GYPSY GIRL'S GUIDE

Water lily, San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers, 2003

As the sweet la vie en rose mentioned in her last post... The end of the year entries are bound to feature more pics than words from some of us! This may be true for me. I find myself already overwhelmed with the busyness of this season. Too much to do!!! And in the midst of it all, I can't help but look forward and plan plan plan for the New Year. There are so many dreams to chase... And so much I want to change... I was feeling giddy when, thankfully, in a moment of silence (on the plane) this weekend, I reconnected with an exquisite quote from one of my favorite authors ever.

"My coming of faith did not start with a leap but rather a series of staggers from what seemed like one safe place to another. Like lily pads, round and green those places summoned and held me while I grew. Each prepared me to the next leaf on which I would land, and this way I moved across the swamp of doubt and fear. When I look back at these early resting places --- I can see how flimsy and indirect a path they made. Yet each step brought me closer to the verdant pad of faith in which somehow I afloat today." Anne Lamott

I've observed that in my life, despite the rush and angst to "make things happen", I have never been able to suddenly leap either. My path has actually been quite wobbly and accidental. It is good to recognize though, that no matter how many steps I took and in which direction I went, these steps sure led me to extraordinary places.

So, whatever the future may bring us, here is a unique end of the year opportunity: Let's just rest in our accomplishments and be held by their support as we approach the new year.

Personal "lily pads" I want to share with you:

First, this Sunday I was honored to attend the Premiere of the new "Charlotte's Web" movie in LA. The film opens in theaters this coming Friday, Dec 15th.

For those of you who are just getting to know me, I'm a visual effects producer for movies by day and a blogger by night! I produced the VFX work for Templeton and the Crows on Charlotte's Web. This was my first children's project after a long run of monster and superhero movies. So I'm really happy about it. Take your kids to see it over Christmas! Here are the latest trailers to get you started. And here is an interview featured on LA times this weekend, especially presenting the work done by my wonderful team and by my talented friend Raquel Coelho, who is a fabulous teacher, writer, illustrator, puppet maker and animator!

Finally, to complete the weekend with even more joy, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the Expat Interview crew. Their site is a fantastic resource for anyone who is curious or needs information on what it's like to live in another country. You can read my interview and learn more about me here. Big thanks to the site writers, Lizza & Victor. You guys, rock! :D