Good News = Good Living

Beautiful shoes--comfortable and stylish that garner compliments with every step: I had that pair. I was eleven years old and they were loafers made of exquisitely soft, butterscotch colored leather. They went with every outfit and to every occasion. I planned to wear them until they were in shreds and then get another pair.

People say they come to Snowmass for the winter, but stay for the summer. This is a true fact. Summer in the mountains is wonderful, especially for those of us from extremely hot climates.

It is not enough to say I have been there.
A voyage is not just a journey.
It's a period carved out of time, when the impossible can happen.
                                                                                        Anonymous

I don't know when my love affair with shoes fully blossomed, but I'm pretty sure I know when the seed was planted. When I was in the first grade I had one pair of red canvas sneakers.  Just one pair, that's it.

One of my earliest memories is throwing a sandal out the window of a moving car. I didn't like wearing shoes and the car window was open. Imagine my mother's frustration when we arrived at our destination. My relationship with shoes has had its ups and downs-marred by violent acts on both our parts from that first shoe incident until the present.

Get your dancing shoes ready! The next Good News Girlz challenge is all about shoes. From flip-flops to high-tops, from ballet slippers to stilettos, we love them all.

We want your stories about shoes. How do you relate to shoes? What is the influence of shoes in your life?

Yesterday I wanted to change the world. Today I just want to lose weight. Why are some changes so hard to realize? Am I lazy, unfocused, undisciplined? According to brothers, Chip and Dan Heath, some significant changes are hard because the process to make such changes is exhausting. We are just too tired to follow through.

John Elder Robison, author of Look Me in the Eye, My life with Asperger's, will be in Dallas next month. He is the Keynote Speaker at this year's Meal for the Minds annual fund raising luncheon for Metrocare Services on September 15, 2010 at the Belo Mansion.

The 2010 Football Hall of Fame class is one to remember. The combined achievements of Dick LeBeau, Floyd Little, Russ Grimm, John Randle, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith and Rickey Jackson make this group arguably the greatest overall class in Hall history according to Alex Marvez - a Senior NFL Writer for FOXSports.com.

But, how about their induction speeches? They do not, collectively, stand a chance as the best in class.

On August 26, 1920 women were granted the right to vote. It's difficult to think of a world without the League of Women voters and those helpful women staffing the polling stations, but today is only the 90th anniversary of the signing of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

On a recent trip to New York, we had to stop by John Singer Sargent's famous portrait of Virginie Gautreau. Ms. Gautreau was a wealthy young Paris socialite woman originally from New Orleans. The painting of her, titled Madame X, was displayed at the 1884 Paris Salon, an art competition of artists of the day. At the time, the painting was considered scandalous because one strap of her black gown dangled from her shoulder.