Hi, I'm Tiffany Epiphany!

About 10 years ago I started writing a coffee table book and after a close friend reviewed it she suggested the perfect name, Tiffany's Epiphanies. Well, life happened and even though I spent a lot of time researching the best publishing company to use for my first book I never followed through with it. Here we are years later and technology has changed our lives. It just makes sense for me to blog instead of publish. I'll mix some of the old "epiphanies" and random thoughts with some of the new. I hope you enjoy Tiffany's Epiphanies.

Dare to Dream

This is another favorite "old" one. I think this was around the time Hurricane Katrina had just come through New Orleans and Houston. My son was fairly young and had complained about having to eat sandwiches for dinner "again". I began to explain to him how there were people on the rooftops of their homes waiting to be rescued and had no food or water for days and how thankful he should be for having a sandwich to eat when others were less fortunate. I was living in my condo then and had the most relaxing patio off my bedroom with a water fountain nearby. After I put him to bed I sat on the patio with a glass of wine and wrote this.

Dare to Dream

Why is it so easy to sit and dream about what you want but so difficult to enjoy what you've got or reach for those dreams? Sit back and think about it.

Home - Do you have one? Then you are better off than billions of people. I love my home. It's cozy, warm, and inviting. I dream about making this house better instead of dreaming about getting a new one. Chances are I'm most likely going to achieve the dream of making improvements to this home long before getting a new home. Now, think about how wonderful it feels to achieve a dream. Are you dreaming to find accomplishment or failure? Are you dreaming realistically or about pure fantasies? Celebrities and other well known people always say "you can do anything you want if you work hard, dedicate yourself, and just do it". This is true but no one can deny the reality of impossibility. A blind man can dream of seeing the world, however, that is currently an impossibility. So, what do you dream about? If it's something far from your current grasp; try to dream a little closer to home. Once you start achieving those smaller dreams you'll be motivated to continue and before you know it...

"you'll be able to achieve anything you set out to achieve"

Just as they say.

Visualization

Reading this now, so many years later, I still believe if you dream smaller you'll inevitably achieve that larger dream. Although, over the years I've learned that visualization works best for me.

A few examples:

I wanted a specific car. (I am a huge car junkie but that's for another blog).

I visualized myself in that vehicle. Within the year, without even putting forth a conscious effort, I had the car. Since I visualized it, I was able to subconsciously work for  and achieve it.

My husband wanted a boat. He found one for a great price but the guy wouldn't work with us. I began visualizing us with that boat. Within the month, we found the exact same boat for around $1500 cheaper and the seller was great to work with.

I could go on and on with examples. Instead I'll say, I've been asked not to "visualize" at times because now the hubby is in on the belief, when you visualize it, it will happen.

That's my double dose for today, an old and a new.

I'd love to hear your examples of how you've visualized or dreamed and achieved.

You never know who you may inspire by sharing.

It wasn't just the sunset I was thankful for...

It wasn't just the sunset I was thankful for...

Yesterday didn't start out as the best day. I woke up over an hour late. I rushed around to get ready for work and in record time I was out the door. Rushed mornings like that are never fun.

During the day I received very unfortunate news about a loved one and heard the pain in another's voice as we discussed the "what ifs" you have to discuss during these difficult times.

We had a visitor or two in the office from other sites I would have loved to meet but due to a busy schedule, I missed them.

I kept a positive attitude through it all. Almost as if to repay me for my patience and positive outlook, my day began to turn around. My boss told me she received some nice compliments about me. My husband called and told me he got a job. I had a very productive afternoon at work with my team. To top it off, I came home to learn my son had also gotten a job.

So, I'll leave you with this. When your day is not going quite as planned, chin up..

it can and will get better but only if you remain positive. Negative thoughts and emotions only receive additional negativity. Stay positive & you will win in the end!

Break of Day

This is how I started my beautiful day!

Out early for a day of fishing!

Bday Posts

I've been having a great bday weekend so far. Getting lots of great pics to post along with some wonderful stories. I hope I have a little down time tomorrow evening to blog with you.

By the way..age is definitely in how you feel. I am 41 today. While thankful for the wisdom of my age & experiences; I don't feel a day over 30. Some say it's my young hubby, I say it's my youthful spirit keeping me young.

Thursday evening we went to Mellow Mushroom for dinner. They have a new soup and pie on the menu; all mushroom. It was very good. Then the kid and I sat down and watched the new Muppets movie. It was really cute. We both love the Muppets so it was a great way to spend some Mom & Son time.

Friday I actually got the hubby to go shopping with me. It may have helped that we also shopped for new fishing gear in anticipation of our Saturday morning fishing trip.

Friday was my actual bday. We had so much fun just hanging out with family. The in laws weren't able to find a hotel due to it being "season" here in Florida so they stayed over night with us. We have a very small house so we usually don't have stay over guests. We had a lot of fun and it made it easy to get up and moving so early Saturday for our fishing trip.

Saturday morning we got out a bit later than planned. It's hard to get 5 people around with only 1 bathroom. The sun was coming up just as we got on the water and were headed out. It was a beautiful morning. A little overcast and cool, dry air.

My Mother In Law took the honors of catching the first fish, and the  next, and the next. In fact, she caught the most fish of the day. It was very comical at times. The guys wouldn't be having any luck. They would hand their pole to her and almost immediately she would catch something.

We caught some interesting fish. Since we catch and release, the pics aren't the best but here are some of our finds of the day.

First catch of the day

Father and Son (Probably wondering how she does it) LOL!

Fish blends with his shirt but this was a beautiful sailfish.

Over by our island. Seems we almost always hook a stingray.

They are no fun to release.

We also caught a bonnethead. The pics didn't come out too well, he was a wiggly guy.

We saw a huge sea turtle but no pics. We actually thought it was a tree trunk until we saw it move.

We saw a school of dolphins in the morning. It never gets old.

The entire day was filled with fun and adventure.

Sunday we just took the day off, literally. No phones, social media, we just sat around the house and relaxed. The hubby and son got new games and I caught up on my girlie shows.

It was a much needed and much enjoyed mini-bday vaca!

The Bday Weekend Blog Post

Every year I take time for myself around my bday. It's a way I celebrate me and the accomplishments I've made since my last birthday. I also like to take time out of the hussle and bussle of every day to drop off the grid and just flat out "Enjoy"!

I am so thankful for a job that allots me the flexibility of working a schedule to be able to do this every year. This week I jammed out my hours (and yes, for a change it was only a 40 hr week...1st bday gift to self) and today and tomorrow I get to kick back and enjoy life. My son and husband are both in school so it's just me and the girls for a few hours. I slept until 9 am...this is a big deal because I usually wake up to an internal alarm - no alarm clocks needed for me. Problem with that is my body doesn't quite know the difference between a day off and a work day so I almost always wake up "on time" even when wanting to sleep in. Next I tried a new k-cup, Kahlua flavored. Holy cow people, this stuff is yummy!!

I'll spend a few hours working around the house then off to spend a fun afternoon with the family. Stay tuned for some pics of our adventures this weekend but for now, I'll share this one..this is my favorite bday treat..

A Tiffarita

2 ou Patron Silver; 1 ou Grand Marnier; 2 ou of your favorite mix; lime juice from 1/2 a lime; and a splash of Grenadine

I prefer Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix as it has the lowest amount of sugar or a new one here in FL by a local gal that is "diet" friendly. I don't have a lot of sugar in my diet so those other mixes are too sweet for me. I like my ritas tart like they should be.



My Girls

I want to check out what a blog post from my cell will look like and I never get tired of posting pics of my sweet girls. Lucy, my chocolate Chesapeake Bay Retriever, is 4 yrs old. We drove all the way to South Carolina to get her. She is the biggest cuddler. She also happens to be a great guard dog. She is 83 lbs and looks scary barking out the window and grinning. Of course people don't realize it's a smile and they can't see her tail wagging. Lacey, my yellow Labrador Retriever, is only a year old and already huge. We got her from a family member. She flew to us on American from Oklahoma. American Airlines did a wonderful job getting her to us safely. She is 90 to nothing 24/7. Like most labs she is fixated on tennis balls. She is super sweet. Unlike my Chessie she could care less for swimming. I'm hoping that changes because we spend a lot of time at the beach and on the boat.

I would highly recommend a retriever to anyone looking for a family pet. Just do your research beforehand because the Chessie, Golden, & Lab all have very different demeanors despite the fact they are all 3 wonderful breeds.

Start Your Day Off On A Positive Foot

Here's the deal, I can't take credit for this one. Someone who is very inspiring to me, Jesse Brisendine, is the one who got me on this and he really hit the nail on the head with this one. He challenged us to start our day on a positive note by thinking of something we are grateful for. On days when I follow through, it really has made a difference. So, to hold myself accountable and increase those positive days, I figured I would put my grateful and positive thoughts here. I hope you'll share your grateful and positive thoughts with me too.

3/19 - I'm so grateful for my wonderful son and fabulous husband. It's the first day after spring break for them. My hubby woke up early to take care of some important responsibilities before he had to leave. He's not an early riser and I know he did this for me. My son got up on time and on his own. My Mom was never so lucky. I would have slept in until she woke me..hoping she would let me stay home just one more day before returning to school. I am so blessed!

3/20 - Yesterday I woke up late and was rushed through the morning. Work was extremely busy but very productive and engaging. I came home with a sense of accomplishment and spent the evening with the family. So, I'd guess you'd say yesterday I was thankful for my job and my family.

3/21 - I'm so thankful for my Sister. I love that we are so much alike yet so very different. She understands me. It's a different kind of understanding you can only get from a close relationship of a  sibling. I'm so lucky to have a great sister. Love ya Sis!