Yup! It's a New Year

Happy New Year People. Yes, it is a new year and many think of this as a time to make change and start anew, but just remember it's not just a new year that provides us with this opportunity. Every day of our lives provides the same opportunity.

Any given moment you can make a change. You have the power to slow your momentum when its revving up in a less than desirable manner and create momentum in a positive direction. You have the power to focus on something better.

I'd like to take this opportunity to share with you some very profound wisdom that Keri shared with me yesterday regarding having a new puppy. I am sharing it with you because I think it applies to way more than just having a new puppy.

OK, are you ready? Here it is: Its hard when its hard and its fun when its fun, we just have to enjoy the fun times.

Odd Duck? Who Me?

"Angel, you're an odd duck" someone said to me this last week. Let's see what else,... "You never know what she's going to do next", "Oh my gosh!!! I can not believe you just did that" and many more.

All through my life I've done the unexpected, pushed the limits and stepped outside the comfort zone of most. Some might say I do it for the attention, some might say I'm immature, some, I know, really want to join me, but for some reason feel hesitation. Perhaps they fear looking crazy. I don't really know.

What I do know is that when I do things that elicit this type of response, it's usually because I am following my bliss. When I am in the middle of following my bliss, my level of concern about what other people think about me or what I am doing is just about ZERO!

The reason I was perceived as an odd duck this past week is because I was all excited about this new device Keri and I got for ourselves called a vivo fit, perhaps more commonly known as, a fit bit.

What does it do? It tracks the number of steps you take throughout the day. It alerts you with a little red bar creeping across the face of the watch type device when you have been sedentary for too long, creating awareness and encouraging you to get up and move. Just as I had hoped when my little red bar started crawling across my device, I'd get up and move. A goal is set based on a profile you fill out and as you reach the daily goal it adjusts and creates a more challenging goal for the next day.

So, while walking in place at work and cheerfully responding to requests to fetch this or that someone stated with a chuckle, "Angel, you're an odd duck". Yes, this is true of this persons perception of me, but to me, I am just my happy self doing what I do to maintain my good feeling life. I'm too happy to be concerned with what anybody else thinks about me.

It's straight up Fun o'clock!!!!

The whole reason any of us are here is to have fun. If you are doing somethig that is not fun or interesting to you then by all means start doing something else.

Do somethig fun. Feel the love that is all around you. Laugh with your friends. Drink beer and eat pizza. Dance your ass off. Read your favorite books. Walk barefooted in the mud. Lay in the sun and feel the warmth on your skin. Walk with a bit of a strut because you know you got this!!! Feel all the amazing things you came here to feel. Love the ones you love. Smile at every being that crosses your path. Let people get in front of you. Give a compliment. Hug a baby. Pet a puppy. Paint a picture. Kiss your wife. Take a nap.

By the way, if it does not feeeeeel good, do something else.

Fly your Freak Flag

Every body is weird to somebody. It's inevitable. It's undeniable. Not a single one of use is raised the same way, not even two people in the same family. I see it all the time in my friends and family members who have siblings. Two people have two or more children and though the parenting style is exactly the same, it is perceived completely different by each sibling.

This lesson about every body being weird to some body goes back to when Garrison was growing up, well actually is goes back to the beginning of time. I remember this lesson growing up, but it wasn't until I was teaching it to Garrison that I finally embraced my inner weirdo.

My inner weirdo was so happy when I finally accepted her. She was so happy she couldn't contain herself and she quickly became my outer weirdo and before I knew it, (well,... forty some odd years later) I fully embraced the weirdo that I am and I don't have to hide her, ME any more.

I am myself.

I just finally got tired of asking myself, Why am I not myself??? WHY? am I not myself? Why AM I not myself? Why am I NOT myself? Why am I not MYSELF?

When you finally get sick of being someone who is not true to yourself, you don't give a shit what anybody else thinks because you are too busy enjoying the hell out of being yourself. If someone doesn't like it, well, they don't have to hang around. I am going to dance like a fool. I am going to sing off-key. I am going to facilitate fun and I am going to experience people the way I, Angel Zamudio, choose to do so.

You have choices too. You can stay and have fun accepting me for who I am, you can stay and judge me, or you can leave. One thing is for sure though, I will no longer keep myself tethered. It feels too utterly amazing to be my whole true self. So, look out world cuz this weirdo is flying her freak flag high!!!

Who la?

Life is so full of amazing experiences. Just this past weekend Keri and I went about our ordinary weekend errands which included Fred Meyer, Trader Joes and New Seasons. However, this weekend it was no ordinary trip to Joe's.

One of our favorite clerks was out front with three hula hoops. She had gotten one of her co-workers to join her when Keri and I were approaching the entrance. She smiled real big and asked us to join her. Keri was just ahead of me a bit and said I'll pass, but this one will join you, as she was pointing at me over her shoulder with her thumb.

I could feel my face light up at the prospect of joining the hula hoop gang. I stayed outside and did the hula hoop while Keri went in and did all the shopping. It was so fun I went right out and got myself a hoop.

Thank you Keri for doing the shopping while I played and now I have my own hoop. Ripped abs here I come.

The Goodnesses

Last week I had the privilege of spending some time with two of my favorite girls. They are so adorable that when their momma shows pictures of them, people say, "Oh, my goodness". It started right off the bat with her oldest one (Lexi), so she started calling her "My goodness". Then when her youngest (Taylor) came along, "My goodness junior" quickly caught on, along with other cute names of endearment.

Why am I telling you this? I want you to know how they came to be known to me as, "The Goodnesses". I love these sweet little baby girls. When I get to spend time with them it fills my soul with love and light.

I love to watch them try to figure things out. I purposely wore a particular bracelet that I knew would catch Lexi's eye. Sure enough she asked me about it. I told her, I thought you might ask me about this bracelet, would you like to wear it? She said yes and wanted to do it herself. She fiddled with it for a bit and pretty quickly figured it out. She walked around with it on pretending to go to the store, make some dinner, feed Taylor and I, but made us wait for dessert and put us down for "go to bed". I had a great time. Lexi even said it while we were playing, we're having so much fun.

I love to see their facial expressions change as their awareness of something new is presented. I took my kombucha drink with me and was drinking it while walking around the kitchen with Taylor on my hip. This baby is a foodie, she loves to eat, so as I was sipping my drink she was giving me this frowning look like, why aren't you sharing that with me? It was so cute. I didn't know if babies could drink kombucha or not, so I checked the label. There were no warnings about breast feeding mothers or keeping away from babies, so I poured a tiny bit into the cap and let her try it. If you have tried kombucha, then you probably like me, expected a sour look of rejection on her face, but she liked it! She kept reaching for it and giving me that little "I want some more" grunt. So we poured a little in a cup for her and she drank it.

I love the way Lexi brings a book over to me when I'm sitting on the floor and she backs up to me and plops her cute little butt right in my lap. I love how sweet their little bodies feel when I hold them and give them kisses.

Baby Taylor got kinda sleepy and laid in my arms in her jams while she was drinking her, "baa". She was letting me rub her sweet little round belly and resting her head up against my cheek. I was giving her little kisses on her head and in her hair. It was such a sweet tender moment.

Their momma (Shanna) came home and we visited for a little bit and she thanked me for watching her girls. She really did appreciate the time, but I don't know if she realizes how much this dose of goodness benefited me. So, thank you Shanna for letting me spend time with your precious little ones.

You might not know this about me,...

For those of you who don't know me all that well, I am a connections person.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="185"] A fool in the name of fun? You're damn right![/caption]

I love making connections, talking to people and getting to know them. I love socializing. I love dancing and singing. I don't mind one little bit making a fool of myself in the name of having a good time. I love feeling good about life and enjoying myself. I am a person that gives hugs freely, and damn good ones too. As Clay Aiken sings in Don't Save It All For Christmas Day, "Why would you wait another minute? A hug is warmer when your in it. Oh, baby that's a fact." In fact I have claimed that this song should be the theme song for my life. Henceforth, Don't Save It All For Christmas by Clay Aiken shall be the Angel Zamudio theme song. And so it is! Yes, he is gay and yes, I am gay and yes, claiming a theme song for your own life is,... well, kinda gay, but that just gives you a little bit more insight into who I am. I am free to have all the fun I want. I intend to feel connected. I am in love with the feeling of love.