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Anno Nuovo Felice - Happy New Year

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One of the most memorable New Year's Eve celebrations I have ever attended was in Pietralunga, Italy. My husband, Bert, and I had left the States the day after Christmas and arrived at our house, Caifiordi, on Dec. 27th. Our initial plan had been to spend a quiet New Year's Eve with a home cooked Italian meal by the fireplace at Caifiordi. Nothing wrong with that plan; it would have been delightful. Our sense of adventure took over, however, when we heard that one of the hotels in Pietralunga had a huge New Year's Eve celebration including dinner and dance. At this point in time, our Italian was deplorable so we were very uncertain as to the details of this celebration. The only thing we knew for certain was the location. So we dressed in our finery and made our way to the Candeletto, the Swiss looking hotel in the tourist zone outside Pietralunga. We arrived a little after 8, which we thought would be in keeping with the normal Italian custom of eating dinner late. W...
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Golden Retriever Health - A Secret to Raising a Healthy and Happy Golden Retriever

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Thinking about becoming a proud owner of a healthy and happy Golden Retriever? This breed of dog is a friend to many individuals and families. They have a pleasing disposition, love human companionship, and are eager to please. A Golden Retriever's health is closely connected to a loving owner so they want you to be proud of them. It's important to ask yourself whether or not you would be a good partner for your animal. Your answer is the key to whether or not you should move forward with your plan to become an owner. Let me share a secret with you that might help answer the above question. The secret to raising a healthy and happy Golden Retriever is doing research on the traits of the breed before you adopt. Finding out more about the breed will help you decide whether or not this dog is a good fit for you. The secret may seem obvious, but if you don't take some action you may not be happy with the results. A fundamental part of doing your analysis is to...
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Happy New Year

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HOPE:" Hope is not the closing of your eyes to the difficulty, the risk, or the failure. It is a trust that if I fail now, I shall not fail forever; And if I am hurt, I shall be healed. It is a trust that life is good, love is powerful and the future is full of promise! Author unknown Powerful words, don't you think? As I was struggling to write this month's newsletter, I stumbled across this quote I keep in my wallet. It really moved me this time and I kept coming back to it, because it reminds me of what the New Year holds for each of us; hope! Hope for a better tomorrow that is filled with greater health, love, peace and happiness, etc. The New Year represents a fresh start, clean slate or second chance. It's the time of year when we reflect on the past and renew our commitment to become our best selves and do more than we've previously done. To paraphrase Denzel Washington, "I really believe we are already great and destined to leave some kin...
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Happy New Year - Now Get on That Treadmill!

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For the first time in my life, I'm making a conscience effort to become fit and healthy. I'm not sure what the difference between the two is, but being that it was a Boxing Day sale, I had to line up at 6am to take advantage of these "Ultra Low Prices". Hmm, another New Years resolution... stop believing everything I see on TV. So the family decided that we should buy what is sure to be the greatest contribution to home fitness since Billy Blank's Tae Bo or the Bowflex and their guy on TV who keeps saying that he gave all his fat clothes to his fat friends. Just a quick note to the Bowflex people, you should have a disclaimer on your commercials that say side effects may include jerk like tendencies. What is this revolutionary purchase? Not just the Wii Fit. No, no, no. That would give me a 2008 body and why would I want to live in the past? The new and improved Wii Fit Plus (no, improved does not always mean that it now comes with Kung Fu Fighting Grip... yes t...
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Happy New Year Latin Style: Unusual South American Customs for Bringing in the New Year

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Many South Americans believe that if you carry an empty suitcase around the block on New Year's Day you will be fortunate to travel during the course of the year. When my elderly neighbor sauntered out of her front gate in Cali, Colombia with a beat-up valise she'd dusted off for the occasion, she brushed off my queries brusquely. "Don't bother me now! I'm leaving!" Minutes later, her "tour" complete, she confided her desires to "see the states" this year. According to her, a voyage this year was now, "in the bag". Around the middle of December you begin to notice a disproportionately large number of fruit and vegetable street vendors starting to sell grapes. Grapes are everywhere by Christmas. Green grapes, purple grapes, mixed grapes - they roll down the street and squish beneath your careless feet as you stroll market areas and shopping districts. Eating 12 grapes at or near midnight of New Year's Eve will b...
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Happy New Year! Why I Prefer to Not Make Resolutions

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First of all I just wanted to say a big Happy New Years for 2011 brides and grooms to be. Have you made any resolutions? I do... sort of I just don't call them resolutions because I know that it's just setting myself up for failure. So I do things a little differently to ensure that I set a few things to work on to improve myself and my life. Here are the steps I take and if you'd like to use them or a variation on them, by all means:). Step 1. I think of what I wish my life would look like right now. Step 2. I think of a few goals to achieve the things I want out of life. Step 3. I pick a few goals (no more than 3 right now) that I want to concentrate on. Step 4. Then I say that within a year "I will have achieved going on a trip with my family" or "I will have achieved running a 5 km race". I want something that isn't too easy for me, that I really see myself achieving, and that it's not too far fetched either. Something ...
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Happy New Year! Will You Allow It to Be?

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We will hear and say 'Happy New Year' so often at this time of year - but rarely do we think about what it really means to us, and the people to whom we say it. We are all unique individuals with our own unique needs and desires; and most of us are united in our quest for the same thing - to feel happy. We are all striving for this state of 'happiness'; and yet many people are looking in the wrong place for it - and settling for a temporary mood-enhancer in the form of alcohol, drugs, a new relationship, or new possessions. Magazines are now full of 'New Year New You' advice from so-called experts - most of which is just plain common sense! No one else is the expert on you! Only you know - or are trying to pin-down - what brings you personal happiness. One person's happiness is another person's burden. If you now think about what actually brings people happiness it might range from finding shelter and food; to having a make-over/fake-tan/fa...
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