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Gigi

Father’s Day

Posted on by Gigi in Fathers 7 Comments

images-14

At first I was going to post about gifts and such for Father’s Day, but then I said to myself what does Father’s Day really mean to me? Growing up Father’s Day, was a complicated holiday. My parents divorced when I was nine-years old, just old enough to really know my father-“Daddy”, not the husband my mother was divorcing, but the dad who one day brought a kitten home to me, or the dad who taught me how to eat clams on the half shell and the daddy who took me to Coney Island.

My mother and father early 60's

My mother and father early 60’s

My mother moved to California after the divorce and started a new life in the land of palm trees and Disneyland. She met her second husband a nice man by the name of Mr. Mckay. He married my mom and accepted her large package of four children, bless his soul. He was a kind man, and did the best job he could raising this “new” family along with his own family of four children and the baby girl, Angel, that he and mom had together. Back then divorce was not as common, I remember being embarrassed about having a different last name from my mother, not that anybody ever asked me about why our names were different.

I did not see my father again until I was 21, I never forgot him and I politely refused to call Mr. Mckay “Daddy”, although he was the only father figure in my life. I remember other family members encouraging me to call my stepfather “Daddy” and for some reason I felt as a child, if I did that would totally end the memory of my father. I never talked to my father on the phone, don’t even know if he ever called, he did not write me letters, but something  inside of me kept an imprint of him, that would not let me forget like a little eternal flame.

When Father’s Day came around I gave Mr. Mckay a card and small gift, but I always envied my friends who had their natural fathers. In my child like mind I always thought that was better, even though Mr. Mckay did everything the other fathers did and some.

When I was in college, I was part of a theater group, that one year traveled back east for a competition in Virginia, and unbeknownst to me my mother contacted my father and told him that I was going to be in Virginia and he surprised me. It was an awkward reunion, my father was so happy to see me, but for me now 21, I wanted to ask the hard questions, of “Why did you not call or write me?” all those years. I had mixed emotion at that reunion, my yearning had somehow turned to anger. All of my college friends liked my dad, he was this bohemian cool guy, that the “nine-year-old” me did not remember.

Many years past until I would see my father again, after I was married and had Amani, Reggie said that he wanted to meet the other side of my family. We went east and “met” my dad and at that time  I developed a relationship with him, still never addressing the painful gaps in my life. It was interesting to discover all the things we had in common, like him I have an uncanny sense of direction, we are both entrepreneurs, love creating food, collecting things and reading books. A few years later I lost my dad to cancer a few months after my son was born, I am happy that I finally had closure with my father and was able to spend  time together and that he got to know Amani and I met my sister Liz and renewed relationships with other east coast family members.

Safari Family

Safari Family

In my family Father’s Day is always celebrated, usually with a nice brunch and we shower Reggie with little trinkets. I am happy and blessed that my kids have their father and I never take it for granted. Honor the fathers in your life this weekend.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

XOXO,

GIGI

 

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QUOTE

Posted on by Gigi in Quotes Comments Off on QUOTE
The Help

The Help

This is my favorite line from the movie, The Help, it is another reminder we are our children’s # 1 cheerleader.

Self-affirmation is important for our children. Even though my daughter is 22, I remind her that she can do anything she sets her mind too. It is easy as parents to get into a micro management role, controlling and making every decision for our children for fear they may make a mistake or God forbid fail. We have to be strong and let them try things and experience the consequences first hand. We have to let them problem solve, instead of doing everything for them.

young Amani

young Amani

I remember when my daughter was in the first grade, and this child could not spell to save her life. On this particular day she came home with a spelling test in which she spelled about 3 words out of 10 correctly. She was so proud of her accomplishment and went on to tell me that she got a “D” and wanted to call her grandmother and share the news. I will never forget I dialed my mom and she said “Grandmother I got a “D”! ” , and my mother said oh “You got a “B”?”, and she repeated proudly “No, a “D” I got 3 right”.

Now I could have went into the mode of, OK you are going to sit down and memorize all these words, or I could do what I did which was celebrate that “D” and and tell her “I bet next time you can get 5 right” and in the back of my mind I knew there was spell check and the “confidence” of believing in herself  was more important than being able to memorize words. So I proudly stuck the “D” paper up on the refrigerator.

This video that went viral a few years back, makes me smile every time I watch it. The affirmations of this little one…

So those of you with little ones, and I’m including aunties, uncles, God parents, mentors, guardians, grandparents, etc., uplift these little people and the big ones, let them know you believe in them and support them. Tell them “You is kind, You is Smart, You is Important”

Xoxo,

Gigi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Weekend Observations

Posted on by Gigi in Weekend Observations Comments Off on Weekend Observations
Gigi & kids

Gigi & kids

My family is a complete unit this weekend, I am cherishing the time for these moments will be rare for the upcoming year. My son will be doing his junior year of high school abroad in Italy with SYA.

SYA

SYA

We can visit him but he will not be able to come home, the program is a total immersion and SYA wants the students to come away fluent in italian.

 

Amani

Amani

My daughter is a “New Yorker” and is working a “real” job and taking science courses to strengthen her medical school application. I was always told that my family would grow up fast and to savior every day, and did it zoom by. Of course this weekend, our first together since Christmas, Amani heads out to Santa Barbara, and my son is with friends every waking moment, but I was able to corral them together for an evening.

At the last minute I got tickets from Gold Star, a great source for discounted tics, for August Wilson’s, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, directed by Phylicia Rashad. The cast was phenomenal, I am glad we were able to catch this production on the closing night at the Mark Taper. I have seen all of the August Wilson plays and I am still mesmerized as if I am seeing it for the first time.

 

Saturday night was a real treat, we went with friends to the Hollywood Bowl to see Andrea Bocelli, what a voice, an incredible evening under the stars. A surprise appearance by Fantasia, she did a wonderful rendition of Summertime. I love concerts at the bowl, so magical, and for me it signifies the beginning of the summer season. It does not even matter who is performing, it makes for a nice evening and I always see other friends, so it becomes a reunion of sorts.

Molly & Gigi

Molly & Gigi

Reggie picked up some goodies from Joan’s on Third, and Molly & Lamar brought a variety of treats from Olives so combined we had a complete feast.

Joan's On Third

Joan’s On Third

Still chipping away at Photoshop, I like the vibe of Julia Dean, and may take another class or two there this summer. Photoshop being a left brain program, I am slowly wrapping my right brain around it and a least getting a basic understanding of the program.

juliadeanheader

As time goes by, I am constantly reminded of the importance of family, it is difficult at times to arrange these gatherings, flights are never cheap any more, but I am delighted when we are all together. Sometimes we disagree, but at the end of the day we are always there for each other, and will go through whatever to support and help make their dreams realities.

Hope you had a good weekend as well.

Xoxo,

Gigi

 

 

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REINVENT YOURSELF-REALLY IT’S OK

Posted on by Gigi in Inspiration 4 Comments

 

Reinvent

Reinvent

I’ve been recreating myself for 50 or so years. Sometimes I think about what would my life had been like if I had chosen a more traditional career path- one in which I would be around the corner from retirement.

I bounced all over the place, from IBM to peddling Chocolate brownies, I have worked retail, at a nudest colony, taught aerobics, and dabbled in Interior design a bit. Now reinventing myself as a photographer, a newbie learning the craft simultaneously, my past skills only being the master of my little point and shoot camera. At times it is daunting, the thought of starting something that most photographers my age have been doing for 25 + years.

Gigi photographer

Gigi photographer

I have learned in my years on this planet that it is more important to a least attempt to try something you are passionate about, than to wake up one day and wonder WTF where did my life go and what have I done that I was excited about.

images-12

Reinvention is important for all aspects of your life, not just the career piece, staleness can set in your relationship, marriage, work outs, image, and there is nothing attractive about being dull. While it is easy to be a “creature of habit” we all are guilty of that at times, it is not that difficult to keep things fresh and interesting.

WAYS TO REINVENT YOURSELF–most of these I have done numerous times…Reinvention is a way of life for me!

1. Change your diet-side bonus you will reap all sorts of benefits–I was raised on the standard american diet and have gone full circle ending up vegan.

Sexy vegan food

Sexy vegan food

2. If you have been wearing the same “hair do” for the past 15 or so years it is time to change it up–I’ve been long dark & straight, asymmetrical bob, and currently natural curly and light.

long dark hair

long dark hair

3. If your relationship/marriage is becoming “routine” FIX IT FAST be creative do some of the things you did in the beginning, continue to date and do new things with your partner.

 Reggie & Gigi

Reggie & Gigi

4. Switch up your workout- or bodies get used to a workout and you have to shock it by doing something else, especially if you are trying to lose weight. I have done everything from spinning, to pole dancing, yoga, zumba, pilates, swimming, boot camp, and I am always willing to try the next “thing”.

love yoga

love yoga

5. Do something you have always wanted to do-ie. sky dive, marathon, triathlon, travel, move, whatever it is make and plan and make it happen.

My First Tri

My First Tri

6. Learn something new, a language, cooking class, art class, the point is challenge yourself.

7. Freshen up your image, sometimes just doing something different with your exterior self will get the ball rolling.

8. Don’t be afraid–just DO IT.

Gigi the Dominatrix

Gigi the Dominatrix

Start this weekend…Happy Friday Everyone!

XOXO,

GIGI

 

 

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Summertime and the Livin is Easy

Posted on by Gigi in My House Comments Off on Summertime and the Livin is Easy

With summer upon us, I’m already thinking about hosting a few alfresco gatherings. Although southern Cali weather is pretty tepid, I still find myself entertaining outdoors more in the summer months. So it is time to do a little sprucing up, the elements do take a toll on things and nothing lasts forever. I need to replace a few umbrellas, deep clean the outdoor furniture, and replant and refresh the landscape. My budget is tight so I will be searching for the best prices and a lot of DIY projects. I’m always looking for inspiration.

moroccan theme

moroccan theme

I love moroccan anything…love the colors and the lanterns.

love this

love this

I need to address an area that gets full sun, I would love something like this…

nice

nice

I love outdoor rugs, the ones I have are on their last season.

 

love outdoor parties

love outdoor parties

This is a party I had 3 years ago, Reggie and I did all the food. I love making lots of salads, and experimenting with decadent vegan desserts, I make REALLY good vegan ice cream.

My place

My place at the golden hour

everything is overgrown now

everything is overgrown now

the pool

the pool

Love the light

Love the light

My upper deck is in good condition, perfect for having drinks at sunset.

This is the current state…I have my work cut out.

rose garden in need of TLC

rose garden in need of TLC

My beautiful rose garden is sick…

over growth...

over growth…

Everything has grown so massive and is blocking sun to other plants…we used to have a really good gardener who retired and I have not ben able to find someone else to do the quantity of work that he did…

lots to do...

lots to do…

Do you like alfresco entertaining?

XOXO,

GIGI

 

 

 

 

 

 

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QUOTE

Posted on by Gigi in Quotes, Uncategorized 7 Comments
QUOTE

QUOTE

Came across this quote today and I thought to myself, why not leave a little sparkle wherever you go? I’m a sparkly, glittery sort of girl, always have been as far back as I can remember. I love baubles, glitz , beads, sequins and shine, I’m happy when I’m glowing like a Christmas Tree. So when I read this quote, knowing how happy sparkly things make me–I figured I needed to make sure I leave a trail of sparkle dust wherever I go.

My Sparkle Plan:

Smile-means a lot and does so much more than a frown, the same in all languages.

Embrace– touch is so powerful- give hugs.

Listen– We are always in a rush or connected to our devices (me included) take the time to really listen and look into some ones eyes and actively listen.

Care-let some one know you really care about them and are concerned.

Love…unconditionally don’t judge.

So my friends go out today and sprinkle you sparkle dust…

Xoxo,

Gigi

Moi

Moi

 


TIME MANAGEMENT

Posted on by Gigi in Inspiration, Well-Being 4 Comments
Inspirational Quotes about time Benjamin Franklin

Inspirational Quotes about time Benjamin Franklin (Photo credit: hot4sunny)

I’m having a time management problem. I feel as if on any given day I have so many loose ends and not enough “time” to finish anything, I started thinking about why am I not completing tasks. I make lists, have goals, and wake up with the right intentions everyday. I don’t have an attention problem, but I realized at times I am so easily distracted, so I started thinking about this and came to the conclusion that I don’t have a Time Management problem, I have some resistance to some of the tasks that I should be doing.

TIME

TIME

So today I decided I am going to examine why I have this avoidance to certain things and how I am going to take charge, because my potential is being blocked, by what I thought was a time management issue. There are 24 hours in each day and I work from home, so there is NO EXCUSE. I decided I would write my list of these obstacles and figure out how I am going to address each one.

TRUE

TRUE

Here is my list:

WHAT: Photoshop

PS

PS

WHY:  I have to learn it and master it PERIOD! I realize I have some sort of block to learning PS. The only good thing is that I have to try and get the best image possible out of camera. I think part of the problem is that I see so much bad PS and I don’t want to become a photoshop monster doing obvious edits that can be spotted a million miles away, I want to really learn it well so that my images still look natural and beautiful.

HOW: I am in an intense workshop and I am taking a class online at Lynda.com. I will learn before the month is over, and you will hopefully see an improvement in my images.

WHAT: Correspondence

note

note

WHY: I don’t have a have a resistance to correspondence, I just let it pile up and then I am overwhelmed. I will get emails and forget to respond, I only have two addresses, but one I am ashamed to admit has 15,000 emails. This becomes a problem, for example, when I have purchased tickets and I get the email link and forget to open it and then it is “lost” and I have to waste time doing a search for it.

HOW: Everyday I am going to take 15 minutes to go through current mail and a few minutes to delete emails that are not needed and I will get off of weird mail lists like my daughter’s college, she has graduated and I don’t need to read about who needs to sublet an apartment.

WHAT: Clutter

clutter

clutter

WHY: Clutter is so distracting! Yes. I admit I have lots of clutter, it is like a dirty little secret, that nobody sees cause it is hidden away…in the garage where no car can park, my kids closets, in a storage unit that is sucking money away each month for items that I have forgotten.

HOW: I’m going to get rid of what no longer serves me. I will give away, throw away, and try my hand at selling a few things on ebay, but the bottom line is I have to clear some of this stuff. today I threw away a bunch of empty shoe boxes I was keeping, because I thought I could use them to store “stuff”.

How is your time management? do you manage to get all your “to do’s” done in a timely manner? I am open to any advice you may have…

Xoxo,

GiGi

Gigi

Gigi

 

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BREAK OF DAWN

Posted on by Gigi in photography Comments Off on BREAK OF DAWN

 

Dancer at the Beach

Dancer at the Beach

This was a whirlwind weekend. It started off Friday @ 6PM in San Dimas, at an all night photography workshop titled “Dusk to Dawn, taught by one of my favorite award winning instructors Ramiro Gaytan. I had planned on taking a nap earlier in the day, but no luck, had to go Samy’s Camera to check on my tripod, which I admit I had never used, and I needed a quick lesson. After my lesson I stopped by Whole Foods to get a “supersize me” 32 ounce green juice, the excitement was starting to build and all feelings of sleepiness had disappeared. I charged all my batteries, packed my flash, selected my lenses, and stuffed my bag with additional odds and ends. I figured out something to wear, after trying on a few combos settling on a bright orange workout top, my J Brand jeans, army jacket and my runnings shoes,  still trying to figure out that perfect chic photographer “look” that will work and look effortless and still be “cute” and when need be, allow me to lay on the ground and get that shot.

San Dimas Photography

San Dimas Photography

 

My appetite for learning photography is crazy, I am going to bed thinking about it and waking up thinking about it, so much I want to learn and so much information to be processed in my brain, I feel as though I am a laptop with not enough RAM. I knew it was going to be a long night, our workshop was going until 6AM. We were a tribe of 12 armed with equipment, waiting to take it all in by our fearless leader. We started off in the parking lot taking a few shots of our fabulous models, all 5 of them little and cute, making it impossible to get a bad image-almost…Once again learning that a good shot can be taken anywhere if you open your eyes and take notice of your surroundings.

parking Lot

parking Lot

We piled in our cars, so happy my cousin John was driving, and headed west to the beach. We were an eclectic crew with a variety of experience under our belts, everyone there hoping to pick up a trick or two, talking shop about all their events, weddings and portraits they had been shooting. A few I recognized were from Tri-Community, the program I attend.

Santa Monica Beach

Santa Monica Beach

 

We were like a pack of wolves all huddled together, synchronizing our shutters with the flash, all vying for a good position to get the perfect shot. I was getting frustrated at times due to my inexperience of being quick at changing my settings, combined with having to put on my reading glasses, and it was dark and I had to use a flashlight to see and then I had to strain to figure out if my shot was in focus–I’m sure soon I am going to need botox in my right eye.

This shot reminds me of some of the Dolce Gabbana ad campaigns.

D&G ad

D&G ad

Dolce Gabbana

Dolce Gabbana

The lighting on this building is so dramatic.

merry go round

merry go round

 

We then went to LACMA to shoot at the Chris Burden Urban Light installation, which consists of 202 restored street lamps from the 1920’s. I learned how to use a flashlight to light the model, which worked really well, I will have to try this on my own, and see what I can create.

LACMA

LACMA

couple

couple

 

 

About 3 AM we had enough, and headed downtown to the Disney Hall. When my kids were younger, I spent many weeks across the street at the Colburn school, at piano lessons for both Amani and Reggie, I witnessed Disney Hall being built.

English: The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los A...

English: The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles California. The building was designed by Frank Gehry and opened on 23 October 2003. It is the fourth music hall of the Los Angeles Music Center. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This was my favorite place, something about the quiet of the night, until the security guards came to tell us we had to go on the perameter of the sidewalk and could not come close to the building, of course we made the most of it.

Disney Hall

Disney Hall

Disney Hall

Disney Hall

We stopped at IHOP for an early breakfast and tryied to absorb as much information as possible from our teacher. About 5am we loaded in to our cars and headed back to our starting point at the Break of Dawn.

What a night, could not help but think of Michael’s song “Break Of Dawn”.  Hope you had an interesting weekend and Happy Monday!

Xoxo,

GiGi

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ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY FOR GIGI’S MEANDERINGS

Posted on by Gigi in Thoughts 6 Comments
Gigi May 13'

Gigi May 13′

 

Well it’s been 1 year since I started writing my blog. When I first started blogging I had no clue what I was doing and still don’t! When I set up my blog, I had no idea what I would be writing about, it has been a slow process and that’s okay. I don’t have an editorial calendar where I plan out my posts months in advance like a magazine, I literally write from moments in real time, or thoughts that come into my mind. I don’t have any sensational posts that have gone viral nor do I have thousands of followers, sometimes I’m not even sure if any one is reading my posts. Gigi’s Meanderings is a place I can retreat to a few hours a week, to share my thoughts, observations, and little nothings about my perspective on life.

A BIG THANK YOU to all of you who have stopped by to read my blog, even if you don’t leave a comment, I appreciate your few moments, support, and readership. In the past year I have shared challenges, celebrated events, provided advice, shared my heart, my fears and a lot of joy. I can’t imagine not coming here and “sharing” my thoughts on life with you all…I love opening the door wide open to ME, the door that most of us just peer out of the peep hole, only opening up for a select few.

This blog year I have a lot of exciting new features I am working on, and of course I am striving to provide as many gorgeous images as I can. Here’s to another year!

Toast

Toast

Salut Xoxo, Gigi

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Where does GIGI Work?

Posted on by Gigi in My House Comments Off on Where does GIGI Work?

My work space…

Gigi's Home Office

Gigi’s Home Office

Working at home can be convenient, but it  takes a lot of discipline to stay on task. I have to put myself on a schedule, so I don’t get distracted, which is easy to do at home, especially when there is always something to interrupt your flow. So for me, it is important to have a relatively neat space, so I can think clearly. I’m really working on editing and getting rid of things that no longer serve me. I switch back and forth from my laptop and my desktop, depending on if I am uploading images. One of the perks of when your kids go away to school, you gain space, and rooms to repurpose for other uses. My office/closet/pilates studio/ hair salon, used to be my 22 year-old daughter’s nursery.

love pretty paper

love pretty paper

stationary cabinet

stationary cabinet

I love pretty paper, and still like to write letters the “old school” way, there is something special about taking a nice pen to beautiful paper-different experience from a text, email or tweet. I love to pick up stationary when I travel, this cabinet is perfect for storing all my goodies.

I took the doors off this "sliding door" closet

I took the doors off this “sliding door” closet

 

always need extra shoe storage

always need extra shoe storage

my favorite built in

my favorite built in

My contractor “found” dead space in the wall and built this cabinet out, it is about 3 feet deep, and has glass doors and space at the bottom for storing boots.

love sweaters

love sweaters

facinators

fascinators

I don’t ever wear these, but they make fun props…

neclaces

neclaces

Gigi on the wall...

Gigi on the wall…

The  trompe l’ oeil by Cynda Valle, was painted 22 years ago, I was about 6 months pregnant in the piece, I don’t think I will ever change it.

reformer / pilates

reformer / pilates

desk setup from crate and barrel

desk setup from crate and barrel

Do you work at home? How do you stay focused? Do you have a “space” or room in your home where you can escape?

Xoxo,

Gigi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The original trompe l’ oeil by Cynda Valle, was painted 22 years ago, I was about 6 months pregnant in the piece, I don’t think I will ever change it.

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