Hi Friends :)
Anyone been on any vacations lately??  I have!  And it's been fabulous to spend time with some wonderful and inspiring ladies along the way.  Just a shout out to all the hardworking career women and moms I've been privileged to spend time with over the last couple months.

**Palm Springs was gorgeous, even in the rain, and I found lots of restaurants, waiters, and cooks who were willing to cooperate with all my special foodie needs.  They don't know what it means to me to be able to eat food and not stress about the content.  Thank you!!  My teacher friends and I had fun as we hit up the local shopping and nightlife. 

**Santa Barbara was just so wonderful... more rain - what is up?- but the shops, wine tasting, sights, sounds and food of SB make me want to get back there asap!  I've never spent time there and it's such a great place.  Props to my friend Tanya for planning the whole thing.  The combination of women included teachers, a fashion designer, a marketing guru, and others involved in making the world a better place in various ways.  With all our combined powers, we could probably take over the world ;) 



**My mom was in town!  So more Palm Springs and fun times showing her around.  I feel so lucky to have the time to explore and discover all the cool things to be found in SoCal.  We had mom-daughter time by the pool and sunny warm weather.  Can't ask for much more :)

With all these good times and fine wines... it's really time to hit the gym.  I've been lifting and hiking lately, but it's also time to clean up my diet.  If you haven't checked out Tosca Reno and her Eating Clean revolution, you gotta check her out!  She's such inspiration, and her website is FULL of great advice and recipes.
http://www.eatcleandiet.com/

Another lady who has really been inspiring to me is Katie Halchishick.  She founded "Healthy is the New Skinny".  http://healthyisthenewskinny.com/

What a positive message!  I love it. She is truly a beautiful woman and promoting such a valuable lesson.  Read about her in Teen Vogue:
http://www.teenvogue.com/beauty/2011/12/healthy-is-the-new-skinny#intro

Another shout out to my book club :)  We call it "BINE" night, and truly, more wine than book... but nevermind - we have a good time!  Ah.... to be a fly on THAT wall.  You all wish ;)  We are a combined force to reckon with!


And isn't this a GREAT pic of what supermodels look like in real life?!?  I'm in LOVE with it.  We all know that Photoshop is a reality in magazines and publications, but it's fun to see these ladies in all their un-retouched glory ;)

Another lovely lady is my Boston Terrier Porkchop. Here she is - wishing you all a Happy Easter!  She's still finding eggs around the house :) 

 So there's some fun happenings and lots of stories of women being awesome and making a difference.  Enjoy your day and stay balanced!  Don't forget to make time to spend with those who inspire and energize you.

Cheers!
-Andrea