altruism in the morning

hello, lovelies. hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! i’m off to glorious san francisco for a work conference this week. a chance to regroup with all my fellow online geeks about the future of advertising.

i caught a little bit of a mad men episode last night and it got me thinking about how far, and equally not far, the advertising industry has come. it made me grateful that women have more opportunity than they used to. to think that there used to be one woman copywriter among so many men in an agency! it makes me grateful for having been able to work on both the creative and account side of the industry, and while it’s still very much a boys club at some shops, at least us ladies can keep up with the best of them.

what are you grateful for this week?

(photo by chalmers butterfield)

we are always so quick to judge ourselves, aren’t we? i wish everyone gave themselves a little more slack. a pat on the back now and again. a high-five for being awesome. it’s a complicated world. life is never easy. so celebrate yourself, for getting through it, for keeping it real. for being you.

(image via five words)

this weekend the wind came roaring through salt lake city, keeping us sealed indoors with the hounds. as much as i had been dying to get out in the yard for the weekend, i appreciated the reprieve it provided from a long work week, forcing me to stay put and relax a bit.

i spent a lot of time day dreaming, as i’m apt to do, and it all got me thinking about how life sorts itself out, always, regardless if you realize it or not. as much as i feel that i am orchestrating the chaos of life into something pleasant and manageable, it is more that i am floating through it, untangling myself here and there. the variables are too numerous to control, a wild equation with no right answer. so this week, i’m grateful that it all eventually connects. everything in it’s right place. even after the wildest storms.

what are you grateful for this week?

(image via atmosphere | quote from c. eames)

this weekend was gorgeous in slc – the kind of spring days that rejuvenate everyone and everything. we spent our weekend in the yard with the dogs, counting our blessings for how our lives have come together, intertwined, and now follow this path in harmony. it’s really rather incredible that just 4 years ago, i met my best friend while trying to write a book, traveled the world with him, and convinced him that moving to his home state was a good idea. our new life here is like a spring after a long winter – a glorious winter, but a long one. what are you grateful for this week?

(image via lollipops + roses)

this weekend the mountain man and i loaded up the pups and headed south for zion national park. we hiked, we climbed, we ran, and we soaked up every bit of sun we could. it was a perfect break from the rather drab winter we’ve been having out here. the dogs were in heaven, as were we, as we vagabonded from one place to another in the gorgeous desert landscape.

this week, i’m thankful for the boundless natural beauty of our planet, and the reprieve it provides us from the monotony of our daily lives. what are you thankful for?