Rebecker Online

The camera and the touch of the Master's Hand

2012-02-12T13:39:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I was able to do something I've been meaning to do for YEARS!

I took a photography class! About 10 years ago I had a great Olympus camera that was the best of it's kind (for amateurs) at the time. I shot video, had multiple lens and really enjoyed shooting with it. But, I went overboard and in a snowstorm too much water got into it or too cold perhaps and it stopped working. I'm still sad about it. I've been using a cheaper digital camera since that time.

So, I've been waiting to get a really good camera and was leaning toward a Nikon, but Santa Clause brought me a Canon. A pretty nice one in fact. And, I got a free class with it.

Oh my word! I learned so much about ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and various focal points. I learned that my camera can actually do what it claims, but in the wrong hands it hasn't been doing much. My hands.

Upon each new piece of information, the camera became more valuable to me. Who knew I had all of these capabilities at MY fingertips! I just needed to learn how to use it, leverage it, maximize it...

It reminded me of a great poem that taught me the worth of souls, the worth of pursuing and sharing talents, and the worth that sometimes we have to bring out in others that they don't yet know about themselves.

The Touch of the Master's Hand

'Twas battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
but he held it up with a smile.

"What am I bid, good people", he cried,
"Who starts the bidding for me?"
"One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?"
"Two dollars, who makes it three?"
"Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,"

But, No,
From the room far back a gray bearded man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet
As sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?"
As he held it aloft with its' bow.

"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?"
"Two thousand, Who makes it three?"
"Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone", said he.

The audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
"We just don't understand."
"What changed its' worth?"
Swift came the reply.
"The Touch of the Masters Hand."

And many a man with life out of tune
All battered with bourbon and gin
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd
Much like that old violin

A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.

But the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Masters' Hand.

Myra Brooks Welch

The Mailbox

2012-02-02T21:00:00.015-05:00

When I was a teenager, I traveled with a youth group to Washington, DC to the LDS Temple.

These trips were always quite grand in our youthful minds.

It was a four day trip – one day driving, one day site seeing, one day at the temple and one day driving home. I still remember this first trip because “We are the World” was the popular song as well as Madonna’s “Material Girl.” Music that was a far cry from the purpose of our travels, but remembered just the same.

At the temple, we all couldn’t participate at once and so we sat in a waiting room where various videos were played. Cipher in the Snow was a sad story about a boy that was neglected by a drunken care giver and somehow the story all worked out in the end. Another was about the blind man that married a woman that had low self-esteem and she worried he wouldn’t love her once he re-gained his eyesight through corrective surgery.

For some reason, “The Mailbox” stuck in my mind the most. It depicted the day in and day out of an older woman who lived alone. She would walk to the mailbox, down her long driveway, on a daily basis to see if she had received mail from her sons and daughters and grandchildren. The neighbor boy came around to visit her periodically with his mother, but otherwise she led a fairly lonely life. She lived for a letter or a phone call and typically received neither.

One cold wintry day she trod out to the mailbox and there was a letter!

She couldn’t wait to get back to the house to open it and find out the latest happenings in her children/grandchildren’s lives. But, in all the excitement and flurry she was able to open it, read a few lines and then fell back in her chair suffering from a massive heartache.

I’m not sure if I was a huge letter writer before this time. I know that my parents taught me to write frequent notes and letters to friends and family. But, this little movie vignette stuck with me and I vowed to make a better effort of communicating with those people close to me that needed more support, love and contact in their lives.

When I was in my early 20s, I had returned home from serving an LDS mission and started back into my college degree. My grammy had died and my grampy was having a difficult time of it, but was still healthy and strong. But, over the next couple of years it was clear that he wasn’t going to live that long out of loneliness for my grammy.

I felt strongly one day that I should write a letter and I wrote a long one. Luckily, he was able to read it…about a week before he died. I have never regretted writing that note. It has been a source of comfort for as long as I can remember.

Now my other grandparents are in their 90s and are starting to find it difficult to get around, communicate and involve themselves in meaningful activities. They are lonely.

They need mail!

So, I've decided to do what I should already have been doing - sending a letter a week! I mean, how hard can it really be? These people helped bring me into this world and I don't have time to send a photo, write a letter or share a card?

I've done it for a couple of weeks and vow to continue, especially since I've been the recipient of some cards and packages recently that completely made my day.

There are so many ways to serve out there and I'm thinking if we all just did a little more in the way of notes, cards, photos and thank you sharing - well, perhaps the world would be a bit of a better place.

Off to write a letter!

Memory Lane - and licorice surprise

2012-01-27T17:11:00.000-05:00

So, around 4:15 p.m. today I had just finished taking one of the online training courses that I have to finish and there was a knock at the door. I was a bit delayed getting there, but there was a box! A box for me! A box that I had not ordered!

In it was a wonderful card from a friend in college. She had sent me Canadian Twizzlers, some oven mitts that had a bit of a licorice color with gelled stripes and a handmade apron with licorice pattern on the fabric.

What a wonderful surprise!

Laurel and I used to go on walks and talks called "licorice runs." I think I've written about her before - http://rebeckeronline.blogspot.com/2010/06/true-gifts.html.

Periodically over the last 15-16 years she's sent me a package of licorice with a nice note.

What an amazing friend!

Totally out of the blue. Totally appreciated. Totally bad for my teeth. Haaa.

Thanks for making my week Laurel!

Irony, Time and New Year

2012-01-11T14:51:00.000-05:00

Today I'm home sick. Nothing to pass on to someone else. I think I had a reaction to a medicine. But, who knows really. It could have been that bad orange juice coming out of Brazil that was on the news this morning. Time will tell.

The good thing about feeling sick is that I'm home and only partially working. It is wonderful that you can be a completely competent conference call participant while laying on the bed feeling like a zombie. As long as you say "yes" at the appropriate places, ask a question or two and respond with a follow-up email, all is well in the world of work. Lucky for me I have over 300 sick hours that are just sitting there for times like these...which I hope will be rare.

Another good thing about being sick is the time it provides me to think! Really think. Answer the big questions -what am I doing with my life? Why am I doing it? Should I be doing it? What do I value most? ...and the list of questions go on.

I'm wanting something different for 2012 and beyond. I want time to see friends, time to share insight into health, religion, money, art, and exercise. I want to really get my business off the ground and not let the day job overtake everything. I want a family above all else. I want to travel beyond all the day trips I'm taking. I want to be out of debt and invested in the right things. Perhaps I'll sell my house. Perhaps not. Either way, it is time to move beyond these small walls into something that allows room for growth and creativity.

There is one fact of life that I'm sure of - it never goes as I plan. That is OK because it has turned out fine. But, that doesn't mean the anticipation is easy. I've had a session or two of tears when I realize that I'm way off course in some areas and feel like some opportunities passed me by that others take for granted. Yet, I've gotten to have experiences that others may never know.

Gratitude comes back when I remember these things.

So, today is rather ironic. I'm going to take a meal to a young woman that is giving birth to twins. Right after calling her, I called my own doctor to find out what I should do about my reaction to my medicine. Medicine that is supposedly helping my body get healthy so I can have kids. One person is on bed rest and I'm just laying on my bed for an unknown reason.

Ah well. All in good time they say while also hinting that time is of the essence.

For now, it is a new year and time to make the most of it.

Cheers!

Ringing in Christmas

2011-12-11T23:01:00.000-05:00

Wow! I decided to fully celebrate the Christmas Season this year and not let day-to-day work get in the way. I'm off to a good start and hope that the festivities continue!

The past week has been a whirlwind of travel, parties, networking events, work, Christmas concerts and catching up with some friends.

First, I spent last week in New Jersey visiting my sister and family and watching her perform with her husband and some of the kids in an interfaith Christmas Concert.

I got to spend some quality time with the three youngest who went from dark velvets to winter white as they changed over from their church attired into their performance attire. They looked like little angels, but they actually played the parts of little lambs...though I neglected to get a picture of them with their hats.

It was a great concert and my sister got to sing a solo along with the choir. It sounded beautiful!

Before the performance

On Monday I had to return home to continue out the work week since we've got a ton of initiatives and projects in the final stages of completion.

Tuesday was a ward choir Christmas Party which was a great way to get to know a few more people in our congregation. I'm grateful to be getting to know people better. When you don't have kids and have a day job, it is tough to get to know people since play groups, mother excursion and the like aren't part of my life.

Wednesday we went to a networking event and had a great dinner with people we had never met, but got to learn a lot about. The first few minutes are always a bit shallow, but then people start talking and you find out you share the table with rocket scientists, famous (but, private) engineers, and big shots that like to remain anonymous. Soooo different from the likes of Hollywood, and a bit intimidating.

Thursday was work day and laundry day. Am I the only person who enjoys doing laundry on Thursday night? I feel more prepared for the weekend if I get a head start.

Friday was staying at home and work, work, work day...with a few walks in the nice weather.

Saturday was FULL!

We started off the day de-junking. The clothes that occupied these hangers are now sitting in a Goodwill bin. Yep, half a closet gone. Now our clothing fits neatly into our closets. It is such a relief to get rid of things. I find that half the battle is mental. When we finally let go of the "stuff," it is amazing how one day later it isn't missed and the existence is forgotten.

The closest Goodwill happens to be about 15 miles from here (can you believe it? - so far for such a populated area) and so we had some Peruvian chicken at a hole in the wall for lunch and then I remembered that I had a friend in town! Totally forgot, but just in time.

I got to spend a few minutes with my high school friend while she was in town for a local arts and crafts festival.

She designs and creates wooden flowers and vases. Very beautiful - http://www.dmwoodart.com/.

Afterwards, I took a jaunt down to DC and to Georgetown University where one of my office co-workers was participating in her dance troup concert. Belly dancing! Of all things! I think I'm the only person that was there specifically for her and so I'm glad that I went.

I've taken a couple of belly dancing classes from her at work as another form of exercise. It gave me a greater appreciation for how much work some of those seemingly basic moves are - a little harder than hula it seems. There were women from 20 to 75 years old of all shapes and sizes and races. Many took this class as a confidence building activity and it showed. They got quite the applause throughout the concert.

This evening we went to the Washington LDS Temple Festival of Lights to see the temple, the lights and Jennie Oakes Baker perform on the violin. She was recently nominated for a Grammy and so we figured it would be harder to see her now that she has reached a bit more fame.

As luck would have it, we ran into one of my cousins who is out here going to graduate school and so it was a nice little reunion. Ok, we saw her a couple of weeks ago, but still it was fun.

I'm invigorated by the festivities of this week, but know that going into a second week of parties, choir practices and networking events will be a little harder. Yet, that is what the next week holds.

The good thing is that no time has been spent shopping - except for toothpaste and food - and I am feeling like I'm focused on the right things this season.

Family and friends are dominating my time and that is the way that I want it. I haven't been too good about that in the past.

As a side note, I'm making a wall Christmas tree with cards, concert programs and family pictures that I get in the mail. Should be fun to see it take shape over the next few weeks. Right now it is a bit lacking, but it will grow.

Fun Weekend

2011-12-05T17:42:00.000-05:00

I had a fun weekend with nieces and nephews! Dancing included.

Moonroof Drama

2011-11-29T18:55:00.000-05:00

Can one ever go on a trip and not have a little drama?

Halfway through our Thanksgiving getaway my moonroof got stuck.

Ugh! It just wouldn't come down.

Luckily, it was sunny and beautiful all across the Mid-Atlantic for three or four days and so it wasn't an issue...until this morning.

It started to rain and should be doing so the next few days.

My first stop was Google. Wow. I had no idea that dealerships charge $1,500 - $2,500 to fix these things! What a racket! For some, that may even be more than the value of their car. Heck, for me it might even be more than the value of my car now that I've had it for over seven years.

It is amazing how one little inch of unprotected air space is such a dramatic issue.

I got my car emissions test completed this morning and had wrapped a big tarp through one set of windows, over the top and through another set of windows. Let's just say that tarps work really well when the car isn't moving. Once you get up to 30 miles per hour...there is a bit of trouble.

At first I was going to use saran wrap to cover it and then some Eddie Bauer bags from past catalog orders. However, clearly this was a bigger job.

So, a trip to Home Depot (with the bright blue tarp flapping in the wind) and $22.60 later, I do have a temporary solution for this dilemma. Lots of thick plastic used often by painters and lots of thick window weather tape and this really tough Gorilla tape...it looks to be pretty sturdy.

Of course, I had to wait until it stopped raining for an hour to do all this since a wet car isn't one you want to start taping up.

So, this is being documented on 11/29/2011. Let's see how long this can last. I could sure use $1,500 on something besides a moonroof right now.

Lil Thanksgiving Roadtrip

2011-11-29T18:48:00.000-05:00

During the last few years I've taken off the entire Thanksgiving week from work to focus on my own special projects - exercising, scanning photos, typing in old journals into the computer, etc.

However, this year has been crazy busy at work and many of us just used the Monday - Wednesday part of the week to actually get work work done instead of coordinating so much of it. So, though I was teleworking on Wednesday, I was working all the way up until 6 or 7 p.m. and fully expecting to pull in some hours on Friday and Saturday while lounging around the house.

But, no...we ended up taking a lil roadtrip. We had intended on doing a 24 hour stint to visit J's kids, but weren't quite sure what part of Thanksgiving that would fall on or how that would work.

So, at 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning we went to the local Cracker Barrel and had a lil Thanksgiving meal and then came home, packed quickly and hit the road.

We found out along the way that we couldn't actually see the kids until Friday and so we took a detour and late evening we were nestled into a not so great hotel in Kirtland, Ohio. By the way, is it just me - even the four and five star hotels gross me out now.

But, I digress.

On Black Friday morning we arose fairly early and went down into historic Kirtland and saw a lot of older couple missionaries and a younger missionary all up and about getting the place ready for visitors. We walked around the Newel K. Whitney storefront, by the School of Prophets, and near the mill. It all was in great shape and it had obviously been updated since I was last there over 20 years ago.

We then drove up the hill to the Kirtland Temple which is still owned by the Community of Christ church.

Me with the brother and sisters at Kirtland, OH. Wow, and to think three more boys were born after this point!

I clearly remember the moments in the photo above. Besides liking that purple shirt (rare for me because I've just started liking purple recently), I distinctly remember the feelings I had when we had the tour with the Community of Christ tour guide and the tour we had with our LDS tour guide. Both were kind and good, but I felt powerful spiritual feelings with the LDS tour guide. It is just a reminder that children are not exempt from feeling the Spirit in their lives and may be closer to it than most of us having grown into adults.

It was great to walk the grounds alone. No one from the Community of Christ was at their visitor center and so we assumed it was closed for the day.

Right as we were walking toward it, the church across the street had an organist start playing "Till We Meet Again." That, along with the crisp (warm) morning air and being alone made it an especially peaceful experience.

The neighboring graveyard had many grave stones with familiar names - Smith, Stevenson, Pratt, etc. Standing among the graves of people who made great sacrifices brought feelings that I've felt at Gettysburgh, PA. Gratitude, respect, peace and a desire to push myself a little harder in life to stand for something and be something more than merely living a status quo.

We decided to head down into Ohio a bit more to see some Indian Mounds J had been hearing about. Sometimes it is more amazing to read about these things than actually see them in real life. But, again, I know that I had been to these mounds, or those that were similar, on one of those past family trips when I was young. Yet, I don't have a picture to prove it.

You can't go on a trip without visiting a local diner and we did just that - and sat up where we could talk to the waiters and waitresses as they shouted at each other and quite possibly us.

Notice how J also had to indulge in a Dairy Queen even while I try to be good. And, yes, the chocolate covered cone IS bigger than the vanilla cone he is eating. It isn't just bigger because it is closer to the camera.

A fun moment was seeing the Longaberger Baskets offices on a random drive near Newark, Ohio. The building looks like a big basket.

We ended up seeing J's kids after all this and the drive home was mostly in the dark through the mini-mountains of West Virginia and Virginia.

Trips are the best! They get us out of our norm and most important to me - I see people living life and they are OUTSIDE of the DC racket. Yes, there is a life out there and I'm excited to hit the road more to see it!

P.S. You will probably see another post above this since our moonroof decided not to close during our trip. Ugh. It was in the 60s and sunny the entire time, but now it is raining and presenting issues. More car sagas!

Give a man a fish...or a Molly Maid

2011-11-11T18:41:00.000-05:00

So, I've been working LONG hours lately. Really long hours. I even work in my sleep. Lots of initiatives, projects, tasks, politics and deadlines going on at work. It isn't all good and it isn't all bad either. It fluctuates day to day.

As a result, there is dust at my house!

Last night my husband stops while eating dinner and says this:

"Now don't be mad at me Rebecker, but I want to let you know that I had to do something you might not be happy about. I called Molly Maid and they are going to come and clean the house for a couple of hours tomorrow. I just had to do it. We aren't cleaners and I can't handle dust."

Well now.....how does one respond to that?

First off, I do know how to clean. I was taught well. We actually had cards for each room of our house growing up that listed the actions required to clean the room. Very detailed cards that were reviewed when we said "Hey Mom, I cleaned the bathroom, can I go play?"

Secondly, our house isn't THAT dirty. I mean, there is dust, and piles of books, and piles of paper, and piles of bills, and bags to go to the Goodwill and piles of clothing that we are taking to the dry cleaner and cans on the kitchen counter that don't fit in the cupboards and ....

Ok. Maybe I am neglectful of my surroundings.

So, I didn't get mad. I thanked him and asked the time they would be coming by.

And, I made sure I was nowhere to be found when the Molly Maid ladies arrived. I mean - how embarrassing to be the woman that can't clean her own house, right? Haaaaa.

Plus, I had to get some work work done on this beautiful Veteran's Day.

Well, as luck would have it - everyone else decided to use the free wi-fi at Barnes & Noble and my computer was out of juice. So, I didn't last very long working from an iPad and a Blackberry in the car. I ended up coming home 30 minutes before they left because I had a conference call that I had to do in front of a computer.

So, they saw me - the neglectful and dirty wife.

But, they were happy to get their couple of hundred dollars and now I have a clean house.

Moral of the story:

Sometimes the guy (or gal) already knows how to fish. So, you don't need to teach him.
Sometimes you've got to just give the guy a fish because they've forgotten what fish looks like, smells like, and feels like. All he needs is a fish as a gift and it will remind him of what he is missing.

Today my man gave me a fish - a Molly Maid crew to clean my house.

Now I remember how this feels and I'll keep it this way or ...bring Molly Maid back in a few weeks. (-:

Overwhelmed

2011-11-11T18:22:00.000-05:00

I've been overwhelmed for a while. The toil of working so many hours has a huge impact on me. Mentally I have difficulty dealing with people 10-12 hours a day with constant interruptions. Physically, it is bad for me and hard to get the right amount of exercise, sleep and good eating necessary to keep my body working properly. Politics wear me out. I'm never caught up. My house is pretty messy (and that will be another post!).

And yet...

Every few days I have an amazing conversation, a mind growing moment, a meaningful workshop or completion of something I've been working on for a long time.

That is overwhelming as well. Overwhelming feelings of contentment, gratitude and peace.

They almost balance out.

Yes, I'm looking at ways to make big changes over this next year. Some change is quick, some is gradual and some may never come. Either way, I'll work them and see what the future holds.

For now, I'm realizing that being overwhelmed is a part of my life. Sometimes in a bad way, but at other moments very powerfully good.

Tonight I'm basking in the opportunity to get all my experiences and thoughts out of my head while no one is here. That is overwhelmingly satisfying.

Best get offline to make the moment last. (-:

Lessons from the Beach

2011-11-11T18:16:00.001-05:00

Ah well. I am a lucky lady.

I got to take a trip!

In October, I spent almost a week at the Chief Learning Officers Conference at Laguna Niguel, California.

Have you been there?

You'd know if you have because it is a beautiful place! You can click on the picture to see it in a larger format.

I've been overworked lately and so it was a blessing to have some time to take a little bit of a break (the break was mostly because the Blackberry went down AND the conference didn't have the typical free wi-fi that I'm used to at other conferences). So, I took plenty of breaks to walk the different beaches in the area.

I stayed at Dana Point which is just a couple of miles south from Laguna Beach. The conference was held at the Ritz Carleton which is the hotel in the upper right of the photo and the large cliffs drop down to a beautiful place where surfers try to conquer the waves.

Every day I took an hour or two to just walk and think at the different beaches - Dana Point Beach, Laguna Beach, and Huntington Beach - all south of LA, but north of San Diego.

First, the feelings and senses of a morning walk:

Mesmerizing - the rhythm of the water lapping on the shore was mesmerizing. It always takes me off to another place and yet I'm very clearly present.
Smell - seaweed, cold humidity, freshness and leftover campfire smoke mixed in the air most mornings. Yet, it was so real compared to the fake hotel air and cheap plastic of rental cars.
Invigorating - between the fresh wind off the ocean, runners on the boardwalk and the feeling of cold sand under the feet, there is a feeling of renewal AND that no other day in the past matters and no day in the future. Just right there and then. There is also a feeling that I can walk forever and feel healthy and fit.
Reflective - there is something about staring off into the horizon that forces the thoughts about where I am, where I'm going, and what I have to change. It makes me think of how I need to be more and figure out what path I have to take to do so.
Gratitude and Amazement - I feel at one with the sand, the sky and the water. The wild life is amazing and seems to come out of nowhere frequently. Shells, seals, sea gulls, crows, dogs, cats, whales, cranes, and gnats. For some reason beaches and mountains bring these feelings out in me more than anywhere.

One of my most frequent thoughts taking the walks had to do with the rip tide and various currents that splashed up on the shores with great vigor. The surfers sought them out and I found myself waiting with anxiousness to capture the perfect wave crashing moment. It seemed like all the opportunities were on the edges - the edges of the waves, the edges of the beach, the edges of the cliffs, etc. The middle was safe and calm, but the edges offered the most excitement and opportunity. I know in real life that can be a good thing and a bad thing. Hmmm. I'll have to think more on this thought.
Anyway, good little trip. We won and award that I got to accept which was pretty funny ...or not. I accepted an award for a project I led, but that our president got to claim. That's how it works when you are the little guy and have to report to "the man." Ha. Ah well. I have it pretty good.
One of my most favorite parts of my week was choosing to drive up the Pacific Coast Freeway from Laguna Beach to LA on the way to the airport, which is where I took a break to enjoy Huntington Beach during a time of year where hardly any people were there. It was great fun watching the dozens of surfers wait for the perfect wave. Many would wait 15-20 minutes at a time. Really interesting. Some of the less experienced would try more which I guess gave them the practice they needed to become experts in time.
All too soon it was back to the East coast to catch up on the pile up of work projects, home improvements and catching up with relationships. (-:

A week after getting home I realized that I did not really need to sell my house and go live on the beach after all. It would be just fine to visit periodically. (-:

911- Ten Years Later

2011-09-11T20:28:00.000-04:00

As usual, I don't have a lot to add to what I've written in the past.

Perhaps someday, but not today.

Here's my post from 2008 with some pictures from that day near the Pentagon.

http://rebeckeronline.blogspot.com/2008/09/911.html

Hurricane Musings

2011-08-27T22:29:00.008-04:00

So, there are benefits to hurricane weekends. Though ... it is just a bit breezy outside and rainy most of the day. It is supposed to get worse. We'll see. I could swear that the Weather channel has a partnership with all the local grocery stores. Everyone runs out and buys things they don't need or is overkill for what might be two days away from normal living.

Ah well, what do I know. We had an earthquake here this week and THAT was completely unexpected and no newscaster thought to give us a heads up. I was in the middle of a lunch meeting at our cafeteria and the room started to shake. Quite the surprise, but five minutes later we continued our meeting while the rest of the people ran outside and talked about it. The rest of the day was the "where were you when it happened" conversation.

This weekend I'm spending most of my time helping someone write a proposal. These things take a lot of energy and time. But, I'm not pulling my hair out because there isn't anything great outside that I'm missing. Plus, I smartly went and swam an hour of laps yesterday in the morning before all the clouds came rolling into town.

I realize that this post isn't that exciting, but sometimes we aren't angry or happy, but just kind of calmly going about doing life. I spent time with a good friend last evening, took my husband's shirts to the dry cleaners and picked them up (learning that you have to ASK them to starch them - they don't just do it), and made a six page to do list that I've accomplished one page of so far.

Since they are still working on our offices, I get to telework a lot right now which actually means that I work longer days and accomplish more. Funny result - I actually enjoy when I do go now because I get to catch up on all my work relationships. It is during these times when you realize you really can have a work family too!

Perhaps I will write in this blog more this week and perhaps not. I'm trying not to worry about it so much. Some things go into my personal journal now that used to go out here. We all go through these phases, aye?

Many of my friends, different friends than last year, are going through massively difficult experiences. Divorce, separation, financial woes, job woes, low self-esteem. It is amazing that with so much abundance around, we still have issues in life. Most of these people would look "perfect" from viewing their lives on the outside. It makes me realize that we are just all going through LIFE and perhaps needs to share a little more and help a little more - in the spirit of giving and helping vs. gossiping and whispering.

All little thoughts as the imaginary hurricane swirls around my little abode.

Cheers!

Fortune

2011-08-04T13:45:00.001-04:00

Well, there it is! I will survive and thrive!

Little gecko friend

2011-08-03T19:13:00.000-04:00

So, this is random.

I am sitting in Orlando at my hotel pool after presenting at a conference. I was at the end of the day. Stress.

But, this little gecko has been watching me for a few minutes. So cute!

And another smaller one us on his way! They seem to notice when anyone moves. Intelligence in such small forms.

Random stuff from the past week

2011-07-23T23:35:00.000-04:00

So, after a long day of working (yes, today is Saturday and I had to catch up) I figured I should do something personal and so I'm writing a blogpost.

The only problem is this - I cannot remember what in the world I did this entire week except work. So, I'm resorting to whatever pictures I took off my camera a few days ago.

Highlights from the week include, because I suddenly remembered as I was loading photos:

HEAT - Really hot, muggy and soul sucking ....but, you didn't know it until after it happened. We were over 100 many days and apparently it had the impact of 120 degree weather on some of them. I love humidity, but must have locked my knees talking/videotaping a neighbor and almost collapsed on the steps. Yikes!
Pentagon Visit - Had a meeting at the Pentagon for the first time in a couple of years. Wow, the new renovations aren't that amazing, but did you know that they have a Best Buy now? Inside the Pentagon? They do have fast food places and other shops, but for some reason the Best Buy threw me off. As well as the broken escalator going UP on one of the days of blasting heat. I felt like I was supposed to become part of special forces or something. If they need some good walkers and endurance swimmers...I would probably apply. Oh wait, I'm not of age. (-:
Mobile - I've been immersed in all things mobile lately for work. So, if you have any great ideas feel free to send them my way. I'm leading up our mobile initiative with a special focus on mobile learning. iPads, Galaxy pads, etc. are changing the learning game. Pretty cool.
Captain America - apparently it was pretty good. I sent my husband off to it by himself so that I could do the all things mobile (see above) work I needed to get done. Sometimes I get so bored knowing how the movie ends through the previews.
Oatmeal Cookies - the cure for using food storage that is out of date is to make multiple batches of cookies. Ok, but don't cook them all. Just freeze the dough after one tray goes in the oven. This is how to handle cookie addiction, right? Too high of a level of effort to cook the next batch to make it worth the regular sneaking.

Contrary to the look of this picture - I am not 9 feet tall. This picture proves that I did go to the pool to swim laps and the piles behind me indicate that I did some de-junking and have to run to the Goodwill. Yea!

My personal/work friend got married and had a second reception down at the chapel grounds near Mt. Vernon. Congrat to Andrea!

Loved Andrea's dress. Had a unique flair to it.

On sticks and stones and good intentions

2011-07-13T13:31:00.000-04:00

Do you ever get an email or have a phone conversation that makes you blush with embarrassment - not in a "oh my, they just said that" sort of way, but an "oh my, I had no idea I was doing that " sort of way?

Well, I just had one of those conversations. It was really weird for me.

I was told that someone thought that a few of us were "meddling" or "gossiping" on something in one of my friend's lives.

Wow. It was shocking to here it from a third party.

Even more shocking was the fact that I had tried to be helpful, sincerely solicited help from others and spent time praying/fasting about the matter and had felt strongly to ask others to pray as well.

My heart had been sincere. I didn't think I had stepped over any lines. In fact, I held off on many things that I said that I was going to do.

I hadn't thrown any sticks or stones. I had good intentions.

Yet, I (actually, it was more of a collective thing than me, but still) had somehow wronged another in the effort of helping.

It goes to show that we are human after all. I'm a bit hurt by it, but I'll keep going. I'll be more careful. I'll remember that we are all coming to the same experience from different perspectives.

It will always be the case and so one must learn how to deal with these moments and move on.

It remains me of a modified version of a playground chant from years ago:

Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words ....will break your heart.

Sorry my words hurt when they didn't intend to do so.

Day 2 - Letting Go

2011-07-12T23:00:00.003-04:00

So, it was the 2nd day of the fat camp, de-junk mania, and removing excess baggage!

Today wasn't gym day, and so I didn't go. But, got an full eight hours of sleep for once!

This was the day to scan some of the notebooks I keep my daily to dos, notes, and everything else in each day. I love these notebooks.

I've written about them before, but now ...it is time to discard them. Letting go is hard to do.

After scanning one or two of them, I realized that I didn't need EVERY single detail of my day. So, finally resorted to scanning about 1/2 of each of them to capture the essence of my daily life, but not so much that I go overboard in documenting every moment.

The great thing is this - once I digitize them, I'll reverse engineer them all into photo books (MyPublisher and Blurb) and throw away the originals. The photo books are great and actually take up a lot less space.

It is a little hard to let go of these still, but it is good to free up space for better things, right?

Today I didn't go swimming. It was supposed to be over 100 and one hour outside yesterday seemed to be like eight hours worth! My skin needed a break. I think it actually stayed in the lower 90s which has been typical the last couple of months. I have to force myself to stay indoors!

I did the workout on the beginners pilates DVD and it worked great...except I swear the women on the DVD were smaller than life. They fit on their mats and I was hanging all over mine!

My husband and I went on a walk under the moon and the stairs since I tried to stay in working projects all day. Nice little moments and I no longer take "ro-tic" walks since I have a man and the "man" can be added back into the word "romantic."

Weight = One pound less!

Ready for Day 3.

This is what is now scanned. I can't throw them away until I order the photo books...just for good measure

Day 1 - the real start to removal

2011-07-11T18:31:00.001-04:00

So, today was the real day #1 of my "removing excess baggage" week. This past weekend was prep, warm-up, or pre-test, if you will.

I've made a schedule...which is, of course, on my other computer. So, I will post that later.

However, I'm off to a great start!

Interested in details?

5:15 a.m. Alarm rang. I swiped it to turn off mode. After all, I was making a greeting card in my dream and I had to go to sleep for a few minutes to finish this virtual card. Weird, yes? But, I often have to go back to sleep for a few minutes to get closure to my dreams.

5:25 a.m. Guilt and getting up.

5:30 a.m. Walked to the gym. Loud morning - birds chirping, bugs buzzing and a few stray squirrels running about.

5:38 a.m. Signed in and lifted weights for 40 minutes. Treadmill for 12 minutes. Only three people at the gym and no one on duty. This could be my new favorite time!

7:00 a.m. Got home and started to do work for an hour. After all, I have to keep up while I'm out which is why I'm never gone too long.

8:00 a.m. Prayers, scriptures, and a little nap.

9:00 a.m. Conference call with someone from another government agency. It went on for an hour and I had to be engaged the entire time!

10:30 a.m. Excited and nervous. I am a camelon of colors right now and am VERY nervous about being seen in a swimsuit after a year out of major sun and jelly legs. But, dressed in the suit and swimming shorts anyway and walked back down the hill to the pool.

Ahhh, what a wonderful stroke of luck! A secret happiness came my way. At 11:00 a.m., I walked out to the pool deck and there were three senior citizens there to swim their laps and one lifeguard too busy inspecting her own belly button ring to really worry about me. Plus, one look at her and I knew that I'd have to take care of my own life if it became endangered in the 3.5 feet of water.

As luck would have it, the entire neighborhood decided not to come to the pool until noon! So, I had a full half hour of laps before one woman decided I was her new best friend and we basically did water aerobics across the pool as we talked. I was able to get my last half hour in when she left and five minutes drying in the sun was enough for me. Sunbathers and kids floated in as I floated out...

1:00 p.m. Lunch and errands.

4:00 Barnes and Noble - to go through one hour of emails (that was one of my goals) and to get out of the house. Not that I was in it at all today.

5:30 p.m. Dinner, which was mostly watermelon ...on this almost 100 degree day. 111 with the heat index I suppose.

6:00 p.m. - Cleaned the refrigerator. Ok, so it isn't very full and it is already clean so it took all of five minutes. This ended up being a goal for today and a very short family home evening activity. Ha. Start small, right?

The day isn't over yet, but I've exercised three times (remove excess weight), deleted emails (remove excess info), and cleaned the refrigerator (removed excess food).

Now, tonight I just have one more goal - scan for two hours. Scan photos, old photo album pages, etc. That will take care of the "remove excess paper" goal.

I promise not to write a long winded post like this the rest of the week, but wanted to show that I started off the day well and stuck to the plan and still allowed some wiggle room for other fun.

Removing Excess Baggage Week

2011-07-10T07:50:00.000-04:00

This week I'm going to post my happenings everyday. It may bore you, but it will force me to report on my week.

I blogged a few weeks ago about my July Fat Camp. It is here! But, I realized it was far more than getting a jump on exercise. I need to scan the last of my photos and odds and ends, plus de- junk the rest of all this paper stuff that I think I'm going to read. Like all those articles from readers digest five years ago that seemed so important at the time. Plus, I will be going through one hour of email a day. Getting about 2,000 email weekly between work and personal can put me a little behind at times.

So, good stuff, aye?

If you have any tips...let me know!

Sent from my iPhone

Friendships

2011-07-02T14:33:00.000-04:00

This week I was lucky to spend time with a good friend. A friend that I met over 30 years ago. We lived in Nebraska for two years during grade school and we went to church together.

Even though I lived there two years, we stayed in touch the rest of our lives. She went on to college, marriage, six kids and a lot of political work. I went on to college, mission, work, college, work and now finally marriage.

Our lives went in paths that we hadn't planned.

And yet, we still get to meet up every few years and catch up on friendship and learning from each other.

I am truly blessed to have so many good friends. They are all over the world and so we can't all see each other all the time, but we can pick back up right where we left off.

Plus, socialmedia can be a force for good. Where physical presence isn't possible, nothing prevents us from communicating but our own life priorities.

Great to see you Karianne! Love ya!

Prayer of Saint Francis

2011-06-21T18:40:00.001-04:00

Ok, I posted this elsewhere, but wanted to link to it. Perfect poem/song/prayer for difficult moments.

http://bloggerpickles.blogspot.com/2011/06/prayer-of-saint-francis.html

Gettin Older - over the fourth hill

2011-06-15T22:43:00.001-04:00

The reality of being tired and older

The joy of having a bright cake with my name on it.

So, I had a birthday. One of the "big birthdays." I don't feel different.

I have wrinkles, gray hair (or is it grey), and fat in weird places.

The online coupons that come my way are for 50% off hair coloring, AARP memberships and vitamins to increase my bone density.

Wow. When did this happen?

Time flies and I have to ask myself - am I having fun?

In many ways, yes, my life is fulfilling.

In other ways, I want to change who I am a little more to who I'm supposed to become.

Today on a walk I was listening to a motivational book. One of the thoughts talked about how we are a product of our deepest beliefs about ourselves. It was elegantly stated in the storyline and caused me to reflect, yet again, on any beliefs I have that hold me back.

This year has already had a lot of change. Change that had to have come from some deep beliefs that changed and were finally realized.

Now I'm ready to tackle more.

The numbers are a little too tangible

So, here's to being 40 and not at all old. And, yes, I am going to go use the hair coloring coupon this next week...though the gray hair may make me more credible at the next conference I need to speak at, don't you think?

Great photo by a person that didn't know they were a photographer

Fat Camp and Scanning Mania

2011-06-11T22:32:00.000-04:00

So, on Saturday my husband and I "got our house in order." Since we didn't take a honeymoon (yet), there was a room full of plastic cartons to go through. Now there are only 5-6 which will be tackled at a later date.

Part of getting it all in order made me realize that I got the most important goal accomplished this year (marriage), but have neglected some of my other goals.

So, this summer now has new focus - Fact Camp and Scanning Mania.

I am letting my husband have the extra bedroom as an office. Part of that "offering" was giving up the closet where I kept my journals, scrapbooks, supplies, etc. To light a fire under my own rear, I put all of the closet contents in my dining room.

I know - messy, eye soar, crowded, inappropriate. And that is exactly why I did it. It will force me to go through each carton, scan the contents and then throw some of them away.

Along with this project, I need to lose weight. I've been sitting about 10-11 hours a day lately. It is crazy. It messes with your metabolism. It makes the weight near impossible to get off.

Sooooooo.....we made up our own fat camp posters last night. We'll be doing all kinds of exercises overe the next three months and focusing on eating better.

I am going to take a week off from work mid-July just to ensure July is a bionic month. That same week will include two or three hours of scanning a day so that I remained balance in my goals.

I'm kind of excited. Around Thanksgiving every year I typically take the week off just to do projects and such, but I've never done it in the middle of the summer.

This year I've actually wanted to have a summer and so this is one way that I'll get it!

So, I'll show periodic updates to these two items just to make sure I'm reporting out to cyberspace on process.

I can't wait!

Where did this week go?

2011-06-03T20:47:00.000-04:00

First, ever notice how these weeks with a Monday holiday just fly by? They are crazy.

At work we try to cram in all the meetings that we usually cram into a normal five day week.

This week is especially bad because there are two conferences coming up this month that I have to speak at which automatically means I have to spend time around the clock thinking about what to put into the PowerPoints, ensuring we have proper video footage, creating a mobile app of the presentation and signing up for some QR codes so people in the audience can just hold their phone up and snag the web address.

Fun stuff actually...to have to talk about mobile!

But, then a friend had foot surgery and instead of just dropping her off and picking her up...I spent about 30 hours with her since I'm the person who signed the form at the hospital saying "this person will be monitored for 24 hours after surgery." Yikes. Such responsibility.

However, we did talk A LOT and she was a very good patient. So, that ended up being a great use of time. A co-worker even came to the hotel we were staying in (so she wouldn't have to climb stairs) and worked with me on one of the presentations until 10:30 p.m. one night. Now, that is dedication on her part.

Today was spent on recovering, doing some work, and ensuring that I get enough rest for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in downtown DC tomorrow. I get to go with a great friend. A friend that I've gone to 5-6 Race for the Cure races here in the last 10 years or so.

So, yes, this week went fast. But, it was good.

It was spent with the right people, doing the right things and feeling like this is what a week in my life should be all about.