R - Roses and Road Trips

Roses – Roses are synonymous with my dad, he had a passion for roses. The fence along our back yard was lined with various rose bushes because he was a tester for Jackson & Perkins. Our house always had fresh roses in a vase during the spring and summer. When my dad was first diagnosed with cancer it was a difficult time but we also knew we needed to stay up beat and hopeful. I lived out of state but I remember the call I got from my sister telling me the idea she had when he went in for his first surgery.

My dad came through the first surgery fine and was in his room relaxing when a florist delivered this long box with a big bow around it. He slid the bow off and removed the lid to expose the familiar green tissue paper. Slowly he pulled back the paper on one end to expose the ends of some rose stems. He then went to the other end of the box pulling the paper back and at that moment started laughing so hard that he choked and the nurse came running in from the hall. He proudly pulled from the box a dozen fresh cut rose STEMS. That’s right we sent him just the stems. All’s the nurse could say at that point was, “ I sure hope that means they love you.” For the rest of his stay those stems were proudly displayed in a vase of water next to his bed.

Road Trips – from Jr. High through High School, vacation time meant a road trip to some part of the country for Majorette and Drum Corp Competition. My mom and dad would load us four kids up into the station wagon and attach a rented popup camper to the back and off we would go. We traveled to Minneapolis, Atlanta, Kansas City, Milwaukee and Boston during those years. One year we flew to Seattle but that is not the same. On our trips we would head out early in the morning and only stop for gas usually. We packed bread, bologna and fruit and made sandwiches as we flew down the highway. I remember one trip however when we did make a stop, it was on our way to Atlanta and we stopped in Oakridge Tennessee to visit the American Museum of Atomic Energy. We spent the day touring this facility and learning all about Atomic Energy. I was totally fascinated but I will never know why my dad chose this spot out of all the other things around the country we could have stopped at.

Q - Quality Time and Quiche

Quality Time – Last weekend we went to lunch with friends and we somehow got on the topic of Country Music. I don’t like country and Kyle does so our friends asked us what we listen to when we are together driving in the car. We listen to each other. We turn off the radio, CD players, etc and enjoy our time together. We have driven for hundreds of miles together with no outside influences. It is in those times when we are riding along together that we have Quality Time. I think it started when we were dating, I know we have made major decisions after deep conversations while driving along. Quality Time for us is when we remove all the external distractions and just talk.

Quiche – I heard a radio announcer say a few weeks ago that Quiche needed a manlier name, something like bacon pie. Take Quiche Lorraine, it has eggs, bacon and a crush, = Man pie. I didn’t use to eat eggs, not sure why, but then I started eating quiche. Quiche is just one of those dishes where you eat it and you are satisfied and don’t over eat. . Oh and it helps that my cholesterol reading is so low that it barely registers and they don’t even bother to test it. I one time had a Heart Specialist tell me that with my cholesterol, heart rate, and low blood pressure that I would never have a heart attack. Bring on the Quiche

P – Parades and Pike

Parades – “I love a Parade” Music Man, 1927. That song could be my theme song. I don’t know what it is about parades but I so enjoy BEING in them. I was in my 1st parade when I was in the 3rd grade. It was the 4th of July Bike parade in our neighborhood. My sister, brother and I were dressed up as the fife and drummers of the Spirit of 76. I have paraded on a National Scale with a competition Majorette and Drum Corp. I have paraded on the local level with Jr. High and High School band. I have paraded with my church and now I participate in parades to get my brother-in-law the politician elected or re-elected. It doesn’t take much to get me in a parade. Just ask. I don’t know what it is but I just love being in a parade.

Pike – I grew up in Michigan. Starting in about the 7th grade my family would take our vacation and head off to the Northern Peninsula where we would rent a cabin and spend at least a week fishing for Pike, Northern Pike. I have so many memories I could share but the best one is probably the 1st one, our first night ever, first night of fishing for Northern Pike. My dad had rented a 12 v-bottom boat with a 5 horse motor stuck on the back. That first evening my dad took my younger sister, who was about 8 at the time and myself being about 13 at dusk we set off to a patch of reeds along the edge of the channel. We dropped anchor and started to fish. Now I had fished before, caught many, but mostly perch, bluegills and a few lake trout, nothing over 8 inches in length. That day we had stopped at the hardware store to get my dad a fishing license and the tackle, Red & White Daredevil Spoon with 12” steel leaders. I had only fished with worms and minnow prior to that. We also found out that anything under 22” had to be thrown back, WHAT 22” that is a huge fish. We had just barely arrived in our spot and stated casting our lines when my dad hooked his first Northern. He is really fighting this fish the line plays out and he is cranking the handle when all of a sudden he yells for me to grab the net. WHAT? Grab the net what net? I started to panic; finally I get a hold of the net and start to edge of the boat. I look over the side just as the fish comes to the surface. I almost jumped out the other side of the boat and my little sister is sitting on the very front and if she could she would have walked on water. My dad again yells for me to get the net and scoop up the fish. Not knowing what to do I dip that net in the water and go at the fish front on. Now anyone who knows fish knows that when you put a net in their face they don’t like that. You should if possible net them from behind.

So I have this fish in the net, just in time I might say as I lift it into the boat the hook becomes dislodge and the fish starts to flip around in the net. This fish is 30 inches long, almost half the size I am. There is no way this one is getting away so I fling that net upside down on the bottom of the boat trapping the fish in so it can’t get away. Well with all the flinging I also tangled those three prong hooks on my dad’s lures into the net so badly that we were done fishing for the night. My dad was so excited, frustrated and angry all at once. To this day my mom talks about my dad loudly explaining how to net a fish, she was across the lake and could hear him. Needless to say I learned to just hold the net up until he could grab the fish and he and I spent the remaining summers of his life out fishing together for pike each year on vacation.

My idea of clubbing

O - Oy vey and Osmosis

Oy vey – have you ever reached that point of total exasperation? When you are ready to pull your hair out or worse yet throw a full on fit? How can you possibly describe that feeling, which is where the expression Oy vey came from, it is that untranslatable expression. My husband, that favorite Jew of mine, (yes even his family converted to Christianity before his mother was born he is of Jewish blood) uses this phrase without even realizing it. This is one of those phrases that has crept into everyday language and across cultures in the US.

Osmosis – the unconscious process of assimilation. I must confess I have been assimilated into today’s culture in many ways and yet I am still a Baby Boomer at heart. I don’t have TIVO, a video game, or an iPod, I have very few music CDs and no music DVDs. I have not downloaded ringtones or music from the Apple Store. I would rather read a book than watch a movie. I don’t use Netflicks and seldom rent DVDs. I like Windows XP and command lines. I still use the phrase ‘cool’ and haven’t converted to ‘sweet’. So I guess I am not completely assimilated to today’s culture, but text messaging, twitter and blogging are necessities for me.

N- Nuclear Fusion and Normalize

Nuclear Fusion – the joining together of two nuclei to form more massive nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy, if you this about it, this is also the definition of marriage. You take two individuals that are powerful and full of energy in their own right, full of potential to accomplish so much. But then join the two to where they become one and there is an release of energy and potential that cannot be artificially produced and is difficult to control. But just like Nuclear Fusion if this energy is not controlled it can be explosive and destructive. Fusion reactions power the stars and if we could figure out how to control it we could power produce enough energy from eight gallons of water equivalent to 2,500 gallons of gasoline.

Normalize – is the process of cooling a metal so that it does not become brittle. Have you ever watched a black smith shape a horse shoe? The heat the metal to glowing red hot and then start to hammer it into shape. At just the right time the shoe is dipped in a bucket of cold water that cools the metal and then back to the furnace for more heat and then a few more hammer blows and another dip in the bucket. This process repeats until the shoe is at the right shape and the right strength. The heating of the metal until it is glowing hot releases the stresses inside allowing the black smith the ability to form it and shape it. The hammer blows shape the metal into a specific purpose. The hammer blows also induce stress and if too many are made at one time the metal itself will break. The dip into the water is the where the stresses are annealed and the strength and shape from the hammer blows are trapped inside. Have you ever taken a metal coat hanger and bent it back and forth until it broke? Ever notice how hot those ends got? That is what happens when the metal is not normalized or annealed.

I have found that in my own walk with the Lord that there are times when the pressures of the day are hot to the point that I am glowing, it is in that time that I am stretched, hammered and formed. But there is always a time where I am cooled and come out ready to work hard and I will not break. I have been made for such a time as this.

M – Memory and Mackinac Bridge

Memory – on a pretty regular basis I get a pop up from my computer that tells me that I am out of virtual memory. I’m sorry to say I get the same message from my brain these days also. There is just not enough virtual memory or speed to access all that unique information that I have retained over the years. Important things I remember like how to catch Northern Pike, how to tape a sprained ankle on a hockey player, how to test the hardness of metal or how to twirl a fire baton. So the next time you want to roast a marshmallow over a flaming baton, give me a call.

Mackinac Bridge – The big Mac is one of the world’s longest suspension bridges connecting the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. From water line to waterline it is 5 miles long making longer than the Golden Gate and the Oakland Bay Bridge. The Mackinac Bridge was built in the 50s and my great uncle Camie helped build it. Not only did he help build that bridge, on the day in 1958 when the bridge was dedicated he did a hand stand on the top of one of the towers that are 552 feet about the water’s surface. I have driven across this bridge more times that I can count. I grew up in the Lower Peninsula but I had aunts, uncles and cousins that lived in the Upper Peninsula (UP) and I went to college in the UP. I always love driving on the center lanes that are metal slats because you can look down and see the water below. Someday I may be there on Labor Day to do the bridge walk. If you ever watch Modern Marvels they often talk about the Mighty Mackinac.

The Great Debate

For the last 6 months I have been carrying two phones, a Razor and a Curve. Starting tomorrow I will only have one. Problem is now I have to decide if I want a Smartphone or not.

I ended up with two phones back in January when I changed companies and for various reasons I choose to keep the number I had been using for business for the last 7 years as my personal phone/number and opted for the Motorola razor and got the Blackberry Curve for business. I am going to get rid of the new business number and only have my personal number so now do I upgrade my plan/phone to a Smartphone or not?

Reasons for NOT upgrading:
- I won’t be connected to work 24/7.
- When I am away from my laptop I would be away from email.
- The plan cost less

Reasons TO upgrade:
- I can send and receive emails on my phone
- I can get lots of work done without needing to drag the laptop out
- I would have access to blogs and twitter without a laptop (I currently don’t have any twitter updates come to my phone, I review them online through my Smartphone or via twhirl)
- I have had a Smartphone for almost 3 years.

They fact that I am even debating this question with myself is pretty interesting, have I become that much of a geek or is it just that I have adapted to the current culture and times?

I still don’t know which way I am going to go, any thoughts or opinions?

A Longing in My Heart

A friend of mine Climbed Mt St Helens yesterday and I am so glad she made it. About 10 years ago I first heard about this climb when the group of interns from our church made the climb. Over the last few weeks as she prepared I couldn’t help but dream of one day being able to make that climb.

I have been working out with a few friends in the evening for the last 7 or 8 weeks. Working out in the evening is not my favorite thing. Working out in general is not something I really want to do. I know that keeping my body in shape will help me in the long run both physically and mentally and I have been telling myself and my friends for a few years now that I should exercise. With a big bomb, a little push and lots of encouragement I was enticed to go and join the PC Posse that works out at the “Y”.

The big bomb is that in April I reinjured my right knee and after getting an MRI done the doctor told me that the tendon in my knee is ‘shredded’, not torn, but shredded like Shredded Wheat. There is also other damage to the point that there is nothing that can be done to repair the knee short of doing a full knee replacement. This news hit me like a bomb especially since my left knee is also in need of a major repair and I have seen what knee replacement recovery is like since my mother has had three of them.

My motivation for working out is not to hang out with the RC Posse , it is not about getting in shape, it is not being able to participate in an event even though all of those are definite pluses. My motivation is about being able get through my normal day to day activities. I have no desire to give up on things like a walk along the beach or a hike in the mountains. I have a hope and a longing to one day climb Mt St Helens. Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

L – Lakes and a Loony Bin

Lakes - I have was blessed as a child that when I was in 3rd grade we moved to a house that was a block from the lake that had a beach and boat landing available to the neighborhood association. I was probably 10 when I got my first boat, a canoe, 12 when I got a 12ft pram with a motor and from there it was a sailboat and finally a small ski boat. Some of my favorite memories on the lake were our trips to Champs Drive-n. Champs was a small burger joint, similar to a McDonalds. To get to it you could drive about 20 minutes from our house, but we would take the canoe or the pram there and that was the best. It would take about 2 hours one way, because we paddled across three lakes going under the roads via the large drainage pipes connecting the lakes. We would grab a burger, shake and fries and then 2 hours of paddling to get back home. Would you let your child do that today? Probably not, but back then life was just simpler.

Loony Bin – As I said my mom worked and while I was in school she worked in a State Hospital, a mental hospital, an insane asylum or a loony bin. She started out working the switchboard and eventually taking classes at night, she worked her way up to being the head of the accounting office. This place was built in 1870s and in the 50 held as many as 3100 mentally ill patients in the sprawling 500 acre complex. This Victorian Style building was a key reason that even though I was in High School in the 70s I never did drugs. When I would have to go and see my mom at work I would see the mental patients wandering around and in a few cases would see them being transferred in straightjackets. I would see other teenagers my age totally out of their mind from bad LSD trips. It scared me so much I never tried drugs. Don’t get me wrong the opportunity was there, in 9th grade my best friend was a dealer. I just did not want to end up like that.

K – Keys and Kresgees

Keys - When I was in 6 and 7th grade my dad had his own locksmith shop for a few years. I got to spend most weekends at the shop working the counter while he went out on calls. I learned out to make copies of keys and even did some minor lock repair. As a locksmith one of the things he would do was to open locks where someone had lost the keys. Back in the day with the right set of tools I could even ‘pick’ some brands of locks. Locks have gotten much more sophisticated and I still laugh when I watch some of the shows on TV where they show someone opening up a locked door.

Kresgee’s – Before there was K mart there was S.S. Kresgee a traditional five-and-dime store. This is the store I remember most. On very special occasions we would go to the soda fountain and have a treat. They would offer 1¢ sundaes, well you got to pick a balloon and inside the balloon that said how much you paid and the lowest price was 1¢. While my sister had a sundae I would usually have cottage cheese and peaches, I didn’t like ice cream. I have always had different likes and dislikes and ice cream is one of the strangest. Imagine getting a choice between ice cream and cottage cheese and selecting the latter?

These are some of my favorite memories; thanks for letting me relive them.

A Story of Friends

The friendship between McCarty and Draper is special. The friendship is forever forged by having their names linked on four Stanley Cup championships in Detroit, but this year, it took on a deeper significance yet.

After the championship in 2002, Darren played in Calgary for two seasons and suffered a number of personal setbacks. To start the 2007-08 season, he didn't even have a team, and was out of hockey until December 2007. McCarty and Draper met over lunch and talked about their lives, and Darren expressed interest in returning to hockey. When Kris asked him how serious he was about returning, McCarty vowed to make every effort possible to rejoin the Red Wings.

Draper insisted that McCarty get back in shape, and set him up at CORE, a sports fitness facility he co-owns. Kris then agreed to arrange for a minor league contract with the Flint Generals of the International Hockey League, a team in which he has a financial stake.

McCarty worked hard both on and off the ice, and in March, he was summoned to join the Red Wings. "To get him back on the team was exciting, not only for me as a friend, but for him as well, considering everything he's been through," explained Draper. "When we won the Cup, he jumped onto the ice and skated up to me and said, 'Thanks!' To me, that really meant a lot." Kris added, "You have to remember that in November, he wasn't even playing hockey, and by June, he's a Stanley Cup champion again. That's just great."

J – Just and Jambalaya

Just - and nothing more. Why is it we feel that we have to justify or embellish everything, every decision, every choice. Isn’t it true that most of the time we make our choices just because. Lord, make my yes be yes and my words direct and clear, the them Just Be.


Jambalaya - I love Jambalaya; it is a dish that has all the right flavors, textures and spices. It is traditionally made in one pot with meats, vegetables and rice. All of the ingredients are good by themselves but when combined in the right portions it is another whole level of flavor. Isn’t that true when you bring a group of people together for one purpose? Bring the individuals together and it is brought to a whole new level of what can be accomplished.

I - Icepacks and IM

A sign of the times, I sit at home most weekday evenings with an icepack and IM session. As a baby boomer I have seen my body change almost as drastically as technology has changed.

I remember our 1st TV, our first color TV, that night that man landed on the moon and a whole host of other advances in technology. I remember when Russia was the enemy and now I IM with my peers in Russia on regular bases where we not only talk about work, but traffic jams, the weather and family. Today we have relationships through blogs, Twitter and text messages that we would not have had without technology.

As for my body it has gone from where “no pain, no gain” was my motto to ‘no pain, not breathing’ is my reality. I used to exercise to get my body to do and achieve things it was never meant to do. Now I exercise to try and avoid having a knee replacement at the age of 52 and be able to play soccer with my granddaughter.

Icepacks and IM, you just have to smile.

Flare For The Fair

We decided to go and visit the Orange County Fair today, this is the largest fair in California and last for 21 days. Last year more than 1 million people attended. We both enjoy attending the Evergreen Fair in Monroe, WA so we decided that we would spend some time there this afternoon. We jump in the Town car at the hotel and took the sort ride to the fairgrounds. We knew we were at a different fair today when we walked in the first sight was an elaborate Sand Castle; you sure don’t see those at the Evergreen Start Fair. Wondering around the fair we didn’t see a single lumberjack, no solar tube, or hot tubs. What we did see were glass blowers, putting greens and air conditioners.

Another difference we noticed was the food; lots of fresh fruits, vegetables and no cotton candy to be found. We did find some of the normal fair food, but the most amazing sight would have to be the largest bbq grill I have ever seen. It was a converted semi, the entire trailer was the grill loaded with all kinds of chicken, turkey legs, and lots of ribs.

The fair was the same in many ways, but more than once the differences were obvious. I know I even thought “we aren’t in Kansas anymore”, especially when I was walking back over to a table where Kyle was sitting and I almost walked into Diane Keaton who was there with her grand children.

Sometimes more mess means less stress

Learning to tolerate the natural chaos of life can help you feel happier

Now I feel better. I just finished reading this article on MSNBC.Com.

I really do work better if I have clutter on my desk. I know exactly where everything is amongst all the clutter.

H – Horseback and Hurricanes

Horseback – Standing at the base of a tall steep ridge, I stand in the stirrups, grab hold of the base of the mane with a real good grip and lean forward as I gently give Dudley a nudge with my heals. Up the hill he goes, I totally have to trust that he will keep his footing and bring us both to the top of this obstacle.

That was the scene about 10 years ago when I had to face a fear that had been hidden from when I was probably 10 years old. The first time I ever rode a horse was when my mom and dad took my older sister and I to the local riding stable. Before we went my sister was trying to describe what it was like and what we would see and she described one point in the ride were we were on a “cliff” overlooking the lake on a narrow path and that the horses had to run to get up the hill. I was so afraid before we got to the stables that I was sick to my stomach. We made it though that ride and I went on to enjoy years of being in, around and on horses.

Then that afternoon in Eastern Washington and that whole episode came flooding back as I faced that hill. There 8 of us that were on a camping trip with horses and there was nothing I could do but to trust the horse I was on. Working hard Dudley brought us safely to the top and I sat back in the saddle and enjoyed the view.

Hurricanes – clockwise or counter clockwise, hurricane or typhoon. When you are in the middle of one it really doesn’t matter. The most amazing experience during a hurricane is being in the eye. The wind and the rain suddenly stop and the sky overhead clears and the sun comes out. There is calm and peace. Standing there a sense of relief comes upon you as you start to figure out what has just happened and then the eye passes over and the full fury of the storm returns. Remember when you are in a storm and a sudden calm comes, that is the time to refortify and prepare to the backside of the storm. The eye is there to let you know that you have taken the best the storm has to offer and you made it, anything after that you will make it through also.

G- Grandmas and Gigabytes

Grandmas - The image I have when you say Grandmas is the one of my own grandmother. My mom was what is referred to as a Menopause baby, my grandmother was in her mid-forties when my mom was born so she was always old to us. She was plump, wore the nice cotton dresses, made the best pies from scratch and had white hair and glasses. She looked a lot like the “Mama” character that Vicki Lawrence played. Now that I am a grandmother I need a whole paradigm shift of what a grandmother looks and acts like. Whenever I think of my grandmother the first memory that comes up is her using a chamber pot at night. Lord, let me not fit that picture.

Gigabytes – is a computer memory unit. Today we all walk around talking about how many gigs we have. Too bad we don’t use all the memory we do have, there is an urban myth that we use only about 10%, but according to Dr Eric H Chudler we use 100% or our brain. We use it to live, to love and to learn, are you using your 100%.

F – Fads and Fudge

Fads – Pet Rocks, mood rings, hula hoops; items that everyone that was anyone had to have. Fads are just something that we become convinced will make us better in some what if we have it. Too bad most fads just don’t last. If you spend your life keeping up with the fads you just find that you are always out of step, out of money and out of storage space.

Fudge – At one time in my life I was engaged to a Fudge Maker. Good fudge is made the traditional way; copper kettles for even heat distribution, marble tables cooling the fudge at a consistent rate, hand paddled to cool the fudges and breaking up the sugar crystals to make it smooth. How I wish I could be like fudge, consistent, even headed (cooled) and the crusty edges smoothed out.

E- Excavating and Estrogen

Excavating – I am for ever digging into something new to learn. Trying to uncover something new and exciting. To find something that will bring out the best in me and those around me. I am never satisfied with what I know today, there has to be more to learn.

Estrogen – Why is it that when we are young we look forward to puberty and being grown up and then as we get older we can’t wait for it to be over. I am at a stage in my life where my estrogen levels are decreasing rapidly causing all kinds of changes in my body. I often think my body doesn’t know what it is up to, but the reality is that I don’t know what is going on, my body is doing what it was designed to do. Just because we don’t understand what is going on and what is coming next, it doesn’t mean that there is a problem that needs to be fixed.

Been There....

Done That,
Bought the T-Shirt and Wear the hat.

I realized this morning is the 10th anniversary of me riding in the STP (Seattle to Portland) bike ride. I did a little over 200 miles in one day with the help of three others in my group and a whole bunch of volunteers and organizers for the event.

When I first decided I wanted to do the event I didn’t even own a bicycle. It was July of 1997. I saved up a few pennies and started riding. In January one of my peers at work said she would ride with me if I did it in one day. So I started training harder. I bought a stand that allowed me to ride in my living room. I would ride for an hour each night and then hit the Burke Gilman trail on Saturdays.

By March I realized I needed a new bike and my co-worker decided she wasn’t going to be able to make it. I had put too much effort in by that time to back out now.

In April I did my first Century, road 100 miles in one day with only one rest stop. It was the Daffodil 100 in Orting. This was a huge hurdle because I really didn’t know if I could make it 100 miles, let alone the full 200. After completing that 1st century, I knew without a doubt I would finish the STP. In fact the very next Saturday I rode 125 miles on my own up and down the bike trail and around Seattle.

In June I went on one of the training rides that the Cascade Bicycle club puts on and I met three strangers that became my riding partners for the STP. It is 30% easier to ride and draft with someone than doing it alone.

We started out that 2nd Saturday morning in July, 1998 at 5am. The amount of adrenaline at the start was amazing. ½ way to Portland, one of our team had to pullout with severe back spasms. The 3rd segment was probably the toughest; the wind was blowing in our faces the whole time. I myself was actually the strongest in the last segment. I did most of the riding in front the last 50 miles.

I remember riding up that last hill to the college there in Portland and really had to fight back the tears. Tears of joy, tears of relief and tears of knowing I had accomplished something that I had worked hard for and invested in for that last 12 months. To this day when I see someone out there riding there is a part of me that would still like to be riding and then I remember all other commitments of time and resources I have and go on with life.

D – Dynamite and Doorknobs

Dynamite – Most of us wouldn’t fear sawdust. In fact you see it used in stalls and garages to absorb liquids, however when it is soaked with the extremely unstable and explosive material, nitroglycerin, stuff it in cardboard tubes and it becomes sticks of dynamite. The simple sawdust takes the powerful nitro and makes it something that can be handled and used by many. God in His wisdom has given us the Power of the Holy Spirit to allow many to use it for His Glory.

Doorknob - A device mounted on the exterior and interior of a door for the purpose of opening it. They are always there and we just take them for granted. Think about how many times a day you use a doorknob? How many people are in our lives and we just take them for granted. Maybe it is the person at our favorite drive up espresso? It takes an effort to not take people for granted.

C – Candles and Ceilings

Candles – Candles are self contained and once lit are in perpetual motion until they consume themselves. Similar to a child, once they are let loose they go and go with abandon until they expend all of their energy. As I become more experienced (sounds better then getting old or mature) I find it not only takes more to get going, but I go for shorter and shorter periods of time. The old adage – burning the candle at both ends rings truer with each year of experience.

Ceilings – Most of us have heard the phrase “glass ceiling”, well I have lived it. Probably the 1st place was when I was in school. Being a girl the following rules applied only because I was a girl; you cannot wear pants to school unless the temperature outside is below zero (this lasted until I was in Jr High); girls could not play 5 on 5 basketball because it was too strenuous for them to run the full length of the court, (this lasted until I was in High School). When interviewing a job coming out of college with a major company I had to go to lunch with the secretary instead of the hiring manager (The hiring manager took a fellow interviewee who was male to a restaurant, I got to eat in the cafeteria). I am a successful woman who has worked in a ‘man’s career’ for almost 30 years. Sure there is a glass ceiling but even bullet proof glass can be penetrated with the right tools.

Ahhhhh

I know of no better way to enjoy my early morning cup of tea.

B – Boxcars and Butterflies

Boxcar – Living in a town that is divided by a set of active railroad tracks I often get a chance to see many boxcars. I sit and wonder at times what exactly is inside those cars. As useful and versatile a boxcar is, it goes nowhere under its own power, carrying the load but leaving the engine to give it direction. There are days that I feel as if I am the one carrying the load while someone else is pulling me in a direction.

Butterflies -The change from caterpillar though to the emergence as a butterfly is the greatest change in the animal world. It symbolizes significant change in the course of one’s life, personality or way of thinking. I have heard it said that a specific point in the change from a caterpillar to a butterfly the insect structure is totally broken down and is more of a liquid than a solid, a total restructuring of the parts and pieces down to the molecular level. I myself have gone through a significant change in my life, to become the woman I am today.

A – Actions and Attitude

My life from A to Z, I have decided to take the next few weeks and pull a Sue Grafton and explain my life via the alphabet. So tonight we will start at the beginning.

Actions – When I was younger there was a character that Flip Wilson would play, Geraldine and her tag line was “The devil made me do it.” Too often we want to blame out actions on someone or something else. I try my best every day to own my actions. Even when I re- act they are still my actions.

Attitude – I choose each day my attitude. Challenges are opportunities and life is for living. For me this is a learned behavior and I am not always successful but it is a journey.

Every day is a result of our actions and attitudes. We get to choose our attitude and as long as we own our actions we can be in control even when life throws surprise at us.

Words for Today

THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER" and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.

Thomas Paine, December 23, 1776

Selective Hearing

It is after 11pm last night and I had just crawled into bed and I must have awakened him. He gets up much earlier than I do and so goes to bed earlier. He gets up and goes to the bathroom and comes back to bed and just as I am drifting off to sleep he says, “The smoke alarm is beeping.”
“What?”
“The smoke alarm is beeping like the battery needs replaced, it must be one of the ones down stairs”.

I roll over onto my back, I had my good ear to the pillow so I couldn’t hear anything, and after about 30 seconds I hear this very faint beep. Sure enough it is the beep that a smoke detector emits when the battery is low. I know this because we had two of them on the same evening a few weeks ago start beeping. At that time our son, replaced all the batteries in all the smoke detectors so as to not have them all start beeping.

I get out of bed and go out into the great room upstairs and stand. No beep. I go down stairs and stand. No beep. Finally, I go and open up the slider to the back yard and stand on the patio and I hear it. The beep is coming from one of the houses across the street. Because we had our windows open upstairs he could hear this very faint beep.

Here is a man that when he watches TV it is usually turned up on the loud side, to the point that if you want to have a discussion it has to be turned down and yet he is hearing this beep from across the street.

I closed the windows in our bed room and said good night, another mystery solved. It is often said that husbands have selective hearing and my husband proved it last night.

Low Tide Warning

Today was a low tide day for the Puget Sound Region. The morning traffic reports were full of notices of cancellations, expected delays and vehicle clearance restrictions. If you commute by boat, tides affect your life.

Tides are the rising and falling of the ocean surface caused by external gravitational forces from the Sun and the Moon. Our lives too are affected by the external forces. We feel full and powerful when we are being swept along in the center of God’s will for our lives. Nothing seems to faze us at those times.

Then there are the low tide times when it feels as if God is far from us, that our beaches are exposed and that all the barnacles that are hidden below the surface are exposed. Navigation becomes tricky and the challenge is to not run aground.

But just as with the water of the ocean, God has not gone; there are just external forces that pull at us. It is during the low times that we need to remember that God will never leave us or forsake us. It is during the low tides that it is easiest to clean the crud that has built up below the surface and as long as we stay on the course marked out for us by God we will avoid the hidden sandbars.

To Save Gas

A friend of mine is trying to get me to buy a motorcycle. She has one and wants me to get one so we can go and ride together on the weekends. She also keeps telling me that I could use it to save gas this summer driving back and forth to work. Considering I am filling up the tank on the Mom Mobile every 4 days and it is costing me more than $60 per tank I am tempted. The only problem is because I live in the Pacific Northwest I would get only about 90 days a year where I could ride a motorcycle comfortable. Now for those of you that don’t know, my 1st paycheck as a college graduate was spent on a motorcycle, I was an avid rider, using my motorcycle any time the weather was above 40 degrees, including a tornado.

If I was going to spend money on something that I could only ride for a few months out of the year this would be the vehicle I would ride, a Segway.
I have had two different opportunities to ride a Segway and fell in love with it immediately. After my first ride at a trade show in Detroit, I called my husband and told him I knew what I wanted for Christmas but I am still waiting on that. This thing is so perfectly balanced it only takes a subtle change in body weight to make it change directions or speed. It is as if you only have to think about turning and you turn. I love Segways and they are cheaper than a motor cycle.

An End of an Era

As per our normal routine we went out to lunch/breakfast after church today. We went for the last time to Papa Mia’s in Monroe. Today they are closing their doors after more than 25 years. Papa Mia’s wasn’t the fanciest, defiantly wasn’t chic. Pushed aside by the larger chain restaurants, the ones with more glitz and noise, those where you are just a number. It was a place where we could meet with friends and spend an hour or a few it just didn’t matter. The food was more like something you would get at home and at times, depending on who was cooking, it wasn’t maybe anything special, but there was no other place like it in town. It was quiet and they treated you like family.

I have shed many a tear there discussing life with my friends or my pastor. I have laughed and rejoiced with those friends that are closer than my family while sitting in those booths. I have met friends and strangers alike just to enjoy the atmosphere where you weren’t rushed or where you weren’t just the next ‘tip’ for the wait staff.

So as we sat there today finishing up our meal, it was hard to say good bye, but we know it is best for the owners and we wish them well. Thanks Carla.

Reaching the World

For kicks every once in a while I check to see where the hits on my blog are coming from. This goes to show that we truly have the ability to get a message out to the world if we want to.

Aw, Shucks

Have you ever heard someone blush over the phone? Today I made a mistake when booking a flight so I called the service number at Alaska Airlines. I was prepared to be on-hold listening to Muzak for at least a few minutes when I was pleasantly surprised that a person answered almost immediately. The woman on the other end was really nice and got right to the issue and made the changes very quickly. She asked if there was anything else and I told her no thank you and then added that “you’re wonderful”. This totally caught her by surprise. She didn’t know what to say next and finally just said thank you.

You want to know the truth, her response made my day it is just a little reminder that I need to compliment people more often.

Juggling Priorities

A friend of mine sent me an email and asked how I was doing; work, church, life? My reply, “It is all juggling act right now trying to keep all the plates spinning at the same time and not let anything fall and break”. I’m sure I’m not the only one with a lot of things that we are trying to keep spinning in our lives. It is all about priorities. God, husband, family, church, friends, work are the priorities in my life. The problem is that under each one of these there are sub priorities.

Take work for example, I previously posted, we are short two people that do what I do and that means I have more responsibilities for a ‘short time’. With those responsibilities come many priorities and so many things that need to be done I don’t dare list them all. I am by nature a list maker and like to work from a list so I can see what is being accomplished. Right now I can’t even get myself to make a list, any list I make would be so long I would just shut down and not be able to accomplish anything. I usually have many tasks going on at once, multi-tasking. Not now, my mode of operation is to figure out what is the Top Priority and work on it until it is finished, ignoring the rest. When I am done with that priority, I figure out what the Top Priority is now and attach that. You see one of the problems is that the Top Priority can change from day to day and even hour to hour. This seems to be working, but I don’t dare to think about what isn’t getting done.

As long as I keep my priorities in order and in balance it will all workout and not too many dishes will get broken. Life is anything but dull right now.

I Promise

Promises, promises, promises – how many promises are made and never fulfilled? How many advertisers make promises; “Lose 20lbs in just 6 weeks” , “32 MPG”, “ lowest prices anywhere”. Often the words “I Promise” are used to convince someone of sincerity and yet there is no intention of following thru. Too often in our world a promise is meaningless.

Yesterday we fulfilled a financial promise we made about 3 years ago, a commitment that required some sacrifice on our part and a lot of trust in the Lord. This promise was not easy to keep and we were even released from that promise. Along the journey many obstacles arose to hinder us from keeping that promise. My mother needed help to get the care she needs with her disabilities, I was laid off and out of work for 4 months, when I did start work our house hold income was 18% less than before the layoff, and our son was married and we supported that financially.

We had every reason to give up on our commitment and yet it is not in our nature to go back on our word. So what did it mean? We don’t drive new cars, I have basically the same wardrobe I had three years ago and a number of ‘nice to haves’ were not had. It is now that we have overcome all the obstacles that we see how staying focused on the end, being true to our word and trusting in God made it all the more sweet to overcome and be victorious in the end.

Soap Bubbles

There is an espresso stand on the outskirts of town that has a bubble machine as an attention getter. When they first start using it I thought I was seeing things as I would see these bubble swirl around the car in front of me but now that we have daylight savings and some sunshine it is refreshing to see that there really are soap bubbles in the road.

Nearly everyone has enjoyed playing with soap bubbles and as long as you have a bottle for each kid they sure make for great fun when babysitting. These fragile spheres of soap film are both beautiful and captivating; the slightest breeze will carry them on a journey.

Did you know that in their simplicity, soap bubbles are used to solve complex mathematical problems of space because they will always become round making the smallest surface area. When one bubble meets with another, the resulting union is always one of total sharing and compromise. Since bubbles always try to minimize surface area two bubbles will merge and share a common wall.

Too bad we can’t all be more like bubbles, wouldn’t it be nice if we would all minimize ourselves and share or compromise when interacting with each other. I think I am going to go home and get out the bottle of bubbles that I keep under the kitchen sink and just enjoy the afternoon.

Its All About Form

Last night one of the women I work out with was commenting on how a certain exercise we have been doing just wasn’t giving her quite the burn it used to. So we watched her and noticed that her knees were bent when they were supposed to be straight.

Proper form, there is proper form in just about every activity, golf, tennis and equestrian events. There is proper form for the various types of writing; letters, resumes, and short stories. And then there is the “proper form” necessary to get anything out of the government.

The same is true about how we form our words. We can use the same word and with the right about of emphasis that group of word can come to mean many different things.

Let’s look at an example:
Are you kidding me?
Are you kidding me? –expressing shock and awe
Are you kidding me? – challenging the other person
Are you kidding me? – questioning if the other person is jesting
Are you kidding me? – how dare you.

So the next time you are in a conversation pay attention to how you form you words, you may not be so easily understood.

Back to last night, she straightened out her legs and this time the burn was back to the point that her eyeballs almost popped out.

A House Fly on Steroids

I am here in Cincinnati, Ohio at one of our other locations to do some training. It has been nice, sunny and warm. Yesterday I finished up my day at the office about 6:30pm so I was one of the last people to leave the building. I walk outside and hear this noise that sounds like a giant electronic transformer humming. If you have ever been near a very large, high voltage, power line, you know the sound. Only thing is that you need to amplify that about 10 times to be at the volume of this sound. As I walk out onto the sidewalk the noise continues to grow and I notice that there are all of these bugs flying around the trees.

I keep walking across the parking lot to get to my car. These bugs are in every tree and the noise is incredible. The parking lot runs along the freeway with traffic passing only about 50 ft away, only a hedge of trees separates the parking lot from all the evening traffic but tonight all you hear is the bugs. I look down to see one of these things laying on the pavement and it is “A House Fly On Steroids”.

Some call them loud, ugly, smelly and annoying; but regardless of how people feel about cicadas, they have returned in force. Each brood usually emerges every 17 years when the ground temperature reaches about 65 degrees and usually only last 4-6 weeks until they return to hibernation and return 17 years later.

I guess in some cultures they eat these things. Anyone want me to bring you some in a baggie?

At Least I Can Read

This past weekend I made a run to the used book store to sell back some of the books my mom has read in the 18 months, there were two boxes full. While I was there I went through the mystery section trying to find more books for her to read.

My mom has been an avid reader since she retired over 15 years ago, but now it is different. With my mom’s disabilities reading is one of the few tasks that she can do by herself as long as the book isn’t too large or heavy. More and more my mom’s body is not able to perform as it once did. More and more she is dependent upon others to help her.

We don’t talk about what she is losing; we talk about what she still has. She can no longer hold a pencil so she isn’t able to do crossword puzzles that once captivated her mind, she is having more and more trouble doing jigsaw puzzles unless the pieces are larger enough for her arthritic hands to hold. She enjoys watching Wheel of Fortune and usually solves each puzzle easily. And then there are the books.

I showed her the 25 books I got for her this weekend and it was only God that she hadn’t read any of them. She was so excited and all she said was, “at least I can read”, and then we went on with what we were doing.

Why So Important

As we have just completed the Hockey Season with the Red Wings wining it all and are the current Stanley Cup Champions I’m sure some of you are wondering what the big deal is. It is more than a game, it is more than a sport and if you have never lived where hockey is truly respected for the amount of skill involved you just wouldn’t understand.

Ice hockey is played on a large flat area of ice, using a three inch (76.2 mm) diameter vulcanized rubber disc called a puck. This puck is often frozen before high-level games to decrease the amount of bouncing and friction on the ice. The game is contested between two teams of skaters. The game is played all over North America, Europe and in many other countries around the world to varying extent.

The game of hockey is more like a tradition. I know for myself some of the earliest memories of my step dad are when I was about 10 and we sat in front of a TV in our living room and we watched the Red Wings Play on Hockey Night In Canada. Even though the picture was small grainy and black and white, it was the best time ever. Hockey is about the working stiff, the blue collar guy. Professional Hockey players are not in the news much even though they are very skilled and most of them are family men and take pride in that.

Today was the parade in the city of Detroit celebrating the team and their accomplishment this year and for spectator Corinne Gordon, the parade was bridge building. The Red Wings' six-game series win over the Penguins gave fans the chance to temporarily put aside the economic doldrums and the mayoral saga that have dominated the news for months. "There's been so much doom and gloom and separation between the city and suburbs because of what the mayor has done," Gordon said. "This brings people together."

Hockey is about family, tradition and hope for if only three 20 minutes periods.

Straight Rows

The other day on my way home from work I noticed a farmer out in the field plowing. It reminded me of the years I lived in Illinois and would drive through farm land at this time of the year and you would see perfectly straight rows. On many of the fields they would be so large that you couldn’t see where the field started and where it ended. So how do they keep the rows straight?

To keep the rows straight the farmer sets up markers on the edge of the field and points the front of the tractor at that mark and just makes sure that they don’t drift off of that mark. The farmer keeps going forward, never looking back or taking their eyes off of that point out in front of them. They have a target and if they take their eyes off that target they start to drift and the rows will not be straight. It is important that the rows are straight so that as the crop grows other equipment that is used in the field will not run over the plant and cause damage.

In life we need to set our eyes on the target and keep our focus or we drift. Our past is behind us and it has shaped us, but unless we look forward we cause problems that may not appear right away but later in our growth process we can get run over because we drifted from our target. Phil 3:13-14

A Sign for My Office

Over the years at a number of different companies I have noticed an interesting phenomenon. My desk seems to be where the executives in the company come when they just need someone to listen. Now it is not usually real heavy stuff and wouldn’t be considered insider trading – unless of course I told someone what I knew.

Just last Friday I had the President, one of the VPs and a Director all feel the need to either come into my office or call me out onto the sun deck to vent a few things that were troubling them.

At one of my jobs it used to freak out some of my co-workers when the CEO of the company would come to my desk that was located in the middle of a cubicle maze and sit and just chat for a few. My desk was on the way to nothing and was hard to find, he had to come looking for me, and he wasn’t just in the neighborhood.

Today I had some one call and as we were talking about some issues we were working on he asked how I could stay so calm. I told him I just prayed, “Jesus I know you are in charge here because I can’t do anything about any of this stuff.” He replied, “no really, unless you don’t want to tell me.” I said, “No really I just pray.”

So I guess that is what draws them in, the peace of God amidst all the chaos.

Kyle's Gift To Me

Have faith in yourself

Believe in the miracle of love

And keep alive the promise of hope.

A Ships Bell

The strength of a marriage bond is represented by the traditional gift of bronze on this our 8th anniversary. Our union is best represented by a Bronze Ships Bell.

A ships bell remains a powerful and tangible reminder of the history, heritage, and accomplishments of the naval service today. They serve to inspire and to remind our naval forces and personnel of their honor, courage, and commitment to the defense of our nation.

Our unique qualities are perfectly blended just as copper and tin are blended to make Bronze. Bell Bronze is the purest type of bronze, there is no contamination from other metals in the alloy. A bronze bell gives you such perfect tone and clarity, the weight and the mixture of the alloy used the most important factors that determine the “voice” of the bell.

As we keep our marriage free of contamination it will endure for a life time and ring true and clear for years to come.

Happy anniversary dear, I love you.