25 Intangibles That I Adore & Cherish About My Grama

Loretta Curry Miller 

February 4, 1924 - July 20, 2015

1. How she throws her head back when she laughs & how she laughed so heartily 

2. How she always said, "oh heck" to everything from a hangnail to burning something on the stove to not being able to figure out the answer to a crossword clue

3. How she shuffled & bridged a deck of cards so beautifully and how I tried to learn by mirroring her.  I still to this day do it backwards.

4. How she let us pinch the skin on the top of her hands and watch it slowly go back down and laugh about the lack of elasticity

5. How when we left her house, she ALWAYS said, "stay out of trouble." 

6. How when we said, "you stay out of trouble too, Grama" she would respond with a laugh and something like, "I can't make any promises." 

7. How she has a pegboard rack of jewelry and would try on necklace after necklace with us

8. How she always wore a fancy necklace with every outfit... Always!

9. How she always put on her pink or red lipstick after a meal, and then would drink coffee marking the mug with her lipstick

10. How she blew straw wrappers at us every time we went out to eat and then laughed about it...at every restaurant!

11. How she labeled every canned good she ever bought with the date she bought it

12. Her gravy at Thanksgiving (until I found out what was in it!) 

13. How she was a dreamer. She would tell me a story about how she used to climb up to the top of the silo on the farm where she grew up in South Dakota, just to see how far out she could see

14. How at age 17, she packed up and moved on her own from Elk Point, SD to SE Washington DC to work & live an adventure & how she walked to work a mile and a half in heels

15. How she taught us to serve by taking us with her to volunteer 

16. How every time I said, "Grama would you like to pray?" She'd excitedly say, "oh yes" and bow her head and put her hands together & wait for me to start it up 

17. How every Christmas morning she made delicious homemade cinnamon rolls (my mom still continues this tradition today)

18. How at 87 years old, she was excited to try sushi for the very first time and laughed all the way through attempting to use chopsticks and try all kinds of "things she didn't recognize." She may have used the chopsticks to poke things she didn't know!

19. How if you were bending over (even slightly) cleaning up or cooking or gardening or anything really, she'd smack your butt and say, "that was too easy" 

20. SuperBowl Sunday with my mom and Grama. For years, just the three of us girls would order more takeout than we could eat and watch the SuperBowl together. My Grama was a sports fanatic and those times were so special

21. How when I asked her once how she knew she loved my Grandpa, she said, "well we dated secretly at the office for a while, and well, he was nice." 

22. How she was fiery all the way to the end of her dash on earth. A couple months ago, when I was visiting and just asking her questions and not getting much response. But when I asked her, "you're still a rebel aren't you?" She immediately opened her eyes, looked at me square in the eyes with some fiest and winked! 

23. How she never complained and always found joy & laughter in her life, even after losing my Grandpa Jack and my Uncle Rob unexpectedly at way too young ages

24. How she inspired me to dream & set the stage for a legacy of dreamers to come 

25. How she always smiled...always...

These are just some of the memories I have of you, my sweet, rebellious, joyful, Grama Loretta Miller. You will always be in my heart. 

When you miss the cord

The other day I reached my hand for the cord to open the blinds and I missed! This was a first. I've never misjudged the distance between my hand and the cord to the blinds. In fact, it's almost become instinctual. Everyday I open the blinds and every night I close them. No big deal. And truly it's not a big deal that I awkwardly reached and missed, but since it was the first time it had happened, I noticed. 

Isn't that funny? A simple task, I do everyday, that I never paid attention too (until I missed the goal). A task that (for me) required minimal thought and definitely does not affect my future, unless you consider sun coming through the window and a lovely view, a long term benefit (I actually do!)

How often do we "miss" a goal or deadline in life? Or we don't say what we know we should have in a moment? Or we say something we know we shouldn't have said in a moment?

And then we focus on the miss, the mistake, the words that came out of our mouth. 

Instead, we should be focusing on what we do well, what we succeed at. What keeps us growing and moving forward.

I've opened the blinds hundreds of times, but the most memorable time is the time my hand didn't connect with the cord. 

Think about your day-to-day. How often do you praise yourself for something good? Even if it's as simple as complimenting someone on their shoes in the 60-seconds you have with them on the elevator? Or whether it's biting your tongue from saying what you really want to say to your co-worker who made the same mistake for the 3rd time this week? 

Such a simple "mistake" that really opened my eyes to how we view our everyday. 

Focus on what you've done well and let that attitude grow and prosper. We will all make mistakes, fall short, and disappoint each other. There's not really a way to get around making mistakes.. Unless you burrow yourself in and never expose yourself to people or challenges (and I would argue that decision itself, is a mistake).

I've made a million mistakes and I do not want too, but I am pretty sure I'll make more. I don't want to spend my life focusing on the 1/100 "miss of the cord." Instead I'd rather focus on the 99 times I open and close the blinds successfully. How about you?

Choose to stand up again, with confidence and attack what you know you are called to do. Don't be afraid of "missing the blind" or of making a mistake. Treat every mistake as a learning experience. Move forward. Forget the old; get on with the new. 

There's a huge world out there, waiting for you to take a few shots, miss a few shots, and sink just a couple. 

3 Ingredient Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This is the easiest soup you will ever make, aside from opening a can and pushing "start!" And.. You already know 2/3 the 3 ingredients!

In a stockpot, over medium heat, add 1 - 32 oz box of organic beef or vegetable broth and a 16 oz bag of broccoli. Cover and Bring to almost a boil.

Reduce the heat a couple notches and add in an 8oz bag of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Add in your favorite spices (but no salt). I used cumin, a salt-free ranch type mix, cumin & turmeric.  Cover and let cook for 5-7 min. 

If you have an immersion blender, use it, and leave some chunks of broccoli. If not, let cool a little bit and then use a regular blender. 

Enjoy! 

Nutrition per serving (based on 4 servings):

271 calories, 18g fat, 6g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 20g protein

A Crash Close to Home

In Gaithersburg, MD, small planes fly around all the time. I've always loved it, because I want to be a small planes pilot and own a plane so I can travel to visit friends and family on my own time ;-) 

On Monday, at 8:30 am, as I was walking up to a home in Gaithersburg, I looked up and smiled at a small plane flying close to the house. It was lightly snowing and it was beautiful. For some reason that day, the plane sighting was memorable & brought joy to my heart. It's probably because I was walking up to the home of one of my best friends, my confidant, my business coach, and now the mother-in-law of my favorite (and only!) brother Rob. Her name is Kristin. What better way to spend a Monday morning?

We packed up a rental truck for Rob & Tayden with beacoup d' wedding gifts, boxes, and furniture... My little brother, married... moving... and starting his life & business with his eternal partner, down in Wilmington, NC. It was an exciting day and a reflective day for me. 

Just before 11am, we had finished up loading the truck, and had gathered in the house to pray for Rob and Tay and their journey. As we are praying, I'm remembering when Rob was born (we're 7.5 years apart), I held him as a baby, I saw him go off to college, and saw him become a man... a married man, and I've seen him work his butt off as an entrepreneur. It was special & I'm so proud of him. 

As  we were praying, the family dog, Jake, was howling from outside, wanting to get back inside. It was different though. I think he may have heard the crash. 

It made us all laugh. We had no idea. I think I busted out laughing first, during Rob's prayer. I try to make a point to not laugh during prayer...unless it's just me and God. Me & God have the same sense of humor (that's probably true for you too!) and sometimes laughter is a part of prayer... but not usually in public. Ok, moving on...  

As Rob was praying, we also heard sirens. Actually, an abundance of sirens. I'm a former EMT, and as I'm hearing these sirens, I'm thinking, hmm... this is something big. I said a silent prayer for what was going on. We had no idea. 

We finished up our prayer, hugged, cried, and sent Rob & Tayden off to pack up more stuff at my parents house. Kristin and I stayed at the house and she showed me pictures from a trip she and her husband (and my other business coach), Terry, had just returned from. It was an all expenses paid trip to Vegas, paid for in full by the Amway corporation. She was showing me pictures and videos of some of their adventures, and we were just talking and dreaming about the future.

At the same time, less than a mile away, there was a tragedy unfolding. A small plane (the same type of plane that I'd been smiling at a couple hours earlier) lost control and hit a home, killing a mother, and her 2 young children, in addition to the 3 people on the plane. Looking back, we heard the response, and had no clue. 

We were praying; I was laughing... actually I think we were all laughing, I was just the one who couldn't keep it in! And we were sending my brother and his beautiful, new wife off to start their new life. 

It was less than a mile away from us. I mean we heard it. It could have easily been us. I'm not yet a wife, or a mother, and obviously I'll never be a dad, so I don't even know how to feel, respond, or even really speak on the subject. 

The only thing I can say is that we can't waste time. We are here for a mere moment. And in that moment, we must make a difference in other people's lives. Me must. We are all so capable of affecting others positively and stepping up to the plate. It could be financial, it could be time, it could be smiling and saying hello to someone at the grocery store. 

People everywhere are starving for positive attention (in my opinion!) There are so many times I simply ask people, "how's your day today?" I'm so amazed that most people I ask truly stop and say, 'thanks for asking, actually, x,y,z' And we connect. 

Let us be a people that loves on each other wherever we are. That we take each opportunity we have to inspire someone. That we take every moment we can to thank God for the blessings in our lives. That we live as if today makes a difference. It does. 

The outpouring of giving for the Gemmell family in financial giving has been incredible. Marie (wife), and their sons Cole & Devin are survived by Ken and their oldest child, Arabelle. Less than 48 hours after the incident, by the click of a mouse, a Good Samaritan initiated a response that has brought in over $322,000 in support. 

Please consider giving. 

And if nothing else, just be thankful for your family, your life and the impact you can have on your fellow man/woman.

Love y'all,

Monica 

Sent from my iPad

Please consider donating: http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2014/Fundraiser-for-Gemmell-Family-Raises-More-than-200000-in-Less-Than-24-Hours/

YOU ARE SO WORTH IT

I'm so thankful to be surrounded by dreamers on a regular basis. Sometimes we (dreamers) are outcasted or "sympathetically" patted on the back for thinking outside the box. 

If you don't know better, you'll listen to the 'committee of they' who don't mind going through life as if it's expected. 

Some of us like spontaneity & change and we must be in pursuit of something all the time. That's me. 

I can't stop thinking about my calling, about who I can help, about what I can do to help others live better. 80% of my thoughts go to the team of entrepreneurs I've been blessed to be friends with & the people I've been entrusted to help live better. 

This is for all y'all that have ever had a fear or a doubt, who want to pursue something better or who are in pursuit and sometimes need a reminder that what you are doing is good and will be worth it. 

WORTH IT 

It's harder than I thought 

(It's ok, it'll be worth it)

It's taking longer than I expected 

(Don't fear, it'll be worth it)

It seems impossible 

(No doubt, it's positively worth it) 

A lot of people laugh at my dreams 

(Oh.. than it's definitely worth it)

I'm not that special

(Yes, you are, you're so worth it)

Nobody gets me

(You're still worth it)

Do I have what it takes?

(Yes...you're totally worth it)

The price seems too high

(Nope, it's worth it)

Ok, Maybe I can do it 

(Yes, you are 100% worth it)

I believe I can

(Me too, you are so worth it)

I am pursuing my dreams

(Yes! It will be worth it)

Keep going no matter what the price, obstacle, or victory

(In the end the pursuit is so worth it)

 

Roasted pepper & tomato soup

Looks and tastes like a bisque, but it's true identity is all vegetables! 

This recipe was inspired by my dear friend Stefanie, who is always in pursuit of a delicious and healthy recipe! She mentioned roasting tomato and red peppers and I'm thinking, this must be tried!

Super easy:

Preheat oven to 375

Cube up a tomato, red pepper, 1/4 onion and place in baking dish with cooking spray, along with 2 garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Roast for 30-min. 

Take out of the oven and wait 5 or so minutes. Blend in blender with 1T olive oil and serve! This made 1-2 servings (depending on if it's a starter or an entree) 

This is the fastest soup I've ever eaten!

Ps. I used a yellow tomato (thanks to my friends Justin & Sara who spoiled me with farmers market tomatoes), so yours will probably be a little redder if you use regular tomatoes. 

Quote or Believe?

This photo reps one of the most commonly spoken out bible verses ever. If you believe in Christ or not, ask yourself this:

Do you honestly believe that you can do all that you want? 

That you can overcome "x" challenge? 

That you can step out and do what you were called to do?

Learned this yesterday from an entrepreneur who has what I want in terms of impact & a platform to help others. 

He said:

"People can quote everything, but believe none of it"

This challenged me.

I can quote, and "pin" and put up a good Facebook status like all of y'all. But the question is, do I really believe it for me? 

Oh, I believe it for you.

But today I had to humbly ask, 'do I believe it for myself too?'

We are all capable of reaching our dreams & goals. All of us. You are. I am. We just are. 

I can quote inspiration all day long & talk to you about being capable. I love it. But do I truly believe it? 

That's called eating humble pie by the way  

(and I promise, it doesn't taste like cherry or pumpkin pie!)

If you have been exposed to Philippians 4:13 before, how many of you have spoken it, but not really, fully trusted the projection? It reads, 

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

This promise and profession may have helped you through good, bad or ugly times. 

Or you may speak it, but it has no life. You share it with someone, but it has no meaning to you. 

No matter where you are or what you see your future to be...

Here is my challenge & battle cry for you and for myself:

I will be a better believer than quoter

A better doer than sayer

A better achiever than what-if-er

 

The choice is yours.