It's important for everyone to take a break from life as they know it and revel in the delicious luxury of vacation and of not doing anything  - or doing as they please. 

 

The complications of life, work and juggling many tasks often lead to stress and stress can definitely take a toll on one's body, physical appearance and health!

 

While it's important to take little breaks (like weekends) and enjoying regular hobbies and activities, there's nothing more potent than jetting off to a tropical vacation spot or taking an historical tour of a European location.

 

Vacations are a great way to connect to yourself and to those you love.  Travel that gets commemorated in a picture album is also a way to relive the pleasure of a vacation long after the vacation ends.

 

I'm still delighting in a recent trip my husband and I took to Hawaii.  I find that whenever I look at the many photos we took, I get a happy, energized feeling.   I almost feel as if we are there!

 

Some great tips to keep your vacation stress free:

 

•Get a Vacation Account

Keep a savings account stash of cash just for vacations. Figure out what your budget will allow, then put away a certain amount of money each week on an ongoing basis. You'll be surprise how it adds up. 

 

•Plan ahead

Research your destination.  Talk to friends who might have traveled to the spot.  Get recommendations for accommodations, food and sightseeing. Research information on the net.  Better yet, perhaps an acquaintance might know some of the locals you can contact before you leave home.  Some of my best experiences have transpired when I've contacted friends of friends.  I've gotten some great, personalized tours of places that could have never been duplicated otherwise.

 

•Speak at least a few words

Knowing to say hello, goodbye, thank you, yes and no along with "Where's the toilet?" and some other important phrases can serve you well.  While you may not be in for taking a Rosetta stone course, you can always find an English translation dictionary on Amazon.com or in your local bookstore.

 

•Understand the customs and local you're visiting

Americans have a bad enough rap as it is overseas.  So, why not get caught up on the local customs?  Research the country and towns you'll be visiting.  When you get to your destination, you'll feel like a local and get a great education while you're at it!

 

•Get some of the local currency before you leave home.  Travel with secure Traveler's checks.

While you may want to pay for everything on your trip with credit cards (a good idea to keep accurate records), you may also want to have a few dollars in your pocket of the local currency.  Traveler's checks are also a great way to go because they're refundable, if lost or stolen and usually within 24 hours.

 

•Pack well

Find out the weather of the locale you'll be visiting at the time of your visit.  Bring various layers of dress just in case.  It's always a good idea to pack wash and wear and clothing that looks great no matter how wrinkled it gets.  Bring multi-purpose clothes. For women, a dress you can wear during the day with sandals and at night with a pretty scarf or different jewelry to jazz it up. For men, a jacket that can be worn casually and with/or without a tie. (So at night, you can  get into that exclusive restaurant!).

 

•Let work know you are on vacation (try not to answer emails)

A vacation is when you vacate your usual life.  So put away the computer and texting.  Let the office know you'll be unreachable. Make sure you have someone qualified to cover for you just in case there's a problem at work.  Don't feel guilty.  You deserve your vacation.  It's also a good idea to post your pictures on Facebook when you get home. (It's NOT a good idea to let everyone know you're out of town!). 

 

•Take lots of pictures

I know some folks that moan and groan that they have to get their picture taken.  However, these same folks love seeing the photos post-vacation - especially as the years go by.  So tell your family, spouse, friend or anyone else on the trip with you to, "Chill!" You're making memories here!  Many new cameras also have video capabilities.  If a picture says a thousand words then a video can, well you get the idea.

 

•Bring home a memorable item that will represent your trip

I always love to pick up a local artist's painting, watercolor or stencil when I travel.  That way, when I look at them hanging on the wall at home, the memories flood back.

You might also pick up a beautiful piece of furniture that you can ship back or some other item that has meaning just for you.

 

Vacations are all part of Simply Delicious Living, so enjoy your trip, even if it's a weekend jaunt, you deserve every moment.  To find out more about simply delicious living, visit my blog at simplydeliciousliving.com

 

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Every person on this planet relies on water. In Ventura, our water is from local sources and it's our responsibility to protect it for future generations. To help spark that awareness, Ventura Water is partnering with Limoneira's Limco Del Mar, Patagonia and iThentic for the inaugural "Water: Take 1" Online Short Film Contest. We hope that this exciting initiative will highlight people's relationship with water and promote water awareness, efficiency and recycling programs.
 
"We chose to do an online film contest with a water focus because members of our community, as well as on a national and global level, must begin to recognize the importance of water and its infrastructure," explained Shana Epstein. "With the contest, we hope to engage intelligent and creative conversation between leadership, businesses and the community."
 
Filmmakers worldwide are invited to submit short films of less than five minutes in any genre - drama, documentary, comedy, animation, Sci-fi or experimental - that address the topic of water. Films can be submitted and uploaded at no cost to the contest website, watertake1.com, through September 4, 2012.
 
A panel of environmental and entertainment professionals will choose a winner for the $1,500 Grand Prize and the top winner will be presented at an event hosted by the Brooks Institute later this fall. The film receiving the most votes at watertake1.com will be presented the Audience Choice Award and its filmmaker will receive a Canon EOS 7D Digital SLR camera.
 
Competing in this contest is a great way for Ventura County's high school and college students, among others interested in water and the environment, to do something positive that helps others appreciate our access to clean water while promoting water efficiency and sustainability. Help spread the word to your friends, neighbors and coworkers and get involved by joining the contest and/or join the wave by voting for your favorite video at watertake1.com.
 
The issue of water infrastructure is a global one. In the United States alone, there are large areas of infrastructure more than 100 years old that must be fixed or replaced. However, in many other countries, such as parts of Africa and India, the total lack of infrastructure there has a serious impact on the local health and economy and causes a negative ripple effect worldwide.
 
Water is also an important issue in Ventura, although many residents are unaware of the huge effort and the amount of energy it takes to clean and move our water so it can be used again and again for generations to come.
 
Ventura is among California's oldest coastal cities and has many areas where infrastructure is ending its useful lifespan and will need replacement over the next few decades. While projects and plans are underway to improve this invaluable infrastructure, it isn't without cost.
 
Years ago, much of the infrastructure was maintained using federal grants, most of which are no longer available due to budget cuts. As a result, water customers now bear the full financial responsibility of infrastructure maintenance, replacement and improvement.

 

"Green Drinks" is a term known in the environmental world as a fun,

meet up for like-minded business professionals in relaxing, celebratory

settings where they can network, exchange ideas and forge valuable

working relationships.

Well known in international environmental circles, Green Drinks is a network

of unstructured meet-ups where environmental professionals and concerned

locals get together in a relaxing setting to network, exchange ideas,

and forge valuable relationships.  At last count, Green Drinks events

are hosted in over 600 cities worldwide.   

 

The mixture of attendees at Green Drinks events usually include professionals

in the areas of: general business, academia, government, non-profit, medicine,

home décor, construction and other fields.  

On Wednesday, August 1, The Ventura Chamber of Commerce's 

Green Task Force (GTF) organized this year's first Ventura-based Green

Drinks event at EcoLogic Life, downtown's designer showroom for

sustainable home decoration products. The event was a smashing success

with over 50 attendees. Tutti's on Main provided the delicious food.

Alquimia Tequila provided the green drinks, made from organic agave, no food

coloring included.

LtoR:  Diane de Mailly and Courtney Lindberg, Green Task Force Co-Chairs

"Green Drinks has been around for a long time," said Diane de Mailly,

President, DDM Metering Systems and GTF Co-Chair. "Recently, the

GTF was asked to step in and organize these events in Ventura.  We know

they'll be a big success moving forward because Ventura is such an

amazing community dedicated to the environment.  We plan to make

Green Drinks a quarterly event."

"What the GTF strives to do," added Courtney Lindberg, Environment

Specialist with the City of Ventura's Environmental Sustainability

Division and GTF Co-Chair, "is to promote green business development. 

We bring local businesses together and educate them about sustainable

practices, covering such topics as waste recycling, energy, water

conservation, pollution prevention and staff education. We highlight successes and

learn from our mistakes so that we can grow as a community with

green business practices part of our every day consciousness."    

Green Task Force LtoR: Courtney Lindberg (Environmental Specialist,
City of Ventura's Environmental Sustainability Division and Green
Task Force Co-Chair), Janis Shinkawa (Veterinarian, Buena Animal
Hospital), Diane de Mailly (President DDM Metering Systems
and Green Task Force Co-Chair), Kirsten Davis (AdvoCare)
and James Davis (Associated Electric)

 

"If you had to paint Ventura one color, it would probably be blue,

the color of our ocean.  If you added another color, it would be

green," Rick Cole, City Manager, City of Ventura. "This is a

remarkable community and environmentally-oriented to its core.

We all pay attention to the motto 'Think globally, act locally.'

Whether it be on a global scale, or a local scale, waste costs money

and pollutes the planet. It's also something we don't want to pass

onto the next generation."

In addition to Green Drinks, the GTF organizes a series of quarterly

"Best Practices Workshops" where local businesses share their

green ideas and practices with others in the community. To date,

there have been workshops at Red Brick Pizza focusing on sustainable

practices and the YMCA focusing on lighting retrofits.

VIEWVIEW Event Photos on Facebook, CLICK HERE.

 

In May 2012, The Green Task Force teamed up with the office of

Assemblymember Das Williams's for the Second Annual Green Jobs

Summit held at City Hall.

"The Green Jobs Summit brought a number of businesses together to talk

about ideas and sustainable principles," said James Joyce,

Field Representative, Office of Assemblymember Das Williams.

"Through working together on the Summit, our office developed a

great relationship with The Green Task Force.  There's so much

synergy. It's great to be a part of it."

 

Stay tuned and read this newsletter for information on future

Ventura-based Green Drinks events.

VIEW the TV NEWS STORY, CLICK HERE!

VIEW Event Photos on Facebook, CLICK HERE!

A healthy garden is a garden that is filled with a variety of flowering plants that encourages a host of beneficial creatures such as ladybugs, dragonflies, lacewings, tiny non-stinging wasps and other little welcome friends that feed on garden pests.

Pesticides are extremely dangerous to the health of our waterways.  When it rains, these toxic elements are carried by debris and water emanating from our lawns and gardens, and flow, untreated, into the storm drain system. It's a major source of water pollution.

Some helpful tips to keep pesticides out of our rivers, creeks and oceans:

*Reduce or eliminate the use of broad-spectrum pesticides.
*Attract beneficial insects into your garden by providing the right mix of healthy plants and flowers.
*Plant compatible species for your garden vs. altering natural growing conditions.
*Know your soil and the soil requirements for your plants.
*Understand the characteristics of your garden and what your plants require.
*Select pest and disease resistant plants.
*Watering requirements vary from species and soil type.

 

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Get Your GREEN on!

Father's Day honors fathers and celebrates the influence father's make in their children's lives. (pictured above Maryann's parents on their wedding day, November 5, 1956).

Many countries around the world celebrate the day.  Father's Day became a recognized holiday in the early 20^th century, following the recognition of Mother's Day - a holiday that was founded by Anna Jarvis in honor of her mother.

The first celebration of Father's Day was at the YMCA in Spokane, Washington in 1910.  Sonora Smart Dodd wanted to honor her father, a Civil war veteran, William Jackson Smart, a single parent who raised his six children.  After hearing a sermon about Anna Jarvis's Mother's Day in 1909, she told her pastor that Father's should have a similar holiday honoring them.

Although it did not catch on right away, by the 1930s, Dodd stepped up the process to raise awareness for the holiday on a national level.  However, it wasn't until the mid 1966, when President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day.  Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard signed it into law in 1972.

Growing up and today, I have so many wonderful memories of my Father, Len, and my mother, Kathleen, who are both in their 80s.

My father, a college professor, PhD and author, continues to be a wonderful role model as loving, caring father.

Our education was top priority always.   He taught my brothers, sister and I, to always be the best we can be and to pursue our dreams.  He instills positive family values and lives by their example.

He and my mother set an amazing legacy of what a loving marriage should be.

Below is a poem I'd like to dedicate to my father and all the men in my family and to father's everywhere:

What Makes a Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad

-Anonymous

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by Maryann Ridini Spencer

Sunday, May 13, is Mother's Day --
the day when we honor and celebrate
mothers and motherhood. 

The celebration of the day occurs
on various dates throughout the
world and can be traced back to
elaborate ancient festivals in
Greece and Rome. 


However, the more modern day version of the holiday began in the early 1900s. 

A woman by the name of Anna Marie Reeves Jarvis, hailing from West Virginia,
founded Mother's Day clubs in several cities at the time, to improve poor sanitary
and health conditions.  Anna and the Mother's Day Work Club also fed, clothed
and treated the wounds of both Union and Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. 

The mothers and women who worked good deeds as part of the Mother's Day Club,
truly served the people, not only as loving mothers, but demonstrating
characteristic "unconditional motherly love" and support to all. 

In 1907, two years after Anna's death, her daughter, also named Anna, rightly began
 a campaign to make "Mother's Day" a recognized holiday in the U.S.  Her desire
came to pass, and in 1914, Mother's Day became a nationally celebrated holiday. 
Honoring mothers with their special day soon became popular around the globe.

In honor of Mother's Day, I'd like to dedicate the following poem to mothers everywhere,
and especially my wonderful Mom, Kay (pictured below Left to Right:  Kay - Maryann's
Mom, Maryann, and Len - Maryann's Dad, Christmas, 2007):

A Mother's Love
by Helen Steiner Rice

A Mother's love is something
that no on can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,
It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away . . .
It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking . . .
It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems . . .
It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
like the mysteries of creation . . .
A many splendored miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God's tender guiding hand.

Happy Mother's Day!

Visit My Recipe & Video blog for simply delicious easy recipes and joyous living

inspirations. At SimplyDeliciousLiving.com

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Enjoy Simply Delicious Living today and Everyday!

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