "daddy box" tonight.

what an AMAZING man my daddy was.  that smile, that charm, the way he could talk to anyone (i mean anyone).  no wonder my mom was head over heels in love with him!

sigh.

feeling grateful for family and true blue love that lasts years on our earth, but an eternity in heaven.

missing your smile daddy.  all my love, your amy leigh

p.s.~look at the amazing sunset from Father's Day festivities...we are sure you helped with that canvas!

here's to Mom...

...I know Alice is smiling with us...

It's always an adventure here with Martin's projects.  Today he decided to make a gate for our front patio.  As creating does, the idea began to change as he constructed it.  After consulting my advice (and not really wanting the answer i gave him) the answer came to us!

We used mom's "Our English Garden" sign that Martin's dad made for her.  perfection.  <3

And I'm happy and proud to report that my gardenia, her fav flower, has given us a few blooms of beauty.

WOW MOM!  (she loved when i did this.  please note: making the M's & W's with my hands and the "O" with my mouth.)  smiling...

happy Mom's day.  xoxox

heart hands and smiles (and a few tears too) 

got wake?

i received the nicest card today.  a co-worker thanked me (yes, me) for being patient and kind.  i consider myself a "bull-in-a-china-shop" most of the time, so to hear this made my day.  i need people like her to slow me down.  after all, life is a big balance beam.  we all need one other to keep steady.  thank goodness for the amazing people in my life that balance me out!  (oh, and if you have seen my new profile pic on facebook, she also gave me the precious pink, heart-eyed, full of fun koosh ball!  wow, does she know me?!)  smiling as i type this...

have you considered your "wake?" you know, like the waves that follow a boat.  it ripples out into this beautiful "pattern."  everything you do & don't do matters.  everything.  thank you my friend for reminding me of that today.  i am honored that my "wake" has made a difference in your life.  sigh.

i pulled this pic off of pinterest because i love the words.  "the fruit of the spirit...peace, joy, love, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self control and gentleness."  it is mostly Galatians 5:22-23 as it says, but there are a few extra yummy words in there.  <3

we all need reassurance, but know that YOU matter.  everything you do and don't do affects those around you.  i am so grateful for the amazing people in my life.

heart hands and smiles

hold tight...

of all you love.

life has a "funny" way of reminding you.

listen to life... love is all there is.  (along with being gracious and kind and patient and a million other "little" things)

hold tight.  hug huge amounts, it helps.  i have first hand knowledge.

heart hands <3

(sending prayers and love to c, d, s, mm & h.) xox

color me happy...

can color make you happy?  i know so!  (no scientific evidence here, just the way i feel)

i LOVE pink!  i especially love the feeling when i get to wear it!  look at the f.a.b.u.l.o.u.s. shoes i got to wear at work that happen to match a new TCS shirt  (love my Danskos!)  i smiled ALL day!

my new shoes are called "poppy," which is meaningful for many reasons...we named Daddy "Poppy" for the grand babies AND i have poppies growing out front in his honour!  (just saw the heart as i was proofreading-do you see it?!?)  <3

then, this pretty pink rose greeted me at the end of my day at Callie & David's house...

spring brings so many yummy colors...i hope you stop and "smell the roses" of colors in your day today, and everyday.

grateful for colors that make me happy and the little things in life.

heart hands and smiles :)

childlike...

childlike, the definition...

i got to thinking (and Siri was here to help) what does the word "childlike" mean to you?  i think about the sound of laughter.  <close your eyes and think of it.>  if you hear giggling, you've got it!

i giggle A LOT.  especially about the little things.  maybe because i want to or need to.  maybe i'm childlike.  i'm okay with whatever the reason, i just enjoy giggling.  pretty sure it's good for my soul.

like her definition says, it's simple.  just laugh.  belly laugh.  giggle.  it's such a yummy treat in life.

wishing you childlike smiles... <3

meow...

as i mentioned in a december post, we adopted our cat from Feral Friends.  his name is Chez (he came with that name and we decided to keep it.  you may pronounce any way you desire...cheaze, shay, etc.  he doesn't mind, really.  we say kitty or kitten.  well, Martin says kitty, i say kitten.  giggle)

as i move around the house this evening, he is there.  always.  just there.  sometimes in the way (trip....meeeooowwwwww) but mostly just there.  it's like he's watching over us.  i believe he is our kitty angel.  we rescued one another.  look at his angel face...

isn't it funny if you really stop to think about it, that we are meant to be in one another's lives?!  from your pet to the people you meet everyday, your facebook friends and the blogs you choose to read.  deep, i know, but really think about it...i believe we are walking on certain paths for a reason.  the yummy part is paying attention and interacting with the puzzle pieces of your path.  sometimes the pieces fit, and it feels perfect.

give yourself a moment to breathe it all in and appreciate the path and the people you are presented with.  i believe there is a reason.  i have faith in the journey and i hope you do too.  you will smile more, i promise.  and after all, smiling is stupendous.  and contagious.  test it out...it's a fact.

wishing you sweet dreams.  heart hands <3 , amy :)

p.s.-Chez is sleeping/purring on my desk, 1mm from my pc.  i'm such a pushover for cuteness.  xox

best day ever!

oh my goodness... what a wonderful day we had!  we got to be a part of "parade of giants"!  (google it~pretty awesome stuff!)  just look...

dallas, texas was one cool place to be today for the bridge celebrations!

What a view!

I got to be "left-handed" today.  :)  Meet Victor Considérant, the puppet we helped carry in the parade...

gonna be hard to top this day, but I look forward to the adventures! 

heart hands and lots of smiles <3

love...

do you believe in love?

i do.  i married him 15 years ago.  valentine's day.  i'm a hopeless romantic kinda gal.  <sigh.>  he puts up with my antics, my drama and me; just as i am.  we are complete opposites and completely the same.  how does that happen?!?  it is the gift of marriage.  two people become one.  we choose to be kind to one another, love unconditionally and kiss (on the lips) every day.

happy heart day to you!  i adore today for so many reasons.  fifteen to be exact.  <3

why, what?...

...what is my path in life?  why am i at The Container Store?  what angel brought me to my Martin?  why do I "feel" things???...  

i'm not sure.  but i KNOW I am here for a big, big purpose.  (please let me know if you have figured all this out, cause i'm still trying!)

the journey is life, right?  (life brings death.  still struggling with that one.)  

BUT!  i adore life!  i love being happy, silly, smiling and fun. i adore sharing that with others!  i just wish i had more time to share the silliness with Mom & Daddy.

one of my favorite greeting cards (framed of course) says, 

it actually sits right by the back door to remind me every day.  "I came to live out loud."  
facebook is such an amazing resource (yes, really).  i was lucky enough to see and read this tonight...i only hope i can follow her example of living out loud... 

peace and love my friends.  heart hands and smiles.

by Giselle Fernandez

One of my great passions in life is seeking out women who live out loud—the brave and daring dames who connect deep to their yearning and purpose, shunning paychecks and predictability, courageously leaping into the abyss to make their dreams reality.

I seek them out perhaps because it is my great longing to be among them.

My initial thought that they all just woke up one day—self-realized, and fully awake to who they are. But I have discovered that it doesn’t just happen. It is a journey of the soul. It is a series of experiences, waves, and roadways traveled. Until one gets to a point where the old ways just aren’t working anymore. It’s like a light switched on inside that can’t be turned off. A light that’s bright and powerful, like a jolt of lightning, that this is your one life—your  blessed, precious shot to live and do exactly as you believe, feel, and make real, each precious day.

So many of us put off, silence, ignore, or rationalize that voice, every calling us to be less “human doings” and more “human beings.”

These extraordinary women, when I find them, invite us all to ask ourselves, “Are we being exactly who we are born to be?” and “Are we doing exactly what our being is born to do?”

Across the globe, I have encountered numerous such phenoms that have awakened to their highest path—their “True North,” exemplifying that acting on a dream not only becomes a sense of fulfilled destiny, but almost always involves profound work that invariably makes the world a better place.

I know myself how difficult it is to detach from fears and habits that bind us—despite their stagnant waters. I know the allure of the possible, and the closeness of a dream. I also know the the fragility of commitment that draws one to the edge of the cliff, ready to jump—then pulls you back not to dare once more. But no matter how many times I’ve retreated from the mighty calling, no matter the sense of resignation—that, Will I ever be bold enough to jump? or should I just make peace with what-is and just settle?—there is always a voice whispering my name, smiling from within, a knowing that just will not go away. Like so many of you, I know I was born to change the world—in my own way, in this life, with my unique gifts. I just don’t know when that “one day” will be. But my dream is to do it with my eyes wide open, just as the inspiring women mavericks across the globe that have inspired me. They invite a spirit of urgency to get on track, on purpose, to live our lives out loud.

wind chimes...

...two in particular touch my soul.  Mom sings out back and Daddy dances out front.  (we gave Mom the wind chime for Christmas several years ago & Daddy gave us the one out front.)  i actually talk to them, no really.  "hi mom!" and "lovely day daddy." it's as if they are watching over us with the wind.  well, that's what i choose to believe.  it helps to keep them close.  sigh.

it's really windy out tonight.  they are singing and dancing.

heart hands for my amazing Mom & Daddy.  <3  I miss them so.

much much love, your amy leigh

happy new year...

celebrate!  just because you can. 

love the amazing day to day things that make you smile.

happy new year!  heart hands and smiles...