welcome to the new adventure!

It's here! After ten months of research, hard work, focus groups and assembling just the right team, the new Happygirl Experiment website is now launched! As you explore the new website, you'll find big differences from the former Happygirl blog including more interaction, more adventures and more how-to's to getting your happy back.

Here is the guide to the guide:

    charming:  sublime things, places and food

           the guide: the how-to guide to getting your happy back

     smitten: profiles and interviews with inspiring and adventurous people

insights: stories from a childhood in a trailer park to life as a celebrity interviewer

       entertainme: reviews of films, music, tv and pop culture

I hope you enjoy exploring the new site and that it can inspire you on your own adventure to happiness. Here's what it all comes down to: You just have to have the dream. Get out of your own way and believe that you can do something. Thank you for being on this adventure with me. Oh, the places we'll go!

And if you'll indulge me, I'd like to thank a few people for getting me to this point, to this day I have dreamed about:

To my husband, L. Most people work up to thanking their partners at the end of their thanks to everyone else, but Larry, you are my sunshine, my light, my ever wonderful best friend. It is when my head is against your chest that I am home. Thank you for being The Happyguy. I love you so.

To my family, Carol (I could not have imagined a better mother-in-law), Carolyn and Sue, my sisters-in-law, I don't know how I got so lucky. I love you three women like you were my own mother and sisters.

To my Aunt Lee Taylor for inspiring me since I was a little girl.

To you, the Happygirl Viewers who left me comments and sent me email. You inspired me to keep going when things kept going badly and I wanted to quit. Your feedback meant the world to me. Thank you.

To my friends who stayed by my side when life was unimaginably awful providing coffee, flowers left on the front step, strong hugs, pep talks and most importantly tough love when I needed it: Ginger, Sara K., Victoria, Teni, Bonnie, Lisa L., Karaleen, Josie, Maria, Trudy, Sylvia, Lisa F., Todd, Jen, Charles, Pam, Patrick, Roni, Stuart, Megan, Vicki, Shereen, Laura, Edward, Carol, Lucki and Jim, Bill, Erynn, Susan, Kathleen, Brenda, Sarah, Emily, Kathryn, Andrea, Guy, Lisa FM, John, Sara V., Dr. Lora and Dr. Kim. I will always be ever grateful to you.

To Kelly from FabulousK for creating this website of my dreams. Thank you for being patient with me as we did change upon change upon change. You are extraordinary.

To the legal team led by Jenni, thank you for taking care of the legal end of things!

To Sister Susan and Sister Mary Magdalene for being my touchpoints and for your prayers. And to Sister Marlene, my high school senior English teacher. You were the toughest teacher I ever had but you helped me learn the value of index cards, organization and you encouraged my writing. I love you three Sisters.

And to Microsoft. Because of you, from 1995 to 2009 I got to live the most extraordinary life in a role that challenged me and allowed me to work alongside the smartest people I've ever had the opportunity to meet. I traveled almost a million miles in this job exploring, interviewing and growing. Three years ago I could never have imagined that I would thank you for eliminating my job on May 5, 2009, but here I am thanking you. It was what led me here today.

Like in an Oscar speech with the music playing, I feel like I am forgetting someone, and if I am, apologies!

Please let me know what you think of the new site! I look forward to where this will take us.
http://www.thehappygirlexperiment.com/search/label/the%20guide