Why are some people mean?

Posted on February 16, 2017 by Gigi in Thoughts Comments Off

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Why are some people mean? I’m not talking about a little mean, but bazaar, go out of their way to be mean. Recently I’ve encountered a few mean people, I remind myself that these situations will make me a stronger person in the long run. But I can’t begin to tell you how upsetting it is, when someone has gone out of their way to be hurtful and unkind.

Have you noticed that these same mean people appear to do well in their careers? Mean and all?

Sometimes people you like are in cahoots with these mean peeps. I don’t think they even realize it, but these mean people know how to step on others to align themselves with the people you like.

The old me, the pre-yoga me, used to react with being mean right back, sometimes succeeding in being meaner. Did it help anything? No, not at all, it just made me feel bad in the long run. Now my approach is limiting my interaction with these types of people to the best of my ability.

I can only think that these individuals perhaps are hurting or have been hurt in the past and they have to take it out on someone else in order to feel better about themselves. I’m sure the “why they are like that” could be an entire post on the factors that go into being mean, the science behind it.

Each day I wake up, I’m happy to embrace whatever comes my way. My life is far from perfect, I have more than my share of problems, I just don’t choose to focus on them. I have fears, doubts and the day to day problems of life, but I go forward and work on my own truth and being as authentic as I can be to the best of my ability.

“There are so many beautiful reasons to be happy”

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Xoxo,

Gigi

Gigi in Bali

Quote

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Gigi in Quotes, Thoughts 2 Comments

Gigi

“There comes a day when you realize that turning the page is the best feeling in the world, because you realize that there is so much more to the book than the page you were stuck on.” Zayn Malik

I came across this quote the other day and thought about how easy it is to become stagnant in your life, when really we are in control and can make the necessary changes just by turning the page. I’ve been stuck on the parenthood page for a long time, it has been a good part of the book, but the story is far from being over. I’m at a point in my life when some of my friends are now retiring, I’m just beginning a new career.

Retirement seems so far away, and what does that really mean for us? Do we sell our “family” home? Downsize and travel? These are questions that cross my mind. When we traveled to Costa Rica, we looked at properties and fantasized about maybe settling down there, or maybe Hawaii or the caribbean. Of course the thought crosses your mind about grandchildren, and would we want to be far away from them? Decisions, decisions…

What I do know though, is that I want to take the best care of myself so I can be around for retirement, that is why me and my butt go to the gym, and why I try to nourish my body to the best of my ability, I firmly believe you are what you eat. My spiritual well being is important too, I control the stress, block negativity to the best of my ability and surround myself with those that really love and support me.

I have also learned the importance of celebrating often and living each day to the fullest, I know first hand how one day everything can be great and the next day the entire world can come toppling down on you. I know how when things are tough it easy to focus on the “bad”, instead of how can I make the most of this situation and come up with a plan. I know that sometimes you may want to give up, but those are the times you can’t, you have to give it your all. My son last year caused us much grief, but I never gave up on him, so to see him walk across the stage and get his diploma was truly a blessing, yes I know it is only high school, but for a minute we did not know what was going to happen, but we never loss faith.

So friends embrace this weekend and go out and grab some joy you deserve it! Happy Friday!

Xoxo,

Gigi

It’s my 3 year blog anniversary

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Gigi in Thoughts 6 Comments

Well life has been going by rather quickly. Most days I’m out by 5am and typically going nonstop till late. I feel as though there are not enough hours in the day to do everything I need to do or want to do ie. my blog, but considering it is my 3 year blog anniversary, it is a good time to post again.

I’m not a famous blogger nor is my blog monetized, nor do I have 1,000’s of followers, I’m just a blogger who likes to share her heart, and random thoughts and such. I only hope that on occasion something I post helps someone else…or makes someone else not feel alone in whatever is going on in their life.

A little update of what has been going on the past few weeks. I adopted Bella-Boy the cutest kitten, from David (Sierra Rescue) he discovered a litter under a large trash container at his business. I don’t plan to make my blog a “kitty” blog so if you to have a soft spot from kittens, follow Bella-Boy at Bella.boy @ instagram.

Bella.boy

My son Reggie is graduated this past Sunday from Cate School, I’m happy and sad- happy to see him go to the next phase of his life and sad to see the end of his childhood cycle. He will be going to Bard college in upstate New York, our summer will be a quick one, move in is August 8th. We are proud of him and all that he has accomplished in his 18 years. College is a new beginning to the rest of his life.

And lastly we have made a commitment to be gluten free, a couple of years ago when we were practicing a raw vegan diet, we were by default gluten free (btw felt so much better) so a week ago we decided to try to cut out the gluten. I had an appointment with a new doctor for my annual checkup, my old doctor was horrible but I kept going to her because I was not proactive in securing another. Dr. Christine Collins and I hit it off, and she asked if I was familiar with the book Wheat Belly, I had heard of it but had not read it. So she started talking about wheat and gluten and health…everything make sense. It has been an adjustment, I’m convinced there is something in bread that is seriously addicting.

I must say I do feel better, and have dropped a couple pounds as well, I’ll be posting a few recipes soon.

So thank you friends for stopping by for my sporadic posts, thank you for your comments and your support. I’m looking forward to another year, not sure will it will take me, but I will continue to share my thoughts and my heart.

So I will leave you with this quote I stumbled upon, it really spoke to me, because when I started my blog, I didn’t have a plan, I didn’t know where it would go, I just started one day. So if you are hesitating about something just “begin anywhere”…

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xoxo,

Gigi

Mission Statement

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Gigi in Thoughts 2 Comments

I’m working on a mission statement, one that sums up my philosophy on life and my personal being, my mantra. It is not as easy as I thought, to come of with a few sentences that really capture me. I’m going to have to flush it out, but this is what I have come up with so far.

To find happiness, fulfillment, and value in living a beautiful life.

I will seek out and experience all the pleasures and joys that life has to offer.

As a photographer I will do my best to take the most beautiful portrait you have ever had taken of yourself.

As an artist I want to be authentic and capture the light and tell honest stories with my images.

Family and friends are the core of my existence and I will work at strengthening my relationships and work on having mutual respect.

To be content wherever I am, in my surroundings, knowing that they can change and knowing that the physical location does not define who I am, but being secure with self, finding peace within and always following my heart, which is most important.

I looked up some company mission statements to get some inspiration and here are a few.

NIKE- “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world”

Nordstrom- “To provide outstanding service every day, one customer at a time.”

Ritz Carlton- “We pledge to provide the finest personal service and facilities for our guests who will always enjoy a warm, relaxed, yet refined ambience.”

Maserati- “Build ultra-luxury performance automobiles with timeless Italian style, accommodating bespoke interiors, and effortless, signature sounding power.”

Bobbi Brown makeup- “Empowering women to look like their best selves.”

Whole foods-“Whole foods, whole people, whole planet”

Google- “mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

Pantagonia- “Build the best products, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”

Honest Tea- “We embrace the simplicity of tea–water and leaves. for generations, cultures around the world have enjoyed tea grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers and we don’t see any reason to include them in our recipes today.”

Ikea- “our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. Our business idea supports this vision by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.”

Do you have a mission statement? Please share.

Happy Tuesday.

Xoxo,

Gigi

Everyday is the first day of the rest of your life…

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Gigi in Thoughts 1 Comment

Everyday is the first day of the rest of your life. I’m going to be very honest here…since my mom and 2 of my sisters are currently battling cancer and my brother lost his battle with cancer- almost daily I think about “getting” cancer. I can’t help it most days, I try to ignore it , but like a bad allergy it rarely goes away and can flare up in moment with no notice.

And the worst is when some well meaning person who hears my bleak history says to me “oh nooooo, you’re getting checked…right?” as they look at me giving me a compassionate half smile, that is really saying “you’re jacked sister girl.” The odds are not in my favor, I cringe at the thought of my upcoming check up, but I know whatever happens whatever results I am given, I have watched my 83 year old mom kick cancers ASS, literally. All I have to do is think about her and I know I am from a strong, resilient gene pool that can deal with a lot of stuff…

Yes. I do all I can, but I know sometimes there is no reason for some of these crazy diseases. So I am purposing to live each day as the first day of the rest of my life, embracing and exploring new things and places and not wasting precious life on trivia things that at the end of the day don’t matter…such as “if you like me or not” or “Is college “A” going to accept my son” or “does my hair look Okay?” or “am I fat?” or “should I have a piece of cake or another glass of champagne.”

I’m going to have the glass of champagne…

Do you worry about getting a horrific disease? Are you embracing your life every day? What gives you peace?

Happy Tuesday!

Xoxo,

Gigi

fresh highlights

Busy

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Gigi in Thoughts 2 Comments

Busy is a choice . Tired and exhausted, usually is not a choice. Yes, this past week has been crazy, starting Saturday I had a senior shoot in downtown LA in bazillion degree weather. We went to the Bradbury building where we were quickly interrogated about our cameras and asked was this a commercial shoot, so hence no pics were taken at this location with our client, of course permits are $500 which was not in the budget, so we popped over to tired and true Disney Hall.

Disney Hall senior shoot

Bradbury building

Sunday, the 5 hour turn around trip to my son’s school in Santa Barbara, the drive is long but in less than a year, he will be away at college somewhere and the visits will not be as frequent, so I am cherishing these senior year moments and there is a nice outlet on the way and Erewhon market, one of my favorite places to stop for a treat.

Kabucha @ Erewhon

Monday, week 2 of my new “work out” routine, an hour of yoga followed by a crazy boot camp-ish type class called ETC, one in which I am sure I am the oldest person participating and yes it is kicking my BUTT. They put motivational messages up on the wall to keep us encouraged, but by the time I am done I feel so good so it is worth all the pain and suffering. I got a pair of these yoga/barre shoes and I love them…they are on sale here, some how getting dressed in new workout gear makes it a little easier. Am I the only one that feels this way?

my new barre/yoga shoes

Monday night my film class started at UCLA. I have always been intrigued by motion, so when I saw this class, DSLR Video and Motion I had to sign up, so of course I will be showcasing my work here very soon. My teacher Van Ditthavong has done some interesting projects, including making a short film for nokia using a Lumia phone.

Tuesday, a shoot with 3 lovelies. We were doing portfolio shots for a MUA friend, the models were interesting and fun to work with.

natural beauty

fun shoot

MUA doing her work

fellow yogini

cow girl

Wednesday, Back to the “kick ass” class and then dinner in LA with a BFF who I have not seen since June. We met at one of my favorite restaurants Gracias Madre, they have the best vegan mexican food. My BFF surprised me with an Alexis Bittar bracelet…I love them and I am acquiring a nice collection thanks to my generous girlfriends, love arm candy.

Alexis Bittar arm candy

Thursday, another 5 hour turn around trip to Santa Barbara. I met with my son’s college counselor to work on fine tuning his college list, stressful to say the least. Afterwards we with to Montecito, stopped at an orchid farm, there are so many out there and then to Trattoria Mollie for dinner, where my son was able to practice his Italian with the staff.

Reggie and the orchids

In addition to all the above, I still had husband stuff, family stuff, house stuff, edit stuff, club stuff and “Me” stuff.

I’m not sure if I like being this “busy”, that feeling of not enough hours in the day. I yearn for the idleness of no deadlines, no appointments, and nowhere to be except where I want to be…

This weekend I have a beach family shoot, which I am looking forward to, and another 5 hour turn around trip for my son.

Happy Friday, have a wonderful weekend.

Xoxo,

Gigi

BTW here are a few links I meant to share earlier in the week.

I want to do a personal photography project, so I am always looking for inspiration. This is a project on the underground railroad, that a photographer captured.

Interesting article on social media, I’m guilty of this.

Are cornrows mainstream now? Read this.

And lastly…the older I get the more I think I could do something like this.

SECOND ANNIVERSARY

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Gigi in Thoughts Comments Off

2nd anniversary

A belated 2nd anniversary, in all the craziness of life I totally forgot my blog anniversary, which was actually on May 30th. Time truely waits for no one. It seems as if it was yesterday when I decided to start Gigi’s Meanderings. At the beginning, my blog was going to be a place where I was going to feature trends, a little bit of fashion, interior design tips etc., I had no intention of GGSM becoming a place where I shared pieces of my life, thoughts on aging, relationships, and the constant challenge on balancing the complexities of a “good” life.

I appreciate all of you who have stopped by to read my musings. This year I plan to continue to share my heart, my joy, my sadness and other random thoughts. Recipes, how to’s, events, restaurants, travel, and a few other surprises will be coming your way this year.

This summer I will celebrate 25 years of marriage, and my 55th birthday. My son will be a senior in high school, and my daughter will be navigating the medical school application process. My discovery of who I am and what is my purpose will continue and of course my obsession for a sexy pair of shoes will never go away…

Gigi

Toast

I want to thank you for letting me be myself…

Xoxo, GIGI

Time Goes By…

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Gigi in Thoughts Comments Off

My life is full, but I feel as though it is zooming by at the speed of light. Most days there are not enough hours to do everything, always something hanging over my head. There are those never ending projects like going through all my pictures from the pre-digital era or deleting 1,000’s of emails and of course we can’t forget the dreaded garage.

I sometimes think about how I am starting a new career at an age when most of my contemporaries are retiring. No, I won’t get rich from what I am doing, but my work nourishes me, is always challenging and there is never a dull moment.

work

photographer Gigi

It has been a journey discovering my real self. At 54, I know my limitations, the past year I have had many reminders of the importance of living life to the fullest…enjoying every moment. I take time to laugh out loud and find simple pleasures that put a smile on my face. Sometimes I wear my “after 5” duds during the day, just because and wear non-sensible shoes more often than I should.

I find that balance is the key, knowing that on any given day I do all I can without sacraficing “me” , knowing when to take a break and start fresh again . Accepting that it is OK if I don’t make that deadline and “work in progress” is good.

Where are you in your life journey? Do you ascribe to markers of where you should be in life? How do you balance? I’d love to know your secrets.

XOXO,

GIGI

Your Story…

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Gigi in Thoughts 2 Comments

rug pulled out from under you…

Sometimes you can feel as though a rug has been pulled out from under you, and life as you know it is totally different. It could be a relationship, financial, physical or a mental change and your world can suddenly seem upside down. At these times you will challenge your belief system and question the “why”. The older I get I am finding myself a witness to these stark changes that come like a stealth bomber in the night, catching everyone off guard, only to be awaken to mass destruction and the thought of where and how to start over.

stealth bomber

It does not have to be a negative change, the positive ones can wreck havoc as well. a career change, new relationship, relocating, a birth or something as simple as losing weight or changing a hairstyle.

Gigi @ big “50” “straight is for parties…

Week old hair from a WnG

I always have a loosely structured plan, one that can easily be adapted with a moments notice. Case and point when I did my photography program I envisioned myself being this extraordinary “family” photographer. I enjoyed that, but then on a whim I took this course from a woman photographer that specializes in women portraiture, and it was life changing. I realized that I love photographing women, I never get tired of coming up with ways to capture that light within and taking beautiful images that make my clients smile. I love nothing more than having a session with a client who shared that they cannot remember the last time they had a portrait taken.

Sign

I am fortunate to be setting my goals based on my dreams. Goals that are flexible enough that I know it is okay to vary the direction, if need be to make an occasional sharp turn or a detour to see something that may have been missed if I stayed on the main road. Life would not be nearly as interesting if it did not have some false starts, different beginnings, a few scandals, different characters, plots, part 2’s etc..

We all have our story, all of it may not be a page turner, but it is uniquely ours. Who wants the predictable story? Think about your life, your story and be true to yourself and your beliefs.

Dream Big!

Xoxo,

Gigi

photographer Gigi

What Happened To Me?

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Gigi in Thoughts 8 Comments

It has been longer than I care to recall. So much going on, my life has been absolutely crazy! First I injured my left hip flexor on Saturday, January 11th, the same day we received the horrific news that our nephew had been in a fatal car accident. I’m convinced that the emotional impact of the news, combined with something I did while photographing the ladies at my Fresh & Fabulous 2014 event and my “advanced age” all contributed to an immobilizing injury. I was in so much pain I could barely walk and could only wear flip flops or slippers. I was already having nightmares envisioning my shoe collection on ebay and accepting that from here on out I would be regulated to wearing sensible shoes like Easy Spirit or Aerosoles instead of Loubies or Jimmy Choos. My girlfriends were already planning to get me a bling-ed walker heheheh

Zapatos

I was visiting my acupuncturist, Dr Daoshing a few times a week, making turmeric shots, drinking green juice, rubbing all sorts of smelly ointments and icing until my hip was numb. I was determined to heal myself, you see I have this fear of MD’s- I know my husband is one, but I have always been scared of doctors. It stems from a few bad experiences when I was a child, that I have never gotten over yet. The good news is that I’m back, walking and wearing my “medium” heels.

Acupuncture

Next my sister was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, I cannot begin to share the emotional toll that disease has on a family. The good news is that my sister has an excellent prognosis, and she is dealing with the chemo and the side effects like a true gladiator. I realize that life as you know it can change with the snap of a finger, there is no rhyme or reason most of the time–mess just happens. I always like to find a positive in every situation, and for my family it has brought us closer together, instead of being busy all the time doing whatever, we now make time for each other.

Breasts

breast cancer

And lastly PS Couture, kicked off our Fresh & Fabulous 2014 event. We hosted 20 gorgeous ladies this past month, in small groups transforming them and creating images of “how they dreamed of being photographed”. It was a blast and non-stop fun which also meant non-stop editing. Stay tuned I will be featuring some of the ladies here, these women are not only beautiful but they all have incredible stories–so inspiring.

PS Couture beauty posse

This past weekend my family had a memorial service for our nephew. He will truly be missed. A veil of sadness was heavy, family and friends traveled near and far to support the family at this difficult time. It rained the entire weekend mirroring our tears. 24 is way to early to depart, no parent should have to experience this, but unfortunately I’m finding out it happens more frequent than I realized, everyone seems to have a story of sudden loss.