Old Friends, New Friends and family a successful weekend.

It’s been a regular event this year where I have had to think about our mortality.  This week another old friend past away I went through elementary, middle and high school with him.  He was a nice guy and even though it has been a while since I had talked to him, it makes you think how short life is and how we should enjoy every minute of the life we are given.  

With this on our minds we had drinks with some great friends and dinner with new friends. Reminiscing, catching up and just enjoy the company. It was a wonderful way to celebrate life. 

Sunday, I had 15 of my family for breakfast and then we all went to see the show home model of the house we are having built.  My son said “why are we doing this” I said “because they want to see what our new house looks like” his response “only in an Italian family do you pack everyone in a few cars and go look at a home”  I laughed and said yep we try to make everything a family affair and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

So drinks, and dinner with friends, breakfast and a field trip with family. although a star went out in the sky this week. With the love I felt over the last couple days, I would say that it was a successful weekend, full of laughter, memories and love.

Don’t take for granted a minute of your life.  Love, laugh, and create wonderful memories every day.

New experiences, bigger isn’t always better, peace and quiet.

First, I want to say that I am grateful that my husband has a job. As much as I hate his hours and hate how it beats him down, it does provide. And on weeks like this we get to reap the benefits with date night two weeks in a row. This week we thought we would try a couple of new things.  We had drinks at a new distillery The Mad Rabbit, in the neighborhood, really good whisky. They also make their own rum, vodka and Gin.  It was a very cozy neighborhood hangout, I notice quite a few people that came in the were recognized by name. Hard to find that now-a-days. I would definitely recommend it for a happy hour. We ended the evening with nice dinner and great theatrics at Benihana’s.  Bert had never been there, we sat with a young family watching the chef through the eyes of child and chatting with strangers really made the whole experience very enjoyable. 

We also realized this week that, bigger isn’t always better. With our new house being built we visited show homes to pick up some design ideas.  Most of the home were very large, very expensive and confirmed that the small home we chose is going to be perfect for us.  There was one home that I must say took my breath away, the indoor/outdoor space was outstanding but still not for us.

Lastly, Mass today was enlightening, and it’s a little ironic that I am writing about quiet and faith using the same technology that at times takes those 2 things out of our life.  The priest pointed out that in today’s world we are always being bombarded with noise, some good, some bad, but even when we are out on a walk we have things in our ears providing noise to our brains and how once in a while we should listen to the quiet that surrounds us.  God isn’t going to speak to us or guide us through our phones, our TV's or our computers, but he will seek us out in the quiet and peace of life.  After mass, we visited Mother Cabrini Shrine, it had been a while since we went up there.  It was calming, we sat, we prayed and we walked, and we did this without our phones or even much conversation.  We listened to the wind, the laughter of children running up the stairs and the quite that surrounded us.  No, I didn’t hear God’s voice guiding me, but I did feel an inter-peace and Bert and I left both know that our lives are good and we are going to be okay no matter what the world throws at us.

So, this week my wish for you all is a new experience, even if it’s the smallest thing like a smile from a stranger, it can change your life. I wish for you a balance of technology that seems to be a necessity in our lives and the quiet that we may ignore.  I pray that the quiet brings you peace, calms all your worries and allows you the time to reflect on all that is good in the world.

Peace to you all until next week.

Home ownership re-wind, "we have a hole" and re-programming my life long learner brain.

Yes, home ownership is back in our future. Renting and no maintenance has been nice, but with 3 new grandsons, I need to have room for them to come visit Nonnie, and Bert was needing to have home owner after his name and a 2-car garage again. It’s a nice little 3 bedroom, just right for this phase of our life.  It’s a brand-new home, so we won’t be moving until next April but this week they broke ground so now we have a hole, and I will keep you appraised of the progress.

Also, this week I started a new section of my class. Some of you may know that I am working towards becoming a certified luxury travel specialist. It’s been many years since I have had to study, keep notes and do book reports, so it’s been a slow process of retraining myself.  I passed my first course, selling luxury travel, which made me feel good and I had to do my first book report in years. Reading “The Millionaire Next Door” was eye opening and surprising, a good read for anyone interested in understanding the mindset of the wealthy.  As part of this course I must take some specialty destination courses and of course one of the destinations I choose was Italy.  Imagine that.  It’s seven parts and I finished the first part this week. Even though I do sell a lot of Italy trips, I think this is really going to be beneficial. 

I have always said that age is just a number but I never thought that at 57, a grandma of 3 and not to mention a little set in my ways. I would be back taking classes, and picking out colors and designing a new home.  Life little surprises….. More next week.

A Child's smile, tears for a freind and the love of a husand.

The smile of a child in the morning, is better than seeing the sun peak over the horizon. - Gina Kemper

It’s Sunday and I am back.

This week I was blessed to have our first overnight with my grandson, as his parents enjoyed some relaxation and well-deserved time off.  It was amazing seeing his face light up after a good nights’ sleep and seeing the expectation of the day to come.  We played, we ate, we shopped and we read. It was a wonderful way to spend a couple of days.  This time together also shows me how me what wonderful parenting my son and daughter-in-law are doing with their son and makes me proud that I may have had a hand in teaching my son some parenting skills.

This week also brought a loss of friend, although it's been a long time since high school, the memories created there are deeply embedded in our being. I am so blessed to say that my school years were filled with very happy memories and friends that will last a lifetime. We may not see friends from high school on a regular basis and maybe it's only being able to keep up with them on Facebook. But when one of your own leaves this world and at a young age. It makes you sit back and reminisce a moment, remember the smiles and laughter. So you shed a few tears, remember the good times and live your life knowing tomorrow's not promised.

We ended the week with a rare thing that we get to experience, a date night. It started with drinks and games at the Assumptions Bazaar. We saw friends and family while enjoying the music and a wonderful summer night.  Then it was Pizza and drinks at 3 Son’s Italian restaurant. There are many times as a wife of a night-shifter, that you sit alone, to have a date night like this occasionally, reignites the fire and helps you understand how important working on a relationship is, even if it is over 30 some years in the making.  You should never stop trying to keep the passion of love in your hearts.

I would like to shout out to me, as this week also brought 5 days of workouts, yes, I said 5 days of workouts. 3 in the gym and 2 walking over a mile while enjoying the company of my wonderful husband.  Waiting to watch the pounds fall off.

Have a great week my friends, I look forward to what the new week holds. 

Being Consistent and beginning again.

As most of you have notice writing consistently is not one of my better traits. With my business, my travel blog, gina'straveltidbits, (which hasn't fared much better) and life in general, I always seem to find an excuse to put it off until tomorrow.  Well tomorrow has come.

 Since my last post, I have become grandmother of 3 wonderful boys. Duke, Noah and Theo. They are all so different and changing everyday. Being a Nonnie is more than I ever dreamed of and has filled my heart with joy. It makes me feel close to God every time I get to see them.  It is so rewarding seeing my sons as fathers and the happiness they have found. My business is growing and for that I am so grateful, I am beginning to find my niche and am am currently taking a class on becoming a Certified Luxury Travel Specialist.  Our home has changed and our expectations have evolved. One thing that has suffered over the last couple of years, besides my writing, is my weight.  My son's Anthony and Nick are so health conscious and physically fit that it makes me see I need to start doing better.  I am envious how that is a priority in their life, so improving that starts today also. Wow, how life can change in such a short time.

So with this my first official personal blog of  2017, (yes a little late I know), I am going to write more consistently.  To own your own business, to be your own boss, to be a good wife, mother or grandma, or to be the best you can be, entails you to be consistent and disciplined.  Consistent in your ideals, in your goals, in your attitude and in your actions. Discipline to keep this consistency in all you do is what is what is gong to make you successful, loyal, trustworthy and eventually the best YOU.

Every Sunday from now on watch for my personal blogs as I review and look back on the good, the bad and the crazy of the week. Watch for my revelations and insights into my world and the world around me.  I hope to give you something to think about, something to laugh about, cry about and maybe something to help us all become better in whatever we are pursuing.

  “For changes to be of any true value, they’ve got to be lasting and consistent.”
-Anthony Robbins