Around here, we try and live our lives and run our business with the sense that this is a world of abundance. There is abundance all around us and we have trouble understanding those who live as though we're ALWAYS in a period of scarcity. You know the type - the sky is falling and it's every man for himself!

I can personally think of a billion things my life is overflowing with right now. People to love. Jobs to work on. Really good chocolate. Paperwork. Abby artwork. Creative energy. Leftover shish kebabs.

And of course, there is a scarcity of some stuff. Time, always. Patience, sometimes. Energy to spend on "side interests." But on the whole, I've got more than enough. Life is abundant and I am just truly, richly blessed.

Another thing we're overflowing with around here is international travel. There was the trip Jane and I took to London and Prague back in May. Then at the beginning of August, I took my troop of high-school Girl Scouts on a 10-day European adventure (London, Paris, Adelboden and Lucerne - whew!!) And we've just booked a job that will take us to Germany and are this close to doing work in Paris late next month as well. I'm going to need extender pages for my passport at this rate! (And again, what a nice "problem" to have!)

Chocomize (http://www.chocomize.com/) is a new website where you can order customized chocolate bars. There's a huge array of ingredients to choose from - everything from edamame to cayenne and raisins to gummi bears. Start by selecting dark, milk or white chocolate and add stuff to it until you feel your bar is just right. You can also browse the "Favorites" section to see popular bars other people have put together. The chocolate can be a little on the expensive side (think $5.00-$7.00 per bar) but think of the delight a customized candy bar could bring for a birthday or holiday present! Bulk orders are available.