2009

It was a year of extreme hardship, extreme epiphany's , and finding rare opportunities in unexpected situations and relationships. I know for many 2009 wasn't the best year to date. I can only reflect on the life lessons I have learned in the economic depression.
Life lesson 1 - there are many hidden opportunities in unexpected places the key is to be open minded and creative.
Life lesson 2 - never never never never give up....... Even when you feel like you have nothing left to give find that one spec of courage with in your self to follow your dream!!!
Life lesson 3 - learn patience!!! I am the queen of ideas as well as the queen of inpatient. If an idea takes to long to show results I want to 86 it and move on!!!! BIG MISTAKE!!!!!! I have learned to take a deep breath and let the idea marinate and take it's coarse.
Life lesson 4 - STOP LISTING ALL THE REASONS WHY SOMETHING WON'T WORK AND MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!!
Life lesson 5 - Always look to the positive and never the negative. Reflect on what you do have and not what you don't!!!!

The last thing I want to share is a quote from Mister Rogers... " Some days, doing "the best we can" may fall short of what we would like to be able to do, but life isn't perfect- on any front- and doing what we can with what we have is the most we should expect of ourselves or anyone else."

Happy 2010 Everyone!!!!

Small Businesses is it a dying breed?????

I hope the day never comes when we are over run by big chain department stores. I was at a city meeting and the city manager is trying to revitalize the city by bringing in big chain discount department stores. Ok this city already has a Kholes and a Ross why do they need two more????? This was my question to him and his answer "to attract people to the city". I asked him "why can't we attract small businesses"? His response "small business are a dying breed." At that moment I was saddened. I did express my deep heart ache and half of me agreed and the other half is still a believer of the entrepreneurial dreamer. The argumentative fighter I am asked if he would reconsider his decision and look to allowing small businesses to come to the city he agreed. So now here I am trying to attract entrepreneurial dreamers to open shop in this undesirable economic crunch that were in. I am believer that small businesses can thrive. I am saddened to think of the day when personal customer service is out the door and we're left with a cold miserable sales people to help us. Vision is my favorite thing to see carried out in a small business and to here it from the owner of why they started the business is "The American Dream" come to a reality!

The King of Halloween

Some may say that this statement is bold, and especially since we are quickly coming upon Christmas, but it needs to be out there that artist Albert Reyes really does come close it and he does it all in El Sereno. Every year, besides having an annual party that includes live acts, he builds a haunted house in his backyard. And, every year the project has grown. Initially we had to crawl through the maze, which was no easy task in our costumes. In 2009, it became a full walk-through maze with a watchtower. This creative venture takes at least 5 months, but right after Halloween it comes down in a day. It is an artistic tradition that is truly a labor of love. And for those of us that hold Halloween as our favorite holiday, we can't wait to see what the next edition holds!