Retreat in the Sierras with Women From My Investment Club

A retreatful weekend; I spent two days in a cabin in the California Sierras (in a small town called Pine Crest) with nine uniquely wonderful women! It was truly relaxing and rejuvenating; a memorable weekend to say the least.

This is the clubs second annual retreat. Each participating member is in charge of a project for an hour to two hours in length. The project can be about anything as long as it has something to do with money or empowerment. Our weekend began with a walk out to large rocks sitting above water level in Pine Lake for morning meditation. Upon returning to the cabin, Mel lead us in a journaling session, then Lisa showed us her system for goal setting, Jill brought wool yarns and we each made short scarves using a uncommon technique of crafting them, we grazed through magazines and each created a collage -- some people called theirs vision boards. We ended the first day with a movie that Elizabeth brought, "Splendor in the Grass" a classic staring Natalie Wood and Warren Beaty. Sunday morning, Christy had us on a scavenger hunt through the Wall Street Journal and Kimberle shared about some recycling tips showed us how to make a simple and safe cleaning product for our home. I must add that we ran out of time and I did not get to share my project which was to play a very fun game that Robert Kiyosaki came up with called Cash Flow 101. And we unknowingly ate all the eggs, so Nicole did not get to show us how to make face masks. The next time we go on retreat, we will have to add another half day.

As I share and write this recap of our weekend, it sounds so simple -- it was -- but I got so much out of being with people who are like-minded. I was inspired by hearing the more personal details of my friend's lives and listening to how they have overcome the roadblocks and how the are setting goals for the next adventures in their lives. I loved hearing my friends share their ideas and dreams. I like to see how different we all are yet see how we are also so similar as humans, as women and some of us as mothers. I appreciate so much how we each give in our individual ways. The real beauty of it is when we are being authentic we give and enrich others without even realizing the impact we make!











Blessings, Jules

My Kids School Hosted very Successful Plant-A-Thon

"We don't sell any cookies or candy," said Erin Sullivan, a parent and organizer of the day's event. "We wanted something more in line with the principles of our school."

My kids got to Monterey Bay Charter School -- a Waldorf inspired public charter school ... and today members of our school planted native plants to help restore a local lagoon back to its natural habitat. At the same time this event is raising money for our school.

The 75 acre lot of land used to be farm land and the State of California purchased it from the owners, I think, two years ago. And now an organization called Return of the Natives (RON) is helping to restore this land.

I am very exited, our school had over 250 volunteers show up. We were originally expected to plant 800 native plants like mugwort, lupine, California sagebush and more ... But RON brought 1,901 plants and we planted every single one of them!

If you wan to read the article that our local newspaper wrote about us, here is the link:
http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_11971312?source=email (or copy and paste)

If you would like to make a donation, big or small to help my kids' school, here is a link: http://www.mbcharterschool.org/plant-a-thon.asp (or copy and paste)

Donations are accepted through Wednesday, April 22, Earth Day.

Thanks for your support!

Blessings,
Julie

Writing the First Issue of my FREE Monthly Journal

Well, I do feel I have another rewarding accomplishment completed, yet just beginning ... "Phew" and "Wow" at the same time. I had a lot of fun creating this first issue of my journal (newsletter)!

Right now the only way you can get it is to subscribe to it. You can sign-up here on this blog. Just go to the top right of the page and you will see the sign-up box.

I decided to name this newsletter: "From the Pages of Copia's Journal". I write about all areas of a woman's life; her family life, social life, lots about her financial life, her health, her spiritual life (not religion) and the life styles we choose, which is a culmination of all of the above. ... just thought about her sex life ... hmm will have to add this one later ...

I really feel like I have found my life's purpose and have begun a journey to great and wonderful accomplishments! I invite you to join me, follow me and subscribe!

Enjoy,
Jules

A Maya Angleou Poem from Ms. Mia

Today when I went to work in the office at my kids' school, I found a poem written by Maya Angelou on my desk. It was given to me from one of our dear and wise kindergarten teachers, Ms. Mia. Thank you Mia for this gift!

Maya Angelou's "What Every Woman Should Have"

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
Enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants to or needs to ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
Something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
A youth she's content to leave behind ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
A past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
One friend who always makes her
laugh ... and one who lets her cry ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
A good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her
family ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
Eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal, that will make her guests feel honored ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
A feeling of control over her destiny ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
How to fall in love without losing herself ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to quit a job, break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without ruining the friendship ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
When to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
That she can't change the length of her calves,the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
that her childhood may not have been perfect..but it's over ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
What she would and wouldn't do for love or more ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
How to live alone... even if she doesn't like it ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
whom she can trust, whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
Where to go...be it to her best friend's kitchen table...or a charming inn in the woods ... when her soul needs soothing ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
What she can and can't accomplish in a day ... a month ... and a year ...

Nature by the Drop Blending Lab

Today Holly and I featured the essential oil of Lemon at our monthly blending lab. This is one of my favorite oils! I clean house with it. Just the other day I was removing the tape off window where I had painted the trim and the heat of the sunshine seemed to have "melted" the tape to the window in some areas. So I use two drops of oil on my hand and rubbed the area of he window where needed an d the razor I was using took right off! Yay! I also like to add a drop od essential oil of lemon to my water or tea (I only trust and ingest Young Living's essential oil of Lemon). There are many other uses for this oil. But this is what I do with it and love it! -- Blessing, Jules

Investment Club Meeting: March

Another successful investment club meeting tonight! I really love when the members of this club gather once a month. I am always so jazzed to hear how everyone is doing and what they have accomplished towards their financial goals since we've last met. There is something very inspiring when we, as women, repeatedly succeed in the financial and business realm which has been typically a male dominated arena ever since there were goods to trade. So I love what this club is all about.

... And it appears we are going to have to create a waiting list of women who wish to join us! I am both excited and bummed at the same time. Excited that more women want to take part in what we are doing as a club and want to take charge of their own financial well-being. And bummed that our club is designed to only have so many members. So that is one of the reason why I have started a FREE monthly journal; to share some of what we are doing in this women's investment club (There is a sign-up box at the top, right side of this blog).

Members take turns each month to coordinate a guest speaker or presentation. Well, tonight we had a quest speaker. She is a sea captain, chef, artist, widow, cancer survior, drowning survivor and simply, positively inspiring! Since I did not ask her for permission to tell her story, I won't. Essentially, her message was to find your heart's desires then find and do what it takes to live your heart' desires.

Another message that I took away from our meeting and feel is important share is that we women are resiliant, adaptable, determined and even warriors. And when we can come together in groups like this one and see how on some level we are the same and yet still very different, we leave knowing what we each have inside ourselves. We do have what it takes ... what it takes to do what ever your heart desires!

Cheers,
Jules

Personal Finance From the Inside Out

I finished teaching my beta three-week course today! I'll be asking my students if they are willing to write a review and then share what they said with you.

I am going to make a few changes and improvements based on the feedback from those ladies who took this first class from me. Thanks ladies for all of your constructive feedback and support!

I am offering two more (but for four-weeks this time) Personal Finance From the Inside Out courses on Thursday, March 19, 2009 at two different times.

Do you realize that more than 85% of the households in this country are run by women? Yet where did we learn to do this? Slowly over the last 40 years, men have turned this job over to the women!

This class is a lot of fun ... we take a closer look at the household income and expenses; Like my friend Ahnalisa says, "Cash in and cash out, it is like the breathe of the household". In this class, we take a look at our attitudes around money, ask our selves what financial freedom means to us. We take a look at how simple or not as difficult as it may seem to achieve financial freedom. We learn some simple guidelines for how to set up a budget and follow the budget. We learn some goal setting and list what needs to happen to obtain those goals. Journaling happens! W e take a Money Personality Test; get to know your personality around money. Learn to start thinking about how you can invest and empower yourself around money! ... and more!

If you live local in the Monterey Bay area and want to sign up, please email me directly at: jewleyd@comcast.net I will eventually teach this course over the internet, so keep in touch if you are interested!

Cheers,
Jules

March: Spiritual Book Club

I don’t’ think I have told you yet. Once a month I join four other lovely friends for a spiritual book club. We are on our third book now. We came together nearly a year ago and started with Eckhart Tolle’s book, A New Earth, Awaken to Your Life’s Purpose. I couldn’t put the book down and reread it three times! I even have the book on CD and would listen to certain chapters over and over again like a reference book. You know what? I’ll write book review on a later day, so be in touch.

The second book we read I did not like very much. I was the only one out of the five of us they felt this way, I think..

Now we are reading The Anatomy of the Spirit, The Seven Stages of Power and Healing by Caroline Myss, PH.D. I love this one too! It is all about taking full responsibility for our health, emotional and physical. She teaches how to manage our energy. When I am done with this book, I’ll write a book review on this one too! Keep you posted!

Blessings,

Jules