Exactly what I wanted

B.'s mom was so kind to send me a gift card for T.J. Max. I wasn't able to find any clothes that I liked. However, after contemplating buying a few things that I didn't need and honestly didn't want, I thought I should at least take a peek in the kitchen section.

I found a Cuisinart Enameled Cast Iron 7 Quart Casserole Pan similar to the Le Creuset one I have been coveting. I am thrilled. The pan is the one thing that I really wanted for Christmas. To test it out, I'm making a herb roasted chicken tonight with fresh thyme and vegetables.

It's one more thing to add to my gratitude list.

Merry Christmas

We had a wonderful day today. I'm so thankful for my family, our wonderful dogs, and much, much more.

Here are a couple of pictures--one of Luna being impatient, wanting to play with her new toy (a squeaky stuffed duck). It's not a squirrel, but she loves it. I wanted to get a picture of her in front of the tree, but she didn't want to have much to do with that. She gave me a look that said, "Are we done yet? I want to play!"

The other picture is of Luna giving me a Christmas kiss.

May your year be filled with light, laugher, and love.

Merry Christmas Eve

So far it's been a fabulous Christmas Eve day. We slept in, had a great healthy breakfast, and then took the dogs to the park and they played and played.

When I got home, I found a package of something I had ordered, and we got several Christmas cards in the mail.

Plus, the weather is fantastic.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Blogging Software

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

Thank You! Hay House Radio

I recently discovered Hay House Radio, which offers streaming of interesting topics. Several of the authors and spiritual healers I admire have weekly shows. I've also discovered that there are archived podcasts of Doreen Virtue, Jerry and Ester Hicks, Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer , Denise Linn, Carolyn Myss, Marianne Williamson, and many others. Right now, I'm listening to Glynis McCants speak about numerology (one of my favorite topics). How wonderful this is! Granted there are a lot of commercials for all the authors that publish under Hay House, but I think it's great that this content is available for free.

There are speakers on Feng Shui, deliberate creation, soul coaching, The Course in Miracles, the law of attraction, self-care, as well as many other topics that are good for therapists and counselors. Actually, most all of these authors seem to have started out as therapists, which shows me that it's possible to do this as a profession and to be incredibly successful. I'm trying to stay positive and not worry about how it will happen.

A little hope

"It doesn't matter how long we may have been stuck in a sense of our limitations. If we go into a darkened room and turn on the light, it doesn't matter if the room has been dark for a day, a week, or ten thousand years - we turn on the light and it is illuminated. Once we control our capacity for love and happiness, the light has been turned on." -- Sharon Salzberg

Yeah!!!

It's official. I'm done.

Last night was a wonderful celebration. And now I'm excited (and, honestly, a little scared) about what's to come.

When I came home, I saw the beautiful potted flowers B.'s parents sent as congratulations. They will be a nice addition to the office.

I just need to remember to slow down, as Cheryl cautioned during her key note speech. Slow down, and savor this unique moment.

Like magic

I picked up my keys yesterday afternoon after signing the lease. I could hardly wait to look for furniture.

B. took me to several stores today and was so helpful. We went to Macy's Discount Furniture (my brother and I found some great deals there before on really nice pieces). It turns out Macy's was having a rug sale and offering 0 interest for 6 months. At first, I was thinking of buying one large couch, but with the angles in the office, that would have looked strange.

I found a love seat that I loved! Well, actually two of them. I have always wanted a red couch for my home, but was looking for something more neutral for the office. But because of the layout and the skylight in the office, I knew right away that they would work.

Joyce, the woman at the store, used to work as a designer and provided exceptional advice. Considering that the office is small, having two love seats makes more sense. Plus, because the love seats were surplus from a discontinued line, they were never used as floor models and were still in the packaging.

We looked through the rugs and of course I immediately set my eyes on a beautiful hand-knotted rug, which turned out to be one of the most expensive in the store at around $3,000. (Joyce remarked that I've got great taste. I might agree, but the rug was a little to the far side of feasible). So, I looked through the synthetic rugs and didn't see a single thing.

And then while "just looking" through a stack of very nice wool and silk rugs, I found one that would look great with the love seats. It had a small superficial cut on the backing of the rug. Because of the cut (which you can't see at all) and the sale, the rug was marked down more than $1,000.

After a short trip to Ikea, where we saw furniture for about the same price that paled (literally) in comparison, we returned to purchase the furniture only to find out that Macy's would not be able to deliver the furniture for a few weeks. That's when Joyce told us about Steve, an eccentric man who runs a private delivery service. After harassing me on the phone and asking for free therapy sessions (kidding), Steve said he could deliver the furniture today.

I must have had magic on my side, because the furniture was delivered seamlessly; I got stuff that is perfect for the space (at a really, really great price); and I don't have to worry about interest or payments for a while. The Gods must have been smiling on me. There are still several thing I need to get for the office: a locking file cabinet, a desk, floor lamps, etc. But for now, I have all I need to start seeing clients--well except for a second line for my cell phone, so that I can put the new number on my business cards. I'm hoping to take care of that tomorrow.

I'm so very excited! I feel like Colbie Caillat in the song Bubbly.

"And it starts in my toes
Makes me crinkle my nose.."

Making history

After hours and hours of driving through the pouring rain and flooded streets to get to Bastyr, there was even more news of flooding when I got home. Today's almost 4 inches of rainfall make it the second highest in Seattle history. Out of curiosity, I wanted to see what Seattle's annual rainfall was and so looked it up on Wikepedia.com.

I didn't find what I was looking for, but I learned something else--Seattle was raked the most literate city in the country in a research study by Central Connecticut State University. Census Bureau data also shows Seattle to be the mot educated city in the U.S. with close to 50% of those over 25 having completed a bachelor's degree or higher.

I love to read. All of my friends love to read. And I've always considered myself lucky to live in a place with many forward-thinking individuals. So, I guess it shouldn't come as a big surprise how much importance people here place on learning and self-improvement.

I guess I'm a little proud--not of the number of people with formal degrees (although I value higher education myself, I don't think intelligence and higher education are synonymous). I'm proud of the love of learning that seems to be a value of this city.

New Snow

With the snow storm, B. and I decided to take the dogs to Martha Washington Park to play in the snow. Unfortunately, because it's lower in elevation, there was no snow. We decided to risk going up the very steep hill to Graham Elementary. We had so much fun. Here's a picture of the two of them.

After coming in from the cold, I made a delicious vegetable soup from scratch.

It's been a wonderful Saturday, with nothing more on the agenda besides watching corny movies on cable.