Bodies, Adventure, Travel, and Topless Bathing Suits

Body Preparations

Laura Termini, a lovely friend of mine, has just the thing to help us get in shape for the summer!  Laura is a highly recognized artist in the Hispanic US, as well as South America.  She's known as a model and actress for TV, movies, radio, music, theatre, and over 20 telenovelas. 

Don't make the mistake of assuming that since Laura is a model she doesn't understand weight management.  Her natural dietary supplement kit, NeoDiet, is highly effective.  After gaining some weight due to a short stint with a prescriptive medicine, I received a gift from Laura of one of her kits.  Quickly and easily I lost half of the weight.  I just ordered another kit and plan to be back in my amazing wardrobe in time for summer.  Try it, it works!!

Springtime Adventures

If you're like me, you get an extra boost to your need for adventure as soon as the spring breeze begins!  This is the time to search your area and find a few things that you have never done before, and, do them.  May will prove to be a wonderful month for me as I'm registered for an Indoor Rock Climbing lesson, as well as an Outdoor Flying Trapeze class.

I must admit, while I've always wanted to do both of these I'm very nervous.  I enjoy rappelling but when I tried outdoor rock climbing, my body froze to the side of the rock.  And I was only 6 feet off of the ground!  Trapeze?  Well, the fliers in the circus I saw as a child made it look so easy and enjoyable.  My palms are beginning to sweat already ... 

Travel Adventures

Ireland.  The origin of the Burke clan.  I have always wanted to visit, and shortly, I will.  Watch for a future posting of my adventures in Dublin, Belfast, Shannon, and the counties in between!  I definitely want to spend time exploring Counties Limerick, Clare, and Galway, as those are the counties from which the Burkes hail.

Beach Preparations

A couple of weeks ago, I received a telephone call from two very dear friends of 32 years, Chris and Tony.  Tony recently moved to Florida and Chris was visiting him from Cincinnati.  The two friends called from a tiki bar on the beach.  They wanted to know what size clothing I wear, and what size Sophia wears.  Such a personal question for a man to ask a woman!  I put our men on hold and dialed Sophia in for a 3-way call.  (Sophia is Chris' niece, and a dear friend of mine here in NYC.)

A few days later a package arrived with strict orders that it had to be opened by Sophia and I together.

So when I joined Sophia and a few friends for champagne the other night, I took the package with me.  Oh the laughter as we pulled gift after gift from the box!!  The first items were adjustable bikini bottoms, one for each of us (by Sunsets).  Next, we received lovely bathing suit cover-up blouses that tie at the waist, by Indian Beach Fashions.  My blouse is a lovely sky blue (the photo below does not do the color justice), and Sophia received a white blouse.  To complete our gift and ready us for summertime fun on the beach, there were two cheesy "I love Florida" beach towels!  They are too funny!  

I love my new beach attire.  And yes, it did arrive sans bikini top! 

La Storia del Pendente di Firenze

(The Story of the Florence Pendant)

While strolling through the crowded, narrow streets of the leather market in Firenze, my travel companions & I were on the lookout for a gift for a new friend, Diana.  Since we had only arrived in Italy the day before, we knew our search may need to continue through Roma and possibly on throughout our journey to Campobasso, as not just any gift would do.

Diana had come up with a wonderful idea.  Since we both travel so much, each time we travel we’ll pick up a little gift for each other.  The parameters were it could be nice or cheesy, but couldn’t cost over $20. 

Exhausted and nearing the end of our street market shopping excursion, Nelson was walking several booth lengths in front of us basking in the joy of his finds….a wonderfully soft leather jacket and a wonderful suede shirt.  Treasures for which he had been searching the US for several years.  Canan and Pietro were glancing at the jewelry booths.  And I was simply walking down the middle of the street, glancing from side to side, looking for something to catch my eye.  And something did.

About six booth lengths ahead was an INCREDIBLY hamina Italian man walking towards me.  We caught each other's eyes at the exact same time and began the “italian check out thing."  He looked at me and smiled (asking if he may approach).  I returned the look and smiled (answering that he may).  Neither of us lost eye contact.  Neither of us blinked.  As he was coming towards me in the crowd, it was taking what seemed like forever for us to get within speaking distance.

Just as my hamina Italiano was a distance of four people from me, out of nowhere someone grabbed my arm and I was whisked off the street!  Canan had found a piece of jewelry which could be the highly sought after Diana-gift.  In the whirl that was my vision whilst being pulled into the booth, I saw my Italiano stop, start, and stop again...caught as off-guard as I was.  As I glanced at the piece of jewelry Canan & Pietro were pointing to, a pendant caught our attention and we all pointed to it saying "now THAT's Diana!"  A beautiful pendant of a brown, tortoise shell-looking stone, a silver band along the edge, and shaped like an upside-down teardrop.  I quickly turned my attention back to my hamina friend and ran into the street.  He was a few booths past, turning around, looking for me.  Our eyes met.  He stopped.  We held each other's gaze.  "Signorina, you like?"  The jewelry man physically turned me around and began haggling over the price of the pendant.  I turned my head, looking over my shoulder and, alas, my hamina Italiano from Firenze was gone from my life forever…

Ahhhh, the things we sacrifice for our girlfriends.  :)

~ May 16, 2002

Enjoy An Evening with New Chamber Ballet

Performances this Saturday and Sunday.
Order your tickets now, only $25 ... www.newchamberballet.com

 

Breaking Bread in L'Aquila (Italy)

L'Aquila, a region of Abruzzo Italy.

A town, I must confess, I have never visited.  But one of which I have heard often.  My dear friend, Maria Filice, speaks of L'Aquila lovingly and, with smiles.  Always with smiles.  It is the hometown of her late husband and a place where they shared many memories. 

On April 6, 2009, there was a devastating earthquake in L'Aquila.  As you can imagine, my friend was concerned for her friends who live there, and quite saddened at the damage. 

One year later, on April 6, 2010, the first anniversary of the earthquake, Maria's first book will be launched, Breaking Bread in L'Aquila. Maria was greatly distressed for the people of L'Aquila and vowed to publish a cookbook in their honor. My friend has the most sincere heart and gives out a great deal to those around her.  And, she has always been a fabulous chef with an innate talent.  I spent Thanksgiving 2008 with her and was overwhelmed with her ability to come up with a recipe idea, blend a few ingredients, and serve up the most scrumptious meals I have ever tasted outside of Italy.

Read, in Maria's own words, the background of this wonderful cookbook and why her marketing campaign is based on a promise she made to an elderly woman there in L'Aquila:  "We Have Not Forgotten." 

Available April 6, 2010.   Pre-order your copy!

Maria is donating the net profits of this book to help re-build this beautiful city. 

Also, check out Maria's blog, Food and Fate.

About the Author
Maria Filice, first-time author and food stylist, is a first-generation Canadian-American Italian. Maria grew up following her Calabrian family’s old country values. She learned from the best—her mother, grandmother, and aunts—whom she watched from the time she could barely walk. While she observed her relatives cooking together, with a little of this and a little of that, she listened well.

Today, her relatives and friends are delighted as she entertains them in her kitchen with her storytelling and her cooking. In both her kitchen and her professional life, Maria’s philosophy is to live life to its fullest. Her lack of formal training cannot diminish her passion or dissuade her from taking risks with her cooking. In truth, her fresh eye has allowed her to excel. Her natural flair for food styling reflects her personal style and demonstrates how a simple recipe can look beautiful.

Maria’s warmth, humor, and gregarious personality always make guests feel motivated to discover their own style in the kitchen. Today Maria Filice resides in Upstate NY as publisher of Telos Press, as well as publisher, author, and food stylist for Food and Fate Publishing.

Spring Preparations

The last of the pictures are hung & carpet unrolled ... finally! 

The Key to My Happiness

"Be happy for this moment.  This moment is your life."
           ~ Omar Khayyam


Recently I've been asked several times how it's possible for me to assuredly know who I am, what I want in life, and all that entails.

I giggle.

If I don't know myself by this age, when will I?

I wasted too much time in my earlier years to waste them now.  When I divorced, I decided I would never again live unhappy.  The problem was, I didn't know what would make me happy.  So here's what I did:

• I headed to my family's cabin in the woods for a weekend of self reflection.
• I got very honest...real & raw...with myself about how I was living and compared that to who I truly was inside.  (Not who I wanted to be, nor who others thought I should be.) 
• I identified what it was about how I had been living my life that caused me to be unhappy:
• I wasn't actively going after the life I envisioned for myself.  I was allowing myself to be stuck in daily circumstances.  I was spending my time looking back and regretting choices I'd made, things I'd done or hadn't done.  And, of course, it felt like forever since I laughed.  
  
• From that came guidelines to keep me from those things that made me unhappy.  And so...Karen's Life Equities were born.

 Karen's Life Equities:

1. Laugh - laugh hard, laugh a lot, laughter will get me through anything

2. Dream - never stop dreaming, never stop pursuing my dreams
3. Move Forward - always move forward, grow, expand my mind
4. No Missed Opportunities & No Regrets

~ August, 1998

Living by these 'guidelines' led me to discover so many things that make me happy.  I've learned I'm easily bored so I need constant new discoveries to keep me engaged in life.  I've learned that exploring new places and countries feeds my soul.  That when I meet really good people, I must invest to keep them in my life v. falling into my habit of getting caught up in daily responsibilities.  I've learned dancing as a couple, whether salsa or other, gives me an instant hit of happiness.  I've learned not to beat myself up when I'm less than perfect.  And that having people who accept me and love me for who I am at the core + laughter is the foundation of my happiness.

I've also learned many things that I don't enjoy.  But just simply trying them, trying something new, made me happy.  I've learned what things, while I enjoy them at the moment, take me off course and end up bringing me down on my happiness scale.  So, while it is sometimes difficult, I try to avoid those situations.

Of course, there are a few assets that are key to staying the course...

• trusted advisors:  grounded friends & family members who hold me accountable by calling me out on my 'stuff'
• faith that God wants me to enjoy my life
• genuine hugs
• and, oh yes, a good therapist helps, too!

Happiness is circumstantial.
Joy of life...now that is what is constant.

So, net net, for me, it's not about knowing what I want in life, but rather, knowing what I don't want.

Cincinnati ~ My Hometown Favorites

What better place to share than home?  After a wonderful weekend visiting my family, here are a few of my hometown favorites:

• Havana Martini Club for salsa dancing...no one ever leaves a stranger.  Nelson & Beckie were in town...met up with Michael Drake.  The ole gang back together!
• Boca for delicious dinner.
• A stop at the most talented hair salon, The Chambers-Packer Studio, where Angie Packer works her magic! 
• Crossroads Community Church had a great message on one of my favorite topics:  Freedom. Freedom from fear, freedom from guilt, from religion. from negative self-talk, from our past, from labels others put on us, et al.  Brian spoke of the damage we do to ourselves when we allow these things to continue.  Listen to the podcast of the March 7th message which includes 5 steps to from from these things.
• Breakfast after church at the local diner, The Echo, where you run into, oh, everyone!   
• Call me Black Beard and shake in your boots when you dare play laser tag at ScallyWag's.  9 back-to-back games!
• The amazing Contemporary Arts Center and Cincinnati Art Museum!

Lounging around with Mom & Dad, my nephew & niece spending the night, hanging with my brothers.

It's like having a warm blanket around me.