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Total Solar Eclipse!

Hello and Happy Eclipse Day! On Monday, August 21, 2017, North America will be treated to an eclipse of the sun. Anyone within the  path of totality  can see one of nature’s most awe-inspiring events. The path will stretch all the way from Lincoln Beach, OR to Charleston, SC. Make sure to wear protective glasses and have fun!  Maria

See Forever and Then Some

Hello friends, I thoroughly enjoyed today's warm weather in NYC. Brunch at the Meat Packing District, then The High Line then One World Observatory. Awesome Sunday excursion with family and friends. I hope you are all enjoying your summer. If you haven't had a chance just yet, you have about five weeks left!

Happy Fourth!

Three facts about Fourth of July 4 you may/may not know: 1. Independence Day is really longer than a day July 4 is the day we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but not all 56 eventual signers signed that day, few others signed the original a few days later on July 8 th . Most members of the Second Continental Congress did not sign the Declaration of Independence until August 2 nd . 2. Why red, white and blue? The common story is that the colors represent purity and innocence (white), hardiness and valor (red), and vigilance, perseverance and justice (blue). The colors of the flag, however, may simply have been chosen because it was designed after the British Union Jack. 3. Why the fireworks? Fireworks on the Fourth of July is a tradition dating back to 1777, the first anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. John Adams wrote in a letter to his wife that he wanted Independence Day to be celebrated with para

Gracias Abuelita!

To conclude Women's History Month...here's a shout-out to my Abuelita. At eleven years old when I read my first few romance novels – my grandmother’s Barbara Cartland collection – I was hooked. There was something magical about the stories and how they unfolded. What I didn’t know at the time was that my grandmother would be the reason behind my writing. “Speaking of romance,” my mother said over coffee one morning, “Your grandmother was quite the romantic writer.” “Grandma?” I shrieked. The reference caught me off guard, Grandma had been deceased for years and my mother rarely spoke of her. “Yeah” she answered. “Your grandmother wrote love letters to your grandfather when he was away on business.” “She did?” I never heard this before. “Yeah, didn’t you know?” Mom continued, “She placed first in a writing contest.” Love letters? Contest? Whoa. I had no idea. When I started to write romance in my twenties the genre fascinated me. Intrigued by such appeal I often questio

Malala Yousafzai -- International Women's Day, March 8th

Malala Yousafzai has never been an ordinary person. Malala began blogging when she was barely 11 years old. At the time she was writing about the Taliban takeover of her hometown of Mingora in Pakistan. The group responsible for the takeover followed an extremist version of Islam and believed girls should not go to school. Malala was very courageously standing up for girls right to education.  On October 9, 2012, the Taliban tried to silence her. A gunman boarded a truck that she and her classmates used as a school bus and shot Malala in the head. Malala survived the attack. The months following she showed remarkable strength and optimism during a long recovery. Since then Malala has become a symbol of the struggle for girls' rights worldwide. In fact, she delivered a powerful speech at the United Nations just nine months after the attack.  Two years after her ordeal, on October 10, 2014 Malala Yousafzai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Malala said the prize was an encou

The Enemy Within

Do you ask yourself, what keeps me from meeting my goals? Why do others achieve theirs successfully? Most of us have goals, big and small, but the most realistic goals in the world won’t materialize if you engage in self-defeating behaviors. So, what is self-sabotage? “Self-sabotage is when we say we want something and then go about making sure it doesn't happen.” ~ Alyce P. Cornyn-Selby In today’s business environment we’re “on” all the time. All eyes are on us to achieve or fail. It’s important that we don’t give in to negative feelings and risk spiraling out of control. If you’re self-sabotaging you’re not alone. Studies suggest that 85 percent of people engage in some form of self-sabotage.   Below are two of the most common behaviors: “If only…” We all have some regrets, whether they're about something we did (if only I hadn't dropped out of college), or something we didn't do (if only I’d ask for that raise). To dwell on these “if