VernetteOutLoud

7 for Seven

It’s the final 7 for Seven for 2014…and what a ride this has been. As Hal Borland said, “Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.”

Here’s to 2015 and lots of new experiences and finding out who we really are!

But first (and for the last time in 2014)…

…every Monday, we post seven positives from the previous seven days of the week as a reminder of what we have so that the week starts out on an upswing. There is much truth in the belief that happy people attract good things, so it is important to start the week out right. Sometimes it’s the more grand, but other times, it’s the simple things.~ Key + Arrow

7 for Seven originated at Key + Arrow and now let’s get into my 7 for this week:

My gratitude practice. 2014 has been so much better because I made a commitment to pay attention to all that I had to be thankful for. This is something I will take with me into 2015 and beyond.

Surviving turbulence. My vacation officially started on Tuesday but the flight over was pretty bad. We spent most of it wearing our seat belts. Now you know there is a certain reassurance when the stewardesses still continue to serve despite turbulence. But when they are asked to take their seats and buckle up too…it’s time to start saying some Hail Marys. But we all survived and I am enjoying my vacation. Amen.

Which brings me to Love of family. I decided to do things differently this year. Instead of spending the holidays with the sibs, I decided to spend it with my Aunt and my cousins in the US. Christmas Day was a little weird but so far the change has been a welcome adventure. My family has been going all out and I cannot help but feel the love. Here’s to many more adventures of this kind.

Chipotle. Because you know it’s made with angel tears.

Good coffee. I can face anything after I’ve had my fix.

2014. So long and thanks for all the fish.”

Clean slates. Here’s to 2015. We lived to see another day! Let’s make it worth it.

And there you have it. After 50 weeks of this gratitude practice, I am pleased that having paid attention to all that I had to be thankful for and sown seeds of faith and gratitude, that I can truly carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead and well into 2015.

I wish you the very best 86,400 seconds of the last day of 2014. If you’re reading this, this is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire.

Happy Everything for 2015!

7 for Seven

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” Or so my brother insisted as he honked up a storm at my gate early Saturday morning…I’m sure to the annoyance of my neighbours. Are you feeling Christmas this year? Or nah?

I’m definitely feeling some excitement this year…and even more so that it’s Monday!!!

…every Monday, we post seven positives from the previous seven days of the week as a reminder of what we have so that the week starts out on an upswing. There is much truth in the belief that happy people attract good things, so it is important to start the week out right. Sometimes it’s the more grand, but other times, it’s the simple things.~ Key + Arrow

7 for Seven originated at Key + Arrow and now let’s get into my 7 for this week:

Christmas family traditions. My sister, brother and I continued our family tradition of making pastelles for Christmas. For the uninitiated, pastelle is a local Christmas favourite (although I have them year-round) made of minced meat well seasoned with olives, capers and raisins wrapped in a cornmeal dough which is steamed. Every year we get together and make our own for the season and beyond. This year, our pastelles are a tad on the spicy side, since there was a hot chilli pepper masquerading as a pimento pepper in our seasoning. But’s all good and they will be enjoyed regardless.

Christmas spirit. I am finally beginning to feel the excitement of the season!

Coffee with my hippie friends. Coffee with friends is always so much better isn’t it?

Vacation approved. Because vacay b*tches!!!

My brother and sister. Family is everything. I am so thankful for them. Deepak said it best, “If you want to do really important things in life and big things in life, you can’t do anything by yourself. And your best teams are your friends and your siblings.”

Prayer, Faith and Action. In that order. Let go of the outcome and then repeat. This pretty much sums up my life last week. And I have been counting my blessings!

Classic movies. As I type this, The Sound of Music is on TV. There is just something about the season that makes you want to curl up with your loved ones and drink something warm and chocolatey and watch an old favourite. This week I’m sure I will watch Love Actually, Home Alone and Elf.

And there you have it. My hope is that by turning my focus to all that I have to be grateful for at the start of my work week, by sowing my own seeds of faith and gratitude, I can carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead.

Christmas is here and the days are getting shorter. But thankfully we still get the same 86,400 seconds to manifest our best life. If you’re reading this, this is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire. What made you happy today? What are you grateful for? I would love to hear from you.

7 for Seven

Is it just me or are the days flying by pretty quickly now? It’s as if 2015 is champing at the bit to get here! I cannot believe that I only have two more 7 for Seven’s left for 2014! Time flies when you have lots to be thankful for apparently!

…every Monday, we post seven positives from the previous seven days of the week as a reminder of what we have so that the week starts out on an upswing. There is much truth in the belief that happy people attract good things, so it is important to start the week out right. Sometimes it’s the more grand, but other times, it’s the simple things.~ Key + Arrow

7 for Seven originated at Key + Arrow and now let’s get into my 7 for this week:

Being a human body shield. So I had dinner with my all-time favourite girl in the world, my longest friendship to date – we’ve been friends since we were 5 years old – and after sharing a great dinner along with our plans for 2015 and swapping some juicy tidbits…well you know what besties talk about…we were walking towards the car when this rat the size of a cat came running towards us. I swear what happened next was like a scene from road runner and coyote. All I felt was tug on my arm and my girl vanished. Like 0-60 in the blink of an eye. Meep Meep I tell you! I was like….you did not just use me as body armor for a rat and then leave me there to die! I am cracking up just thinking about it! I haven’t laughed like that in a long long time! And it felt so good. Crossing paths with ratzilla…not so much.

Coffee Love. I’m 7 for seven on getting my coffee to cream ratios just right!

Playing dress-up for my company’s Gala Dinner! dressup

Friends who outfit me for said Gala Dinner. I wasn’t too keen on attending my company’s dinner this year. I hemmed and hawed all week and finally decided at the last-minute that I would in fact go. One of my dear friends literally pulled a rabbit out of hat and created a gown for me in a day. He also got the make-up artist and the photos you see above are the end result! I am so blessed!

Friends who aren’t afraid to call me out on my BS. I have a friend who called me out on being comfortable (read stuck) in this place of “quiet”. She asked me point blank…what’t the name of your blog? It’s time to get loud! Hellooo…lightbulb! Time to start aligning my actions with my words and stop giving the universe mixed signals.

Friends who bring me tiramisu…just because. I love tiramisu. It is not a secret. My friends – bless their hearts – feed this habit of mine. And my tummy is always happy!

My Cohort of Awesome. I have surrounded myself with people who reflect my light and who are able to shine their own light when I am being pulled into the darkness. I will be forever grateful for these awesometastic people who have allowed me to be part of their journey here on earth…in this time in our history. This journey would not be as fun, as flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants fantastic if not for them!

And there you have it. My hope is that by turning my focus to all that I have to be grateful for at the start of my work week, by sowing my own seeds of faith and gratitude, I can carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead.

The days are getting shorter. But thankfully we still get the same 86,400 seconds to manifest our best life. If you’re reading this, this is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire. What made you happy today? What are you grateful for? I would love to hear from you.

7 for Seven

Exams are over. I already know I have one re-sit in June next year and that’s okay. I know now where the gaps are and I know what to do to fix them.

Quick update on the challenges I am taking part in this month:
On Instagram I’m doing #DecemberReflections and that’s been fun thus far. And I am also taking part in this month’s NaBloPoMo: Joy. Now that exams are over…I can focus on writing to wind down 2014.

…every Monday, we post seven positives from the previous seven days of the week as a reminder of what we have so that the week starts out on an upswing. There is much truth in the belief that happy people attract good things, so it is important to start the week out right. Sometimes it’s the more grand, but other times, it’s the simple things.~ Key + Arrow

7 for Seven originated at Key + Arrow and now let’s get into my 7 for this week:

Picking myself up and moving on. My first exam, first thing Monday morning was bad. Really, really bad. I left the room pretty down. And I knew that I still had two left and I needed to get my head together to ensure that I only had one re-sit and not three. So I did what needed to be done…I left everything in that exam in the room and focused only on the ones left. I’m kinda proud of my ability to do that. Really proud.

Knowing what I need to “pick myself up.” After that horrible first exam I needed a “pick-me-up”. I found this little dessert place that totally did the trick.

…and on that note Salmon burgers.

Brunch with my blogging friends. There is a ritual developing with these two totally awesome blogger chicks I know. It involves hippie market runs, brunch and really good conversations.

Team spirit Trinidad & Tobago’s national women’s football (soccer for some of you) team narrowly missed qualifying for the World Cup last Tuesday. Though we lost 1-0 to Ecuador, our girls fought hard and out-played their opponents. However, goals win matches and such is life. But they still have my 100% support going forward.

Local art. I love art. I love creating art. I especially love and have mad respect for people who find the thing that moves them creatively and do it with passion. This last week I was fortunate to attend two events which showcased local artists. Art harder people! The world needs you.

My brother. Because he listens.

And there you have it. My hope is that by turning my focus to all that I have to be grateful for at the start of my work week, by sowing my own seeds of faith and gratitude, I can carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead.

If you’re reading this, this is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire. What made you happy today? What are you grateful for? I would love to hear from you.

The Best Books I Read This Year

I read a whole lot. A fact you wouldn’t know because the number of reviews published on this blog is not a true reflection of the number of books I actually read…another case of my Drafts Folder working overtime.

Anyhoo, I was fortunate to read books this year that moved me in a very real way, so much that they left a lasting impression on me and my life. And then of course there were the duds but thankfully not very many.

The most influential book I read this year was I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi. Getting my finances in order was a major priority over the last 12 months and this book provided much-needed guidance on doing just that.

The Darkest ChildMy OH-EM-GEE-I-LOOOOVE-THIS book for 2014 is The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips. This book was a page-turner I devoured in eight hours…I shit you not! It was that good.

Unfortunately, I learned that the author, Delores died earlier this year. So there is no chance of a follow-up story or even reaching out to her for answers. I have so many questions. But such is life. SO now I have to be content with recommending it to everybody and hoping to start a conversation about it.

This writing business is soul work sometimes and it takes a whole lot out of you most times. The book that helped me hone my writing craft is Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. It just may be my absolute favourite book on writing.

One of the gifts of being a writer is that it gives you an excuse to do things, to go places and explore. Another is that writing motivates you to look closely at life, at life as it lurches by and tramps around. – Anne Lamott

The book I reread this year and totally recommend is The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. It’s the kind of book you want to reread every year…if only as a reminder that life is short. Get busy living NOW.

Honorable mention goes to Wishing for Wings by Debbie Jacob because it changed my perspective on a forgotten bunch of young men in Trinidad & Tobago.

Debbie is a local author who taught English to young men imprisoned for crimes that included murder and robbery. I had the awesome pleasure of meeting the author and being able to get some of my questions answered. This book was truly an eye-opener and I will write a review on soon. It is a definite must read.

The book I started at the beginning of the year, and is still reading…because ironically I find it absolutely boring is The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. It’s long and kinda meh. I hope to finish it before the end of the year…not holding my breath though.

Already on my reading list for 2015:

And now it’s your turn.

Tell me, what books have you read this year, that you recommend I put on my reading list for 2015?