Ten things that make me happy...

 My friend, Christie,  at My Comfy Escape has tagged me to list my Ten things that make me happy. She tagged me well over a month ago, but it seems that everything I do is late these days. Well, let's just say later than my usual late self, I'm always late. I was born almost a month later than my mother's  given due date so I have a great excuse. And then I married a Greek... so any chance of me being on time anywhere was lost. Although, I have to brag about arriving almost 1/2 hour early to a baptism recently. We didn't know what to do with ourselves, we walked at a casual pace and stood around waiting for the baptism to begin, definitely out of our element.

So, let's get to this list. I have just recently listed 10 things that make me happy for an award that I received -  so I'll add photos to this post to make it a bit different.

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1. My friends & family ~~ VITAL to my being and appreciated more than I can express in mere words...the unconditional love and support that I receive daily makes me thrive. The emails... phone messages & texts and blog comments --I'm always eager to see who has checked in.  I'm surrounded by so much love & support, I can only say "Thank YOU"...all of you!! You're always on the top of my list!

One of my favorite photos of Christie & I. Yes, it was really funny...

2. Chocolate.  I think this one is self explanatory if there are chocoholics like myself reading this.

My chocolaty-chocolate birthday cake.

3. Photography. I've been inspired by so many photographers past & present. Some of my favorites include Gordon Parks .

and Ansel Adams.

                                                

4. Music. I love almost all genres of music. Music is life, I can't imagine a day without music.

Music is what feelings sound like. ~Author unknown

5. Coffee. What kind of coffee do I like? Most of it. Although I'd give anything for a Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha (grande) I'm very happy with my own cappuccino. My cappuccino maker was away for about a month and I was lost without it. And, I love frappé. I have at least one frappé per day ...shaken not 

blended. Oh and Γλυκό με γάλα παρακαλώ ...(Sweet with milk please...)

(Alexandra sneaks a sip of my cappuccino, the kids already love coffee too...shhhh!) 

6. Art. Having said that I'll introduce you to a budding artist, my Izabella. Not a day passes that she doesn't create.

7. Food/Cooking. I love exploring new cuisine and trying new recipes. I also enjoy letting my kids help me in the kitchen. I find that letting them help prepare a meal ensures that they'll eat what we're making, most of the time. 

                   

Yes...I made everything in these photos...

8. The spa.  Recently spoiled by a whole afternoon at  the spa courtesy of one of my bests friends (wink, wink)-that would be the one who tagged me for this list. 

 

9. Flowers/gardening- I find gardening therapeutic although I'm overwhelmed by the amount of work that it takes to maintain our garden these days. 

 A rose & my garden a month ago...doesn't look so well kept now...

10. Our pets. (well, most of the time...) 

Tarzan & Alexandra

Myself & Gigi

"Torlitza" & Iza

Tarzan again...with Lobo

Thank you for tagging me Christie! 

I miss you!  :)

John Palmer Art's Favorite Tweeps...

Small wonders never cease to amaze me. In the middle of having a less than perfect day, I checked my Facebook homepage. Within seconds of my logging on I noticed that one of my favorite friends had a new post so naturally, I had to read it.  My friend, Ryan Lindsay decided highlight his and artist John Palmer's  personal and professional accomplishments over the past year as well as honor people that have had a positive impact on their lives. More specifically, Ryan compiled a list of their five favorite tweeps on Twitter. When I read the post and saw my name on the list I was pleasantly surprised and humbled. My mood instantly changed from glum to giddy.  I'm on someone's "Top 5"  list and more importanly,  contemporary/abstract artist John Palmer's "Top 5".

My connection with artist John Palmer and  his partner, Ryan Lindsay, is the wonderful result of my very first Twitter search. Yes guys, my first.  I don't usually search or pursue others on social networks, but one morning in September I decided to search using the tag word "Greece" and John Palmer came up, so I said "hello" and "good morning".  He was in Skopelos on his annual work abroad adventure so his tweets were in sync with my own.   That was the beginning of our friendship. Each morning that I would tweet I'd see John's morning message which always conjures up a smile in my heart. His first each day reads something like this: "It's Sunday. I love being an artist."  I can't help but think "Yes, it's Sunday and I love your awesome tweet!" What's more interesting is when I discovered  that Ryan did most of the tweeting and blogging so I was in contact with both of them on a regular basis. Fantastic! These are two amazing people to have as friends!

Ryan Lindsay & John Palmer in front of the Parthenon

Now,  I follow John's adventures on Twitter and his personal blog. Recently, I became of fan on his new page on Facebook as well as through Ryan's facebook page. What I love the most about John and Ryan is that although they're extremely busy painting, travelling, preparing for a new show or in the midst of personal events they're never too busy to say "hello" or "thank you" which is admirable.

So, now it's my turn to say "thank you". Thank you John and Ryan. You've really made my day and I'm grateful for your wonderful friendship,support, inspiration and smiles that warm my heart. What a fantastic way to end the year.

 Thank you.

Related Links:

John Palmer Art
John Palmers Blog--December 2009 - "5 Days Left"
John Palmer on Twitter
Happy Birthday Ryan!