"Booed!"

This is the first year I've heard of such, but we have been "booed" by some friendly neighborhood ghosts. Actually, double booed. We returned home from an evening in Norfolk to find not one, but two, treat bags on our front porch, each with a neighborhood boo poem. How cool, and how loved we feel to have scored two bags. Tomorrow is the last day to return the favor, so we'll be sure to do so.

Have no idea what I am talking about? Check here: http://organizedchristmas.com/youve-been-booed

Our treat bags are so nice, not just candy, but pencils, straws, and little toys that Connor loves. Yeah neighbors!

From the Mouths of Babes

Last night Connor helped make goody boxes for some family friends, in preparation for Halloween. He was bummed that there was not one for him and I said that I'm sure he'd receive some candy and treats for Halloween. Here's where "creative parenting" comes in...I was tired of listeng to him whine about it AND I remembered that "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" would be on TV last night, so I said..."Maybe the Great Pumpkin will bring you some treats."

That was probably a big mistake. I met a girlfriend for a drink last night, so I did not do bathtime/bedtime with Connor. This morning, Connor woke me up with:

"MAMA! MAMA! THE EASTER PUMPKIN DID NOT COME LAST NIGHT! THE EASTER PUMPKIN DIDN'T COME!"

It's first thing in the morning, I'm still in bed, just waking up to the panic that the Easter Pumpkin didn't come. Reminds me of a girlfriend who fell asleep and forgot that the Tooth Fairy was supposed to visit her daughter's room that night- try explaining that one! So, in recovery mode, I asked Connor, "Did you put out your treat carton, with the pumpkins?" and he responded, "No."

"Ok, well that must be the problem Connor. I think if you put your treat carton out with the pumpkins tonight, the Great Pumpkin might come by with some treats."

Note to self- this just started a new tradition in the house.

Wordless Wednesday

Bibliophiles Unite!

On my recent trip to Dallas I was able to see one of my co-workers whom is very like-minded with me, but varying enough to keep things interesting. As our conversation catch-up progressed, it turned to "what are you reading?" This is not only one of my favorite questions to answer, but also one of my top ones to ask.

My current booklist is posted on the right side of my blog, and yes, it needs some updating, but I am always looking for a good book. Recent suggestions I've received are A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS, THE KITERUNNER, TOBACCO ROAD, GOD'S LITTLE ACRE, THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, and THE MEMORY KEEPER'S DAUGHTER.

While waiting in the airport the other day I picked up NIGHTS IN RODANTHE and being a Nicholas Sparks' work, I should have known better than to read it on the plane. I finished the novel during the last leg of my flight, and thank goodness the back of the plane was almost empty, as I had tears flowing by the end of the book. No, I've not seen the movie.

If you've not read EAT, PRAY, LOVE, I highly recommend it- hearts can be healed. I'm still a fan of Malcom Gladwell, so both THE TIPPING POINT and BLINK are high on my recommended list, as is FREAKONOMICS, of a similar genre. I'm still in and out of A WHOLE NEW MIND and THE LEXUS AND THE OLIVE TREE. Another one I started over a year ago and plan to return to is THE MEDICI EFFECT.

Anyone read THE YEAR OF LIVING BIBLICALLY? A guy tries to do just that- literally. I may add it to my list. But back to my favorite question: What are you reading? Please post your answers, as I am always in search of a good book.

Change

"Life offers you a thousand chances...all you have to do is take one."

Change is inevitable, change is constant...how open are we to change?

I work on a virtual team, which means most of us work from home 100% and call in for meetings, view shared documents via computer, and so forth. A challenge of virtual teams is building a connectedness in what can be an isolated work environment. On one of my weekly team calls I keep an icebreaker as an ongoing agenda item; how can we know each other better, just as we would if we stopped into an office breakroom, gathered around the water cooler, passed in the hall, or went to lunch with a colleague? I ask the team to create the questions and we rotate weekly who is on point to facilitate. Yesterday's question was "what is one of your favorite characters from a book, movie, play, or television, and how are you like that character?"

This was easy for me to answer: Frannie from "Under the Tuscan Sun." I shared with my team that there are two themes in Frannie's life: strength in the face of adversity and recognizing that what we seek in our lives may not come to us in the forms we intended, but they are still to be treasured. I think of God that way too- a prayer request may go unanswered, or really, the answer is "no." What is difficult to remember in hearing the "no" is the next part of God's plan, "I have greater things in store for you my child. Greater things are still to come, greater things are yet to be done."

Back to Frannie, she is faced with a challenge and could justifiably pull the covers over her head and hide away, but no, she goes out and embraces the passion that life is about. She begins with a trip to Italy to restore herself and on a whim in Tuscany, she purchases a crumbling villa that needs work and goes about tackling the project. Initially she dreamed of a house with children, laughter, love, and cherished relationships. In the end, there is a house alive with laughter, there is the joy of a child, there is love, there are cherished relationships- even if they didn't take the form she initially imagined as she set out on her path, and they are better than she could have imagined, partially through her openess and her willingness to take a risk. In those ways, I identify with Frannie...and how appropriate.

Change is constant in my organization at work and how, oh, I don't know, serendipitous, that I had that exercise to complete yesterday. Shortly after I prepared for the ice breaker my phone rang...my partner/mentor/coach on a major project I am supporting is being moved to another "opportunity" (I love how work situations, no matter how much they SUCK sometimes, are given the good ole PR spin- "opportunity" "increase acumen" "fresh perspective") and a former manager of mine is moving onto the project. I'll adjust. I don't disagree with the spin placed on these changes- there is some value to what the company line is. The failure I see is that there is no recognition of the human component to these working relationships. We are not robots, we do not focus only on leadership needs and "opportunities." There are human team elements that are altered, sometimes drastically, for what may be thought of as the greater good of the organization. Have some compassion. Realize that it's acceptable for team members to actually have feelings and emotions connected to change. They will get past it the shock of it, as will I, but when we start to view our employees as robots, we lack the emotional intelligence that should be present in any well-rounded leader. Sometimes people are hurt and they just need someone to acknowledge that change can be difficult and painful at times. For an organization so focused on change management, we have a long way to go with how we treat our "targets" of change. Oops, silly me, let me spin it..."We have opportunity in how we communicate with our targets of the desired end-state." Pass the Kool-Aid.

From the Mouths of Babes

"Mommy, you're home from Texas!"

"Yes, Connor, and I saw cowboys while I was there."

"Were they naked?"

Background: Connor has run around our house as a naked cowboy for a long time now. Last year he saw "The Naked Cowboy" on TV and added a guitar to his boots, hat, and birthday suit.

On the Road...AGAIN!

Ugh- forgot to mention that I am traveling for work this week, hence no posts. I'll be home from Texas on the 23rd, so more to come.

Wordless Wednesday

Homeward Bound

It's a Good Thing

Seriously, I am no Martha Stewart but there are so many "good things" I just love about fall...

• Fresh mums begging for a beautiful urn and a porch to adorn
• Pumpkin picking
• Hot apple cider, homemade
• Crisp and cool evening air
• The first wood fire crackling in the fireplace
• Hues of the changing leaves: gold, crimson, and copper
• Chevre and cranberry salad with pears and champagne dressing
• The start of the holiday season
• Decorated yards, pumpkins everywhere
• Muscadine grapes and grape picking
• Wine festivals
• Making Connor real hot cocoa on the stove, from scratch
• Pulling out the hats and gloves and hand-knitted scarves
• Fresh green fall fescue lawns
• Feeling the dirt in my hands as I clean up the garden, all of the earthly smells
• Fall festivals
• Christmas shopping
• Time outdoors without the oppressive heat and humidity of summer
• Sleeping with a cool breeze flowing through an open window
• Hearing the owls hoot, again, through open windows
• Halloween and all of the little ghosts and goblins
• Baseball's World Series
• Pro-football season
• Playoffs
• Macy's Thanksgiving's Day Parade
  

New Addition- Meet Marley

Meet Marley, as in Bob, not "Marley and Me." Connor was between Marley Pumpkin and Perdita, and Marley Pumpkin won...or as he says it, "Mar-wee." Where did he learn of Bob Marley? We have friends with a little dog named Marley, Connor's Uncle Rudy is a Bob fan, and Connor has the above t-shirt. I digress...since Sammy has passed and Connor has come to terms with it, he's been asking, begging, for a "snuggle puppy, since Sammy is up in heaven and isn't here to snuggle me at night." Ugh, breaks your heart. This is a much easier request to grant than his other one these days: "Mom, I want a baby. Can you have a baby? Oh, and ask God to make it a BOY. No girls, a BOY!" We went to the pound on Saturday and met this little thing...

The pound listed her as German Shepherd mix. Hmmm, don't see that at all. Our vet thinks she's a Miniature Pinscher, weighing in at 16 pounds and smaller than our cat. Whatever she is, she's cute, sweet, and loves to snuggle.

Riding home- look at that smile on his face!

Puppy love

Worn out

Getting along with Salem

Dax is still top dog in the house, but is very accepting of Marley. Good boy! And good thing since he has an 80 pound advantage.

Various Photos

Stopping on Afton Mountain's lookout, 9/28

New Halloween shirt

Pirate parrot from Nonna

Showing off carrots, pirate parrot, and Batman

Carrots Connor grew

Serendipity

I have this "thing"- whenever I run to the market, I run into someone I know...and the worse I look, the more people I run into that I haven't seen in years (Murphy's Law, right?). The other day, it was a teacher from high school, who was excited to meet Connor. I had two recently that fall into my classification of "serendipity" and of course, both happened at the market.

While in OBX this summer, on vacation of all places, I was in a market in Duck and ran into a guy I'd not seen since graduation- we were hallmates my sophomore year. The funny thing was despite 15 years passing, we recognized each other immediately, learned we are in similar roles with competing companies, and got to introduce our kids to each other.

Back home this past weekend, I ran into another hallmate from Bushnell, at Trader Joe's. And sure enough, we work for competing banks. He does not live in the area, but was stopping with his wife and infant on a drive back from a wedding. It was so nice to meet his wife and new baby, introduce Connor, and just catch up- all in the middle of the market.

I also love running into my pal Adam at Trader Joe's, although not recently. And did I mention the time I was walking down the Ringstrasse in Vienna of all places, and ran into a fellow student government member from MWC? And yes, we recognized each other and stopped to chat. Or last year catching a connecting flight in Charlotte and running into a friend from NC on her way home from Cancun? Then boarding my flight and knowing three more people on board? Ah, serendipity!

Dancin' in September

Do you remember the 21st night of September?

Love was changing the minds of pretenders

While chasing the clouds away

Ba de ya - say do you remember

Ba de ya - dancing in September

Ba de ya - never was a cloudy day

Dancing with my "other" brother

Mark and Jeni

Dad and Me

Here comes the bride!


Enjoying the reception

Mitchell and Kristin...wedding is in July and Connor is their Ringbearer

Rudy and Me