a report: the good karma gift swap

the darling kaileen elise hosted the good karma gift swap in order to celebrate february with love & shared goodness.  what a treat it was when this package arrived on my doorstep

i feel so blessed to report on the goodness that was sent to me by the lovely elisse, of fürelisse. it was a delivery of abundance straight out of british columbia, canada!

the first peek of the package looked like this:

i was so delighted by the shining, golden beautifully wrapped gifts within! her handmade card & lovely tags guided me straight into the goodness.  you'd have thought it was christmas morning, i was squealing like a little girl!  this package just made my day! here are a few other peeks:

each of the themes was represented to perfection! it was a creativity, calm, celebrate, and comfort filled package, indeed! once all the gifts were unwrapped and unveiled, each of the beautiful tags was tucked away for a rainy day.

 

golden paper making supplies, travel soy candles { w/sinternational scents}, delicious tea, and a special keepsake box for momentos of my golden year...a gorgeous hand made card & gift tags to please...i am so thankful for your kindess, elisse! you are the bee knees!

and...

upon reflection of the whole process, and now that kiki @ yogademia has gotten her package, i can share the wisdom i learned from this swap.

when i was putting together my package for kiki, and unwrapping my package from elisse, i found joy in the simple graciousness of giving from the place of abundance, out into the unknown of this big wide world.  

i wrote in a card to kiki:

"it is all in good faith that you will use these gifts to remind you of the greater gifts you have to give the world"

i am so grateful, that elisse, my new friend, reminded me to share my best gifts with the world as much as possible. and then, participating always, everyday, in a good karma gift swap, i am both the giver and the receiver. 

i am loving and loved.

thank you again for this lovely gift, elisse.

xo

the strong self

this is a tribute to the strong self, to the pieces & parts of our lives that work for us, to bring about resolution, accomplishment & sheer pride.  an appreciation of goals set and goals achieved. this is about believing in the beauty of our dreams, leaning into those dreams with aggressive, action steps, and watching them make themselves a reality born out of our actual efforts.


these are my hands lifted high, really high, grateful for an enduring spirit, enlightened by the challenge, and ultimately, proud of how much motivation and strength i poured into this race. the "run austin, love austin" half marathon.  this is not a story of an amazing runner, this is the story of a girl with a goal.  this is the tribute to the parts within her that run for her, everyday, to make sure she is strong, able, and ready.  this is her old voice:


I am always running, but i'm never training for the event: the race that reveals how much passion i poured into this. the fruit of my labor. the mini marathon or 10k event where you take a picture when you're done: sweaty and smiling.


this is the cheering, enthusiastic celebration of her new voice, the voice of the strong self, that shouts & celebrates &shares with pride.  this is a voice that calls out to you, "you, too!" you can do it, too.  this is the sweat and the smiles. the celebration of it all. this is a heart piercing life. this is victory, claimed.

embracing my new first love

embracing my new first love
Originally uploaded by stephanietabb

dear oh joy & kate spade:
thanks for giving me yet another reason to celebrate my golden year. how a girl like me can deserve a beautiful bag like this i do NOT know, but i do know i am SO grateful and will carry it well. i won't just carry it because its fancy, fabulous or fresh, i'll carry it knowing i am super blessed, oh so lucky, and always in the sunshine.

thanks, thanks, thanks!

a special thanks to Joy at Oh Joy for this sweet delivery!!

xo stephanie

blushing...and snapshots!

wow, consider me pleased as a peach to make THIS announcement!

i was blushing when analiese marie, at tea & tulips, asked me to be interviewed for her ever-inspiring Bloggers with Heart series! please take a trip over to read the interview and linger on her sight for a while. she serves up inspiration born out of a love for the delicate things in life, and she is always pouring out warmth & beauty. thanks again for the pleasure, analiese!

and on that note, in case you're new to my blog (hi!) and/or so that i can share a bit of whats going on in my life, here are some snapshots for you!

(heart piercing cards: fashionista card. sold)

coveting: dude and chick letterpress cards

reading: Half the Sky (per the suggestion of my inspired reading friend, Lauren, at Everyday Revelry)

prepping for: Well Coaches Training (starts in March! I am so pumped!)

wearing: my pink yotto dress (thanks, brooklyn, and victoria wall)

listening to: k'naan (track one makes me dance like a crazy person.)

eating: eggplant parmesan rolls with swiss chard & fresh mint (meatless monday: thanks to my chef beau, pw)

writing with: sakuri souffle pens (because every girls needs a custom writing utensil)

and, because i needed to at lunchtime today, i wrote a note to life...

dear life: 

i am patient and i believe in possibility. 

i trust you, too,

just in case you were wondering!

 love, steph

professional

(image via fffound)

I know some of you are working senoritas. I know there are times when you deal with criticism, feedback, and the like. I know you run into snappy colleagues and hairy decisions. I know you have annual reviews. What I don't know is how you handle these situations.


How do you juggle professionalism and authenticity? How do you constructively respond to suggestions, criticism and the struggle for making a way for yourself without plowing over someone else? Also, (though I seriously hesitate to admit this) how you respectfully honor the criticism and not let it reflect your character and work ethic as a whole?


All and all, I am really curious, how, as a young, aspiring professional, with strong character, dedicated work ethic, and challenging, professional goals, I am supposed to stand out and "stay in line" at the same time. I am hopeful to get some feedback from you, mostly because I trust your opinions and your experiences. And I am seeking some support around my own.


If you're up to the dialogue, I'd love to hear from you. This is a new territory and a new topic, but I'm willing to go there; willing to open up and shed sunlight on some parts that might be trying to quiver in shame. Are you willing to go there with me?  I'd like to start a conversation, so either leave your thoughts in the comments section, and/or your email address, or feel free to email me stephanie DOT tabb AT gmail DOT com

he knows a gem when he sees one

My dad has been busy at work in a small town in SW Virginia called Clifton Forge.  I woke up to an email this morning, sharing the news of his appearance on the local (roanoke) news.  Needless to say, I'm so proud of his contributions and amazing work there.  It's really quite a gem of a town, and he knows a gem when he sees one.

 If you have a moment, this video goes into greater detail about the work he's done at the C&O Railway Heritage Center  While you may not be a train geek, you may know someone who is or have a son who loves trains.

 "The C&O Railway Heritage Center is more than a place: 

it is a concept that will link numerous historic rail sites together under

a single banner to create a heritage trail." 

Way to go, dad! You are so composed on camera, and I am left very proud. Very impressed!
xo
Stephanie


p.s. you look SO cute in your conductor vest. 

creative weekend to do list

oh its been a whirlwind week. i have been recovering from our amazing trip to Austin, and the incredible half marathon...playing catchup and slow down all at the same time! this weekend is my self declared "yin" weekend, full of calming, relaxing activities that reground me and help me feel my deep roots. in celebration of that, i am posting my creative weekend to do list (click on it to make it bigger), which is composed of only activities that make me feel very good! you'll notice blog updates are included. expect more from me very, very soon!

hope your weekend is fun filled and soul satisfying!

xo


stephanie

dear autin, i mean, austin...

dear austin: here we come!!

View Austin Weekend - Places to see! in a larger map

can't wait to see you EA! :)

back to the blog with a full travel & half marathon report on Tuesday!

xoxox

happy valentine's day weekend!

leaving nothing out

bikes, italy, you & me (sold)

what adventures are you planning this year? any trip that require a passport? or the shipping of large, recreational equipment prior to departure? that sounds so dreamy, right about now, smack dab in between grey days.

hang on to hope. the sunshine & long summer days are quickly approaching. every step, every solid winter step, gets you one day closer to spring.

paul & i have lived from wendell berry's words this winter:

suppose we did our work

like the snow, quietly, quietly,

leaving nothing out.

love? check.

knock, knock. hi! oh my, i am so glad to see you!

i can't believe its been a full week since i found myself in this space. last weekend i was crazy with blog ideas. updates and information and inspiration galore. but then, i found myself knee deep in priorities and stumbling to string sentences together. all of this was really good, as in, i was not walking around aimlessly, but as if there was TOO much going on. too much to juggle. and wow, i know that the quality of my existence tends to slip when the quantity is overloaded.

but when i am true to myself, when the labor is in love, its always good. and love is especially present during the month of february, isn't it? love is big time in the air. we take time to express our love and gratitude for the ones we love. we give them candy and hearts (filled with chocolate) and utter sweet nothings because love means everything.

so i figured you all wouldn't mind if i posted on what i'm loving (and the photos to show!):

#1: i love making custom valentines. see above and below. seriously. show your love folks. why not?

#2. i love color. i love painting. i love wearing bright colored clothing. shiny rings. big headbands. various vegetables on my plate. i love it all. winter you may be grey and the sun may rarely shine, but i will find my rainbow of color.

#3. i love my golden year. so far, so very, very good.

#4. i love that the austin half marathon is in one week. i love that i am so excited to see erin. i love that paul & i are getting to go together. i love that my body feels ready. (except one small muscle in my leg, ok, huge muscle, my adductor, which i am currently icing. help?)

#5. i love this quote. and this blog. positively present. you are rocking my world.

love it. love it. love it.

happy saturday! xo