Thursday, April 16, 2009

Aspirations, Leadership & Growing

THIS WAS WRITTEN YESTERDAY 4/19/09

Today I went somewhere, physically, mentally & spiritually. I wasn't expecting anything to be out of the ordinary. Just had a day off so I took up a friend on an offer to tour his place of work. My friend has been working as a contractor at this very well known company since October of last year & is deliriously happy. He cannot stop raving about it. He talks of the company providing healthy meals to its employees and guests, for free, everyday. He talked of the fitness center and opportunity to work with a personal trainer/nutritionist. He talked of working in a Christian environment. He talked of working with people that genuinely enjoyed what they did...every single day!! Can you say jealousy? oh yeah, major!!

Well, today I experienced IT. I felt IT as I walked the halls, peeked into conference rooms, stepped into and out of elevators and sat in the cafe. Wait a minute!! Hold the ever lovin' phone!! These people were happy. Glad, even. To be at work!! It was MIND BOGGLING!!! And no, it was not the Stepford world. Everyone we encountered had a smile on their face. Those we were actually introduced to warmly greeted us and told us how pleased they were that we had come to visit. Really? um, us? but we're nobody, I mean, we don't even work there. Just guests, come to visit a friend. But it brought to my mind, the common sense of it all. Keep your employees happy. If they are happy they will help your business to grow, they will produce for you, they will keep your customers/clients happy. It's a trickle down effect (give, help and enable, in all ways possible, for your team members/employees to do their job effectively). Not a sponge effect (micro manage to the point of unhappiness for your employees & still reap the benefit of profit but not share with the ones who actually DID the work) that I have felt and seen so many other companies do.

I was given several books today. One of which I started reading as soon as I got home and finished tonight (it was a quick read, only 125 pages). It's in regards to effective leadership. And while I am not a leader at my job, I found alot of what this book says I could apply it to my life and to the ministries and volunteer work that I am involved in. As I read, I knew that alot of what I experienced today had come from this book. Mostly because the co-author happens to be in a very huge leadership position at the company. It was refreshing to know that he practiced what he preached and that it was obvious that the employees took it to heart and practiced it too.

Am I still jealous? yes, to a certain extent. I had realized today that I had coveted his job and where he works. I wanted so bad to work where he does or at least a company like that (there are very few in the US that have the business practice and corporate overview that this company has). God showed me that while it's ok to want that for myself, it's not good to be envious of my friend that he does have it now.

I am still trying to sort out everything I am thinking and feeling from this day. Trying to understand what exactly it is that God is trying to reveal to me. I apologize that this post may seem vague right now. But I promise I will share what I figure out in the coming days.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

The other man....

Hey baby boy,

Took you forever to get here. You came out lookin' alittle smurf blue. But all is good.

What? They call this colic. Oh my gosh, just kill me right now!! 2am drives around the city is just what I need.

Who is this smilin' sweet boy who greets me with a grin every morning? Cause you can't be the same baby that demanded relief of a gassey stomach a month ago...

Bud, ya gotta stop gruntin' everytime you want something. Use words!

Stop eating the dog food.

Yes, Power Rangers and Barney is the bomb! *bangs head on wall*

Can you just be quiet for just a little while?? The talking a mile a minute is giving mommy a headache.

Hey Little Man,

Starting kindergarten already. Look at you posing by the car while I take your picture, waving at me all excited about big kid school. No tears? You walked right in. Momma tears in the car.

Focus Ryan Focus...please just do your homework!

Middle School and hormones...what?...what I'm not ready for that yet. Wow! You are growing up so fast. You like to draw? ok...keep it up.

Focus Ryan Focus...please just do your homework!

High School...you as a teenager...this is just crazy. Didn't I just bring you home from the hospital the other day?

I don't know why you did what you did. That was not good. But we'll get through it. I am here for you always eventhough my heart is breaking.

Focus Ryan Focus...please just do your homework!

My goodness, your art! You are getting so good...refining your craft. I am so proud.

Graduate??? yes...that would be great!

Diploma!!



Hey my first born,

You made me a momma. You are forever my first valentine. :-) I cannot wait to see what more lies in store for you as you go into adulthood.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Valentine bloggy carnival

Forgot to mention that I am taking part in this:



at

We are that family.


Go partake and read other Luuuuuuvvvv stories! :-)

My Love

You - a single guy at 27, telling your mother that she may never have grandchildren and that you've given up on finding anyone to share your life with.

You - coming to work one day to find a newly hired receptionist. Who almost didn't get the job because she was late getting to the interview, but because the President and Vice President LOVED her personality, she was hired.

You - giving her attention, showing you genuinely cared about what she was talking about. And wasn't bothered by the fact that she already had a 9 month old son.

You - who wrote her love letters and stuck them under her desk calendar so she would have something to read every morning when she came into work.

You - who told her that you wouldn't persue an intimate relationship with her until she was absolutely and positively sure that she was in love with you. Although you were already in love with her.

You - who wanted to marry this girl and be a daddy to a son that wasn't biologically yours.

You - who didn't freak out (too much) when she found out she was pregnant again. 22 months apart isn't so bad. :-)

You - who sticks by her side even when she doesn't listen to you about spending money.

You - who loved her when she looked like a bald, hairless 10 year old girl because of the chemo.

You - who still thinks she is sexy despite the loss of her left breast. (and being overweight)

You - who thinks he's the one blessed with a wonderful wife but really it's the other way around.

You- who doesn't mind that his wife goes off with friends for a night or a weekend.

You - who hugs and kisses her every chance he has.

You - who tells his wife "I love you" all the time.

Equals

ME - a woman who cannot fathom her world without you.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

25 Random Things About ME (thanks Patsy...for the idea!)

1. I've never broken a bone. (knock wood)

2. I won second place in my elementary school's spelling bee when I was in 3rd or 4th grade.

3. I have ran into a volleyball net. Most embarrassing moment of my 7th grade career.

4. I met my husband when we worked together at a credit union in Tampa, Florida.

5. Our new car is named Ruby.

6. I am still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

7. I was born to a teenage momma. She was 16.

8. My grandmother and I have a birthmark almost in the same spot on our right calf.

9. I have an addiction to Starbuck's mocha frappuccinos. You know the ones in a bottle you can buy at the store.

10. My grandmother raised two wild birds. A mourning dove named June and a mocking bird named Teet. When Teet was released back into the wild, he would come back and sing to us whenever we were sitting out in the screened-in porch.

11. I secretly want to move back to Florida.

12. I really really really wanted to be a Mouseketeer. This was back in the 1970's.

13. My first concert was Shaun Cassidy. Da doo run run run...da doo run run.

14. I love boiled peanuts.

15. I can talk like Donald Duck.

16. I still want to get my tattoo. :-(

17. English was my favorite subject in school. Most hated: Math.

18. I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was in high school.

19. I took tap/ballet, baton & piano lessons as a child. Yeah I was ADD before anyone knew what it was.

20. I was kind of a tomboy, wanting to follow my step brother around. So I climbed trees, helped build forts, played tag football and ran around barefoot alot.

21. I love being out on a boat, sailing through open water.

22. I will never go white water rafting again after being sucked out of my buoy boat into a rapid.

23. Our current cat was named Carly until we found out she was actually a he. His name is now Harley.

24. I was teased alot for being very fair skinned. Was called Casper. I lived in Florida. Yeah doesn't go together well.....

25. I love ferrets. I've owned three: Holly, Bear & Punkie have all passed over the Rainbow Bridge. :-) I cannot bring myself to own anymore.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

It's New! It's Here! It's Now! Two Thousand and Nine!!!

Happy New Year Folks!!

How ya doing? Fine, I hope. Didn't party too hard didya?? Good.

So, I like this time of year. You know, the giddy anticipation of a new start that everyone seems to grab and hold onto. Kinda like...wow, things were messy, crazy, crappy, weird, strange, hard and painful last year. BUUUUTT, now I have this fresh start. I have this opportunity to make sure that everything goes my way, that everything is positive. If I just do this and this and this and this...it should be a great year!!!

While I love this outlook, the innocence of that view. It's not necessarily the best one to have. Granted I do the same thing, have done the same thing for many years, in looking forward to the possibility of starting out fresh in a new year (ya know because I majorly screwed up my plan for 2008 way back in March, soooo ya know, gotta wait out the rest of the year to fix it..LOL). But as I sit here and type out this post, my Lord has given me a small revelation. One that I am sure is not so uncommon and others have heard before.

Every DAY is a new start.

Yeah, I said it. Every day. Not just for a new year because maybe that's just too broad of a goal to try and start out a new YEAR in changing how you think, feel and do things. Well maybe for me anyway. I balk at structure (yeah I know, I'm adult, I should know better).

But if I started just concentrating on one day at a time. To change something that I did yesterday that maybe isn't going to end up on Jesus' "cool" list. :-)

Then maybe, just maybe....

2009 will be one of my best years ever...

I pray that yours will be too.