A Walk in the Park

It was just above 40F today and warm enough to get some fresh air. My husband and I took a walk around Stephens Lake Park after I returned home from church. There were still patches of snow in areas shadowed by the sun (yes the sun was out), and the lake was still partly ice covered, although it was thawing and breaking up. My "pic of the day" illustrates this.

After our walk, I Skyped my friend in the U.K. for over an hour and then my mom appeared on Skype (although she has yet to buy a mic). So she actually ended up calling me on my home phone and we talked for about an hour. Now I'm getting ready to go back to church for a special Sunday night series entitled "Life is Hard".

Below are two more pics of the partially frozen park lake complete with pieces of wood, breaking ice and an unidentified pink object.

Wireless & Movie

Tonight we have been fighting with wireless internet connectivity issues. For the past several months I had been using my laptop's wireless connection without many problems and then a couple days ago the connection dropped and we've been unable to reconnect since then. We are trying to reconnect it to the router via the ethernet cord, but no luck. So Paul and I are back to sharing the desktop computer internet. My "pic of the day" is of our frustrating modem and router.

We did enjoy going to a Matinee showing of Shutter Island this afternoon and the theatre was packed even though a local Film Festival was going on downtown. Shutter Island is a great movie and keeps one thinking all the way through! I would give it a 9 out 10 and my husband gives it an 8 out of 10. If you go be ready to stay focused and involved throughout the movie.

Other than that it was a pretty average day, I worked this morning grading papers, and then swithced to student mode myelsf and completed a reading assignment and entry into my annotated bibliography for my teaching internship credit I'm enrolled in this semester.

The temps were a bit warmer today, hitting the 40F mark and the sun was out. Yesterday on the weather they said it was the first Friday in a month that we didn't have snow. We hope that the warm temps will stay, but they are forecasting colder temps and even some more snow in the forecast for the first week of March.

Change & Patience

My "pic of the day" is of a tree in our apt. complex that I've shown before in my blog. I arrived home tonight and noticed that it had been cut down during the day and is now no more than a stump! I couldn't believe that they had removed this tree. It was always a very striking tree no matter the season and I was excited to take pics of it as it blossomed out this spring :( This unexpected loss made me think about how much change I watched in the lives of others today, or the patience they were undergoing while awaiting change.



I met with a prospective student today (a senior in high school) who's parents and two older siblings have all gone to Mizzou, so he was trying to decide if he wanted to follow their path or make his own way. I had my weekly yoga class at lunch and afterword caught up on some class stuff. Then this afternoon one of my students came by to visit just before his big interview for the physical therapy program. Our upper classroom are very nervous this time of year as they are at various stages of applying to the professional phase of their programs, interviewing and are awaiting admission decisions. My student told me after today's interview it would be about another 1-2 weeks before he would know, so he definitely needed some patience.

It seemed that today there were exciting things happening all around me, some students were interviewing, while one student actually found out this afternoon that she was admitted to her graduate program. Meanwhile, a colleague was excited about her lunch date and potential new romance; while another one was leaving work early to pick up her daughter at the airport and spend the weekend with her. It just seemed like there was such energy in the air this afternoon, especially for a Friday.


I didn't have much change in my life today, unless you count the preparing I did to ready myself and resources for the tidal wave of students we expect next week. However, I was patient and diligent in my prep. This evening my husband and I finished picking up some of my clutter and then we watched Law Abiding Citizen. It's definitely a movie that keeps you thinking and guessing until the end involving a lot of change!


"...being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience..." Colossians 1:11

Clearing the Plate

My husband and I went to the 10th Annual Heart Fair this morning and had our cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose and other health screenings today. It was another brutally cold morning, but at least the sun was out today and it wasn't windy. I think we hit 32F today at some point.

Today at work it was calmer over all, I did have three appointments, but two were really easy, and one was really difficult yet rewarding. I told one of my students that he had done such a good job preparing for his appointment that he was my model advisee. At work this week I have been taking advantage of every semi-quiet moment I can get to try to clear everything off my plate so I can focus on early registration advising appts. over the next month. This prompted my "pic of the day" to be that of a clear plate, literally.

So I still worked late tonight and my husband actually called me and said he was coming up the stairs of the building I work in to rescue me and force me home. It was a romantic thought and it would be a nice surprise sometime. I came home after 6 and then graded papers from 6:45-8:15 pm while I ate dinner and tried to watch The Deep End. Paul and I actually got a chance to talk for about 45 min. just before I started writing my blog.

Tired & Cold

I woke up this morning at about 4:50 am with a start (need I add that I had only managed to go to sleep sometime after midnight due to a long evening at work.) My mind immediately started to think about everything I had to do and I knew there wasn't any going back to sleep. After about an hour of trying, I finally got up and fired up the computer to get a head start on a few work emails that were in the forefront of my mind as I awoke. However, by the time I got logged into my email, I found myself starting blankly at the computer screen trying to remember what I needed to do. UGH!

One email topic at a time, I started to remember some of the "to do list" that had plagued my mind just minutes before rendering sleep impossible. I worked on what I could and then got ready and went to work with a coffee in hand. I was one COLD morning! On my way to work I heard that the wind chill was -12F! Our average this time of year is 48F, and I heard many people all day complain about it.

I got to use my "Do Not Disturb" sign for the first time today and it was a nice feeling. I think I avoided at least three unnecessary interruptions that I know of within an hour's time while I was preparing for student appointments. At lunch I helped the treasurer of PEK reconcile all the initiation payments from this weekend so they would be ready to mail off. Then before and after class I was email crazy and did not leave on time again even though I promised myself that I would. It's too tempting to try and get a handle on long-term projects and never ending email when thee is an hour or two of quiet time.

I'm now exhausted and just fought a battle with my wireless internet for my laptop in order to write my blog tonight. I ended up having to make my husband move off of the desktop computer and sacrifice his Dungeons and Dragons Online game so I could post my blog. Goodnight!

A Mizzou Kind of Day

What a long day, but a good day. My "pic of the day" is of the MU columns, a historic landmark at the University where I work. I spent the majority of today at work (8:30-6:00 and then from 6:45-9:30) so it was definitely a Mizzou themed day. I worked this evening with PEK's (a professional co-ed fraternity) make-up initiation where we had 18 more new initiates to combine with Saturday's 114 initiates, and then there was the first chapter mtg. combining all the old and new members. It was exciting to see the students and their enthusiasm with the new chapter members.

Today was so long, that I keep thinking tomorrow is Thur. or Fri., lol. I was busy all day with the class I teach, with emails and student appointments. It's starting to get busier as we approach early registration next week. I just got home and am getting settled, I actually ran back out to MU's campus after I got home at 9:45 pm to take a pic of Memorial Union since it was so striking all lit up against the night sky, but I forgot my tripod so with the shutter speed being so low to accommodate the night time all of my pics were blurry even though I braced myself against my car to steady the camera. So, I really only got home about 30 min. ago at 10:15 p.m. The Olympic ice skating (my favorite sport) is on tv and I can hear it in the background, but duty calls for my blog! I also have to find my web worthy pics before I go to bed for Paul to upload on the new website as he is making rapid progress and getting the new web site up and running.

"We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;" 1 Corinthians 4:12

Oversized Day

My "pic of the day" was taken this evening in the parking lot of my gym. Notice the "Compact Cars Only" sign. Parked in those spots I saw a Nissan Xterra, a Hummer and this truck. These are not "compact cars" folks!

It seemed to summarize my oversized day which included things that were too BIG to fit the schedule of the day. My "to do list" outnumbered the hours in the day; my email inbox was longer than than the workday; and my interruptions spilled over into my work time. I was lucky to get out of work at 6 to go to the gym, although I returned to work email after getting home.

At least I was just able to watch a beautiful Olympics' pairs ice skating performance to Phantom of the Opera!

"All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." Proverbs 14:23 NIV

Cabin fever

It's cold (about 35F) and the rain is pouring down...it's one of those days that makes one want to move to a warmer climate! When considering the unseasonably cold and wet fall we had, we've been without a truly nice day (or week) since early October. I'm ready for spring and I have cabin fever. I'm ready to enjoy fresh, warm air and outside activities again (walking, tennis, going to the park ect.). My "pic of the day" is of the raindrops that seem to permanently reside now on our balcony railing (at least since Friday).

For now, I'm just going to curl up with my hot chocolate and support my local church's youth mission fundraiser by buying some vegetarian chili at McAlister's Deli tonight after 5 as 15% of proceeds will go toward the fundraiser. I also love McAlister's Deli's lemonade, but I'm going to save that for a warmer day.

Growth

Today was initiation for new members into a professional student fraternity, so I helped the student organization initiate 110+ new members early this afternoon. I'm sure these new members are excited to belong to a group which will nurture them through scholarship, service, leadership, social and networking opportunities. It's so awesome to watch the organization and students grow and take on more leadership and service. I was just thinking about how this time last year the fraternity itself was only an idea and how it has grown to nearly 200 members! My "pic of the day" is of a blooming Amaryllis which symbolizes growth and strength guided by God's hand.

Paul worked on the new website while I was at initiation and he's still been working on it since my return. It's a fireplace kind of day, but we're out of firewood. It's cloudy and rainy with a snow mix forecasted later this evening. By 3 p.m. it was dark enough for the automatic outside lights to come on. We've seen next week's forecast and it looks like the temps are struggling hard to make it into the upper 30's even though we are near the start of March.

"You have planted them, and they have taken root: they grow and bear fruit." Jeremiah 12:1-3 (NIV).

Lessons

So you may be wondering why I chose this pic as my "pic of the day", as I was writing this I remembered a photo I took of a friend and his little girl several years ago. She was practicing writing her name and she looked up at her father for approval. Of course you would have to know the father to understand the humor behind the face he is making. Nonetheless, when undertaking life lessons I think of us looking up at our heavenly Father in a similar child-like way for approval, insight, wisdom and comfort much like this little girl. Almost as if to ask, "Did I do it right, did I understand the point of the lesson?"

Today at work we had a reception for one of our colleagues. Shortly before the reception, I realized that the two people who were supposed to help me with set up had left work without notifying me which left me with my own self-taught lesson today regarding teamwork. I tried to focus on the reason for the reception instead of my own anger and pity party. This particular colleague had worked for our academic unit for nine years before becoming so ill that she could no longer work and has to undergo daily kidney dialysis while hoping for a kidney transplant. So the least I could do is help organize and set up for her reception.

I ran across the following excerpt from a daily devotional that I thought was fitting in light of my colleague's and personal ordeals (from the past two yrs): "Real trials in life are not ifs - they are whens. In fact, life's most profound lessons cannot simply be observed, they must be experienced. It is there, in actual seasons of heartache and loss, that we gain greater insights into life, faith and our need of God. To that end, James wrote, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience" (James 1:2-3). http://www.rbc.org

I started the morning making a "Do Not Disturb" in an effort to minimize the amount of interruptions I receive during a peak volume time for our office (a lesson I learned from last semester). We are in anticipation of the rush that will start next week for early registration when students get advice and enroll in summer and fall classes. We'll be in back-to-back appts. pretty much all day for the next 5-8 weeks, ugh! I worked on the sign on and off all day and had an appt. with a student first thing this morning who needed help choosing classes at another college that would transfer back to MU. This morning I also attended an advisor session with Logan Chiropractic College to help us understand the pre-requisites and admission requirements for applying to the Doctor of Chiropractic and Masters in Sports Science & Rehab programs so we can help advise our students on appropriate courses and co-curricular activities. In addition, we all met a wonderful recruiter and learned a lot about their programs (a nice life lesson!)

I tried to organize all the info about Logan and jot down relevant info so I wouldn't forget it before my weekly noontime yoga class. After that I scrambled to answer emails before it was time for the aforementioned reception. I spent the latter part of my day trying to get a handle on my email box and prep for PEK's (professional health professions fraternity) initiation tomorrow afternoon before leaving work at 6:30 pm. I was leaving as the custodian was coming in and he reminded me that most people leave by 5 on a Friday;) I told him that I also had to be back for the PEK initiation tomorrow.

My boss had a good idea the other day, she said we need to learn (another lesson again) "how to work smarter instead of harder". Something I'm aspiring to do. When I got home we looked at Paul's start on the new website template package we bought and then we ate, and now I have the Olympics on in the background while I write this and Paul continues work on the website.

Sunshine, Sympathy, Stitches and Starters

I chose the title,"Sunshine, Sympathy, Stitches and Starters" to help describe the day's events. The sun was out today and the temps reached the 40 degree mark for the first time in a long time. It was actually 42 today and it felt warm this afternoon. The sympathy part refers to my uncle's death (2nd uncle to pass in 3.5 weeks). The stitches part of my title refers to the two stitches I have in my lower, right gum from my dental implant procedure today (part 1 of phase III). Today the dentist had to cut into my gum to connect a post and healing cap to the main implant part that they placed during December's procedure. As for the starters part of my title, that refers to the 20s & 30s CoMO group happy hour that my husband and I went to. I didn't know Houlihan's made such big starters, but of course I had to watch everyone else eat the good stuff while I had a cup of soup as I'm on soft foods as part of dental post-op.

This morning was really busy at work as I had two student appts., wrote a letter of recommendation, prepped briefly for class on Mon., participated in an e-portfolio presentation and talked with a co-worker about some concerning health problems that she just found out about. I tried to finish email before leaving for the day at 1 for my dental appt., but my email at work was down the last hour I was there. So, after my dental procedure I had to log back in from home to answer some key emails. Then, later my husband and I went to the happy hour as stated above and then I watched my favorite show, Grey's Anatomy.

Perseverance and Hope: At the Fishin' Hole

My "pic of the day" was inspired by the thought of fishing...more as an analogy though that popped in my mind as I walked across campus this afternoon. The closest picture I had of fishing was Penarth Pier in Wales (a pic that I took in Dec. '05). Following another 10 hr day, I have the following analogy to share below.

Imagine starting to fish alongside everyone else and one by one everyone else starts catching fish, but you don't. You try adjusting everything you can think of (the length of your line cast, type of bait, your location) but nothing seems to be working. Overtime everyone else has left the pier with multiple "trophies", while you strive to make the first catch. Chalking it up to bad luck, you try again, then again and again, only to come up empty handed. Meanwhile everyone else continues to catch more and more. Time passes, and your inability to catch anything starts to effect all parts of your life. Suddenly, you no longer can be a part of seemingly normal activities that others take for granted. This includes the community fish fry, contest for the biggest catch, money from fish sales, friendly banter between fellow fishermen, ect.). Many folks offer encouragement but they don't understand to what extent this "drought" is effecting you and your family.

Weeks turn into months and suddenly months turn into years and still no fish. You've watched as your friends have caught trophy winning fish; or several in a row; or have been given fish by those who have caught too many to keep...but still you have not been a recipient of a single fish. Overtime this has effected your quality of life, without money from fishing needed to survive you find yourself in a never ending cycle of wearing yourself ragged just to sustain the resources you currently have. At the same time you find yourself having to cut back on the amount of bait you use, having to duct tape your fishing rod together, having barely enough fishing line from having to cut out the bad places and tie the sections together; and not have the fishing tools necessary because you can't afford to replace them. At the same time you see folks that you were once on par with arrive to the pier with brand new top of the line poles having more bait than they can possibly use, and sporting all the newest fishing gadgets. These same people tell you not to worry about your recent bad luck and that it will change. It's easy for them to say as they aren't living day-to-day with the repercussions of not being able to catch any fish. Nor do they know of the other internal hardships that you've had to endure coinciding all at the same time. Hardships that others have not had to endure in their life, and combined with hardships that should just come one at a time over a lifetime not all at once.

During this same time, you encounter many other fisherman who don't have any sensitivity for your situation and who continually brag about their catches, tell you about all the fishing equipment they have just purchased and criticize you for being disappointed and down. Slowly overtime, your fishing supplies dwindle so much and you've lost so much money that you barely have the resources to keep trying. Your once long fishing pole is now a distant memory to the reality of your short, nub of a pole. You ration the bait to make it last, and you fishing gear is out of date while your clothes are starting to wear thin in places and tear. You wonder why you keep trying when nothing changes, when there aren't any breakthroughs and when no fish will bite. You feel a couple nibbles at your line, and you excitedly reel it in full of hope but there is nothing. You think about how hard you work and how many hours you put into this just to end each day in exhaustion while barely earning enough to survive and pay the bills.

You look up and see others moving forward: affording new fishing tackle and gear, new homes, vacations; being able to afford weddings and families; earning promotions from fishermen to bigger titles based on the amount of fish they've caught ; ect. Meanwhile, treating yourself to the smallest of treats (that others take for granted and consume daily) becomes impossible. At the same time you keep getting hammered with bad news, hardships and disappointments. You ponder what else you can do or what you are doing wrong (while wondering what else can possibly go wrong). You ask yourself when does this change? You become exhausted from preserving, working hard and striving to gain nothing. You realize how long and hard you are working for nothing except to barely keep your head above water. When does something good happen? It becomes a lot like treading water and we all know how fast one tires and can no longer sustain treading. Slowly you realize that your stamina is fading and you can't keep up this pace. Something needs to change, but what? How do you renew perseverance and hope?

"Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." James 5: 10-11 (NIV).

I'm also reminded in a daily devotional that, "A tunnel of testing can produce a shining testimony." http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb.shtml. I'm ready for my tunnel to open to a sunny sky!

Busy & Cold

It was another busy day that isn't over yet, I've come home and have to go back to a student organization meeting after doing another 10 hr day. My "pic of the day" is in honor of the cold and snow that we're still enduring. I saw the long range forecast and in the next several weeks there is more snow forecasted with temps staying in the 20s-30s below our seasonal avgerage of 42F.

My busy day started this morning by wishing my co-worker a happy birthday and then we hurried and left the office to go teach class together. Since it was another cold day, we stopped at the coffee shop on campus after class for hot chocolate to warm us up as we made the 15 minute walk across campus.

When I got back to the office I had a project to complete which required concentration. I then had a quick 15 min. lunch where I tweaked our personal business tax documents my husband sent me before sending them on to the tax place. The last 15 min. of my lunch were cut short by a phone call, and then it was time for the four student appointments. They each ran long (about 45 min - hour each) as the students had lots of questions. When I finally had a chance to look up it was 4 p.m. and I still had half my lunch to eat! I answered as many emails as I could before leaving work at 6 to come home for Wii Fit and dinner before leaving home for my 8:30 p.m. meeting. During this time at home, I was also briefed by my husband on the website research that he did today. Busy, busy!

Busy

It was a busy day back to work (a 10 hr day) and catching up after being off for three days and following a week where I left early several times from being sick. My "pic of the day" is a photo I took in Jan. '06 of a huge shopping center in Paris (like a big Mall of America), and it's the closest pic I have to "busyness".

It's approaching 10 pm as I write this and I feel like I'm still moving! I got home around 6:45 pm and then started to do Wii Fit, and then my husband and I ate dinner while watching a few minutes of the Olympics. Then it was off to research and discuss a new website purchase. I'm happy to say that we are moving on to bigger and better websites that will better serve our business! This was made possible due to the legal settlement as our income would not support this purchase. We're so excited to finally be on the verge of having a website we can be proud of and that will due justice to our work!

So, after researching the web applications and comparison chart, I finally got to settle into my blog with the Olympic pairs figure skating playing in the background. I wish I could have just come home and collapsed on the couch while watching figure skating. It's about the only Olympic event that I enjoy watching. Especially after a long day of meetings - I started my day with a website meeting actually - emails, class prep, class activities and advising. While searching for a Bible verse that would sum up today, I came across the following article below.

An article by Acts-International, entitled Beware of the Barrenness of a Busy Life states the following: "No matter how great one's achievements are, if his or her relationships with people are impaired, he or she is not a successful person. His or her relationship to God will also be impaired. God's Word says that a Christian's love for God was perfected only as he or she loved other people... One of the most important lessons in life for every individual to learn and teach his or her children is this: One's worth as a person is never dependent on his or her performance -good or bad."

Valentine's Day

Chocolate covered strawberries: $15; Firewood for fireplace: $6; pizza delivery for Valentine's dinner $21, dancing on the living room floor to Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" while wearing sweatpants and only being able to give each other kisses on the cheek because of illness...priceless!


We spent another day home bound and tried to enjoy the afternoon with each other the best we could amidst Kleenexes and the fireplace in the background. As you can see above, we wanted something special to eat but with not feeling well we thought we'd save our money by going for pizza delivery. As I was taking a pic of my "pic of the day" candle on the fireplace mantel, Paul surprised me by downloading the Eric Clapton song and stopped my photography to dance to the song. Now we are settling down to watch the premier of the Amazing Race. What a Valentine's to remember!

Card

My "pic of the day" is a handmade Valentine's Day card designed by my mom. She hand designs cards from the heart for all occasions, and we've often tried to get her to sell her crafty cards. They are such a treat to receive and I enjoy putting them on display at the office.

Today was another home bound day and my husband actually woke up sicker today than yesterday. We watched "The Time Traveler's Wife" and abandoned our "plan B" (after "plan A" was previously derailed, explained in Thur/Fri.'s post) for Valentine's Day which was to go out to the movies and out for dinner tonight. So now we are on "plan C" which is indoor movie rentals and a carry out dinner. The only problem was that neither one of us could come up with any food that sounded good. We're getting ready to eat and watch "Serious Moonlight".

Home Bound

I was originally supposed to be off work today to enjoy a three day weekend away for Valentines, but instead my husband and I both fell sick so I was home bound. My "pic of the day" is of the care my husband took in cutting up the meat that was used in the scrambled eggs and crumpet breakfast he made for me.

In addition, he ran errands this afternoon to make sure I had something for Valentines in spite of our plans being derailed. He surprised me with a box of chocolate covered strawberries from the Candy Factory. Actually, two boxes: one with milk chocolate strawberries accompanying a get well card, and one with white chocolate strawberries accompanying a Valentine's Day card. The V-day card is shown below with the strawberries and it read: "In our own weird way we work."

Sick

For the first time in over two years (not counting the two other failed attempts during that time frame) my husband and I had plans, and the money, to go away for a three-day weekend. We were excited because everything was working out just in time for Valentines Day. However, I got really sick this week and this morning my husband started coming down with the same symptoms. So, we our disappointed that our three day fun weekend has turned into a three day get well weekend. It seems that yet again life has had other plans for us. My "pic of the day" is symbolic of all the couple things that we won't be doing this weekend such as sitting on a park bench together, and I also chose it because of the snow we've been getting almost everyday.

Luckily, we were able to get our hotel reservation canceled and our money returned on such short notice. It would have been much worse to watch our money wasted, at least this way we can try again another weekend. It will probably be about two months before we can try again though considering my upcoming work schedule.

"The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed, and restore him from his bed of illness." Psalm 41:3 (NIV).

Surprises

My "pic of the day" is a photo of the 3ft long stuffed caterpillar that my husband surprised me with today as an early Valentine's Day present. We named him "Snug the Bug."

Other small surprises of the day included the warm sunshine; an unsolicited positive comment on the class content I'm teaching; a workday free for the most part of interruptions; and a hot air balloon. I had no idea that hot air balloons could fly when it is this cold (in the 20s), but there one was for a split second outside my living room window, I ran for my camera and then realized the batteries were dead and by the time I found new ones the hot air balloon had sunk down behind the buildings :( I love hot air balloons and it was such a rare treat to see one this time of year and I would have otherwise been at work had I not come home early again today due to being sick.

Plans

This morning we awoke to more snow overnight and colder temperatures than expected. A lot of folks were like me with frozen car doors wich delayed them or prevented them from doing what they had planned. I also had to find another way out my apartment complex over the bridge (shown at left) because the main exit slope was too slick with ice and snow. My "pic of the day" is the bridge that gave me an alternate route out of my apartment complex and to work this morning. A lot of other people in my complex had to do the same thing and there was a steady stream of cars attempting to make it up the slope and then reversing to pursue an alternate plan.

This made me think about the choices we make in life and how we oftentimes think that we will be headed in one direction when in fact life has another plan for us. I had plans today to work all day, but I'm still sick and had to leave early again and then have to go back tonight for a student organization meeting. My to do list plans while at work were skewed as I had more to tend to than anticipated, had frequent interruptions and of course had to leave early. My plan to take a nap when I got home late this afternoon was not accomplished as my brain was still trying to digest all that took place today. These are examples of the small things that were redirected into another path, but I also think of major life plans that have started down one road and have quickly been diverted.

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, " plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Snow again

Several folks have commented on the view outside my office window on snowy days. My "pic of the day" tried to capture that view, but I don't think it did it justice. It was snowing again today and I thought it was the perfect time to try to catch a good pic, but the snow flakes weren't as big and flaky when I took the pic as they've been in the past. Believe it or not, there's a parking lot below the trees right outside my office.

Even though I was sick today, I was able to get several things on my to do list done this morning at work as I prepared for classes and I had one student appointment and then taught class this afternoon. I really didn't feel good today, I started not feeling well on Friday and today realized I had an upper respiratory infection. I called my Dr. and my husband went and got my medicine and delivered it to me at work and then chauffeured me to the classroom across campus so I wouldn't have to trudge out in the snow. Of course I had to walk back after class in the cold and snow, but I left work early not feeling well only to come home and spend the remainder of the work day answering an email. So, don't know if I actually gained anything by coming home except for being safe from the 5 p.m. traffic and bad weather. I've managed to get a little rest and watch a few of my favorite shows and I'm hoping to go to bed early (and that the medicine will kick in).

Fun

Today was shared with friends and food as we played Scattergories and watched the Superbowl. We spent 7 hours just eating, playing and laughing and having fellowship with the 20's & 30's in CoMo group. How nice it was just to relax and spend time with others. I also started the day with a tremendous amount of sleep (about 12 hours) since I didn't feel good and slept in and didn't go to church (but I did listen to a sermon online). I struggled with the beginnings of a sinus head cold all day, but had fun nonetheless. What else can I say it was just a fun day (minus the hour and half that we ran around cleaning and getting ready for everyone to come over). Fun is something that has been missing from our lives for quite some time.

Thank you, God, for the fun and rest that I've prayed so long for. I truly enjoyed it and didn't take it for granted even for a minute!

Greggs

This "pic of the day" is inspired by Greggs, a pastry shop in Wales. A month of so ago, my husband and I found a way to recreate the sausage rolls that Greggs sold, and so today we were going to have "Greggs" at home as well as some other tasty pastry variations. After working hard all week and feeling a cold coming on it was supposed to have been a day devoted to rest and Greggs. However, it never seems I'm allowed to have a restful day.

I did sleep for about 11 hours, but we woke up to a phone call and then work entered my mind immediately after I was awake. I got up to do some work emails and there was a knock at the door and then another phone call. After that, I worked on an assignment for my teaching internship class that I'm enrolled in and then that prompted me to change a few things for my class that I'm teaching and before I knew it, it was 3 p.m. I put away my work and then did Wii fit, showered and Paul finally got to make his "Greggs" sausage rolls for us. They tasted just like the real deal. After that I called my mom and we talked about the fact that she still needed her modem replaced of which AT&T had given her problems for months. So after that, I was on the phone with AT&T internet service for over an hour and FINALLY got them to send my mom a new modem after months of hassle! I got to call mom and tell her the good news.

Then after 7 p.m., we settled down to a movie, 50 Dead Men Walking - which was more of a guy's movie, which is why I'm writing my blog now. We were finally also able to have round 2 of Greggs which we had planned for much earlier in the day.

Appreciation & Kindness

Big flakes of snow came steadily down as I drove to work this morning and for most of the morning. My "pic of the day" is of the snowfall we had in early January, but the snow outlined the trees today in a similar fashion although we didn't have as much snow as we did sleet and snow slush.

Today was most remarkable by the nomination that my supervisor and I wrote together to nominate a fellow co-worker. Over the past two days we both worked to craft a nomination that adequately portrayed and captured our co-worker's kind spirit and unique abilities. I was so excited when we had submitted it and we were able to tell her. It was like Christmas waiting for someone to unwrap the gift bought especially for them. I couldn't contain the secret any longer. Our nominee was very touched and it truly was "better to give than to receive". I enjoyed the look on her face and her thankfulness. But what I enjoyed more was knowing that we made her day and that she could go home on a Friday and truly enjoy her weekend knowing that her work is appreciated by her colleagues and that we cared enough to recognize her. It meant a lot to me to be able to give a "warm fuzzy" to someone else and I so enjoyed seeing her reaction.

Outside of that, I only had one student appointment today but it was a rather difficult one and then I spent a lot of time identifying and notifying a group of students doing fieldwork soon. I also had my weekly Friday office yoga class and spent the remainder of the day trying to calm down my email inbox which resulted in me working over. I can't hardly resist working over when it is quiet and I can zip right through my email.

I came home not feeling so well and we watched the movie, Amelia, which was very good. Paul had completed a lot today and in addition he had a nice comfort food dinner waiting for me when I came home along with a fire in the fireplace.

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved; clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Colossians 3:12 (NIV)

Mixed

It was a very mixed day, I woke up earlier than I wanted yet got to work late and that was kind of the tone of the day. Ups and downs with good experiences and "off" experiences. I did a lot today, had advising appointments; helped organize a reception for an employee leaving her position due to medical reasons; dealt with students who had experienced death and surgeries; worked on a nomination form; had meetings; finally got to edit an assignment for one of the classes and of course answered a never ending tower of emails. There's not a pic that readily comes to mind tonight as it was kind of a mixed bag of tricks today. I felt up and down all day with things that were said and circumstances that presented themselves. My "pic of the day" represents variety... as each dish tastes and reacts differently to our tastebuds so did each moment of today to my heart and mind.

Late this afternoon it started snowing again and when I left work a mix of sleet and snow was steadily coming down with 2-5" forecasted.

"We wait in hope for the Lord, He is our help and our shield." Psalm 33:20

Gratitude, Compliments and Warm Fuzzies...oh my!

Wow, what a turn of events today! I started my day by opening up my email inbox and had two nice compliments from my co-workers that touched on the amount of work I have been investing in things recently and how it shows in my accomplishments. Followed by that I had an email of gratitude from a current student thanking me for my letter of recommendation which helped in securing her a spot in a select group. A few hours later I received another "warm fuzzy" from another student showing appreciation for my help in assisting him in his efforts to join that same select group of which he also had a spot in. I was able to confirm taking off next Friday, and then I had a nice impromptu conversation at lunch that was extremely validating and let me voice a lot of feelings from within. After that, I left my office to teach class and then returned to a card on my office chair....another thank you note from a student for a letter of recommendation. I had a pretty productive and calm afternoon and then we had a second night of a fantastic turn out for the professional fraternity's recruitment event! What a nice day for a change!

What a difference it made in my day to receive those tokens of appreciation and validation! After the first two, I wanted to save the others and wished they had come on a different day so I could have good things spread out over time and on days when nothing goes right rather than all good in a day. I had been praying for a good surprise, renewal and encouragement since all my life had been for the longest time was negative. I finally felt like my prayers were being answered today, and that feeling inspired my "pic of the day" which is from the Cathedral Notre Dame in Paris, France from our vacation in Jan. '06. Above is a pic of me (obviously not taken by me) lighting a candle inside the cathedral where passersby were encouraged to light a candle and say a prayer, and below is a pic (that I took) of where all those candles burned underneath a beautiful stained glass window inside the cathedral.

Today made me wonder why life has been so terrible for so long, or why some days have to seem like a never ending fight and how I could have this one good day that came so easy....and will it last, will I have more? My life has been down for so long that the least little things make such a huge difference. I know I've heard others talk about small little things that make their days fun and enjoyable and they just take them for granted and I have longed for something like that to be a part of my life. It makes me realize how long I've gone without enjoyment and without the smallest of pleasures that others take for granted. I do hope this warm fuzzy feeling will last.

A 5 Minute Vacation

Today I wished that my life had a "pause button" and someone suggested that I need to find ways to have a "5 minute vacation" from the demands of life. So, this "pic of the day" spoke to me as an illustration of a 5 minute vacation. During my mini vacation, I imagined what it would be like to be up in this hot air balloon - temporarily away from the demands and hassles of life and in a peaceful solace. It would be quiet (except for the hot air burner firing periodically); it would be an escape; it would allow me an opportunity to breathe; and it would provide perspective by showing how small my place is in the world compared to the many places and people below.

I took this pic during the Hot Air Balloon Derby in Columbia a few years ago. I actually love hot air balloons and have always wanted to go up in one, but have never had the opportunity. I love the tranquility that watching hot air balloons provides and I love the thought of floating peacefully without a care in the world. Of course balloons can only fly in early morning or early evening and when the weather is just right, so I guess that adds to their serene mystique.

Today was very busy starting early with teaching a 9 a.m. class; then it including numerous student appointments, a 25 min. lunch and more emails; then running out to my own appointment at 5 p.m.; then to meet my husband for a 15 minute dinner at Subway and then back to work for a two hour recruitment event for the professional fraternity I advise and home just after 9 p.m.

"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you." 2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NIV)

Yin and Yang

Today was a mixture of good and bad, thus leading to my "pic of the day" of a yin and yang symbol. Wikipedia.com describes this symbol as balance, "...whenever one quality reaches its peak it will naturally begin to transform into the opposite quality: grain that reaches its full height in summer (fully yang) will produce seeds and die back in winter (fully yin) in an endless cycle."

This morning my day peaked with a sense of accomplishment and mastery of my schedule as I cleared most of my "to do list", and then I had an extra long appointment that caused a "domino effect" and put strain on my schedule causing me to rush everything and have another 10 minute lunch while prepping for class. Finally after class, I felt like I was in control of my schedule again and had some breathing room. I quickly made a mental checklist of everything I wanted to get done in the last hour and half of the day and then someone came and unloaded on me which threw me behind again. Such was the cycle of my day, like a roller coaster of being in control and on schedule and then thrown upside down in a loop and put totally behind schedule.

I did finally make it to the gym, but ended up locking my keys in the trunk of my car. Luckily all I had to do was call my husband and he came and unlocked my car and my keys were waiting for me at the gym front desk after I finished working out. Yin and Yang.