July 2008

The most important news first, my fabulous son Ryan has now lost 6 stones 1lb!! What a fantastic achievement! And the most fabulous thing is, he’s done it all himself, through sheer determination and focus. I can’t stress enough how proud I am of him. He really is an inspiration.

Also, my gorgeous daughter Becky is starring in Annie at the Edinburgh Playhouse this weekend. (25th & 26th) We are all so proud of her, and although I can’t be at the performance (this trip was arranged before her audition) I have bought a seat in the theatre so she knows I’m right there in spirit as her biggest fan! And we know that this is going to be the first of many more future performances!

The Louise Hay Workshop in September is now fully booked, although there is a waiting list in place. If anyone is interested they can still email, and their name will go on the list.

Well, the U.S. adventure has begun! We arrived in Las Vegas on the 14th and spent 5 days just enjoying the experience of what is just a fabulous city. As well as lazing by the pool in the 42° heat, we enjoyed visiting the different casino hotels with all their unique styles. We even played the slot machines...well $3, and no, we didn’t win!

On leaving Las Vegas, I flew to Phoenix to begin my Hypnosis course, while Kevin travelled to Los Angeles to pick up our Land Rover Defender. He was worried he may be caught up with customs for the full day, but in fact he found that the customs were extremely helpful and he was on his way in less than an hour. He then took a couple of days to travel from California to Arizona. During this time, I received an email from a man in California saying he had spotted the Defender parked up in Hermosa Beach! (It has my wheel cover on the back) He then visited the website and emailed asking all about our trip. I thought that was so nice!

I am now into the 2nd week of my Intensive Training in Ericksonian Approaches to Brief Hypnotic Psychotherapy, and I’m lucky enough to be working with Dr. Jeff Zeig, Dr. Brent Geary and Steve Lankton. This has been a wonderful opportunity, and I’m really looking forward to bringing back all the learning and applying it in the clinical setting. Our schedule here is the US has changed a little, with us returning to the UK a week earlier than expected. This means I shall be back in my office and taking appointments from 27th August instead of 4th September.

Last weekend we drove north to the lovely town of Flagstaff in Arizona, where we camped in one of the forestry campsites overlooking Lake Mary. The weather in Phoenix at the weekend was 45°C, so Flagstaff was a really nice change, with highs of just 37°C! We spent some time in Flagstaff with some Native American women from the Supai Reservation in the Grand Canyon, and it was so interesting to hear all about their life on the reservation. We plan to go camping in Sedona, Arizona this weekend, and are hoping to visit the Grand Canyon, so will post more news soon!