Category Archives: Careers

From Sweet to Savory

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“There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.” ― Frank Herbert

“What was your favorite?” someone asked me the other evening when I attended a Girl Scout fundraiser at the Catamount Ranch and Club.

Without a doubt, the Tai concoction and the coconut shrimp,” I said referring to the recipes that most satisfyingly fulfilled my palate.

It was a challenging and interesting concept in fundraising – turning sweet Girl Scout cookies into savory appetizers. All and all, I liked these two recipes the best:

Do-Si-Dos: Chef Ben Hunt from Catamount Ranch & Club prepared Short Rib Do-Si-Do Pad Thai

Samoas: Chef Jacob Jaime from Catamount Ranch & Club prepared Samoa Coconut Shrimp with Mango Salsa

I could have eaten entrée-sized portions of either one of them. They were that yummy! Here are some photos from the evening:

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Here is more about what the other chefs cooked up.  Each year of this fundraiser the chefs have come from different restaurants in Steamboat Colorado.

Toward the end of the night, a friend approached me and said “Did you see what you won?”

“What? Where?” I replied.

“Go over to the raffle table, not the silent auction area, and there is something with your name on it. You are going to LOVE it, “she said, “it’s meant for you from beginning to end!”

Come back tomorrow, and I will show you on All Things Fulfilling what I won in the raffle drawing. It’s thrilled me to no end!

 

Published! At 100 Years Young

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Life is like a great big canvas; throw all the paint you can at it. ~ Danny Kaye

Today I am scheduled to speak with the Routt County Council of Senior Citizens about memoir writing. I will be im_no_spring_chicken_wooden_signintroducing my publication Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. After discovering the work of Virginia Wade Ames, I am feeling as if I have published my memoir as a spring chicken!

The WayfarersCentenarian Virginia “Ginny” Wade Ames has become a published author at 100 years young. Her book “The Wayfarers: Journeying through a Century of Change” is her latest creative endeavor. She has been an artist all her life and when macular degeneration made it difficult to see, she turned her attention from various mediums of visual arts to writing. She has four more manuscripts in the pipe-line for publication.

Throughout her life she has worked in many mediums – perfecting her passions for silk-screen printing, watercolor, acrylic, and pastel painting.  She has even tried her hand at hat making! To learn more about the art of this amazing woman who has found a lifetime of personal fulfillment through her art, please visit her website.

For information about her book, which is said to be witty and full of advice on how get along with one another, please visit this link.

My husband’s cousin, Mary, had the privilege of having lunch last week with this woman at a facility in Arizona called Lifecare. It came as great surprise to Mary that “Ginny Ames” is 100! Described as bright, vocal and intelligent, she comes across with the vibrancy of a seventy-year old woman.

See you tomorrow. This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. For information on her publications.

 

What is on Your Fulfilling List?

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Last week I was on a blog talk radio show called Living a Richer Life. The discussion of the evening was Finding Your Path to Personal Fulfillment.

The next morning after the show was broadcast I received e-mails from a few listeners who said the show began them thinking about their own lives and their own personal fulfillment. One listener admitted it made him consider his own epitaph. Upon reflection he said he wants his headstone to read “He played every inning.”  If you missed the radio broadcast the evening of the airing, it has been archived and you can listen in at your convenience –  Click here.

Have you begun your  own journey towards personal fulfillment? It is different for each and every one of us. No matter what it looks like it is a fascinating trip towards self-discovery and self-awareness. Listen in to the show and start your trek into parts of yourself that perhaps you’d never realized or thought about before.

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This banner is from Natural Life. They have all sorts of wholesome products.

See you on Monday on All Things Fulfilling. We will be featuring a story about a 100 year old woman who has found fulfillment in publishing her first book. Her entire life has been devoted to art and writing and publishing is her latest accomplishment.

This blog is brought to you by the award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

Art Journeys

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“Art isn’t a result; it’s a journey. The challenge of our time is to find a journey worthy of your heart and your soul.“ ~ Seth Godin

Kimball art centerNo visit to Park City, Utah is ever complete unless I look in on the exhibits at the Kimball Art Center.  Over the Moon and Under the Sea, the annual Wasatch Back Student Art Show, was hung during my most recent visit a couple of weeks ago. The KAC  is an educational art space that brings in “over $14 million in economic opportunity to their community” through their largest fundraiser every summer. Assistance from foundations, grants and individual and corporate sponsors provides support for this vital art resource located in historic Park City.

YouAreHere-exhibitionYou Are Here is the upcoming exhibit at the KAC scheduled for May 29 to August 23, 2015. I particularly enjoy theme-based art exhibits because it is interesting to see the creative solutions and persepectives that each artist brings to the subject.

It never ceases to amaze me the scope of young artistic talent in this country. The other evening I attended a pot luck dinner sponsored by the Steamboat Springs Art Council in my own community of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The walls at the “Art Depot” were decked out with local students’ artwork that could rival that of the students of the Wasatch. As I sat eating and enjoying the evening program I couldn’t help but be saddened to think how few young artists pursue art as a lifetime career, when perhaps they could be missing out on their most fulfilling path in life. Fear of being a stereotypical “starving artist” or following someone else’s wishes instead of their own desires prevents many individuals from continuing along an artistic journey throughout life.

Today on AllThingsFulfilling.com I’d like to share a sampling of work from “Over the Moon and Under the Sea.” Thanks to the KAC for allowing me to take these photographs to share with our readers on All Things Fulfilling.

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KAC8Do return tomorrow to All Things Fulfilling.com. This blog is brought to you by award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard. For information on “Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected” or short stories “Lessons of Heart & Soul.”

 

Good News, Dear Margaux

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May 27, 2015

Dear Margaux,

What a pleasant surprise when I opened my mailbox last week and found that the U.S. Postal Service had delivered this notecard from you!

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I am so glad you enjoyed my presentation “One Day in the Life of a Writer.” I was happy to learn that I am not the only one who wakes up in the middle of the night wanting to jump out of bed to write down ideas. It makes me feel better that you said the same thing happens to you. 

GS scribe badge I was not aware that my visit helped your troop earn your Scribe badges until I read the Girl Scout blog.

Tomorrow I am attending the  Girl Scout Fundraiser for adults at the Catamount Ranch and Club.  I am excited! I have my ticket! What a cool fundraising idea to have some of the best chefs around creating savory appetizers from sweet Girl Scout Cookies.  It will be interesting to see what the chefs will be serving up. I’d better take my camera! If your mom is coming, tell her I have saved a book for her and will bring it along incase she hasn’t yet ordered a copy.

Enjoy your outings, meetings and the friendships you have made through the Girl Scouts. I think I mentioned to your troop that I made life-long friends through scouting.

Keep on Writing! And remember the good news we shared about life “There are always flowers for those who want to see them!”

Sincerely,

Mrs. Sue Leonard (aka author Sue Batton Leonard)

Award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected 

and short stories – Lessons of Heart & Soul.

The First Nostalgist

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Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days. ~ Doug Larson

There is an interesting article in the New York Times about nostalgia and the value of it. 

According to the article being nostalgic used to be associated with “physical or mental maladies.” However, researchers have found that nostalgia, more often than not, is associated with fulfilling feelings rather than bad. Nostalgia gives us a sense of rootedness and continuity in our lives.

And according to Dr. Sedikides, a psychologist, there is a difference between homesickness and nostalgia. He says one of the first nostalgists was Odysseus, “an itinerant who used memories of his family and home to get through hard times.”

Last week, I had a wonderful couple of days in Park City, Utah with my husband. While he attended a conference I traveled around the area. I came across memorabilia that although much of it was Western in nature, and I am an East Coast gal, it gave me warm feelings of this homeland called “The United States of America.”

I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane. I shot these photos at Pinto Pony Designs in Heber City and Park City Clothing Company. Park City Clothing Company is another outstanding shop that is fun to poke around in. I love the Coca-Cola memorabilia. The store is in the heart of historic downtown in Park City.

Thank you to both places for letting me capture these images for our readers of AllThingsFulfilling.com

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Above photo – My twin sister and I had a Kat Kat Clock identical to the black one hanging in our bedroom when we were children. Talk about bring back memories!

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nostalgia 3 signedThis blog is brought to you by Sue Batton Leonard, award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Film Friday: Freedom Writers

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“To write means more than putting pretty words on a page; the act of writing is to share part of your soul.”

Most writers would tell you the reason they write is because they have to. There is something fulfilling in it that is often difficult to explain.

Whether writing a fictional story, recording past experiences in the form of a memoir, sharing information and knowledge or creating poetry, there is something freeing and fulfilling in the process.

On this film Friday, I’d like to introduce our readers to a movie that was released back in 2007 called Freedom Writers: Our Story Our Words. The movie stars Hilary Swank as a high school teacher in California. It is about the power of journal writing to help students communicate their feelings and frustrations in their lives. The power of writing is transformative to the lives of many of these inner city students.

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If you have not seen this movie, check this movie out! The Freedom Writers Foundation will also be of interest to educators.

See you back here on All Things Fulfilling on Monday! This blog is brought to you by the award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

Sister Sunshine

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“When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome.” ~ Wilma Rudolph

Sister Sunshine has been elusive this month. Last Sunday on May 17th, here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado the only thing that was generously showing a face was her counterpart, Little Miss Snowstorm. Over the past few days her hissy fits, in the form of squalls, have continued to randomly come and go!

Some days we have to create our own sunshine. So after church on Sunday I baked a luscious lemon cake filled with all things citrusy and nutritious. Lemon has healing properties. Did you know that?

Today, I’ve posted this blog especially for my twin sister. There are a few nostalgic things in this picture that will bring a smile to her face. I just know it! If you are a baby boomer this image may bring back some fulfilling memories.

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Sending sunshine and thoughts of good health and cheer to you this day and every day from AllThingsFulfilling.com and from award-winning author Sue Batton Leonard.

Don’t forget to listen in tonight to Living a Richer Life on blog talk radio. I’ll be a guest and we will be talking about finding personal fulfillment!

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For information on Gift of A Lifetime Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected. For information on Lessons of Heart & Soul.

Park City By Night

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“For me, cinema is not a slice of life, it is a piece of cake.” ~  Albert Hitchcock

Last week I went along for the ride to Park City, Utah where my husband was attending a USSA Conference. Not my first visit to the area, and hopefully not my last. I so enjoy everything about this town that is home to the Sundance Film Festival every winter.

Just as we exited the highway, there was large construction sight.  Upon investigation I learned it’s soon to be the campus of Park City Film Studios and the town will become an even larger mecca for filmmakers. Refreshing to see the film industry spreading it’s wings to places beyond all things Hollywood! Albuquerque, New Mexico is another place that has been making capital investments in facilities for the art of filmmaking. Perhaps the growing independent film industry can be credited for that.

One evening after my husband’s conference we roamed Park City’s historic downtown. Today on All Things Fulfilling I share these images with you. Enjoy your trip to historic downtown Park City – a place that used to be merely a mining town.

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Next week  I’ll be featuring the Kimball Art Center on All Things Fulfilling. But tomorrow it is Thirsty Thursday, the day of the week dedicated to good news.

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KAC exhibit signThis blog is brought to you by the award-winning author of Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected and short stories Lessons of Heart & Soul, Sue Batton Leonard.

Here are the answers to the Where is this Place? contest –

Ediface #1           Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah

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Ediface #2  –    A few blocks from Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah

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Where is this Place?

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All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that place.~ Philip Johnson

Identify both of these places and the city where they are located. Leave your answer by way of comment to this blog. First person to identify accurately these two houses of worship will win a free personalized paperback copy of the award-winning book, Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected.  Family members are excluded from entering!

Hints:

  • They are located in a state west of the Mississippi
  • Each place is distinctively different yet, they are located in the same community, a few blocks away on the same street, making them nearly neighbors!
  • I can hear your brain buzzing with activity trying to figure this out!
  • I visited both of these places last week and thoroughly learning more about each and enjoyed the photography opportunities.

Edifice #1 – I am so grateful for the kind stranger who directed my husband and me to the 10th floor of  a nearby building to capture this incredible shot!

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Edifice #2 (below) – As I entered into this building I couldn’t help but wonder how many people every hour, every day, every month or year pass by this structure having no clue of the magnificence that lies inside the doors. All it takes is one peek to grab one’s attention.

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Aren’t both visually and architecturally stunning? If you joined in on All Things Fulfilling last week, by reading the posting Finding a Good Fit and if you read my memoir Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected you’ll understand the reason why I enjoy seeing church buildings. It has to do with my family history!

Do return to All Things Fulfilling tomorrow. I will post a few more pictures of these two extraordinary places.