Disqus - Latest Comments for Andrea Devis

Re: You Heart Fridays

Andrea Devis — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 06:13:20 -0000

Hello again to Carrie and Danielle and everyone at Carrie & Danielle,

THANK YOU!!!!!!

Re: Special Friday Edition - What’s your word of the week?

Andrea Devis — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:31:53 -0000

Blithe. It makes me feel a breeze flowing, cooling my skin and tousling my hair. Refreshing and renewing. My work load increased for the next month, yet I am scheduling in a bicycle ride around Tervuren with my husband and looking at two Art Nouveau apartments next week. Blithe reminds me to make it a priority to feel and enjoy!

Re: My father…

Andrea Devis — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:58:27 -0000

I am always happy to see strong healthy father-daughter relationships, I learn a lot from them.

I always tried to help my younger sister appreciate the things you can learn even when your father is not there. If he was not family oriented, be family oriented. If he was not an industrious worker, be an industrious worker. If he was outspoken about things he believed in, be outspoken about the things you believe in. Just don't let the fact that he is not here stop you from living your life.

Not having a present father taught me not to miss out on an opportunity, to take advantage of what is in front of me, and be involved, the worst thing you can do to yourself is not be involved in your own life.

The best thing I learned? How to have a great marriage.

Re: To whom will you show your appreciation today?

Andrea Devis — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:16:06 -0000

Without hesitation, Olivier, my infinitely amazing husband.
He was so strong and loving as he comforted me this morning when I found out a very close friend's mother is dying of cancer.
Later while I was sitting in a parked Metro car two men terrorized the Metro car in front of mine over a football/soccer game. (Yelling, screaming, threatening violence.)
Afterward, I exited shaken, only to find myself standing at the entrance of a grocery store where a very nice man honked at me, started laughing and tried to hit me with is car.
I called my husband who calmed me with his humor and an offer of lunch at my favorite place.
He comforted me again after the DIV messed up the paper work on my car I have been waiting almost a year to drive and we had to wait another hour. (The DMV is not pleasant no matter what country you are in or what letters they call themselves by!)
He looked at me confidently this evening as he signed on our dream apartment even though the price was more than I expected.
He just peeked his head in my office and asked if he could bring me anything or run me a bath. I asked him if he knows how amazing he is?
He said, "Isn't that what you would expect from your husband?"
My reply, "Who could not appreciate that?"

Re: Propaganda, Mother Nature, and Your Right to Know What’s Right For You

Andrea Devis — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:49:08 -0000

Thank you so much for what you do!
My great aunt gave birth to her eighth child in 1977 at home. My aunt was 42 years old, has Rh factor and severe asthma. She said she wished she had done home birth with her older seven. With them she experienced asthma attacks and other complications during labor.
She said she felt comfortable in her home with her husband (he was not allowed to be present in the hospital) and midwife. Not having any drugs she felt present and ready to meet her child.

My mother was 37 when she delivered my sister at home. She said it was an amazing experience. She had been totally knocked out for my brothers and myself. She said the pain was excruciating but she preferred "being there" for it.
Several of my cousins, all nurses, have opted for birthing their children at home.
Your words embody the expressions on my relatives faces as they told me about birthing their children. Unfortunately they came from era when people would respond with "Don't you have enough money to have your child in a hospital?" Your words give weight and appreciation to the word "Choice". I am going to share them with my family.

Re: Propaganda, Mother Nature, and Your Right to Know What’s Right For You

Andrea Devis — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:50:13 -0000

Thank you so much Danielle for spotlighting this subject!

Re: Friday Edition: Who would you be if you were freed from your past?

Andrea Devis — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:21:06 -0000

I would have the same essence I have now. If I were to be freed from my past I would be just that. Free, Liberated, Unburdened of the things I have seen and experienced. Granted every ground needs rain (bad experiences) or it becomes a desert (too much sunshine or good experiences), not every experience someone has shapes who they are in a positive way, sometimes it can warp what was already well shaped. Being happy with the woman who is beginning to take shape (Thanks Carrie & Danielle) I am able to hold on to my essence and free myself of the past and let it go.

Re: What will you say no to this week?

Andrea Devis — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:27:32 -0000

I am saying no to people whose religion is excuses and people who waste my time.

Re: What will you say no to this week?

Andrea Devis — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:28:20 -0000

I support you Dena, I have had my own "James" to say no to.

Re: When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Andrea Devis — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:34:30 -0000

When I was 2 I wanted to be a play write (I have always been ambitious).
When I was 3 I wanted to be Barbra Streisand. (Very ambitious)
When I was 4 I wanted to be a pirate, sailing the open seas, mostly just around the Gulf Coast because the water is warm, and keep my crew in line with the nunchakus I would steal from my brother. When I was 5 I wanted to be Indiana Jones with a camera, traveling the world in search of lost but very important artifacts, speaking many languages and knowing a lot of stuff. When I was 6 I just wanted to be English or Scottish.
I have never really lost this aspect of myself. I still sing in my shower or car like I am Maria Callas. I am an accomplished writer and have had my plays performed. I have lived on a boat, no piracy though and sadly no nunchakus. I am not Babs, with that and a few other exceptions I have actually accomplished or been the things I wanted to be when I grew up. Including having English and Scottish heritage.
And boy has it been FUN!

Re: In terms of celebrities, whose fashion sense do you admire?

Andrea Devis — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:18:16 -0000

I always admired the way Josephine Baker wore bananas like nobodies business! Old Hollywood definitely! The way Edith Head Dressed Clara Bow, amazing, Audrey Hepburn always put together. I relate more to the style of Katharine Hepburn with the love of pants and suits. DV and Lisa Fonssagrives for feminine perfection. Jacques-Henri Lartigue's muse Renee Perle was very fashion forward for her time.

Re: What are you afraid of?

Andrea Devis — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:38:19 -0000

Cockroaches. No joke. In the tropics they rule supreme. At best they crawl on your hair or jump in your cereal for a refreshing swim. At worst small children have been known to go missing...

Re: What are you afraid of?

Andrea Devis — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:45:46 -0000

Best to carry a small can of hairspray and a lighter, just in case...

Re: What about yourself makes you enthusiastic?

Andrea Devis — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:16:08 -0000

I am enthusiastic about recapturing my health. For the last several months I have been sluggish and moody, well more moody than usual...
I have not felt like going anywhere or doing anything.
Turns out heredity has caught up with my thyroid. It is now under control and I have the energy to not just to do things I love, but things I need to do.

Re: What are the tools of your trade?

Andrea Devis — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:46:56 -0000

My parts: Brains, eyes, hands. My obsessions: pens, pencils, assorted notebooks, Post Its (thank you Fry and Silver!). Fujitsu notebook, Determination, Discernment, Brazilian music collection to dance around the living room, Ingenuity, Innovation, the ability to look at people on the Metro and see them but not stare at them. Camera, hammer and nails, drill, saw. Inspiration and direction. H2O!

Re: What do you want to be thanked for?

Andrea Devis — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:52:12 -0000

I find this question interesting. I was raised with the now nearly extinct "Southern Hospitality". And always reminded how important thankfulness and gratitude are to humanity. Being thankful is ingrained into who I am. I appreciate being thanked.
I also believe doing things in expectation of a thank you is manipulation. I do not do anything just for a "thank you". When I do something, I do it from my heart, for the need of the individual, because I want to give, even if it is not someone I am particularly close to or fond of. The feeling of doing something for the right reasons surpasses a "thank you" I would get for doing something for the wrong ones.

Re: What are you afraid of?

Andrea Devis — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:38:26 -0000

No, not Steve! Maybe Steve's teeth, but not Steve.

Re: What is the sound of your voice?

Andrea Devis — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:58:47 -0000

When I was three I heard my "voice" on tape. I was not me, it simply could not be me, I could never sound like that (something muddled between my mother's Northern and my father's Southern). After a few weeks of impressions of Lawrence Olivier, it was not me.
How I sound has been important to me ever since.
My voice has class and character and reflects my experience. It sounds passionate, interested, honest, carries depth, joy, sadness, excitement, love.

Re: What are your favourite blogs or websites?

Andrea Devis — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:22:46 -0000

Fark.com, I prefer my news with as much depression sucked out of it as possible. And Sweetsassafras.org, I wish I had known this woman before I left the Bay Area. Unphotographable.com, for moments when you have that "Oh! I wish I had my camera" or have enough respect when you have one and should refrain from using it."

Re: What are you anticipating?

Andrea Devis — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:31:26 -0000

The best on your move to NorCal it is a great place!

Re: What would be your last meal and with whom would you share it?

Andrea Devis — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:05:02 -0000

Well, I think Danielle has my Mom's bid for who handles her funeral. I kid you not, one day she looked at me and my sister and said, "If anything happens to me, call your friend who has the garage band immediately. Tell him I want him to play Barbra's "Evergreen" in Lenny Kravitz' "Are you gonna go my way" style." It's actually in her will...

To business at hand, this is one of those psychological questions my friends and I used to ask each other as teens. When I was younger and trying to sound deeply impressive I would eat something exotic with champagne in an old monastery in France. Regaling Van Gogh and Dali or Jesus and Father Damian.
Now that I am deeply impressive I would have it at McDonald's. With my fabulous husband and mom and two brothers and their wives and six children and my sister and brother in law and their two children. And about twenty of my closest friends from around the world. I would watch my little nieces and nephews having a blast in the play area and indulge in a rolling around in plastic ball action myself.
I would have sushi brought in from the place next door of course.
And eat all the things off the McMenu I am allergic to.
I would not tell a soul it was my last meal. I would always want them to have the joy of spending time with each other. And have that as a beautiful memory.

Re: How do you fall in love with the world?

Andrea Devis — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:04:56 -0000

Interesting nuance of love is that is has to be maintained.
I fell in love with people and earth as a child. I have traveled to and lived in so many places and experienced diverse cultures. I learned to walk in Alaska, went to a Cajun speaking pre-K in Louisiana, learned to speak Italian by speaking with people on the train while I was there for six months. I grew up with a Japanese family and was taught recipes handed down from my German great grandmother. I am married to a European and live in an area where people with rich backgrounds and culture are abundant. I surround myself with and pursue the things that remind me that the Earth and the ones in it are worth loving. I have never been afraid to maintain that love, I am still in love!

Re: What’s your favourite inspirational quote?

Andrea Devis — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:34:18 -0000

The wise also will hear and increase in learning, and the person of understanding will acquire skill and attain to sound counsel [so that he may be able to steer his course rightly] - Proverbs 1:9 Amplified

There is no present. There is only the immediate future and the recent past. - George Carlin

Re: What are the best Inspirational or “Personal Growth” books you’ve read?

Andrea Devis — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:56:35 -0000

The Bible and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
II Corinthians 1:3+4 and Don't Panic!
Two of the most comforting and practical things I have ever read.

Re: What would you like your home to say about you?

Andrea Devis — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:45:26 -0000

You are "welkom" in our sanctuary, and as long as you respect it and us you will always have a place to stay. :)

Re: What’s your beauty dilemma?

Andrea Devis — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:22:02 -0000

I have always been on the hunt for a toothbrush and shampoo I love, not just like. I can never use the same thing twice and feel as clean or fresh and great smelling as the first time I used it.
I can live with getting wrinkles and grey hair and my experience and character showing on the outside, I would just love to have a good toothbrush that does not leave me thinking "I did all that work for this?" and a shampoo that smells Fab and does not make my curls scream for hydration!

Re: What’s your beauty dilemma?

Andrea Devis — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:01:08 -0000

Definitely meant the toothbrush, I will look into the Braun. And I will be trying Ellen's suggested Marvis toothpaste, I am a big fan of toothpaste, have one for almost everyday of the week. I will also consider the fennel. Thank you for the input!

Re: What’s your beauty dilemma?

Andrea Devis — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:02:26 -0000

Thanks Ellen, will be looking into both!

Re: What’s your beauty dilemma?

Andrea Devis — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:35:50 -0000

I hear and agree and feel the pain of all!
I woke up one day and thought, "I've now had boobs longer than I did not have boobs. I miss the no boob years, alas, they were too few."
Danielle is absolutely right about Nordie's the best place to get sized. They carry Huit and Wacoal which gives great support and is not so old lady looking anymore.
If there is one in your area Mervyn's is a great place for bras, esp. during a sale. They carry Bali and, Lilyette whose sizes go up to 42DD. They have Warners too which can be nice if you get the correct size.
Also good support comes from wider straps and at least 3 hooks in the back, granted this not generally a sexy look but comfort and health are the main issue.
I have also found that if the bra does not have matching or attractive undies Victoria's Secret or Lane Bryant's Cacique usually carries something very similar.

If all else fails you can do what my Grandfather did for my Grandmother, have your bras custom made in Taiwan.

Re: What’s your image of God?

Andrea Devis — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:45:08 -0000

I agree with Carrie about Nature. An infinite abundance of beauty and dead on accuracy in Earth's distance from the sun, gravity and water cycle, and light our greatest source of energy, as Richard Feynman said, "We have no knowledge of what 'energy' is", for me those things are a true reflection of God.
Physically, I equate God with spirit and energy which do not have a form. I like the description in the Bible in Daniel 7:9. I picture someone with infinite wisdom, pure and Holy, benevolent and worthy of devotion.

Re: What are your 3 top priorities this week?

Andrea Devis — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:17:46 -0000

1. Have protein instead of cake for breakfast.
2. Pack for move at end of month.
3. Act on my intention to work out when I wake up in the morning.

Re: How has astrology influenced your life or a decision?

Andrea Devis — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:33:15 -0000

A bit of info about astrology: It is supposed to help people understand themselves and what their future holds in regard to their birth date and the position of the celestial elements.

It is commonly believed to have originated in Babylon, though many other places practiced around the same time. Babylon suffered a nasty and completely unexpected takeover in 539.

Sir Isaac Newton and French psychologist Michel Gauquelin have conducted interesting experiments with astrology.

Not trying to rain on anyone's parade here but I have never been influenced by astrology. Doesn't it take away from our humanity to think we are being guided by or we are the way we are because of
giant components controlled by gravity and just doing their job?

I plot my course, I control my future, I am responsible. I do not leave these important elements of what make me human up to inarticulate balls of matter who cannot understand my feelings or thoughts, who cannot feel love or care about me.

Re: How has astrology influenced your life or a decision?

Andrea Devis — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:44:38 -0000

On the contrary, I do not have hate for the celestial influences, I used to work for an astro-physicist at Stanford. I am quite aware of the influences of the celestial bodies. And the fact we are made up of the elements found in those celestial bodies. ;D

I was not trolling, thank you, I was merely answering the question based on my Christian beliefs to worship my Creator and not His creations and the proof science gives of what goes on in the universe. Not on how someone else commented.

If people want to believe in astrology etc. that is their business, I was not and do not criticize anyone's beliefs. I have just had more than Biblical and scientific proof by discovering too many dead astrologers and tarot card readers in New Orleans after Katrina to ever believe in it.

Thank you for your consideration of my initial post.