Music has always been a large part of my life. Growing up in North Carolina we never left for a vacation without packing my Daddy’s guitar, a mandolin and a harmonica. We would head to the mountains and sit on the porch overlooking the Blue Ridge Parkway and set about to makin’ music, mostly...
Teaching Teens “Intentions” Each of us as parents are faced with many challenges. For some it is a child born to us that has from the very moment of his or her existence a determination to explore and refusal to listen. Others still have the task of facing learning and other challenges. I have...
The month on March will be a great one this year…even on the 28th day. For that day will mark the anniversary of my mother’s death. For the first time in my 41 years living without her it won’t seem sad. I found...
Let it be known throughout the land that I do not like change! Let me remind you that I have worn the same wig since 1994 when I found it in Dallas as a red jacket with Mary Kay. I fell in love with the ease of snapping that on my head and looking...
My dear friends…promise me that during this lovely new year you will spend time with some “old folks” and little children. For it is with their company that you will gain the most knowledge concerning living a sweet and fulfilled life! Perhaps I know this having been raised by “old folks” and perhaps I...
Well now… how many of you are sitting with your presents wrapped and your hot chocolate in hand and wondering like me how did 2018 fly by here so fast? I am sure I am not alone in my feelings and as each year passes quicker I find myself feeling quite old. Used to...
Recently I was watching a show on the animal planet about animals that normally would not get along…getting along. There was the sleepy lionesses after a kill, lounging in the sunshine covered in pesky flies and their trusty friend the lizard gobbling them up. There was the great white shark and scores of other...
When booking luxury travel, there are several attributes that catapult the 5 stars of fine properties apart .Yes it’s their service and impeccable attention to detail that takes a property experience from a 4 to a 5+, but its also most often exclusivity by the way of seclusion, fine dining and opportunities...
Almost all of my job as a travel designer is to learn what your “Champagne Wishes” are and then find the perfect match in a plethora of choices for each client. You know when you go start to plan a vacation there’s a lot of stress. Budgets and...
You and I are nature. We are not some separate entity detached from it. We are in this world to make a positive impact and it is when we loose our consecutiveness to nature that we essentially loose ourselves and our purpose. I wrote earlier this year about the last of the white rhino...
Ask Auntie A: I have been struggling trying to pick out a perfect family vacation this summer that will be appropriate for all of my children. It is so expensive to travel with all of us and so disappointing if I don’t knock it out of the park with planning and activities. Last year...
Dear Auntie A: I am raising three boys and sometimes the task is quite daunting! It seems that no matter how often I remind them to say “yes Mam” when responding to me, they always seem to forget! Matters worse I am constantly reminding them to brush their teeth, pick up their clothes and...
Have you noticed how different a text or email is from an actual call or face to face conversation? Lately I have been especially keen to pay attention and try to add a nuance or three so that my communication is not misread or worse still misinterpreted! I am always cheerful when I meet...
Of course out was going to happen again….it seems like it is becoming our norm and that scares me. It should scare you too! What I am referring to is the latest massacre at the High School in Florida. At what point are we going to find the answers to the questions of...
Q. I am a father of three with my children ranging in age from 2-8. I have been teaching them manners ever since they were very little and sometimes they still forget the basics! What are in your opinion, the top 10 best manner practices for parents to teach their kids? I want to...
June HFM “GOOD TIMES” Q. Recently my daughter had a birthday party and she received quite a few gifts. Although she personally thanked each of her guests that day at the party, I have asked her to write each person and send a thank you note. I asked her a second time and she...
So recently I was visiting with some friends and the conversation turned to how much do you love yourself? Most of us do not love ourselves like we should. The amount of time we spend in our negative thought patterns really does effect our relationship with others and most importantly ourselves. Our thoughts...
This Harvey thing has been a real eye opener about humanity. We have as a society been caught up fighting over politics and dumb stuff and then along came a storm and washed us. Nothing is more important than survival and when that is threatened we stick up for each other and we...
How’s your Facebook lately? Been checking in on your Instagram? Has it just been my feeds or have you also realized that all those sites are starting to blend together and much of what is on there is nothing more than a place for our friends and family to show off? There are...
Friendship Booklets My Nana used to tell me that I would be lucky if I could count all my friends on one hand. That was true in middle school and college but as years have gone by and I have grown older, I have had and still have more friends than I can count...
