God Bless America

Yesterday morning Travis was watching the Dan Patrick show (a morning sports talk show) and, as I headed upstairs to get ready for work, I heard Dan talking about the "Star Spangled Banner" song that was sung the night before at the Boston Bruins hockey game - Dan played the sound track on his show.

After the marathon bombing this week the hockey team decided to play on in spite of the tragedy. It sounds like the stadium was full and it may have raised some controversy that the game would not be delayed or moved, so I stood upstairs in the loft listening as a lone singer started the song and the crowd almost immediately joined in. It was the most rousing experience as the voices swelled and the song was sung how it is meant to be sung; not half heartedly, but with feeling and meaning. I don't remember feeling the Spirit of America more than I did yesterday as I listened to those voices swell - I am getting choked up now just remembering it. 

Here is the video link that I found:

http://landing.newsinc.com/shared/video.html?vcid=24744140&freewheel=90051&sitesection=nydailynews

I have seen countless Face book posts talking about the spirit and inspiration of the marathoners and the Spirit of America and I appreciate that people have the ability to use these negative experiences to reconnect with what is most important in this life; to reset their priorities. I wish we could find more unity in daily life without these types of events to bring us together as one people. I suppose that is why there is opposition in all things...so we will recognize the good things in life when the bad things come out. 

God Bless America...

I Am Grateful,

HB

Diva Quote: "The significance which is in unity is an eternal wonder." Rabindranath Tagore

Family Dinner

Have I mentioned what an amazing cook Travis is? I am sure I have, but he really is an amazing cook. Lately we have had the most amazing and easy salad...

Kale (de-veined and cut into fine pieces)
Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil over the whole thing
1 whole lemon squeezed over the top
mix well (kale is best if broken up and roughly man handled)
add dried cranberries
add toasted pine nuts
shredded Parmesan cheese

Best salad ever...not kidding, soooo good.

Tonight Travis smoked a huge pork shoulder and we made an apple cider vinegar bbq sauce that was tangy and delicious with just a little kick to it. As the mixture cooked up, everyone started coughing - it was sort of funny and we had to open all the windows even though it is still pretty cold up here. We invited the whole family up and still had tons of left over meat that we sent home with everyone and even kept some for ourselves. I even made my sisters Choffy Cake last night and it was even better the 2nd night - everyone RAVED over desert.

All in all a very nice night and it was great to see everyone even though it gets crazy with so many kids running rough shod all over the place, not to mention 3 dogs and one very nervous cat; only one accident and it was my own dog being territorial...bad dog.

I have to brag that I have one of the best families on earth...how did I ever get so lucky? I did take two photos - one of the cook and one of the meat. I am back to having difficulty with photos on the new computer (wish I wasn't so ignorant of the ways of technology), but I will try to get Trav to help me with it. Probably should have taken a few photos of the family as well. I do have a good photo trapped in my phone from Easter...I'll try to get it posted soon (for M of course).

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: “I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and say to myself "well, that's not going to happen”  -- Rita Rudner

What Life?

Sometimes when momentum gets going it is hard to remember the way things "used" to be. I am sneaking these next few minutes to write a bit because I haven't had a chance for several days and last night I sat here at this desk thinking about what I would normally be doing if not working and my mind just went blank. I keep reminding myself this is just temporary...within the next 30 days things will level off, my new assistant at work will be in place and processes will be completely transitioned on the new account. I have never so looked forward to the month of May like I am looking forward to it this year. All is well.

Today I actually made it to book club - I haven't gone for the last 3 weeks or so and it was a surprise to me to realize I had totally blocked book club from my mind. This is my all time favorite meeting every week, so I was pretty stunned when I realized it hadn't even floated by as a thought in my mind for several weeks...weird. Today I went and, although I haven't been reading the book (oh yeah, that is what I would normally be doing at night), I loved one part that was discussed today.

There seems to be a misconception by some people that praising others somehow diminishes ourselves OR if we share our trade secrets we will be jeopardizing our business and giving away our competitive edge. Today I was reminded of the following:

• There is plenty of business for all of us. 
• Praising others in public creates trust and encourages loyalty
• Paying attention to people is the single most productive thing we can do

I have always believed I do not need to be threatened by lack of business. Since working at my new company this past year, I can absolutely say I still believe we can all experience a high level of success doing whatever we are doing. There has only been one time in my career that I held back some information (besides the proprietary kind of course) that I felt might give my competition the edge and for some reason it has really bothered me for years. 

Once upon a time there was a commercial group that was trying to get residential leads from a client we both worked with...I felt very threatened and gave a very blunt answer when asked what we did to manage utilities on vacant residential homes. This process is not brain surgery...anyone can figure out how to put utilities in the company name and then seek reimbursement for the costs from a client, but for some reason I felt if I divulged the process to this commercial agent, I would be creating a situation where some of "my" business would be going to my competitor...talk about lack of confidence. I've always felt bad about this. Think if I had helped him and later I had a question about something in the commercial world...I could call and ask questions and he might have helped me out. I'll never know - I have never talked to him since. 

I love praising others - I love noticing amazing acts of kindness, good strong work ethics or any kind of business successes and accomplishments. I did like the reminder of how important it is to recognize others in public, not just one-on-one. 

Paying attention to people...really listening. If you are going to be stuck talking to someone for any length of time...why not pay attention while you are engaged. Lately I have felt myself drifting, thinking of all the things I need to do, instead of really focusing on the person in front of me. Just a reminder to self, "Just THINKING about something won't actually get it done...might as well focus on the moment and think about SOMETHING later". Just a thought. 

I Am Grateful,

HB

Diva Quote: “Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.” - Dr. Seuss

Studio

Tomorrow my baby brother, now 32, is going to move into our studio apartment. He's had a few rough years as he has forged his way into a  new career path. I'm pretty proud of him and he has a new job, that he seems to enjoy and take great pride in, and he is ready to move out of the parents house he was lucky enough to have the option to live in for the last year. I'm glad we have an interim solution for him.

I have a lot to do tomorrow. I really need to make about 15 calls in the morning for work, but I also need to clean the house, clean the apartment and the oven that hasn't been put back in the unit since it was redone. We had a leak in the ceiling and had to take it down, de-funk it, and put everything back up. We put on a fresh coat of paint and took out the old gungy carpet and put in a pergo type product. We had a few extra canned lights put in and a new, bigger sink. I'm pretty happy with the final results.

We originally thought we would use the studio for our work out room, but the ceiling is too low and the new elliptical won't fit in there. I might be just short enough to use it, but Trav would never be able to, so up into the loft it went. Now I am in the process of rearranging that area to be our new work out room.

The next idea was to use the space for a "game room" but how often do we really entertain? We surely would not go down there just to entertain ourselves...would we? Then we thought we could make it into Trav's home office and bike room - this is still a possibility, but then Chuck called and we decided to let him rent from us for a bit.

It will be fun to have him here. I don't expect we will really see too much of him, but when our nephew lived with us we tried to have dinner together once a week and I expect we will do the same with Chuck. What makes me most happy is he seems excited about it. I hope he likes it.

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: “What strange creatures brothers are!” - Jane Austen

Emergency Preparedness

No, I am not speaking of the end of the world kind of preparedness, although I believe being prepared for any kind of emergency is also important, I am talking of emergency LUNCH preparedness.

Both Travis and my sisters have been inspiring me to really work on my goals of losing weight and really getting healthy in my middle age years. I'll be 39 on Saturday and I am getting irritated with myself for letting another year slip by without giving max effort to achieve at least SOME of my health goals.

Travis is super active and rides his bike at the gym when he cannot ride outside on an actual bike. Do you know how monotonous it is to ride a spin bike for 2 hours? But he does it anyway. He is super committed to being in bike shape this Spring and, although we could both eat better, his cardio stamina is in super great shape...plus he looks hot.

My sisters, Amy and Keri, are into this Cross Fit place...it is super high intensity weight lifting and exercising. They both seem a bit obsessed by the whole thing, but why is that? They feel super good after they go, lots of energy and stamina; they are eating better and the trainers and classes keep them motivated to stay on their eating plans; they are seeing results...they are getting strong...I am determined to let them know when they start getting man necks, but right now they both look great and I can tell they each are experiencing more confidence and willpower.

Melissa just wrote a whole post on taking charge of our decisions and I have admired her for a long time since she has started being committed, not only to being thin, but to being healthy. She is now an instructor at her gym, runs a lot and has never seemed more healthy to me. It is nice to know she also still struggles with the munchies and habits of a lifetime that need to be overcome, even as she has created new, better habits that have made her healthy and strong.

There is a lot of talk at the office around weight loss and goals around health. Several people have done a juicing diet and I know that is not the direction I want to go. One guy said he lost 50 lbs in 1 year by making one change every few weeks until he felt he could maintain it over time. I have decided this is a better more permanent way to proceed with my goals. This first week:

• Drink more water...specifically two or three 24 oz bottles at work. 
• Prepare emergency lunches to have at the office...and eat lunch and have a formal eating plan each day 
• Elliptical 5 times per week. First 2 weeks 15 minutes per day...increase as able

Emergency preparedness comes in when back up plans are set in motion alongside the best intentions...I have 3 water bottles - one in the kitchen that I bring around with me on the main living level of the house, one upstairs next to the bed that I refill at night when I go up to change my clothes for the night and one at work that I keep there so I don't forget to bring it back and forth from the car, to the house, etc. 

Lunches...today I had my apple, pickle, string cheese and tomatoes in a bag ready to go to the office with me and I left it on the kitchen counter...I was happy I had some single serving soups at the office to heat up...ez solution.

I have my alarm set for 5:30 a.m. tomorrow...I guess the trick here is to go to bed earlier than normal and jump up when the alarm clock rings in the morning. 30 minutes of extra sleep does not REALLY make that much of a difference...but exercising first thing in the morning, will make me feel great. 

I am committed to getting it done! 

I Am Grateful,

HB

Diva Quote: "The habit must be greater than the results." Joe Reardon (not sure if he was quoting someone else when he said it)

Vegas Baby...Yes, Again...

I was in Las Vegas, NV again all last week for the CENTURY 21 Global Convention. Talk about the last place I should have been when the move season is picking up speed. Guess what I was doing every day and night while I was supposed to be taking classes? That's right...working. I am glad to be going back to my office full time on Monday - it will be a relief.

I will say that Vegas is BEAUTIFUL in March. The weather was in the 70's, the sun was out, the sky was blue...it was just amazing. The best part of the whole trip was our hotel room at the Aria - this is the new hotel in the City Center. I traveled down with Kim from work and when we opened the door to our room the lights turned on, the TV started playing elevator music and the blinds slid open to reveal the strip - it was amazing. The only problem was we couldn't figure out how to operate everything remotely...the room was a little too smart for me, but we got by in the end.

One night Kim was going to sleep and I was finishing some emails and she hit "good night" on the light switch...swoosh go the blinds, black goes all the lights in the entire place. It was super funny. Then another night I woke up at 4 a.m. because Kim was laughing hysterically in her sleep...that was also SUPER funny. The other best part of the trip was every morning when I woke up and asked Kim if I woke her with my snoring, she told me she does not think I snore...HA! I told her she is probably a deeper sleeper than she thinks, but I was super relieved and couldn't wait to tell Travis when I got home. He just said he would record me so I would be unable to dispute the fact that I do indeed snore...loudly. Gee, thanks.

Our hotel was actually across the street from Planet Hollywood where the convention took place. When I checked into the room I asked what the best, most direct route would be to cross the strip to our event and was told "go around this way (pointing) and get on the tram to the Bellagio, walk through that building and follow the path past the fountain to the street where there are cross walks, but really the fastest way to go is via Taxi." Hmmm...ok.

I took this route the first morning and it took 30 minutes to get to the convention...I did this 4 times the first day, all the while noticing there seemed to be a bridge that went over the street that might be faster. I asked about the bridge that evening when I was going back to the room and was told there was no direct access to the bridge. The next morning I was running late and asked again for directions to the bridge. A nice guy was headed that way and told me where to go...I started walking and realized I was not headed in the right direction AND I had forgotten the ticket I needed for the invitation only event I was headed to...ARGH...back to the room, grab tickets, get a taxi, try not to cry...it only took 5 minutes, but cost me $10.

After the breakfast I decided to try the bridge from the Planet Hollywood side of the street...TOTAL straight shot back to my hotel and it only took 10 minutes...The reason I am NOT totally irritated about this still today, is I got to see the Bellagio fountain several times and that hotel has some beautiful gardens in it that I enjoyed walking through everyday. I also got 2 hours of walking in on the first day, sure I had blisters and my feet swelled up, but I can't remember the last time I walked for two hours; plus, I now know my way around the tram system for next time we visit and was able to take the bosses home that way after they treated us to the Bellagio buffet for dinner (all you can eat crab people!! A very nice treat).

One last thing I want to mention - I drove the whole way to Las Vegas and back. This was quite a feat for me. I normally don't drive at all on road trips, but this time I did it and it felt pretty good actually. Kim and I talked the whole time, or were doing business, and I really enjoyed her company. Kim is such an easy going, kind person with a great sense of humor - It was so fun to room and drive with her.

I have photos, but can't figure out how to get them off my phone onto this new computer. I see that Travis managed it, so will pull and download them tomorrow morning.

I Am Grateful,
HB

Diva Quote: "Las Vegas looks the way you'd imagine heaven must look at night." Chuck Palahniuk

Presentation

I've decided that preparing for a presentation and then giving it is a lot like Thanksgiving Dinner. Hours of preparation equate to one hour of production. The turkey is the most important part because it holds the highest expectation of the participants and will be judged against other turkeys eaten in the past. Was it moist? Did it have an exceptional flavor? Was it pleasing to look at? 

The other dishes are extras and are what sets this special dinner apart from all other dinners throughout the year. There is a vast difference in Thanksgiving dinner and the accompanying dishes at my Mom's house vs. my Mother-in-law's house. The style and presentation differ greatly and the experience holds certain expectations that very rarely disappoint. 

I spent the last two weeks preparing a request for proposal (RFP) for a large account at work and we finally presented yesterday. Overall, I think the entire experience has been really good for me. I have learned a lot about the formal process and I will be better at it the next time. 

Here are some of my "poor baby" moments:

• Get to work by 7:30 most mornings, get home by 8:00 p.m., spend one hour with husband, get back to work on the computer until midnight or later
• Very few lunch breaks, but lots of Monster drinks
• BOTH my lap top AND my desktop computers got viruses and inhibited some 'at home' work time that created more actual work time stress
• 5 hours at the office on Saturday just to 'sort of' catch up
• Knots in my back
• Several bad hair days
• I missed the Summit meeting last week and totally spaced the book club meeting on Weds morning :(
• I got to the printers late the night before the big day and had to wait around for the print and binding job to be completed - got home from work that night at 11:30 pm
• I found a BLATANT error in the Executive Summary AFTER the presentation (UGH!!!)
• I realized when I got home the night before we presented and, after dumping my whole purse on the kitchen counter, realized I left my zip disk at the printers - it had all the programs on it and I didn't have a back up anywhere

That's enough 'whoa is me', now for some great things:

• I got a new computer...it is SWEET
• A guy at work was able to de-virus my laptop - it is good as new and faster than before
• My new computer programs assisted with the creation of some pretty decent flyer's (something I have been wanting to do for a long time)
• Preparing all this information has ultimately made future presentations more about answering the RFP rather than preparing all of the supplementary materials (side dishes)
• I've lost some weight - I have decided not to weigh myself for a while, too depressing, but my pants are looser and that always feels good
• The zip disk was rescued by a work mate in plenty of time before we had to leave for the meeting
• I learned to ALWAYS have a data back-up
• I learned to ALWAYS review ALL the print material ONE MORE TIME before going to print even if I am sick to death of reading it
• Its done! I know I did EVERYTHING I could do to be prepared and I know I did the best that I could at the time of delivery

The presentation itself was interesting. My rescued zip drive wouldn't open on their computer (one more lesson - ALWAYS bring your own computer). 'Bye-bye' super power point...'hello' print job. We just moved on and presented off the print material instead, but it was a bit irritating since it took me a zillion years to build, sigh, oh well. 

The best part of the presentation was the team itself - we all took a part of the material to present and everyone did a great job. We started the presentation with a prop and a theme that we carried through the end, we had good printed material that outlined the RFP & our services and the turkey, or the meat of the matter, was leaving them with a clear understanding that we know what their most urgent needs are and we are the best company to assist them. At the end of the day, that is what really matters - We heard them, got a clear picture of their challenges and we came to them with solutions. 

We will receive the formal announcement on Monday, but I feel good about how things turned out. I will say I am ready to get back to the day to day work flow of the department and evenings at home with my husband.

I Am Grateful,

HB

Diva Quote: "Our work is the presentation of our abilities." Edward Gibbon