It’s been several weeks since returning from my family trip to the Bahamas and my tan faded long ago. But apparently I needed a vacation from my vacation because I caught a cold right after returning from my trip. I’m finally feeling much better and am getting caught up.

My parents took me and my husband, my brother, my sister-in-law, and my twin 12-year-old nephews on a Disney cruise. While I could’ve done without all the Disney characters and crazy crowds/kids (I’m not a cruise lover and yes, I suppose I rubbed elbows a bit with Grumpy dwarf), there were some nice highlights from the vacation. Some of my favorite memories included:

• Spending time with my whole family. Growing up, we hardly ever went on vacations with my parents, my brother, and me altogether (since I’m 9 1/2 years younger than my brother). So, it was nice to have a big trip with all of us.
• Hanging out with my twin nephews. They’re a hoot. They loved playing games on our iPad and iPhones and they were always cracking me up.
• Lounging around on floaties with my hubby in the beautiful Blue Lagoon. I could’ve stayed there all day!
• Escaping to Serenity Bay, the adult’s only area on Disney’s private island Castaway Cay. The rest of the island was an absolute madhouse, but this secluded section was pretty deserted and oh, so gorgeous with its clear turquoise waters.
• Seeing a screening of Toy Story 3 in 3D on-board the ship. The movie was so cute!
• Taking a “how to draw Goofy” class (that’s me above with one of my nephews and my sister-in-law sketching away)
• Dining at the Palo adults only restaurant on the last night. The food was absolutely amazing!! And there are my parents below enjoying a delicious dessert.

The trip came and went so quickly and I can’t believe it’s already July. It’d be fun to do another big family trip again. Maybe next time we’ll do it old school and rent a house in Mammoth during the summer.

Thanks mom and dad, for a great and memorable family vacation!

At the end of April, I took a short, spontaneous trip up to Seattle to visit with some dear friends from the leadership program I went through in 2004. Fiona was visiting from London for a weekend retreat, so I flew in to stay with her and Lisa for some much needed “beauty” time. These fabulous ladies inspire me to no end.

The last time we were together was at the end of April 2008 in London.  I really love how we continue to keep in touch and support each other. Next on our list is a reunion with all four bellas in Brussels where Tina lives.

I was happy that I also got to squeeze in a lunch with my former Ladies Who Launch leader friends, the uber talented Melody Biringer (who is on the cover of the latest issue of Seattle Woman) and the super savvy Hazel Grace Dircksen of Socialbees. More inspiring women!

Thanks to the support of my girlfriends, I was finally initiated into the world of premium denim! Woohoo! I even had buying a pair of designer jeans listed as a goal/reward, so I can now happily (and fashionably) check that off the list. And I had my first reflexology treatment, too! Very relaxing.

While the trip was much too short, I enjoyed every rejuvenating moment of pampering and connecting and can’t wait to visit with them again!

Photo by Brian Ng

Last week, Brian and I traveled to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Brian shot a wedding and I was lucky enough to tag along for the ride! While it was cloudy and rainy for most of the time we were there, I still enjoyed a nice getaway and some much needed rest and relaxation.

The morning of the wedding, the bride had arranged for a group yoga class at Yoga by the Way with the fabulous owner Ellen de Jonge. Ellen had a great sense of humor and led a wonderful Vinyasa class. I loved it so much that I made sure to get one more class in before we left! Definitely check out her studio if you’re ever in the area.

The wedding was fun and the couple topped off the night by jumping into the pool along with their entire wedding party! How’s that for taking the plunge?!

Speaking of taking a plunge, I got soaked in a torrential downpour walking back from yoga sans an umbrella. Brian shot some video of the crazy rain storm.

While Brian worked off and on, I used the rainy day time to catch up on some writing and sketch in my Art Every Day Month mini-journal. I’ll post some of those photos soon. Hasta luego!

Photo by Shiny Heart Ventures via Flickr

Last Sunday, I presented the Right-Brain Business Plan in a breakout session at the Creativity in Business Conference in D.C.  I had so much fun getting to learn and play with so many creative, innovative people.  Michelle James, the conference founder, did a magnificent job bringing together a community of entrepreneurs and professionals who are bringing positive change to the world of business.  There were experts in creativity, storytelling, business improv, right-brain/left-brain thinking, social media, conscious capitalism and so much more.

You can read my recap of the conference here, including some notes from the sessions I attended.

Photo by Shiny Heart Ventures via Flickr

I had a blast with my breakout session.  The participants were great sports, jumping right into the experiential activities and sharing with each other.  I love seeing how energized people get when they really resonate with their business vision and are inspired to move into action.

I am so glad that I said “Yes!” to Michelle’s invitation (via Twitter!) to fly out to D.C. and present.  This was one of the most engaging and authentic conferences that I’ve been to and I connected with loads of awesome people who also want to make a difference in business.

To get a feel for the energy and positive vibe of the event, check out this awesome slideshow.

Following a brilliant night of creative visions at the Dream Box workshop, I had another fantastic day in D.C.  I took my second yoga class at Tranquil Space and then strolled around Dupont Circle enjoying the sunshine and soaking up the local neighborhood character.

That afternoon I met up again with creative beauties Ana, Lauren and Chai to check out the Crafty Bastards art fair.  We had a great time admiring all of the amazing handcrafted goodies.  I picked up a cute felt necklace by Jenny Wren for myself (I’m wearing in the photo below).  I also loved seeing these items: a super cool chain necklace laden with little handbound books from The Black Spot Books and Rania Hassan’s unique paintings that incorporated 3-D knitted pieces – so clever!

In the evening I had the chance to meet up with the lovely Ananda, another creative beauty.  We enjoyed a great conversation and yummy dinner at one of Ananada’s favorite local spots, Teaism. I felt so blessed getting to connect with so many of my online blogging friends in-person during this trip!

Then on Sunday I headed to Georgetown for the Creativity in Business Conference to lead my Right-Brain Business Plan breakout session and commune with other creative spirits.  What an awesome trip.  I look forward to returning to the capital city again for more fun, creative adventures.

I’m loving my visit to Washington D.C. so far!  Today was filled with dreamy and inspiring adventures.

I kicked the day off with yoga at Kimberly Wilson’s gorgeous studio Tranquil Space.  The class was challenging and grounding.  Just what I needed to decompress from all the travel.  I love the quote on the wall of the yoga room.  The studio is brimming with so many beautiful details like the gold stars on the floor…

And a yummy selection of tea.  I could’ve stayed in the studio the whole afternoon browsing the book shelves and admiring all the TranquiliT wear!

Later on in the day, I met up with a friend that I hadn’t seen in more than 15 years (gotta love Facebook for that!).  She’s doing really awesome and inspiring work with animals and I really enjoyed catching up with her.  I’m so glad that we reconnected!!

In the evening, I went over to Kimberly’s pink palace to lead my Dream Box workshop with a group of wonderfully creative women.  It was so cool to meet a bunch of people in person for the first time and also to see some familiar faces from Kimberly’s March yoga retreat.  There’s Tiffany at the left, Kimberly, Chai, Ana, Lauren and Sharon.

Here’s Sharon with her twin sister Sherry.  They both have the most endearing laugh.

Hope brought some of her Paper Relics goodies which the girls just ate up!  Next to her is the Danielle who took my Right-Brain Business Plan teleclass earlier this year, so it was cool to meet her in person.  And next to her is Lauren who made the super cool mobile Right-Brain Business Plan.

Kimberly’s cat Bonnard was hilarious.  He got cozy on the magazines and stared us down as we crafted and collaged.

Aren’t these dream boxes lovely?  One of my favorite things is seeing how unique and beautiful each person’s boxes and dreams are.

Here’s another dream box.  On the inside of the lid behind the window she collaged a garden.  What a great idea!

And here I am kickin’ it with Kimberly after my huge post-workshop TranquiliT shopping spree!  Thank you Kimberly for being a wonderful workshop host and a big inspiration.  I’m looking forward to another amazing day in D.C. tomorrow.

What a treat it was to visit Leah in Boston this past weekend.  She’s such a sweetie!  Not only did I have a blast co-leading our Creative Play workshop with her, I really enjoyed just hanging out, meeting her great hubby and her cute kitties and getting the local’s tour of the city.

On Friday, we walked around Newbury Street.  I wanted to check out OAK which had lots of cute handmade goods.  We also stopped into the Fluevog store and Leah scored some super awesome turquoise shoes!  So cute!  I tried on a bunch of pairs, but alas, the boots I wanted didn’t quite work out for me.  I will continue coveting .

We also went to the art store and I asked Leah to give me some expert advice on supplies.  I picked up a quill and some ink to play with — fun!

One of my favorite parts of the trip was getting to see Leah’s art up close and personal.  If you think her paintings look beautiful on her website, you’d be blown away at how gorgeous the colors, layers and textures are in-person.  I spent so much time just poring over all her amazing art!  I knew I wanted to buy something, but it was really hard to choose.  I ended up getting the cool mixed media piece above called Blackbird Forest.  It feels so quiet and serene to me and I love that she used some Asian newsprint for the background.  It fits in nicely in my dining room.

Leah surprised me with this darling “yoga Jenn” painting.  I absolutely love it!  And it’s perfect on the altar in my yoga/meditation room.

After seeing several cuddling cat photos on Leah’s blog throughout the years, I enjoyed finally getting to meet the four meows.  Tabbers is certainly a character!  Even though I’m allergic to cats, I couldn’t resist petting him especially when he would just come and plop himself on my lap.

Sadie snuggled up with me for a bit on the couch when Leah and I watched Glee.

Here’s Emma hiding away in an empty moving box.  Shy Sasha remained elusive during the kitty photo shoot.

And can you believe this gorgeous pond is within walking distance of Leah’s beautiful new house?! A hike through the woods on Sunday was the perfect end to a perfect trip.  Thanks Leah for being the hostess with the mostess!  I look forward to your visit out here when we bring Creative Play to the Bay Area — woohoo!

I had so much fun in Boston this past weekend visiting with Leah Piken Kolidas.  Our Creative Play workshop on Saturday was a blast and it was such a treat to finally meet so many creative souls and online friends in-person.

Carolyn Rubenstein of A Beautiful Ripple Effect and her co-worker Whitney got crafty.  I was so happy to have Carolyn sign my copy of her new book Perseverance.

I met Kerry and Dayna on Facebook through my Right-Brain Business Plan page and was thrilled to hear that they were coming!

Creative goddesses Julie and Margaret collaged up a storm.

Leah’s friend from high school, Judean, joined in the fun, too!

There’s Mindy Tsonas of Wish Studio in the gray next to Janet O’Connor of Dolci.  Mindy shared a bit about Saturday here.

After the workshop, Mindy, Melba McMullin (who braved a hellish commute from Cape Cod), Leah and I did a road trip up to New Hampshire to catch the Squam art fair.  I’ll share more about that exciting adventure later!

Here are the pieces that I put together.  We used small cards to encourage quick collaging.  Since we gave permission to be messy and silly and to make bad art, I found it so much easier to make some wacky things that I probably normally wouldn’t do.  It didn’t need to make sense or look good, but boy did some of my images make me laugh!

I have much more to share about my trip, so stay tuned.

Last week I was in New York for Book Expo America, the largest trade show of the publishing industry.  For this first-time conference attendee and aspiring author, the show was overwhelming but also quite educational and inspirational.  I learned about and met various publishers and got a better sense of what goes on in the professional world of books!

I picked up several advanced copies (one of the show perks!) and I’m excited to dig in.  Plus, I got a sneak-peek at some cool titles coming out this fall including: Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey and the Craft Inc. Business Planner by Meg Mateo Ilasco.  Definitely check these out!  I was drooling.

I was so busy wandering the halls and soaking it all in that I didn’t get to any of the seminars.  Heard there were some good ones on social networking and e-books/Kindle.  During my roaming, however, I happened to bump into the brilliant and witty author Karen Salmansohn who I saw speak last year at a Ladies Who Launch event for her awesome book Bounce Back.  She was tremendously helpful and offered valuable feedback and insights into some of my projects.  I am so grateful!  Plus it was fun to see her in action giving love advice for her new book, Prince Harming: Break Bad Relationship Patterns for Good Using the Timeless Secrets of Aristotle. Man, this woman is sharp and hilarious!

My friend Cami Walker’s forthcoming book 29 Gifts: How One Month of Giving Changed my Life was featured at the Perseus Books booth.  I loved reading an excerpt from the samplers they had out and loved seeing her book cover (different from these samplers) displayed on a big screen at the booth, too.  She has an amazing personal story.  I’m thrilled for her, her book and her giving movement.

And not only did I get to hang out with my college roomie, Matea, in Brooklyn before the show, I also got to reunite with my friends Rae, Moon and Lesley from Kimberly Wilson’s March Hip Tranquil Chick Retreat.  Lesley was actually at BEA as well representing the Girl Scouts.  I was impressed by the programs and accompanying books they have for helping young girls build leadership skills.  Things sure have changed since I was a Brownie!

I’m still integrating all that I learned from my research, the contacts I made and the guidance from my book coach.  And I’m extremely excited about the next chapter of my own book ideas!

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending Kimberly Wilson’s Hip Tranquil Chick Retreat in New York.  Two-plus days full of creativity, yoga, journaling, meditation and lots of other yummy activities – who could ask for more?  Oh yeah, and some retail therapy (Kimberly brought pieces from her spring line of TranquiliT eco-clothing) so, of course, I had to pick up a few things!

I took Kimberly’s Yoga and Creativity workshop in San Francisco last year, so I enjoyed getting a whole weekend to bask in the hip and tranquil lifestyle!

There was a dreamy library brimming with books written by women.  I loved how there were lots of cozy corners in the farmhouse.  My intention for the weekend was self-care, so I went to bed early and slept in late and took every opportunity to nourish myself.

On Saturday night we made vision boards while watching Sex and the City.  It was lots of fun!  On the floor in the front, there’s Mary Knebel founder of Self Help Goddess, a website that brings together the best of self-help resources.

Kimberly invited me to lead a section of the retreat.  I guided the group through a visualization to meet their Inner Muse and we broke out the crayons, markers and glitter glue to create Inner Muse portraits.  What a treat to see the creativity flowing and to hear some of the personal discoveries.  Thanks, Kimberly for an amazing opportunity!!

Lesley Williams from the Creative Cookie and I paired up to discuss how we can improve aspects of our “Wheel of Life.”  It was great to share ideas for living a healthy life!

Kimberly had us do our vision boards on folders.  What a brilliant idea!  My vision board focused on finishing my book and book proposal with ease and flow. So many ideas bubbled up for me during this retreat and I’m excited to start working on them.  Also, participating in this retreat and getting to lead a couple of hours helped underscore for me my goal of leading retreats for women in the future.

Me with Kimberly Wilson and Sharon Burton

I had a blast getting to chat with Kimberly throughout the weekend.  And I was thrilled to finally meet my blogging buddy Sharon Burton in person!  We’ve been connecting on Twitter, Facebook and our blogs for some time and Sharon’s also taking my Right-Brain Business Plan Teleclass, so it was really cool to hang out with her!

And here are all the magnificent ladies!  I met such cool, amazing and inspiring women and I’m really excited about what they’re up to!

If you’re wanting to go on retreat either away or for a few hours at home, check out Jennifer Louden’s The Women’s Retreat Book which offers some great suggestions for designing your own personal getaway.  I highly recommend going on retreat at least once a year to clear your head and to relish in relaxation and rejuvenation.

(Note: last five photos are from Kimberly Wilson and Sharon Burton).