Let me give you little background. Laura was the facilitator of our Personal Renewal Group (PRG), founded by Renee Trudeau. During that once-a-week-for-six-months discovery group, everyone experienced a major life change, from the death of loved ones, to switching careers, to moving, and starting a business. Laura was one who left her long-time career in human resources to step into her glory and love of cuisine. She formed At Table, specializing in culinary workshops, classes and community. The evening in Provence was her first partnered offering and it was perfect.
Laura opened her beautiful home for the event and made sure to present recipes that were easy but profound in their flavors and presentation. We enjoyed watching her make Pissaladiere then continued to the living room to watch Elizabeth's presentation on the delights of Provence. Then we went back to the kitchen to learn about "Salade de Tomates, Citron, Croutons, Capres et Basilic, Saumon Braise au Viognier," "Le Flan d'Asperges," "Gigot d'Agneau," and "Gateau Breton et Fraises a la Creme de Yaourt."
The actual dining was poolside in her backyard, and as we turned the corner, we were greeted by the most beautiful white tables with vases of sunflowers, yellow and variegated sunburnt oranges. She even used her real silver and had candles in hurricane lamps. Laura's husband Russell and little son Dan attended to every empty glass or finished plate, and her mother was the experienced angel helping to make sure everything was in order and delicious. Christina and I could not have asked for better company at our table, and the French music was the topper. At the end of the evening, we went back inside to view the top things to experience in Provence and were surprised by an authentic almond treat (Les Calissons d'Aix) that sent us over the edge into pleasure overload.These are women who obviously love what they do. They found their niches and the love they bring to their businesses shows in all their attention to detail and care for every one of us there. It was fun relaying my entire experience to Pedro late that evening.
Back to reality. This morning Pedro and I went over the painful task of reevaluating our household budget, which I should have done before resigning my consulting work. But I really want to focus on finishing my book and growing my photography business, both of which have taken a back seat for something that was easier and provided a good immediate salary. It scared me a little to think about how much I need to contribute financially--without my consulting crutch--to afford the things to which we've been accustomed.
SARK read my heart when she said, "...ignoring the dream had become so painful. I was living the opposite life I wanted to live, but once I started my dream, I was fierce and relentless. I don’t know if I would’ve been that committed if I hadn’t done all of those other things. I’ve been down to the end and almost died. I tried everything not to live the dream. I finally asked myself: why haven’t I ever tried living the dream?" And just today my mom, whose husband recently passed in January said, "This is a big storm. I can either hunker down and ride it out hoping it will pass, or I can dance in the rain. I'm choosing to dance in the rain." So inspiring. She's coming to Austin for Gabriel's birthday, yay!
Tomorrow is Monday. Another day to start over and begin to move in the direction of my dreams. I'm posting this photo of my other little Bliss, holding his first lima bean plants he created at preschool. It starts with a little seed, right?
