Weed Feed
Dec
28
Benazir Bhutto
Filed Under Media, Random | Leave a Comment
A great, great loss…for people everywhere…especially women. I have been following her return from self-imposed exhile, and I have found her so inspiring. To know that a lot of people hate you, hate you’re a woman and hate what you stand for. To know that hate could easily lead to your own death, and to make a stir anyway. Now that’s bravery.
Dec
26
Hardest Goodbye
Filed Under Random | Leave a Comment
In case you were looking for a good airport to have a total emotional meltdown in, I can assure you that Chicago’s Midway Airport is not a good choice. This evening I was totally the “crying airport girl” who I have seen so many times in my travels. I always wonder what must have upset her to the point where she really doesn’t care who is staring at her. But now I understand at least one reason for an airport meltdown, because today I bid my youngest brother farewell. His name is Andrew, and he is bound for Iraq as a Marine Corps. sniper. It’s really surreal to send your brother off to war, especially a brother whose status of “baby of the family” warranted him victim to countless swirlies, indian burns, nuggies and countless other acts of trickery in our childhood years. And now, there he goes…off to war. Off to see and do the unthinkable.
A lot of people don’t realize what these soldiers and military families are going through. The fear, the pain, the longing, the bills that pile up, the hard questions from their kids, the constant uncertainty of the military changing their orders. All these things are so hard, and especially so during the holidays. I know a lot of you who read this blog are so incredibly supportive of doing good in this world, and in the coming weeks I am going to try and organize some things we can do for Andrew’s battalion and their families. So stay tuned…
Dec
25
Merry Christmas
Filed Under Random | Leave a Comment
Here’s some xmas greetings from me in Chicago, to you wherever you are. My niece Haylee thought you might enjoy her new talent…a holiday devil sign. As you can see, her favorite gift from Santa is a shiny, pink guitar. Rock on!
Dec
19
Boundaries
Filed Under Random | Leave a Comment
My good friend Nancy Colasurdo recently started a gig as the Life Coach for Fox.com. Today she wrote a piece about boundary setting, which I love. Got a problem saying no? Apologize constantly for things you shouldn’t apologize for? Read this!
Dec
16
Show #4 – Women on Top
Filed Under Random | Leave a Comment
Today was my fourth show for Women on Top Radio. My first guest was Jess Weiner, the Ambassador for the Dove Self-Esteem Fund. In the second half of the hour, I had the bestselling author, AJ Jacobs, tell us about his new book “The Year of Living Biblically.” Click here to listen to the podcast.
Dec
15
Gone Skiing
Filed Under Random | Leave a Comment
Today I officially felt like a Colorado native. Instead of those sticker ski lift passes you affix to you jacket zipper, I had a season pass made of plastic! We hit the slopes and it was quite chilly…almost too cold to even take off a glove and snap a photo. Next time I’ll post more scenic pics, but this was me happy as a polar bear.
This was my second time skiing in Colorado. As a native of Illinois, I had skiied throughout my youth in the dastardly mountains of…Wisconsin. (insert laugh track here) So I have a lot to learn, but I was crusin’ pretty well. And I didn’t wipe out once, which was pretty unbelievable. Guess what people here call someone’s messy wipe-out experience? A yard sale.
As many of you who read this blog know, I have a LOT going on right now. A new office, more staff, a spring tour coming up and writing my second book. Hey, everyone is busy so I’m not claiming to have more on my plate than the next girl. For all of us, it’s easy to get overwhelmed in this life. Add on family, finances, emails and other life demands…well, it’s a stellar recipe for burn-out. I was thinking about all my stuff goin’ on as I was skiing. I was taking on some greens runs, which were really challenging for a midwestern native like myself. But as a rule, I like to regularly do things that terrify me. (That must explain my chosen career as a professional speaker and radio host – I do for a living what most people fear more than death.) In general, if you’re existing in your “comfort zone” it means you’re not getting better. You’re probably just feeling cushy, not taking risks and not growing as a person. So when asked to go on a few blue runs, I said yes.
Now these blue runs had bumps. Lots of them. And some glistened with what appeared to be ice. Not good for this flatlander, but I jumped off the ledge (quite literally) and came up with a system for getting down the mountain alive…I would not look beyond the next bump. I would be 100% present in the moment. I would concentrate on each curve, my balance staying low and center and I would congratulate myself after each successful turn. I tried this, and you know what? It worked. I stayed calm and centered. At no point did I get overwhelmed, and this made the massive task of getting down a ginormous mountain seem do-able.
I find this idea can be carried over into the overwhelming pace of life today. Maybe we sometimes need to take things minute by minute, turn by turn, and pat ourselves on the back for all the little victories. Big dreams are important. Huge aspirations will take you places. But nobody conquers the mountain without mastering the twists and turns.
Dec
14
Wacky A&W
Filed Under Random | Leave a Comment
Drove up to the mountains today for a serious powder weekend. We passed by this A&W, which is apparently owned by some die-hard Christian folks. Word on the streets says that every week they combine a new religious message with the latest food specials. I’ll try and catch them weekly and let you know the good word of A&W. Click on the photo above to see the message.
Dec
12
Tribute Video
Filed Under Random, Video | Leave a Comment
The video below was made by a strong supporter of a few of us doing anti-violence work. Thanks Kathy! Featured in this video are: Angela Shelton, Ophelia De Serres, myself and Angela Rose. Learn more by visiting their websites below:
Angela Shelton: www.angelashelton.com
Ophelia: womenspeakoutnow.com
The Weed (me): www.girlsfightback.org
Angela Rose: www.pavingtheway.net
Dec
9
Gearing up
Filed Under Random | Leave a Comment
Yesterday I laid down an extreme amount of cash for my ski get-up for this season. Now that I’m a Colorado resident, there’s no room for any craptastic ski gear. Of course, one must also be fashion conscious while on the slopes, so I laid it all out on my living room floor to make sure it was up to par. That’s when Zoe (my pug) stumbled upon it and totally freaked out. I guess through the eyes of a tiny dog with an even tinier brain, it would be scary…kinda like a deflated human.
Dec
8
White Elephant
Filed Under Random | Leave a Comment
Last night was my husband’s company xmas party, and we were told to bring a white elephant gift. Now my mom has a pretty wacky sense of humor, so I’ve grown up with the annual white elephant gift exchange every Christmas. For those of you who are unaware, a white elephant gift exchange is when you find a ridiculous, purposeless or downright hilarious present. You wrap it up, and someone picks it out of the gift pile. Above is the gift we brought this year…a puffy shirt! (for all your Seinfeld fans…) We got it as a white elephant last year from my older brother and his wife. Truly classic. As you can see, in white elephant recycling is encouraged. Lighten up the holidays this year with a few laughs…give the gift of random ridiculousness!
Dec
6
Shooting in Omaha
Filed Under Random | Leave a Comment
Imagine, living in Omaha and making a mall run to pick up a few Christmas presents. All of a sudden, you hear what sounds like a nail gun. Maybe you dismiss it as sounds of construction, or the like. When all of a sudden, people start dropping around you and you see a young man on the balcony shooting people….this scenario was very real yesterday in Nebraska.I think after horrific crimes like these are committed, many of us are left wondering what to do. How can we prevent future slayings? How can we help the families of the victims? And then something comes up, or you remember something to add to your grocery list or someone calls…and nothing is done. I think as a nation, we need to choose to act in response to these blatant acts of senseless violence. Three good things you can do today:
1. Say a prayer to God, Zeus, the Universe or whoever you believe in. Ask for peace for the families.
2. Donate to their local United Way, which will provide financial assistance to the families…learn more about how to donate by clicking here.
3. Read the book called “The Gift of Fear” by Gavin de Becker. It might make you re-think just how spontaneous and unpredictable crimes like this really are. Click here to buy it.
One final thing I think we should lobby for in this country. Anyone who commits these crimes should never get their name mentioned or face showed in the media…ever. Let’s send the message to murderers that their crimes will not be rewarded with fame or a media circus. Instead, you will just disappear and no one will ever know who you are. Now that’s punishment…and a deterrant.
Dec
4
Clear Channel
Filed Under Random | Leave a Comment
Here’s me with Amber Mesker from AM 760 Clear Channel here in Denver. We went out to lunch, and noticed we were dressed exactly the same. And now that I look at it, the both of us match the restaurant in which we ate. Funny.
Dec
3
Weekly Update
Filed Under Girls Fight Back!, Random | Leave a Comment
Man, life has been crazy. I always think to myself, “When my tour is over, I’ll finally get some peace.” But it just ain’t so. We’ve had guests visiting non stop, which has been a lot of fun. I’m thinking of re-naming our house “The Weed Inn.”The radio show has been a little kooky. My station, AM 760, has a contract with the University of Colorado to broadcast their football games on a lot of Sundays. This means my radio show, Women on Top, gets bumped. Annoying, but we’ll survive. Check the WOT website for more details and listen to podcasts.
In other news, there’s some major growth happening. I’m hiring for two positions: an Events Coordinator and a Production Intern. If you’d like the full job description, send an e-mail to info@girlsfightback.org. In addition to growing our team, we have also moved into a new office and it’s gorgeous. I’ll be shooting some videos there soon so you can check it out. It’s modern and funky with a cyber cafe. It’s almost like going to work at Ikea.
Finally, I’m using the holidays to start planning for some BIG expansion ideas for ’08…and I’ve also begun writing my second book “Teens Fight Back!” Game on. Stay tuned.
Weedbook
