Sharing Thanks

Pittsburgh Duck at night at Point Park. I was thankful to get to see the Pittsburgh duck before it swam away on my recent trip to this fun city. My older daughter is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh and we went to visit her during parents weekend. We were lucky to be able to stay at the Grand Wyndham hotel across the street from Point Park. I was amazed how many families and people came to see the duck. We had stayed here in the Spring and the park was empty. Here is what I was thankful for in Pittsburgh. I am thankful for the artist, Florentijn Hofman, for creating this floating art installation. Hofman says, "The friendly, floating, four-story-high Rubber Duck has healing properties!" The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust brought the duck to Pittsburgh to kick off the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts. It is estimated that over 1 million people have gone to see the duck in Pittsburgh. I am grateful for installation artists whose work inspires us to experienc...

Golden leaves of Autumn. Photo taken at Planting Fields in Oyster Bay I love taking walks in nature this time of year! I was thankful to visit Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay yesterday.  I enjoyed a walk around the grounds and breathing in the autumn beauty. Here is what I was thankful for: I was thankful for the quiet sounds of nature. Breathing in the fresh scent of pine needles that are scattered on the paths in the park! I was thankful to see the dahlia garden in full bloom. Dazzling reds, yellows, oranges, and pink! I was thankful to stumble upon a film set at the Coe mansion. Got some wisdom on working in the film industry from a crew member. "Just do it and find a way to make your movie." I was thankful to hear from my daughter Liz. She was so excited to get an A on her math midterm! She has had a tough first semester so I was so happy that her hard work is starting to bloom! I invite you to share something that your thankful for this autumn. I love ...

Smiling Rocks found on Caumsett Beach I love taking walks in nature and finding unexpected surprises. I went for a walk with my good friend Stella at Caumsett State Park and was surprised to find these smiling rocks on the beach. They look like they were left by creative kids with a black crayon! There simple designs made me smile. Smiles are contagious. I just started a new pinterest board dedicated to smiles. It is hard not to smile when someone smiles at you! Smiling is an easy way to spread happiness. You can view my new Pinterest board at Smiles . Here is what made me smile today! I am thankful for a beautiful October Day! Enjoyed walking on a 68 degree, sunny October Day. I enjoyed finding a beautiful small red leaf on the sidewalk! I am thankful to the Banfield Vet center at the PetSmart at Huntington Station. They took good care of Oreo and gave her all her shots for this year!I am thankful to my Mom who came with me to the vet with Oreo. Oreo loves my mom. It was nice ...

My daughter took a video production class in London this summer. She enjoying making videos as well as acting and singing in her classmates videos. Felicia Garcia made this video which features 4 young women with inspiring advice. I love hearing my daughter's beautiful singing voice which opens the clip. Here is what I was thankful for today! I am thankful that my bad cholesterol numbers went down and the lipitor I am taking is working. Went for my annual physical today. Now I need to schedule a mammogram, pap-smear, and colonoscopy. I am trying to take better care of my health. I am thankful that my daughter Liz is becoming more independent.  I am thankful to be playing the beautiful Symphonic Dances by Leonard Bernstein. This music featured in West Side Story is breathtaking. I think Somewhere, is one of my favorite songs! It's a rainy day here today, I was thankful to walk the dog while it was only a light drizzle.  Please share the video. I love this message of G...

I enjoyed seeing this video on the Huffington Post's Good News this morning. When we are helping each other we inspire others to lend a helping hand. I was in Chicago helping my daughter move apartments. She is a college freshman and had a difficult first room mate experience.I am not going to focus on her negative room mate experience, instead I want to thank all the people who helped her move into new apartment with new suite mates. Thanks to the staff at the Residence Center at Columbia College who found a good alternative housing for my daughter. They listened to my daughter's concerns, reassured her, encouraged her, and found an alternate placement quickly. Thanks to her RA Nick, who helped us move these huge boxes to her new building. We all looked like keystone cops, with these boxes on dollies moving through the streets of Chicago. Thanks to some kind strangers who stopped to help us get the boxes back on the dollies when they fell off.  Thanks to my friend Stell...

Baskets of apple's at Jo Jo Apple's in Point Lookout I am here to report that their is kindness in the big city of Chicago! I have so many reasons to be thankful today. It is easy to write this blog post because my gratitude is over flowing today. Thank you to Gene!!! Gene found my daughter's wallet in a cab. He contacted my daughter's podiatrist in Chicago since it had a local phone number to report finding her wallet. The podiatrist called me to give me his contact info. Gene took the time to bring the wallet to my daughter at her apartment at Columbia College. He wanted to make sure Liz got the wallet because there was over $100 in the wallet along with her bank card. This random act of kindness will never be forgotten. I am grateful for all of the rebuilding that has been done at Long Beach. I went for a stroll on the new boardwalk yesterday. It was wonderful to see the people out enjoying the sunshine, a sparkling calm ocean, and this new beautiful wide boar...

Go Pitt Band! It's been a very busy weekend. My daughter Becky is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh. We love to go see a home game at Heinz stadium every fall. This year I have become an empty nester. My younger daughter is freshman at Columbia College in Chicago. So I enjoyed spending 2 days with my daughter in Pittsburgh and 2 days with my daughter in Chicago. Here is what I was thankful for. I am thankful for the safe travel provided to me by planes, trains and automobiles! My husband loves traveling by train! We started our journey by car to drive to my parents who hosted my dog Oreo for a few days. We took the train to NYC and then Amtrak to Pittsburgh. We even got to go through the famous "Horseshoe Curve". If your a true train enthusiast you know about this engineering marvel that allows trains to go around mountains. We got to Pittsburgh, and walked and caught the 61 Bus to our hotel. Our hotel was near the University of Pittsburgh so we walked to get...