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BLOG – GIFT DAY 327 :: a month of inspiration :: national adoption day

23 Nov

Today, in my month-long nod to inspiration, I share a new home.
For Miss Sadie and for others too.

Today was National Adoption Day.
While I know this day is meant to celebrate and create awareness for the adoption of foster children and young people finding their forever homes…

There is a place in my heart that is warmed because today Miss Sadie found her forever home too.

It was, of course, not easy to say goodbye to this sweet ball of lovable fur.

  

But we were beyond thrilled to introduce her to her new big brother, Wheeler!  Here’s Miss Sadie meeting her new family for the first time.

Her new home will be filled with lots of dog toys, playmates, and children’s laughter. We couldn’t be more pleased.

Even her new big sister squealed with delight when I asked what they would name their new puppy. With a big smile on her face she exclaimed, “Princess!”

Yet, tonight I’ve been restless. Brady is walking around the house lost, sniffing corners of the room looking for his little playmate. Pup is snoring and just plain happy to have his spot on the couch back.

But all my mind can process is, “How is she? How is it going? Is she okay?”

Ironic, really. Since Miss Sadie was only with us for three days.  We fed her six meals total for what will barely be a long three-day sleepover.

Just goes to show how long it takes for someone to enter your heart at breakneck lightning speed.

As I write this, the phone beeped.
We received a text just a moment ago.

From Sadie’s new family. They sent a family photo to us with a ball of black fur smack dab in the middle snuggled by little hands. “She is doing great” it says.

My heart skipped a beat. Somehow, something about this little text confirms what I already knew —  Sadie is in the right place, we did the right thing, and she has found her forever home.  What a gift!

I wish the same for the more than 100,000 children in foster care looking for their special place too.

Home is where the heart is. 
(And possibly a big ball of black fur with a white tuft on her chest too!)

More tomorrow.
Lovemore {fearless!}
Jamie

{#nationaladoptionday}

BLOG – GIFT DAY 326 :: a month of inspiration :: the power of puppies and water

22 Nov

Today, in my month-long nod to inspiration, I share some water and a bath.
Because it’s very powerful. 

Today, Justin spent most of his day fielding calls and making appointments for Miss Sadie, the visiting puppy that we are fostering for a while.

We think we have found the perfect “forever” family for her to meet tomorrow! Keep your fingers crossed and I will keep you updated.

In order to prepare for the big day…
Miss Sadie took a bath. 

If this were a movie, the mere sight of water would signal “change” and something new on the horizon. Usually it’s rain or an unexpected storm that interrupts the scene. For Sadie, it was a bath and a really fun shower nozzle that squirts water and was, by her standards, super! exciting! fun!

We hope the “water rule” of change and new life that it brings holds true and ushers Miss Sadie into her forever home. She sure smells good and looks the part of precious puppy.

As I uploaded photos tonight, I realized the very last one of her in the bathroom is blurry. To which Justin remarked:

“That’s what she will be, just a blur in our lives.” 

I had to nod my head and agree with a lot of hope in my heart.
And a smile on my face too.

Sadie has already taught me some pretty amazing lessons over these last 48 hours. We all need to feel safe, have a home, good food, fun toys, loving hugs, pats on the back, good boundaries, fair rules and friends to play with.  Oh yeah …and a great bathtub.

All that, just might be the definition of ABUNDANCE.

I will report back tomorrow!

More tomorrow.
Lovemore {fearless!}
Jamie

{wishing you abundance}

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BLOG – GIFT DAY 160 :: 30 days of love: eat off the fine china

9 Jun

It’s DAY 30 over here of the 30 Days of Love. We’ve already had two yummy recipes and a week-long Giveaway, some treats, a sneeze, some wise words to the Class of 2013, some news, a Pop Quiz, 3 things I love, a biopsy, a call to say what you need to say, a prayer, a choice, a reminder of home, a sunrise, a road trip, a little joy, looking for a rainbow, there’s something to love, put your emphasis on joy, on the road again, going home, take a deep breath, courage to follow through, make new friends, keep calm and carry on, and now…

Eat off the fine china.
Thank you for being with me for these past 30 days. Over this month I have shared many things with you, like:

– Lovemore+Fearless giveaway
– Our big move from Massachusetts to Oregon
– The cross-country drive with a few hiccups (bikes and alternators!)
– A biopsy
– My thyroid diagnosis

And, the most important part — 30 Days of Love.

Through it all, I have been reminded about a few important points about life:

1. Life is long, but shorter than we wish
2. Every region of this country is very different, but more alike than we think
3. Fear can be good, but we shouldn’t give in to it
4. Things are just things, so why not eat off the fine china?

I find myself in a new home and new town, with our old stuff.

We have precious items, like my mom’s jewelry box and Justin’s grandparent’s wooden blocks.

We have sentimental items, like the glass from New Orleans that we drank a frozen cocktail out of during our visit to Jazz Fest, and our collection of heart-shaped rocks from the beach in Scituate.

We have closets full of clothes: warm clothes, summers clothes, rainy clothes, you-name-it clothes.

We have lots and lots of things. But, we barely have any furniture. We have no pots and pans, or a dining room table, but we have plates.

That’s right.
We are eating off the fine china that my uncle gave me years ago.

noritake_shenandoah_5_piece_place_setting_P0000069255S0048T2

That’s what it’s for right?
Plates, platters, dishes, cups.

To be used.
To be enjoyed.
To make memories (albeit the everyday sort of memories in this case).

Why lock it up in a cupboard for SOMEday?
When you can use it TOday.

Picking up everything we own, actually touching it and moving it AGAIN, has made me remember that life is fabulously fun and amazingly precious.

Every single second of it.

Why not…
Say, “I love you” one more time.
Walk with the dog one more block.
Write a note by hand instead of an email.
Laugh out loud in a cafe when surrounded by strangers.
Make new friends by introducing yourself first.

And…
Eat off the fine china.

Whatever it takes to love each day a little more.

More tomorrow.
Lovemore {fearless}
Jamie

{why not?}

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BLOG – GIFT DAY 135 :: 30 days of love: something so powerful it had to…

15 May

It’s DAY 5 over here of the 30 Days of Love. We’ve already had two yummy recipes and a Giveaway underway!And, my love of today is this: 
The Story of the Lovemore+Fearless TeeJust in case you didn’t already hear all about it, I want you to know where this Tee comes from because it’s pretty powerful in a change your life sort of way…
It all started with a promise.Back in 2011, I made a promise not to shop for clothes or shoes for one entire year. What? Yes…no shopping, for the things I love, mind you.Over the course of that year I made a switch — instead of spending my money on my wardrobe, I invested in my head, heart, body and soul (and blogged about it every single day!).


This promise sent me to the spa for hot rock massages, on 30-day cleanse (where I discovered I was addicted to sugar, chocolate and coffee!) and into all sort of new adventures: facials, brazilian bikini wax, green smoothies, pilates, running, and a lot of learning.

I dove into the wisdom of ancient Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic treatments, Energy Medicine and many new ways of thinking about love, life and health. I sat before some of our great wise gurus, including: Deepak Chopra, Joan Borysenko and Donna Eden.

Soon, I learned they were all teaching the same thing. There are only two forces in this world – love and fear. With this incredible insight I made my next promise, (can you guess what it was?) to LOVE more and to FEAR less.

The following year, I dove deep into my fears and embraced them with LOVE.

I swam with sharks off the coast of Burmuda, we rafted the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon where I slept next to spiders and scorpions and all sorts of freaky looking bugs.

I traveled to Paris and threw my wedding rings from a previous marriage into the fountain of St. Sulpice. I removed the things that were holding fear inside of me.

And that’s why I created….

The LOVEMORE+FEARLESS TEE.

It came from a promise to change my life. To face my fears. To love and live with joy and abundance.

And NOW, you can win your very own LOVEMORE+FEARLESS TEE this week in my daily giveaway.

>Sign up at this link

Love on!

More tomorrow,
Lovemore (fearless),
Jamie

P.S. I still make promises, but now I am committed to helping you make promises too. Sign up for your personalized promise at http://www.thepromisedaily.com
{What are you waiting for?
Is it your chance to win?}

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Day 364: Dear 2012 :: Forgive. Forget. Forge Forward.

31 Dec

We are on our way to New York City…
To Times Square….
To watch the ball drop us all into the wee hours of 2013.

champagne, new year's eve, thepromise365.com, jamie eslinger

It makes me realize there are so many things that run on auto-pilot until something comes along forcing us to snap out of it!

New Year’s Eve is one of those moments.

It’s one of those “snap out of it” things — forcing me to look into the oncoming year and vow to make it better, faster, smarter, bigger, more ____________.

It’s also what allows me to look with eyes wide open into the mistakes of my past.

Which brings me to this:
I messed up.
I made a mistake.
I lost track.
Oops.

Here it is, the last day of 2012….
In a Leap Year…
Which should have 366 days…

And the top of my blog says Day 364.

How did that happen?
Where did I go wrong?
What part of auto-pilot didn’t work?

I spent a few minutes looking back over my posts and can’t find the offending days that decided not to show up.

In the middle of my frantic research I realized I could spend another year investigating, beating myself up, and questioning the issue…

Or I could Cowboy Up and move on.

I chose the latter.

Why?
Because, after spending an entire year learning to fear less and love more, I have learned something so precious and sacred.

It is this:

We all deserve love.
And we all make mistakes.

Nobody’s perfect.

Sometimes it’s the imperfections that create the biggest lessons, best character, and most surprising moments.

Sometimes it’s the unplanned plans that lead to the most perfect path.

Sometimes, it’s not worth questioning what should have been, might have been…
Should have…
Would have…
Could have….

Sometimes the best action is just to move forward — from where you are. And, that, I believe, may be the most fearless act of all.

So today is Day 364.
In a year of 366 days.

In a way, I like keeping a spot for two extra days, holding a flame, and an unwritten page for the gift we are all given — time.

Speaking of Father Time — he’s calling my name.
Yours too.

Because I think we’re really going to make it through 2012, despite what all the Mayans and naysayers seem to believe.

So I will say it now…. Happy 2013.

Let’s move Fearlessly Forward despite any of the mistakes, messes or miscalculations.

Let’s leave the “oops” behind.
Forgive. Forget. Forge forward.

All my love,
xo~Jamie

Jamie_Photo_Signature

P.S. Tomorrow is a new year and a new promise — and I can’t wait to share with you!! Plus, this next year, you can join in here.

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Day 362: what a tweeze

29 Dec

Sometimes the oddest gifts…
are so cherished.

Like my brand new Christmas tweezers.

tweeze, thepromise365, jamie eslinger

Who knew it would come down to this?

It’s hard to imagine there could be a time in a woman’s life when a pair of quality tweezers is a necessity, a prized possession, a good friend.

As a child, I remember my mother kept a pair of tweezers in her makeup bag and I often thought, “What are those for?”

In my young life tweezers were a necessity for an errant splinter — only.

As a towheaded child (not two-headed child, mind you) with blondie shades of hair and barely a set of eyebrows above my lids, I didn’t understand the need for a quality pair of tweezers — let alone an emergency pair of tweezers kept in a woman’s purse.

Then I turned thirty.
And hair sprouted from the most unexpected place on my face …my cheek.

My cheek?
How could this be?
Why did this happen?
MAKE. IT. STOP.

Then I turned thirty-five and finally succumbed to the fact that it was never going to stop.

Which is just a long story to tell you why I LOVE my new pair of tweezers that Santa brought me. They are a prized possession. A good friend. A necessity.

If you were to ask me what I got for Christmas this year, I might show you my new, shiny red ring. Or my fabulous new sweater. Or that awesome new coat and gloves.

But, deep down inside, if I had the honesty of a six-year-old, I would show you my new pair of tweezers.

Much like when I asked Justin’s little six-year-old niece what gifts she received for Christmas.

Despite her brand new American Girl doll, fabulous new pink, play tent, new Barbie Doll, and a balloon rocket launcher, she replied:

“A garbage can!”

That’s right, a garbage can.
It was something she really wanted for a long time.

True gifts can come in the strangest packages. 

Like garbage cans.
And tweezers. 

___________________________________

My Gift To You

the promise daily, the promise 365

The Promise Daily is a little inspiration and a kick in the pants! (In the most loving way.)

Because you have goals — and I want to help you stick to them.

All you have to do is sign up here.

The Promise Daily officially starts on January 1st, but you can sign up now.
My gift to you!

xo~
Jamie

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Day 361: dream more

28 Dec

Dream more.

A good friend sent this to me recently, and tonight it caught my eye.
Again.

dream more, the promise 365, jamie eslinger

Because it’s that good.
And it’s a good reminder of everything I’ve been working on this year.

Dream more.
Complain less.
Listen more.
Talk less.
Love more.
Argue less.
Hope more.
Fear less.
Relax more.
Worry less.
Believe more.
Doubt less.
Play more.
Work less.

How about you?

2013 more.
2012 less?

___________________________________________

(And, in case you’re wondering what to do next year…)

Your Fearless New Year

the promise daily, the promise 365

The Promise Daily is a little inspiration and a kick in the pants! (In the most loving way.)

Because you have goals — and I want to help you stick to them.

All you have to do is sign up here.

The Promise Daily officially starts on January 1st, but you can sign up now.
My gift to you!

xo~
Jamie

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Day 360: 725 reasons to stick with it

27 Dec

Today marks my 725th blog post.

That’s 725 days (in a row!) of keeping my promise.

Whenever I hit a milestone like this I think, “Wow.”

And then, before I know it, I hit another milestone and think, “How.”

I’ve come to believe that it’s all in the promise. 

Because promises are sacred.

This year my promise has been to love more and fear less.  It has sent me on adventures forcing me to face my fears head-on, including spiders and scorpions and all the creepy crawly things that use to make me scream. That includes the creepy crawly things in my  heart.

More than anything I have learned the incredible depth of love.

heart

The surprising aha for me?
Learning true love is a more difficult lesson than facing my fears. I don’t mean the kind of woo woo, fairytale, dreamy love. I mean the transformative kind.

So, after all this time, I finally realize that it all comes down to two things:

Boundaries and forgiveness.

  • Boundaries: just a fancy word for self respect.
  • Forgiveness: a state of mind to let love in.

To that I say….
Let love rule.

Oh, yeah… and a happy 725 days.
xo~
Jamie

P.S. Don’t give up!

__________________________________

Your Fearless New Year

the promise daily, the promise 365

The Promise Daily is a little inspiration and a kick in the pants! (In the most loving way.)

Because you have goals — and I want to help you stick to them.

All you have to do is sign up here.

The Promise Daily officially starts on January 1st, but you can sign up now.
My gift to you!

xo~
Jamie

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Day 359: and a fearless new year

26 Dec

Christmas is over.
The year is winding down.

Which makes me wonder…
Where did the time go?

And then I remember the good news…
We have an extra day this year.

Who cares if that extra day was in February?
We still have time to celebrate …right?

And, what better way to celebrate an old year than to make plans for a New Year.

It’s time to start over.
Hit the restart button.
Do a redo.
Begin again.

I love the sound of that.

It’s time to start over!
Hit the restart button!
Do a redo!
Begin again!

I, for one, want more abundance.
What do you want more of or less of next year?
What will you do different?

xo~
Jamie

___________________________________

My Gift To You

the promise daily, the promise 365

The Promise Daily is a little inspiration and a kick in the pants! (In the most loving way.)

Because you have goals — and I want to help you stick to them.

All you have to do is sign up here.  The Promise Daily officially starts on January 1st, but you can sign up now.

My gift to you!

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Day 358: 12 days of christmas :: the best gift of all

25 Dec

Today I found out some good news.
I have a brand new baby nephew in my family!

Just in time for Christmas.
And it’s times like these that remind me what “Christmas” is all about.

Like:

Great moments with family…

Fran_Jamie

A table to gather around….

table, christmas, the promise 365, jamie eslinger

Beautiful and thoughtful gifts…

mittens

Toys that fly…

helicopter

And the best gift of all…
Is always the thing that I can’t see, touch, hold or unwrap.

It comes in a memory or a moment.
It finds me with a smile, a chuckle or a tear.

It’s remembering the ones that can’t join or sit around the table. The ones who are remembered, forever loved, never forgotten and always by our side.

Tonight, I was reminded of this as we watched the John Edward Christmas special The Five Live.

Because while not all the ones we love are with us — they are always with us.

We are never alone.
And that’s the best gift of all. 

Merry, merry Christmas.

Lovemore,
Jamie

__________________________________

My Gift To You

the promise daily, the promise 365

The Promise Daily is a little inspiration and a kick in the pants! (In the most loving way.)

Because you have goals — and I want to help you stick to them.

All you have to do is sign up here.  The Promise Daily officially starts on January 1st, but you can sign up now.

My gift to you!

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