California dreaming

Yosemite's iconic Half Dome

If you'd asked me when I was making my New Year's list of things I'd like to do this year (2015), while I would have said "travel" (most emphatically), I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have selected California as my destination.

But fate drew us together. The International Association of Business Communications had their annual conference in San Francisco and, since I usually go and had put it in my professional development plan already, I assumed I'd be spending a few extra days in the area as I usually do. But then a friend of my husband's announced that he was getting married a week after that conference in L.A. So there it was, my friends: I was doing the Pacific Coast Highway in June.

Can marketing communications make the world a better place?

iLink therefore iAm? The purpose of work.

I recently told a school principal that I did non-profit marketing communications. He laughed and asked if they pay me. I reminded him that HE works for a non-profit as well. It was clear he thought his position was creating important change. Mine? Not so much.

Some days I wonder if I'm doing the right thing as I use my skills in non-profit MarCom. Is my life having the impact that I wish to make?

What's cooking in my kitchen?

Checking in on my vision for 2015, I'm reminded that I had a health goal that involved cooking. I've recently discovered that I have slightly elevated cholesterol and, honestly, it scared the crap out of me. I always thought I was so healthy. Well, except when I mainlined chocolate, baked goods and ice cream. But I thought I had the balance of it right. Clearly, I'm delusional about my habits.

So it was a good wake-up call when my doctor announced my results but told me that it wasn't serious enough to necessitate medication. She suggested I see dietitian, but actually my mom is a dietitian and has been teaching me about nutrition all my life. I know what the right thing is, I just don't always choose it.

Thus began my efforts to eat more healthfully.

2014: My year in review

Contemplating 2014

Why is it that time seems to pass so much more quickly as you get older? 

As I enter the year that I turn 40, I'm reflecting on my growth, my adventures, my achievements. While I work towards being less achievement-oriented, I still think it's important for me to help with my post-holiday blues by highlighting the steps that were part of my journey in 2014.

So what happened in my life this year?