"Pretty" Flipping Amazing

This is called, "Sharing Your (H(E)art." You're pretty amazing!!!

Birthing a New World - International Women's Day

I wrote this post last year. A re-post is in order today, International Women's Day. I find it interesting that I feel more comfortable saying, It took balls to do this or that, rather than saying the word vagina. Can you imagine a man saying to another man, "Women (man) that took a huge vagina to take that risk." This makes me laugh out loud. Now let's practice together, "vagina, vagina, vagina." How about, "It took a magnificent birth canal to deliver those types of results."

I had the distinct pleasure of attending a local performance of "The Vagina Monologues" in Red Wing last night. Red Wing, having a population of only 15,000 I feel rather lucky to have The Sheldon Theatre, which brings performing arts to our community.

In the 1990's, playwright, Eve Ensler interviewed over 200 women about their sexuality and their vaginas in particular. From those interviews she wrote "The Vagina Monologues" and performed the show across the country. Ensler was deeply moved by the number painful stories of physical and sexual violence women shared with her after her performances. In response she created, V-Day. V as in Victory, Valentine and Vagina. In February, March and April she permits organizations to produce a Vagina Monologues as a fundraiser. Since 1998, V-Day events have raised over $60 million for local beneficiaries working to end violence against women and girls. Last night's performance benefited our local Goodhue Wabash Sexual Assault Services.

Here's a peek at some of the titles, "The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could", "My Angry Vagina" and "The Flood". The monologues were real, touching, funny and sobering. It fueled my desire to express my true self even more in my work and in my writing. I was so impressed with the women's performances and proud to be a woman......a women with A VAGINA!!!

The performance profoundly echoed my thoughts of "We are real. We are not yes ladies. We are Oh Yes Ladies and it feels really good." It reaffirmed the misconception that all of your private thoughts are to stay private. Headline...... Kim Lampe Loves Her Vagina. Um no, that's not what I meant. It all goes back to being the Traveling Sanctuary. The safe place for others. There will be a day when somebody needs to share some private thoughts. Will you be the safe, secure landing place?

If my vagina could talk it would say, "I hold much power. I will take great care with this power." I am pleasure. I am pain. I'm a *itch. I'm a lover. I give birth, hence my space shifting ability. I have something very important to say. Get down here and listen would you?"

In some weird way I left the performance feeling like all my womanly power was centered in my vagina, which means I must have two hearts and two brains. Watch out world here we come.

Don't Take the PP Out

People and Process make the Technology work magic. Never take it out. We must have reverence for where the technology came from.

Get Real and Do Some "A"ction

The Best Job In Twitterville

The best jobs are the ones you don't have to apply for or ask permission to have. The Dancing Believe Act Go Lady has proclaimed her position as Twitter Jockey in the town of Twitterville.

Expanding on a concept from Angela Shelton, The Dancing B*a*g Lady will put a new perspective on songs that will make them more empowering and self relevant as we quest for more joyful lives.

Listen in at @believeactgo. Hope you catch her in cyperspace.

"This is Major B*a*g Lady to ground control. I'm leaving the capsule now. Do I dare? Yes I do. Leaping in the air. Floating on Faith"

Kim, Julie & Julia - What's the Point?

From the moment I saw the advertisement for the movie Julie and Julia I was fascinated and captivated. I saw the movie with my girlfriend Friday night. As the movie started I said, "Ok I'll pretend I am Julia Childs and you pretend you are Julie Powell." Sorry to say, but my friends and family will have to listen to me exclaiming, "Bone Appetite" for a few weeks to come. Its my goofball way of reminding myself that I am special.

Julia Childs? A master chef, an author, an artist, a woman, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a collaborator. Julie Powell? A New Yorker, a woman, a wife, a writer, a blogger, a cook, an author. Kim Lampe? A mother, a wife, a woman, a blogger, a friend, a collaborator, a dreamer, a lost soul, found over and over again, a hissing pussy cat, a seriously deep thinking goofball.

Julia got a book deal and her own television show. Julie finished her project, got a book deal and had a movie made about her journey to finding herself. Kim.... (is currently detained by that mom thing. Hang on, I'll be back in......?) Kim took out the garbage, gave some instructions to her daughter on the proper way of decluttering your room, of which does not include scattering your stuff into 3 other rooms including her brother's and parent's bedrooms. Kim looked at piles of dishes in her sink and piles of clothes, washed and not, feeling a bit self critical of her absent housekeeping skills of late, chased her son upstairs, put the left overs in the frig and put on her slippers because her feet were freezing.

Here's my point....

Even though there are books, movies and blogs about people, you never really see everything that entails someone's life. They give you a snippet here and a snippet there. It can make you feel as if they have something "special". Something you don't have.

Now I know what I am about to say is usually reserved for that "special" moment with that somebody who bore you from their loin, but here it goes, "You are special." Why not be committed to sharing that special with the whole world? Keeping it to yourself will surely drive you to insanity. Sharing her specialness is the only way Julia Childs could have shared Julia Childs with the world (you couldn't make up that stuff). Committing to finishing all 500 some recipes in Julia Childs french cookbook in 365 days and blogging about it is how Julie Powell committed to finding her temporarily lost specialness.

Kim Lampe knows she is sharing her specialness with the world when she is laughing, smiling or listening very attentively to somebody else. She's coming to know that when she feels lost she is on the right path. She has yet not to find her better self after a good wonder.

I didn't go to Julie and Julia to steal their special. I went to be inspired to believe that I could find my special with their help. Julia was committed to writing a cookbook on french cooking. It took her over 8 years to write and it was rejected before being published. Julie was committed to finishing her own personal project, with no motive of a book or a movie.

Be committed to your own specialness and respect other's as well. We're in this together ladies! Julie, Julia, Kim, Terry, Jan, Jill, Britni, Terry, Rosi, Karla, Kirsten....

* Kim needed some inspiration to write this post, so she put on the apron you see in the photo above. It took her back that moment when she was being herself (laughing, smiling). Writing about herself in the third person gives her that feeling that she has a published book and a movie about my, I mean her, life. HA!

Dare to Dream a Dream So So BIG

I close my eyes and what do I see? Yellow, red, blue and green. Mostly old- not new. I go to this place to do what some would call work, but we will call it something different. Women "play" here and get paid to do so. We will play hard. We will sweat and toil. We will cry and we will laugh. Our pay comes in many forms, giving and getting. Looks more like a home than a place of "business".

Lunch time.......I can smell it now. Fresh bread, fruit and maybe a treat. We will eat together.

Back to creating things for sale for our happy customers whom we inspire and help. Actually we are our own happy customers. Creating is our own therapy. We together have created a place we want to go and do our deeds.

I believe to the deepest core of my heart this is a true story, as dreams are real as real can be. The beating so loud it drowns out my fear.

I thank Dear Daisy Cottage for bringing an eye to my heart.

The Best

It's 1:15 am Eastern time (my 12:15 time at home) and technically its June 26th, but my June 25, 2009 hasn't ended for me.

I am alone in a hotel room in Taylor MI. The first time I ever heard of Taylor MI I had only one vision and that was from the view of a website of a lady who is now a very good friend. I thought Taylor MI had to be the most enchanting magical place on the earth based on the view from her window.

I was on the outside looking into this world. Today I was inside this world and had a role in letting young girls into this enchanting world where anything is possible and the world is safe, hopefully leaving some of their pain for just a moment.

I did my best at hauling boxes, hanging balloons, unpacking boxes, covering chairs with sashes, cutting cake, laughing, washing dishes, sweating, hugs, eating at Red Lobster, sharing stories.

I know why I did my best today. I was doing for others. I was surrounded by the best. I was expected to be the best. You do your best and next thing you know your best just keeps getting better.

Share your best "world" with others. From that perspective Taylor MI is very enchanting and a place where dreams really do come true.

http://www.enchantedmakeovers.org/.

Some Things I've Observed Lately

Gee it's been a few days between posts. Doing some passion work makes the days fly by.

Here are a few of my observations lately:

• Simple isn't always easy.


• Beauty is simple. Simple is beautiful.


• Ugly is hard.


• If acting your age means I'm suppose to wear mom jeans (Jessica I am not sure what you were thinking and you're not even a mom), I'd rather wear my husbands jeans. What does it mean when your husband's jeans fit you better than your own?


• I'm going to start recommending adults read some children's books. Simple truths not so easy to follow as we get old.


• I see through the layers other's put on themselves to bury their pain. When you are authentic with others they see their true selves. That can be scary to some people.

Question? Can a mom wear jeans that are too trendy? I saw moms at a volleyball tournament last weekend that seemed a little teeny bopper.

Paint It As I See It B*a*g Lady

The stresses of the world could rob a person of their wholeness if they let it. Almost by surprise if we lay in a wake of numbness, unaware of our pain. Rather a better solution is to acknowledge and release. I believe that is where creativity resides.




Paint It As I See B*a*g Lady does release and purge it onto canvas with oil. Until now I have never been a friend to an oil painting artist. Admiring her paintings is like having a different kind of conversation with my friend. Hope you enjoy this quick chat.

Learn more about this talented B*a*g Lady and take in more of her work at her website.

http://www.focus-on-landscapes.com/

Modern B*a*g Lady Lingo - 101

Modern B*a*g Ladies is a sisterhood as much as it is an Attitude (that's with a capital A). Its all about taking your B*A*G (Believe Act Go) on the road, so grab your keys (spreading joy, shredding fear, having fun), crank up the tunes and go lady go!

It's all in the B*a*g!

Ok, you have your..............

Baggage that needs to be dropped off or recycled into fuel for your B*a*g Traveling Sanctuary.

B*a*g Age - the ages and times in your life that you connect with as being your true self.

B*a*g Gauges - being aware of your fuel level and your speed so you don't run out of fuel, which results in your getting outside of yourself and pushing yourself uphill. Very tiring!

Getting Your B*a*g On - Being yourself.

My B*a*g isn't always Her B*a*g - accepting others as they are, looking for their goodness and reflecting their goodness back at them.

MBL are eco-friendly, body and spirit, so ................... see that link just to the right? Subscribe to our weekly Traveling Sanctuary Newsletter and claim your weekly source of Eco-friendly fuel. You'll be spreading joy, shredding fear and having fun, which are the keys to your Traveling Sanctuary, so you will need this nice new key chain sent to you compliments of Modern B*a*g Ladies. It will be your reminder to check your gauges and fuel up.

Great Family Room and Pen Pal Gals

We have a Great (Kitchen, Dining, Family) Room which makes up almost all of the square footage of the main level of our home and it is indeed GREAT. When I saw the plans one late night, searching plans online, I knew we were finally going to build a home after purchasing 6 existing homes in 12 years of marriage. I knew it would be where friends and family would gather, sharing, having fun and just do our own individual things amongst everyone gathered in this space

We've been in this home for almost 3 years now and this Great Room has exceeded our expectations. Yes sometimes the television is too loud and food is too often eaten not at the table (covered with mom and Paige's projects), but this room has bared witness to almost everything that happens in our family. Homework, meals, parties, movie night, sewing projects, playing, sleeping AND.....


Within this space I have found reason to give the laundry, dusting and toilet cleaning less attention. Some day perhaps I will meet these ladies in person just like back in the day when you would meet your pen pal. I imagine where they may be, while pouring out their wisdom, love and humor onto the keyboard. The keyboard, the new pen. They have expanded my world, sitting here in my Great Room. The grand world all within my reach by just a click of a few keys. Not an addiction, but an enhancement to my old and new real world connections. Traveling Sanctuaries through the information highway.



Mind numbing television replaced with giving and receiving love, wisdom, humor and advise. Ladies should gather together more often, virtually and in person. No pretense, just ourselves, being ourselves. Why not? Yes too busy I know. World's expectations and commitments of course. Sure we probably talk and gather with others all day long, but too often not really making a connection, not truly listening and sharing. All so plastic and a means to an end.

Let's gather with our families and with other ladies. Spreading Joy. Shredding Fear. Having Fun.

Thank you for gathering and doing it together, Mom, Michelle, Mary, Veronica, Elizabeth, Sheryl, Tashina, Teresa, Molli, Rosie, Karla, Janet, Casey, Gabrielle, Cindy, Beth, Suzie, Stephanie, PopArtDiva, Angela, Teri, Kim, Myrna, Heather, Sarah, Stephanie, Wendy, Sue, Carmen, Vickie, Sally, Lori, Patty, Paige, Gavin, Jordan, Hubby, Dad, Brian, Dean..... you fuel and blow me away.

Project Traveling Sanctuary is Underway

Who posts at 2:30 AM on Christmas Eve? A crazy Dancing BAG Lady who is too hyped up to sleep and just wants to work on her passion projects, Drop Off Your Baggage MLB Event and Project Traveling Sanctuary.

If I could get my darn camera to download I would have added a picture of my messy kitchen table. Project Traveling Sanctuary is this idea I will launch at our upcoming Drop Off Your Baggage MLB Event, January 17th. I guess you could say Kim doesn't have sugar plums dancing in her head but rather fun loving Modern B*A*G Ladies getting their B*A*G on.

This Dancing BAG Lady just doesn't get much sleep. I see this as a common theme with my Entrepreneurial BAG Ladies. We are sending emails at all hours of the day, night and morning.

Duh-um - Dazing into Space

I just realized that I called myself dumb in my title. I'll just go with it and chalk it up to laughing at myself.

Today I was at my day job, having an uninspired moment, staring at the picture on the wall in front of me. You know those stares that your eyes feel like they are crossing but you're not sure if they really are crossed.

A unassuming shy gentlemen walked into my office. I'm sure he wasn't expecting to see DUH-UM Kim all cross eyed and everything. He probably thought I was on drugs or something. One second motivated full of energy, the next DUH-UM.

Do you suppose he told his wife when he got home about the weird lady at work? Doubtful, but I'm telling you about it. What a Duh....UM post. Oh well just being me. I'm actually enjoying what I think is a mid life crisis.

Good Thing I'm not a Monkey

Ever heard the expression, "Close but no Bananas"?

If I were a monkey I would be starving. Sometimes I feel like I'm slipping on everyone else's banana peels along my joyful, low fear, fun filled journey. I just can't get to that heaping mother load of bananas fast enough.

Can't say that I have talked to a monkey lately, but maybe, just maybe, it's not always about the bananas for them and it shouldn't always be about the bananas for me either.

"Close but no Bananas" is my style. You know not exactly telling the joke quite right. Every time I want to talk about a song or book I can never remember the title. I get the artist/author's first name right but rarely the last.

Having these little brain lapses could really make me get down on myself, but I do believe I have been compensated in other ways. I think in pictures. I can see the whole picture in my head and heart, but can't always verbalize it. You know like the absent minded professor.

I know other B*A*G Ladies who are so quick and bright. Sometimes I am jealous, but mostly I am in awe of them. I'm glad to be slipping on their banana peels and sometimes they take time to sit down and share a few bananas over a diet coke. These are OH Yes Moments!

I will embrace my "close but no bananas". I eventually get there because, you know?, I like to simmer my bananas.

Nice BAG, Lady!

Gina makes some nice bags, ladies. She gets her B*A*G on, making bags.

I've entered to win one of her bags and if I win I am going to give it away to anybody that comments that they love it.

Her bag in my bag. Hint, Hint, Gina. No honestly I am all about fair contests.

Ditch the Bitch Badge

***Warning the "B" word is coming up & it's not "B"elieve**** If you are offended I understand, but it's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Back around 1998ish (give or take a year) I was confined to the corner of a windowless office with two other women. Down the corridor in front of us were 5 other women and 2 around the corner and to the left. We talked to each other and customers 8-9 hours a day. Some days it felt like a locker room and some days like a hen house. I wouldn't exactly call it mixed company, but some days things probably did get a little out of hand. I felt bad for any man entering this estrogen domain for his first time.

It was in this locker room/hen house environment that the "three ladies in the corner" briefly adopted the song, "Bitch" by Meredith Brooks. And I think they pinned it on me first. We found the song a bit provocative with a catchy beat. I really didn't pay attention to the lyrics until this week.

The Bitch Is In Town!!!!

Now I believe we latched on to it because secretly some of us women wear it as a badge of honor one second, but certainly would be offended if somebody called us this to our face or behind our backs, the next.

An assertive woman may acquire the badge for one of two reasons:

1. The pinner is intimidated by assertive women (or any assertive person)
2. The woman is overly assertive, due to her fear of others not taking her seriously.

Yes, my husband did call me the B word once. Yes, I was being overly assertive because I let stuff build up, exploding with emotions. I was being a big itch (safe word my hubby can use to tell me I am over reacting) and not in a good way. I am letting him off the hook and "Bitch" by Meredith Brooks helps me understand why I should. I'm not condoning his actions. It was a one time offense for which I am forgiving him. Here are the lyrics.

I hate the world today......You're so good to me, I know.......But I can't change..... Tried to tell you but you looked at me like maybe i'm an angel underneath..... Innocent and sweet

Yesterday I cried.....You must have been relieved to see the softer side....I can understand how you'd be so confused...I don't envy you...I'm a little of everything...All rolled into one

(chorus)

I'm a bitch... I'm a lover... I'm a child... I'm a mother... I'm a sinner... I'm a saint.... I do not feel ashamed... I'm your hell... I'm your dream... I'm nothing in between... you know you wouldn't want it any other way

So take me as I am... This may mean you'll have to be a stronger man...Rest assured that when I start to make you nervous... And I'm going to extremes... Tomorrow I will change... And today won't mean a thing

(chorus)

Just when you think you got me figured out...The seasons already changing...I think its cool you do what you do...And don't try to save me

(chorus)

I'm a bitch.. .I'm a tease...I'm a goddess on my knees.. When you're hurt... When you suffer...I'm your angel undercover...I've been numb... I'm revived...Can't say I'm not alive...You know I wouldn't want it any other way

Let's ditch the bitch badge. Let's just be ourselves. Strong, but comfortable with our flaws. Willing to be the best we can be. Get your B*A*G on Ladies.