Thankful Thursdays . . .

Happy Thursday guys!! I am working in LA today. The sun is peeking through the clouds promising to shed a little light and warmth on things, which I am grateful for. Life is good. ☺

What are you thankful for today?

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In Search of . . . Luminous Skin

Last Friday my sister-in-law and I spent a wonderfully relaxing day at Burke Williams Spa in Orange. I can not tell you what good it did my body, face, and psyche!!! I do not visit the spa often, but I have vowed to change that. During my visit I had the “Spa Style Facial,” which was my very first facial. I must say that I am H-O-O-K-E-D!!! My aesthetician, Kim, was one of the nicest, people I have ever met. She was uber-knowledgeable, friendly and encouraging. She even diagnosed an existing problem I had been having with my foot since the birth of my daughter! Anyway, armed with the knowledge she gave me, I re-embarked on my journey to luminous, blemish free skin. The image above represents my finish line. Just a little “visual” to keep my goal freshly in view.

On a side note, while I was searching for the credit for this image, I discovered that this is not even a real human being!! This image was created by The Ultimate Face a blog that compiles the features of different faces to, as they put it, “make one ultimate face.” Wow. This proves a point that is very close to my heart: Playing The Comparison Game is not an option!! As women, we really have to look within and find happiness and acceptance from ourselves first. It is always okay to invest in yourself by learning new things, strengthening your weaknesses and refining yourself, but to truly excel, you must love yourself first, and build on that.

Per The Ultimate Face, this image is a combination of: Jasmine Tookes as the base, Sui He’s eyes, Jasmine Tookes’ nose and Jourdan Dunn’s mouth. Ladies, take note: It took 3 professional models to make this face . . .

Image via The Ultimate Face

Duly Noted & Quoted: Happy Sunday, Everyone!

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HEY YOU!!!

Happy Friday, Everyone!! Have a great weekend! xo

Visit K. Barteski for more awesomeness!!

Weekend Whirlwind!!!

Handbag Designer Lab Event @ California Market Center

Me being interviewed by ABS-CBN TV

Happy Monday!! I had a great weekend, it was pretty full, but fun nevertheless! On Friday I attended a fantastic all day seminar/workshop for handbag designers here in Los Angeles. The event was put on by Gina Alexander, the wonderfully talented Los Angeles based photo handbag designer. There has never been anything like this event here in LA for the handbag industry, and I am so grateful to Gina, for this event. It was definitely a day filled with inspiration, information, and new contacts!! On Saturday Rob & I attended our nephew’s last home game as a senior for UCLA. It is amazing that Jerime is about to graduate and go off into man-dom. I can really see how fast time flies when looking at my nieces and nephews! On Sunday Rob and I attended a marriage class at our church before service. We have never done any type of class together before and it was really interesting and fun to discuss things that married couples face in their daily lives. The weekend seems one big blur right now, but I am really happy and filled up. Best of all, as I promised, I did not hide in any corners at any of the events I attended this weekend. I was a full and willing participant, and I found it easy to participate and be present in the moment. (I guess it helps when you actually have a desire to be there!) Anyway, I am taking each day of “reverse-introversion,” once step at a time. I hope you guys had a fantastic weekend as well. Where did your weekend take you?

Images courtesy of Gina Alexander

Embrace Your Individuality!

If there is one gripe I have in this life (and I try not to gripe often, really, I do)  it is that I truly want people to embrace their individuality.

I think this issue holds such a big place in my heart because it is something I struggled with in my younger years, and something I am still learning to embrace every day. (As a child and young adult I suffered from PLMS, also known as Please Like Me Syndrome. It is currently in remission, but I tend to have flare ups now and then.) It is also a necessary ingredient for self confidence, and even true happiness! I find that I am already gently reminding my children to remain true to themselves and to stop being so concerned with what others have. I do this by pointing out the wonderful qualities that they possess, and reminding them that the world is a much more interesting place because we are all bringing different things to the table. My philosophy boils down to this: God created each of us individually; one at a time, with wonderfully unique traits, physicalities, quirks, thought processes, likes and dislikes that are unique to us. Though we may share similarities with friends and family members, we are all individual works of art! Unfortunately, the world seems to suggest that conforming, and following are two really important characteristics to have. While I will agree, it is necessary to conform to laws, rules and regulations in order to keep things running smoothly, I disagree that we should “follow” and place so much attention on what celebrities, sports figures and even our friends are doing. The whole social media concept of “following” has it’s roots in looking to others for acceptance and approval. I sort of struggle with this daily, in trying to build my blog, and readership. I blog because I love it, even without a huge following. I love my readers and I am so thankful for all 16 of you! 🙂 And that is what this post boils down to. My message to myself and others is simply this: Be your own Master of Approval. If you believe in a higher power, as I do, seek your approval from God first! Once you have His approval and your own, acceptance and approval from others will just be icing on the cake! (and who doesn’t like a little icing now and then:)

Are you waiting for someone else to give you what you already have?

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