Flooded Fields

My normal commute takes me through some very pretty farm country. Now that we are into the fall and it is dark going to and coming home from work I usually don’t pay attention to the scenery but this morning in the dark I caught a faint reflection out of the corner of my eye and when I looked over to the left it appeared as if I was driving along a lake. Over the weekend the river that runs through the valley had risen over its banks leaving the field flooded. As the night sky lightened I could see that most of the area had standing water and the horses that once grazed in that larger pasture were now in a small pen next to the house up on a hill.

Farming along a river has many advantages; the soil is rich, the water is plentiful and the land is flat. However, there is the price you pay for the seasonal flooding. Flooding in this valley is common and that means the residents are more than able and prepared to handle it. It is a price that the owners of this land pay for all the benefits that it offers.

There is always a price to pay; we just need to make sure the benefit out ways the cost.

Factory Reset

Two of our IT staff work out of the same Office I am in. Today one of them got the infamous Blue Screen of Death on his lap top. That was when we started talking about the Special Blue Button on our IBM ThinkPads. Pushing that the blue button walks you through the steps to reformat the hard drive and then reinstall the software that was part of the original factory installation.

What if there was a Blue Button that would allow us to go to a factory reset of our bodies. No more wrinkles, no more scares from the bumps and bruises of life, no more heart ache from being misunderstood and offended. We push the blue button and we are reset to the way we were designed to be.

Just 5 Little Words

“Home is where the heart is”, “Home, Sweet Home” both phrases are common. But what is a home?

Almost 4 years ago I relocated my mom from her home to here. The previous 73yrs Michigan had been the only place she had ever lived. She endured the extreme cold and feet of snow every winter, the high heat and humidity every summer. All that doesn’t change a thing in her heart, it will always be home.

While a residential dwelling is often referred to as a "home," the concept of home is broader than a physical dwelling. Home is often a place of refuge and safety, where worldly cares fade and the things and people that one loves becomes the focus.

Today I was with my mom as we prepare to move her to her 3rd residence in less than 4 years. My mom doesn’t share much of what she if feeling. She tends to just go with the flow, on the outside at least. During that interview she was asked to write any phrase or sentence that came to mind. She wrote 5 little words that had so much power and completely described the impact of what was happening to her.

She has Parkinson’s disease and every day she loses just a little more of that ability to control her body. She keeps being socially engaged in anything she possibly can. To take her outside and allow her to sit in the sun and enjoy the fresh air or to be able to listen to or sing along to music are the things that she enjoys most now.

That phrase, I want to go home.

What do I think?

I am sitting here after 11pm on Election night I was just asked “What do I think?” My response, “What changed, this is still the best country in the world, we still have the ability to elect our leaders, no one man controls this country or makes our laws or policies. So what changed?” Yes we will have a new President.

So what changed, this great country of ours elected its first non-White president. I sit here and remember vividly the 5 days of pure hell that occurred in 1967 approximately 50 miles from my home. I am talking about the Detroit riots. After the 1st day of the riots my dad took my sister and I out and showed us where his gun was, where the ammo was and how to fire the weapon. I was 11 and my sister was 15. We were taught how to defend our home and our younger siblings incase anything happened while my mom and dad were at work. All it took was one call from my uncle who was a Detroit Cop and we were on alert status.

The origins of urban unrest in Detroit were rooted in a multitude of political, economic, and social factors including police abuse, lack of affordable housing, urban renewal projects, economic inequality, black militancy, and rapid demographic change.

Our election results are truly historical. I am proud of how far this country has come in the last 40+ years. What do I think? This man will work within the confines of our Constitution and do what he truly feels is best for this country. I may not agree with the direction but I will continue to pray for wisdom and clarity for our president and all those around him.

Healthy Foods

I was doing a little web reading today during lunch and ran across an interesting article on 7 foods that fight over-40 fat. Since I am over-40 (52 to be exact) and have a desire to burn off some of the EXTRA fat I have been carrying, this article caught my attention.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that 3 of the items on the list are already a normal part of my life. 1) Water instead of Soft drinks. I cut out unnecessary sugar – no soft drinks, pastries, candy – in my mid- 40s and until recently my weight stayed in check. 2) Eat Walnuts. My favorite snack is walnuts; every weekend when my husband goes to the grocery store he buys me a small bag of walnuts. I ask for the small bag because I have trouble not eating the entire bag so a small one is perfect. 3) Hot Sauce. Anyone that knows me knows that when eating out I use jalapenos or Tabasco sauce on just about everything. I love tasty spicy food. It is true, it makes me feel good.

So what is the point of this, it is just one of those days where I needed to look at what I am doing right and decided to share.

The Right Atmosphere

Think about the Lunar Module. These ships were designed to land on the moon and protect the astronauts that were on board of it. When you see one up close one of the first things that jumps out at you is how fragile it really looks. Did you know that the same materials that are used for helium party balloons were a major part of the Lunar Module? Look closely at this picture and you will see that the reflective material is in fact a gold coated Mylar foil that is about 0.0005in think. The Lunar Module was designed for a specific atmosphere; it functioned best in that atmosphere.

We are designed for a specific atmosphere and it is when we can control our atmosphere that we are at our peak performance. We can protect our atmosphere by what we allow to be around us. We need to protect what we see and hear. We need to provide the proper rest and nutrition for our bodies to thrive. We need to provide an atmosphere that is full of life to live a life that is full.

Vacation - Day 7

On our final touring day we decided to take the 14 mile drive south to Mt Vernon, VA. This was the mansion of George Washington. We were able to go through the house and around the grounds. Washington was truly an intelligent man.

After we finished up at Mt Vernon we drove into the city of Alexandria and visited the Carlyle House, a Mansion on the river that was built in 1753 and restored in the 1970’s. After that we walked around town before stopping for a late lunch and a stop at Starbucks before heading back to our motel.

Currently we are packed as much as we can be for an early departure tomorrow. Over all a very good trip, one that we will remember and share with our grand kids some day.

Mt Vernon

Vacation - Day 6

This morning we got up with a plan, a plan to start out at the American History Museum. This Museum is home to the original Star Spangled Banner, the history of West Point and other important items from American History.

We parked the car and walked up to The Mall and across it to find the American History Museum. We ended up off by one street and not very far from the National Archives so we stopped there first. Inside we were able to view the original Bill of Rights, Constitution, Declaration of Independence and other documents from our nation’s history. Trying to preserve these documents meant that the lighting in the building was kept low and flash photography was not allowed so there were no pictures to post.

After a couple of hours there we went to the American History Museum only to find that it was closed until November 21st for renovation.

Since our plan was shot we decided to hop back on the tour bus and just go from there. We ended up getting off in Georgetown for lunch at Johnny Rockets and then hopped off again to visit the Spy Museum.

We probably walked another 4 to 5 miles in total today, and I can finally say I am starting to feel it.

Union Station

Smithsonian Castle

Lunch @ Johnny Rockets

Vacation - Day 5

Yesterday was an easy day; we slept in and took our time having breakfast. Isn’t that the object of a vacation is to rest and take it easy? That is what we did.

On one of our previous days of touring we found a place that had free parking with unlimited time. Most of the free spots in DC are limited to 2 or 3 hours. The only downside is that it was by the Jefferson Memorial and so there was a little bit of a walk to get to The Mall.

We parked and walked up to The Mall where we jumped on to one of the Hop-on/ Hop-off tour busses. This bus went not only around The Mall but also to some of the outlying sites, like Georgetown, Union Station, and Ford Theater.

We hopped off at Ford Theater, the location where President Lincoln was shot. The theater its self was closed for renovations so we went in and saw the house where Lincoln was taken and later died. After that short visit we went to the Hard Rock Café for lunch. Here we had a really nice waitress who even laughed at Kyle’s jokes.

From there we hopped back onto the tour bus and headed out to Washington National Cathedral and Embassy Row. Finally ending up back in front of the Dept of Agriculture where we hopped off and headed back to the car and the end of day 5

White House Front Lawn

Vacation - Day 4

Today we started out early for a not the normal tourist event. We had the privilege of attending a full honors military funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. The ceremony was one of Honor and Respect all the way around. Air Force Lieutenant Coronel Carl Copemen died recently of from a heart attack after living a full life. He fought in WWII, Korea and Viet Nam as well as being one of the original members of the Test Pilot unit with Chuck Yeager. The Ceremony included a process ion through the cemetery by an Air Force Band, Brigade and a Caisson drawn by six white horses. It ended with a grave side service with taps and a 21 gun salute. This man chose to serve and did so with Honor and was remembered today with Honor. May we never forget.

We also visited the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and it was there that we witness the pride that one old man felt for his country. His finger out stretched as much as the arthritic knuckles would allow as he showed his companions the places and the battles he fought. The memories more vivid then his voice and yet the pride was there for all that he had done. May we never forget.

Our next stop was the Holocaust Museum. I have seen firsthand Auschwitz and Birkenau, but the images and impact of the slaughter of Jews during WWII are real and potent. May we never forget.

From there we rode the elevator to the top of the Washington Monument and looked out all four sides seeing the monuments and memorials that stand in remembrance and respect for the greatest democracy of the world. May we never forget.

Jefferson Memorial

Capital Building

White House from the top of the Washington Monument

Washington Monument

Lunar Module @ Air and Space Museum

Vacation - Day 3

Today was an easier day. We met up with my sister, brother-in-law and his mom for the day. We spent at least 30 minutes looking for a parking spot. That is one thing that is really hard to come by in DC is any place to park. When we did find one, it was right on the corner next to the Capital Building and it did not have a time limit (most spots in DC have a 2 hr limit).

Our 1st start was the Botanic Gardens where we checked out all the plants from around the world. We then spent a little time walking around in front of the Capital Building but we didn’t get there early enough for a tour inside. After that we walked along the mall to the National Museum of Natural History. It was here that we spent the rest of our touring day looking at dinosaur bones, gems and mineral including the Hope and Pearson diamonds, petrified wood and other natural items.

We have an early morning planned and we were all tired from the heat and sun so it will be a quiet night tonight.

Capital Building

Vacation – Day 2

Today was our first full day in DC, actually the DC area since our hotel is in Arlington, Virginia across the street from Ft Myers. At best estimate we walked 10 miles to day. Thanks P Lori and the RC Posse without all those hours at the Y on the treadmill and I wouldn’t have been able to make it.

Sites seen today:
Arlington National Cemetery
Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Arlington House (Home of Robert E Lee before the Civil War)
Iwo Jima Marine Corp Memorial (photo below)
The Washington Monument
The WW II Memorial
Vietnam Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Korean Memorial
Jefferson Memorial

A pretty full day if I do say so.

Reflection Pool

Iwa Jima Memorial

View of DC

Curve Ahead

A couple of months ago my sister was here visiting from the Midwest. We did various day trips visiting the sites and having fun. On one afternoon as we were on our way home for the night she asked, “Do you have any straight roads?” I thought of that this morning as I was cruising through the back country roads on my way to work. The roads wind around the hills and along the river so there are no straight portions.

Just like in life there really aren’t very many straight portions. We head off on a course but to get to our end goal we have twist and turns, climb and decent, and the ever painful switchbacks where it seems we are just repeating the steps we have taken before. Curves are put in the road to make our travels safer and simpler. It may not seem so at the time, but I know that some of the greatest moments in my travel have come when I round a curve and find the most splendid view imaginable.

It Arrived Today

I now have my new copy of the latest book by Nicholas Sparks: The Lucky One.

Making the Right Choice Isn’t Easy

Today I got a new boss. Some might say I’m just too much to try and handle, and no, my current boss didn’t get demoted, fired or quite. The President and COO chose to take a lesser role in the Company so that he can be a dad to his 14 year old daughter.

After he made the announcement to the rest of the executive team this morning, he sent out a companywide email. Here is an excerpt from that email:

“As many of you know, I’ve been living in California this year while my family has stayed in Washington. The plan was for my family to wrap up our affairs in Washington by the end of this summer and then join me in California. After a considerable amount of soul searching we decided that a move to California is not in the best interest of either my wife or my daughter. This left me with the difficult proposition of continuing to spend most of my time in Costa Mesa and commuting back to Seattle on the weekends. This is no way to live; I can’t be an active part of my daughter’s life separated by 1,000 miles.”

Shortly after that he came into my office and we talked a little about the decision. He said it was very hard for him since it had been his career goal to be President and someday CEO and had agonized over it for weeks. He said that once he made the decision he was at peace and knew it was the right one.

Life is about choices and choices are not always easy. In the long run he will be more fulfilled by keeping his family in the right priority. In the short run it could make life interesting for me as we get used to working more closely together and adapt to our new roles.

Paralyzed by Pressure

I have been so productive today I think I have gotten more done in the last 8.5 hours than I have in the last two weeks. So what changed? I guess it is because of the moves I made yesterday ( Too Much of a Good Thing). This morning after I had cranked through two of my top task I realized I wasn’t working under a ton of pressure. My creative and cognitive juices were flowing and I was clicking on all cylinders.

What changed, I had been paralyzed by the pressure. There was just so much to get done and I had allowed myself to be overwhelmed by the magnitude of it all and was trying to do it all by myself.

So lesson learned, again: I can’t do it all.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Is there ever too much of a good thing? Yes. I have reached my point of saturation when it comes to my job. I have been working too many hours and not getting enough done. I just came from my boss’s office where I asked him to pick up a couple of my task for me. He had previously told me to let him know when it was too much and I did that.

This was not an easy task for me and I honestly thought I was over trying to do everything, but apparently not. I can remember back in the mid-80s I worked myself to the point of exhaustion where I was unable to work more than a few hours a day for a few weeks until I could recover from ‘burning the candle at both ends”. At that time I was working full time and basically doing full time ministry full time every evening. I had run at that pace for a couple of years and finally my body said enough.

Until I started this job in January I had a personal rule to not work at home at night. If I needed to work extra I would stay at the office late or go into the office on the weekends. This job being something that not only excites me and brings fulfillment has also given me an excuse to break my own rule. I could use the fact that I need to work with our development team in Russia and that happens after 8pm at night usually but that doesn’t explain why I am on the computer working at 6pm and then most nights not shutting it off until 11pm or later. I figure that I have not had a true day off in almost two months. A day where I did not look at email, answer a phone or work on a project.

So now what? All that I can say is that I made the first step this afternoon in correcting the situation by asking for help. I have a deadline that I need to finish up tonight and then it will be time to turn the computer off. Maybe I need to just start leaving the laptop at work, now that is a thought.

Z- Zephyr and Zeppelin

Zephyr – a gentle breeze – How is it that one part of our life is in a total storm and another is as if I am sitting in a sail boat and there is total calm and nothing moving? Form me there is a hurricane blowing in the area of work. The winds, the workload are roaring through and I’m just trying to hold on at this time. I love my job, but there can be too much of a good thing. The problem is that there is so much that needs to be done I just don’t have time to do a good job at any of it and that is making me nuts. And then there is a big part of my life that seems to be in limbo or on hold. I so want to have a gentle breeze blow in so that the sails fill and I start to make progress again.

Zeppelin – Do you remember when The Good Year Blimp was the only one that covered sporting events? Now there are many of them, Snoopy, Good Year, etc. I remember the 1st time I saw in person the Good Year Blimp flying over head. I was in the process of driving from Freeport, IL to Federal, In. I was an a barren road where the nearest town was 60 miles away and I pulled to the side of the road, stood outside the car on a bright May afternoon and just watched for a good 30 minutes as the thing approached and then flew over head. Watching that ‘balloon’ I wondered what it was like to fly one of those. The landings must be interesting.

Made to Feel Like a Queen

I got to spend most of yesterday with my sister and my mom. My sister was out staying with a group of friends on Camano Island. This group flew in from around the country; Michigan, Florida, Arizona, and South Carolina just to spend some time with each other. Because she was in the area she made arrangements to spend a day with us. It would have been more if my work schedule would have allowed it. We picked up mom in the morning and decided to head to Camano and visit a beach and just enjoy the beautiful weather, great scenery and each other’s company because I had commitments that required me to be back in Monroe by because I had commitments that required me to be back in Monroe by 5:30pm.

We got to Stanwood a little before noon so we decided to stop at this little Greek deli that my sister had found for lunch. We ordered Gyros and I asked them to just put it on a plate, not assemble it into a sandwich for my mom making it easier for her to eat. Soon out came our food. Now those who know me will understand how big this was, but our lunch was served on china dinner plate and they brought us real silverware. When was the last time you were served a sandwich and a salad on a real plate and not in some basket lined with wax paper?

My mom’s plate was arranged like it was prepared for a catalog photo. The meat, the lettuce topped with tomatoes, the pita bread cut into perfect rectangles and the sauce drizzled to complete the design. I almost felt a little cheated looking at my perfectly formed gyro compared to her plate. Then came the taste – AMAZING. Everything was fresh and seasoned perfectly, I didn’t even ask for Tabasco sauce.

After we have eaten everything on our plates she came out and asked us if we wanted desert. My sister ordered a piece of cherry/apple pie. So back in she went and soon she arrived back at our table with a huge piece of homemade pie, three forks and an ice cream bar on the side of the plate. I asked about the ice cream bar and she said she just wanted to give my mom a little treat. It was chocolate covered tiramisu ice cream on a stick. My mom’s face lit up like a child on Christmas morning. It was so good to see my mom so happy, that woman made my mom feel like a Queen.

If you are ever near Stanwood or just want really amazing Greek food stop into Suzie’s Place Delicatessen. It is just before you go over the bridge to Camano Island.

Y - Yttrium and Generation Y

Yttrium – What do moon rocks; LCD screens and Cancer Treatment have in common? Yttrium is an element that is found in most rare-earth minerals and Moon rocks. It is used to produce the red in Lasers and LCD screen and isotopes for radiation therapy.



Generation Y – the generation born between1980 and 1990. Here are a few facts about Generation Y according to: Connecting to the Net.Generation: What Higher Education Professionals Need to Know About Today's Students:

• 97% own a computer
• 97% have downloaded music and other media using peer-to-peer file sharing
• 94% own a cell phone
• 76% use instant messaging and social networking sites
• 75% of college students have a Facebook account
• 60% own some type of portable music and/or video device such as an iPod
• 49% regularly download music and other media using peer-to-peer file sharing
• 34% use websites as their primary source of news
• 28% author a blog and 44% read blogs
• 15% of IM users are logged on 24 hours a day/7 days a week
  

Email Overload

I can't respond to any emails today. Something has crashed on my computer and the mouse is missing. . .

X - Xylography and Xylophone

Xylography – The image is carved into the surface of the block of wood, there areas that are not part of the desired image are removed, typically with gouges. The character or image is shown a the surface level and it is cut along the grain of the wood. Once the carving is complete, ink is spread on the block and where ever the block is then placed The Masters Image is left for all to admire.

Xylophone – Wooden bars of various lengths, struck by mallets creating musical tones. Each bar is tuned to a specific pitch allowing the musician to create a melody.

Standing Room Only

Sons, sisters, nieces, interns, friends, it seems like there has been a steady parade of guest at our house these last few months. At times I think we are only visiting. When we bought this large house there was only Kyle and I and the two cats. We knew then that we would be hosting guest. At first I used one of our two extra bedrooms as an office, now I have my office either on the dining room table or at my easy chair that is next to the Bowflex .

Since we have moved in we have had a pretty full house most of the time and this coming weekend could be interesting around here, there is a potential for 7 of us staying here for a few nights. Good thing that we have lots of space, a queen size bed, a set of bunk beds, a double bed, a queen size sofa sleeper and a few other assorted couches that can sleep an adult.

So we will be a little cozy, but you know what, we really wouldn’t have it any other way. If there is one thing that Kyle and I have in common it is we love to make you feel comfortable in our home.

Just One of Those Days

Things are busy, not just busy absolutely nuts. Work, home, you name it, my life is just overloaded right now.

At about 2pm today I walked into my boss’s office to discuss some of what is going on and make sure I hadn’t lost my mind. I sat down in a chair; he walked over to the white board to draw it out so we could both get the information straight. I take off my glasses to give my eyes a change of pace. I look down and this is what I saw:

Yep, one black shoe and one brown shoe, and it’s not like they are even the same shoe. The only thing I can say is at least I have them on the right feet.

Tomorrow is a new day and I know that at least for today I have made a few of my Twitter follower’s laugh which isn’t all that bad.

W - Words and Wife

Words – “Sticks and stones my break my bones but word will never hurt me”, who hasn’t heard that phrase. We use it as a child to try and convince ourselves and others that what is said to and about us doesn’t have an effect. Too bad it just isn’t true. The power of words is amazing. It is the words spoken by a father to his pre-teen daughter, telling her that she is fat and lazy, that hurt her enough that she lashes out at the you neighbor girl telling her she is fat and that she will soon look like her mother that is at least 100lbs overweight. That young neighbor girl then stops eating. At 1st the young girls parents don’t realize it, but they soon find the food that they thought had been eaten partially chewed and hidden in various places in the house, until finally the young girl is so thin that the doctors want to insert a feeding tube to keep her alive. Words, as it says in James there is power in the tongue and it is so hard to tame. My prayer is that my words are uplifting and bring life.

Wife – a helpmate, partner, confidant, lover, homemaker, spouse, and mate, different ways to say the same thing, for every one of these terms there are thousands of definitions of what that means. Every woman is unique and in the uniqueness they bring something different to the marriage relationship. The way I am a wife to my husband may not work for anyone else but me. I don’t remember exactly why or what triggered it, but this last week I have been searching myself to see what I can do to be a better wife to my husband. I love and respect my husband; I do all that I can to be there for him, including working on his truck when his hands don’t fit. I even honestly asked my husband if there was anything he could think of that I could do for him. It is not about something I have to do, it is something I want to do. Wife, it is my goal to be the best wife I can be and the only thing I am sure of is that won’t look like any other wife.

V - Volume and Visitors

Volume – I am back in the office working after a week of working remote, part of it at home and part of it traveling to and from Costa Mesa. These last two days it has been real quiet and I tend to get more done in a quiet environment. The biggest difference is my boss in on vacation this week. You see he has a habit of sitting in his office doing all of his conference calls while on Speakerphone with the door to his office open and the volume turned all the way up. That means that the rest of us not only hear his side of the conversation but the entire conversation. Often I get up and close my office door, but because he has his volume up so loud I can’t get away from it. It reminds me of the people in their cars that feel that everyone sitting in traffic with wants to hear what they are listening to. Sometimes I just want to stand up and yell, “Turn it Down”, but where would that get me? Especially in traffic, I would probably only get either run over or shot.

Visitors – Are family considered guest. I know that when I go back to visit my family in Michigan I usually don’t get to do much of what I really want to do because I run around and see all the family and do all the activities they have planned. They go out of their way to entertain me and make sure I have a good visit. I just did the same thing when my sister and niece were here, making sure they had enough to do. So did I over book them? Did they get to do what they wanted to do?

Jammed Packed Few Days

How is it that we wait until we have out of town visitors to enjoy all that our region has to offer and then we try and cram it all into a short time? Five nights ago my sister and niece flew in from Michigan to spend some time with my mom and I. Here is the schedule we have kept:

Wednesday:
Plane arrives we go to my mom’s living place and surprise her. Spend a little time with her and then head off to my house to get them settled into the guest room.

Thursday:
I am up at 5am working from home for a few hours so that I can take my sister, niece and mom on our first outing. Because my mom is in a wheelchair I get to go with them because I am driving the “Mom Mobile”. We pick up my mom about 10:30am and head off to the Pacific Science Center. We have a great time there and then a quick walk over to the Seattle Center before we head north in rush hour traffic. We get my mom back to her place in time for dinner and then come home to work a few more hours.

Friday:
It was another early morning of work before we head out into an absolutely gorgeous day in the Pacific Northwest. Because the weather was nice we decided to do a walk on ferry from Edmonds and go over to Kingston to have lunch and then spend some time on the beach in Edmonds. The Edmonds and Kingston Ferry docks have great walk on access for wheelchairs. I sure got my workout this day pushing my mom up the ramp to the second deck of the ferry and then keeping her from sailing down the ramp on the other side and yes you get to do it all again on the return trip. After some quality time in the sun it was time to drop off mom and return home for a few more hours of work and getting the laundry done.

Saturday:
Up early to go and get mom and bring her to Monroe for the Parade. We were in the Parade for the Re-Elect Kirk Pearson entry. I pushed my mom down the street while my sister and niece helped hand out candy and campaign buttons along the route. After the parade it was over to Kirk’s for a BBQ and a dip in the pool before we took mom home and after we got back to Monroe the four of us headed over to the Fair for dinner and to look at the exhibits. We got home about 8:30 and we were all tired out from the long day.

Sunday:
A typical Sunday, up at 5am, out of the house by 6:30 on the way to mom’s to get her ready for church. Bring mom back to Monroe for church and after the 1st service take my mom over to visit a friend in Monroe. Back to Church until 2nd service is over then back to get mom and out for lunch. Finish lunch and take mom home and then finally get back to the house at 3:30pm. It was time for a little rest before needing to get online with our developers at 7pm. Finally crawled into bed at 8:30 and crashed.

Monday:
Cloudy day but today was Senior Day at the fair so up early to work a few hours then down to my mom’s to get her and bring her back to the Evergreen State Fair. As we left to go and get my mom the sky started to lighten. We ate lunch, my niece road a few rides, we walked through exhibits, played a few games, won a big stuffed animal and had Scones. The sun came out after a couple of hours and it was a great day. At 4:15 we left to take mom home and as we got about 5 miles out of Monroe the rain started up. I came home and did/doing a little more work and printing out my boarding passes for tomorrow.

Tomorrow:
I get on an airplane and head to Costa Mesa, CA for a few hours only to get back on a plane at 7pm tomorrow evening to fly back to Seattle.

I will be so ready and thankful for a next weekend, especially because it is 3 days and we have no plans.

Wheelchair Friendly

I have come to believe that Seattle is NOT a wheelchair Friendly city. My sister and niece are here visiting from Michigan and since my mom is pretty much happy just spending time with everyone, it is an opportunity to find activities for an active 9 year old that I can get my mom and her wheelchair around in. Because the weather was cool and wet and my niece totally enjoys science (she is so like me it is sometimes scary) I opted to take them to the Pacific Science Center.

Things are going pretty good until it was time for lunch. Of course I didn’t pack one so we needed to go to the little café they have there. We locate this small elevator that will take us to the 3rd floor where the café is. When lunch was over we needed to finish seeing some of the exhibits so we headed back to the elevator. Push the button; wait a few minutes, nothing. Push the button; wait a few minutes, nothing. Push the button; wait a few minutes, nothing. Get the picture here. So my sister goes down the stairs to see if she can ride it back up to us. Soon here comes my sister back up the stairs, the elevator is out of order.

I ask the guy working there how I could get out of there, He says that if I go to the other side of the building there is a ramp. I’m thinking ramp. Controlling a wheelchair going down a ramp from the 3rd floor to the 1st floor is going to be a good work out. I send my sister and my niece down the stairs and I tell them that I will work my way back to them. Off we go across the open deck to the other building. We get there and would you know it, the ramp is closed for construction. Here we are again stuck with no way to get down. Did you ever have one of those déjà vu moments; fire alarm goes off at the doctor’s office, elevator doesn’t work; try to get into the county court house and the lift doesn’t work.

Back we go off to try and find another access and there just isn’t one. So now I am looking for someone who works there and I happen to run into the guy who had just fixed the elevator. Thank God, I really wasn’t looking forward to doing a fireman’s carry down the stairs or something. Oh yeah, all of the bathrooms were on the 1st floor and we both had to go. So the elevator work, we got to the bathroom with no problems and life was good again.

I have come to the conclusion that Seattle is just not wheelchair friendly. Cobble stone sidewalks, steep hills and poor retrofits in the buildings just make it a struggle.

U - Useful and Umbrella

Useful – I think one of the best compliments I have ever gotten was when I was told, “You are handier than a shirt pocket.” I have been designed to be of use. I thrive on helping others reach their potential and in getting a job done. Does that mean I am never still? Does that mean that there are no unfinished tasks at my house? No, the fact is I would much rather do something for someone else than to do the everyday things around the house. I have had the opportunity to ‘do’ many things in my life time. I grew up with a handy man as a father and he and I did many things together. These skills came in very handy as a single woman. I have installed toilets, poured concrete slabs, repaired drywall, hung sheet rock, built a deck and installed many a light fixture and shingled roofs. It sure helps being useful.

Umbrella – as we approach Labor Day, I think about the 7 years that I worked Bumbershoot, the international music and arts festival held in Seattle. Each year I would work the event on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I usually was either a stage manager or an assistant stage manager. As a stage manager I was responsible for getting the acts on and off the stage on time. Equipment had to be set and sound boards dialed in. I have had the opportunity to work with Ray Charles, UB40 and other noted group along with all the local talent that makes Bumbershoot original. It has been a few years now since I have worked at Bumbershoot, but I still have fond memories of working that event. By the way, a Bumbershoot is another term for Umbrella.

T - Tools and Tradeshows

Tools – “You need to have the right tool for the job.” Have you ever struggled to remove a Philips Head screw with a flat head screw driver? Yes it can be done but it sure is easier if you have the right tip. Our own tools are the same way. My husband is an extremely strong man; he has a set of arms that enable him to toss around hundreds of pound every day. If I tried to do that for an hour I would probably permanent damage something. Now ask him to sit at the computer and debug a technical issue and he might injure himself. We both have different tools and when we apply them correctly we are very successful. Just as you shouldn’t use a screw driver as a pry bar, we need to use the tools we are given for the right job.

Tradeshows – I really like the job I have now but there is one aspect that I miss, working a tradeshow booth. I am in my element when I am on a tradeshow flow smoozing the people that walk by and seeing if the products we have will fill there need. I have sold Wi-Fi networks, Barcode scanners, software and Ultrasound machines at trade shows. Sometimes tradeshows are uneventful but I have had some interesting experiences. There was the time I was in Vegas two days after I had gotten out of the hospital because I had pneumonia. Then there was the time I had a gentleman who worked for the US Government and asked me if we could configure a handheld computer to “blow up” on command. He wanted to be able to remotely detonate it to kill whoever was holding it. TRUE STORY. The oddest one was the day I taught two Surgeons how to start an IV using an Ultrasound machine; wait I’m not a doctor, I’m an engineer. Goes to show you how easy it is to start an IV if you can ‘see’ what you are doing. So if you ever need a professional smoozer, give me a shout.

S - Sports and Sault Ste Marie

Sports: here it is Olympics time I catch myself staying up too late at night watching to see if Americans win their events. It is too bad most of the events now all professionals, it is not that same watching the Pros play. Back in the “olden” days when it was only for armatures (we won’t get into the East German and Russian Training). That is why when the US Hockey Team beat the Russians back in the 70’s it was such a big deal. It was more about the one that truly sacrifices for a few years to win something that money could not buy. With the Pros playing are we not just buying the medals?

Sault Ste Marie – The Soo is located at the eastern tip of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This city on the St Mary’s river was founded in 1668 over 100 years before the United States became a country. Not much has changed in the Soo from when I was a kid; there are a few more hotels now that there is an Indian Casino on the outskirts of town. But still the largest event in the city is the I-500 Snowmobile race. The Soo is like a second home town for me. Both of my parents were born and raised in the Soo so we spent time every year there, most summers my older sister and I would spend at least a couple of weeks there with our grandmothers and cousins. Then I attended college in the Soo at Lake Superior State University. If you walk down the hall at the local hospital you will see a picture of my grandfather, Dr Husband, one of the founders of that hospital. My roots run deep in the Soo and yes, I can go home there.

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.