I used to be addicted to magazines. I loved the paper, the tight spine of an unopened mag and the enjoyment of flipping through glossy pages. Once I got my Kindle Fire though, I haven't been reading much outside of my little hand held friend. Each day, another magazine would be delivered and I would add it to my stack of things to get too. After a while, it sort of stressed me out that I had this pile of lovely magazines to read. I knew I had to get to them sometime and it would be sacreligious to pass them on without reading them first. I would get through one and then another one would come. So I am finally determined to get through my stack and actually read them.  Many of them I get for free from www.hip2save.com. I won't turn down a free magazine subscription! Because of that I've decided not to renew any of my subscriptions that require me to spend money.Here are some of my favorite magazines...
Better Homes and Gardens

Source: google.com via News on Pinterest

Country Living
The Oprah Magazine
 
Yep, that's me up there. I was scared and I was tired. But I did it anyway. By the end my body had completely given out. My mind wanted me to move, but my body wouldn't go along with it. It was frustrating, scary and empowering. Feel the fear and do it anyway!
 
Is this sad? I recently tried to give up Starbucks and on my way to work, when I passed the Starbucks, I looked to see if the line was long and got slightly jealous of the people in the drive-thru. Starbucks is like my drug dealer. They have this special now that if you bring in your receipt from the morning, after 2 pm you can get an iced drink for $2.  Here, they say, you are already addicted and need the cup with the green straw in the morning, but why not stop back on your way home for a little more fun too? This is sooo not helping me with my goal of getting in the best shape of my life, especially when I ask for a Grande Iced Caramel Macchiato with extra caramel. I never thought of asking for extra caramel until one day I heard someone else say it in front of me. Curses to that person! So yesterday I finally stopped....by 10 am I had a major headache. Just go get one, my co-worker says, you know you want one and it's not worth the headache. See...I have enablers too. Like I said, my name is Holly and I am addicted to Starbucks.
 
If you are ever feeling sad or blue, I have the perfect place for you to visit. Dog Bless You is an organization that hails the selfless acts of animals and how dogs uplift the human spirit (as said on their homepage.) They advocate service dogs for our Wounded Warriors (military veterans.) For every 1,000 likes on their Facebook page, they donate a service dog to a war veteran. Right now they have a live puppy cam of Holly's Half Dozen. 6 adorable Golden Retriever puppies (their Momma has that awesome name Holly) that are being socialized and trained to be service dogs through Warrior Canine Connection. Sometimes these little fluff balls are fast asleep, other times they are getting into mischief but you can't not smile when watching it. Fair warning: do not put this up at work or you may not get much done! Please visit...

http://explore.org/#!/live-cams/player/service-puppy-cam
https://www.facebook.com/exploredogs#!/exploredogs
https://www.facebook.com/exploredogs#!/WarriorCanineConnection
A Warrior Canine Connection veteran gets a little
puppy therapy at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence. This picture makes
us crave some puppy therapy for ourselves.
Picture & quote taken from Dog Bless You on Facebook. Please go "like" their page so more Wounded Warriors can be blessed with a canine companion!
 
One of my all time favorite TV shows is coming to an end tommorow night and I am not sure what to do about it. The Closer might be your typical crime drama but what makes it special is Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson played by the wonderful Kyra Sedgwick. It doesnt hurt that in real life she is married to Renn McCormack (aka Kevin Bacon.) She brings complete authenticity to the role of a women in a male dominated field and owns it. I mean she really owns it! Chief Johnson can get just about anyone to admit to murder, while keeping a stash of chocolate in her desk drawer for stress relief. I am so nervous to see how they wrap up 8 seasons of such strong character development. I will really miss seeing Kyra each week in such an empowering female role. Thank you Kyra for giving us Brenda Leigh for as long as you have. Your Outstanding Actress Emmy award is deserved many times over. Do you have any favorite female lead characters that inspire you? 

You

8/4/2012

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As I evaluated life in my "Year of Turning 40" I was pouting about not having many mentors around me. Funny, since my career is all about mentoring. When I heard someone say they had a spiritual mentor or a professional mentor in their work place, I got a little jealous. Then I did some deeper thinking and came to the realization that it is up to me to seek out people I can learn things from. Duh..right? I have to admit that this is hard for me at times. I tend to hibernate often and get a little nervous in unfamiliar social situations. I get stuck in a rut. I have let quite a few meaningful friendships fade away because of that and I hold up my hand and take complete responsibility. With even mor deeper thinking (how deep can I go?) I came to understand that I do have mentors in my life and I need to cultivate those relationships more.  I am a master at excuses. Guilty as charged!   I have decided not to be so hard on myself, get out of my comfort zone and reach out more to people I admire and appreciate.  SO...be prepared people...be very prepared...you may be getting a call from me soon! (At least I hope I dont chicken out!) Scary I know! Do you have any life mentors? Who are they and how do they inspire you?