The Girls of Giving Tree

Meet Our Newest Designer-Kaitlin McKeown!

2011-09-16T11:53:00.008-04:00

Greetings Giving Tree...From NYC!
I am so excited to be a part of this weeks debut of a brand new artist to Giving Tree Jewelry, Kaitlin McKeown!

The story of how Giving Tree and Kaitlin 'came to be' is a great one, filled with serendipity and great energy. Kaitlin's boyfriend, George (http://www.grkotsovos.com) was helping me build my new website for How To Avoid Being Sad.
I love working with George. He is so talented, and so ...cool., you know, just one of those people that make 'style' and 'fashion' seem effortless. One day, George casually mentioned that his girlfriend was the head jeweler at one of my FAVORITE jewelry companies ever, and that she was now ready to launch her own collection. George knew nothing about Giving Tree Jewelry (that's the serendipity part!)
And when I met Kaitlin and saw her work, I knew Giving Tree was the place for her!
We are thrilled to debut Kaitlin's debut collection on our site and in our gallery today.

And last night, Kaitlin and I did the art shows in Chelsea together. I had an instant girl crush! Kaitlin is so beautiful, stylish, funny, alive, erudite... (and she loved the same art I did :))
We had a blast.
Below is a bit of our conversation, and a great way to learn a little bit more about this amazing new talent in the jewelry and fashion world!

With love and excitement,
Rachel Leigh Smith
www.howtoavoidbeingsad.com

Talking To Kaitlin McKeown- Brand new designer at www.givingtreejewelry.com

GTJ: How and when did you discover you wanted to be a jewelry designer?
K.M.-I started at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa as a graphic design student and took a Metals class for fun when I realized how much I loved it.
GTJ: Did you study jewelry design?
K.M- Yes. I received my BFA at ISU with an emphasis in metal smithing and received my bench jeweler certification at New Approach School for Jewelers in Virginia.
GTJ: Are you creative in other mediums and fields as well?
K.M- I have been drawing and sculpting since I was young. I am also loving creating my own handbags after an FIT class I took last year. Throughout art school I took several painting and screen-printing classes as well as participated in the Gaffer's Guild, which was ISU's glassblowing club.
GTJ: You worked as a jeweler for a major 'label' .. was this how you learned your craft? What do you most remember/admire from that experience?
K.M- I learned my craft from a collection of experiences, school, and working as a repair jeweler but Ten Thousand Things gave me the kind of knowledge and experience I needed to know how to run a small business. We had a lot of fun at work and it was an awesome atmosphere with great and talented people to work with and for. I wouldn't be doing this today without them.
GTJ: Describe your 'personal style' -dress…etc..
K.M- Tough but cool. Casual with an edge.
GTJ: What kind of music/culture/art do you tend towards?
K.M- The music I listen to has a pretty broad range and it's hard to sum it up quickly. I guess anywhere from Kid Koala to Coachwhips to Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band... and ALWAYS The Rolling Stones! As for culture and art, I spend a lot of Thursdays going to openings in NYC. Basically, I take advantage of all the culture NYC has to offer from the architecture to the art to the parks, beaches, and free music. Most of my friends are artists and musicians and I feel like we take turns supporting each other which in turn has become my culture. Some of my favorite artists include: Lee Bontecou, Richard Serra, Louise Bourgeois, Odilon Redon, and Ray Johnson.
GTJ: You live in Brooklyn right? do you like it? why?
K.M- Yes. I love Brooklyn. I cannot speak highly enough about it. It has everything you could want from NYC; food, boutiques, music, and art but without all the intensity that Manhattan can be. It's really chill but still maintains the high standards anyone would expect out of New York.
GTJ: What do you draw the most inspiration from? people, fashion, art?
K.M- Oh, I'd be lying if I only picked one. Art is probably the biggest inspiration however I think I am constantly picking up on everything around me... people on the subway, fashion trends I see, because in New York you are constantly bombarded by all of these things. To say all of these things don't affect my designs would be wrong.
GTJ: Who would your 'dream model' for a piece of jewelry be?
K.M- Michelle Williams. She is so talented and beautiful but seems down to earth with a good sense of humor. I love her.
*gtj note.. Michelle is also a Brooklyn Girl!
GTJ: Do you design for/as what you would wear?
K.M- I definitely design for what I want to wear. In fact, I wear the double spike necklace in gold and black almost daily.
GTJ: Why did you choose the shapes you did for your first collection? Why tigers eye?
K.M-Well, the tiger's eye, besides being a beautiful stone, was actually given to me originally as a gift from a best friend in support of my new career after school. So I felt I should design a piece around it as an homage to one of my biggest supporters. I love the shapes I chose for this collection because they have a tough edge to them but they are also elegant and beautiful as well.

　

　

A Very, Very Early Morning Update From Giving Tree

2011-06-20T06:32:00.001-04:00

There is something about this place. I can't feign to understand it, completely, but it always happens when I return home and to the Giving Tree, to work. I can't sleep. I get too excited to start every new day, and find myself awake, always, well before 5 am.
This morning, I had to force myself to lie back down at 2:37 pm and wait, at least, for the sun to rise with me, which happened almost exactly two hours later.
Now, an hour after that, I am all dressed and caffeinated and about to head into the gardens again, but I wanted to spend a few moments celebrating, and sharing, what must be the "magic" of this place.
Magic. It's really the only word I can think of. This place is special. And although I dedicated almost a decade of my life to running the day to day parts of Giving Tree Gallery and our website, I know for sure I had very little, if anything, to do with that.
Instead, what this place most definitively and powerfully is, is the ACTUALIZATION OF A VISION, and even more, THE REALIZATION OF A DREAM.
And those two things belong to my mom, Judith.
She did all this. And it is nothing short of magic.
Every flower that now blooms here was planted and cared for by Judith. Every jewelry case was built by her hands. Every word on the website I wrote thinking about what she taught me about jewelry, and honoring the artists behind the work.
And even though the last few years have been unbelievably difficult for everyone attached to Giving Tree, it is an amazing thing that this place keeps going. Laura and Courtney come to work every day, with happy hearts and FAITH that things will get better...
And Judith, instead of giving up, has now created a BRAND NEW BRANCH of the business!
INTRODUCING:
THE CHIC BOUTIQUE- APPELLE AT GIVING TREE!
WATCH THE VIDEO NOW-

It is impossible to capture the real feeling of this new space. That is why we hope lots of people can come to our grand opening party on THURSDAY JUNE 23RD from 5-7pm or plan a visit to Giving Tree this summer!

I also made a bunch of new signs to put around the property Judith has been working on all Spring.

Here are two.

The first is a favorite quote from Andy Warhol. I put it at the far end of the rope bridge, because the spot offers a view of our incredible marsh and the outlets to the sea, and this is how I feel every time I stand there.

Another is tucked, almost out of view, in the gardens facing the new boutique. If I ever doubt myself, or my ability to actually actualize my own vision, and realize my own dreams... I only need to look at the boutique and think of my mom and what she continues to create, every day.
This always makes me want to say thank you.

.It's now 6 am, and I am on my way to the gardens now. I feel so lucky and again, just want to say...
Thank you.

Here is hoping there is a beautiful magic in your day too!
With love,
Rachel Leigh Smith- Cape Cod June 2011

INTRODUCING OUR CAPE COD ARTISTS SECTION!

2011-05-25T14:24:00.000-04:00

When Courtney asked me to write something for today's debut of the Cape Cod Artists Section at Giving Tree Jewelry, I was so excited.

I spent all day biking around New York City, but my heart was on Cape Cod.. (who am I kidding, it always is!)

For the last six months I have been "watching from the wings" as Courtney, Laura, and most especially Judith, have worked TIRELESSLY to bring this new section to life. The three of them spent all winter researching, meeting artists, and building the pages online for each artist and each piece. I know the amount of time and care this effort involves. I think that is why they asked me to write a little about it. They are too busy!

So what can we expect from this new section? GREAT THINGS!

The reason is simple. The very first thing I 'learned' when I came home from Los Angeles to work side by side with my Mother at the gallery was her unwavering insistence that we "knew each and every artist personally". Judith believed (and still does) that as there is a vision (and a heart) behind each and every piece of jewelry, we should KNOW the person that creates the piece.

It makes sense! Judith also taught us that the most sacred thing we can do is to support the arts. We do this by supporting the ARTIST.

Every artist in this new Cape Cod section is truly a master of their craft. Each and every piece is handmade, on Cape Cod.

This may sound like a simple thing, but in this day and age of mass produced merchandise, nothing could be more special.

So, it is with GREAT excitement, that I shout out from the wings.. that Giving Tree Jewelry is so very proud to present its brand new

CAPE COD ARTISTS SECTION!

Meet

Susan Wilson

Meryl Lefkovitz

Melanie Rawding

Kim Deane

Heather Hoffman

Heidi Weddendorf

Bev Gallerani

Ann Hanson

Lesley Erikson

and CELEBRATE with us- CAPE COD, JEWELRY, ART, AND MOST ESSENTIALLY OF ALL, THE ARTISTS!

RELIEF FOR JAPAN - CHARITY NECKLACE

2011-04-04T11:50:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time I heard a story about the way a big ship in the ocean changes direction.

It does so, the story goes, by the movement of a tiny rudder attached to the giant propeller, motor thing at the back of it.

A tiny 4" rudder.

The point is that a very small action, can set off a huge reaction.

Today we debut our THE SUN WILL RISE AGAIN- RELIEF FOR JAPAN charity necklace designed by Marla Wallerstein of Marla Studio.

Our goal is to donate at least $2,000 to the relief efforts in Japan.

All of the proceeds from the sale of the necklace will be donated to the American Red Cross.

Most importantly, the purchase of this necklace is the small thing that shows our collective support for everyone affected by this incomprehensible tragedy. It is the tiny movement that will help evoke giant healing, foster great hope, and tell our brothers and sisters in Japan that we are with them, and that the SUN WILL RISE AGAIN.

Everything we love about the artistry and vision of Marla is found in this sublime piece of jewelry. The sun pendant is subtle and marvelous. A perfectly shined full sun is surrounded by rays of light etched in to the background. Perfect for men and women.

SENDING PEACE AND HEALING AND HOPE AND LOVE TO JAPAN,

Rachel, Judith, Courtney, and Laura- The Girls of Giving Tree

Click here to purchase THE SUN WILL RISE AGAIN NECKLACE and donate to relief efforts in Japan.

The Whys of March

2011-03-16T07:41:00.060-04:00

GIVING TREE JEWELRY - A SMALL BUSINESS ASKS A BIG QUESTION
but first, a poem...

The Whys Of March
Where oh where have our customers gone?
Could it be, we’ve done something wrong?
I have a confession,
I think it’s the recession…

But what do we do if it’s “us”?
So here’s where you mention
Without worry or tension
Just what it is we can change.
We already Tweet, Digg, Kaboodle
Blog, YouTube, and Yelp!
But apparently,
We still need your help…
Are we simply not doing enough?
Is the issue with our customer service,
Or simply we don’t have the right stuff?
Tell us- we promise we are ready,
And can turn off our ‘hearts‘ and be heady
Whatever it takes, we will do
Giving Tree matters so much to us
And
we hope...
To you too!!!

THANK YOU!

A Letter from Judith and Rachel:

Welcome to the “Whys Of March”- When we admit to you that it has been a VERY hard year, and we ask you, our dear customers, what it is we can do better, to be your first designer jewelry and gift giving option. We have never done this before, but we have to do something, because we just don’t get it. And we want to. When we look back at the things we have done, in the past two years, we have to say, our resolve and dedication to this business, is staggering, even to us.
We were one of the first businesses of our kind to really embrace Facebook. We ran 5 Facebook-built contests and gave away over 10k in jewelry. We created a ‘custom quote‘ contest and designed jewelry around our customers contributions. We set up a fund for Haitian Earthquake relief and raised over 3k. We are now setting up a fund for the efforts in Japan.
We started ‘Giving Tree Giving Back‘ and made significant contributions to half a dozen charities that are near and dear to our customers. We hosted a team on Stand Up To Cancer. We have blogged, consistently, for over 2 years. We have our own YouTube channel, and we did an ‘artist of the week‘ special with lots of different videos. We Tweet, daily. We gave away a gift certificate every week for over a year as part of our ‘Win on Wednesday‘ campaign. We ran our second annual ‘12 Days of Joy‘ promotion and gave away a piece of designer jewelry every day, for 12 days, in December.
We dedicated Thursdays to just being grateful.
Personally, we sold both our cars and refinanced our home to keep the business going another year, but after realizing the business alone couldn’t possibly support both mother and daughter, we made the very hard decision to have Rachel leave the company to try to find work in the big city.
We are in a tight spot. And we are asking for help. Not orders, necessarily, although those always help, but any insight you might have for us.
Is our site too confusing?
Are there much better deals elsewhere?
Do you prefer to shop directly from the artist?
Does our selection let you down?
This is your chance to tell us. We are listening. And we appreciate you.

Thank you for listening, and thank you for being a part of this journey with us. It may not always be smooth, but we are hoping it continues.
With So Much Love,
Judith, Rachel, Laura and Courtney

Anyone who completes our survey before April 1st is entered to win a Sterling Fearlessness Slate Necklace from Me&Ro - An awesome piece of jewelry and our number one best seller.

Click here to answer our survey and be entered into win a Me&Ro Fearlessness Slate.

THANK YOU!

Feeling Like A True New Yorker - One Sample Sale At A Time

2011-03-02T13:18:00.000-05:00

RACHEL IN THE CITY - COLUMN ONE

Sometimes, it really is the little things that make us feel like we are on our way or, in my case, that we have arrived.

The place I am trying to “arrive” is New York City. Although I moved to the city seven months ago, I still usually feel like I am an outsider, overwhelmed and fumbling through my days-just me and 8 million of my closest friends. I usually feel that I have the wrong address, took the wrong train line, was overcharged, left out, or just not at all “in the know” that this city demands that you are, all the time.

So it feels like a big victory to me this morning when, on my day off and having a relaxed read of the new “New York Magazine” my eyes land on the section of sample sales for the week. The one I zoom in on is the Barneys Warehouse sale. Up To 80% off! Too bad I missed it, I think, until a quick calculation on my finger tips corrects me. It’s today! In an hour! I can make it!

Here is where I admit I have never been to a sample sale. And also that I basically loathe shopping. I love the results of shopping, something new and fabulous that in a silly but important way can make me feel new and fabulous-it’s just that I can usually think of about a hundred things I would rather do with my limited free time than shopping in a big department store with floors and floors of ‘stuff’.

I get to the address of the sale with ten minutes to spare. I am a little surprised that I am the only one outside. Five minutes later, a woman in a security guard uniform steps out and I think she is going to open the doors and let me in, but instead, she looks at me in a bemused but not unkind way and says “honey, I think you are wanting to go around to the back, where the entrance is.”

“Oh!” and..moments later, OH! Where the usual Barneys Warehouse entrance on 18^th street where I just was had resembled a ghost town (cue the tumbleweed) the temporary entrance on 17^th street was… wow. A sea of women, AND men, in fact I was shocked to see an almost equal mix- was swishing and lurching for the doors. When they opened three minutes later, this ocean of human beings was met, immediately, by another. Before we were allowed into the store, at least 100 security guards spilled out.

They lined the street, the entrance, the stairwell, and every five feet along the strange, makeshift ‘tunnel’ that had been set up in the basement of what was usually a very well behaved department store. The first huge room was devoted to men's suits. The next five were for the women. I was, instantly, and irrevocably- overwhelmed.

Still totally new to this sort of frenzied shopping, it takes me a little while to realize how the game is played. At one point, I leave a sweater on top of a rack while I try on a shirt, about a foot away. One pull of fabric over my eyes, and the next moment I see the sweater is GONE! I think I catch a sleeve of it dangling from another woman's very large pile of clothes, as she races to the check out. Speaking of the check out, it takes me twenty minutes and three security guards to find my way there myself.

What did I end up buying? A light brown wool hat, the kind that my grandmother could make in a day with just love and four dollars of yarn, but for some reason, Barneys saw fit to have it originally priced at $150.00 (75% off at sale) and one army green colored shirt for $29, originally $149.00. Not that I didn’t want a LOT of other things, but I am not yet in the place in my life where a blazer that was once $2,180 marked down to $890 feels like a fabulous, ‘not to be missed’ deal. I can, and did, miss that.

That’s not the point. The point is, I went to my first big city, big deal, sample sale. I was at the right place, at the right time. I was officially ‘in the know’ and I knew it.

It may be a very small and silly victory over this city that challenges me to be more confident, independent and downright brave than I have ever been, but it feels like a victory none the less.

I can’t wait to see (and share) what the next week brings. And now that I have a new fancy hat, I am feeling even more ready for it.

RACHEL IN THE CITY is a bi-monthly column written by Rachel for the Girls of Giving Tree blog. She will share stories (horror and otherwise) of her new life in NYC- the worlds most fashionable, inspiring, and overwhelming place. Stay tuned.

SPRING CLEANING!! (For Your Me&Ro Jewelry)

2011-02-16T12:18:00.000-05:00

Over the years we have received many questions on how to properly clean and care for Me&Ro jewelry and wanted to make it available to you, so that you can keep your jewels sparkling and looking new!

Me&Ro Silver & Gold Tiny Om Bezel Pedant

General Jewelry Care

Store jewelry separately to avoid scratching.

Silver jewelry should be stored in the Me&Ro anti-tarnish flannel pouch to prevent tarnishing.

Store jewelry away from heat or direct sunlight.

Apply make-up, hairspray, and perfume before putting on your jewelry.

Remove jewelry before doing strenuous activities.

Remove jewelry before using household chemicals.

Do not wear jewelry in a swimming pool or hot tub. Chlorine and extreme heat can damage many gemstones and metals.

Metal Care

Me&Ro Jewelry has a matte finish.

Do not use a polishing cloth on the jewelry as this will ruin the matte finish.

Most jewelry can be cleaned using a soft toothbrush and warm soapy water. Always avoid harsh detergents when cleaning jewelry. Chlorine bleach degrades karat gold.

Polishing Creams

Several commercial polishing creams can be used to clean our jewelry. You can use any cream or liquid gold polish, including Wright’s Silver Cream to brighten and clean your silver or Wright’s Jewelry Cleaner for 10K gold, 18K gold and platinum jewelry.

Wright's Silver Cream will remove all tarnish and brown spots and brighten up the silver jewelry in seconds. Follow the package directions; wipe Wright's cream on with a damp sponge (enclosed in jar), leave on for 30 seconds or polish thoroughly for heavily tarnished pieces. Then rinse off with warm water and use a soft dry cloth to dry. If the cream gets into the grooves or oxidized areas, gently brush out with a soft toothbrush. Wright's Silver Cream can be purchased at most hardware stores. Call 1-800-837-8140 for the store closest to you. You can also ask about their silver production strips, which are put into enclosed cases to neutralize the sulfuric gases, which cause silver to tarnish.

White 3mm Scotchbrite Pads

These should be used for flat surfaces only, not three-dimensional pieces. Do not use on stones. Lightly rub the pad across the jewelry so that the brush strokes are going in the same direction.

Me&Ro Long Sanskrit Pendant

Bon Ami

is a common detergent for pots and pans. It restores the matte finish and brightens up any jewelry. Mix a small amount in your hand with lukewarm water. With a soft toothbrush, lightly clean the jewelry and rinse.

From The Desk Of Laura (aka "La")- Manager At Giving Tree Jewelry

2011-02-09T13:50:00.000-05:00

We love to share. It's something we were taught to do when we were young. Success with sharing makes for good friends and relationships as we go through life.

Here at Giving Tree Jewelry, our designers share with us their new designs. We share these with you, our Giving Tree friends, everyday. A visit to our website shows you what we have to share. It is not only beautiful jewelry, but we also share a caring that your time here has been a worthwhile visit...but we think most of you know that;)

This is the time of year when designers are debuting to us their creations for the upcoming year and they are nothing less than breathtaking!


Yet to be released Me&Ro Lg. Flat Shell Earrings

Alas, we cannot buy it all. So we wanted to share some highlights and stand outs.

Brand new for this year from Me&Ro is their debut of retail line sheets or catalog. The pages number no less than 315!

That's over 300 pages of color pictures and prices, comprising their entire collection. Here at Giving Tree Jewelry, this is VERY exciting! We have never been able to share so much Me&Ro, so easily with you! If you are interested in receiving these line sheets via email, just contact us at gtjewelry@gmail.com.

A few of Jeanine Payer's newest, gorgeous designs.
This is also true for another favorite here -Jeanine Payer. Her collection for spring is amazing. The design and the words are both completely inspired. While you may not see the entire spring collection on the site, just ask us and we can send you the full catalog via email. We can always order any piece for you that you just can't live without (we understand the sentiment!)

Finally, this is also the time of year when we search for new designers. We love designers that inspire, create with meaning, love what they do and share this with us everyday. We would love it if you could share with us those designers that make you smile.

Come on! Share with us!! Just email gtjewelry@gmail.com to start the conversation!
There are sooooooo many beautiful things in this world to share! Looking forward to hearing from you soon:)

With Love,

Laura Dallaire

Giving Tree Jewelry Manager

A Very Special Blog

2010-12-24T12:29:00.014-05:00

THE GIVING TREE*
(Re-imagined)
Once there was a tree

on a whole bunch of run down property…

and this tree was feeling a little alone,

Until one day a woman came

and made the land her own…

And instantly,

The tree

Loved..

This woman…

And every day for the next 20 years
Woman and tree,

facing all their fears,

worked,

branch in hand

To restore all the land

To it’s once magnificent state-

they sealed their fate,

Together
They would they be

Woman and tree

Till the end…..
　

But this woman..

She wasn’t alone

She had a daughter,

Who one day,

Came home!

　
Daughter began to work at the tree and the womans side

And in the womans, her mothers, house,

to reside...

And as for the tree

Well, it was now

Extra happy.

The years continued to pass

More work, life and love was amassed,

until the collapse of the economy struck

And woman daughter and tree

Found themselves
way down on their luck,
And none of the three were so happy…

So one day the daughter decided,

And in the tree and the mom she confided

That the time had come for her to see

Just what else
She could possibly be…

And although nothing about this was easy,

Daughter left the mom and the tree

To see if she could find her own happy…

　

And although daughter will terribly miss

Life with woman and tree,

Which was bliss!

Daughter also knows,

Unless she goes

She can never learn to be

Her very own giving tree….

The End...

and

The Beginning…

(Pssst…just between you and me,
a secret from woman and tree)
Daughter knows she will someday
Be here again….
It’s only a question of when

With So Much Love And Gratitude
Rachel Smith 12/24/2010

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Dena Haden was one of the first full time employees at Giving Tree Gallery. At the time, Dena was studying art, and today is one of our favorite artists! Last summer, Dena placed an installation on the grounds of Giving Tree Gallery. This year, we asked her to draw an image for this goodbye poem from Rachel. You can see more of Denas work on her website WWW.HADENDENA.COM. Dena is preparing for her upcoming solo shows as well as being available for commission work.

*This poem, and everything I will ever do.. is for Judith.
　

　

It's That Time Again... The MOST Wonderful Time... It's Time For Our 12 DAYS OF JOY!!!

2010-12-09T10:30:00.016-05:00

YIPPEE!

Our '12 Days of Joy' is something we created last year, and it was singularly, yes, the most JOYFUL experience we had all year!

There were a few reasons for this. Allow me to make a list... as it IS list making time after all (and did I mention, we have something fabulous for everyone on your list?? But I digress)

Our List of "Why We Love Our 12 Days Of Joy Campaign"(and are SO excited to start it up again!)

1) IT WORKED! And this is no small thing. Meaning, being a small, very small (Mother, Daughter, two fabulous employees, dog) business (the LARGEST in the love we put into it however!) The economic recession was devastating for us. It took all of our faith and creativity to even continue for another year. So the 'Joy' campaign was our way of infusing some energy and excitement into the site. And we knew everyone was feeling the recession, so we chose to do really deep discounts as a thank you for the loyalty of our customers. We also made the decision (sort of in a 'when life gives you lemons' way) to actually GIVE AWAY a wonderful piece of jewelry everyday during the 12 days.

I don't think we will be invited to guest lecture at Harvard School Of Business anytime soon... but the campaign DID work! And, I happen to think it was COPIED by many 'bigger' companies. But we all know where it started, don't we? :)

2)IT WAS SO FUN! Really and truly, we had such a good time picking the pieces to offer with the huge discount, selecting a piece from our collection to give away, blogging and facebooking (is this now a verb?) about it all, and most importantly, PICKING A WINNER EACH AND EVERY DAY FOR 12 DAYS! Oh it's AWESOME.. to tell a customer that is not expecting it.. "SURPRISE! YOU JUST GOT SOMETHING WONDERFUL FOR FREE!"

3) IT MADE OUR CUSTOMERS (who we consider friends) HAPPY! There was such a good feeling through the "12 days". It was as if we could 'feel' our friends smiling when 'facebooking' :)

4)The gorgeous, glorious, jewelry-with-meaning LINKED FRIENDSHIP NECKLACE WAS BORN!

READ THE STORY OF THE LINKED FRIENDSHIP NECKLACE NOW!

5) IT MADE US HAPPY!

I actually have an entire section dedicated to the experience of creating and running our 'Joy' campaign, in my soon to be finished (I hope!)Second edition of "How To Avoid Being Sad", my little book about how to..avoid being sad!

I explain how the months leading up to the holiday season, and the "12 Days" specifically, were remarkably hard and challenging. Mostly due to the effects of the recession, but also.. they just stunk! for lots and lots of personal reasons. However, HAVING to consciously, specifically, and consistently FOCUS ON CREATING AND SHARING JOY, each and every day for 12 days, actually, in retrospect, was probably the only thing that got us through the tough time. It is as simple as the now ubiquitous concept that 'thoughts become things' but goshdarnit.. it's true! We became more joyful because we were thinking and talking and selling and giving away.. JOY!

This little in house 'marketing campaign' last year, did everything to restore our joy and faith in our business, and in the business of living. Thank you.

Now, it should be obvious why we cannot wait to start the 12 days of JOY again!

So here it is!
LET THE JOY BEGIN!

And thank you.. for receiving our joy. That's the best part for us!

Love,
Rachel, Judith, Laura, Courtney and Beazie

NEW BLOG!- GIVING TREE JEWELRY ANNOUNCES HOLIDAY CONTEST!"What Does Your Wish Look Like?"

2010-11-21T19:44:00.006-05:00

Tell us.. better yet...

SHOW US!

Yup, that's right.. take a picture! "Show" us a visual of your big wish!

The picture and connection to your 'wish' can be as odd, esoteric, and personal as you want! This is about YOUR wishes.. only YOU know what they 'look' like!

Still, we want you to share! This week is all about being grateful. What better way to honor our potential for JOY! than to allow ourselves a few quiet moments to commisserate with our friends over all that is GOOD and RIGHT and POSSIBLE in the world!

Here is an album of pictures I snapped, QUICKLY and without much thought or editing..simply here to prove.. you don't have to be an expert (or even in focus!)

These are super 'small' moments in my day to day life.. yet they supply the beautiful 'evidence' that my 'wishes' are out there!

CHECK OUT MY PICTURES!

ADD YOUR PICTURES AND ADD YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A BRAND NEW ROUND, GOLD TINY WISH!

JUST CLICK ON 'ADD PICTURES' UNDER THE PHOTO ALBUM

UPLOAD YOUR PICTURE

CLOSE BOX, PUT IN YOUR 'WISH' DESCRIPTION (can be anything! love, luck, joy, peace, family, health, clarity, change, chocolate, the list goes on and on!)

That's right! On Friday (the day after the most fabulous day of the year!) EVERYONE who enters a photo in our contest,via the GIVING TREE JEWELRY FACEBOOK PAGE, or by emailing rachelandjudith@givingtreejewelry.com or ON OUR SHUTTERFLY CONTEST PAGE IS ELIGIBLE TO WIN A BRAND NEW, GOLD, ROUND 'TINY WISH' NECKLACE!!

IN ANTICIPATION OF ALL YOUR WISHES COMING TRUE.. (and getting to see pictures of them!) ALL OF US AT WWW.GIVINGTREEJEWELRY.COM SAY... YIPPEEE!

With wishes for your JOY!
Rachel, Cape Cod, November 2010

New Blog.. Customer Doesn't Know But...

2010-11-20T18:42:00.002-05:00

I couldn't resist posting this email from her! A customer that has become a DEAR FRIEND.. sent this pontification today.. I loved it, I love her, and I figure, if I don't attribute a name.. it's ok to post!!. .:)
(p.s... couldn't agree more!)

have you ever been in a starbucks and noticed that everyone is trying to "be" someone? whether it be the clothing or the attitude or giant sunglasses, fancy shoes...anyway, we went to starbucks today and there was a line and an older man working the register and he was so pleasant and had this sparkle in his eye...paul newman look alike maybe 10 years ago i'd guess. rude person after rude person snatches coffee from him. he never changes...smiles at each person, greets each person with just this honest and jolly attitude regardless of how stupid they are with their giant sunglasses and god forbid they say thank you or please. so i get up there, order just a regular coffee and he starts apologizing like he just crashed into my car or something because he has to make a new pot. I just said "oh my god please, fresh coffee sounds great thanks so much for that"....grumbling people waiting. he looked me right in the eye and said "THANK YOU"....like thanks for not being a jerk. What's wrong with people that they can't have a pleasant exchange and just have a little patience and know that maybe he would rather be home with his family and not working at a stupid starbucks but maybe he has no choice so hey, be pleasant and stop treating people like they're the gum on the bottom of your shoe because they work behind the counter of a starbucks. anyway, i just got a warm feeling from the guy and felt for him working at the stupid starbucks. they should rename it stupid starbucks i think. unfortunately i like their gingerbread latte...xo

Marla Makes Us Happy! A Fun Blog With "10 Questions..." For A Favorite Artist Of Ours!

2010-11-12T08:14:00.010-05:00

I was still VERY new to NYC the day I went to meet Marla Wallerstein, the designer behind one of our all time favorite and best selling lines of jewelry MarLa Studio. We decided to meet, by my urging, at my new 'spot'in the city- the wondrous and amazing Chelsea Market. Only Chelsea Market is really... big. As in, spanning about 4 blocks big!
At our alloted meeting time of 1030, I was waiting at the entrance. So was Marla.
Different entrances! And again, and again, until finally, waiting for the light to change green so I could cross, I spotted her. I waved and crossed the street.
That was the first time I met Marla.
Now, I can safely and emphatically say having Marla as an artist at Giving Tree, and as a friend to me, is one of the nicest things that has happened in my life!
Her jewelry is one of the most clear examples of an artists passion, purpose and SPIRIT coming out in their art. We love Marla, we love the MarLa Studio collection, and personally, I just feel blessed and HAPPY that Marla exists and I get to know her!

Speaking of getting to know Marla, check out the interview below! It is just my small way of sharing such a 'gift' of mine, with you. Thank you Marla!
From NYC, happily...
Rachel

For fun, I thought up 10 'not very related to jewelry' questions and sent them off to Marla. Check out her wonderful answers and get to know this artist a bit better!
This was so much fun, it just may turn into a regular feature on our blog! Enjoy this first edition!

10 Questions from Rachel to Marla Wallerstein of MarLa Studio

1) What celebrity/well known person would you LOVE to see one of your creations on? Who do you envision as the perfect 'model' for your jewelry?

Marla: For Women-Patti Smith Patti is the icon, the “high priestess of punk”, the muse. She projects a deeply intelligent, fearless sense of self. She’s rugged but her music and poetry reveal her -she’s vulnerable and honest. Her personal style is simple and boyish, but eternally cool. She’s getting older in the most beautiful way. I see her wearing a couple thin rectangle pieces on a 30”
chain (I’m thinking the combo of Love and Faith), layered with others on cord and chain at different lengths.
Men - Lou Reed - his name says it all.

2. Do you listen to music when you create pieces? if so, what?

Marla: I do! Tons! I’ve been listening to quite a mix lately - Regina Spektor, The New Pornographers, Tune Yards, MGMT, TV on the Radio... So much! I’m a total child of late 70’s early 80’s punk
and new wave. The music and fashion from this time have left an indelible mark - I listen to
“Clash radio” on Pandora... a lot! Music is audio fashion, it just is.

3. Finish this sentence..
When I am working in my studio, on a new design, I feel...

Marla: Complete. I feel that I’m completing my purpose, myself. Like, I found what I’m put here to do, and I’m doing it.

4. Who is your favorite artist of all time?

Marla: Eva Hesse, & Lee Bontecou are the ﬁrst that come to mind. Both their work is raw and physical -
intricate and visceral. Emotional and so forceful, but not typically feminine. This is a thread that
runs through my aesthetic - the balance/tension between masculine and feminine. My work is imbued with emotional content, but cased within a strong exterior.

5. Tell me a favorite author of yours and a favorite book!

Marla: So many! Right now I’m reading Jonathan Franzen’s “Freedom”, I don’t want it to end!!!

6. If you were an animal, what animal would you be? why?

Marla: The lion. A female lion. SO elegant, so regal, and so practical all at once. They can run for hundreds of miles, kill to feed themselves and their young, carry their cubs around by the loose skin on the back of their necks and lick them all over to clean them - and always, always look magniﬁcent. I wear the lion in copper/silver on a 30” thin ball chain with almost everything.

7. Finish this sentence: if I weren't a jewelry designer I would be a...

Marla: A studio artist. This is what I trained to do and always consider myself, even as a jewelry designer. Before I made small intimate pieces for the body, I made large abstract, atmospheric, thematic prints. It’s very different but still coming from the same place. At RISD where I got my MFA, art and design merged in a very sensible way. One day I’ll be able to make both jewelry and images!

8. Your kids!.. Describe each one in a sentence.

Marla:
Jonah - Cerebral, can realize anything with his hands, amazing vision and skill.
Gabriel - Moves beautifully and has innate rhythm, an artist and dancer.
Ari - Huge heart, lives large, insightful and engaged with all around him, creates fun.

*

9. What does loving someone, LOVE mean to you?

Marla: Being able to be in love without reservation, without holding back, without limitation. A merging of worlds, of work, of humor and intellectual exploration. Being able to allow your life to intertwine with another’s endlessly and still feel challenged and vulnerable.**

10. What do you like about being an artist at Giving Tree??

Marla: Rachel!!! You create an environment in which everyone and everything you work with is your art
- is part of your grand vision. You’ve made a personal investment in your artists, as if their work
IS your work. It’s a total ethic, it’s more than a business, it’s personal and coming from a place
of love and commitment. It’s highly unusual and a blessing - I’m honored!!!!

*Made me cry. I think all parents should do this exercise. What beautiful answers
**Made me cry. I think there is a pattern here ;)
***Made me smile!!

New Blog.. Friday? At Giving Tree Jewelry We Believe...

2010-10-28T18:53:00.008-04:00

In the power of believing.
We believe 'wishes', when made with the whole heart,
can absolutely, positively, come true.
In fact...
we are counting on it! :)

This week at Giving Tree, we celebrate the power of specificity when it comes to wishes and dreams coming true!
We are highlighting our extensive and incredible collection of CUSTOM JEWELRY.

Anyone can pick out a piece of jewelry, but not every place can offer something that says something, directly, to the soul. This is why Giving Tree Jewelry..exists!

And next week, we are debuting a brand new "extra" custom collection of jewelry by Giving Tree and Pablo Valencia. It all came about from a request received by one of our very favorite customers of all time- Christine Crosby.

Giving Tree Facebook friends that 'know' Christine, know she is not only a force of nature, but also, the truest friend a girl could ask for. When she requested a special design from us, well.. it inspired an entire collection!

We cannot wait to share it with you (think Tiny Wishes meets True Customizing!)

And can we just give it up one more time for FEARLESS and FABULOUS friend of GTJ
CHRISTINE CROSBY? :)

I have missed writing blogs.. I have missed all of you! I am still very busy trying to make my dreams come true in NYC. In fact, just this morning, I went to Central Park at 7 am, and after finding the perfect skuffed up penny by the reservoir, made a BIG WISH before tossing it in. And yes, I DO believe it will come true!

Here is to all of YOUR wishes coming true too!

With Love and Hope
Rachel, Late October, NYC

...It's Been Too Long!

2010-10-08T09:50:00.005-04:00

..Since we've posted a blog!
In a word, I blame WORRY!

I do it oh so very well!

If 'worry' were a course taught in college, I would have received straight A's.

I even write little 'odes' to my worry:

What is the purpose of 'worry'?
To willingly put ones mind in a flurry
And an ache in ones tummy
so that no food is yummy
oh worry won't you just go away!

*ok, I didn't say I wrote GOOD odes!

Anyway, this exceedingly GORGEOUS early fall day, I have decided to replace worry..with our 'word of the year' here at Giving Tree Jewelry.
That's right! I am replacing my worry, with HOPE!

HOPE that things (the economy!) will turn around, that JOY will once again course through the country, that people will find work and fulfillment, that Giving Tree will have a FABULOUS holiday season!

This is my HOPE, this is my MISSION!

I made a video too! Silly and fun, just the way I like to be!

With love and hope,
Rachel from NYC!

NEW BLOG MONDAY A Very Interesting Read!

2010-09-13T12:57:00.005-04:00

Happy Monday! I am just back from Los Angeles. I can't say 'freshly' back, because truth be told, I am pretty sleepy :). I forgot about the time change, and still woke up before 6 am, only just now realizing that was 3 am to my body!

Still, I was happily energized by the article that came out in the LOS ANGELES TIMES 'TREND' SECTION yesterday 09/12/10. Giving Tree Jewelry got a nice mention, and the entire article is great reading. Even though the writer only used one sentence, I had SO MUCH to say on this subject, and am really excited and proud that Giving Tree (in my opinion) is such a positive entity in this trend towards self reliance and a personally realized definition of spirituality. YIPPEE!
It was important to me to stress the wide range of pieces we carry at Giving Tree that fit this category of 'spiritual jewelry'. Instead of focusing on one religion, one dogma, one 'truth', we have tried to create a place where there really is something for every person that has begun a journey towards something higher, and something deeper. Again, I could go on, (and on and on..) but the point is, we just love helping people find their way towards more joy, by offering a talisman for the trip!
Enjoy the article below! I couldn't get the pictures to copy from the article, so instead, I am using one that isn't on our site anymore, but will forever be a favorite image of our personal 'spirituality' and belief system.
And as always, THANK YOU SO MUCH for being a part of Giving Tree. You are what makes us grow and bloom. THANK YOU!
Rachel, NYC, Sept 2010

By Melissa Magsaysay

Los Angeles Times

September 12, 2010

Pop stars Miley Cyrus and Taylor Momsen wear rosary necklaces, sometimes four at a time over a slinky corset dress or vintage rock T-shirt. "Eat Pray Love," whose protagonist travels to India in search of enlightenment, has spawned a collection of charms, rings and bracelets. And the reality-bending Kardashian sisters are designing jewelry based on Armenian religious icons.

It's official: The practice of incorporating religious or spiritual symbols in jewelry has become ubiquitous among smaller niche designers as well as more commercial, mass brands. With the public's growing interest in yoga, meditation and personal talismans that offer protection or courage, jewelry and accessory designers are picking up the theme and adorning their work with icons deeply rooted in ancient beliefs and religions.

Jewelry designed around religious symbols or the use of religious tokens as jewelry may not seem like anything new. Who doesn't remember Madonna writhing around on a stage draped in rosaries during the 1980s? In 2004 it was David Beckham, shirtless (natch) with a delicate rosary hanging from his neck down his chest, on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine. But the trend is bigger and bolder than ever today, with icons steeped in spirituality coming in all forms of familiar (and perhaps not so familiar) symbols dangling from bangles, necklaces, earrings and even belt buckles.

A sign that society is becoming more religious? Actually, it might be just the opposite. While there will always be jewelry and tokens worn to literally show one's faith — such as a Star of David for Judaism or a crucifix for Christianity — the rise in jewelry carrying evil eye charms, Hamsa hand pendants and Hindu Om symbols caters to people who are expressing their personal spirituality rather than an affiliation with organized religion.

"We are in a moment in American religion where the emphasis is on the spiritual, not the religious," says professor Stephen Prothero from the department of religion at Boston University. He defines the vague term "spiritual" as "not being part of an organized religion, an assertion of self-reliance in spiritual things."

"I think it's more about 'who I am' and jewelry is often that," he says "What can be more intimate than something like a tattoo or jewelry? Something that's close to your body."

Prothero adds that although expressing spirituality through body decoration may seem natural, there is also an irony. "Jewelry is about materialism, and the spiritual message is the opposite. It's not supposed to be about things of this world."

Regardless, there is an undeniable surge in jewelry based on spiritual symbols that customers can't seem to get enough of. Rachel Smith, owner of http://www.givingtreejewelry.com, stocks lines such as Me + Ro and Good Charma, which incorporate elements such as Sanskrit and prayer beads in their work. "Spiritual jewelry gives people a sense of the individual within. As an individual they can find some sort of thread to something higher," she says "In the last five years I realized the need for jewelry with meaning. Now 85% of the jewelry I carry has some sort of meaning or inscription."

Southern California-based Dogeared Jewels and Gifts makes spiritually based pieces that are popular as gifts and sentimental tokens. Their wares include "Karma" pendants displayed on a card that reads "What goes around, comes around. Wear your necklace as a reminder to keep the circle positive, peaceful and loving," and a Travel Charm necklace that boasts a compass pendant, a heart pendant and a St. Christopher medallion. The latter comes mounted on a card that says "Let your icons be a reminder to navigate peacefully, with a loving heart, and a saint that's got your back!" The company also recently created an officially licensed line of jewelry tied to the release of the movie version of "Eat Pray Love," complete with lotus pendants and meditation charms.

For fall, Tory Burch has included blue and white evil eye charm jewelry, designed by Kara Ross, which seems an exotic choice for Burch, whose brand has a more conservative sensibility.

"It's just part of the interchange of cultures and the globalization of culture that we are all a part of," says Prothero, "Nobody owns religious symbols. The positive side is that it gets people to think about different religions and symbols."

More intensely religious symbols are still making their way onto jewelry, though most designers won't claim their pieces as religious, but say they are more spiritual and ultimately open to interpretation.

Take, for example, a Mexico City-based brand called Virgins, Saints and Angels, which is designed by a former image consultant for Levi's named Cheryl Finnegan who moved from California to Mexico after a divorce.

"I guess it was sort of my 'Eat Love Pray' moment," she says. Finnegan uses the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe on most of her pieces. Crosses adorn cuffs and rosary beads are made into multi-layer necklaces. But even with her brand's very specific name and the religious iconography, Finnegan uses these symbols purely for their aesthetic value.

"It's whatever you want to make of it," she says, "because it really all came from somewhere else." She adds that she is careful not to throw any of the religious iconography in anyone's face. "If someone wants to wear a St. Benedict pendant because they are a member of the St. Benedictine monks, then good! If someone likes something because it looks Celtic, they can wear it," she says. In May, Finnegan debuted a collaboration with the Kardashian sisters of TV-reality show fame who tapped their Armenian heritage to create a collection. Elements from the Armenian cross and infinity symbol were turned into earrings and bracelets, some combined with spikes to create an edgier look.

Rosary beads are also being used or deconstructed in order to create a drapey Y-shaped silhouette. Designers such as Brooklyn-based Jessica Elliott and a line called Twisted Faith have their own takes on the traditional idea of the rosary. Elliot has a collection for fall called the "Rosary" line: Y-shaped necklaces made of colored beads, anchored a third of the way down with different symbols, such as a "mesh clover" or "Istanbul diamond."

"For me, religion is not something I choose to express through jewelry because I feel it alienates people," she says. "It's more about expressing spirituality and wearing these things as a personal talisman, not religious icons." Elliott made what she called the "Unity" necklace five years ago, consisting of one chain carrying a Jewish star, a Buddha and a cross. "It didn't sell," she says, "I think people were afraid to put it in their stores." Elliott's intent was not to send a mixed message, but to add some levity to symbols that have otherwise intensely religious roots.

The religious message is "less clear when you wear an Om and you have no idea what it means," says Prothero. "Smooshing the Buddha together with a cross and star of David has a clearer message of someone who is spiritual and doesn't belong to one religion."

He adds that even though all of these symbols may be floating through the fashion world on shiny gold bangles or set with diamonds, people should be religiously literate and know what the symbols they're wearing stand for. "I'm torn. Sometimes I do get annoyed when venerable religious symbols get dumbed down, but when has it never been like that? Besides, all religions are just different paths up the same mountain."

Amen to that.

Copyright © 2010, Los Angeles Times

NEW BLOG MONDAY A Very Short (Un) Labor(ed) Day Poem!

2010-09-06T21:59:00.004-04:00

Poem For A Picnic or
End of Summer Resolution!

Because I just hated to think
the summer would end,

Without at least trying
to turn 'foe' into 'friend"

Today I went back to the scene
of the "no samples! lobster salad" sadness

(All the while my friend proclaiming "this is MADNESS")

I waited with patience and purpose on que

Until the familiar voice came: "And how may I help you?"

I knew it right then, it was my moment to seize...

"I'd like a VERY small container of the, um, ...lobster salad... please?"

She nodded and scooped, and said not a word,

and indeed the tally for lunch

was none short of...

absurd.

Still, the salad was scrumptious

albeit fast finished-

so too was my summer long anger

diminished.

And I guess I do now just have to confess,

For such a fine, pricey, product I can't expect less.

She was tough, she was stubborn, and to her pride she did stick

and in the end, delivered, one very nice

picnic.

:)

Rachel, End Of Summer, 2010, nyc

NEW BLOG MONDAY August, A Birthday, And What Matters Most.

2010-08-30T18:59:00.010-04:00

It is the Monday after my birthday weekend, which truth be told was more like a full week of celebrating with good friends. My one big "request" as far as celebrations go, was the chance to host a small dinner party and be able to gather some of the wonderful people in my life around a table of food, in a room filled with laughter. On Tuesday evening my friend and I brought together some of our very favorite people, and I was able to cook dinner and make the first of my birthday wishes with a candle on a cake! The evening was a success, mostly because of the open and ebbulliant spirits of the guests, who were all up for having a great time! Even when I announced that no one was allowed to leave until they sat down at the "arts and crafts table" and decorated a t-shirt for me! I must say, this was one of my better ideas ever! An icebreaker activity for the guests at the party who didn't know each other...and fabulous, one of a kind, new clothing for me! It is a wonderful thing to see people return to a place only accessed or revisited with a big colored marker, a puffy paint stick or a pair of safety scissors in hand!

*
*
*

The rest of the week continued in the same spirit, and on the day of my birthday I spent a quiet day with my friend, biking to the beach, swimming and sharing stories of our past and our dreams for the future. It was nearly perfect...

However the entire week had a soft sadness to it as well.
One of Giving Tree Jewelry's most fervent (and fun, funny, fabulous) supporters, and personally, the most incredible friend and support system I could ever ask for, continues to struggle to beat her cancer diagnosis.
It is a scenario that is tragically, all to common, seeing a loved one fight this awful disease.
In the case of my best friend, it has been a long and painful battle, and last week ushered in even more challenges to overcome. So even though I was filled with a profound sense of "joyful becoming" throughout the week of my birthday, I also had a heavy heart.
Every wish, on every candle, that I made this year, was made for my friend. That she know, in every instance, how loved she is, how inspiring she is, and how her ability to be selfless and bring laughter and joy and healing to people, is utterly remarkable, and something I regard as the ultimate manifestation of a life.
With every wish I asked that SHE be brought the same healing, and laughter and joy she has created for so many others.
I am entirely hopeful and positive she will overcome. I just wish I could do more to lift her sadness and struggle RIGHT NOW.
I know wishes alone are not enough. But I made them anyway, and send them to her with all the love and promise of forever friendship a heart can hold.

It was a beautiful, important, changing and challenging August for me.
I am attempting to grow Giving Tree by expanding its base to include NYC. So many new projects are on the horizon it is hard to contain my excitement for the (very soon!) new season. I am also hoping that by personally pushing and challenging and expanding myself (living in NYC!) Giving Tree will prosper by way of greater access and understanding of the art and fashion and culture capital of the world.
And every day, in every way I can think of, I am honoring the unfailing resolve and spirit and purely loving heart of my best friend. I am praying ceaselessly.

Rachel, Late August 2010, NYC

NEW BLOG MONDAY All You Need Is Love!...And Pablo!

2010-08-23T07:50:00.017-04:00

On Wednesday of last week, a longtime customer of Giving Tree Jewelry, Jeff Rona, flew to NYC from Los Angeles, with his fiancee Kelly Seal to have lunch with Giving Tree artist Pablo Valencia and yours truly! Now it is entirely debatable whether lunch with the two of us is reason enough to make a cross country trip, but what isn't debatable is that Jeff and Kelly are in love. Giddy but grounded, mutually respecting and adoring, love. And Jeff recently proposed and did so with a special customized "Forever" ring by Pablo Valencia, so this trip east was about planning their wedding rings! (Our fabulous wit and banter was just a bonus!)

Now I knew I liked Jeff the very first time he placed an order with Giving Tree Jewelry, so many years ago. He had shared that he was a composer, and after one listen I knew he was not only a remarkable talent, but in possession of a truly special spirit. When Jeff returned last year to purchase the engagement ring, we immediately forged an easy rapport, and I truly enjoyed every time we got to speak during the planning stages of the ring making. When Jeff sent an email with the bold and capitalized heading "SHE SAID YES!!!!" I felt an instant wave of JOY! knowing that if I liked Jeff so much, this very very smart woman.. well she would have to be wonderful too!

And she is! Kelly Seal is a writer and columnist about... LOVE! Specifically, Kelly explores, explains and when necessary, explodes, the etiquette and awkwardness of 'dating' and looking for love. I love her style, and I love that she obviously knows what she is talking about.. having found Jeff!

For the constantly radiating, committed, heart-huge glorious being/artist/man that is PABLO VALENCIA, I sometimes feel I am running out of words to describe my respect and confidence in him. However, just as I know I will find more words in our months and years of our working together to come (YIPPEE!) So did I know that Pablo was absolutely the PERFECT person to create these rings for Jeff and Kelly. And I was right. Pablo has the vision and the skill (and the soul) to now be creating the totally customized, unlike anything you have ever seen, wedding rings for this Giving Tree couple!

I for one can't wait to see the finished product, and of course to share it with you! For this moment though, at about 7 am on 'New Blog Monday', I already have a feeling of being totally realized and happiness sated today, because I get to think about a wonderful NYC lunch with three people that move and inspire me with their art...and their hearts.

Thank you Jeff! Thank you Kelly! Thank you Pablo!

This is turning out to not only be a SUMMER OF YES! here at Giving Tree Jewelry, but also a SUMMER OF LOVE!

I can't imagine better company to toast to the love of yes, and the yes of love!!!

Happy Late August Everyone..keep saying YES!

Rachel, August 2010 NYC

***Click on Jeff and Kelly's links to read and hear their art!

NEW BLOG MONDAY ...The truth of the matter is...

2010-08-16T11:29:00.005-04:00

If I am tired of being so wordy, there is the chance you are tired of reading so many words! I have no doubt I will have SO much to say by the time next Monday rolls around..but today, on this Monday.. I think I just want to take my cue from my new but already dear friend Finbar.
After being forced to sit for a haircut in the kitchen, he was 'released' back into the wild, and believe me, this boy knows how to say YES!
With love and an imminent bike ride on tap...
Rachel, August 2010 Springs NY

And PLEASE send any quintessential "summer of YES" photos to me and we'll post here!!!

Laura's daughter Ellen and friends at her 12th birthday party!!

Courtney, Dan and friends at the Sandy Neck sandbar!

BONUS BLOG! Something Truly Extraordinary PRAYER by ELLA POE

2010-08-13T13:25:00.015-04:00

When we started talking to Danielle Birrittella, the beautiful creator behind ELLA POE, about her newest collection, we were already ridiculously excited. Our excitement was springing from the first time one of Danielle's Constellation Necklaces arrived at the gallery. We realized, right then and there, this was perhaps one of the most special, and gifted artists we could ever hope to represent. Her pieces are simply, perfect. Danielle's attention to detail, her complete and singular devotion and love for each and every piece of jewelry she creates, is completely realized in her work.

We were looking for a way to celebrate the imminent... explosion? trend? consciousness? that was going to be the debut of the movie EAT PRAY LOVE. Months ago, I visited the ME&RO showroom in NYC to discover that the jewelry in the movie was going to be, of course, designed by Robin Renzi, as the films star, Julia Roberts, is almost as big a fan of the line as we are! :) The best news was that I truly loved each and every piece that had been designed for the film, and had confidence that our customers would as well, whether or not they ever saw the film. The pieces were just that meaningful and gorgeous.

When I attended the jewelry shows in NYC two weeks ago, I was not surprised that many, many other designers had created their own 'takes' on the coming phenomena of the story of a woman seeking spiritual and eartly fulfillment. And why not? For us, jewelry IS a wonderful way to support and foster one's becoming. Personal talismen for the journey is something we know jewelry can be.

Still, the saturation was immense, and we decided to present the Me&Ro collection, the Good Charma line by Pam Fink (an incredible woman and force of nature, who has gone on her own journey, to Bali, many times, and brought back the most exquisite ideas for her line) and that was about it.

And then we thought about Danielle and ELLA POE. Her brand new AMSTERDAM NECKLACE had just been an instant sensation in the gallery, and there was just something about this piece.. it felt like the message being celebrated. I decided to give her a call to talk about some ideas. And that's when it all began!

We talked about the fine line between celebrating the new, seemingly collective consciousness for the study of spirituality from other cultures, and the possibility of exploiting it. Something Giving Tree and Danielle had no interest in doing. We decided to let the idea marinate, and see if anything very special came to us. And then, at around 4 am the next day, Danielle called back. We had been researching (re reading the book Eat Pray Love) together, when Danielle shared a stunning coincidence.
The daughter of two spiritual teachers, Danielle had been born in the VERY SAME Ashram that the author of the book visits in India! In fact, the guru that had been so instrumental in Elizabeth Gilberts journey, had founded the Ashram, and had passed away the year before Danielle was born there, but his teachings and energy had been such a big part of her upbringing. She revealed that about 4 years ago, she had created a line of jewelry around this early childhood experience. Japa rings and Mala beads. She wondered if now was the time to share her deepest vision of the power of jewelry to transcend.

My answer was clear, and clean, and exactly in line with everything I believe...and also just happens to be the theme of our summer at Giving Tree Jewelry.
YES!

It is with remarkable pride, and tremendous excitement, that Giving Tree Jewelry exclusively debuts: PRAYER by ELLA POE
As Judith said, the moment she saw the collection, it is "breathtakingly beautiful".

I talk to much, I know this! So I thought it would be fun to ask the creator a bit more about the birth of this entirely special collection of jewelry!

DANIELLE BIRRITTELLA ON PRAYER by ELLA POE

GTJ:TELL US A BIT ABOUT PRAYER by ELLA POE!

DB:PRAYER is a collection of pieces that I have been dreaming about ever since I began making jewelry. Each piece is inspired by my experience as a child growing up in a very spiritual environment. My parents raised me in a Hindu ashram and we wore these mala necklaces to perform japa, the act of repeating a mantra over each bead, or station, of the jewelry. Honestly, I've hesitated in making these for a long time because they are sacred to me and I have only made them as gifts for close friends and family. When Rachel asked me to create pieces with the spirit of Eat Pray Love, the entire collection immediately came to me, at 2 in the morning!, and I just knew it was the moment to share this line. I actually spent a good deal of the first year of my life in India at the same ashram Elizabeth Gilbert visits in her book. Rachel had no idea when she asked me, so it just seemed kismet and I immediately knew what each piece would be.

GTJ:HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS IMMINENT 'TREND' OF HINDU INSPIRED CREATIONS, LARGELY BASED ON THE 'EAT PRAY LOVE' PHENOMENA?

DB:I actually have pretty strong feelings about this "TREND" - and it's one of the reasons I've been cautious about sharing this line. I think it's really important to remember that these symbols are sacred to an entire culture. I'm thrilled for everyone who is excited about the Eat Pray Love movement and how it is opening people's hearts to self exploration, risk taking, and adventure. Personally, with my work, I am trying to maintain the spirt and integrity behind each piece by genuinely connecting it to the act of prayer, the practice of japa. I've always said that objects are beautiful for the meaning and story they hold, not simply because they sparkle. I hope people feel that in the Prayer Collection.

GTJ:WHY DID YOU NAME THIS NEW COLLECTION 'PRAYER'?

DB:I named the collection Prayer because it is essentially what the pieces serve to facilitate. I wanted to keep it honest and essential. These pieces are tools for the act of Prayer. It was very simple for me to use this name.

GTJ:WHAT KIND OF WOMAN DO YOU SEE WEARING THIS NEW COLLECTION?

DB:I imagine that someone would wear this collection because the idea of having a tangible article that reinforces intentions and desires is exciting for them. My mala is a constant reminder to me of where I come from and the things I value and believe in, and strive to live by.

GTJ:CAN YOU EXPLAIN A BIT MORE ABOUT THE IDEA OF THE MALA BEADS?

DB:In Sanskrit, mala means garland or necklace. One performs japa on each bead by running the beads over their middle finger and moving them with their thumb. We would recite our mantra over each bead.. that is 108 repetitions per necklace. 108 is significant for many reasons: it is divisible by 9 (the number of planets in Vedic astrology) and 12 (for each house of the Zodiac), ancient yogis also determined that the living person takes 10,800 breaths a day. The practice is the same with the rings as well.. just a smaller version.. I love the rings.. the diamond one I actually made for my mom!

-HOW DO YOU INCORPORATE SPIRITUALITY INTO YOUR DAILY LIFE?

Good question.. Well, breathing is important. That might sound ridiculous, but as a yogi and an opera singer.. it is pretty much on my mind all the time. Breath is the thing that brings me back to the most simple and essential place. From there, I can more easily find peace, love, and most importantly gratitude.. Life can be nuts. We can't control it. As much I like to go on bicycle rides in the fields and hikes in Topanga by the ocean, and to my favorite yoga classes - when I can't because the insanity of the day has taken over and I'm sitting in LA traffic, I try to maintain a sense of humor and keep my heart open. Levity is an incredible thing. A smile, a breath, and a big heart really put things back into perspective.

GTJ:DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PIECE FROM THIS NEW COLLECTION?

DB:Hard to say.. I love the only you, only you, only you golden band on the double chain.. it's just pure sweetness. I love it. I wish I didn't make it myself so that someone could give it to me! I also really truly love the malas with the big diamond guru beads. They are yummy - especially in person! It's really fun to be able to create them with your favorite stones, or birthstone.. they become incredibly personal and even more special.

GTJ:WHEN YOU WERE CREATING THIS COLLECTION, WE TALKED ABOUT USING SOME MANTRA'S FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCE.. CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO THIS IN THE FUTURE?

DB:YES YES YES! There are many things to come.. this is just the beginning.. I am so excited to share each evolution with you!

GTJ:YOU HAD GREAT SUCCESS WITH YOUR 'CONSTELLATION' COLLECTION. I KNOW YOUR FATHER IS ALSO AN ASTROLOGER.. TALK ABOUT PUTTING YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE INTO YOUR JEWELRY. DO YOU ACHIEVE A SENSE OF FULFILLMENT OR RESOLUTION?

DB:I would say, yes, it is fulfilling to incorporate my personal experiences. This is the work of the artist - this kind of synthesis. I'm grateful that I have so much to work from.

GTJ:IS GIVING TREE JEWELRY YOUR FAVORITE COMPANY EVER?

DB:I love GTJ. Truly. The support they give to their artists really is unique and actually moving.. In this jewerly/fashion world, it is SUCH a rarity to have genuine love and support for what you make and who you are and what you believe in. I'm so grateful that GT has supported me in finally putting this line together.

GTJ: WHERE DO YOU SEE THE PRAYER COLLECTION GOING?

DB:I have LOTS of ideas... but we'll all have to wait and see. Each piece is small treasure and you will see that reflected in the designs that come.

GTJ:DO YOU HAVE A PERSONAL MANTRA YOU TRY TO LIVE BY?

DB:I grew up with omnamashivaya and guru om. I must have said them so many times as a child, that whenever I'm in a scary situation these mantras instinctively come to my and I find myself repeating them. THIS is the power of repetition and the entire point of the japa practice. We are such creatures of habit and we train ourselves and clarify our intentions through regular practice.

GTJ:ARE YOU GOING TO SEE THE MOVIE?

DB:Yes... I really want to see how they show the ashram and I also really want to see James Franco, and Javier.

GTJ:FINALLY, WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GET TO HEAR YOU SING???????????????? :)

Soon! I promise... I'm just so busy with jewelry...

*Danielle on left, the picture of enlightenment, at four! And her brother Sasha in his prayer beads!

Danielle-From the bottom of our joy filled and excited hearts, THANK YOU, for sharing this collection, for being an artist at Giving Tree Jewelry, and for being my friend and inspiration-
Rachel, August Springs, NY

Prayer.
The word alone, whether spoken aloud or just said to myself, evokes in me an immediate sense of peace. For me, the act of prayer is both earth and heaven oriented. About prayer, I feel much the same way I do when standing on the edge of an ocean, expanding infinitely before me. I feel small and reverant, and yet...a part, of everything. I am sure everyone has their own relationship with the word, with the act, of prayer. For me, it is as important as breathing is to my being alive, now, on this planet. A customer, who became a dear friend, Mindy from Mississippi, once gave me what I hold in my heart to be one of the highest compliments. She had found these two words together (a perfect poem, in my opinion) and told me she had thought of me when she read it. PRAY CEASELESSLY. I hope it is what I do.

NEW MONDAY BLOG! With Apologies In Advance To Mr. Dickens!

2010-08-08T21:50:00.007-04:00

... The Tale Of Two.. Delis!

Ok, this one might require a little (or in my locquacious case) a lot of backstory.

I have recently decided, or simply realized, this 'Summer Of Love' at Giving Tree Jewelry, will, for me, have two very specific bookends. The first being our theme to celebrate the power of YES! and the obvious counterpoint bookend,
the result of what happens when you do! (Still being revealed!)
After saying 'YES!' to a trip to Italy in July, I seem to have adopted the "When In Rome..." attitude for my other big 'YES!' of the Summer- my attempting to live full time in NYC!

So what of these "two deli's?"
Allow me to explain :)
With the August heat descending on NYC, I realized that the real, TRUE, New Yorkers, actually.. GET OUT of NYC around this time...and most usually go to THE HAMPTONS.

For no particular reason, and for a hundred esoteric ones (I fancy myself an unfancy girl) I never imagined myself going there, but "When In Rome..."

So!
I accepted an invitation from a friend to join her at the house she had rented for the month of August.
Last Wednesday, a packed car, complete with bicycles on the back and Whole Foods grocery bags obscuring the rear window view, waited for me on the corner of 15th and 7th Avenue. This was the corner of the block I was subleasing a tiny (wonderful) apartment on. I told my friend to wait while I made my second coffee run of the day into L&M Deli. I love this place. I had already noticed and remarked on all the glowing reviews the place had posted on the windows and counter, but it was my first hand experience with these guys that had made me a fan. It took exactly half of one visit for them to feel like caring friends. So when Tony behind the counter asked me where I was off to (he could see the car) I rather sheepishly said... "The Hamptons.. but don't judge me!" He just laughed and wished me a great trip.

Off we went.
I had been hearing for weeks about ANOTHER deli, this one in the Hamptons, that had the worlds most exquisite LOBSTER SALAD. I was told by my friend that it was SO good, you almost forgot how ridiculously expensive it was! (yeah right, I thought, I grew up on a lobster boat.. and last weekend, Giving Tree Manager Courtney's husband Dan, caught no less than 60 lobsters on their trip to Vermont. They had to FORCE themselves to eat more than 3 a piece! I know my lobster!)

Anyway, I demanded we go to this famed deli on the way to the house. Maybe I was hungry, but I got so wrapped up in picking out what we would have for dinner that night, (curried chicken, peas, broccoli and pasta,) I forgot all about the lobster salad. The sweet high school girl rang us up and we paid, (quite a bit!) before I remembered. I enthusiastically stated.. "I forgot about the lobster salad! I've heard amazing things... can I try it?" (This was a deli after all, I survived my 20's in Santa Monica 'sampling' from gourmet shops and farmers markets)
Suddenly, the girl looked flustered.. "um.. " she said...
And then, from the far right corner, a cross looking, cross armed woman, and a curt "No."
"No?"
Wait! I thought.. aren't you.. in the business of customer service? Don't you see our four overflowing bags of $9 hummus and $12.95 olive crackers? Don't you want to impress me with your lobster salad so I come back and buy it by the bucket?... No?"

Shock and awe immediately set in, and my friend, knowing me well enough to know how...sad.. this would all make me.. ushered me out of the deli before I could utter a retort. However, the car ride to the house was FULL of my thoughts.

Maybe it is the fact that I own, with my mother, a typical 'Mom and Pop' type shop.. competing, daily, with the "big boys" and striving to survive and thrive, sometimes, by our passion and heart alone..
Maybe it is the beautiful, amazing women I work with, daily.. the sound of their voices on the phone next to me.. Laura telling a bride to be that we will CREATE her perfect bridesmaid gifts, or Courtney LOVING a new Ella Poe necklace so much, she changes our whole schedule of the week to photograph and debut the necklace ASAP so others can marvel at it with her.
THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!

And so is L&M deli, on the corner of 15th & 7th Ave. in NYC. The kind of place that has your coffee ready at 6 am when you stumble in.. EXACTLY the way you like it. A place where they wave to you passing by, even if you don't stop in, and run out to help you lock your bike if you are trying to carry a kickball, whiffle ball bat, and bottle of wine, at the same time. And the kind of place where, upon returning to this gorgeous, hot city, Tony asks you the moment you walk back in. ."So? How was it.. The Hamptons? Want to know my favorite fishing spots?"
YES! Tony, yes I do.. I want to know your favorite fishing spots while you make me the perfect cup of coffee. I can't promise you I will actually GO to any of them.. but I can promise you that I will be taking your delicious potato salad the next time I go to the Hamptons, where my August will be fun, and funny, and full of LOVE, but empty of snobby lobster salad!

And I promise all of YOU that Giving Tree will strive to always be your favorite 'corner' store.. even if we don't serve coffee (oh we tried!) And we will always do our best to make you feel special, and considered, and appreciated.

There are a hundred ways to run a business. I am going to take my cues from the businesses I admire most.
READ REVIEWS OF L&M DELI

CHECK OUT OUR TESTIMONIALS PAGE and email me directly if you have anything we can improve on, AND SAY YES! To all the opportunities, invitations, places and people that make you happy! Just do it!

In that spirit, let's all go see Eat Pray Love. I have a feeling it's going to make us feel good... and the fact that Julia is simply smashing in the jewelry that we sell at Giving Tree.. just an aside! :)

And finally, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the fantastic Anna Sheffield! I informed Anna that my birthday wish, made on her birthday.. was more gorg-lorious (made that up!) jewels from her, and more time in NYC with her!

To YES! in the SUMMER OF LOVE!
Rachel, August, NYC/Springs 2010

NEW BLOG MONDAY And... A New Month!...

2010-08-02T08:35:00.012-04:00

I LOVE the very first days of a new month. I even have some 'rituals' to celebrate and honor their arrival. And since this New Blog Monday falls on only the second day of the new month, I can't help but share!

One thing I always do on the first day of the new month (right after I say 'rabbit rabbit' and still don't know why!) is to make the morning an extra special one. It could be as small as foregoing my usual bowl of Peanut Butter Puffins, for something infinitely more exotic.. like.. a frittata!

This month, with the first day falling on a Sunday, I was able to enjoy a long bike ride through the winding, wildflower garden graced roads on Cape Cod. Pure Bliss!
I also always like to set my goals for the new month as well, which I did yesterday on Sandy Neck beach, post swim... again, a truly divine experience!

A silly thing I also can't help but doing at the start of a new month.. is checking out what the 'stars' have in store for me, by reading this monthly horoscope:

ASTROLOGY ZONE-AUGUST HOROSCOPES

It is not that I am so convinced that there will be answers, or even enlightenment within the reading, it's more just for fun! I like hearing the 'predictions' and seeing what the strange alchemy of luck and will, destiny and, well.. 'me' ... are forecasted to create!

Finally, I always love to celebrate all the good things that happened in the month that just passed. As I get older, the more and more I believe in "letting things go", in "living in the 'present'" and in ENJOYING the current moment...still, there was too much to celebrate at Giving Tree Jewelry in July to ignore!

THE SHORT LIST OF JULY JOY AT GTJ!

-Fabulous Friends, both old and new came to visit! (TRISH LANOUE, YOU ARE AN AMAZING AND INSPIRING WOMAN, AND YOUR POSITIVE OUTLOOK AND DISPOSITION IS TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY INFECTIOUS!) *yup, I needed to shout that!

-Glorious Artists Came to Play!
Check out the video of our best selling gallery artist Lochlin Smith.. interviewed by the one and only THE JUDITH!
SHOP LOCHLIN'S AMAZING COLLECTION OF EARRINGS!

-Favorite Giving Tree artists like PABLO VALENCIA and PAM FINK of GOOD CHARMA took our breath away with new creations, like our exclusive "COMPASS COLLECTION" and coming very soon, our Giving Tree/Good Charma collaboration for STAND UP TO CANCER and another line..all about feeling ..um.. KICK ASS! :) (truly cannot wait for this debut

-Amazing People Had Birthdays (Giving Tree manager Courtney Philos Jensen, Dear Friend Vasiliki, "Vee" and Giving Tree manager Laura Dallaire's daughter Ellen)... and even though celebrating their beautiful souls was absolutely ENOUGH...
the fact that our little office fridge almost always had little tinfoil wrapped packages of JOY!! (cake.. FROSTING!) didn't hurt!
(I was going to say it was the 'icing on the cake' but I refrained, and I think I finished all frosting and am now having withdrawal!)

-And oh yeah, there was that small matter of a heart and mind bursting open trip to ITALY in July!

What a wonderful month!
Still, this is about the NEW MONTH- AUGUST!
And just to guarantee it is going to be great, let's start celebrating it already!!
AUGUST, HERE IS TO YOU!!

Most Especially, August

Most especially,
August,
You are
Especially
special.
Within you, summer
Summer!
has turned
sublime.
Heat just days before
injustly
just,
hot,
Now August,
in you,
heat
takes on a softer
even
cooler
hue.
And in gardens where once there was only watermelon,
In August, there are now tomatoes too.

And our glasses will have mint in them!
And we will raise them up,
in honor of you,
Dear August,
And your mornings of lush and dewy dew,
And your evenings of dancing on porches under candlelight
from candles designed
to keep the mosquitos,
but not the living and the loving
of this one exquisite life,
at all
at bay
at all
away.

NEW MONDAY BLOG!! In Honor Of The Most Wonderful Band In The World!

2010-07-26T20:33:00.009-04:00

SUGARLAND!!!
*link takes you to their youtube channel. which is FANTASTIC!

Truth be told, I...er ..forgot it was Monday! Courtney is taking a few days off to celebrate her ONE YEAR wedding anniversary (HAPPY ANNIVERSARY COURTNEY AND DAN!)by heading up to Vermont to see Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes (another very very good band.. hit the link!)

Which basically means. it was up to Laura and myself to TURN IT OUT today! A non-stop Monday in the gallery/packing and shipping central, followed by a 7 pm painting session and culminating with an impromptu dinner party for "The Judith" on the deck! (This picture was taken through the window.. as I was inside.. slaving over a hot stove, while the Judith sipped wine and nibbled on carrots and hummus (*the way it should be)

ANYWAY.. all this to say.. WHOOPS! I forgot it was a blogging Monday!

You do know Giving Tree Jewelry will never break a promise to you, right?

That includes a blog every Monday! Even if it comes from a Eurostar train heading North back to Rome, asking for more time ;) (as it did last week!)

So what is today's blog about?
I'll shout it again...
SUGARLAND!!!

Band members Jennifer Nettles, Kristian Bush and manager Gail Gellman, have been friends of ours FOR YEARS now.. and we couldn't be more proud of their MASSIVE AND TOTALLY DESERVED SUCCESS...
but after being prompted by a customer today to find the necklace Jennifer wrote about on her site
www.jennifernettles.com

we were SO TOUCHED that the band took the time to celebrate us!
*Go to the 'friends' section of her site...

How lucky are we??

Here is a link to the necklace, BESS by Jeanine Payer on our site!

Jennifer and Kristian could be walking advertisements for Giving Tree Jewelry by now!

Gail created custom JEANINE PAYER BRACELETS when the bands single (Baby Girl) first went gold..
That's how Jennifer 'discovered' Jeanine Payer herself and has purchased about half a dozen pieces over the years!
Jennifer also wears TINY WISHES and Kristian ROCKS the Me & Ro FEARLESSNESS!

So this is a blog for a band we LOVE, people we ADORE (who have managed to stay wonderful, down to earth and true blue DESPITE THE FAME.. BRAVO!)

and friends like Denise Tucker, who offer inspiration when moments ago there was none!

HAPPY MONDAY! HOPE IT IS FULL OF GREAT MUSIC!
Rachel, Cape Cod, July 2010

NEW BLOG MONDAY*! "Tell me, what is it you plan to do...

2010-07-23T11:43:00.018-04:00

with your one wild, and precious, life?"

The last line from the poem "The Summer Day" by my favorite poet Mary Oliver. I love this string of words together. The way she gently, but urgently, asks this utterly profound and simple question. A question that, almost ironically, it will take a lifetime to answer...

This is our belated Monday blog for YES. All week long we have been celebrating the power of this word. We have been asking for stories of when you said 'YES!' to something that may have been a bit unfamilar and outside of your usual paradigm of day to day living. (I will post some answers, as well as the entire poem, at the end of this blog!) We have gone through our collection of jewelry with meaning and created a section of pieces of jewelry that feel like YES! to us.. that give us the courage and conviction (the FEARLESSNESS!) to say the word.

Recently, I said YES! to an experience that would take me outside of my normal day to day experience, would take me out of the country literally, and more than this, into a space of just not knowing what to expect. I travelled to Italy with a new friend while she worked. I had no expectations and no 'plan'... this isn't easy for me! And even though there are much bolder, braver examples of saying YES!, about midway through the trip, I had this huge epiphany. I was just so happy I didn't let anything 'stop' me from the experience. Before I left, I had a list of about 15 reasons why not to go, and only one why I should... because I wanted to. I wanted to see another country, step into the unknown, ..LIVE..and not just 'exist'.

*PABLO VALENCIA 'ONE MUST LIVE AND NOT JUST EXIST' (in french) RING!
The result was magic. And i wanted to share it with you, because I think sometimes we 'forget' that we CAN say YES! That we can change our lives and claim our lives. Does this seem to obvious? Maybe... but if there is even the chance that anyone reading this has forgotten this simple truth, if anyone hasn't asked themselves as of late, the question that begins this blog.. I wanted my positive experience to be a reminder.

I am working on a little video of some of the things I saw on the short journey. I am putting just a few pictures here, because I actually didn't take many at all. I wanted to, but I also just wanted to 'be', with total presence, in every moment. My journal entries were short and to the point instead of long and 'processy' (yup, just made that up!)

"You will not be the same after this." Read one whole days only entry. Looking back, I know what I meant by it. I meant, I am answering Mary's question. I am choosing and changing and claiming my life. It's an awesome thing and if it inspires one person to do the same, this makes me very, very, happy!

HERE IS TO YES!!!!*
Rachel Nyc-July 2010

From Giving Tree Jewelry's WIN ON WEDNESDAY question of the week on Facebook

Question:
TELL US YOUR FAVORITE EXPERIENCE OF SAYING 'YES!' TO SOMETHING THAT SEEMED A BIT.. OUT OF THE BLUE, 'SCARY', INTIMIDATING.. ANYTIME THAT 'YES!' WAS THE PERFECT DECISION!"
Answers:

‎32 years ago, in 1978, after working almost three years for the Navy Dept. as a secretary (being an art student and tattoo apprentice after hours) I quit my job just three days before attaining permanent status to go to the very uncertain life of full time tattoo artist. I most certainly made the right decision! Leap and the net will appear!!!!

A year ago, I was an operational specialist who was thinking about applying to business school. Out of the blue, one my of high school buddies asked if I wanted to start a business with him in Asia. We've been working on it for the last couple of months, and we're launching in October. And if we fail, we'll learn from what didn't work and try again.

I said yes to... going to London for a semester in college, teaching for a year in Korea, to getting married on top of a lighthouse, having kids, and buying a sailboat... but the biggest thing I said yes-which-was-the-perfect-decision was, instead of going for a nice mundane degree in college; teaching/business/english - - I said yes to ART SCHOOL> What a challenging/infuriating/wonderful decision that was!!

I said yes to dinner with a woman on the opposing softball team in my freshman year of college. When we were shaking hands after the game, she grabbed my hand pulled me out of the line and asked me to dinner.......we were together for 10 years, till a car accident took her away. Unexpected yes's are good.

I said "yes" to a boat ride a little over two years ago, worked out wonderfully since he's the guy in my profile photo right now ! :)

Yes to having a baby was the most terrifying, exhilarating, wonderful "yes"!
Saying yes to my husband's proposal was scary. I had always been so independent. Turns out to have been a great decision!

Saying yes to a job working with adults with disabilities. At first I was terrified, but now I have found a community of people who are kind, fun to be around and will accept you for exactly who you are. I plan to work with this community for the rest of my life. They enrich my life every day and have taught me to be a better human being. I hope I've taught them half as much as they have taught me!

About 14 years ago..I was 34......I decided to up and leave the Federal Govt and figure out what else I could do.......At the time I was having GI testing done.was stressed.single mother of a boy age 9..divorced 5 years.ready to move on.When I walked out the doors of that secure building/job as a supervisor/training coordinator/facilitator since ... age 19.I was scared.......

I became a registered massage therapist and have never looked back! 12 years in Practice I enjoy every day of my life! My son is now 23! he knows that you can do whatever you want but it's important to WANT what you do! He's an artist, musician,thinker,man of few word, kind, gentle, practical.....I could go on.......

the thing i said yes to was getting married !! i never thought i would but i found a great guy who loves me for who i am....and it is perfect !

Said yes to the job I have now, not knowing nearly enough about it. Turned out all right. :-)

Starting a web design business with a self taught son, a husband with a full time job and me who had not worked outside the house in 20 years.

Saying "YES" to becoming a trainer for Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). Scary and intimidating because I did not have much training experience, but one of the most rewarding experiences ever!!!

Everyday I say yes to the challenges that face me, from the minute and mundane to the life-altering possibilities that raising a teenager continues to throw at me---I am
My "yes" was saying yes to the Army Reserves back in 1996. Very out of the blue, but I am definitely a spontaneous person. With the extra money I used it to go to college out of state and so many things in my life fell into place with my YES to the Army. I wouldn't change a thing!

Said yes to my husband when he asked me to marry him and again when he wanted children. SO glad I said yes to both. I can't imagine my life without either

I am in the midst of my 'biggest' yes moment to date............yes it scares the heck out of me, but, after years of writing to myself, about myself, about life, I am dropping my current business talents to pursue writing.....I am selling everything I thought I cherished and making a true step towards something that is big in my soul...

Saying "yes" to running R2R at the grand canyon...given my fear of the unknown I am pretty darn happy that I did it and had a wonderful time :-)))

I said YES to myself.and that's the most important person to say yes to!

The Summer Day
Mary Oliver
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
-Mary Oliver

*These pictures won't make much sense! The first few (dark ones :() are of the post art show DANCE PARTY! that was hosted by the most amazing, genuine, down to earth husband and wife, Angela and Massimo Laurie
HERE IS A BIT ABOUT THEIR COLLECTION

I have never felt more welcome anywhere! I said YES! TO DANCING ALL NIGHT!

A shot of my new favorite salad.. with BREAD IN IT!
my NEW FRIEND Greg having his limoncello
my seat mate on my solo journey out to Italy, LUIGI!
The day time shots are of the other collection and collectors home we visited. It was in a region of Italy called Basilicata, 6 hrs South of Rome. The family lives in the castle shown here (with fabulous MODERN art adorning the 700 yr old entrance way!) Again, I have never felt such a warm and wonderful welcome. In the picture if our host Pier Vittorio, next to him Bernard Picasso and his wife, and artist Aaron Young, who installed a show in a church in Umbria and whose work is breathtaking!

NEW MONDAY BLOG!!...

2010-07-19T12:01:00.001-04:00

... To be published by Wednesday!!*

*because sometimes,
In the best possible way,
"Life" gets in the way...

And isn't that the point, after all?...

To endeavor to LIVE one's life??

I truly cannot wait to share a bit of this exquisite adventure,
One during which I have learned so much, and seen such beauty...it will be hard to describe,
But I want to try,
Because another 'point' of life, I think...
Is to share the good stuff...to try to bring a smile to another face, to celebrate
The richness of the world and as e.e. says..

The
Infinite
Possibility
Of
YES.

Until Wednesday, and with love,
Rachel, July 2010- Rome, Italy

NEW MONDAY BLOG! A Gift From A Friend

2010-07-11T10:01:00.003-04:00

Happy Monday! As you know I get so excited for these blogs that usually the hardest part is choosing just what I want to write about each week. I was contemplating this very thing when my little red light flashed on my blackberry. An email from a very dear friend. She didn't include any explanation for sending, she didn't need to. It was just a gift, and more special than anything else I could have imagined receiving this morning, or really, any time. The gift of her friendship, put so eloquently, by a favorite poet of mine. Happy Monday. Happy Hot Days, Happy Heart filled with friendship.
Love,
The Girls of Giving Tree

Friendship IXX by Khalil Gibran

And a youth said, "Speak to us of Friendship."

Your friend is your needs answered.

He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.

And he is your board and your fireside.

For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace.

When your friend speaks his mind you fear not the "nay" in your own mind, nor do you withhold the "ay."

And when he is silent your heart ceases not to listen to his heart;

For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unaclaimed.

When you part from your friend, you grieve not;

For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.

And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.

For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is caught.

And let your best be for your friend.

If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know its flood also.

For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?

Seek him always with hours to live.

For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.

And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.

For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed

BONUS BLOG!! Giving Tree Book Club? Summer Reading Suggestions From Facebook Friends!

2010-07-08T21:17:00.011-04:00

The Beach House by Jane Green- and it is set on Nantucket

Anything by Kristin Hannah! Especially Summer Island.

Eat Pray Love-Elizabeth Gilbert
*Jewelry tie-in Julia Roberts wears ALL ME & RO all the time in the film!

Real Girls Eat by Anthea Paul:) (great follow up to above! :))

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan.. 'cause I AM in DEFENSE OF FOOD! :)

‎

90 Minutes in Heaven - Don Piper

"Pillars of the Earth" (Ken Follett) or "World Without End" (Ken Follett)...two amazing reads...read them in order to get the full effect. Or "Edgar Sawtelle"...that is a wacky read but good nonetheless

‎100 Years Of Solitude -Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Good Book by David Plotz. Who knew the Bible was so funny?

The Good Earth Pearl S. Buck- It is so much better reading it as an adult than a high school kid.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Stieg Laarson and the two sequels.

The Shipping News. Proulx again and again.

A great beach read is: The House on the Beach by Linda Barrett !

The Fine Wisdom and Perfect Teachings of the Kings of Rock n' Roll-- Mark Edmundson. It's good!

The Red Tent by Anita Dimant! Awesome book, read it in two days on the beach. Just started Julie and Julia on my porch this morning and im hooked!

"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot--EXCELLENT!

The ''Shopaholic' series by Sophie Kinsella! All the books are a breeze to read and are funny :) Also, they do inspire me to shop a little... LOL * "Yippee!"-R.S

Completely engrossed in the Twilight Saga...loving it!

favorite summer read right now is "Women Food and God" Geneen Roth- just to help me stop stress eating !! but the other books I go back to are the Harry Potter Series...or Flaming Flamingo

Emily Dickinson poetry. As an avid gardener, she wrote about nature so beautifully and lyrically. She challenges us to look at nature through her eyes.

Give me the latest "Women's Murder Club" by Patterson and I'm happy.

Every summer, I reread a part of Atlas Shrugged Then when I am done, it will be ready to start again. Then have to read some John Sanford, suspense type books.

Tender is the Night by F.S. Fitzgerald: I read it every other year, "Hunting and Gathering" (Anna Gavalda) was a great summer read, Stieg Larsson is hard to put down, and The New Yorker is always a good bet :)

A children's book called "The Pink Motel". I want to find it and reread it again. It was so different and cool.

I love Carol Goodman books. Just finished Arcadia Falls...

Great Expectations! ! A favorite classic!

Autobiography of P.T. Barnum!

Fun and yet surprising serious book: Kathy Griffin "Official Book Club Selection."

Inspiration and mindfulness: Open Mind: Women's Daily Inspiration for Becoming Mindful by Diane Mariechild.

Inspiration/writing: Long Quiet Highway: Waking Up in America by Natalie Goldberg

Seriously, the best summer read is The Thorn Birds. An oldie but a goodie.

We were the McMillan's by Jonta Davis

Just finished a re-read of John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany", and re-loved it.

Anna Quindlen "Every Last One"--fabulous she is one of my favorite authors.

does US Weekly count? *

*Absolutely! If it makes you HAPPY it counts with us!

The greatest summer read is the trashiest gossip mag that I can find. I do love reading my books but find reading People, OK, etc is so much more enjoyable on the beach:)

With Love and slightly soggy, salt stained ,sun drenched pages of JOY!
The Girls of Giving Tree-

NEW BLOG MONDAY! A Celebration of Independence and Inspiration!!

2010-07-05T06:00:00.007-04:00

One of my favorite reading rituals of the week is the Sunday New York Times Weddings/Celebrations section. But then again, how could it not be? Stories of love found, love honored, love lasting... in a word, everything I love :)

My favorite weeks are when the section feels well balanced. I am always excited to see at least one gay male couple, at least one lesbian couple and at least one interracial couple. I don't even want to call this progressive because I would rather believe it is simply a reflection of our collective reality, and that soon, these still noticeable anomolies will not stand out at all, but rather blend in, seamlessly, as they should.

This Sunday, July 4th was extra fun because the cover story was about a wedding in Iowa (I was already endeared) between Mitchell Gold and Tim Scofield. Even before I started to read the article, I knew something was familar. Sure enough, the "Mitchell Gold" is the one half of the "Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams" ("whose logo looks like something two lovers would carve in a tree") of the furniture company name and fame. I used to live close by to a store of theirs in Boston. I couldn't afford anything, but would always pass by the windows, stop, and think "oooh pretty!"

The point of all this isn't actually the love story part of the feature. (Especially because I was confused.. one would think "Mitchell and Williams" got married, but they did not. They broke up. Mitchell Gold found the second love of his life, and married him.) The point for me (and I usually always have one, it's just the getting there!) was one line in the article, about the company Mr. Gold co-founded.

"The company makes couches and armchairs that are hip in an everyman way. Its Web site reads like a friendly blog, with the two founders writing about the importance of giving back to their communities, staying curious and avoiding mean people."

It was THIS line that caught my attention. and after smiling through the rest of the article (now all about the love) I went to check out the site:

Please, if you have time, check out the ABOUT US ON MITCHELL GOLD + BOB WILLIAMS SITE!

Personally, I only made it about half way through the "Who We Are" before I got teary. And then, moving onto the other sections, especially the GOLD FAMILY ALBUM
I understood that these were to be tears of JOY and INSPIRATION.

On our journey's in life, it is always a blessing, I think, to find something that speaks to you and inspires you to go, and grow, and work harder. That is what this website did for me this early Monday morning.

Every once in a while someone will ask me what connection some of the things we do here at Giving Tree Jewelry has to with...well, selling jewelry. Why so many charity endeavors? Why these (tiny) revolutions, and the SEEDS section, and a book about "How To Avoid Being Sad" and c.d's and WHY pictures of a silly red bicycle outside random sites around NYC?

Now, this morning, because of this website, arriving into my consciousness via one of my favorite things- I know the answer (I sort of always did)
Because this is the kind of company Giving Tree Jewelry wants to be! It may not be traditional, or familar, or even always make a lot of sense- but it's heartfelt, and earnest, and true, and endeavoring to do so much more than just sell jewelry. Giving Tree Jewelry wants to bring its friends and customers that support us, some JOY, some HOPE, and some INSPIRATION. And now, after seeing another site doing the same (and doing it SO MUCH BIGGER!) the one thing I can promise you for sure... Not only are we not going to stop, Giving Tree Jewelry is only going to GROW!

So THANK YOU MITCHELL GOLD & BOB WILLIAMS (And congratulations Mitchell and Tim!)

THANK YOU faithful readers of this blog, and our FACEBOOK friends, and our customers and visitors. THANK YOU! We do this, only, ever, with your support and love.

*And Laura and Courtney, don't worry! I'm studying the scholarship programs on this site. By the time Ellen is going off to college, and Courtney and Dans someday kids are ready to go.. the Giving Tree scholarship fund WILL exist! Mark my words :)

And now, since we know it doesn't need a specific 'purpose'- Check out the growing album of Ramblin' Red in NYC. All photo destination spots suggested by YOU!

*Become a fan on FACEBOOK and see all our albums!
I hope everyone feels as much independence and inspiration as I do right now.
Love,
Rachel July 5 2010, Cape Cod Ma

NEW BLOG MONDAY! What A Week! Giving Tree Jewelry Has The Best Artists Ever!

2010-06-28T17:03:00.018-04:00

Happy Monday!! And guess who is still tootlin' round the streets of NYC on her shiny red bike? :)
In fact, I'm thinking of doing a little art/joy project that involves snapping pictures of Rambling Red all around the city in the summertime. (Is it possible to fall in love with a bicycle? She muses...)

Here is Ramblin' outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art this past weekend!

It is true, just about the only thing that makes me happier than biking aimlessly around this city, is biking to meet up with one of our wonderful artists! On Tuesday, I had hands down, the most inspired lunch with PABLO VALENCIA ever! And that is saying quite a lot as EVERY meeting with this remarkable, ebulliant and transcendant man is FULL of inspiration.. but this time Pablo was on OVERDRIVE! The result is the debut of not one but TWO new lines from the fabulous Pablo over the next month! One came all from his gorgeous mind, the other, a collaboration we have been working on for over three years! (Trish Lanoue you 'reignited' the spark.. THANK YOU! *Giving Tree has THE BEST customers. in fact 'the best' isn't a good enough descriptive!)

*Pablo The Great!

*As gorgeous as it gets! My Rose Gold Bent Nail never comes off!

On Thursday, I was super excited to have lunch with Danielle Birrittella, the designer of ELLA POE! We hit it off instantly when we met in Los Angeles to shoot our 'Artist Of The Week' Video with Danielle, and not even a bike ride over and across town in the ridiculous heat was enough to quell my excitement over getting to see Danielle again, one of my favorite PEOPLE as well. Danielle had just returned from Europe and was stopping in NYC on her way back to L.A. She looked absolutely radiant in a summer red dress, (I just looked absolutely sweaty) AND she was wearing one of her new designs which I COULD NOT STOP OBSESSING OVER! This is the second time I have had this reaction to Danielle's work. The first is her ROSE GOLD BENT NAIL, which is on me now, and is always on me! Danielle asked if I put it on just for her. I told her it never comes off! Our lunch was filled with lots of laughter, story telling, and excitement over the new lines!

On Thursday evening, yours truly had a slightly decadent evening out on the town- and by decadent I mean.. OYSTERS! Best friend(and extraordinary artist) Kristin Jai Klosterman and myself dined with Rachel Minaya, her sister in law Sixta and her neice Amanda. Rachel is the wife of the METS general manager Omar Minaya. The moment I met Rachel I knew we were were destined to be friends. The fact that I have never seen anyone ROCK A PIECE OF JEWELRY more than Rachel rocked her 36 inch Me&Ro prayer bead necklace was just a bonus! This woman has styel to spare! The fact that the whole family is absolutely genuine, thoughtful, kind and considerate just makes me even more proud to consider them friends.

*RACHELS ROCK!

On Friday morning I hopped back on Rambling and headed to my new favorite spot, Chelsea Market, to meet, for the first time, Marla Wallerstein of MarlaStudio.
As I start to write this, I realize, words may very well fail me as I try to express the INSTANT connection I felt with Marla, the sense of 'wow this woman is AMAZING' and an overall respect and curiosity for everything Marla is. The mother of 3 boys, I only just learned Friday that Marla was a fine artist/print maker for years, went to grad school at R.I.S.D and taught at Brown in Rhode Island. Those are some serious creds! And when she laid out her newest collection for me, and we shot our next installment of our Artist of the Week series, I was completely, and utterly moved and impressed. I am also SO thankful I have Marla on film talking about her work, because I really don't think I can find just the right way to say, I was COMPLETELY blown away, by Marla, by her gorgeous jewelry, and even more glorious soul.

*NEW! Artist Of The Week Video with Marla of MarlaStudio coming FRIDAY!
(it's in the editing suite :))

Thank you Marla, and Pablo, and Danielle! You guys made this week an ABSOLUTELY INSPIRED AND INIMITABLE ONE IN THIS LITTLE JOURNEY OF ME IN NYC.
IT IS AN IMMENSE HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO REPRESENT YOU AS ARTISTS, AND BASK IN YOUR LIGHT, AS FRIENDS.

*and thanks Ramblin' for getting me to them! Tomorrow we go to the angel fountain at the park!! :)

With love and bright red joy!
Rachel, NYC June 28, 2010

BONUS BLOG! THANKFUL THURSDAY CALLING ALL LOVE

2010-06-24T07:50:00.008-04:00

It was probably foreseeable and inevitable, but when we sat down for our meeting this week and threw out all our ideas for what the 'theme' for SUMMER 2010 at Giving Tree Jewelry was going to be...
the whole thing took about... 10 seconds.

It is, as simple and dated (1969?) as it sounds, and there are no two ways around it.

It is THE SUMMER OF LOVE!

Tomorrow we will debut a new element on the www.givingtreejewelry.com website. One that highlights this theme of LOVE! Included here will be things like our fun and joyful FRIENDS PAGE on Facebook, and our GIVING TREE-GIVING BACK charity page which includes our favorite creation to date, our CUSTOMERS CARING section.

In the very near future, we will be debuting our SUMMER 2010 t-shirt, a line of commitment jewelry by the incredible Marla Wasserstein of MarlaStudio, and a very, very, very special charity piece that could not be closer to our hearts.

All of this to say. We are absolutely overflowing with LOVE.

HOW CAN YOU HELP ADD TO THE LOVE YOU ASK? :)

Yesterday, after working with a customer for quite some time on a very special order, I received this email from her. I got it early on in the day, (about 7 am) and I just KNEW, I was destined for a great day! My mind, but more importantly, MY HEART had just been 'made up' by the love I felt from this letter from a customer.

I thank you so much for your efforts with this regard and can't tell you how much I appreciate everything you have done. In the past 20 or so years I have considered shopping at Nordstrom to be the benchmark in service, and now I have found an even better experience and that is you and your company. I am over the moon about my transaction with you. As I told you, I love the "Fearlessness" necklace, and haven't taken it off since I got it. I am a 73 year old woman who raised three children along without any of the legally ordered child support checks, and worked until a year ago May, when I was laid off. At first I thought it was going to be awful, but within a very short time I realized that I am now on a wonderful long "vacation" and am enjoying life. And now I am fearless!

This note went further than ANYTHING I could imagine, to make me feel FILLED WITH LOVE for what we do here at Giving Tree Jewelry.

So we are reworking/reviving our 'TESTIMONIALS PAGE' to be a less tersely named 'WORDS OF LOVE' :)
If YOU could share any small story, of how an experience with Giving Tree, or the act of giving or receiving a gift from Giving Tree- brought some love (and joy!) to you, we would be so grateful!
For every 'WORDS OF LOVE' submission we receive today and tomorrow, we will mail out a special gift to you. A THANK-YOU from us, filled with LOVE!

***Send WORDS OF LOVE to rachelandjudith@givingtreejewelry.com***

And Remember:

With So Much Love,
Rachel- nyc late june 2010 ie: The Summer Of Love

New Monday Blog! New Eyes For New York!To All My Friends On The 6 Train

2010-06-20T19:59:00.033-04:00

As you can tell from the title this is yet another blog coming "Live From New York!" It is true, not only does my infatuation with this city continue, but it is seeming, strangely, to grow.

In fact the things I had always thought would deter me from pure love for this place (excessive summer heat, lack of natural beauty, CROWDS)I now find myself almost revelling in.. well, at least the last two of them!

As for the first, well, heat will be heat. There is not much I can do about that. But as for a lack of natural beauty, I have to say- au contraire! Ok, actually, I don't need to say that, because I just annoyed myself by saying it, so instead I will explain that two weeks ago I purchased a used but still super shiny (and super..red) bicycle, and have used this bike to take me to all sorts of gorgeous places. I should preface that statement by saying I can be made happy and sated by a two foot by two foot garden where the flower count is only .. two.. but here there is no need to be so undemanding! I have discovered gorgeous public gardens all along the riverside on the WAY upper east side of the city... while downtown holds the hi-line (all that beauty AND cupcakes? Sign me up!) Not to mention my now beloved 'Ramble' in Central Park (I think I will name my next dog, or first child, "Ramble" I just love the word!)

Anyway, as usual, I digress, wildly!

*New bike-now called 'Ramblin' Red'!

It's actually the other "reasons why Rachel could never love NYC" fallacy I want to address most explicitly. The crowds! I have recently decided, as is the case with so, so many things (Proust put it perfectly, and JEANINE PAYER perfectly put it on her BENNETT RING!)
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes."

*Jeanine Payer's BENNET RING- And my bday present to myself this year!

Well, my eyes must indeed be brand new, because this voyage, here in this ultra crowded city, is just about sublime.
Again, my shiny red bike (oh, let's call her.. Ramblin' Red :)) really comes in handy for this. Now, instead of being overwhelmed by all the people in Central Park at say 9 am on a Sunday morning (the time of my bike ride today), now, with my new eyes, I look upon these people as just.. more to entertain me! I love watching the way people sit on their bicycles, the way they run.. do they trot, or gallop, or ramble/amble along? And then there is the way I must move (gracefully, I pray) around so many of them! What would be 'just another bike ride' in any other city, in NYC, in Central Park, in the summer, becomes this gorgeous, dance of sorts, me and ramble, paired with everybody else. Every morning before I depart, I program a new playlist to fit my mood, and the heat of the day, (still shamelessly taking recommendations,Kyle!) and I depart for the dance. Check out this super blurry picture I took in honor of one of our coolest, most fit and inspiring customers- Christine Crosby Taylor, an avid runner and racer. I felt like a salmon swimming upstream against this tide of thousands, all seeming to have smiles on their faces while they ran (maybe that was in my head, but it's how I 'saw' it, and that's what we have decided counts for the most!)

*A horrible picture, but I was moving, on my bicycle! Don't try it!

OBVIOUSLY, I could go on and on about my rambling in this city, but I will eventually try to get to the title point of this blog!
Another of my favorite things about being here on a more frequent basis, is that most of the people I visit with here also happen to be artists at the Giving Tree, and this makes me RIDICULOUSLY happy! We carry their jewelry not just because we love what they create, but because the pieces are created by some of the most alive, inspired, creative people on the planet! A large majority of them living and working here in NYC! Between studio visits with amazing designers like ALEX WOO, long lunches followed by diamond district visits with PABLO VALENCIA to work on custom wedding bands we are designing, and awesome 'collaboration meetings' with PAM FINK OF GOOD CHARMA (just WAIT to see what we have planned!) I couldn't ask for better company!

And about that title, my 'friends on the 6 train'. Well, when I am not on my bicycle, I seem to be.. on the 6 train, heading from one end of town to the other. I always pack a book or newspaper to read, but most of the time, I end up just looking around me, at all the people. I have to wonder if it is possible to feel like I am having a love affair with about 3 million people, because everyday, I see .. something.. that makes my heart feel just a little more full. Some small act of kindness or even just..awareness of other human beings.

And just so I don't completely fall off the cliff of 'sappiness' that I always seem to be dangling precariously on :) I will also say that I see some KICK ASS FASHION on these trains!
I have come to 'see' these subway rides as research. What are people wearing these days? What is hip and new and trend setting, right NOW?
There are many, many answers, but two I am seeing quite a lot of are a LOT of multi material LAYERING of bracelets on wrists- as in leather meets sterling meets gold, meets beads and wood and string.

PERFECT example, these ONYX PRAYER BEADS BY ME & RO, paired with the awesome sterling silver ORIENTAL BANGLES FROM GOOD CHARMA and maybe even a new leather cuff from CHRISTY LEA PAYNE! YEAH!

The other thing I see, although I've been calling it for QUITE some time now, are men wearing rings on leather necklaces. I swear! I have seen three this past weekend alone!

I told PABLO about this some months ago, and he set to work making this piece for me, which not only looks RIDICULOUSLY sexy on a guy (OR GIRL) but ALSO represents the single most beautiful, most precious thing I have experienced in this city of New York. HUMANITY.

THE ACT OF BEING A HUMAN BEING
THE ACTION OF CARING FOR OTHER HUMAN BEINGS.
HUMANUS.

I can't think of a better thought to end this once again 'too long' (sorry mom!) blog on.

HUMANUS. May we feel it, embrace it, and be it.
With so much love from NYC, on the FIRST DAY OF SUMMER!
Rachel

NEW BLOG MONDAY!! Which means.. a new blog!

2010-06-14T21:22:00.009-04:00

A super busy Monday at Giving Tree, which began even before the sun came up! A wonderful sculptor, Karl Saliter, (www.rocksolidsculpture.com- LOVE THIS MAN!) arrived late last night so he and Rachel could do an early morning sculpture move. Only, as we realized at about 6 am, Karl had wildly OVERestimated at least Rachel's strengths (she suggested his next piece be made of...feathers :))
Luckily, the kindness of strangers (really and truly) got the job done!

And then there is the matter of Rachel's (tiny)revolutions charity project, which debuted on our SEEDS page on Friday, and will soon have Facebook and Twitter pages as well. However, this will require her to STOP PAINTING long enough to build the pages!

If you have time though, please take a moment and read what her newest obsession is all about- Over 5,000 (tiny)revolutions already exist, and there is, really, no end in site! For just a small donation, you can have a one of a kind piece of art, and know you are supporting a dream, and a really special charity vision-come true.
Read About And Shop (tiny)revolutions!

*A small selection of (tiny)revolutions...ready to be packed and set out into the world!

All of this to say, it was a good but long day. The kind of day that at the end of it you feel just a little bit.. whacky. You may even write an entire blog in the third person.

Worse yet, you may even document your exhaustion... just because the way the light was hitting, just then, when you went to sit on the patio... you wanted to share it with people you care about. You wanted to finish the blog, because as (tiny) a thing as it is, the promise to do one every Monday, some things really matter to you, like keeping promises, and sharing beauty with friends.
WATCH NEW BLOG MONDAY-RACHEL AND BEAZIE LOOK FOR BIRDS INSTEAD OF WRITING THE BLOG VIDEO NOW!
HAPPY MONDAY NIGHT EVERYONE,
Rachel, appearing this evening, in the 2nd and 3rd person!

*Thank you Laura and Courtney for putting up with the 3,000 (tiny) revolutions all over the office. And with me!

And this is why today is FEARLESS FRIDAY... An essential "Bonus Blog"

2010-06-11T15:50:00.016-04:00

Sometimes, we hear or experience something that puts everything in perspective, reminds us what matters most, and changes the entire mindset of our day.
On Wednesday of this week I received this email from our customer Portia Hinshaw, and I knew I had to share.

Hello Rachel,

You have been on my mind for the last few days; I knew it was time to write you about the power of your jewelry...

On the last day of school, May 26th, Jhamal and I were heading home all set to enjoy the beginning of our much needed summer break. The day before, Jhamal had received seven Academic Excellence Awards and BEST of all - Citizen of the Year! I told him that being smart means nothing if you are a jerk:-)! Bill and I are so very proud of him. As we headed up the Canyon that late afternoon, we were hit by a drunk driver. Both of us walked away from the accident with injuries but nothing severe. The car was totalled.

After the CO State Patrol arrived, he informed me that my defensive driving skills saved both of us and the other guy. He said, "You are truly fearless." AND guess what necklace was around my neck ... yes, Me and Ro's Fearlessness. That night Bill told me over and over again how brave I was. AND what bracelet was I wearing? Me and Ro's Courage! I truly believe that the power of wearing jewelry with meaning evokes certain qualities in a person ... especially when those qualities are most needed.

I am still in quite a bit of pain; my ribs were badly bruised. I am relaxing, healing ... and car shopping! Jhamal, on the other hand, is doing great! He ran a personal best in the Bolder Boulder 10K Race five days after the accident, and he heads to Yellowstone for a Wolf Trek tomorrow morning. We feel grateful and blessed! My hope is that the guy who hit us will use this experience to change his life. I am daily journaling the positives that have come out it.

Thank you, my dear friend, for the loving and compassionate part that you play in all of our lives.

I hope you are well!

I still cannot get through the letter without crying. I am so grateful that these two beautiful, incredible people, Mother and Son, were able to walk away from such a horrific event, and that their bodies will fully heal. And I also can barely express the sense of pride I have to know this family, even if it is 'cyberspace' supported, I have been so inspired and encouraged by Portia's wonderful disposition and sense of humor, her grace, and yes! her FEARLESSNESS. This woman LIVES life, and she is truly a hero to me.
And she and her husband Bill are raising their son, Jhamal with the same values, strength of character, and compassionate nature that I feel so strongly from them.

*Jhamal and his wonderful work with the Special Olympics in Boulder, Co, inspired our THANKFUL THURSDAY on Facebook yesterday. Thank you Jhamal!

*Lori's FEARLESSNESS tattoo!

Today is also the birthday of another dear friend, and hands down, one of the most FEARLESS, and (sorry, but it's true!) KICK ASS women we know! LORI G. is an amazing woman, who uses her FEARLESSNESS every day as a social worker rescuing children from horrendous situations, giving them hope, saving their lives. Lori also works to shelter and place homeless dogs, and there are not enough words to express how much I respect what she does, who she is and how she lives her life. We are wishing her a year that returns to her all the good things she puts into the world!

And on Monday, June 14th, Cynthia Bender, SUCH a huge part of the Giving Tree family and the very first to create a CUSTOMERS CARING page... is doing the triathlon to raise awareness for Ovarian Cancer. Already a FEARLESS force in the world, we just wanted her to know we will all be with her if she needs any extra strength!! We all KNOW you can do it! *and your necklace will help!

In truth, there is rarely a day that goes by that we don't hear of at least from at least one FEARLESS woman out there, who shares her story, shows her strength and inspires us through the way she lives. Today, there just happened to be many.. and we LOVE IT!
SO,

HAPPY FEARLESS FRIDAY EVERYONE!
May you feel the power of FEARLESSNESS in your self!

Random Thoughts.. And.. 'What Does A Buddhist Listen To?"

2010-06-06T20:17:00.013-04:00

It is almost silly, or, it IS totally silly... just how excited I get when I start to think about writing this blog. I say 'start thinking' because the process begins usually around Wednesday or Thursday. I start taking notes, and snapping pictures! Little 'journal entries' in the book of me...
"Dear world and everyone in it...once again, today, you took my breath away..."

or something like that.
It started, this week, with the actualization of a piece designed by Pablo and myself at the SPECIFIC REQUEST of one our dearest and most fun, funny and supportive customers, Trish from Maine. She asked if there was "anything we could do to help the wildlife in the gulf of Mexico." I loved this instantly for two reasons, there was something we could do, and for the fact that Trish, when thinking of places/things that could be open to hearing her very pure and beautiful need to express her sorrow and desire to help in this tragedy...my email came into her head... All the fame and money in the world couldn't match my pride in THAT!

*Charity piece, inspired by Trish- THE SOAR AND BIRD TINY WISH!

And then the week just kept rolling on in beauty and what felt to me like a very 'raw' 'real' and "human" energy. At one in the same time, it felt as if the universe, the cosmos, GOD, whatever you believe in.. was painting the canvas of the world this week, to look like a Jackson Pollack painting!... LOTS o' stuff, energy, transition etc going down! But also, there was a lot of reflection in the air.. a 'deeper' quality to everything, only amplified by the sweltering heat (in NYC atleast!). I share this because I snapped some pictures of things befitting of this latter energy. As I remarked on our FACEBOOK PAGE*(*Become a friend of Giving Tree, we have so much FUN!), the gorgeous solemness of the world this week, reminded me of this Rumi line "Let the beauty we love be what we do, there are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground."

Maybe it is something like the oil spill that makes us realize how precious and precarious things are, and also, that there really IS a dichtomy to be recognized, if not so much of a 'good' -vs- 'evil', at the very least, this disaster, and the cold, failed, response of the corporations at fault for it, is a VERY clear example of the ineffectiveness of these giant businesses going after the thing with, only 'money', only redistributed blame, only 'head'.. what is missing, is the heart. .THE HEART!*(I could go on and on)
Go to Facebook for more pictures, oh and tell me what you think this Buddhist in the picture is listening to!! (I feel a Win on Wednesday in here Courtney!! and notice how I am shameless in inventing ways to get new music recommendations!:))

Finally, and as always.. THANK YOU for taking the time to read this. I cannot tell you how much I look forward to writing it every week. Maybe it is because I know FOR SURE there is one faithful reader out there, and just the thought of her reading these silly little soliloquys, and smiling.. well, that fills me with more joy than I can even express.

To make someone you truly love, smile. Really, does it get any more simple or good or important than that?
With so much love,
Rachel- June 2010

BONUS BLOG!! Our BIGGEST CONGRATULATIONS TO KHANH TRAN-WINNER OF OUR FIRST ANNUAL "TRIP TO CAPE COD" CONTEST!!! YIPPEE!

2010-05-28T14:04:00.017-04:00

The points have been counted and we are thrilled to announce KHANH TRAN from San Diego California as the WINNER! Of our first annual "Trip To Cape Cod" Contest!!

We had such a blast with this contest! And we are SO grateful to all that participated! Our idea was to encourage our customers to TELL THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY about just how wonderful Giving Tree Jewelry is! Every person that then purchased something and used the special code alloted to the participant, earned that person a point! It was a very, very close finish, but in the end, Khanh's constant, gentle 'reminding' to her friends and people she works with.. put her on top!

Here is a little bit more about our winner.. who we CANNOT WAIT TO HOST ON CAPE COD THIS SUMMER!

Khanh and her girls! *the beautiful girls, not the goats :)

From Rachel
I have never met Khanh and am not sure how she first came to discover Giving Tree.. (I need to ask! :)) but I am so glad she did!

I do remember however, how I started to 'know' her as the beautiful person she is...
Around the holidays, Khanh ordered 5 or 6 pieces.. really, really COOL pieces, things I would order for myself! If I recall correctly, about three were gifts, and two or three were for Khanh herself.
Khanh asked my advice for the pieces she would get for herself.. if I liked them together, how I would wear them, etc.
I LOVE when customers ask questions! I try to always be honest. I suggested switching out one piece for another by the same artist, as I thought it would layer better. Khanh was thrilled, and said she had actually been REALLY close to ordering the piece I suggested, but had made the change at the last moment.
Maybe this synchronicity bonded us.. but the next thing I knew, we were friends on Facebook, and suddenly, I was the recipient of the HUGE, AMAZING gift, of getting to revel in the pictures of Khanh (and Husband Charlie's) three BEAUTIFUL girls..Chloe, Avery, Gabrielle. OH THOSE FACES! I had to email Khanh again and tell her that I knew for sure, that my new 'thing' whenever I was feeling blue.. was going to be to look at the photos on her facebook page. Pure, infectious joy!

I felt something with these girls.. they reminded me, of ME.. when I was young.. just so carefree, so able to express myself.. because I had parents that ..let me. i knew this was true of Khanh and Charlie. I could feel it.

Khanh and I had another wonderful moment of solidifying friendship when we did our promotion for Valentines Day, asking for 'love stories' ..After reading hers, again, I had to write to Khanh to tell her how much her story of love had moved me. *I reposted it at the end..

All this to say I feel like I DO know Khanh, even though I don't know many of the "details" of her day to day life. I'm not sure what Khanh does for a living although I know she is in medicine somehow, because many of the customers she referred to Giving Tree were nurses she worked with. I remember one email I was sharing with her my 'big idea' to be revealed SOON! At that point in time, I was calling it something whose acronym was TKA..
Khanh emailed back and said "no no.. everyone knows that only as "Below the Knee Amputation'

I thought. er.. not EVERYONE :)

And I know Khanh does a LOT of philanthropic work. In fact, she had the brilliant idea to promote Giving Tree with this beautiful basket she made for a fundraising auction. Really, how cool is she? (thank you!)

So it seems I still have some to learn about Khanh..
The thing I know for sure..
Khanh is a wonderful, beautiful, endless source of love and support as a friend, wife and mother-caring, diligent, loving, kind, embracing and encouraging in all regards..
Oh!and lastly, I know Khanh is an AMAZING 'P.R' person for Giving Tree Jewelry! Even though Charlie teases her about "pushing jewelry", we could not be more grateful that Khanh expends some of her beautiful energy helping grow 'The Tree'

So it is with all our JOY FILLED HEARTS we say:
CONGRATULATIONS TO KHANH FOR WINNING OUR CONTEST!
We can't wait for her visit (with guest!) and we will surely take lots and lots of pictures!!

And Thank You EVERYONE who participated in this super fun contest! It filled us with happiness to think of "Giving Tree' goodness being spread around!
There really would be no 'Giving Tree' without all of you! And we hope you can all come visit us on Cape Cod!

With so much love!
Rachel, Judith, Laura, Courtney and all of Giving Tree Jewelry

*Khanh's love story:

"REAL LOVE"
My husband Charlie and I were set up on a blind date. Our first ‘real’ date was on February 12, 1994, when we went to an exhibit gala at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Charlie was nervous about whether it was too early in the relationship to get me a Valentine but did end up getting me a box of heavenly hand-made truffles from an elite German chocolatier in Baltimore. On this date, my husband quickly learned that he needed to learn to cook for his own survival….for when I said that i would make him breakfast, it meant a smoothie from a blender with granola on top! We dated long distance for the next three years – he in San Francisco and I in Baltimore, for work reasons, including our first year of marriage, when we took different planes back to our respective coasts, after a brief honeymoon in Santa Fe……It has been sixteen years and a lot of life since that first date. We’ve had our share of good times and bad times, triumphs and disappointments. We’ve been best friends, and at times we’ve been adversaries. We have grown closer, and we have hurt each other. And at times, i forget where I am, or what I have, but I only need to watch Charlie kick around a pink soccer ball with our three little girls, help them dress their Barbies, watch endless ballet recitals (instead of ESPN), sew a button on one of the girls’ favorite jeans, or plant sunflowers and (giant) pumpkins with them….and I am reminded of this real love……

New Monday Blog!

2010-05-24T11:02:00.012-04:00

As some of you know who read this blog fairly regularly (THANK YOU!) I have been spending some time in NYC. Today is my last day for a while as we throw open the doors of Giving Tree Gallery this weekend and I cannot WAIT to welcome everyone to our little bit of heaven this summer!
If you are thinking of a Cape Cod visit, please tell us. The amazing, incredible Courtney created an INTERACTIVE CALENDAR!

As for the 'theme' of this New Monday blog.. I actually started writing this on Saturday. See, I'm a SUPER early riser, so I usually spend the hours between about 430 and 1130 doing all things "Giving Tree" And then have some time to.. wander in this city.
Inevitably, I spend most of my time observing and enjoying... People. Specifically, people being kind to each other.

"In the end, I just want to be kind"- Mary Oliver

For me, these "visions" of kindness, no matter how small (someone stepping aside to let someone pass.. Opening a door etc) are as necessary to my well being as...breathing.

One "kindness sighting" and I can feel buoyed for hours..

I bring this up because I have been doing lots of "soul searching" I guess is the term, for lack of a better word... Trying to define, refine.. What I want and need to "contribute" to the world I live in and receive so much joy from.

(*A hint to what is rising to the top, our recent OUR FRIENDS page)

And I hope, next week, to reveal even more!

What I know for sure is that these themes of kindness and connection have been informing and inspiring EVERYTHING I do, as well as keeping me going when I start to doubt myself.

Just the other day I received a wonderful message from a beloved customer, Lori. :)-The timing could not have been better. Lori wrote to tell me she was wearing her Tami Morrissey Safety Pin Bracelet that day to remind her how her friends are like the pins of the bracelet, and how they all help hold her together.

Needless to say, this made my day!

That night, just as I was falling into sleep.. I was recalling the other acts of kindness I had seen. I realized I had witnessed quite a bit of 'hugging' that day, and it got me thinking. And these were the thoughts, just before I fell into a deep, and wonderful, sleep:

The Mechanics Of A Great Hug
observations from the streets of NYC

A great hug connotes affection.
This is obvious.
How could it not?
Two people,
folding into one another's arms,
pressing into each other
for a moment,
taking on the weight of the other
if one moves, or misses
both fall.

With a great hug there is
of course,
"giving"
but there is also
"receiving"
And both things matter
in equal amounts.
Inherent in this
perfect equation
there is both power,
and powerlessness.
All at once.
A willingness to 'let in'
A willingness to 'let go'
both absolutely essential

A great hug is not like dancing
There is no "lead"
In a great hug.

No one owns a hug.

And finally, I have decided
A great hug
has something else in it
perhaps more subtle
than all these other things-

A great hug
can sometimes, very definitely be
a "putting back together"of sorts

Meaning,

sometimes,

we all

spill out the sides of ourselves

Come a bit

unraveled

undone.

A great hug

with arms wrapped round,

Can sometimes be

two friends

doing what they can

to put the other

back together

again.

I smile thinking of this last part
When I see people hugging now.

That is why I wanted to share it with you.

Think about it, the next time you see two people hugging.

Think of it as a "gathering up"
of all the good stuff

the other person needs
to carry around with them

but, like a too full bag full of peaches at the grocery store
may have been close to letting spill out.

A great hug
lifts us up
and
holds us in
and
puts us back together
again.

Rachel-NYC May 2010

New Blog Monday! Born from inspiration from a friend, some empowering thoughts!

2010-05-17T12:39:00.012-04:00

HAPPY MONDAY!! Time for a new blog!*

*I am going to try to keep this short..ish :) but I'm a sneaky one. .there are lots of links to great things, and even more from me, so it only 'seems' short!

I have a good friend, Nish, that always seems to "know" what I am working on and dreaming about even though we rarely see each other...

Lately, for instance, I have really been thinking about how AMAZING this little business called 'Giving Tree Jewelry' is. In fact, I can't think of any other business I would consider as special. And I say this with absolute objectivity :) because so much of what makes me feel this way, has more to do with YOU than it does with US. In short, I think Giving Tree has the greatest customers in the world! And after I watched the video Nish sent, I realized that my admiration of you all, and my desire to help create the best business for you was the best source of inspiration I could ask for!

Here is what Nish sent:

http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html

This is a video from the amazing website www.ted.com
This video is pretty geared towards business, but in a nutshell the speaker explains that for any business to be 'great' you have to start with the "why" you are doing it, not the "what" it is that you are doing.
I realized, quite quickly, after watching, that I want to make Giving Tree a wonderful business so that I can reciprocate all the happiness our customers have brought to us! It was quite a revelation, especially at about 5:30 am today:). And I found myself so inspired, I even updated our "About Us" story to try to account for the last 5 years. Check it out! (See how I snuck more in here ;))

I love the Ted.com website. For those that don't know, it's a collection of talks on just about anything and everything that is good in the world!

Another one (from Nish, of course.. he of all things totally 'right on' and 'pitch perfect' for me) that really went a long way in giving me the courage and road map to begin to start actualizing another big dream of mine (yes, stay tuned :)) was this one:

http://www.ted.com/talks/gary_vaynerchuk_do_what_you_love_no_excuses.html

To my friends (you) following dreams, endeavoring to launch or nurture a creation, I say watch it!

Here are two other perennial favorites

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/matthieu_ricard_on_the_habits_of_happiness.html
(thank you Khanh! You are an inspiration for me!)

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html
(thank you Amy for the introduction! You're SO cool! I've now watched it about 100 times, never without crying)

All of this to say, thank you Nish for the source of the revelation, and thank you to all of YOU that support and believe in Giving Tree, and give us our beautiful answer to the question of "why"?

With wishes for endless inspiration and revelation!
Rachel, NYC, 5/17/10

Because We Have Decided To: "Let The Music Play" A BONUS Blog!

2010-05-13T06:17:00.010-04:00

What an awesome response we got to your "Win on Wednesday" question about songs that make you happy.. THANK YOU!!
Our goal is that by opening day here (around the 25th ;))we have the Giving Tree 2010 edition C.D. burned and ready to be played (and given away) all summer long!

Here are links to the songs all of you suggested.. just in case anyone is up for discovering more fabulous music.. one of our all time favorite things to do!
*And because I am addicted, I am sure I will sneak in a few more of my own*
From all these songs, a fantastic, glorious, 'get you through the darkness and into the sunshine' c.d. will be born! STAY TUNED! Literally! xxx Rachel

HURRICANE WATERS - CITIZEN COPE

HEALING HANDS- CITIZEN COPE

TWO DAUGHTERS AND A BEAUTIFUL WIFE- DRIVE BY TRUCKERS

LOVELY DAY- BILL WITHERS

AINT NO SUNSHINE -BILL WITHERS

CHANGE OF TIME- JOSH RITTER

MY SAME- ADELE

BETTER TOGETHER- JACK JOHNSON

HEY SOUL SISTER- TRAIN

WOKE UP THIS MORNING- A3

ALL I HAVE TO DO- SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK

CLAP HANDS- BECK

SHES SOMEBODY'S HERO- JAMIE O NEAL
*"The keeper of the cheerios" great line!

MY HALLELUJAH SONG- JULIANNE HOUGH

ELVIS IS EVERYWHERE- MOJO NIXON

SMITH HILL-DEER TICK

WE OWN THE SKY- M83

HANG ON -DR. DOG

MY LOVE- THE BIRD AND THE BEE

THE GOURDS-GIN AND JUICE

CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS-HIT EM UP STYLE

New (MUSIC) Monday Blog I got the music in me!

2010-05-10T20:19:00.031-04:00

Anyone who knows me, even a little bit, knows that one of my favorite things in the world, a pure love of mine, the most revered art form, the thing that sustains me, pulses through my veins...(oh ok, you get the idea?))

is music.

Ten+ years of teaching spinning classes and NEVER playing the same c.d twice probably didn't do anything to quell it.. but I know the love affair started way before that... A blue phonograph in an only childs bedroom, was the key that unlocked the entire world...

So today, a very busy Monday, I just want to celebrate, and share, this love of music. Because "just the right song" at "just the right time.." can change everything!

So here is a little list, with links.. just of the music moving me ever-forward into the light.. right now!

And no, this doesnt have much to do with jewelry.. at all, but I happen to think both great music, and the amazing pieces we carry on www.givingtreejewelry.com, come from the same place of inspiration and have the amazing ability to 'kickstart' your heart, or your dreams.. or whatever needs a little fire!

*I did just update my WHAT RACHEL IS WEARING page.. and I am, really and truly, wearing all of these pieces as I find myself inside the most amazing city in the world, with the most amazing friends anyone could EVER ask for (thank you KJK!)

*I am completely in love with the SPARC jewelry for the imminent summer!

*myself and great friends, posing in a famous sculpture installation by artist Robert Irwin, during the amazing art opening Kristin put together!

SO. HERE IT IS..
RACHEL'S LIST OF ESSENTIAL SPRING SONGS AND THE JEWELRY THAT ROCKS! RIGHT ALONG SIDE OF THEM!

**and YES, KYLE.. you can edit, delete, dismiss this list.. and send your own.. and ill post it. in fact.. i'd love that!. .
anyone who sends over some favorite songs.. will get a little thank you gift ;)
yup!

p.s.. YES. there is a theme.. and the theme is JOY! :)

TIME AND SPACE/THE ACCIDENTAL

This is the song on constant repeat when I wander around NYC looking for pictures of people holding hands

HOME/EDWARD SHARPE AND THE MAGNETIC ZEROES
*K.C. Thank you for bringing this to me months ago... I've worn new grooves in this record, and posted because my Courtney is just discovering it. It's so visual. How does one break their behind?

STILLNESS IS THE MOVE/DIRTY PROJECTORS
*This is what NEW music sounds like.. this band will take over the world soon, but not before they logged time on Cape Cod.. Hope this will often be the case!

CANDY CASTLE/GLASS CANDY*If there is anything that really, really needs..'doing'.. Blog writing, say, or housecleaning, I put this on and wait for the 'Rocky Part' to come on!

DREAMING/ GOLDFRAPP

*Just a fabulous song about a fabulous leisure time activity

HELP IM ALIVE/METRIC
*Concert is 6 Days!! Countdown is ON!! YIPPEE! GREAT SONG, GREAT BAND

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8obah-11Ldc&feature=related

MOMMA'S PLACE/ ROISIN MURPHY
*Do so love the Lady Ga.. but there were indeed predecessors. you are right beautiful Liza!

PASSION PIT SLEEPY HEAD
*I am not quite sure what they are saying, I just bounce around!

HEART OF STEEL/GALACTIC
*Posted this before. It's the song a healing heart plays makes when it starts to find joy again..

BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE/TOM JONES&THE CARDIGANS
*In honor of our "Tom Jones inspires panty throwing" contingent...

I FEEL ELECTRIC/RUBIES
*I get lost in this song.. all day long...

FOR OUR ELEGANT CASTE/OF MONTREAL
*Just fun, and that is always enough.

BEFORE THE MONEY CAME/BETTYE LAVETTE
*Great song to shout out and remember things can(will) always get better.. but they aren't that bad..

FEELING GOOD/ MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND
*Best song ever and a really not bad at all rendition

With LOVE, PEACE, AND DREAMING TO MUSIC,
Rachel

**links should work now! and.. it's like an addiction. I can't stop, and don't want to!.. send songs!**

HIGH ROAD/BROKEN BELLS*a very very lovely gift from my very very lovely music guru

SUNSHINE MAKES ME HIGH/GUGGENHEIM GROTTO
*just plaintive and plain sexy

New Monday Blog!!Be A Part Of Giving Tree Gardens! Share Your Favorite Words!

2010-05-03T05:59:00.008-04:00

Sign in gardens reads "Love One Another"

Quotes work too! This from Judith

Charming Gardener, treasured friend, and GTJ artist JENN GUNN sharing some words!

HAPPY MONDAY!
We decided to make this weeks blog, (and all the other FUN stuff we do here, like Win on Wednesday and Thankful Thursday) -all about words..

And you will be happy to know, not all of them will be mine ;)

Instead, this week, we asking you for some favorite words of yours that have lifted you up, inspired you, carried you through. For there is nothing like 'well placed' words, (metaphorically speaking).. as in, when they go right to your heart, and help heal it or bring it joy!

And speaking of 'well placed' :) this missive is actually a very pointed one.

We want to place YOUR words in our gardens!

Every year, as we revive, reshape, and finally "re-debut" the gardens at Giving Tree, we try to make it a really special experience for everyone who walks through.
Not only do we care for the gardens, but we put up some natural art pieces, and my favorite thing- We make slates with short quotes, poems...WORDS on them!

This is where you come in! This last year has seen the birth and nurturing of a really, really special community around Giving Tree Jewelry, and we are most thankful of this and want to celebrate it everyday. So much GOOD STUFF has happened as a result of a group of people 'meeting' each other and sharing their words.

So.. share your words some more, and the ones that fit on the slates will be etched in and placed in our gardens for as long as nature sees fit!

This year too, instead of my just doing it with glue and laminated paper (NOT successful) a dear friend has offered to have the quotes and poems etched on slate for us. This is a HUGE gift!
So.. share your words.. the ones that make you feel wonderful. Something you would most like to see if you were 'wandering through a pretty garden on a beautiful day'..
and then..

COME VISIT US AND DO THIS FOR REAL!!

Thank You for being a part of the blooming gardens in our hearts...

With love,
Rachel

*Any quote you love could work.. even one of your own!.. Just share!"

"Let us be grateful for the people that make us happy, for they are the charming gardeners that make our souls blossom" Proust

The Judith Is In The House!! We answer your "Win On Wednesday" Special Moms Day Edition Questions!

2010-04-28T18:45:00.020-04:00

Ok! We are sitting down together, avec wine! The Judith (that is my nickname for her, b/c she is worthy of being a noun) and her boxed wine...and me, and my real wine.. hey! Maybe that is what makes our relationship work...we don't drink each others wine.

Ok, here we go!
And I quote The Judith "Sock it to me" :)

What makes your relationship with your mom work?- Vasiliki
Judith is answering.. so let's..let her..
"I'm just totally, always, in awe of what you do... I mean, I love every single one of your paintings you did, I think this whole project is really a lovely thing, and um, I just respect you..and I think you're beautiful. I am proud of the way you work with our employees. I like the fact that you have a really high energy level.. you are always willing to work..."
ok.. I'm cutting her off.
Rachel: I honestly could not respect another human being more. I truly can't get over her. She is this amazing..entity. .she is like, wildly sagacious, kind of.. knows everything..and yet greets everything..with this ..pure joy. Where for me, honestly, 'being happy' is something I think about..work on.. for her. it's just her natural state. Everything is a wonder, a beautiful thing. The eyes she looks on the world with, are truly gentle, loving eyes. I admire her. I think that's the key.

What is your favorite color? Barbara
The Judith "me?"
"Yes mom, You"
Judith, raising her hands and looking around. "it's so obvious!!! White.."
Rachel: yeah, maybe it's power of suggestion (this house is white.. top to bottom) but..white!

How do you manage to keep such a wonderful attitude all the time?- Julie
Judith-"Because I am geniuinely happy and we live in a beautiful place"
Rachel I think I do this because in doing it.. I become it. if that makes sense. it's sort of a chicken/egg kind of thing. I have learned a lot by practicing at being happy. :)

What is the best thing about Cape Cod? Jacqueline
Judith "ohhhh my god.. all the natural beauty, and all the pride the people take in their homes..the fact that everyone that lives here is so happy to be here.

Rachel Driving down route 6a about a half an hour before sunset. Golden light streaming through arching trees. Turning left down Scudder Lane. Bribing the oystermen for a few of their babies... driving home under the stone bridge that Edie Vonnegut painted with an image of two mermen, casting their nets in the sea. .it reads "Looking for family, searching for tribe" just before the road gently arcs and takes me home.

What is the most memorable thing you've done with your mom or grandma? Amanda
The Judith (answering about me I think) "ok, this is my favorite memory.. when we used to go to the duckpond, and feed the ducks everyday.. you were like 2, or 3 ...and um.. when you introduced me to all the music that you love.. when we went to Santa Fe and Sedona.. ooh when I saw all your apartments in California.. let's see.. hold on.. (getting frustrated) i dont know! we have so many memorable things.. every day is memorable..oh my god.. we used to dye easter eggs, every year, with my father, do you remember that? oh my god.. what are your most memorable things?.."

Rachel: I have amazing memories of our cross country road trips together, and the thing we still do at the end of every adventure. We write down what happened. It sounds so small, but it's so fun, like reliving the experience..
Judith "YES YES! like when we saw Miss Missississippi in the Cracker Barrel restaurant! Where was that?
Rachel: Mississippi
Judith:Yes!
Rachel: But my more recent favorite memory is when I would be so busy in the gardens or gallery, and you and Beazie (the dog) would set off to walk the beach. I wouldn't think anything of it, until I realize like, 6 hours have passed. I'd drive up to the beach and walk to the tip where the marsh side meets the ocean. You would be sitting there, in the tall grass, your feet in the water.. Beazie digging a hole by your side. You were just.. sitting. being happy. I love that thought.

Judith can you tell me about one of your favorite memories of Rachel while she was growing up?- Trish
"uh huh! Her birthday parties.. especially the birthday party at the pond, when we had the frog race..and you were so determined you were going to win. .NO.. it has to be the time you had your ballet recital. .. 4 years old.. at the end.. everyone twirled off to the left, and you stood in the middle of the stage.. afterwards.. i was so nervous you were going to be so upset.. instead you said (exasperated) 'oh my god mom, can you believe EVERYONE went the wrong way??" i think that was my first inkling in really knowing who you were..

I'm mom to a wonderful, strong 3 year old girl. I'm really keen on creating and establishing traditions with her, that just the two of us share, & she'll always remember. What are some of your mother/daughter traditions?"- Regina

oh! taking a picture of you every christmas that we frame and take out every christmas, so i can look at and see how you grew...ooh! making our Christmas presents every year..sitting at that little bar table... this is such a good question... who are asking all these questions.. 'our customers' 'oh my god' "what about your dress" OH.. WEARING MY MATERNITY DRESS, EVERY YEAR ON YOUR BIRTHDAY! IM GOING TO DO IT FOREVER.. AS LONG AS I LIVE..JUST TO CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTH"

Rachel: Yes, the dress is a BIG one.. that poor tattered piece of blue fabric with the yellow flowers...every year.. yup. And Oh my god.. our TOAST! Every time we have a glass of wine together.. same toast..
"To more success and happiness than we can even imagine..and to making more money than even Rachel can spend.." (it's a joke.. sort of!)

Rachel, what made you decide that you could go home again?
Brandonne
Wow this is a tough question. Honestly,I don't think if you had asked me 8 years ago if I thought I'd be 'going home' for longer than the 4th of July long weekend (as was initially planned) I would have been able to say I saw this happening at all! But something happened. Slowly, and I kept trying to deny it (moving back to L.A. for the winter, EVERY winter, for like 6 years).. but I found myself really committed, to the business. I found myself committed to being committed to something. I loved how important it had come to be for me. For a solid 8 years I literally slept, ate and breathed this business, and it gave me a sense of purpose I think my life had been lacking.

What do you do to show your mom you appreciate her? Heather Moe Stevens
Judith: "Everyday you show me. you're happy, your creative.."
Rachel: I like her answer :) I don't know, I just try feel we both know what makes the other one happy. I love creating an environment for her that has everything she loves. When she travels, I love having a place set for her return. Wine glass full, a full bag of spinach in her favorite bowl, chopped tomato, feta cheese, olive oil and coarse ground pepper, all laid out. She also has about 500 labeled c.d's I've made for her "Date night C.D" "Work Out C.D"..etc.

Judith what is it that you admire the most about Rachel? And Rachel what do you admire the most about your momma?- Lindsay
Judith "her creativity, her sensitivity, her really caring about other people..her loveliness..um..her beauty.. intelligence..mmm (chewing spinach)
"that's enough"
Rachel Her ability to be always, and effortlessly happy. And her total lack of judgement towards any living thing.

Your relationship is so close - have you always been this close and if not, what was the turning point that made you both decide to work on being closer?-Heather

Judith: "I think we've always been this close. I can't remember a time we haven't been this close.. I can't remember ever being angry with you, or disappointed with you.
Rachel:I can remember you being angry with me!! Many times! But seriously, yes, we have always been close, but coming home when I did, seeing what she had made here. Seeing her ability to 'work' so hard, for something. That blew me away. Still does

What is your favorite memory of each other over the years?-Christine

Judith:ooh, this is a good one.. i dont know if this is the one. .but when you were putting up the bamboo fence..and digging those holes...that's really a great memory

Rachel: Again, I go to finding her and my baby boy Beazie, literally spending hours doing nothing but sitting in sunshine, feeling good.

What is the most important thing you have learned from your mother? Mia
Rachel: So much..how to be kind, I hope, and how to see that the world is a truly beautiful place..filled with so much beauty. I learned to really seek it, and see it.
Judith: Your creativity!

2010-04-26T10:39:00.016-04:00

Happy brand new week! New weeks start with Mondays, which means,true to our goal, it's time for a new blog!
Apparently, for a while at least, these blogs are a way for you to get to know.. Er.. Me, better. I hope this is ok! I love nothing more than when Giving Tree friends share some of their life/experiences/joy with us.. So maybe all this "blogging" by me will inspire more of that! (hint,hint)
Also, I can't seem to help having things to write about! This is turning out to be a really interesting time for me- basically equally dividing my weeks between NYC and Cape Cod. And I just keep noticing, all this "balance" I feel these two places together bring to me, and to Giving Tree!
Last week, the blog came after a long and arduous but inspiring day in the bamboo gardens..which "naturally" (pun intended) opened up all sorts of thoughts on rejuvenation (bloom) as well as its opposite.. The necessary passing of things to allow new growth, both literally and figuratively. In a word or two, "letting go".
This week, I am writing this blog on my blackberry, sitting on a bus currently stopped at 81st and Madison, making the journey home to Cape Cod.
The things I experienced, and felt in NYC this past week, prove to be in beautiful, effortless balance and harmony with my musings in the bamboo just a week ago. This feels like a gift to me.
This week in NYC, I realized the importance of "holding on". See, I spent a lot of time with two friends of mine, both of whom I first met in l.a, over 10 years ago, and now we all find ourselves in NYC!
Long term friendship is an interesting thing. Not easy, but when nurtured, amazing. Ten years is a long time for living and CHANGING. And sometimes, sadly, so much changing can lead to a "growing apart"... not because love is lost, but just because two peoples interests and day to day realities have really changed.
One of these long-time friends, Kristin, (an amazing artist www.kristinjaiklosterman.com) is what made me think specifically on this topic. I can see very tangible, obvious ways that we have both changed. And Kristin is a tough one because she is exceedingly physically beautiful (a cover model through her teens and 20s) and overwhelmingly gifted as a painter. Yes, an embarrassment of riches. But after spending 3 evenings, dining, dreaming and "art-ing" with her, (yes I made that word up.. Def: "The act of seeking, seeing, imbibing all the art the world has to offer!!"). I felt compelled to tell her that she is not only a truly special woman, but also, an exquisite friend. She does "right" by my still healing and learning heart, and by my dreams of provoking small but significant change in the world. She supports me, as a human being.
Point being, last week, as I found myself pulling the half uprooted, deceased bamboo from the hard ground, I would hold the smooth stalks in my hand and think..."It's ok, let go"
Looking at Kristin, seeing her, always arriving before me to a destination, always alert and interested and considerate, I kept looking at her and thinking "hold on". Hold on to the people that honor your highest possibility of yourself..

(KJK ridiculously happy at Oyster Happy Hour!)

Whew! That was a bit heavy! But it came from the lightest place. :)

And as for the other balance.. Wow is there a lot of fabulous art in this city! Everywhere!! One of my favorite moments of the week was "art-ing" with Kristin and Anna,(Annasheffield.com our newest addition to Giving Tree Jewelry, coming so soon!) We are all huge fans of the painter Mark Rothko. I was literally made breathless seeing his giant red painting at the Whitney museum a few weeks ago. Now, there is a fabulous play on Broadway called "Red" starring Alfred Molina.

The three of us were talking about Rothko, about being artists, making art, when I wondered aloud whether it wasn't often a sad, or at least very lonely, endeavor. (Rothko committed suicide in 1970) both Anna and Kristin disagreed. (Phew! :)) Anna went on to say that some of her favorite moments, to date, in her life, are when she has a brand new idea, when she thinks of a thing, or a way of creating, that has never been done before. She put her hand over her head and made the motion of turning on the light-bulb as she described the incredible excitement, and joy in those moments, that she has come to live for as an artist. I looked at the hand she was holding above her head. She was wearing one of her two finger rings. The design I had first seen years ago, and thought to myself "THAT IS INCREDIBLE! I've never seen anything like that before!" When she put her hand down, I asked her if the ring had been one of those light bulb/joy moments. Indeed. It had been!

(Two-Fingered Ring By Anna Sheffield!)

And look at that! In my blackberry on the bus, silly, esoteric ramble of a blog, I even found a way to tempt you with some amazing jewelry.. coming oh-so-soon To Giving Tree Jewelry!
So in closing this weeks blog, I say... to all of this, ART, INSPIRATION, FRIENDSHIP, AND LIFE- balanced and utterly enhanced by all of these things... Letting go, and Holding on... city and nature.. and of course to breathtaking "brand new/light bulb lit" baubles,
To all of these wonderful things I simply say... YIPPEE!!!

Xxx (and Thank-You! for being a part of so much fun and celebration!)
Rachel
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

From The Gardens at Giving Tree Monday Blog Number One

2010-04-19T09:32:00.011-04:00

Here it is! A new, beautiful Monday, beginning a new and beautiful week. I find it is always a helpful thing to start out, any new thing.. with almost too much positivity and optimism.. That way, if life or circumstance should happen to chip away at some of it, there is plenty left to make it through :)

It is also the first Monday of our 'every Monday' blogging mission! A few promises, right out of the gate..
We promise to have a new blog, every Monday! And we promise they will be diverse, curious little things, and not all written by Rachel! Courtney and Laura are on tap, and who knows, if we can get her to sit still for 5 minutes, maybe even Judith!

Anyway, this week, it's me :). I was both excited and torn over what to write about this gorgeous morning. I had two primary inspirations. The first sprung up in me yesterday, sometime around 4 pm, in the middle of our bamboo forest. There is a point, as everyone knows, when 'working' that you turn some proverbial corner. It is often true, the hardest part is starting, and then, maintaining....but once the work is truly underway, often, something happens, and a new energy fills you, and you feel tireless and unending. This happened, just about the same time the rain, which had been intermittent all day, started up again, the strongest of the day so far. But I had turned that corner, and there was no stopping. Beazie, as usual, decided I was crazy and went to take shelter on the porch. I couldn't stop. I had that 'thing' happen, that happens every year when I work on the property. A love, and awe, for this place fills me beyond comprehension, but not beyond immense gratitude. I was thinking, about so many things yesterday, about the 2 decades of work my mom has put into this place,, about all the kind words from people that have visited here, and taken away a happy memory, a deeper thought, a peaceful moment. And I was thinking about the land itself, most especially, the bamboo forest (where I was working yesterday). Every year, the literal weight of winter (the snow, mostly) causes huge sections of the forest to be pulled down, almost to the ground. On top of this, about 75% of the bamboo dies every year, and also bends, or cracks, or falls. So the very hard work is removing all the huge, dead pieces of bamboo, clipping them, saving the stalks and clearing the rest, (often on the other side of the property) At first, inevitably, this makes me so sad, all this.. ostensible, death. But then, I see these little teeny tiny new stalks, only an inch or two out of the ground.. still purple at the tips. I also see a tree, springing back to joyous life when finally set free from 100 feet of vine that has wrapped itself around its precious trunk. I see sunlight pouring through the new spaces made in the once clouded, shrouded forest.

I think about the idea of secondary succession:

"Secondary successions are much more common than primary successions, because disturbances are rarely intense enough to obliterate previous ecological influences. Most natural disturbances, such as windstorms, wildfires, and insect defoliations, are followed by ecological recovery through secondary succession. The same is true of most disturbances associated with human activities, such as the abandonment of agricultural lands, and the harvesting of forests"

Meaning, essentially that the only way the 'new' bamboo can grow and thrive, is by the older bamboo making room, letting the light in, the natural cycle of everything, played out here, in this micro version.

All of this put me in mind of the whole idea of 'letting go'... how difficult, but essential, it is, for anything 'new' to happen.

There is a line from Rilke:
"We need, in love, to practice only this: letting each other go. For holding on comes easily; we do not need to learn it"

Both heavy, and very very 'light' stuff, from the gardens at Giving Tree!

So! That was one idea.. and ha! I guess I wrote about it already!
Good thing there is another Monday and new blog right around the corner!

I will end this early morning ramble with another great line of poetry...this one, accompanied by a very fitting picture, and also fitting, the excess of optimism that this week, despite any and all challenges, is going to be a truly blessed and glorious event!

"All is well, and all is very well." T.S. Eliot

First THANKFUL THURSDAY A HUGE Success!!

2010-04-16T12:26:00.011-04:00

The theme of our very first "Thankful Thursday" was to request stories about the seniors in our lives that we have learned from, love, and are SO grateful for!

It was an obvious first choice. On Sunday 4/18 the beautiful wonderful LUCILLE DILENA turns 88! She brought Judith into the world, who in turn, brought me in!
She deserves to be honored and adored, every day! And that is a mission we happily accept!

Below are the shared stories from you! please enjoy, and participate in next weeks THANKFUL THURSDAY!

*update on Beazie's journey to become a 'companion' for the nursing homes. Got a clean bill of health from the vet yesterday (yippee!) along with the designation of "The sweetest dog she has ever seen." THAT'S MY BOY!!

THANK YOU!
*an original drawing of Beazie by the incredible Juli Moon, tattoo artist and soon to be GTJ Seed!xxx

With love to all,
Rachel

"I am so so so thankful for my Grampie, Ralph Latimer! He is by far the most positive and happy person I have ever known. He has taught me to appreciate little things in life and to really LIVE. At 83 years old he is more full of life than most 30 year olds I know!!! (still playing pool on Tuesday nites, bowling on Wednesdays and Sundays and ... See Moreshuffleboard on Thursdays!!) There isn't a person in the world I would rather spend time with, whether we are playing cards over one of his famous rum cokes or playing darts!! He is one in a million and I truly am thankful for him every day :)' Courtney Philos Jensen (gtj manager!)

"Happy Birthday Lucille Dilena you must be very special-you have a special daughter and granddaughter. The very best to you on your birthday.

For me I am thankful for my Dad he is 87 survived Pearl Harbor, has Parkinsons Disease, and never complains. He is funny, call his daughters "his girls" still asks if I need gas $$$, makes me call him when I ... See Moreget home after I visit with him. He always told us to do well in school because nobody could ever take your education away from you. He is the greatest Dad ever." NJEB

"Gosh, I am so very thankful for so many things that I could write a book, however, in my heart at this very moment I am thankful for my mother! At 83 years young, she has weathered some big storms. She lovingly adopted myself at 9 months old and my sister at just over two years. She taught us that hard work always pays off and to treat your friends... See More as the 'rare jewels'. Growing up I did not appreciate alot of the things she was attempting to teach me, but, now that I have my own family, it becomes daily clearer to me the journey she stepped out to take....she cared for my father for many years before he passed away....and now she is fighting cancer herself....with grace and strength that amaze and inspire me all at the same time. She is still absolutley GORGEOUS...and I feel the 'biggest' things she still has to say or teach me are yet to come.....so I travel home often (a 2 1/2 drive) to sit with her, have a glass of wine and find out all the amazing things I have still yet to learn about her. She is incrediably able NOW to tell me ALL the good, the bad and the lesson in it all.........so, yes, thankful for YOU Patsy Carter Love for taking a huge sacrificial step in making me into the person I am meant to be and still become! Oh, and I am oh so very thankful for her sticky buns that melt in your mouth with morning coffee! Ahhhh, so good!" Susan Love Vaughn

"I love my Grandpa, Roy Wayne. He was so special to me growing up, and now I get to watch my daughter with him. I see so much love in his eyes for her, and I know he must have looked at my mom and me the same way." Jenni Chrobak Schroeder

"I sometimes volunteer with my parents (who do it all the time) at a local veterans nursing home. And they have lots of dogs there visiting the residents! They LOVE it! Beazie will really make people happy! And so will YOU!
But yeah... I've gotta be thankful for my Dad, who's made it through yet AGAIN! He's one got one ... See Morehell of a 'lifeforce.' He's a goofy guy, a fab host, and is always cracking jokes, wanting everyone to be happy and comfortable. He doesn't dwell on sadness, and that's inspiring to me. I'm so happy he's made it through this latest health nightmare and is back to the business of living life!" Jennifer Gunn

"I used to work in retirement communties, nursing homes and hospice and the people i have met there will be a part of me forever. they have led amazing liv es! they have shown me how to be brave when facing the end and have helped me not be so terribly afraid of growing old. They are truly a treasure to me!" Christine Crosby Taylor

"Onto this weeks thankfulness. I am thankful that when I was in my 20's I got to live with my grandmother. Together we ... See Morewould dress for our respective dates, share stories afterwards, fix each other up with age appropriate men (always the nice but oh so nerdy jewish men, grandma would find for me). I also was there with her when she was diagnosed with cancer and was with her during her chemo and radiation and made her doctor tell her the truth about her illness, when her daughter's wanted to "protect" her! It was her jewelery box I raided when I was young, and got the nickname "diamond lil" from, she taught me to only buy high priced lingere, to love shoes and TO LIVE OUT LOUD! I could not have had a better 20's than being roomates with my grandmother, the late, Elsie Sugar (that was her name). My only regret, is that I was one hour late when it came time to say goodbye to her. I was driving to see her at hospice and got there 1 hour late. I know she would be so happy to know that I did marry that nice jewish boy, I have two wonderful children, an amazing career and a vast amount of baubles that my daughter now tries on and keeps" Lori Green

".. these stories are so special. .these PEOPLE are so special.. thank you so much for letting us bask in their light and wisdom.. and yours.. i now will remember nbs dads strength, Patsy's love and humor, Ralph and Roy's eternal youthfullness.. Jenn's awesome dad. ELSIE ... See MoreSUGAR (can i BE just like her when i grow up.. same name and everything!!) THIS IS SO AWESOME!!
the first time i lived in nyc.years ago.. i lived with Grandma in Yonkers and commuted by bus.. everyday, the city ATE ME UP..but every night. i couldn't wait to walk the mile home.. up tuckahoe road.. to grandmas house.. she'd be waiting, and together we would sit side by side in our plush and fancy easy chairs, eat our dinners and watch jeopardy.. later, id make my c.ds for my spinning classes (back before ipods) and make poor grandma listen to every song to see how it would work.. she was tireless with her love for me.. still is.
sigh.. crying again.
XXX to all!" me :)

"My Grandad died when I was 5. He was a military policeman in ww2. He was a true man's man, old fashioned. He actually wasn't my real grandpa, my mom's mom died when she was 3, her dad was a drunk so his sister and her husband (my grandad) took her in. Her real dad would never let them formally adopt her.. Anyways...I am thankful he was in my life ... even for that long - he described me as a "bright little bugger" as I would roll to where I wanted to get to, rather than crawl as it was quicker. He was such a kind, big hulk of a guy. I was in awe of him. Losing him at such an early age made me realise how important it is for my kids to form strong bonds with my parents so for that I am totally grateful" Sarah Dodd

my grandmother was my rock...she was the foundation that my soul was built upon...my dad died when i was young and my mom really had a hard time...so most of my childhood was spent with my grandparents -- my grandmother never complained...she just raised me like i was her fourth child...she taught me how to play poker, how to wash dishes, how to laugh whenever anything happens because its all good. She taught me to be kind to everyone for everyone has a story, that when people die, they never really leave us and that they just become stars and watch over us all night...

Her and my grandfather were funny...they showed me what real love was -- and that it was not what i read in my romance books - and that you should find someone who makes you laugh because after the looks fade, the laughter grows stronger and becomes your salvation --

I lost both of them 11 years ago - they dies 18 days apart after being married for 47 years, and not a day goes by when i do not miss them and thank them for teaching me well....... Heather Leake

I love this idea Rachel! My beautiful grandmother started taking me to nursing homes when I was about 5 or 6 to help me understand how we can bring JOY and Hope to their day! They need it so much..... and I love the idea of your Beazie bringing JOY to them as well... how wonderful! We are most happy when we are sharing and loving others.... Heather E Connor

WE ARE ALL SO THANKFUL FOR YOU!!

"We love you yeah yeah yeah 8 days a week!?".. BONUS BLOG!

2010-04-14T19:23:00.007-04:00

OK SO!.. Not sure if it's as WILDLY evident to you as it is to us here at Giving Tree Jewelry, but we are SO inspired and ..busy! this brand new season! In fact, we found a way to "do" something, kicky, fun and celebratory.. every day of the week! (hence the singsongy blog title :))

It started with Twitter Tuesday, not only because it sounded good, but truth be told, Twitter is still a bit of a mystery to us, and we are working hard to acclimate to it (Thank you Susan for the vote of encouragement.. in so so many ways.. YOU ROCK!) The other funny part of our 'Twitter journey" is that Rachel's dear friend happened to 'follow' her right out of the gates when he set his page up.. so it seems our Twitter follower number has increased.. A LOT.. most all of them out of curiosity no doubt! (And don't worry, we vow to never 'talk politics' here at Giving Tree, unless it's to answer the pressing question "What color Leighelena cuff, red or blue.. could I rock more in the summertime?" ;))

Anyway, I digress.. The point is,.. Twitter Tuesdays led to 'TGIF' Fridays (Truly Glorious Incentives on Facebook (Courtney, you are so darn clever!).. which led to Win On Wednesdays!

(can you track the whole 'spring makes us bloom theme yet?')

And, just last week, after having such a good time writing the "Live From NYC" blog post.. we decided to make a BRAND NEW BLOG an all the time MONDAY thing!

So.. that took care of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.....

but what of sweet, 'almost the weekend' Thursday??

Well, I have to say.. I think it may be the day I am MOST EXCITED about.. I can barely wait to debut!.. In fact, I'm so excited, I have already strayed from our "written in big black magic marker" on all our wall calendars in the office schedule by writing THIS..
A BONUS (read: NOT on a Monday) blog!!

YES.. it's that good! And yes, it is also THAT hard to keep a secret!

But the good news is.. Thursday is only a few hours away!
I will give you a couple of hints

it's good.

It's part of the 'big BIG dream' I dream about.. just about every night

The 'idea' came from one of our most cherished, supportive, hysterical, and TOTALLY RAD THIS WOMAN KICKS ASS! customers..

She named it. We tweaked it.. and (sigh, gosh darnit) we just all have to wait until tomorrow to see what THURSDAY brings to GTJ!

please please.. I IMPLORE YOU! STAY TUNED!! :)

And congratulations again to the supercool supertalented HEATHER CAMERIO for winning our 'Win On Wednesday" contest today!!!

Heather is a mother, a wife and a truly stunning photographer, writer and BAKER (you do have our address Heather, yes?? :))
check out her blog at

http://itaintmeyourelookingfor.blogspot.com/

Because at Giving Tree Jewelry.. we are ALL about.. purpose, passion, philanthropy.. and .. pastries!!

*See you all tomorrow for the big DEBUT!

P.S
This bonus blog comes to you LIVE FROM THE UPSTAIRS COUCH AT CHEZ GIVING TREE... Sun setting, feet up, dog cashed out, brownie calling... HAVE A MAGICAL NIGHT!

XXXXRachel

P.P.S... pics are of Courtney in front of the gallery earlier today (nice shirt! a GTJ original!) and .. of my feet, right now.. :)

"A New Dawn, A New Day!"

2010-04-09T08:33:00.014-04:00

Greetings from New York City!! (I will explain that in just a little bit ;)) But first, I want to CELEBRATE a bit what truly looks to be the start of a fantastic Spring.

Personally, Spring has always been my favorite because it brings with it a sense of "new", rejuvenating the earth, and the spirit.. And "new" also means things have changed, and I think change is always growth.., Which to me is proof and that we are ALIVE! (and should revel in this fact!)

"To be fully alive in springtime.."

Let me explain. I can't imagine there is anyone out there reading this that didn't experience some sort of challenges or adversities over the last year or two. It was unavoidable! At Giving Tree we did all we could to weather the storm, and stay positive as we dealt with a variety of very challenging things...
And then...
the snow melted,
the first crocus appeared out of the hard earth...
and HOPE found its way into our hearts again.

How?
In a word or three - Courtney walked in.
Actually, she's walked into the gallery many, many times over the years...first as Courtney Clifford... I will never forget her first visit to the Giving Tree to buy the gift of a Dogeared mini wishbone.. I was still in that 'Just back from L.A. can I really LIVE on Cape Cod" mindset when Courtney came in. I remember thinking... "What a cool girl! hmmm and SHE lives on Cape Cod :)"

Over the next years Courtney bought lots of gifts for her girlfriends, so as a thank you to her, just before her wedding day (yippee!) we treated her to a massage at THE NEST at Giving Tree...
The next time we saw her.. she was Courtney Philos Jensen. Courtney was married! (check out this picture perfect picture!)

When it came time to hire someone to help do, well.. everything Courtney was our very first thought. And it is looking like it may be the best decision we ever made!
Courtney at the Giving Tree every day, truly 'completed' us. (and yes, she had us at hello!) She and Laura were fast friends, in fact, I know they found an hour in the beautiful sunshine yesterday to work on the gardens together! Plus, they share a mutual love.. no OBSESSION with cupcakes! In a word, Courtney was the perfect personality fit, which is super important to me, because I have always said I just want to work somewhere where everyone just WANTS to be there, and works with a happy heart. I have often called Laura 'the heart of Giving Tree' (and she is!).. it seems Courtney is turning out to be the joy of it too!
And that doesnt even touch upon her diligence, her skill, her CREATIVITY! All you have to do is look at the site to see her almost instant effect!. Brand new 'flash images' (those rotating screens at the top of the home page) new sections, like FABULOUS FASHION, And helping us launch TWITTER TUESDAYS, WIN ON WEDNESDAYS AND TRULY GLORIOUS INCENTIVES ON FACEBOOK (TGIF) on our social media sites. She is a veritable gold mine of talent and energy! And the result, in my eyes, is the BEST INCARNATION OF THE GIVING TREE JEWELRY SITE AND BUSINESS YET!! Thank You Courtney! And Laura! For making me feel that THIS is the spring that changes everything!

And what of NYC? Well, that's where I am going to spend part of my time! It's beyond thrilling to me, as I have 'tried' to do this in the past, but honestly, could never quite imbibe and match the 'rhythm' of the place.. it was just so big and overwhelming to me! But apparently, the 8th, or 12th?? attempt is the one! I think I can do it! I can't wait to split my time between the gallery and gardens at Giving Tree, and the streets of NYC! I also know this will only help Giving Tree (and me :) ) GROW!
Here, I get to REALLY see what is moving fashion forward, what the trends are, and what the truly trend setting are wearing! I also get to nurture and indulge in friendships with our artists like Alexis Bittar, Susan Lieberman of Sparc Jewelry, Anna Sheffield of Bing Bang, and of course, the inimitable PABLO VALENCIA! We spent Easter Sunday together and I thought he was going to hug everyone in the entire restaurant he was so happy we would be getting to spend more time together! (I feel the same way!)

So, expect a lot of 'reports' from the big apple!
And speaking of apples, and art, and LOVE.. if you aren't a 'friend' on my page (and Giving Tree Jewelry's) on Twitter and Facebook, please please join me in my NYC experience! I am so happily overwhelmed by this place I am CONSTANTLY sharing pictures and little stories of my time here. I've started a very loose art project of taking pictures of LOVE in all it's forms.. around the city.. and sometimes, if the night commands it.. you might even find me juggling apples to celebrate the BIG apple!

Yes, it is Spring. Yes it is glorious and YES.. HOPE, AND LOVE AND GORGEOUS GROWTH ARE ALL HERE TO STAY.Thank you, again and again, for 'sharing in our dream with us!"
May you experience the sense of joy and wonder that Spring brings with it.. every day!
With all the love in my heart,
Rachel

"Wherever You Are, It's Your Friends That Make Up Your World"

2010-03-26T21:16:00.008-04:00

Never have truer words been said! I really couldn't wait to write this blog. Driving back from a quick mid week trip to NYC, all I could think about the whole ride home, is how completely blessed and FULL my life is, thanks to the wonderful friends that make up my world. What is even more amazing is that many, many of these friends that bring me joy, on a daily, no on an hourly basis.. I have never even actually met! Yes, it is partly due to the 'power of technology', however, I would much rather (and do) attribute it to the power of the heart.. meaning when someone cares for you, and is considerate, and kind, and consistent in their support and love for you (regardless of how you are looking,feeling,acting that day) THAT is the true 'power' that transcends ideas like needing to meet face to face, to feel someone is a true friend. I'm not feeling very 'good with words' tonight, because my own heart is speaking to loudly to let my brain have its say. And my heart is saying THANK YOU.. to all my beautiful friends. What does this blog have to do with jewelry.. not a lot, actually, but a dear friend told me that is absolutely alright! And it isn't completely unrelated. So so many of the people I thought of all day, began as 'customers' (and still are.. thank you again!) but now.. .beautifully, gracefully and oh so gratefully, we are forever 'linked' as friends!
Here are two recent pictures. Yes, these are friends I have met.. (and I hope to meet you all some day..soon!) I post them because I think it is absolutely undeniable, inconceivable, to deem me anything less than so SO happy, and so proud to call people like Caitlin and Penny my friends. .(oh, and Penny is wearing her 'linked friendship necklace.. so there's that) HAPPY WEEKEND TO ALL! May you spend some of it with friends that make you smile THIS BIG!

Amazing Contest, Wonderful Artist Of The Week!

2010-03-05T15:53:00.005-05:00

BEST START OF SPRING EVER!
(I know, I know, it's not quite officially Spring, but when did we ever follow the rules here at Giving Tree Jewelry??)

Our biggest, most amazing give away ever.. A TRIP TO CAPE COD!
CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE DETAILS

but let me just affirm.. it IS as amazing as it sounds!! Airfare! A room at the most beautiful inn on Cape Cod! Private Giving Tree Garden Tours, Lobster Bake, Fishing Trip, Biking the Canal, Taking home a print of Cape Cod by Pete Blanco.. it truly couldn't get ANY BETTER!

A beautiful new ARTIST OF THE WEEK!
Danielle Birritella of Ella Poe Jewelry is like Spring itself.. fresh, exciting, alive and beautiful in being AND spirit

Watch our newest Artist Of The Week Video With Danielle now!

LOVE STORIES-VALENTINES DAY- SPECIAL EDITION!

2010-02-14T06:36:00.015-05:00

"I LOVE MY MOM"
I might be the only one not writing about my girlfriend or wife. I really love my mom. She does so much for me, and even though times are hard right now, she makes sure to always be there no matter what. I miss her so much and hope to see her soon.

"MY SON"
The Love Of My Life.

"OUR MIRACLE CHILD"
My “boyfriend” and I had been together for 13 years – we lived together, taught at the same school and ran ultramarathons in our “spare” time. In 1995, my mother was dying of cancer. On our way to visit her in IN we decided that we would get married for her. When we arrived at her house, the first words out of her mouth were, “Will the two of you please get married?” She was thrilled that we had already made that decision. At the time I was 43 … AND the next week … totally unplanned … I got pregnant! We often laugh that our son, XXX, who is now 14, heard that we were going to stay together so he decided to come. His birth was one of LOVE … the love we felt for each other, the love we gave my mother (who died when I was six weeks pregnant) and the love that XXX has brought us and everyone who meets him. He was born in our mountain home with two midwives and ten of our friends. When he was first born, he had a row of red hair on the back of his head. My mom was a redhead. My husband, XXX, looked at that hair and said, “There’s your mother.” She is his guardian angel and though she never met him, we feel the love that she has for him. XXX is a both a miracle and a blessing!

"MY FAMILY"
know that love is real because, i was pregnant in ’07 and i was so very sad and depressed, my boyfriend and i were into a huge fight, my family and i werent getting along and nothing seemed to be going right. Then on the morning of Feb. 14th, my water broke! it was a miracle! My family came together, my fiance and i put our issues aside, and my beautiful little boy was born! So Valentines Day will ALWAYS be a huge day in my life and in my family! It brings happiness and pushed aside all of our troubles :)

"SOMETHING MORE"
When my first niece was born I was totally unprepared for such emotional tidal wave. There she was, tiny, squirmy, and absolutely perfect. Even with my amazing sister and her husband in charge of this little life, and a huge loving and supportive family, I still felt like there had to be something more to help this little girl through her journey in life. I have had several times in life where I question everything, especially God. After her birth I remember wishing, wanting, praying that here was a God that would take over where we couldn’t. Someone or something to protect her and guide her on her way. I wanted to believe so much in soemthing bigger than all of us, and I did. We will do our best to nurture this precious thing, and the rest is up to God.

"MY DAUGHTER"
I have never felt love as intense as the love that comes from being a mother. Everyday my daughter does something that makes my heart swell so big that it could just come out of my chest. It is always little things, like telling her dad or me that she loves us, or just making a silly face. The love I feel for her is indescribable. I love my husband, he is my soul mate, but the love I feel for her is completely different. She is my sunshine.

"LOVE STORY"
It was 5 degrees outside with a wind chill factor of -10 degrees. Biting cold. After working at my mind numbing marketing job, I had been in the career field for some 10 years, I was eager to get home to my two beautiful daughters, and call the day good. As was often the case, my youngest daughter was dropped off at my place of work around 4pm in the afternoon, and at 5pm we would bundle up and walk a couple of blocks to the car park. On this particular day, my daughter, XXX, then 5 years old, clutching my hand so tightly, bracing ourselves against the cold wind, looked up at me and said, “Mummy, even when we are apart, I just look at my skin, and I know that you made me, and I love you.” Needless to say, such amazing words from my 5 year old touch me so that they brought me to tears. XXX & XXX… I love you both, so much! Mum

"SERENITY"
I knew what true love was when my daughter Serenity was born. She may not live up to her name but she is mine. I knew love when I didn’t care what anyone said about her, i knew I had to stick up for her because no one else had the will power to. I knew love was fighting for her and I knew love when she tells me she loves me now.

"THE DAY MY SON CAME INTO THE WORLD!
The day I become a mother had to be the best day of my life! I became pregante after 3 years of training for Olympic Boxing . I only had a year left for the trials . I was always disappointed I never got the chance to challenge my strength . I proved myself wrong when I went into labor …lol He made up for any disappointment I might have had about being a Olympian :) He is now turning 7 years old and and not a day goes by I think that he is my everything and worth it all! He is the love of my life and hope to give him the support to one day make me proud to carry on the challenge for me . He is a very athletic little boy and he has so much love and support to go anywhere or do anything possible :) I never got the support when I wanted so very much to go into trials..and I hope one day Olymics or not he will shine in any light or lime light :) He will make me proud no matter what! He is truly my greatest love story of all time!!! My heart, my love always and Forever my hero my sunshine…

"THE REAL MEANING"
real meaning of True Love can only be felt between Mother and Child. Other Love certainly has meaning but True Love can only be found through the making of another being from inside yourself. Unfortunately, not everyone can experience this feeling of unconditional True Love. If your a Mother, I dont need to explain. If your not, this True Love is something that never goes away, under any circumstance for an entire life time, thats True Love, and until you can experience it for yourself, you wont understand what I mean.

AND ONE MORE FROM A DEAR FRIEND OF GIVING TREE.. AND JUST THE NICEST LOVE STORY.. YIPPEE!! THANK YOU TO ALL WHO LOVE!!

“The Guy in the Photo” Love Story Entry

When I first met XXX it was my first day of work at a fashion newspaper in New York City. I was nervous as hell, knowing full well I would be the youngest person on staff, not even a year out of college. As I was introduced to XXX, he was slouched down in his seat, reading a book, waiting for the day’s stories to be filed.
“XXX, this is XXX. She is joining us today,” our boss XXX said.
XXX looked up from his novel, gave a nod, and quickly returned to his story.
At the time, I was offended. Could he not muster a hello? A ‘nice to meet you’ perhaps? Welcome to the fashion world, kid, where people are rude.
I sat across from XXX, separated only by a half cubicle wall. I could see the top of his head from my desk. As the months wore on, I realized I was seen as the little sister of the group of mostly male editors. I took my lumps, did the grunt work and slowly but surely started to win over my male counterparts with sarcasm — and by getting the job done.
During this time, I was dating YYY, the first love of my life. He was a writer, a college professor and, well, he was adorable. Smart, dark, brooding, but lost, YYY was the complete opposite of XXX. YYY and I had things in common. We were an obvious match. People got it.
At work, I had a photo of YYY and I on my desk. It was of the two of us sitting on my brother’s couch — happy, smiling and in love. Little did I know the significance this photo would hold later...
Though YYY and I seemed so well suited, he was not ready for me. We were both so young and he hadn’t done his living yet. He hadn’t traveled, and I had. He hadn’t found his career yet, and I had. He hadn’t lived on his own yet, and I had. We said goodbye in his mom’s driveway one August night. He was driving to Florida to go to graduate school, and I was OK with it being over. I knew it was right. There was no reason we couldn’t be friends and stay in touch. It was for the best and as long as we could still share our lives as friends, it seemed sad but right.

He, on the other hand, was full of fear. He cried and sobbed in the driveway, begging me to say it wasn’t over. He wanted to be together even with the distance and despite common sense. My protests didn’t go far.
“YYY, you’re only afraid of the unknown. Once you get there, you’ll meet new people and won’t want to be tied down. Long-distance relationships always crash and burn.”
Still, he begged. He insisted! And what do you say to a sobbing man begging you to love him? You give in.
I was touched. This man really loved me. What an emotional display! And as YYY settled into Florida life, he even bought me a plane ticket to come see him in a month. Maybe this would work! But, two days before my trip, he called me at work and broke up with me over the phone.
Through tears, I knew.
“You met someone else, haven’t you?” I asked angrily, and also mortified that this was happening at work, out in the open of the newsroom.
“Yes. Her name is ZZZ.”
“I told you this would happen. This could have been so much easier and now I’m the one left in pain.”
“I know.”
He knew I was right. He apologized, he felt guilty, but in the end, he was done.

September 11, 2001: I watched the second plane barrel into the Twin Towers from my speeding commuter train. We all gasped, glued to the windows on the left side of the car. We’d all been concerned by the first plume of smoke coming out of the first tower, but that second plane made it clear this was not a simple event. This wasn’t an office fire or a tragic accident. It was bigger than our minds could comprehend.
Once in the city, I ran to my office. My cell phone, annoyingly, had been forgotten at home and every pay phone had a line of people waiting to call their families. On 7th Ave, people ran north, covered in dust, screaming in panic.
“Had they run all the way from downtown?” I thought to myself. Yes, they had. And they were running for their lives. Fire trucks took over the streets, hurdling down the avenues. My office was across the street from the Empire State Building, which I eyed nervously. In the office, people were huddled under their desks, the shades were drawn.
“We’re under attack!” someone yelled.
“Stay away from the windows!” said another.
These precautions were futile. If attack came, my desk was not going to protect me.
I called my family and assured them I was OK and watched the chaos, not knowing what to do. People scrambled in the office, seemingly directionless. Most people left and went home. As the only editor on hand, I stayed and waited to see what was going to happen.
“They’re going to crash into the Empire State Building next!” someone screamed. Why not? At the time, we had no reason to think any possibility was out of the question.
The phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Jenn?”
“Yes?” I replied, hardly able to hear with all the panic surrounding me.
“It’s YYY. Thank god you’re all right.”
I sank into my chair.
“Yes, I’m OK.”
“You should get out of the city. Can you leave?”
“I don’t really know right now.”
“There’s all kinds of planes missing. They think there are more targets. You should go.”
He cared. But why was it so painful?
I scarcely remember how the conversation ended, mostly because at the time the conversation in my head was louder. I was touched that YYY called, but still it didn’t change anything. He wasn’t mine. He didn’t want to be mine. He still needed to do his living. He couldn’t be my friend and yet, he wanted to make sure I was still alive.
The next month was uneasy. The country, and New York City especially, was recouping from unimaginable disaster. I’d never felt more alone. It was a time where I wished to have a partner to grab on to, and I had none. But I also realized that YYY would not have been a comfort. Instead, I recognized that he had been a burden. I was forced to carry his load at all times -- his emotional load, his discontent, his jealousy, his depression, his unease. Life with YYY wasn’t easy. And so why had I accepted the job?

Sundays changed my life. On Sundays, the office was nearly empty. There were only a few people on duty to finish the Monday paper. Sundays belonged to XXX and I. It was our day to get to know one another, joke, flirt and speak freely with no audience. And though he was 7 years older, it didn’t feel like a barrier. Seemingly opposite in every way, we had a chemistry that surprised us both.
In truth, though, I didn’t give it much thought. I was seeing another guy named CCC, whom I’d gone to college with. Well, by seeing I mean I was hanging out with him. He, again, had everything in common with me. SImilar upbringing, similarly career. So similar, in fact, that it was like dating a clone of myself. Not ideal.
One Friday night, CCC had taken me to hear Dido sing at a local bar. She was only coming on to the music scene then. We retreated to the back for drinks and to talk, but CCC leaned in unexpectedly for a kiss. I could not have felt less desirous, or more terrible. It was in that moment that I decided that CCC would be nothing but a friend. I had unknowingly made him think more was possible and embarrassed him through rejection. Needless to say, it put a halt to the evening. The gentleman he was, and is, he didn’t hold it against me.
That night, I tossed and turned in my bed. Why did I have this excited feeling — the kind you get when you have a crush on someone — if I didn’t want to kiss CCC? And my conscience answered me. It was XXX I was thinking of.
“The guy from work?” I thought to myself. “He’s so not your type! You work with him! He’s older! He’s a party guy!”
There were reasons, many reasons, why crushing on XXX was a bad idea. And I was determined to keep it to myself.
The following Monday, at 3 in the afternoon, I got an email from XXX. This was routine. Though we sat not 2 feet apart, sending information via email was common. I opened up the email:
“I think I have a crush on you.”
I sank in my chair and a red flush came to my face. Holy crap! What was I supposed to do?
My hands took over:
“I think I have a crush on you too.”
Send.
I waited.
A new email appeared in my inbox:
‘What do you think we should do about it?”
We went back and forth, ignoring our work for about a week. There were pro’s and con’s. Many many con’s. I was concerned. What if it didn’t work out? We worked together! Was he too old for me? Was his lifestyle far too different than mine?
In the end, we decided to just hang out on the outside and see how it went. I was to meet him at his house and from there we would go to dinner. I wore a pinkish/magenta shirt I knew he liked. This was a date, and a date I wanted to work out.
Walking up to his door, he was waiting.
“There she is, all pretty in pink.”
I smiled. He was sweet.
His apartment screamed bachelor pad — albeit abnormally clean bachelor pad. It was obvious he had spent the entire day cleaning it. It smelled of cleaning products and air freshener.
“Hold on, I just have to get something,” he said, retreating to the bedroom. I stood at the front door, waiting. I heard the crinkling of plastic and couldn’t believe my eyes when he came out carrying the biggest bouquet of roses I’ve ever seen. It required both hands to carry and was the most elaborate arrangement of flowers, wrapped in an equally elaborate giant red bow.
“I know we’re getting to know each other still, but I’ve never been more sure of anything. I want you to be my girlfriend.”
He smiled, embarrassed at the declaration he was making.
“Would you be my girlfriend?”
It was so polite! So old-fashioned! So beautiful! I was shell-shocked, holding the awkwardly bulky flowers, and mouth parted, still silent. Words did not come. The compliments, the flowers, the declarations, oh my!
“Sure!” I said. Why not? This was over-the-top romance. But before I could speak further, he kissed me. The flowers crunched between us, and I felt a glimmer in my soul. It felt good. Beyond that, it felt right.

Eight years later, XXX and I got married on a beautiful spring day. He was crying at the altar, and I was giggling. The two who always said they’d never tie the knot because it wasn’t necessary, were suddenly overcome with emotion and joy as they said their simple vows.
“I choose to take this journey with you, wherever it leads, with all that I am and all that I will become.”
On our honeymoon, we discussed our early days.
“You know that photo you had on your desk of you and that guy?” XXX asked.
“Eric?”
“Yeah, whatever. That guy.” XXX said humorously. “Well, I used to look at that photo and just wish I could be the guy in the picture. I wanted to be with you, smiling in photos that end up your office desk.”
“Really?” I asked, tilting my head at the cuteness of it all.
“Yeah. It was a completely new feeling. I realized that I wanted a partner and I wanted that life with you. I didn’t know how to become the guy in the photo, but somehow it happened. And now, I’m always the guy in your photos.”

LOVE STORIES PART FOUR-BEAZIE'S FAVES!

2010-02-13T17:06:00.011-05:00

"SWEETPEA (PUPPY FROM A DITCH"
In the mid-80s I was out riding my bike with a friend in the Iowa countryside. We had come to an intersection and I felt very strongly that I wanted to make a right turn on the intersecting gravel road. Soon after we began down the road, my eyes caught movement in the ditch, it was a little beagle-mix black and brown puppy, probably no more than 8 weeks old. As I was unable to carry her on the bike, I biked home, got my car and came back to get her. She was terrified. I waited patiently until she felt ok to approach me, then picked her up and put her in the car. As I rode home I kept praying that my two other larges dogs would accept her into the fold. Well, they did! Sweetpea had serious trust issues and was afraid all of her life.

"LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT"
She purred when I picked her up for the first time as a little girl and I knew it was love at first sight! Me and my kitty have been happily together for 19 years since and counting!

"LONG DISTANCE LOVE STORY"
12 years ago when coming home from work I noticed one of my students looking down into what I thought was a box of garbage, only to find 3 tiny 2 week old kittens looking up at me. I called my husband and told him we had to change our plans that day. I placed the box on my bicycle basket and took them home. We worried they might not survive at such an early stage. In the end we had to push their little heads into a bowl of milk to teach them how to eat without their mother. Luckily George, Missy and Ofelia are very smart cats and took to the milk without too much fuss. That was in 1998. George was named after one of my favorite books... Curious George, cause that was exactly who he was. He was the first to eat, first to make his way out of the box we kept them in to be safe, the first at everything. Missy was our little dainty girl, a real "miss" and Ofelia has had a tragic struggle in life, first being abandoned, then having fleas drink so much of her blood she needed a blood transfusion. To her current state of being diabetic, anemic and having a brain disorder that has resulted in one eye being ruined, but she is a fighter and still kicking 12 years later. These are my "furry bodies of love". They come to greet us when we come home from work, they calm us when we have had a bad day and they give us unconditional love everyday.
Now in 2005 we planned to leave Japan and move to my husbands home country of Sweden. We had to get the cats inoculated for rabies before we went as Japan does not have the disease. After, that the cats had to be tested for antibodies against rabies. One day, a couple months from the move I got the news, the girls had past but George did not as he had rabies and could not build enough antibodies to defend himself. I came home worried, knowing what I wanted to do but not sure how my husband Thomas would feel. When I told him George had not passed, he said the one thing I wanted to hear. "Well we can't go then!" Exactly my thoughts, you wouldn't leave your child behind, so why would you leave your pet?
I can honestly say I have never loved my husband more! We are still in Japan because of my dear boy, even though he was killed by a car two years ago, I have never regretted staying. His sisters have a new brother, found in a park last March, Indy (named after Indiana Jones, for his adventurous nature and love of excavation of the cat toilet) has brought a whole new life to our house. Along with Bob, the dog I found wandering the streets of Osaka abandoned by his owner for being too sick. We now have a house filled with love! What more could a person ask for?

"PRECIOUS LOVE"
I’ve never been in a serious relationship so I didn’t know what love felt like until I got my Cat Precious about 6 years ago. I love Precious so much. I always look forward to spending time with her, looking after her and discovering what her quirks are. She also keeps me company when I need someone beside me. She is the best cat anyone could ever ask for and I truly don’t know what I would do without her. I could be having the worst day and just thinking about her and seeing her puts me in a good mood. She has really taught me what it feels like to love someone.

"LILY AND BLUE"
Standing at my stove absent-mindedly stirring my oatmeal and thinking
about the day ahead, I automatically turned toward the flash of white that
caught my eye at the far end of the backyard. Looking out the long windows
at the back of the kitchen into the back yard, I scanned the newly emergingferns, thinking I had seen one of the lilies setting a bud but it was too early
in the spring for that. Then I saw it again, a moving flash of white.
Standing very still, holding my breath, I saw her. She was looking straight at me
with her huge golden lion eyes, almost hidden by the returning fern sprouts. When
I moved toward the back door, she disappeared.
She returned the next day, showing a little more and a little more of herself, a small, compact black and grey cat with American Shorthair whorls on each side, a white lower face, white chest and white paws. Her thin body made her legs look like stilts. I began taking small bowls of fresh water and dry kibble out to her. She would withdraw to the back fence when she saw me, but when I went back into the house, she crept toward the bowls and ate ravenously until all was gone.
Each day, I filled the food bowl with more kibble and set it, along with her water,
a little closer to the kitchen's backdoor. Most days, she came, creeping closer and ate it all. When it was finished and after drinking a little water, instead of running
away, she sat and looked at me watching her from inside the kitchen before turning and walking away.
I soon realized that I knew her. She had been a kitten the spring before, the latest addition to a feral cat family that prowled our neighborhood. I had seen her several times as a newborn when her athletic mother, whom she resembled, carried her in her mouth, flying straight up tree trunks, across fences and roof lines. Soon, the kitten was walking near her mother as they prowled the neighborhood. One day, when she was about six months old, her mother disappeared and never returned, but I would get occasional glimpses of the kitten.
I forgot about her after awhile. Then, full grown, she appeared in my back yard among the ferns a year ago. I began thinking of her as Lily.
Time passed. Some days she did not come and I drove to work with a heavy heart, worrying that some predator or some car had killed her. But she always returned.
By summer, she was coming into the covered porch behind my kitchen. Her body filled out and she looked healthier. She began to allow me to stay in the porch when I took food and water out to her. I sat on a low stool and talked to her very quietly as she ate. She was purring by the time she came into the porch and would rub against my leg, letting me stroke and talk to her, even before she turned to eat. One day, she climbed on my lap and, as I whispered to her, she leaned her head against my chest where she must have heard my heart racing.
As the days turned cool last fall, my thoughts turned to the coming winter and wondered whether she would let me bring her inside and whether my older two cats would accept her (and she them). I started putting her food bowl inside a
cat carrier, the door left open. She did not like this and resisted going in, even punishing me by disappearing for a few days, but then returned. She would go into the carrier but leave her long tail and one hind leg out, stretching to reach
the food, making me smile at her wiliness.
I folded an old blanket and some old towels on the floor of the porch for her to sleep on and usually found her curled up there early in the morning. When I opened the back door, she would stick her head inside and then withdraw, unwilling to come in where it was warmer, yet curious.
Then, one chilly day in late October, after going missing for a few days, she came.
As usual, she climbed on my lap when I came out with her food, but seemed distracted, turning repeatedly toward the back yard and crying. I checked her body for something hurting, but found no cuts or other wounds, but she continued
her intermittent little cries. Finally, I turned to look where she was looking toward
the browning ferns leaning from the fern bed into the porch floor. And then I saw:
a tiny grey and white face with huge blue eyes, pink nose and little mouth open in a responding cry. Lily jumped down and went to her kitten, nuzzled her and then
sat down to nurse her. I watched in amazement that she had been creating this beautiful little kitten.
Lily and the kitten, whom I named Blue for her blue eyes and distinctly blue aura, were soon ready to be checked by my vet, spayed, brought in and gradually introduced to Muffin and Hallie. All four little formerly ferals, ranging from four months to fifteen years, are now part of my household and part of my heart.

"LONG DAY"
We start the day together, very sad to part, I pat you on the head, you give me a bark. I’m off to work, your back to bed, dreams of puppy play fill your head. My day is long, but yours is too, so much time, and so little to do. I’m home at five, your happy at the door, I look behind at the mess on the floor. I thought work was over, but this is just the start what I call disaster, you call art! My house is a wreck as it is everyday, all from boredom and puppy play. You smile at me and wag your tail. you’ve got to be really cute to make this one sail. You see me laugh, you lick my face. My love for you has always been your saving grace.

"LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT"
It didnt start off as love at first site. He was a puppy, i was a girl in her late 20’s. He liked to pee in his crate and sleep in it so he had to get a bath at 6am every morning…I liked to be up late at night, out with friends, and sleep in…but we found each other and for six glorious years, he was my best friend, my defender, my smile and my laughter and my joy. he was fear aggressive and would attack everyone but a select few – to me, he was just expressive and taught me that there was no need to bite when a growl would do. He was always so afraid of what could be coming up behind him that sometimes on walks, he would walk into a car and set off the car alarm — which taught me that the more you focus on what is behind you, the less you see what is coming…he was my dog – and this march 8th, 2010, it will be 3 years since I lost him to cancer. it didnt start out as love at first site..but, in the end, it was a love that burned so deeply in me, that i will never be the same – thank you to my Jixxer

"LOVE STORY"
Date: November 4, 2009 Location: Wissahickon Walk Park Philadelphia, PA While out for an evening walk with our dog Jax, I heard the faint sound of a cat’s meow. I stopped and listened and out of the forest, an orange tabby kitten appeared. This kittena came running towards Jax and me meowing all the way. Smitten by her big, brown eyes, I scooped her up and carried her home. It was cold out and I just could not let her stay in the Wissahickon. Jax was quite proud of our “find” and kept looking back on our journey home. Although, we already had 3 cats and a dog, something told me that I could not leave this tabby in the forest. I brought her home and everyone immediatly fell in love with her. There’s something special about his kitty, who we named Anahata (heart chakra) and she has really brough a nice balance to our animal menagerie!

"PUPPY LOVE"
I LOVE MY DOG

"QUEENIE THEENIE"
On Saturday August 25, 2007, at 4 pm Athena, my gorgeous calico girl kitty died after a courageous battle to get her diabetes under control

"LOVE IS UNCONDITIONAL"
Love is unconditional and wonderful if you have animals!

LOVE STORIES- PART 3-Absolute Proof that LOVE Is All We Need!

2010-02-12T11:02:00.012-05:00

"A LOVE LIKE NO OTHER"
My husband wrote me a sweet note in my anniversary card. It said the last 8 yrs were the best of his life and he hopes to have another 80 even better than the last ones.

"A NORMAL HAPPY MARRIAGE"
I first have to say that I don’t have any dramatic, birds singing, waves crashing, romantic story that I can share. What I do have is 11 years and two children with the most wonderful man
I have ever met. We met in college and had pretty strong feelings for each other from the start. He has told me that he liked the fact that (unlike most of the other girls he dated) valued my personal time and space. I knew I liked the fact that he was very intuitive and really seemed to listen and care about the people in his life. I felt like he was my best friend and at the same time incredibly sexy. I don’t think there is a more perfect combination for a spouse than that. We have had some seriously tough times in eleven years together. I can remember two times where we very seriously discussed divorcing because we strongly disagreed about which path our lives should take. We ultimately decided that we are committed to each other and our underlying mutual love and respect was worth sticking it out for. Each time we made the decision that divorce wasn’t an option we became stronger in our love and commitment to each other. We have been many different people through out our marriage and we will continue to grow and change in the coming years but I am confident that we will love each other even more as we grow old together than we do today.

"A SON IN LAWS LOVE"
My father and mother had 3 girls. When my parents were old we all pitched in to help them. My father was a very modest man and it was very hard for him to have his daughters help him in his bathing and dressing. My husband XXX would come to my parents home and help my father in the shower and in dressing. I will never forget the love my husband had towards my parents. My mother would tell him if I had a son I would want him to be you XXX. My husband said to me he loved them like his own parents. XXX is a good husband, father and man and I thank God for him.

"A TOAST"
“You are the butter to my bread, the breath of my life.” – Julia Child

"A LOVE STORY"
Cape May, New Jersey, 2007. Our two week vacation was at it’s end. My husband and my two sons, age 3 and 1 and a half, were dutifully packing up and checking things off the check out list of our lovely little beach cottage. I turned my attention to the task of organizing the memories, — video camera and and camera. I joke that my boys don’t think what they are doind is meaningful unlessI whip out some sore of device and capture the moment. But is is more for me then them. I love every minute with them. Back to the beach…I check the camera case and the itty bitty teeny tiny memory card that contained 400+ pictures (I actually had to buy a new one while on the trip because I filled the old one up) and, nothing. Not in the case, not near the case, not one the floor, not in the drawer. Interrogation…Who saw it last? Did you take it somewhere? Everybody look! Look! We have to be out of here in a few hours!! No luck. Many tears. Thoughts of Ian’s first trip up the lighthouse, Ty at high tea, carriage rides, waves, sandcastles, custard cups melting away. My husband sent me to the beach with the boys so he could start packing the car up and I figured I’d at least capture some pictures. Over an hour later my husband strolls up to us on the beach and from a distantance is making a strange hand signal. Can’t make it out? What??? As he gets closer, there between his pointer finger and thumb is an itty bitty, teeny tiny memory card!!!! Two weeks of happiness!! My dear, sweet husband had concluded that our young son, who was facinated by the kitchen garbage can that had a petal he could step on to open, unlike ours at home, was the only place we didn’t look. Not only did he look in the garbage can in the kitchen, but he went to the market and bought yellow dish gloves and ripped open 3 bags of garbage that had been sitting outside and that is where he found it. Bound by love/that unleashed two hearts/it goes on.

"LOVE IS REAL"
I knew that love was real as soon as I reached the day when XXX would smile at me…and the world – the hectic, busy, stressful world – would stand absolutely still just to allow me that moment of enjoyment.

"DAILY DOSE OF LOVE"
The nice man who drives my morning bus. The friendly workers in my company cafeteria. My mom’s lunchtime call. My boyfriend’s mid-afternoon text. My friends’ all-day google chatting. My stepfather’s daily ride home from work. My yoga teacher’s sometimes not-so-gentle encouragement. My cats’ goodnight cuddling. I am surrounded by love, all day, in so many ways. I am lucky.

"EVERY DAY IN EVERY WAY"
I have severe Rheumatoid Arthritis and my husband shows his love everyday in all the things he does to make my life better, easier and happier. He goes way beyond what most people would do.

"OUR FIRST VALENTINES TOGETHER'
Valentines Morning my boyfriend made me breakfast in bed.When I came home it was so nice,he had dinner ready and a table set up for us. After dinner he had hershy kisses(one for each day we were together) leading to my bedroom with my present on the bed. There was a nice card,candy,candles ….everything was perfect!!! It was a great day!

"HES THERE FOR YOU NO MATTER HOW UNPLEASANT THE BUSINESS IS"
True love – comes to your aid anytime, anywhere; offers to be with you even when it means he has to be away from work and waiting for you when there is nothing for him to do; all he wants back is your love and care…

"HELLO RED!"
It was 1950 they were walking out of church. The ugly duckling of the XXX Clan and the Hottie of the XXX Clan. A romance Blossomed and in 1955 the wed. 54 years later they are still devoted and “in LOVE” despite everything possible that could have split them apart. Mr and Mrs. XXX, my parents deserve to be winners to boost their hearts and remind them that their love story has touched hunderds of lives from their Devoted Daughter and hopeful writer, me!

"HOW WE MET"
Hub and I met at a Family Pool Hall, I walked in and saw him playing pool with some friends, and couldn’t take my eye’s off of him. he on the on the other hand, he wouldn’t break his concentration no matter what I did to get his attention. Finally after a few nights of going up just to watch him play, he and his friends invited me to go with them to a Tournament out of town. I went. Once we got back, he and I started dating. The rest is History. 14 years later and two children. We are just as in love as the day we started dating.

"I DREAMT AN INNOCENT DREAM"
“Love”, how much weight do this four letters have? To a little nurtured boy this is a usual word he used to listen for the whole day. This word continuously played in his mother’s lips as records play in a cassette. On the other hand, to a street boy this is that precious sound which he can hardly hear from his dearest ones. Whoever tells him, that boy becomes the bought away slave of that man forever. Even he’ll not fear to pay for this four letters with own life. And eventually, 17 years old boy like me is nurturing some one special inside his soul! How many ways people can meet! A relation so long can turn in love at once or even a single glance can make the cupid shoot his arrow. “Love is not a race; where 1st,2nd ,3rd should be count on. Love is love; it may come any time for any person.” In a drama, falling in love with the help of cell phone is very common. And many cover stories are usual in magazines about marriage of couples fallen in love over internet. Even though I am amused by the incident happened in my life. My other identity is “xxx”. This xxx id changed Me, my past, present, and may be my nearer future. Her name and other identities are not essential now as she’s nowhere but inside my soul. Every part of my & soul cries out her name. Her beautiful name is engraved nowhere but in the deep of my mind, will be enlightening till my heart continuous its beats. Really we are apart from us. Not only distance, other much highlighted facts lies between us. She is Indian & I’m Bangladeshi. It differs our nationality. She is from Hindu religion but I’m from Muslim society. Certainly it’s a burning issue. Again our family, living style & language varies. But the fact is, both of us know that these differences really matters to the society not to souls. We can’t touch each other with our blood & flesh but we had touched our souls & minds. Even there is no complexity of face & voice but our thought & perspectives touched each others & flowing in the same frequency. I am amused at her purity and holiness of thoughts, brilliant ideas, and trend ness with a very suitable personality. And what not she is! Even sometimes I am astonished how my mind has changed by the holy touch of her relationship. I haven’t seen an angel, but I am sure that ‘XXX’ is slightly or may be more than an angel. That’s it, that’s her name and really she bought a lot of XXX (happiness) in my life. But a crucial point is that, we didn’t offer our love. Actually we never think, love only means ‘Romeo-Juliet’. Everything just comes from emotions; from what or whom we like. And in flow, with love we named our relationship as best friends. Because we wanted to live forever, for each other. Some may take me as a silly boy. But tell me, what fear can be compared with loosing something or someone so special?? Friends, XXX is not with me now, but a day will come, in a starry night may be we both will look at the same star. The star will fall down at the weight of our love. She may feel a sigh for a friend who is the best at the other end. Till then let us both look at the same sky.

"I AM BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE HE LOVES ME"
It was this time last year I met the man of my dreams, the man that calls me “His Forever”. XXX is not just your ordinary man. He knows how to put a smile on my face that lights up the whole world! It was the moment when me and him were face to face, alone in the dark for the first time. I wanted to tell him i loved him, but how could I tell him that when I only known him for a week. It was then when he looked me in my eyes and said “I feel like I should be telling you I love you”, my mouth dropped because I felt the same way. We have been together ever since. We moved into our own place and he accepted my 5 year old son as apart of his life as well. My mother says “If you could bottle what you two have and share it with the world, the workd would be a better place”. My heart has never felt so sure about anything before, but now I know. No matter where I am or what Im doing I wish he was there with me. XXX was the first man to tell me I was beautiful, it was well worth the wait.

"IT STARTED IN VIENNA"
I had been friends with my current boyfriend throughout most of college, but it wasn’t until we were both studying abroad and I flew from Dublin to Vienna that I realized how I felt about him. While I was there, we spent one-on-one time together, he was speaking German for me since I only know a bit of French, we went to the open air markets, he took me to a Viennese ball since it was ball season! It was snowing the whole time I was there, which made the city of Vienna even more incredibly romantic; he even took me to see where the Steinway Pianos are made since he knows I play the piano. Leaving was very difficult, and I was so happy that no one was sitting next to me on the plane since I was in tears when we were taking off in the snowstorm. Once we were reunited at school in the fall, we officially started dating and have been together ever since. We plan on traveling back to Europe in the not so distant future."

"LONG DISTANCE LOVE"
I met the love of my life online over 3 years ago and flew out to see her within the first year of our relationship. We’re both in college, but I still visit her every chance I get for as long as I can. In another couple years, once we graduate, we’ll figure out who’s moving where

"LOST LOVE"
I moved with my family to Mankato my Junior year in High School. I thought my life would end having to leave my friends and home. But, it didn’t turn out to be that bad. I made good friends and met XXX. He was everything I dreamed about. We started dating and cared for each other very much. But, we were young and things happened and we broke up right before my high school graduation. I moved away and got a job and then got married. XXX stayed in Mankato and started a business and married a local girl. I thought about him and wondered what his life was like. When I would go to Mankato and visit my family I would get butterflies when I drove by his business. I guess the feeling was still there. After being married for 21 years my husband and I divorced. The weird thing is that after being married for 21 years, XXX and his wife divorced too! We started emailing each other and then talked on the phone and then, we decided to meet each other. It was amazing. The feelings were still there and we knew that we wanted to be together again. So, we have been married for four years and thank God everyday for helping us find each other again.

"LOVE ABOUNDS"
My 2 best friends just found love in their middle age and I am so happy for them. They deserve much happiness.

"LOVE AND DEVOTION"
It all began 50 years ago o the campus of a woman’s college. Conn. College. It was Good Friday 1959 and He was in search of a new love. He was a college student down the road at a mens college. He was encouraged by his cousin who was dating his sister to look her up. So he did by visiting her, unknow to her. He (XXX) went to her dorm and asked for her (XXX) He was told that she was in the English building studying. So he went to meet and find her. The building was empty and the all he could hear was a voice echoing in a hallway. He approached the room and there she sat. Sitting on a desk reciting Poetry by Keats. He was instantly enamored with her poise and her beauty. He asked if he could stay and listen. She said “of course”! After she finished he invited her to have coffee with him and they began their 50 year love story. 50 years later they have two children 5 grandchildren and a beautiful and fortunate life together. Sure there has been bumps in the road but they were able to get through those bumps and build an amazing life together. It is bacause of their admiration and respect for each other I was able to find a wonderful man whom I have been able to bulid a life together with. 15 years and we have had our share of bumps but love each other to get through them. I hope to pass this love and devotion down to my daughters who are now 8 and 10. LOve is beautiful and it does not come easy but it is truly rewarding and fulfilling.

"LOVE STORY"
One day after school a 15 year old girl met a 18 year old boy. 5 years later they married. Children really. 20 and 23. Today that same little girl and that same young boy are married 35 years. Yup there are ups and downs but love is a decision and there is no room for being selfish. How lucky am I?

"LOVE IS IN THE EYES"
It’s tough to tell when love is real, but I knew it just three nights ago, as my wife and I were ice-skating. I could just feel her looking at me, and when I turned, sure enough she was. We are connected, and always seem to be at the same level, and on the same page. Sometimes, you know it’s love, just from the eyes. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity

"LOVE IS LOOKING BEYOND THE PHYSICAL APPEARANCE"
I know love is more mental than physical. Loving someone so deep means loving a person for them an not because they look a cetain way. Always be yourself and you are sure to find true love.

"LOVE IS REAL"
Although I know that love is real, when I read about this contest I was not going to enter. I don’t have a GREAT love story to tell. Yes, indeed it is true love, but was there a great story? No. BUT the stars aligned today or something and although this is still not a “rock the world” love story, it is worth sharing for sure. Tomorrow I will leave to Mexico with my hubby of 13 years to celebrate my 40th birthday. Our first vacation without the 4 kids in 8 years. We are both so excited to have some alone time. As I reached up on the closet shelf to grab my sandals down I knocked down a whole stack of cards that were shoved up there. I read through them all. A card I had given my husband on our wedding day professing my love. Another card he gave me on our very first anniversary. Another I gave him on our 2nd anniversary – hoping for at least 100 more! I was so happy to find these cards and read the words of love from so long ago. And to realize that the words are still there today, 13 years later. What a perfect day for me to find these. I think our weekend away will be a perfect time to look at our love and our lives together. (And then of course I hopped on facebook and saw the contest – so I thought it must be meant to share. The stars are alligned today!)

"LOVE KNOT"
He captured my heart

"LOVE ON THE SEA"
my husband and i meet on a cruise and have been cruising ever since.

"LOVE STORY"
My husband proposed to me in the most romantic way!

"LOVE WITHOUT REASON"
hubby calling to say I love you for no reason.

"MAGIC"
In 1978, attending a meeting of our college campus radio station, I looked across the room and saw XXX. I took one look and thought- wow- there’s the guy I’m going to marry. (No we had not met before.) We did not have our first date until a year later. After a week or two he had to leave to go out of town for a few days. He handed me a note and drove off. I opened this piece of paper and in the center in small type it read “Is there magic in the air? -i” (his last name began with an “i”. I about fell on the ground with wonder and amazement. We were engaged 5 weeks after our first date and have been married 29 years this year.

"LOVE STORY"
I met my husband while he was working for a temp agency. I was his boss. We both had just gotten divorced and had admired each other from afar. After 3 weeks he asked me out. I had him come to my house (which he drove by 3 times before finding the address – me being outside at the curb should have helped!) We talked for a few hours that night. I was already in love and hoping his feelings were the same. He called the next day and came over again. After talking and getting acquainted, he proposed. We married a week later in Reno with our mothers in tow (crazy, huh?). Within the next six months, we both quit our jobs, started a temporary staffing business, build a home which included a mother in law apartment. That was 11 years ago and we are still going strong. Sometimes you just know. We will be together for all time. Our love is amazing. It gets stronger everyday.

"LOVE STORY"
My husband and I met at a cowboy bar call Stampede--there was even a
mechanical bull in the bar--hysterical. And, no, neither of us rode
the bull! I was living in Denver attending graduate school. He was
working there on what he thought was a short-term basis. When we
started chatting we leaned that were both from Utah. We talked the
whole night and at the end of the evening he asked for my number.
After waiting the "required" three days, he called. Around that same
time his employer asked him to stay in Denver for a year. After that
we were inseparable. I helped him find an apartment and he made
arrangements to move his furniture, etc. to Denver. As luck, kismet,
and/or alignment of the constellations would have it, my lease was up
on my apartment. So after only six weeks of knowing each other we
moved in together!! I think my Mom thought I had lost my mind. I
wasn't as shocked. My first clue was when we were moving his things
in and I realized he only put clothes in 1/2 of his closet (how cute
it that??).
One year later I graduated and my husband's job in Denver ended (also
a strange coincidence) and we decided to return to Utah since both our
families are here. We had a new place to live, new careers (he
changed careers to avoid traveling), and new families! About nine
months later (no not a baby!) the heat went out at my office and they
sent us all home. Again the stars were aligned, and my husband had
that day off work. Before I left work I called him and told him I
would be home soon and was wondering if he wanted to GET
MARRIED!!!!!!!! He said YES. So about 4 hours, one Polaroid photo
and a justice of the peace later, we were hitched! That was six years
ago.

"A SIMPLE ACT OF LOVE"
My husband and I had a meeting to go to one night and it was pouring rain. We have a tradition of picking up a cup of coffee before the meeting, but the coffee shop is in a stip mall downtown with no close parking. We switched seats in the car and he went out in the pouring rain to pick up our coffees while I waited safe and dry in the car. It was just one of the many simple ways he shows his love for me.

"PROPOSAL"
Head giddy with champagne

"SOMETIMES LOVE IS HIDING IN THE ODDEST PLACES"
I never would have guessed I would fall in love with a guy with wearing a Cloak and feathered top hat. I went on Secondlife, a virtual world, out of boredom and Curisoty. I found myself making a few friendships on there and going to a club with them. Everytime I was there I saw the same guy and one night we struck up a conversation. Over the next several months we become very good friends. Nightly we would spend hour talking. The time on Secondlife slowly changed to Skype and MSN and we started talking about a real life meeting. I Realized I had falling in love with this man I had met online.

"THANK YOU FACEBOOK"
Jan 19, 2009 I decided to look up my old boydfriend via facebook. I found his name and wrote, Did you go to PS 13?

"THE AWAKENING"
When I first saw XXX, something deep inside of me just “knew.” It was in a bowling alley, not the most romantic of settings, but from that point forward I was constantly aware of her proximity to me. If for some reason she missed a day, I could feel it when I arrived. I suppose at this point that I should mention that not only had I not talked to XXX, I was also married…to a man. So while it was unusual for me to be so drawn to a woman, it was a feeling I could not ignore. I eventually got the nerve to talk to XXX at bowling, then to invite her to spend time together. And eventually I admitted to myself what the truth was, I was falling in love. The beginning of our relationship was full of the usual joy, but also tempered with the guilt of hurting someone else and lots of life changing decisions. XXX was wonderful and supportive throughout this process and never offered any pressure. We came to live together in February of 2007, and there has been no looking back for either of us. In November of 08 XXX proposed to me, surprising me with a beautiful ring while we were staying at our favorite hotel on the coast. It was a beautiful, perfect moment and one I’ll never forget. At first XXX said she didnt need an engagement ring for herself, but I could tell that deep down she really did want one. We shopped the internet together and found the perfect ring for her. You guessed it, on the Giving Tree website. I was able to purchase the very last one in her size and have it overnighted so that it arrived in time for Thanksgiving. While XXX knew the ring was coming, I got to surprise her with the timing of it and the Giving Tree was instrumental in that. We got married on September 1st 2009 and have never been happier. I have learned that its never too late to realize who you are and to follow your heart. The reward for me has been a wonderful life and most importantly, a wonderful wife.

"THE JOYS OF MARRIAGE"
Happy being married for 8 years...

"THE MOMENT I SAW YOUR FACE"
I met my soon to be husband about a year ago. He is from and lives in Southern California, his best friend of 20+ years had moved to my small town in Tennesse five years ago for a job. He met and was about to marry my best friend, so naturally he invited his best friend from California to the wedding. My friend thought that it would be nice if XXX (my fiance’) had someone to hang out with the week prior to the wedding and since I would be around with her that week, that person had to be me. Of course, I kicked and screamed about it but the day before XXX was going to fly in, he calls me. We were immediately in stitches, 100% connection! Four hours later, the two non-phone talkers finished our phone call bewildered. He flew in the next day and we spent the most amazing week together out on the lake, out to dinner, long walks and long talks… Saturday night was the rehearsal dinner and as we’re sitting there, I looked up and he had the most revealing look on his face, I calmed my rapidly beating heart as I took a sip of my wine, looked back up at him and said “How bad do you want to say it right now?” and without asking what “it” was, he says to me “I do, I Love You, I have fallen in Love with You”. I never thought that I would have a fairy tale, but this is my story, my “Love Story”.

" A KIND SOUL"
I remember the moment that I knew I was in love with the “right” man. We had flown to Portland for my best friends wedding and my parents and I and my boyfriend at the time ( now my husband) were walking down the street. I forget exactly what we were talking about but were in the middle of a conversation when he just left and crossed the street. My dad looked at me as if to say, " what exactly do you see in this guy." As we watched him runand just as I was about to call out his name we noticed an elderly lady crossing the street with her walker. The light had changed and the cars were patiently waiting and he made it just in time to help her up the curb. It was a true act of a kind soul and to this day he is the kindest person I know and I am beside myself at times to know that he is with me.

"LOVE IS A DECISION"
One day after school a 15 year old girl met a 18 year old boy. 5 years later they married. Children really. 20 and 23. Today that same little girl and that same young boy are married 35 years. Yup there are ups and downs but love is a decision and there is no room for being selfish. How lucky am I?

"THE RED WAGON"
Once when I was a child my mother told me that I had been given a brand new red wagon. I loved that Radio Flyer wagon. I used to play with it constantly. I’d hop in it and use the handle as a steering wheel as my friends pushed me down the hills by our house. I asked my mom several times who had given me the wagon, but she would never say. I remember as a child trying to figure out who had given me the wagon. Years later my great uncle died and it was then that my mom told me that he had been the one to get me the wagon. He had seen me playing and had wanted to buy one for me, but keep the fact that he had purchased it a secret. This was one of my first experiences with a selfless act of love.

"POEM FOR MY WIFE"
Five years ago, I met the love of my life,
she’s that special someone, I now call my wife.

We met at a concert, in March of ’05,
where the beer was cold and the music was live.

In June, I surprised her, in an open launch field,
our hot air balloon floating, all colors revealed.

We hopped in the wicker gondola, and started an ascension,
with the ground and its inhabitants, shrinking in dimensions.

Floating serenely in a dream world, suspended in the wind’s highway,
we were one with nature, weightless like the sun’s rays.

Another adventure, three months later, that day,
she brought me to the Oktoberfest, surprised I must say.

We enjoyed the German music, in Addison Circle Park,
in the traditional Bavarian setting, the food a work of art.

The wines were delicious, the biers even better,
my loving counterpart at my side, so glad I met her.

Next we tried handmade pretzels, and potato pancakes,
with some roasted almonds, apple strudel, for goodness sakes.

What a great event we shared, under the many tents,
just as if we were in Munich, if to Germany we went.

Then we married several months later, and made a perfect pair,
in a gathering of two families, planned with such care.

She is my true companion, our love cannot be measured,
for it’s not the destination, but our journey we treasure

LOVE STORIES-ACT TWO: Stories Of Fearlessness, Healing, and LOVE

2010-02-11T03:45:00.009-05:00

"MY HERO"
You are 36 years old and just found out every woman’s fear…you have breast cancer. You have to have a mastectomy and chemotherapy…..that was me several years ago….young and frightened and wondering how my husband would handle it. Well, he was absolutely my hero….he stood by my side every minute…every treatment…..he will always be my………Valentine!

"MY LOVE STORY"
My love story begins about 10 years ago whilst in my first marriage.... I had married at the tender age of 19, blinded by lust, hope and dreams...I moved, with this man, from England (and the arms of my beloved mum and family) to the other side of the world, to his home, Australia. Here we began to make a life, which, at first was fun, exciting and full of dreams. I became pregnant and things went downhill fast. I was very ill while pregnant and then suffered terrible post natal depression after my son was born. We had no money for me to 'go home' and I was very lonely and depressed. Things went from bad to worse when I woke up one day and realised that I was a victim of domestic violence.

I don't remember when it began but I remember the day that it ended. It was the middle of the night and I had been thrown down the stairs and now my head was being bashed against the cold tiles. As I opened my eyes, I looked up and saw my (then) 6 year old son's terrified, wet little eyes pleading with his father to 'stop hurting mummy'. Love and protection came from nowhere and I felt an overwhelming sense of instinct to take this child and run....which is exactly what I did.

Things were tough and the next few years were a haze of counsellors, court, violence orders, police and fear.....

I decided I had a choice....this man could make me a victim for the rest of my life or...I could chose to live. I chose to live! I enrolled at University, made some fabulous friends and started, for the first time in my life, to believe in myself.

I never ever thought that I would trust a man again...I never thought I would love again....I never thought I wanted any of that again and I knew that I would never ever allow myself to be treated like that again. I had a few 'dates'/'boyfriends' over the years but my life was my son.

I graduated with top marks as an occupational therapist, I was awarded University prizes, I became a member of an International Honours society and for the first time in my life I felt empowered. I collected my certificate at the graduation ceremony and looked up to see my mum in the audience with tears rolling down her face - she was so proud and so was I.

I bought my own house, I finished a post graduate degree and am now in the process of starting my own private practice. My son is a beautiful, kind and well rounded young man of nearly 15 years old. I am so proud of him...and me!

I met XXX last year and fell absolutely and wholly in love with him almost as soon as I met him. He has taught me what real love is (sounds cheesy, I know) but I didn't love my first husband - I know that now. Now that I feel this deep and complete love for XXX - we laugh every single day, we still stare into each others eyes (and I am sure I can see his soul) - I finally feel so completely loved. We just want to be with each other..that's it, that's all.

So, my love story is long and it's taken me a long time to have my own love story - my love story is a love that means absolution...and more than anything, I know how lucky we are as I know that some people will never have what we have so every day I give thanks for my life and my love.

So your jewellery, Rachel, has so much meaning for me which is why I love it so much- I have pieces that I relate to, that my life relates to - The pieces say so much and remind me of how far I have come, how I overcame so many things to be the person that I am now. How I have no regrets, only lessons and how I wouldn't change a single moment.
That is my love story - my love story with myself, my son and XXX

"MY ANGEL"
I have Lupus and on one particularly bad day, my husband and children wanted to go for a walk. I decided that I was not going to miss out on that experience with them, so off we went. I was walking slowly and in some pain when a woman who I had not noticed before was walking towards me. As we started to pass each other on the sidewalk, she stopped me. She looked into my eyes and said “everything is going to be alright, I will pray for you” she then continued down the sidewalk. I stood there stunned, and yet, somehow, I knew everything would be alright. Whenever I am feeling down, I think of her and smile. She will forever be "My Angel"

"MY WIFE"
In august of last year my wife was very sick. She ended up in the ICU where I stayed with her quite a bit. At one point they decided to put a central line in her to give her treatments. I stayed and was watching the procedure and was holding her hand. During it all of a sudden she stopped breathing and coded. As they called a code I was pushed towards the back of the room and could only sit there and watch as they revived her. After that that they could hardly get me to leave her room no matter what was going on or how I felt. That was the closest I ever came to losing her and the msot scared in my life I ever was.

"MY FAMILY"
I know that love is real because, i was pregnant in ’07 and i was so very sad and depressed, my boyfriend and i were into a huge fight, my family and i werent getting along and nothing seemed to be going right. Then on the morning of Feb. 14th, my water broke! it was a miracle! My family came together, my fiance and i put our issues aside, and my beautiful little boy was born! So Valentines Day will ALWAYS be a huge day in my life and in my family! It brings happiness and pushed aside all of our troubles :)

"LOVE AMONG AGONY"
I was violently assaulted a year and half ago. My husband and son have helped me so much. They have stuck by me through all of the fear and anger. I am still in recovery. I feel so horrible that my experience has turned their life upside down. I don’t know if I’ll ever work again. I used to be super mom. cook, clean and work 40 hrs a week. Now I need help with every aspect of my life. My husband has taken on 2 jobs and my son is schooling from home to help take care of me. I feel so worthless and useles. I’m slowing getting used to being a different person. It’s such a slow process. They deserve a break from all of this. A mom is supposed to take care of her child. A wife is supposed to be there for her husband. I pray for strength everyday. I’m so thankful and fortunate to be loved so much.

"LOVE HIM EVEN WHEN WE ARE LOSING EVERYTHING"
My husband had been out of work for over a year without receiving pay. Our first new car was about to be repoIssessed. I wanted out of the situation, wanted to be whisked away to somewhere beautiful and warm to forget about my problems for awhile. But the amazing thing is that we are still in love, after more than 10 years. Life is going well for us again, and I am so happy that I stuck out those hard times with a man that I love and think of as a friend.

"IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH"
My hubby has had knee replacement surgery and has been “under foot” since 11/09 He constantly says to me that I must love him or I would not put up with what he is going through. I love him even more for recognizing that.

"LOVE ONLINE"
My husband and I met online a few years ago. We emailed each other for almost a year before we finally met, feel in love,got married and have 2 beautiful children. I’m sure by now you’ve probably heard of many such stories but to me it’s very profound. I met him at a stage in my life when I was very low and going through lots of very hard times. If it were not for him I truly would of been dead today. My life is owed to him and his beautiful heart and soul. His love and my children are my blessings from our marriage. Everyday, and I mean EVERYDAY, I thank God for him, my beautiful happy loving children and for my breathe and the second chance to life with such love. I never take life for granted, I see the world so differently and only with love and compassion. I am a different person since meeting him and it was because of him, the fact that he accepted me with all my faults and guided me in the right direction, allowing me to do what ever I needed to do in my own time, that I am the person I am today.If it were not for the internet, for online dating, I would never of known the beauty of which life is all about. My life will has been forever changed and I can’t wait to see what my new future holds.

"HOW MUCH JEWELRY CAN I BUY WITH 8 PENNIES"
Last year, our home was burglarized and almost all the jewelry I had collected over my life, including my mom’s jewelry, was stolen (among other things). I discovered the break-in upon arriving home with my twin 3-year-old daughters. The burglary made quite an impression on the girls because they had never seen me cry before. This month, when the girls turned 4 years old, they both got little piggy banks as a birthday present from one of their friends. I let each of them have a handful of pennies to put in their piggy banks. After dancing around, shaking their piggy banks in the air, one of my daughters said to me, “I’m going to buy you new jewelry!” Then she asked me to take the bottom out of the bank and she proceeded to count her pennies. After we determined that she had 8 pennies, she aske me, “how much jewelry can I buy with 8 pennies?” And then I gave her a big hug!

LOVE STORIES!! ACT ONE: Randomness, Serendipity, and Surprise!

2010-02-10T14:17:00.008-05:00

"BLIND DATE"
My hubby and I met on a blind date. He always tells me that fior him it was love at first sight. But he had to work to convince me. After months of dating he admitted that the night we met he erased all the numbers in his phone that belonged to women because I was the only woman he wanted. After that how could I not marry him!

"BLIND DATE"
I met my husband on a blind date where we were just tag a longs for our best friends. They ended up not being a match but we were married 3 months later. That was 8 years ago and we now have two beautiful children and are still very much in love.

"LOVE COMES A KNOCKIN'"
I was selling my car, my husband to be came to take a look at it. I opened my front door,and there he was. That was 28 years ago! You never know!

"LOVE AT FIRST BYTE"
I met my husband of 12 years online.He lived in Scotland, I in PA. He proposed after our first face to face meeting when I flew to Scotland for a 3 day weekend.I moved to Scotland, we married & we lived there & traveled the Mediteranean until moving to the US in 2007.We now live in Texas & I run a pet sitting, pet rescue & adoption business by myself.We care for about 40 dogs at our home until they can be vetted & adopted to good loving family homes.We are blessed!Our wedding anniversary is on Valentine’s Day.

"REAL LOVE"
My husband XXX and I were set up on a blind date. Our first ‘real’ date was on February 12, 1994, when we went to an exhibit gala at the Baltimore Museum of Art. XXX was nervous about whether it was too early in the relationship to get me a Valentine but did end up getting me a box of heavenly hand-made truffles from an elite German chocolatier in Baltimore. On this date, my husband quickly learned that he needed to learn to cook for his own survival….for when I said that i would make him breakfast, it meant a smoothie from a blender with granola on top! We dated long distance for the next three years – he in San Francisco and I in Baltimore, for work reasons, including our first year of marriage, when we took different planes back to our respective coasts, after a brief honeymoon in Santa Fe……It has been sixteen years and a lot of life since that first date. We’ve had our share of good times and bad times, triumphs and disappointments. We’ve been best friends, and at times we’ve been adversaries. We have grown closer, and we have hurt each other. And at times, i forget where I am, or what I have, but I only need to watch XXX kick around a pink soccer ball with our three little girls, help them dress their Barbies, watch endless ballet recitals (instead of ESPN), sew a button on one of the girls’ favorite jeans, or plant sunflowers and (giant) pumpkins with them….and I am reminded of this real love……

"SURVEY"
When I first met my future husband, back in 1961, he asked me for a date. I asked him if he was willing to fill out an application for a date, to which he responded, it that’s what it takes to date you, YES! He did filling it completely out and I was impressed, others weren’t so willing or didn’t fill it all out. Now let me tell you, I was dating others, so it wasn’t a lack of dates that prompted the survey.. To make a long story short, we did date and did marry the following year. I said he chased off all the other guys (he did), he said he had too much invested in me (okay, he did help with my car). When our kids were ready to date, he brought up the application, and wondered if we should use it. He thought it was great for us, and our marriage lasted 46 years, three children and six grandchildren. So I’d have to say I agree with him.

"TWO SHIPS AT NIGHT"
For almost 3 years my partner and I were circling each other, trying to find each other and never succeeding, until one day…but that is the end of the story… For four years I worked (almost full-time) at a bar, XXX tells me now that she came in often for lunch and after work. I never saw her there. I lived in Back Bay, and the only window I had in my studio faced the Hancock Tower. XXX worked in the Hancock and her office faced my apartment. She says she would often find herself staring out the window in the direction of my apartment. Many nights I would go to yoga all the way across town. I would walk there every time. At this same time, XXX would go for long runs at night in her neighborhood. The yoga studio I went to is one block from her apartment. While working at the bar I also ran a store in downtown XXX. I was only there two days a week, Wednesday and Saturday. One Saturday in the fall of 2007 XXX and a few of her friends were planning on going up to XXX to do a little downtown shopping and check out the town because they had never been there. XXX and her friends did not go because it was pouring rain that day. XXX made a list that was 3 pages long and very specific describing the person she wanted to meet and fall in love with. Some specifications were they had to be shorter than her, make her laugh, have dark hair, be spiritual etc…the list was exhaustive, but XXX knew her mate was out there. One day in the summer of 2007 a friend of XXX told her that her soulmate was close and that we would soon meet. Another friend of XXX told her she wanted to introduce her to another friend, she thought her and I would hit it off. It never worked out for us to meet up. A friend of mine really wanted to introduce me to another friend, she thought we would hit it off. It never happened that we could work the timing out for us to meet. These things went on for 3 years,XXX and I circled each other unbeknownst to one another… Then on December 11, 2007 I was working at the bar, it was a pretty slow Tuesday night with plenty of empty seats at my bar. In walked XXX, we caught each others eyes immediately and in that instant we each knew there was no one else. She sat down in front of me and we talked until her friends came that she was meeting. Next Tuesday, she came back to ask me out. It has since been two wonderful years and we have a lifetime ahead of us. XXX later told me that one day she was looking for her list that she made and after tearing apart every thing in her apartment (which is always exceptionally organized) she could not find it. She had found it in person! p.s. The friend that wanted to introduce XXX to me and me to XXX, we shared the same friend…

"A LOVELY MOMENT"
To keep it brief…..I’ve been married 22 (this June 25th) years to XXX and in the early days, I was physically stressed and sick from going through a divorce. I lived on the floor of my single wide, trying to figure out what I was going to do next with my life, and had met XXX at work some 2 months before. He knew I was struggling, even though I was not out there begging for help, and had made a “friend date” to take me to lunch and out for a pleasant Saturday. So I tenatively said yes, and waited for Saturday. On Saturday, our 10:00am meeting at my place didn’t happen. So I waited….no phone call, no XXX. About 1:00pm I decided to go out for lunch on my own….when a quiet knock on the door was heard. There stood XXX; slightly disheveled and dusty with tears in his eyes…..apologizing to me (?) because his car broke down, no phone on him, and he had walked about 6 miles to come see me so I wouldn’t be let down. Needless to say I wasn’t angry and totally melted for this gentleman and gentle man.

"SAVING THE BEST FOR FIRST"
Saving the best for first. I arrived at Indiana State University from my home in New Hampshire without knowing anyone, for the most part. I knew my buddy from the Army would be meeting me there following my first semester, he had convinced me to head to Terre Haute for school. Okay, and I was in contact with his brother who had a severe love for marijuana, but mostly I was alone. That didn’t last long. I had chosen political science as a major, and during orientation on the first day, I needed to schedule my classes. I was second in line behind a beautiful girl, wearing a black tank top and a rainbow colored full-length dress. Her name was XXX, and I remember thinking “man, if every girl here looks like XXX, this is the right place.” Turns out I didn’t need to search any farther than XXX. We would go to school events, the movies, and gradually we started dating. Whenever I would buy her jewelry, I looked for Alexis Bittar, and found Giving Tree while on a quest for AB. Four years later we are still together, and approaching our one year engagement anniversary. When I asked her to marry me, I used a Pablo Valencia ring from Giving Tree to substitute for the family heirloom ring she knew about (Thanks Mom). She said yes and now we are out on our own, attending graduate school at Syracuse University. Whether we are going out with our classmates in international relations and public relations, taking in a game at the Carrier Dome watching the #2 ranked Orangemen shut down their opponents, or sitting in class, I think back on how persistent I was, and how it is all worth it. Oh yeah, and a final note. Indiana State University’s slogan is “More…From Day One.” Normally I scoff at that notion, the school was mediocre at best, but every time o a friend or family member catches me griping, they say: “but you met XXX there, don’t forget that.” I never can forget, and I must admit, I got more from day one.

"A NEW OLD LOVE"
A few weeks ago, I reunited with an ex love after a 3 year separation! So, this Valentine’s month, I find myself in the delicious position of being all giddy and full of butterflies when first I see his face, and yet deeply comfortable and safe at home when he takes me in his arms. For all the years we were together we celebrated with gifts from Giving Tree, so this contest is very special to me. I’ve been out of work in this crazy economy for more than a year, so winning would mean we could yet again celebrate our love with a gift from GT. Thanks for providing a place where you can just go and know that every piece you find will be a treasure and you just can’t go wrong! And wish me and this sweet man love and luck in this next go round!! Happiness and Romance for us all in 2010!

"LOCKED IN THE NATIONAL ZOO"
I am very oblivious when it comes to men trying to get my attention. When I first met XXX over two years ago I turned the poor guy down for his happy hour requests right and left, and it wasn’t because I didn’t like him. I am just the type of person who’d rather go home and relax after a long day at work. He finally asked me to grab some food after work one day in 2007. Well, he got me there. I love food! After much debate we decided to metro to the Woodley Park Adams Morgan area in DC and eat at Lebanese Taverna. After confessing that we both liked each other over dinner and eliminating the awkwardness we decided to walk up the street and walk around the National Zoo and chat. We sat on a bench in the middle of the zoo and chatted it up for over an hour. We got up and walked toward the gate, yet, to our surprise the front gate was shut! We were locked in! Meanwhile we are laughing and carrying on trying to figure out how to get out of the Zoo. People walking down the street couldn’t help but stop and chat with us through the large metal gate, and help us plan our escape. We made it up and over the 10 ft. spiked fence after about 10 minutes. Meanwhile I also was wearing a dress and got stuck at the top for a minute! Once I got down we couldn’t help but laugh and talk about it for the next few days. What a great story we will be able to tell well into the future. I love you.