Beyond Happy

It's beyond happy Wednesday and as I sat down to write down 5 things I am grateful for today, I struggled a little bit. Typically, you want to think of the really "big" things that have happened in the past few days but much like a lot of people these days, there have been quite a few struggles. When it's raining it's very easy to get caught up in the downpour which I have been guilty of, rather than making the best of it and moving on. So the first thing on my list, is mercy.

1. I am grateful for mercy. I heard someone's testimony on Sunday morning, a real Job story. I quite a few things were reinforced for me that morning but the one I am practicing on this week is being content in my circumstances. I am happy that when I do have a bad day that tomorrow is a new day and another chance to get it right.

2. I am grateful for motherhood. OMG, I have learned so much about myself since I became a mother. It's amazing how it changes your life, your priorities, your goals. Sure there are challenges, but there is great joy!

3. I am grateful for Heritage Makers. There are so many wonderful things about this company, I can't begin to name them all. This year I celebrated the 9th anniversary of my 29th birthday and I just figured out what I want to be when I grow up. Starting my business as a Heritage Maker has been the best experience, the most rewarding and I am thankful to be a part of it.

4. I am grateful for support. Not everyone has a good support system, so this is something to be thankful about. I am thankful for my friends and family who have been a great source of support and encouragement over the years. I am grateful for my "success line" (some companies use downline). Bringing new "blood" into your business is great for a power injection. They keep me motivated, challenged with new ideas and focused on my vision. I am also grateful for my "power line" or up line for the same reason. These are people who have achieved the goals I am working toward and serve as great models and mentors. And finally, my networking groups. Coffee and Contacts has been a great source of encouragement, support and business building.

5. Finally, I am grateful for fall. I love fall. It's my favorite season. The leaves are starting to change. The weather is cooling off. People are starting to think about the holidays, and I love the holiday season! Best of all, I live in a place where I can experience all of the seasons. Some parts of the country don't have that luxury. It's either sunny all the time or cold all the time, but here (although some seasons are shorter than others) I get a taste of all of them.

Don't always be caught up in only recording the memories of the big events in your life. Take time to "smell the roses." What are you grateful for? Record the everyday blessings in your life.

Sincerely,

Yolanda~The Memory Keeper's Coach

Bad Mommy...Good Mommy

I recently created a poster for my daughter. It's really cute; I put her on the cover of "Cosmo Girl" magazine. It came in from Heritage Makers this Saturday, so I framed it and put in her room to surprise her when she got home from school yesterday. The whole way home she was trying to guess what her surprise was, which was great for a laugh. She loved it! Which was great, how nice for me to see her eyes light up and the smile on her face right? Right. I brought my daughter joy and hopefully made an impact on her self-esteem. With all the heroes and "role models" kids hang up on their walls, why not post them up in a positive light?

Well, my 3 year old son comes wandering into my bedroom after seeing nothing in his room with this sad look on his face and speaking in an almost inaudible tone. He finally mumbled that he was "mad" because he didn't have a "prize." I felt so bad! He was almost in tears. I guess, I really should have known better. I told him that his was coming, it just wasn't in yet, but it will be here soon. I think I am going to put him on the cover of GQ Jr or maybe even Lil' Entrepreneur! He got over it pretty quickly once he realized that I hadn't forgotten about him. So all is well again.

Posters are a simple and inexpensive way to decorate a child's room and lift them up to the same level as the other people that they perceive as heroes. Look at the people that they put on their walls. Is it Michael Jordan or Hannah Montana or Spiderman? Sure, they have great qualities that we want to encourage and foster in our children but don't forget to validate that they already have some pretty amazing qualities of their own and in time can be all and everything that they want to be. Look at Melissa Gilbert, she married the guy in the pinup she had in hanging her school locker! The sky's the limit!

Sincerely,

Yolanda~The Memory Keeper's Coach

follow my tweets: www.twitter.com/MsMemoryKeeper

Memories of the 80s

I proudly admit that I am a child of the 80s. I loved the movies, the fashion, and the music. It was just a great decade. Some of my favorites were Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Better Off Dead, The Breakfast Club, The Lost Boys and of course, Dirty Dancing!

I am not sure if I knew who Patrick Swayze was before Dirty Dancing but I, like a lot of other fans, couldn't get enough of him afterwards! He will truly be missed! Dirty Dancing made me want to take dance lessons, as it did much of the country. But for me, it wasn't just dirty dancing. I wanted to learn the waltz, the rhumba, salsa, cha cha cha...and you know what? I did!

So what's your favorite decade and why? Were there heavy influences that helped to shape your personality? What are your most favorite memories from that time frame and what are some of your saddest? Tell a story about it? Create a layout around it? Dig out those dreaded photos and give the world a glimpse back in time, through your eyes.

Sincerely,

Yolanda~The Memory Keeper's Coach

What Doesn't Break Us

Makes us stronger. At least that's how I think the old saying goes. Like many people, the last 12 months have been trying times and I believe that there is a lesson we are supposed to learn or personal or even spiritual growth to be attained out of each trial. I was reminded of that when I listened to this James Morrison song today. Now, I am sure I have heard it before, since it is on my ipod, but today I listened to it.

"...Oh we're a little closer to finding out what life's about; Yeah I know you just can't stand it when things don't go your way, but we've got no control over what happens anyway; If it's going to be a rainy day, there's nothing we can do to make it change; We can pray for sunny weather, but that won't stop the rain..."

I think I am going to have to add this to my soundtrack vol. 2 Check it out, he really has an amazing voice. http://ping.fm/3tSip

Sincerely,

Yolanda~The Memory Keeper's Coach

Twitter Correction

Sorry guys, my twitter address is @MsMemoryKeeperCoach.

Join the Cause!

I recently started promoting my cause on Facebook and found that people I know are dealing with Alzheimer's in their own families. It makes you stop and think. When we think about serious illness or winning the lottery or something; we never think that it will happen to us or even someone that we know. It kind of hits home when it does hit that close to your circle.

5.3 million Americans are suffering from this disease! It's much more than memory loss but an attack on the brain effecting memory, motor skills, even mood. Every 70 seconds someone will be diagnosed with this form of dementia. What can I do? Well, for starters, I want to help spread the word and raise awareness, so join the cause. Secondly, I want to work with families through my business to help them preserve as much as possible. And lastly, look for ways to contribute financially through fundraising.

What can you do? Go to my facebook page and JOIN THE CAUSE!

Sincerely,

Yolanda~The Memory Keeper's Coach

Twitter: @TheMemoryKeeperCoach

Soundtrack of My Life

Okay, so I left you all hanging in my last post regarding my soundtrack. I really love music. I don't play an instrument, but always wished I could play the piano and the saxophone. I just love the poetry in music. It doesn't matter the genre, if I feel it, I feel it.

So, I am always looking for a creative way to incorporate journaling into my scrapbook pages. So I ran across this challenge of creating a layout about some of my favorite songs. It was hard because I have so many "favorite songs." So when I celebrated the 6th anniversary of my 29th birthday, I created a playlist of the songs that resonated with me at that time in my life. I can't share the layout with you just yet, because I was still doing traditional pages then but it's time for an update, so when it's finished I will upload it to share.

Anyway, here is the playlist:

Pass Me Over by Anthony Hamilton

I Belong to Me by Jessica Simpson

Fallen by Sarah McLachlan

Good Times by Edie Brickell

Have a Little Faith In Me by Chaka Khan

If I Could by Regina Belle

Little Wonders by Rob Thomas

Sunny Skies by Teena Marie

Drops of Jupiter by Train

Jesus Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood

To Love Again by Gordon Chambers

Feeling Good by Nina Simone

You Found Me by The Fray

So, here's my challenge to you...create your own playlist, whether you do a layout with it or not. Think about music that has spoken to you, defined a moment in your life or maybe even got you through something. Your playlist should almost describe the essence of you, what's important to you or lessons you have gleaned. When writing/journaling is hard for you, lyrics to some favorites may just be all that you need to say what you want to say.

Sincerely,

Yolanda~The Memory Keeper's Coach

Memory Keeper's Coach Takes A Stand

One of the best things about what I do is being able to help other people preserve their heritage. I reached out to the Alzheimer's Association and got an appointment to speak to them about how I can contribute my services. While I have never had anyone close to me suffer from this, I did watch the Notebook. It's my favorite movie. If you haven't seen it you should rent it. It gives you a glimpse into how loved ones are affected when a family member has Alzheimers (just a glimpse). Since then it's been heavy on my heart. Then yesterday I read a book entitle, My Last Conversation With Mom. It was about a woman's journey in being the primary caregiver of her mother, who was suffering from Alzheimers.

Needless to say, I was moved and I was confirmed. I called the Alzheimers Association and I am meeting with them next week. There are so many reasons as to why you need to preserve your family stories. Everyone should be doing this! Is there someone in your family who's story needs to be told?

Sincerely,

Yolanda~The Memory Keeper's Coach

The Memory Keeper's Coach~Unknown or Known?

"I don't want to be unknown
The little things that make me who I am
I need to share
I need to know that someone cares

That I write down my dreams
That I love when it rains
I burn candles when I'm alone
More then anything
I don't want to be unknown
More then anything
No one wants to be unknown"

This is an excerpt from one of the songs on my personal soundtrack, yes I have a personal soundtrack-more on that another time. The song is "Unknown" by Chely Wright. No one wants to be unknown. The passion of memory keeping is so that it doesn't happen to you or the heroes of your family. If you take pictures, you are probably doing so, to capture a memory of a particular moment. The concept of taking pictures is to preserve that moment so you can reflect on it at another time. But a picture only tells half the story. This song inspired me to start a scrapbook about me and the things that me who I am; the things I enjoy, my friends and activities, my thoughts, dreams and aspirations. I want my children to know the woman I was before I had brought them into the world. If you don't tell your story, who will? Who knows you better than you do? Have someone take your picture, if you don't have a recent one, look at it and then get a pen and paper and tell the future about the person in that photo.

Thank you for stopping by, please come back again soon.

Sincerely,

Yolanda Ventura~The Memory Keeper's Coach

The Memory Keeper Coach Builds Community

What started out as a hobby 7 years ago has blossomed into a wonderful business. They say when you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. I started "memory keeping" or "storybooking" out of a need to preserve my family's history for my children. I became so passionate about what I was doing that I felt the need to share my hobby with everyone and convert them into scrapbookers! Little did I know that I would be able to do exactly that same thing and get paid for it. I started my Heritage Makers business so that I could work my job around my family and not the other way around.

As a service to my clients, I started a book club called Memory Keepers because what I do primarily is coach and assist others in becoming the Memory Keeper for their family's stories. That's how I got my name "The Memory Keeper Coach." We get together to work on our projects, find inspiration and develop friendships. What started out as a monthly laptop crop has turned into Memory Keepers Book Club meetings spread throughout the city, throughout the month! And it's free!

New digi-scrappers and veterans can join us on www.meetup.com/Memory-Keepers and come to any of our crops and learn from scratch or just to work on their projects. Through the book club we are building friendships that will last a lifetime and what a joy it is to be a part of something that can have such an impact on one individual, a family and a community! That's what I love about what I do! That's why this is hobby, now business and hobby, has become such a huge part of who I am.

Sincerely,

Yolanda Ventura~The Memory Keeper's Coach