Sandbag Central, Commerce Center

It has been eight days since we heard the flood news. As each day has passed, more and more people have needed help and more and more people have volunteered.

There are many things to do: sandbag, pack a box, make a sandwich, deliver water, watch a friend’s kids, offer some storage space, sandbag…the list is long.

The fight has just begun. We are showing we will not be beaten easily, we will battle with every last resource and muscle we have.

Time is not on our side. So, be inspired to help a neighbor.

The theme is Travel

The January/Feburary issue will hit the stands early this week. The focus is Travel, which is the reason for the photo.

Some friends recently returned from Puerto Rico and found this guy out by the pool. I just love his coloring. My daughter named him Bob and would like to go pick him up and bring him home. (Not going to happen).

Enjoy the posts as they go up this week. I hope to travel more in the future and there are some great destination ideas in this issue.

What will they think of next!

This weekend was one I wished would never end. It was a gathering of friends and full of laughter, some tears, reminiscing and lots of great food.

As I sat and watched the designated ‘chefs’ last night, I had an idea! Why not write down their recipes and use them in the next issue of Inspired Woman? And so, I did. The Lavash was amazing, the Salad so full of flavor and the Pesto Pasta (as Uncle Jim would say) to die for. You will love them all. And, they are very easy to prepare.

The only thing missing was dessert and I can’t believe I didn’t bring any chocolate along. Not that we needed any more calories, but it would have topped off the feast quite nicely.

A little more information about this weekend – a few of us from high school got together at my friend’s cabin on Lake Metigoshe. We all have/or are turning 50 this year and decided we should throw ourselves a party.

The weather was perfect. We cooled off in the water, had a thunderstorm roll through, roasted some marshmallows in the rain and danced to Earth Wind and Fire. The memories will last forever. I only wish this weekend could have.

Today I met with the Inspired Woman advisory board. We talked about a lot of things, that’s what women do, right! We did discuss two things in particular, though.

First of all, we put together some ideas for the “Who Inspires You” contest. We will officially kick off this contest in September. Be thinking about someone you can write about. The only catch is, it has to be a woman! We will have some great prizes for the winners, including cash, and I thank my advisory board for all of their wonderful ideas and commitment to this contest.

We also discussed putting together a day-long conference for women with speakers, break-out sessions, exhibits and fabulous swag. I know I picked the right women to be on the magazine’s advisory board, because they came up with ideas for speakers and sponsors – it was great!

Very exciting things are happening with Inspired Woman magazine!

Interviewing may be the best part of putting a magazine together. I am usually meeting a person for the first time and I just love learning about what is going on in our area.

I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing people from all walks of life – teachers, celebrities, volunteers, artists – and they all have something to contribute.

Some people ask if I ever run out of story ideas, or if we should expand our territory. I think there are countless stories to tell right here, in the Bismarck-Mandan area. There are so many women doing so many extraordinary things and I think Inspired Woman has only scratched the surface.

Which brings me to this: if you have an idea for a story, leave a comment or contact me through the ‘Contact Us’ tab on this blog. I would love to hear from you!
~be inspired~

This is my final post on the More magazine Reinvention Convention.

The luncheon keynote was Dana Delaney, probably best known for her time on China Beach and most recently, Desperate Housewives. She was interviewed by Lee Woodruff and they discussed a lot of things, including the causes Delaney is passionate about, how she feels about injectables, etc and her passion for yoga. For the record, her skin is flawless and she looks fabulous. She had an awful experience with one cosmetic procedure and will do no more. “We all have faces that we earn,” she said.
Delaney knows a lot about yoga and the breathing techniques that come with it. Bottom line, yoga=better sex, according to her!
She also has a theory that a lot of her hot flashes went away when she took herself out of situations she did not want to be in. Mmmmmm – try it, who knows!?

Dana Delaney sat next to me during the next session – she was nice enough to take this photo and said she would leave her glasses on!
After lunch I went to listen to Jenny Sanford, former wife of South Carolina governor Mark Sanford. She was interviewed and answered the questions with grace and humility.

Here are some of the notes I took during Sanford’s interview:
– You can control you world (not his silly decisions)
– I chose not to let his actions make me a victim.
– Life is how you live it
– At the end of the day, what you have are your relationships – with yourself, family, friends…
– Know why you are doing something (Sanford said she wrote her book Staying True for other women)
– Don’t just survive, thrive

Lee Woodruff was the emcee for the Reinvention Convention. An author and Good Morning America contributor, Woodruff is also the wife of journalist Bob Woodruff, who survived a roadside bomb in Iraq. Through his recovery process, she learned a lot – and the couple has also helped put a face on the serious issue of traumatic brain injury among returning Iraq was veterans.

Woodruff has written about her family’s experience in her book In an Instant. As she talked about some of the things she learned throughout the whole ordeal, there were two things she mentioned that stuck with me.
Live in the moment more – too often we are thinking of ten other things that need to get done. For example – while exercising, enjoy that time.
Leave the dishes in the sink – I think this speaks for itself. I tried it yesterday when I was trying to choose over vacuuming or arriving on time for my daughter’s track meet. The vacuum was left unplugged.

I attended the More magazine Reinvention Convention to get ideas and have a little time to myself. The weather in Chicago was perfect for walking and sightseeing. I finally saw “the bean” – a fabulous sculpture in Millenium Park. As you can see, it’s pretty popular. But more about the convention…

One of the sessions I attended was conducted by Dr. Pamela Peeke. She has written Fight Fat After Forty and Body for Life for Women. When I met her, she asked if I knew her friend Mikey Hoeven! Seems Dr. Peeke was a keynote at one of the First Lady’s Women’s Health Summits.

She is an extraordinary presenter and very fit. She had some tips for keeping the “Menopot” away:
– Learn to plan (meals, snacks, etc.)
– Rein in total calories (never below 1200, try to stay under 2000)
– Munch on Menopot Melting Foods (nuts, beans, green veggies, dairy, oatmeal, eggs, whole grains)
– Eat more lean protein
– Incorporate More Healthy Fats
– Control the Carbs (use an online carb counter)
– Eat every 3-4 hours
– Lighten up Dinner (make sure you wake up hungry)
– If you eat after 8, you gain a lot of weight
– Sleep your way to success (get at least 7 hours every night)