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Heather

Heather

There’s no wrong way to eat a turkey.

Ahhhhhhhh Happy Thanksgiving to every American in every way! I was thinking. I can't recall the last time I was at my home on Thanksgiving. This has to be the first time. Now, I know there's been years I woke up in my bed on Thanksgiving, put a dish or two together and headed out to another invited gathering of cool people I want to break bread with. I'm waiting for my kids to read this and remind me of that one time.... pretty sure not though. Yet this year, it's here. We aren't going anywhere and are making the core of the meal. The gathering will be six of us with four stopping in after on their dinner trek…
Heather
November 23, 2023
Heather

The Grace Collection – Jesus Art

The journey to spreading love and joy to others in artful repurposed ways continues for me. You're welcome. haha. All kidding aside, I reflect alot on what I'm drawn to and what I create to understand myself better. Similar to painting Sasquatch fun paintings and dissecting that, I truly enjoy making prayer candles out of thrifted shot glasses and making Jesus mirrors and wall out out of really cool frames and mirrors I find while on the shot glass hunt. It all came together for me! The Grace Collection. Over the years I've played with frames and mirrors for glass art, when it hit me that tying in the message of shot glasses could bring them to another level. Plus…
Heather
October 7, 2023
Heather

Sorry Virginia, there’s no Santa Claus.

About ten years ago, with Christmas quickly ahead of us, my husband made the decision that Santa was not getting the credit for big ticket items any more. He simply decided he didn't care what other people think. We worked really hard to be able to afford that our two sons received their biggest wish of all - A Nintendo DS - and doggone it, they're going to be from us. He went on to explain that all the little stuff and stockings and what not can be from some guy named Santa but he wanted them to know we provided those Nintendo DS's. Yikes. I was nervous about his ask yet open to a further discussion. I agreed with…
Heather
August 20, 2023
DiningHeather

Michigan, who knew?

Apparently most of the people in my life, that's who. Rough outline of the journey up Now. We get it. Pretty cool up north. You gotta see it yourself. Pictures don't explain that this is really what clear water can look like. I've seen similar in Cozumel but not that calm, and I wasn't dozens of feet above it in a boat still seeing the clear bottom. My goodness. The awakened me of course says, please dear God don't let us eff this one up with pollution too. If we haven't already. Please. What beauty. We heard and verified online that Lake Superior is so full of natural water for the globe, that if you spilled it out, it would…
Heather
June 23, 2023
Food for thoughtHeatherPandemic Thoughts

You think we should rethink?

I am not sure if I had any type of epiphany, but the thinking within myself propelled me to put down my paintbrush and start writing it down before it escapes my ever fleeting brain streaming. Had to hard save it I guess. I was thinking of activism and the cultural laws we follow as a society. Perhaps its at that core of the issue that we indeed find a way for majority care is some of the most disparate, horrific and tucked away behaviors that lead and have led to generations of inhumane torture of the mind, soul and body. Could this be it?! Let me roll. At first, I was going to dive in by showing pictures of…
Heather
May 28, 2023
HeatherPandemic Thoughts

Giving Prayer a Shot

About a year or more ago, I realized I wasn’t showing gratitude to God as well as I was for a while and that perhaps that was the reason I was so miserable at work and regressing back into stress health issues. It hit me square in the face like, duh! I bought a traditional prayer candle and kept it front and center in my kitchen, which is open to the living room and where I spend most of my home time. It reminded me every time I was home that I needed to light it and say something. Anything. It made a difference. It brought me back into a regular, casual relationship with God that I thought I already…
Heather
April 30, 2023
HeatherPandemic Thoughts

Finding new connections

Oh imagine the irony of it all. I had lunch with someone and she was so delightful and we get along so well and she gave me all these advanced, intelligent suggestions on how to leverage my art and let more people see my fun. Top of the list I wanted to check out further was this online place called Spatial and it's a virtual art gallery that people then can enter and see all of your art in one place and I thought that is phenomenal! It's neat! It's a new way of storing your art and displaying it! How fun you know it gets into deeper stuff like all the NFT's and what not. So yeah. Worth a…
Heather
April 2, 2023
Heather

Picking Our Poisons

I can't shake the dread in my heart and mind for what has happened to us all because of the explosion and burn pit epicenter that's called East Palestine. I'm sick of plastic. Why do we need so much of it? If there's anything those Greta children and Bernie hippies should consider, it's not natural resources killing us and our planet. It's the chemical laboratories using carcinogens to us and earth in the name of progress and profit. Sure, I won't argue that some plastic inventions save lives. Got it. Check. I'm saying do we really need it in every single facet of our lives and what society says we need to have successful lives? It's fricking everywhere. It's not…
Heather
March 5, 2023
Heather

Signing Employment Contracts

I've been reflecting somewhat on all my past employee contracts I’ve signed over the years. When you sign employment agreements, they can really start to get technical. Seems the more complex the title they want to give you while under the contract brings with it more contractual understandings in the form of policies and termination grounds if the contract isn’t fulfilled. One of my favorite things that come with title descriptions when applying for employment contracts is “And other duties as assigned by employer” I think about that. When you agree to an employment contract that comes packed with dress codes, pay schedules, behavior policies, social expectations, and a list of what your expectations are going to be, there’s that…
Heather
January 29, 2023
Heather

Turns out I love Jesus and birds

I just realized something about myself that made me stop and laugh out loud with the epiphany. Y special career spidey-skill tends to be connecting dots to identify trends to build patterns to influence the behavior to sway in the way of the company. I promise, it’s always authentic and true – if I know we can’t fulfill a brand promise I don’t say it. I am rather proud that I pretty much navigated out of the media side of all my years and passion for that very reason and challenged myself to apply it to other value propositions instead. So I write plans and work with teams to figure stuff out and get the plans implemented versus doing so…
Heather
January 20, 2023
Heather

A Truck Full of Monkeys

I remember when I saw this headline last summer, my first thought was, "Why isn't anyone talking about the fact that there was a truck trailer of 100 monkeys? Monkeys that you would only maybe see a handful of at a zoo you paid to view?" a HUNDRED Monkeys. On a truck trailer. Just cruising down the Pennsylvania turnpike. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYFYxcGTc5g First reason that is way odd to me is there's this thing called the AZA. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums. AZA is the independent accrediting organization for the best zoos and the best aquariums in America and the world, assuring the public that when they visit an AZA-accredited facility, it meets the highest standards for animal care and welfare.…
Heather
January 16, 2023
Heather

Imperfect Sunglass Art

I like to make things. By 'Things' I mean that. Things. I'd like to hope they're defined as artful things. Maybe it's glue or nails or paint or paper and sometimes all the above. I like to try new things to make new things from old things. I read about a Japanese belief called Kintsugi. 'Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. It is similar to the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, an embracing of the flawed or imperfect.' It wasn't…
Heather
December 27, 2022
HeatherPandemic Thoughts

Getting my words in order

Alot of the words I write don't ever go past drafts. Sometimes I just type and go and see what happens and then when I go back to it I realize it's done it again. It went there. I get it. I got this weird knack for adding a long tail to the kite. Sometimes when I see how things connect to each other, it lights up for me and I guess it can throw people off cause it's not obvious. I don't know why. I spent a long time denying it was anything more than luck. I'm not always right either. But gosh darn it, it's pretty flipping good. When I learned what batting averages meant and how high…
Heather
October 14, 2022
Heather

The West Virginia Travel Adventure

Six days, five nights and several breathtaking scenic places worth a visit. Kicking off in order of views, I'll cover the stories and interesting facts of our vacation through the mountains on a Harley Davidson for our 20th Anniversary. Evening 1 – Wellsburg, WV We got off work at 3 that Friday and just had to load the bike and go over anything else we can think of that we might be forgetting. We then took the scenic route to start at home and stay at my Dad’s place. Plus he’s seen most of the places we’re talking about wanting to see and added some we didn’t know about, like the Beckley Coal Miner tour. Anyway, it turns out the…
Heather
July 13, 2022
Heather

It’s a CATastrophe out there.

I’ve been thinking a lot about cats. I feel they are a symbolic analogy to our current elitism plot to destroy America and all the working class within it. It starts with feral abandoned cats in my yard. So here we go. I have a cat problem. A rather daily one, actually. It’s been approximately four years of ongoing irritations as whether you like to admit it or not – cats reproduce at an alarming rate. Especially homeless ones. You see, it all begins when people abandon their pets. They think they’re a good idea until they have to fulfill the responsibility it takes and then decide to peace out and let them go. In some pockets of the country,…
Heather
July 1, 2022
HeatherPandemic Thoughts

I am Woman, No Riots Necessary.

I wanted to put solid information out there for some calm thoughts to process during this wild storm of destruction. I believe this division is engineered and here's why. I agree a man can want to become a woman. I agree a woman can want to become a man. I agree a man can sometimes want to be a woman and sometimes not. I agree a woman can want to be a man sometimes and other times return to being a woman. I agree a man can want to be a man and prefer sex with other men. I agree a woman can want to be a woman and prefer sex with other women. I think that about covers the…
Heather
June 26, 2022
Heather

Hoping for Hope

I see it. I feel it. I read it. I experience it. So why not talk about it. Now that the lights have been turned on in the theater and we are all able to see what’s behind some of the stage and production at hand, It becomes a lot to process. Especially when we’re still adjusting our eyes to this new truth while more and more of it is buried, modified or just plain destroyed. Seeking truth – and nothing else – has become rather exhaustive when you no longer know what or whom to believe. What is showing clear, especially on this beautiful Easter morning is that the goal of every attack we are under is to destroy…
Heather
April 21, 2022
HeatherPandemic Thoughts

I think. Therefore I am. 46 today.

I think that within the bellies of the whales that we call US government and places like the Vatican, only then will we really know truth. We’ve been purposely left in the dark for generations now. For instance, it’s taken more than 50 years to get some answers about JFK’s murder plot and it’s still only based on people who dedicated their time to dig and dig and dig. We still don’t know what exactly went down with how Europeans got here, whether Native tribes really hunted against one another or not, why JFK, MLK, RFK were assassinated, John Lennon, Manson’s LSD CIA experiments in San Francisco, and what Marilyn must’ve known. Princess Diana, Bay of Pigs, 9/11…I can go…
Heather
April 5, 2022
Heather

3 Love Binge Shows that are Real Real

Alright. I'm really into seeing and watching what happens when different human dynamics are thrown into a reality show. Not the slutty dumb ones that further push the divisions of what we see. No, it's the hidden gems of showing the real in those most effected by broken policies for profit. If you want to see it, and think about what you're experiencing while watching them - this is the good, bad or indifferent of what happens in cyclic opressions. 1. 90 Day Fiancée the other way We can no longer trust media to accurately report what is happening within our borders, let alone outside of them. The true peak into reality is watching stereotypical romcom reality dramas that TLC…
Heather
February 19, 2022
Heather

Hey Klinger

What these shows taught me and I kept with me as a developing human in my formative years - you know, the years you can’t control where you are so it’s up to all the adults to make sure you get guided into a solid grown up one day who discovers their purpose for their life experience - those I’m thinking about. For the curious deeper divers into my recommendations, check out these shows through my youth as through the lens of a child and adult evolved human who was also watching it back then and make up excellent conversations! Whether the timeline be your parent or grandparent or great grandparent - instead of talking about all this Buchaki called…
Heather
January 19, 2022
HeatherPandemic Thoughts

I think this is it. It’s been fun though.

This is probably my saddest and most negative story ever and I didn’t intend for it to be. It’s like whats inside me now and it’s so heavy it’s effecting everyone around me so I have to get it out. This could very well be my last personal writing piece for some time. Maybe all time. I know deep down in my heart that’s not true but then again if I can continue forcing myself into this new mindset perhaps it is. I’m going to stop. Forceably stop myself from creating any ideas outside of normal life. I know, I know, many of you are relieved. Finally! She’s going to shut. Up. No more random interruptions of some hair brained…
Heather
January 9, 2022
HeatherPandemic Thoughts

I started to cry in a meeting! AHHHH LOL

Excuse me please. Yeah. That totally happened. It's happened before but I've always pulled through and fought it back. It's very rare but today I had to excuse myself and chose to not return. Yet I feel proud of myself. Sure, some of the suits may write me off as some emotional girl or something but dang it felt good. They weren't tears of frustration or tears of lacking girl resilience. It was rather because my body no longer knew what to do at that point but start flushing. I had the Best Day!!! Last evening a college student who's been assisting on some data trending on customer spending preferences asked to meet to show where she's at and where…
Heather
December 28, 2021
Heather

What will you make?

I’ve changed a lot of ways I spend my time that I get to choose how to spend. As I get more and more aligned with letting a job be just that and seeing my youngest start learning to drive – I seem to have more time to determine what I do while it burns away anyway. Less people need me, I suppose. After I shake off that moment of sad realization, I quickly perk up realizing that it’s a fun time of deep exploration into myself and what I can do to heal from within and make really cool stuff happen with this increase of time that I find myself craving more and more of. Both my husband and…
Heather
December 23, 2021
Food for thoughtHeatherPandemic Thoughts

Cauliflower

I grew up calling those white flowering florets wrapped in plastic at the grocery store call-ah-flower. Now I can't say if it just took me 45+ years to notice it, or it's because it sounds so different it struck me to pay notice now. But sometimes, I hear English-as-a-first-language people refer to it as cuh-lee-flower. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that everything you can replace with cauliflower is now in high demand so there's a grand influx of people having cauliflower discussions making the usage more prominent. Usually, the only time you would say that word in a small talk discussion was over making a veggie tray. Now there's radio ads promoting the latest pizza crust…
Heather
December 5, 2021
Heather

Wonderful West Virginia – A Story

My Pappy, Noil Clarence Hall, was the subject of my son’s ancestry project for school. Turns out, I was born 7th generation in West Virginia. I didn't realize how deeply rooted in the same area we are. Pap Noil looking quite dapper That means, when West Virginia succeeded from the confederate's democrat plan to forcefully claim 11 states of their own to make a new country and keep slaves at their disposal – my family was part of the group that stood for something. Not today, dems. That just ain't right. That bad thinking of 'take what I want' to 'do what I want' is probably what got us in trouble with Native Americans in the first place. West Virginian's…
Heather
November 11, 2021
HeatherPandemic Thoughts

What we’re used to, and how to not be anymore

We're not supposed to bring up all the bad stuff that everyone has accepted. You know, the stuff we’re used to. I am. Here it goes. If we accept that some people are more deserving than others, something happens. We get used to stuff, because, obviously, it's not us. It's them. We are used to looking away at the homeless. We are used to commercials soliciting donations to get disabled veterans a home or sick kids free health care or animal rescues, because our taxes don't go to that. We are used to the government blowing our social security savings on whatever they decide and not repaying it. We are used to autism. We are used to food allergies, pollution…
Heather
October 28, 2021
HeatherPandemic Thoughts

Painting Sasquatch

I’m starting to try stuff I haven’t done to see if I can do it. Last weekend I found a picture of a Van Gogh Night Sky with Sasquatch. It’s my favorite painting and inspired my ankle tattoo but I wondered if I had what it takes to paint it myself. I used to paint all the time and like it. I just not wonderful at it. I’m ok. Decent. It’s relaxing. And I did it. I made my own version while trying to follow along. I like to buy chunky canvases from goodwill. At $3 and two inches thick- you can’t buy it for that. Most canvas you buy is skinny and I wanted it to look real old…
Heather
September 4, 2021
Food for thoughtHeather

Time, Time Everywhere is Time

Time. You can share it, donate it, commit it, dominate it, sell it and cherish it. It spends all the same, alone or together. Where were you when 9/11 happened? This is a question that everyone has an answer to because they spent it in that moment of realty with you regardless of where they were and it brought you to a shared moment of emotional connection. I think of the singular moments I spend alone in time and all the moments I spend, like currency, at big events in time with thousands of people sharing that moment. Yet, the moment I lived in our big ole house in Iowa, rocking my baby boy in our bedroom. The windows were…
Heather
June 12, 2021
Food for thoughtHeather

It’s My Pleasure

I found this article over the weekend and wanted to share it because I feel it's a helpful reminder to look at how words really matter. Just as simple as whether your glass is half empty or half full, it's how you look at it. I am confident that we all want to have the best conversations and outcomes with ourselves and our customers every day. Sometimes, it's tough.  Whether it's disagreeing on solutions to problems or working with people who have problems they expect us to solve, how we frame it up and serve it back can have more likely positive outcomes simply by what we say.  A couple weeks ago, Tai found an article from our guy Dennis…
Heather
April 15, 2021
Food for thoughtHeatherPandemic Thoughts

Beneath the Gates

I decided to dig out the mixed media art mindset I used to have. At times when there were no words, I would make art speak for me. Been a loooooong time as words tend to come easy for me. Yet the hours spent in searching, cutting, gluing and mixing textures and pictures to articulate reality is actually rather relaxing. I recommend everyone explores ways to express their original feelings derived from their own opinions in ways that release you from reality. Only if for a little while. I call this piece, Living Beneath the Gates. For me it displays how I feel we, the majority and working class fuel the financial engines of the elitists - at a high,…
Heather
March 24, 2021
Food for thoughtHeather

Ain’t My First Rodeo

As my generation hits the half way point of life here on earth averages, and start to see a higer percentage of risks adding in to the inevitable, I take comfort in knowing at my age I can use the phrase, This ain't my first rodeo More and more into relevant conversations about experience. I suppose it's the little things that make up for the bigger things. Like rodeos. Go find some rodeos and some firsts and enjoy some little things for yourself. Thanks for reading, Heather
Heather
March 14, 2021
Food for thoughtHeatherPandemic Thoughts

Keep on Keeping on

Things the mean girl in my head says to me: Why do I spend all this free time on building web posts and podcasts? I'm already sitting for my job as it is and now I sit in the same position even longer to do it. I bet people think you're crazy for doing it too and are tired of you talking about it. Me, in response to my own worst critic to nicely shut up: Why do I write and say things in a permanent record format? ie podcasts and public website entries of thoughts, ideas and beliefs? Because when is the last time they can say they sat alone with their own beliefs and original thoughts out loud,…
Heather
March 14, 2021
Food for thoughtHeatherPandemic Thoughts

The Silence I Fear Most.

The silence keeps growing. More and more silence.  We talk to less people.  We share less and less original thoughts.  We fear what may happen to our job, friends, family, marriage, children ... if we say what we think. And feel.  We walk on egg shells without crushing any more. Tread silently. Not realizing what all this silence means.  What staying silent will mean. They have taken our voice.  We have let them in a chance of finding a better version of ourselves. We are now Ariel in a new dry world.  How will we find the happy ending? How will we once sing freely again? One thing I can’t be silent about. Sadly. As a woman entrepreneur, I don’t qualify…
Heather
March 7, 2021
Food for thoughtHeatherPandemic Thoughts

Here’s Your Shirt and Here’s Our Reality.

I can’t help but see these photos of the flocks of people- victims to criminals to traffickers and everyone in between from countries unknown - thousands upon thousands at a time. No waiting in line. No registration. No documents. To make this even more hysterical as we defund police and military, while increasing perks to living off the American grid for free, they get a free Biden t-shirt on their way across. Pass on thru. Here’s your free t-shirt. Enjoy the ride. bahahahahhahahahhahahahahah. This is real life. This. Is. Real. Life. I think about the logistics, implementation and system necessary to get some poor dedicated interns to have the balls to go outside our border to ask in fifty languages…
Heather
March 6, 2021
Food for thoughtHeatherPandemic Thoughts

I double-dog dare you to disagree

I started thinking about all the ways the media is trying to make each other hate each other while losing sight of the values that bind us together. It's down right head scratching maddening. And then I realized I bet everyone - no matter what 'sides' you decided to sign up for - I think you'd agree and question how we got here. It wasn't like this and we all know it. We all just want freedom and the American dream we painted on our definition canvas of #Winning. Same Skies to thee so Shine So there's the first thing we can agree on. If we can agree with that one thing... What else can we agree on? What else…
Heather
February 26, 2021
Food for thoughtHeatherPandemic Thoughts

Pitbull and me.

Thank you, Pitbull. I can't believe it took nearly five months to stumble upon this truth he spoke openly last fall. His wisdom on the double standards and how many CEO's 'buy low and sell high' validates my thought of why more influencers like Pitbull need to speak out, regardless of the short-term ramifications NOW. Perhaps he believes it's time to buy low and bet on more than 75 million of of who will support him for standing tall. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5KIAftglPM We know at least 75 million adults were counted who voted for the Americans First movement versus selling us out overseas. The 75 million of us who are hopeful that together, we can finally get all of us in the…
Heather
February 16, 2021
Food for thought

Don’t Forget to Water the Plants.

If you use Alexa to do what she recommends you to do- remind you to water your plants and other mundane yet memorable tasks, you scare me. It’s more than convenience at stake. We seriously are becoming more and more away from thinking for ourselves for simple conveniences that we done lost our minds and can’t think. For ourselves. C’mon. We’re closer to Wall-E than we realize. Remember to water your plants on your own. Unless your a senior or impaired like Drew Barrymore on fifty first dates.  Who, by the way, is who my grandson always says reminds him of me when he watches it. Awwww. thanks for reading. by the way, I’m 45 chapters in to Stephen King’s the…
Heather
February 15, 2021
Food for thoughtHeatherPandemic Thoughts

Here’s the download…

Have you noticed the commercials on your streaming channels say Ad on them with a box to point that out? That’s new for a TV ad. Because it’s streaming. The cables and antennas are gone. It’s modems and routers plugged into the internet. Faster than ever and so everyone can have a device streaming as individuals, not families and gather that data. So is it now internet and therefore I assume no longer regulated by FCC? or are they? In my analytics conversations with media sales, we were very locked down even though we technically were collecting the data, the FCC prohibited sharing or analyzing it.   Is that why main stream media is so blatantly obvious on its political stance…
Heather
February 12, 2021
HeatherPandemic Thoughts

90 Day American

You know, I'm sitting here on the eve of an awesome Mexico excursion with our best friends and should be writing other stuff than flexing the muscle to tell a story for personal, non-profitable reasons. I've got three musts and three wish I coulds but I can't even fathom how I would structure that into my disciplines long enough to accomplish them. Someday though. If I'd just write for the other two reasons other than my own. Oh well. I'm not tired. The mix of emotions of leaving right now distract me from the focus on the other 2/3rds. Hoping the next 5 days of UV and no plans is just what we all need about right now. So when…
Heather
January 16, 2021
Heather

Where will we go?

I had a memorable conversation with a remarkable young woman a couple of weeks ago. Her name is Anna, I'd guess her to be in her later 20's and although her appearance remained unaltered by American celebrity influences of fashion, hair and makeup - she is stunningly beautiful. I've known her for some time through work and she carries herself properly, confidently and exudes a kind, gentle aura. I picture her as a brunette Briar Rose who hasn't realized she's actually Sleeping Beauty. I wasn't sure how we were on the subject, but she mentioned she was born in Ukraine. "Oh, wow, you're Ukrainian... you must tell me more. How did you leave?" She made eye contact with me to…
Heather
January 9, 2021
Food for thought

Holy Buckets of Balance.

I've been out of sorts lately. I don't think that means I need to call a doctor or zoom a therapist type of out of sorts... yet. And as of right now, I've given myself the prognosis of good that I'll get out of this funk. I'm hoping to make the right strides in to get away from those uneasy mental and emotional waters noticeably ahead. The first step is realizing there's a storm coming, right? I'm processing through all of the warning signs and symptoms and can't help but feel like this self diagnosis stuff of my mental state is very similar to the coronavirus from China. Who'sa What'sa? I feel like there's many signs and symptoms that might…
Heather
December 30, 2020
Food for thought

A Day Off? Oh, It’s On.

Poetry is tricky. It’s more of an art form of painting words together in such a profound way it becomes someone else’s quote when they post something. Post something. Not say it. Do you ever wonder if how you tell a story stays best consumed in the platform from which it was created? What if stories you type tend to always stay typed…and copied and pasted. Is that why the movie is rarely ever if at all better than the book it was inspired from. Perhaps its why there’s such a cross-cultural appreciation of rap music because it takes a poem and is able to transcend over to being sung by people of all ages and demographics. Even pop country…
Heather
December 16, 2020
Heather

Another Memory on the Story Wall

Read the headline and cue in the Dave Chappelle bit when he references the DJ guy and says, "Another one..." Then add in the sound effect of the HodgeTwins saying, Yeah.....  I shifted my story wall today and had to reconfigure to see how I squeeze something else in or phase out store-bought items with real-life experience material - souvenirs, milestone pictures, cool vacation memorabilia err yeah.. souvenirs. Story wall.  We went home to Iowa for Thanksgiving and collected new pictures as a gift from my brother and sister-in-law for an awesome vacation we had together this year in Gatlinburg and prints of pictures we took together when we met in Chicago for a weekend last summer to watch the…
Heather
November 29, 2020
Heather

4 Ways to Get Through This

This is the most intense period of time I’ve had to live in. In the depths of my heart, breadth of lessons lived and wisdom of eras survived I know one thing to be true. If you believe in what you believe from what you believe to be fueled by a strong, passionate desire to improve the world you are currently viewing on your screen, then we have a common thread. A common bond. An Eva in a Wall-E reality When you can connect on similar goals – meaning we all want our children and grandchildren to grow up in a free, safe and close knit place within a stocked pond of opportunity for finding dreams, personal growth, resiliency, healthy…
Heather
August 19, 2020
HeatherPandemic Thoughts

Milestones During the Millennial Era

Here's a story to ponder before anyone pillages another American neighbor or town. Civil wars are genocide when innocent children, women and men are killed in cold blood. We know the famous one - the Nazis vs. the Jews. Let's talk our lifetime. Let's just focus on the 90's and through today. The past 30 years as we've been asleep at the wheel but our troops have been there, on the ground as our leaders order them to be. Yugoslavia: 1991 - 2001 and still dealing with the aftermath. The entire region is now all new territory lines and broke out in civil war. Keep in mind, April 26th 1992 were the LA riots of looting, murder and destruction over…
Heather
August 11, 2020
HeatherPandemic Thoughts

Dems Da Rules.

In an effort to help others in public spaces of town avoid any embarrassing confrontations or misunderstandings, you gotta know the rules of your environment. Many places have different rules, which could become confusing. Here they are,  simplified, by where you may be and during what time.   Worker Rules Your boss is not required to disclose a possible exposure unless there’s a positive test to confirm the ill person has Corona. You won’t be considered at risk for exposure to the infected individual unless you were within their 6-foot social distance bubble for more than 15 minutes and did not wear a mask. This also would have had to occur during the 48 hours prior to the individual showing…
Heather
August 5, 2020
HeatherPandemic Thoughts

Just the Facts, Ma’am

There's alot of things we know, we either don't think about it or weren't paying attention. We hold these truths, what shall we do with them? Here are statements I think we all, as Americans united, can agree are factual. Fact: We cannot choose our gender, race, family or intrinsic qualities. Fact: We know there’s a ladder and a ceiling. Some have further to climb, some climb anyway and some had help from those who climbed on their behalf. Fact: We know in 2005 the Supreme Court ordered the Ten Commandments to be removed from courtrooms all over the south. Fact: We know in 2012 Obama made the biggest funding cut in mental health in more than thirty years. He…
Heather
July 11, 2020
HeatherPandemic Thoughts

Staying Safe during Masked Destruction DIY

Many of my friends and neighbors have been #SafeAtHome during the Pandemic which has led to many home improvement projects. I've not had the #AloneTogether experience, but that's not a criticism. I did get some days here or there to work from home and saved alot of money not going out or traveling for vacations. So I, like many, am tackling home improvement projects with the bonus cash earned by what I've named Forced Frugality. I happen to be very privileged to have found my dude. My hombre. My love of a lifetime. My partner in crime. He also happens to be a BOSS at construction both new and renovation. For those who do not live with a craftsman, you…
Heather
July 2, 2020
Pandemic Thoughts

The Genius of Ricky Gervais

I hadn't watched the Office until my son wanted to binge it on Netflix. I knew this Gervais bloke was behind the original UK version, and that the show is hilarious, but it didn't phase me in the least. My introduction to the Mr. Ricky Gervais came differently than most. Yet unexposed to the Office, I still absolutely adored his witty, authentic story telling since I landed the two season box set of Extras in 2009 from my brother, Adam. My goodness what a gift this man has. If you have HBO I recommend you check out Extras. After consuming his raw, fun look into what it's like to be an extra while waiting for the audition that changes everything,…
Heather
June 3, 2020
Pandemic Thoughts

Take Us to Your Leader

Usually, when communities across a country can organize and centralize within a day, there's a hierarchy of leadership. Just as armies form and infiltrate to use force as a means to demand control. Generals, captains, sergeants... Photo Credit - Dallas Morning Star Who is their leader? Our fellow US citizens are fighting, destroying, burning - basically shitting in our own bed - alongside strangers who showed up in their neighborhoods with pallets of bricks. It's assumed by all the people at home posting memes of solidarity on social media that the intention is to get a positive result of change, which one would assume in their minds is to achieve racial equality, justice for George Floyd. We can all get…
Heather
May 31, 2020
Pandemic Thoughts

Can I Mask a Question?

Masks I fully agree with every frontline worker who wear masks being very angry on Facebook about those refusing to wear masks. But I don’t want to wear one either. We need to come together and agree on something. We disagree with the purpose we are told for why they are needed now when they weren’t before. Even several weeks into this shutdown. I feel the underlying issue that neither side is saying is why Medical professionals wear them and why we are supposed to wear them. Medical professionals must wear PPE to protect themselves from exposure of those they care for and save. The general public is being shunned into wearing whatever because everyone is afraid of us. Now…
Heather
May 18, 2020
Pandemic Thoughts

Stranded or Strange, Deep Thoughts During the Daily Commute

I had a few thoughts on my commute in to work today. I first realized that I should appreciate the lighter traffic and open roads. Similar to the time I got stranded in the Detroit Airport by myself and just took it all in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgZwvvfvgVM This was me, back in my previous life of traveling, alot. I then thought, you know what, that Stan Lee is quite the foreshadowing king. This is probably what the five year timeline they had between End Game 1 and End Game 2 felt like when half the people disappeared. One day, everyone is gonna come back outside again and fill up the world. Until then, I'll take it all in. Then I started to…
Heather
May 5, 2020