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Girl’s Night Out

Contagious Hope

My friend Quynh Chau called me up randomly several weeks ago, asking if I would attend a dinner event with her.  She explained that it was a watch party for the “Women That Soar” awards show and she wanted me to come meet some of her friends.  If there’s one thing I know about Q.C., it’s that she has a lot of friends.  But they’re not just casual acquaintances, to Q.C., they are dearly beloved friends.  She cares so deeply about supporting each of her friends to reach even beyond our goals, to our full potential.  She sees a vision of our future that’s usually much bigger than the one we can see for ourselves. I know this, because sometimes I hardly even recognize the women she talks about, when she talks about me and my work.

She is a true visionary who makes things happen because of the way she believes in …

by Crystal Gornto Girl's Night Out Love In Action Loving Others Loving Yourself Priorities Purpose Roadblocks in Life The Journey Through Life 1 comment chat
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The tide is rising

In a world where there’s a lot of energy around women rising strong together, there’s also a tendency to protect ourselves and compete with one another.  Even though supporting each other and collaborating is my battle cry, it shows up for me too! I remember late last year, seeing on social media that a new DIY workshop, geared toward women, had opened up in town.  I remember it well because I saw that they were hosting GNOs and if I’m honest, my heart sunk a little.  Our HeartStories GNO was selling out month after month and somehow, hearing about this new workshop for women opening up, felt like a threat to that.  I clicked the link and it was darling!  AR Workshop is a “boutique DIY studio with hands-on workshops, parties and retail”.

From what I could tell online, Lindsay the owner, was fabulous in every way.

I made a note about …

by Crystal Gornto Female Social Entrepreneurs Girl's Night Out Inspirational Women Love In Action Loving Yourself Purpose The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat
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The Queen of Hearts

It’s officially spring break in Texas, which means mamas everywhere are doing all the things.  They run the gamut of family trips, mission trips, staycations, squeezed in experiences, to simple strategies for keeping kids safe and alive while mama continues to fulfill her grown-up adult responsibilities.  I’m somewhere in the middle all of it.  Since we snuck in an early long weekend trip, the boys are finding fun ways to entertain themselves at home, while I’m trying to find times to be fully present and engaged, while also catching up on all the things I got behind on during our trip.

It’s the ever-shifting of the “mama priorities”. 

A fun new activity for us this spring break is playing Texas Hold’em.  Our new neighbors (who are not from Texas) taught the boys how to play one night, a month or so ago, and they’ve loved it ever since.  So much so that they were …

by Crystal Gornto Girl's Night Out Inspirational Leaders Inspirational Women Love In Action Loving Yourself Motherhood Priorities The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat
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The sound of opportunity knocking

Snow skiing is one of my all-time favorite hobbies.  When I was a kid growing up in Oklahoma, once a season, my parents would pack all of our stuff in our van to drive my three sisters and me to go snow skiing in Colorado.  Those are some of my favorite childhood memories.  Of course, living in Texas, we don’t get to do it much, but we try to get to the mountains at least once a season as well.  As a result, my kids are making memories and have “favorite runs”, which brings me so much joy.

It’s why this is an image I’ll treasure for years to come.

One day, Oaks and I decided to separate from the group and head over to another side of the mountain.  We wanted to go to a side that was one of our favorites last time, but we hadn’t skied yet this trip.  It’s …

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It’s all in how you play your hand

I didn’t grow up around any sort of gambling.  In fact, to this day, I’ve never played a game of poker or blackjack.  Nor have I ever even pulled up a chair at a casino table.  Now don’t get me wrong, I can play a mean hand of Spades or Uno.  You don’t even want to try to defeat me at Slapjack or Old Maid!  There, I’m a fierce competitor.  😉

But the smoky casinos of Vegas never called my name. 

In my years as a flight attendant, Vegas was one of my least favorite cities.  We’d work all day, then catch our ride to the hotel.  In our uniforms, we’d have to roll our bags through the crowded smoky casino in the middle of the night, with slot machines clanking at every turn.  Even worse, on the morning shift, we’d roll through at 5:00am, and the room was still foggy with …

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Remember her?

My friend Amy posted a black and white image on Instagram this week of a little girl in her swimsuit, full-on playing in the rain.  In a wide leg stance, eyes shut, arms and mouth wide open, she’s wholly in the moment.  I can almost hear her yelling, “YES!  Bring it on!!”  The caption read:

“REMEMBER HER?  She’s still there . . . inside you . . . waiting.  Let’s go get her.”

It stopped me in my tracks.  I DO remember her!  Just looking at this picture of my Dad, my sisters and me, takes me instantly back to that house.  I remember those strange furry window coverings.  I remember the blue couch and endless playing in that room.  I remember that strawberry-blonde-mulleted, freckle faced, little tomboy who loved to wear hats, and lace.  I remember that if I even got an inkling that you were up for some kind of adventure, …

by Crystal Gornto Girl's Night Out Inspiration Inspirational Women Loving Yourself Our Story Roadblocks in Life The Journey Through Life Leave a comment chat
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