The last few weeks have turned out to be a complete blur.  I have been running from one appointment to another, whether it is for work or for my children.  We have all heard the expression to take time to smell the roses. Well I am definitely going to work on that cliché more in my life.

Life is so short to try and move things forward so quickly. Imagine if you planned out each day of your future, do you have room for spontaneity? If a scheduled event cancels and you need to reschedule it, do you have room for it on your calendar? I am an advocate for assigning goals, so here is my plan to share with you:

1.       One day during the work week, have no appointments scheduled for that day.

2.       One weekend a month block off from the world to just have time for the family.  This may include declining on invitations but it will help with balancing your life.

I don’t want to look back one day and notice life has passed by in a flash.  I want to live life to its fullest, laugh each day and love my family and friends. That is my recipe for life – everything else will fall into place.

Let me know how you manage everyday life?

JoAnn

All that I believed was impossible is within my reach. I have dreamt of events happening in my life but left those thoughts in my dreams, till now. Recently, I gained the courage to act on those dreams. My book will be publishing soon; I just finished my first 5K and now listing out some other goals to plan out!

I’m not going to say it has been an easy journey with no bumps in the road. It has been challenging but those bumps have made me a stronger, more confident and an even more appreciative woman.
 
Each step of the way, I have been communicating with my two sons. I have been telling them all about my adventures for two reasons. One, I love sharing the joy with them. Two, I wanted to explain that if you work hard, you can achieve your dreams.

After I finished my run this weekend, my son asked me, “What’s next?”  I’m not sure what is next, but I am going to enjoy dreaming about it then making it a reality.

Share some of your dreams and how you plan on reaching them.

JoAnn

Here I Go …

I will be heading on a vacation this week with my family; I am looking forward to this vacation for a few 

reasons.  One, I need time away from the everyday craziness. Two, quality time with my family, and lastly 

to have time to devote to the one way I relax – writing.


How do you relax? What is your outlet after a long hectic week? What puts me at peace it just writing 

whether it is putting my thoughts on paper or writing a novel. I guess what would make one truly feel 

relaxed would to be doing what they loved to do.  My love will always be my family first, my passion of 

writing and then the list will continue to flourish. 


I am excited to work on my second novel, Good Intentions …  Bad Decisions, and to hopefully share with

you some of the details of this book when I return.  Here is a summary of the book:


Samantha Ryan is grateful for the life she has today.  At thirty five years old, she’s a 

marketing manager at a Fortune 500 company with a successful husband in law 

enforcement.  Her greatest achievement is her two children.  Other than struggling with 

the balance of family life versus professional life, her life has been perfect.  That is, until 

the day Samantha stops to help a stranger in distress, the day that changes her life 

forever.


How could the terror and horror that one person can put a woman through be out 

of good intention? This powerful individual showers them all with materialistic items, 

expensive dinners and a beautiful home.  Everything, except the one thing they want – 

to go home.  


For Richards, everything seems to come so easily except for the one thing that is 

broken in his life. He knows he is hurting people emotionally, mentally and physically 

but he believes he has no choice.  His heart is bleeding for everyone but he is doing this 

for the one person he loves.


Good Intentions … Bad Decision  

Have a great week!

JoAnn 

Have you ever been on the journey towards your passion and you accrued an additional one?  Recently that has happened to me. I have been eager to follow the steps to publishing a book, follow my dream to do this once in my lifetime, and yet I never thought I would come across another passion that makes me feel alive.

Photography has done that to me.  I never had time to stop and smell the roses or stop to take photos on a “normal” non-vacation day.  My photo taking has always been during vacations or events. Photography has become more of a meaning to me lately. When I take photos I enjoy capturing the colors in the images, the expression on individuals, the scenery of the world and capturing moments in time.

Fear is a strong word but nevertheless I feel it deep down inside of me.  I fear one day as I get older I may forget some of my memories. Photography helps me remember those days that made me smile and those days that made me cry.

I’m here to tell you to follow your passion whether it is singular or plural. Life is short, but you only have one life to live. I don’t mind if my passions keep accruing along as long as I can move along with them.

JoAnn

Welcome to my Blog,

Everyone should have dreams.  I have had many dreams that turned into goals.  I decided to put a task list together somewhat of a Life Punch List. My items range from natural goals of having a family, to adrenaline rush goals of rock climbing to fitness goals of completing a 5K and a career/personal goal of publishing a book.

I have a beautiful family that I admire each day.  My boys inspire me in so many ways, I want to now inspire them. I need to believe any goal is reachable.  I want to teach this to my children -  I have to walk the talk.  This year I decided I am going to reach high (very high) to reach all my goals then make new goals for the next.  It will be hard but I need to try.

In July, I will running my first 5K. First step was to register, 2nd step is to train then final step is to run it.  Each step takes a little courage. I already have my beautiful family, I just want to cherish the time I have with them. My family life needs to come first above everything else. I am working on work life balance. The task, the one task I have dreamt of time and time again, was to publish a book.  Well, I finished writing my first book – it’s off to the editor today! I cannot believe it.  I want to be the advocate for my boys to show them that yes this was a large goal for me.  It may not be perfect but it doesn’t have to be.  The next book will be better, and so on.  You should always strive to move forward and try harder each day.

I guess my only task left for this year is Rock Climbing, who’s in?

JoAnn