WHAT IS A DODIE????

My daughter actually sat and read some of my blogs last night and in between laughter and criticisms ( she is after all my daughter and we all know how our offspring can be our harshest critics ) she said what's a Dodie? I said it was a shortened term that meant Diva Roadies...Oh...You have a fan club she asked??? Well yes...only it's not my fan club in the sense that you would term it...I have a group of women who I am a fan of. Puzzled, she said...I don't quite follow your thoughts here.
Dodies started as a fun term to describe those women who I jokingly referred to as repeat offenders...they show up monthly for my wine and design seminars. The term stuck and soon they started referring to themselves proudly as Dodies to women who were dewbies ( diva newbies ). Dewbies then aspired to become Dodies and the list has grown and so has the comraderie and laughter. And do I look at these women as my fans? No...these are women that I am fans of because they have given so much more to me then what I have ever given to them. Truly, I learn as much from them and receive such support and encouragement that I am often times humbled to have them in my life. They are like proud sisters who applaud my efforts and encourage my growth. My successes are our successes as they were there in the beginning and they continue to be there in the moment for me. Together we encourage and cheer on one an other's journeys. I will run in to them in the grocery store or receive an email from one expressing with such joy and excitement of something they have just done be it moving their furniture around in their family room after being encouraged to do so after a furniture placement seminar or made a decision to do something entirely different with their lives because of learning something intimate about their personality from a color seminar. These are the the moments that give me the greatest pleasure...when I realize that what someone has experienced was the okay and permission to do something out of their comfort zone. I know how powerful that moment can be as someone once did that for me without even knowing it. They gave wind to my wings and allowed me to know that I could do these things, that my thoughts and dreams were not in some far off out of reach spot, but just within my grasp if only I would release them and follow them. From that point on there's been no stopping me. Have they all been successes? YES...every one of them has been a success...because success comes from taking the chance to allow for failure. It releases the woulda, shoulda, coulda obstacles and makes room for new allowances, new endeavors, new dreams... new possibilities!
So yes, I have a fan club...and I am a proud card carrying member!
My mother once told me the following when I was at that pinnacle age of 14 or 15 and worried continuously about what others thought and tried so hard to be someone or something that I really wasn't meant to be in order to maintain or impress a " friend "... At the end of your life when you look back and think about those people who were really true friends, you will find that you may only be able to do that on one hand and still have finger's left to count. True friends she said were not so easy to find...you would be lucky to have had 2 or 3. Well, I hopefully still have a lot of living left to do, but at this point if I had to count those people in my life that I can honestly say are true friends, I do believe I would use both hands and quite a few toes. I really have been that blessed! These are people who would do anything for me and if I didn't want to offer them an explanation for why I needed it done, they wouldn't ask. They would just do it because that's what true friends do.
One of my favorite descriptions of what a true friend is was written on a sign I read. A good friend is someone you can call on to bail you out of jail, a best friend will be sitting along side you saying God, that was a good time!!! I have such great friends in my life and often times when we are out sharing good times one of them will comment...you know...you're going straight to you know where for that thought or comment...to which I can happily look around the table and say...well, at least I know I'll have lots of good company!!!
Thank you to all the Dodies in my life...better yet, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your lives...Pinkies UP!!!

Do You Google Yourself???

Wow! I'm back already!!! How's that for inspiration??? I am really trying hard to make this a part of my new year intentions...to spend more time on my martini manuscripts.
So today's burning question...Do you google yourself??? Sounds almost illegal doesn't it? I will never forget the first time someone asked me that...or the first time someone asked me if I had a blog. A blog...I blushed... that's a highly personal question I thought. After all...I thought it was some kind of blockage of a personal organ. My knowledge of all things technical is very limited and those who know me have often heard me say that I am an 8-track player faking it in an I-pod world. For all I know...I-pods are so yesterday now. The other night my daughter sat on the couch and with just a few clicks on her newest toy...a blackberry I believe it is, she had an overhead view of our house from the far outer reaches of space! Bam! What do you think of that she exclaimed as she stretched her handheld device towards my face. Oh great...my house can be seen with that kind of clarity from the unknown reaches of the universe? And all I thought I had to worry about was if the HOA police did a drive by and noticed my dying pansies in the planter by my front door...oh no...now they can be mocked by NATO or the Russian Space Agency or worse yet...Martha Stewart who has nothing better to do ( including sleeping ) in the wee hours of the evening if she too has the capabilities to reach out and spy someone.
I guess I had better catch up to all that is going on around me and quickly!!! Here I thought I was doing so well...after all...yes, I do google myself and quite often. I find it very entertaining or usually do on most days. The other night however I had a horrific google experience. There I was...innocently reading where I had been and counting up all the listings I was now associated with. For someone who doesn't know how to get there, I sure have been getting around. I was on to the third page when another google listing caught my attention. A woman by my same name was listed as a model in N. Carolina. Hmmmm, this is interesting...someone with my very same name is a model. Wow! How fun! So I gleefully clicked on " the other Gina McNew "...this should be interesting I thought. Interesting...well that was what I was hoping for...mortifying was more like it. The other me was not the model I had pictured in my mind...no....I was expecting some girl next door, bright smiling, attractive someone and what I got was reason to spit out my chardonnay all over my keyboard. I will spare you the less then attractive details but I was speechless!!! I felt the blood rush from my face from having been so completely wrong in my preconceived thoughts. Then...just like that, I burst out laughing. That's what I get for googling myself I thought...and my laughter turned to tears streaming down my face and the need to quickly include my yaya's in my funny drama. I forwarded it to them but was kind enough to include a warning on the subject line that what they were about to see was scary and to prepare themselves. Didn't want to be the cause of any more drinking accidents...after all a chardonnay is a horrible thing to waste. Of course they wrote me back immediately and asked me what I was going to do. Do??? There's nothing I can do...she has as much right to be googled as I do and so we were connected by name and technology whether I liked it or not. Then I laughed out loud again and replied...guess you know where this is going to go...that's right...when life hands you a deal like this...BLOG AWAY!
And so now I share with you my newest little ditty....read along to the rhythm of Mary had a Little Lamb....

Gina McNew has lost her boobs
but knows just where they'll be found
A google search
on a chair where they're perched
And inches from touching the ground!

No offense or harm meant to the other me...but please, for the sake of the children...get some clothes on lady!!!
So my dodies...lesson for today...google cautiously, blog frequently, laugh loudly!
Pinkies out!!!

Cheers and Happy New Year Friends...What a Year Its Been!!!

Hello Dodies;

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and that the new year is already off to a fabulous start. It was looking bleak there for me for a little while. Those of you who read my previous post know that I had made it my mantra that no matter what...I would remain positive, patient and poised in good holiday cheer if it killed me. Gratefully I am happy to report that I managed it all. Oh...I had my moments of self doubt...I may have had to hit the egg nog a couple of times to adjust the attitude, but the bottom line is I did it and am proud to be able to share that. Not only did the holidays come together as needed, but I experienced the magic of the season in so many ways that this will long be a holiday I will remember and reflect on with a happy heart. I love the miracles of the holidays and I experienced so many. In fact, one of those miracles is getting a little coaching from me at the moment. Many of you know that right after Thanksgiving my family had to say goodbye to our beloved boxer Sydney. This was truly one of the saddest, darkest moments of my life. Fortunately we still had the love of our baby Bella Meeshka my lil' chihuahua. ( alright " little " is a bit of a stretch...in fact...everything about Bella is a bit of a stretch. Large and lovely would be more appropriate a description ). I vowed that Bella would remain supreme as our one an only and would reign as queen bee ( alright queen sized bee )...and my heart would bare forever a paw print impression from Sydney.

On this one particular day...December 21 to be exact, I had started my day at the radio station where I was thrilled to be interviewing Stephanie McWilliams, host of HGTV'S Fun Shui. I was so lifted by Stephanie's interview. She is such an amazingly inspiring, positive life force. We instantly bonded upon my having spoken to her about coming on the show and now I am pleased to be able to say I have a new, life long friend of that I'm sure. We had a wonderful time together on that one hour show and I left the station in such a great frame of mind even though the day that still laid ahead was going to be filled with what I had already determined was going to be a nightmare on retail street. Here it was the final Friday before Christmas and I was no where near done with my shopping...that's actually an understatement, I was no where near started with my holiday shopping. I had to battle through the Friday traffic on I-75 through Atlanta which is a chore regardless of the time of the year and when I finally broke free by way of the exit ramp...I was headed to the mall. Can I just tell you all that this is where all those little miracles of the holiday showed up. Every where I went this year ( even though it was all done in the last moment) I found upfront parking and nothing but truly courteous people be it my fellow shoppers or retail employees. Everyone had a smile on their face. I happily put my money into the bucket of the bell ringer...a positive sight indeed...and she graciously opened the door for me while sharing a happy holiday blessing. I walked in to that mall and didn't stand in line for anything...not one time. I filled up my arms with presents galore and although my body ached...the shopping in heels thing again...I felt calm, serene and filled with good chi. I got in to my car, turned up the holiday tunes and pulled on out of the mall parking lot to find that I wasn't going to be going anywhere in a hurry. That was okay with me however. Then it happened. I had crawled just far along on my journey that I had reached a stop light at an intersection where a pet store was. Something in my head told me to direct my car in to the turn lane. After all...traffic wasn't going to be moving very fast...I could take a few moments out to feel the love of looking at puppies. I don't know what made me do it, but I did it and soon I was walking in to that pet store that I vowed I would never enter again. I passed by the windows of precious, playful piles of fluff. Each little window a vision of ewws and ahhs. At the absolute last window I peaked in and there before me were two boxer puppies. Happily playing with one another they both stopped to give me a glance and so I bent down to be at eye level with them. Of course a smile came to my face at the sight of these beautiful beings. The female in particular got my instant attention as her face was the spitting image of Sydney's except for the tiniest little white mark above her nose. Everything else about her face however was Sydney's. My heart melted. I just stood there for the longest time exchanging smiles with them. An older couple came along side me and started a conversation with me about the dogs. Are you going to be buying a dog today they asked? Oh No!!! I was just stuck in traffic and thought to come in and just enjoy the sight of the puppies and unwind a bit I told them. Are you going to be buying a puppy today I asked...oh no...they were just killing time waiting for a movie at the local theater to start. They were a lovely couple and we struck up the nicest conversation about past pets and I shared my story of Sydney. It was at about that time that the sales rep walked over and asked if I wanted to meet any of the dogs. I thanked him, but declined and then he and I talked about Sydney. I even showed him a photo I had of her. He genuinely looked touched by my story and said that if I wanted one of those boxers, he was certain the store owner would give me a great deal due to what had happened. I thanked him and was about to leave, but then he asked me just one more time...are you sure you don't want to meet the dogs? He said...I'll have to check however because I'm fairly sure one is already spoken for and is just waiting to be picked up on Christmas Eve. Right then and there I knew that the girl I would have wanted ( they were a brother and sister pair ) was probably already spoken for and I'll admit my heart sunk. He peaked behind a door and then said it's the male one that is adopted...if you would like to meet the female...to which I thought...okay...but we're just meeting and then I'm going home. Next thing I knew she and I were on the floor of the puppy visiting area and she crawled in to my lap and immediately went to making herself at home. As this occurred the wonderful couple I had been speaking with showed up in the puppy visiting room right next to ours and there they bonded with the most beautiful little lab...the whole time we kept telling one another...we're just visiting. Just visiting...honestly...I really believed that and was getting ready to say my goodbye to my new little friend when my cellphone rang. It was my husband. He asked me where I was and what I was doing and I told him...you're not going to believe it when I tell you. So I told him, but I assured him I was leaving right then. He was leaving his job which is only about 10 minutes from the pet store and he said well why don't you wait there and I'll meet you. Long story short...he arrived, and the 3 of us left for home about an hour later. Without a word to our children, we showed up with our new family member. Immediately " Holly " entered this house as though she had always lived here. No crazy sniffing all around, no shyness of being in new surroundings...no...it was just like I said...it was as if she knew that she was home. The house immediately began to feel right again. Since Sydney had left it just wasn't the same...but now it was once again complete and in a matter of about 30 minutes Bella and her new sister were sound asleep side by side on the dog bed. This was going to be a great holiday. It was a great holiday...everything about it...the gifts, the family interaction, the weather, the laughter, the family meals...everything...just perfect. I am now very busy trying to house train our newest member and have come to realize that the better name for her would have been Prancer as she prances all over the place and can not be easily confined as she is a little Houdini...but the one place she won't escape from is our hearts. She is firmly locked in along side the memory of Sydney. Sydney would have loved her as well. My only hope is that she will grow to be as magnificent an animal as Sydney was with her own special personality. She's not a replacement by any means...just a wonderful, loving addition.

As I said goodbye to 2007 I realized it was filled with so many amazing blessings...some that I should find time to share in my next blogging moment. 2008 is already filling with new blessings and promises for a year that will be another wonderful journey. I am excited, I am wishful, I am grateful....I wish all the same to all of you....thanks for being a part of my past and thanks for being a part of my future. Pinkies Up!!!