A Typical Week

A typical week in review:

- 18 meetings that consumed 19 hours -

- helped orgainize a beer and pizza for 100 people ( yes, I have experience catering)

- Creating a new way of doing something that has half of the company rejoicing and the other half upset with me.

- handed out paychecks - one of the fun parts of being a manager.

- dropped off my mothers laundry at lunch one day.

- reacted to almost 1000 emails - today alone over 300 and it is Friday.

- Got chewed out twice for something I didn't do,

- Got thanked for helping someone else meet their goals

- Encouraged a bunch of folks to put in a little extra effort to complete a major milestone company.

No wonder I'm tired and ready to go home.

Lights on a Christmas Tree

We stand and look at the lights on a Christmas tree. A small child stands and looks with eyes of amazement at the colors and the reflections all around; the wonder and the hope of what Christmas may bring. A teenager stands and looks with the excitement of a child, but doesn’t want to show it trying to be the adult that is yet to be. A young parent looks with the warmth of the new meaning each Christmas has for their child. The grandparent looks with the eyes of remembrances of Christmas’ past. A giggle, a glisten, a dream, a tear all captured as we look at the lights on a Christmas tree.

Odd Christmas Traditions

In Italy they have no Christmas trees, instead they decorate small wooden pyramids with fruit.

In Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela, it is customary for the streets to be blocked off on Christmas Eve so that the people can roller-skate to church.

An artificial spider and web are often included in the decorations on Ukrainian Christmas trees. A spider web found on Christmas morning is believed to bring good luck.

It is a British Christmas tradition that a wish made while mixing the Christmas pudding will come true only if the ingredients are stirred in a clockwise direction.

A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig prepared with mustard.

Sending red Christmas cards to anyone in Japan constitutes bad etiquette, since funeral notices there are customarily printed in red.

12 Days of Christmas - PC

This morning on the news they were talking about the "Cost" of the gifts for the 12 Days of Christmas being higher again this year. I found this "politically correct" version and decided to share it:

On the 12th day of the Eurocentrically imposed midwinter festival, my
Significant Other in a consenting adult, monogamous relationship gave to
me:

TWELVE males reclaiming their inner warrior through ritual drumming,

ELEVEN pipers piping (plus the 18-member pit orchestra made up of
members in good standing of the Musicians Equity Union as called for in
their union contract even though they will not be asked to play a note),

TEN melanin deprived testosterone-poisoned scions of the patriarchal
ruling class system leaping,

NINE persons engaged in rhythmic self-expression,

EIGHT economically disadvantaged female persons stealing milk-products
from enslaved Bovine-Americans,

SEVEN endangered swans swimming on federally protected wetlands,

SIX enslaved Fowl-Americans producing stolen non-human animal products,

FIVE golden symbols of culturally sanctioned enforced domestic incarceration,

(NOTE after members of the Animal Liberation Front threatened to throw
red paint at my computer, the calling birds, French hens and partridge
have been reintroduced to their native habitat. To avoid further
Animal-American enslavement, the remaining gift package has been
revised.)

FOUR hours of recorded whale songs

THREE deconstructionist poets

TWO Sierra Club calendars printed on recycled processed tree carcasses

AND a Spotted Owl activist chained to an old-growth pear tree.

Age Just Doesn't Matter

I have a friend of mine that has learned to skateboard, she learned at the Jr High school after classes from one of her students. You see she is a school teacher and will retire at the end of this year. Here she is in her early 60s, learning to skateboard just to have a common interest and experience with her students. She can now be found on one Saturday a month at the Skate Park just connecting with the kids and trying to keep them out of trouble.

This past Sunday I was blessed with the opportunity to play my guitar for the Jr High service at church. There I am, probably old enough to be grandmother to some of those kids and for a few minutes, with a common interest and purpose we spanned the generations and just Worshiped the Lord.

When we have common interest and purpose, age just doesn’t matter.

Wal-Mart at Midnight

It is during the holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years that traditions become more apparent. There is the tradition of Turkey and all the trimmings for Thanksgiving, a tree trimmed with lights at Christmas, and College football on New Years Day. All of these are traditions that are observed by a number of us.

Then there are the traditions that each family has. My husband’s family has a number of traditions. Pecan pie, sweet potatoes and garlic mashed potatoes are a required at Thanksgiving. Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve starting with a lot of Swedish food, crab and pickled herring, followed up with some singing, piano and poems by the younger children and the evening is topped off with an early visit from Santa (red suit, beard and all). New Years day it is the annual College Bowl Game Extravaganza a little friendly wager going on about who can pick the most winners of the major bowl games.

In my family the traditions were less elaborate for us it was about having an early dinner at both Thanksgiving and Christmas so that we could clean the table off and start working on the biggest jigsaw puzzle we could afford. My sister and I have been known to stay up all night until it was finished except for the last piece. Somewhere during the day my dad would randomly pick a piece off the table and then put it in his pocket so he could put the last piece in. At Christmas we also had the tradition that Santa always brought socks. It started one year when there wasn’t a lot of money and we kids really needed socks. It was exciting to see that Santa knew what we needed. Even today my sisters and I all celebrate Christmas with our own families away from each other and Santa leaves socks at each house for everyone.

My other family recently started a tradition were all of us girls head out for a late night trip to Wal-Mart. It is more about being silly and out with each other, but we also end up buying a whole lot more than we planned. We top the night off by sitting and eating McDonald’s after midnight before we head home.

Traditions are what make the holidays special. Some traditions are forever; some come and go as the stages of our life change. But one thing for sure there will always be traditions.

Hit Your Target

This past week I was sitting watching TV with one of the interns that is living with us. A commercial came on and he commented on how he thought that it was really innovative. As I told him I really didn’t like it and found it almost offensive. Considering there is about 30 years age difference between us it really shows who the target was for that particular advertisement.

What clothes we wear is an area that we hit a target every time we dress. Would you go out and build a snowman in a Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts? Would you show up at the office in a mini-skirt and a halter-top? Now these might be the extremes, but what about the more subtle clothes we wear? When I am sitting around home I really enjoy being comfortable, I put on warm-up pants and a sweatshirt. When I am meeting with customers or even in my everyday business attire I am in a suit with a jacket or a skirt. I do dress down on casual Friday and wear a more casual look, usually jeans and a jacket, but not tennis shoes. I dress for success at the office because that is the target I am aiming for.

So what other areas should we target? What about the food we eat, what target are we aiming at? Or the people we associate with? What about the stuff we watch on the tv or the internet sites we visit, what target are we aiming at?

That commercial will never get me to purchase from that company, but it might get someone else interested. What are you aiming for?

Empty Chair

Thanksgiving is a time to express all that we are thankful for and for God’s provision throughout the year and it is a truly splendid time. As we prepare to celebrate, peeling the potatoes, baking the pies, stuffing the bird; I would guess that all us know of someone, a family member, a co-worker or a friend that has an empty place at the dinner table this year.

This empty chair may be the result of a long illness, a broken relationship, a freak accident, or a circumstance that ripped a loved one away. We will miss those people at our table,we will miss the stories they would tell.

Some of the stories are about life and are from first had experiences. Some of the stories are those of previous generations and will be repeated for generations to come. Some of the stories are of dreams that will never be lived out. Some of the stories will be fulfilled through a different avenue in a different time.

This year we are also thankful for that empty chair; for what was and what has yet to come.

Smiles

A smile is like a Swiss Army Knife, every body should have one, they are used for many purposes and they are easy to carry around.

Think about all the different types of smiles:

There is the wide opened mouth smile of a baby that lights up their whole face.

There is the plastered on smile when you are having a bad day and really don’t want anyone asking about it.

There is the smile on a child’s face as they see grandma and grandpa in the audience at a school recital.

There is the smile of an old man as he holds the door for a lady to enter the room.

There is the smile of clinched teeth when inside you are screaming “you idiot” at someone.

There is the smile of embarrassment that you use when you cut off another driver.

There is the cheesy smile you use when you pose for a picture (sometimes this is a family trait.)

There is the smile that is so encompassing that your eyes seem to disappear behind it.

There is the smile of comfort you use trying to give someone support in a seemingly hopeless situation.

There is the smile of victory as you accomplish a tough goal.

There is the smile of defeat when you don’t win.

There is the smile on an old woman’s face as she cradles a small baby in her arms.

There is the smile on a dad’s face beaming with pride as his son turns his first double play.

There is the smile exchanged between a husband and a wife just because.

And the list could go on. Smiles are like a Swiss Army Knife, everyone should have one, they can be used in any situation, and they are easy to carry. Maybe we should all smile more?

Neither Hail, Nor Sleet,

Tonight as I was leaving work it started to rain, then just as suddenly it became a downpour with full blown hail. Enough hail in Canyon Park that it accumulated on the road. As I was comfortably driving down the road in my mini-van I pulled up along side a guy on his Harley. It was obvious that this guy was uncomfortable. If you have ever ridden a motorcycle in the rain you know just how much the drops can sting, just imagine if the rain is actually frozen?

As I thought of that guy on the Harley I know that even though he ran into a little rain and hail tonight, I’m sure he will be out riding that thing probably later this week when it is suppose to be sunny. When I had a motorcycle I would ride any time it was above 40 degrees. Just because he was uncomfortable he won’t quit riding a motorcycle. He may need to not ride it at times when the road is too icy but I am sure that once the road is clear again he will be out there.

When God has called us to do something it isn’t always uncomfortable. It might mean we have to get up early in the morning to pray and spend time with God when we would rather stay in bed and sleep a little more. It may mean that we attend church services on nights after a busy day at the office when we would rather stay at home. It might mean that we sacrifice a latte or two to give an extra offering to buy toys for the kids at Christmas.

God promises to “Never leave us nor forsake us”. He never says we won’t be uncomfortable.

If Money Wasn’t an Issue

A few years ago a group of us from work were sitting in a restaurant waiting to catch the shuttle bus to the airport waiting to catch a flight home. While we were sitting there one of the guys asked the question, “What would you do if you didn’t have to worry about the money?” So around the table we went each of us telling what we would do. There was never a question that we all would still do something. There was talk about becoming a college professor, a business owner, a car designer, a historian and then it was my turn.
My response totally surprised them all, one because of the quickness that I responded, two the detail of the response and three it was totally not what they would have expected.

If money was not an issue what I would do is have a small deli in an industrial park where you had regulars. The shop would only be open from about 5am to 2pm and the menu would have a muffins, coffee cakes and a breakfast sandwich in the mornings and then in the afternoon there would be a soup of the day and a limited selection of sandwiches and possibly a special of the day – ie lasagna or bbq port sandwich. I’m not sure I would offer the foo foo coffees; I really don’t want the noise of an espresso machine. We would have coffee with free refills and tea and cocoa. On the wall would be a rack where you would bring in your own cup and would get a discount if you used it. There would be tables and chair, no booths, so that you could sit around and just talk.

I got the idea for the coffee cup wall from a small place I have visited in Albuquerque, NM., I like the idea of the tables and no booths from Barney’s Pastrami shop in Everett, and the industrial park from Ella’s in Canyon Park.

There are more and more days lately that I dream of this place and wonder how I could make it work. But for now money is still an issue and I will keep the job I have and trust God to provide my hearts desire in His time.

A New Calling

On Wednesday I posted an entry about how my husband processes stuff in his life by cooking. I mentioned that he cooked up a storm last Saturday and blessed a few folks with the results. One of those that received some of the lasagna he made actually posted about how good his lasagna was or more correctly how her cold prevented her from enjoying the taste. (http://graumamama.vox.com/library/post/tasteless.html).

If you read that comments from that post it is clear to realize that anyone that has tasted his lasagna wants to be on the receiving end of more of his “processing”. This past summer we went away with a group and they requested that he bring enough lasagna for all. One of the folks on the receiving end of that dinner was one of our dear friends who’s mother is Italian and makes her stuff from scratch and he even said it was good. Not bad for a guy with Swedish, Jewish, German ancestors.

I for one don’t really like lasagna, but I really enjoy Kyle’s and what he made this week was excellent.

I guess my husband hobby of cooking may become his new calling. I joke that I should start selling the stuff on eBay so that I can retire. So how much would a pan of lasagna go for, I’m not sure but it might be fun to find out, anyone interested in bidding?

As we go through life we dream of the perfect job, is that job one that just makes us the most money or is it one that brings us the most pleasure?

NEXT:
If money wasn’t a consideration what would you do for a job?

It's Over... We Think

Our saga started back in May, it was then that we got the first letter from the IRS saying that we owed them $$$$$$$ since they were not allowing our charitable contributions for the year 2005. I read the letter they said we could contend it by sending in documentation proving our contributions were legit, but they also recommended that we pay the back taxes and fines NOW so that we didn’t incur any more penalties and interest. OK, now does that sound stupid or what? There is no way I am sending anyone money that I know they don’t deserve. Not only did we have every one of the receipts we us a CPA to do our taxes just so that we don’t pay more than we need to in taxes each year.

I dutifully make copies of our receipts (again never send in the originals) and send them back to the appropriate address via a registered letter just so I know that they did receive them. I figured once they got the receipts that they would just close the case. We had everything documented down to the penny. No receipt – no deduction.

So then a couple of months go by and we get another letter. This time they accepted a few of our contributions but wanted more details. “Please pay us now and then send us any supporting documentation.” It was after this letter that we contacted our CPA. He agreed we had done the right thing the first time and he called them up and they said it was just the system and they hadn’t reviewed the information I had sent yet.

A month later we get another letter. “Please pay us now we still won’t allow all your contributions.” Another call to the IRS by our CPA and they tell us that we need to send in not only the receipts but all the cancelled checks.

Another couple of months go by and no word from them and then last week we get another letter. “We aren’t accepting your documentation, please pay us $$$$ now or accrue interest and penalties.” WHAT we did nothing wrong all of our contributions are legal and we have every piece of documentation to prove it. For a week our CPA tries to talk to a body and only gets voice mail and finally today he talks to a ‘lady’. She looks in our file and says “Oh, we closed that file just yesterday.” So why the letter last week? “That’s just the system.” When will we have a document saying that file is closed and we owe nothing? “The system will send that out in about 4 weeks.”

For tonight we are praising God that our little experience with the IRS is over and in 5 weeks if we don’t have a closing letter from them we will try and figure out what the system is up to now.

Processing

How do you process through thing? I need to get them out into thoughts, either spoken or written. As I form the thoughts I usually come up with answers to the issues and perplexities that bother me.

Kyle on the other hand, like most men, internalizes and needs to ‘do’ something. Some men will go and rebuild an engine, clean out the garage, or build something in the wood shop, for my husband he needs to cook.

This past Saturday Kyle needed to work through a few things so into the kitchen he went. He made two large pans of lasagna, a double batch of cream cheese brownies, a cake and a cheese cake. At the end of two hours he had everything done, blessed four different families and had resolved the issues he was dealing with.

When he gets like this I just stay out of the way and keep the pile of dishes and pans stacked in the sink from falling over.

Here he is in mid-process.

Stamped

All we ever want is to be accepted, validated, approved, or accepted. Too bad we have to try and label ourselves and other. All too often our thoughts, actions and visions are nullified, invalidated and negated because others fail to take the time to truly listen.

Is there a greater rejection then to have a dream or vision stamped with a big VOID?

Candle Light

This morning 10 minutes after I got out of bed the power went out. I found the flashlight and then went around the house collecting the candles so I would have enough light to get ready for work. I have found that it works best to get a few candles and sit them up near the mirror in the bathroom and I can do a pretty good job of getting my makeup on without looking like Bozo the Clown when I am done.

I do have a couple of flashlights, they have more ‘candle’ power but because it is focused they are not as practical for lighting up a larger area such as the whole room. I took one candle this morning and carried it upstairs and was able to see well enough to walk around and not stub a toe. But when it came time to write in my journal and read the bible I needed the power of the flashlight to be able to see all the detail.

Light is an amazing thing. One single candle lights up a whole room. Yet you can focus that light to the point that is cuts through tungsten steel (laser cutting) or repair a human eye. We can have many interest but we are the most powerful when we focus our energy.

If Only She Could Talk

On Sunday afternoon Kyle and I came home and found one of our cats sitting at the table in front of an open Bible. This was not posed, this is how we found her. I grabbed the camera and took the shot and still she didn't move. I wonder what she was thinking?

Here are some thoughts that Kyle and I came up with:

* "I got a revelation!"

* "Elijha or Elisha?"

* " I sure hope to get past the begats soon."

* "As for me and my house we shall serve the Lord."

* "See I told you cats rule, He is the Lion of Judah."

* " So when do I get to preach?"

So do you have other captions?

Veterans Day

Pardon Me?

Are you hearing all that you should be? In a crowded room do you need to be looking at someone to be able to understand what they are saying? How about as you walk down the street or through the mall and someone beside you is talking and they look away in mid sentence do you still hear them? For me the answers are no, yes, and no.

I had my hearing tested this past week at work and it showed that I had deficits in certain ranges so Kyle now you know that it isn’t just selective hearing when you speak, your voice really is in a range that I can’t hear.

Not being able to hear my husband speak is a real bummer. When we are out walking or in a restaurant I have to be facing him to hear what he is saying. Just yesterday at lunch we were sitting in a booth talking quietly and he happened to put his had up over his mouth and I lost part of the conversation so I had to have him repeat it. It wasn’t even a noisy restaurant at that. I miss what he is trying to communicate to me at time just because it gets lost in the background noise.

How many times does this happen with God, He loves us and is constantly trying to speak to us and the background noise muddles the words He speaks. He wants us to hear him clearly and often we just can’t filter out the noise around us. We need to focus on His face and we will never miss a word He says.

1 in 7 Billion

Odd, strange, weird, unusual, not normal, peculiar, uncommon, oddball, freak, geek; all words used to describe someone that is different, all adjectives that have been used to describe me. I will be the first to admit I am different.

I am different in my likes and dislikes, I am different when it comes to allergies, and I am different when it comes to my profession. I have come to face the fact that I am different.
I don’t like turkey or seafood, I am allergic to NutraSweet and I am a woman that is a technologist. I am an enigma.

Throughout my life it has always been this way and it hasn’t always been easy to be different. Now I enjoy and appreciate my uniqueness and I know that when my husband tells me that I am “1 in 7 Billion” like he did one afternoon this week, it is a term of appreciation and endearment and not derogatory.

I am fearfully and wonderfully made to be the unique woman I am and I will cherish my difference.

Unique (def): Being the only one of its kind; without an equal or equivalent; unparalleled.

No Regrets – Epilogue

After posting my one regret last night I couldn’t help but think about it today, have I really resolved it, grown from it and am free of the shame and guilt of almost letting a man die in my fear?

I realized that there is one significant thing different about me now than back in 1982. I am now a Born Again Christian and have not been given a spirit of fear.

In the last 12 years there have been a few occasions where I was again in a situation where my actions truly saved lives. Twice I had to do the Heimlich maneuver on someone who was choking and the third time I stood face to face with a man, without backing away and talked him out of using the gun he had in his hand.

2 Timothy 1:7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

No Regrets

No Regrets

Last night I had to make a quick stop at the store on the way home. As I was pulling out of the parking spot I happened to catch a quick glance at a bumper sticker on the car next to me. I thought of that most of the way home so later in the evening after a couple of hours of work I did a Google search and was able to find a copy of it. Here it is:

No Regrets. Am I destined to live a life of no regret? Regret is not only the dislike for an action committed, but also as the lack of action in a situation.

There is one time in my life so far that I can say is a true regret due to lack of action. It happened when I was taking my open water scuba dive to become certified. Here we were down in a murky lake in last October with very limited visibility. There were about 10 of us in the dive group including the instructor diving in and around a sunken school bus and airplane. As we were nearing the end of the day and the end of the dive, one of the guys in the group ran out of air. In his panic he reached out to grab hold of anything near him as lack of oxygen took hold. His eyes inside of his scuba mask bulging and unable to focus on anything as the instructor approached him with a spare mouth piece that would have given him the oxygen he so craved. In the confusion the panicked man grabbed onto the buckle of the weight belt around the instructors waist and opened it. The instructor immediately lost the ability to stay under water and popped to the surface as a bobber on a fishing line. The frantic man reached for anyone and anything trying to find just one breath.

As he approached me I backed away and swam to the surface. I did not try and help this man, I backed away. I did not hand him my spare mouth piece as I had been trained, I backed away. I let his panic effect the way I was thinking and backed away.

As I came to the surface, I looked around and watched as two others in our dive group brought the semi-conscious man to the surface. As he drew his first breath of air, he started to cough up the lake water he had swallowed in those last minutes of panic and slowly rolled onto his back in complete exhaustion. That man survived and I passed my dive exam.

Is there ever a life without any regrets? Probably not, but the key is what you do when you have a regret, you can either become loaded down with guilt and remorse or you can learn from the situation and grow. I have used what happened in 1982 to motivate me to be prepared for every situation and to manage my own fear and panic.
No regrets, at least no unresolved regrets that’s my destiny.

I Miss the Stickers

I sat down last night and filled out my Absentee ballet last night and mailed it today so I officially voted.

I really like doing the mail in ballots they are easy to do and I don’t have to find time on Election Day to get to the polling place.

It was always strange to go into the local elementary school and try and find exactly where the polling booths were located. Once in the room it was usually staffed by a number of blue haired ladies with stacks of names printed out on green bar paper and it always seemed like they just couldn’t find my name. Don’t forget the little sticker they gave you after you were done. So for those of you that have mailed in your ballets, here’s your sticker.

Book Reviews

So on vacation I finished both of the books that came out on Sept 23rd by a couple of my favorite authors.

So here is what I thought:








John Grisham's "Playing for Pizza". In my opinion it was not one of his best. I enjoyed it and will read anything that he writes, but it almost felt like he just quit instead of really working on the ending.

Wait for the paper back or better yet borrow one.






Nicholas Sparks' "The Choice"





OH MY GOODNESS!!! If you thought you knew how this one would end you have never read one of his book before. If you haven't read one of his before this one will hook you.

Why We Go

Some people ask us why we go to Puerto Vallarta so much. They ask why we don’t go to other location like Cancun or Hawaii. But the truth is that it isn’t about:

- the weather, at times the heat, humidity and rain make it uncomfortable.

- the sun shine, it really doesn’t take too much of it to burn this fair skin.

- the beach, we actually spend little time on the beach.

- our friends, after nine years we have some strong relationships.

- the compound, the building looks good and serves a purpose.



It is all about the kids. Kids that like to play, a kid like Joey that is working hard to make something of his life and yet he is only 11, kids that just want a little attention.


It is about seeing my husband walking down the middle of a dusty dirt road with a line of children linked hand and hand on either side of him as they laugh, giggle and squeal with delight marching down the street counting in English with each step and when they get to ten he does a little dance that leaves them crying out for more.


It is all about the kids

Some Where...

… today there is rejoicing.

…today there is a party.

…today there is happiness all around.

…today there are hearts overflowing.






But here…

… today and everyday there is God’s Love, Mercy and Faithfulness.