Blockhead's World

One Month and Counting

2008-09-25T11:42:00.002-04:00

One + month down in our depolyment count. Ugh. It started off pretty solid, but right now I am really, really feeling the effects.

I started the month off with big goals, dreams, and a desire to structure everything. I thought that the more that I structured and controlled things, the better I could manage it all. Routine was going to be key. Wake up at 6:15, shower before TJ wakes up. Snuggle time with TJ and his bottle, finish the rest of my morning preparations while TJ splashes in a bath, go to work, come home, fix dinner by 6:30 start the bed process by 7:30. Clean up from dinner after TJ goes to bed and by 8:30 I'll hopefully have some free time for me! Oh wait. . .got to pay the bills, take out the trash, check email, prepare for Sunday School nights that sneak in there too. So much for free time.

After four weeks of this pattern, things have become down right exhuasting. Of course, mix into this getting a cold and feeling really, really lousy and I am realizing that Mommy Lisa is not going to be able to do it all while Rich is away. HELP!

Here We Go Again

2008-08-23T21:46:00.003-04:00

One week down.

Yep. The countdown has begun again. Three years, one marriage, and one child later I am finding myself back at the very beginning. Rich is being deployed once again. . . he is in Fort Bragg, New Jersey right now but in two months he will be on a plane to Iraq.

Last week the family sent him off and said our goodbyes. It was all rather dramatic. No. . . not because I was sobbing, TJ (my son) was holding on to Daddy's pant leg, and Samantha was pulling him off of the bus. But rather, because Sam slipped, fell, and busted her chin wide open. She even chipped a tooth.

The drama has settled after a week. Sam is healing nicely, and I am trying my best to keep some kind of order and control about me. I think it will be the best way I know how to cope. Schedules, a neat house, routine. This is what is going to help me pass the time.

51 more weeks to go.

3:48 PM

2005-06-29T15:49:00.000-04:00

THE COUNTDOWN IS OVER. He is home!

I just got off the phone with Rich. He called from the plane. They just touched down. All is right with the world at this very moment. Rich is back in the United States. Thank you, God.

0:00.00

59. . .58. . .57. . .56

2005-06-29T10:47:00.000-04:00

55. . .54. . .53. . . With every second that passes, Rich is getting closer and closer to home and closer and closer to me. Wow. Someone earlier today said that to me. . . and it really hit me. It was then that I realized-- but more like realized in my heart-- that Rich is RIGHT NOW, this very second on a plane that is flying west and is heading to the US. RIGHT NOW!

My heart lept. My eyes started to water. YES, we have waited so long. And now, right now the countdown to his return home means soooo much more. We are no longer counting days. We are counting hours, minutes, and seconds. Because every second that goes by is a second closer to having Rich home.

52. . . 51. . .50. . .49. . .

Sharing the magic of Seafarer

2005-06-20T13:32:00.000-04:00

Camp Seafarer has always been a special place for me. I've spent over 15 summers at this camp in North Carolina and as a result it is really my second home. It is a place where I feel complete, alive, safe, and challenged to be a better person. Camp and all of my experiences at camp have molded me to be the person I am today and the person I strive to be tomorrow. And really, for the past 15 years it has been my haven. The place that I escape. The place that is mine and as a result I am very cautious to share. Oh sure, I have invited friends and family to visit me at camp, I share with them the DVDs, pictures, and stories from camp. But going there and actually immersing oneself in the world that is camp, I have chosen (99% of the time) to do it alone.

But this past weekend marked a very cool experience for me. I was able to welcome my niece, Kira, my sister, my brother-in law, and my second niece, Grace into the seafarer family. Together, we dropped Kira off to experience camp for her self as a first session camper. I am thrilled that Kira is going to camp. I can think of nothing more positive and rewarding for her than this experience. Yet I am also a bit nervous as the camp session starts, because I want terribly for the camp magic to deliver on its promise and to shape her into the young girl that she can be. I want her to love camp as much as I do. I want camp to look out for her and take care of her and know just how special she is.

I think she will do just fine at camp. She will eat up the activities, the fun, and the independence that camp can bring. She will make new friends, learn about herself, and dig deep to keep a positive attitude and to try her best in everything she does.

I have to trust the magic and let camp do its thing. It worked on me and hundreds. . . thousands. . .of other girls. No, she may not be a life long camper like me, But then again, she could be.

As Cornell Turns

2005-06-14T17:39:00.000-04:00

Well what do you know. . . a little bit of scoop and eyebrow raising at Cornell. The big news this weekend was that our university President of 2 years is up and gone as of June 30th. He resigned. Right in the middle of Reunion Weekend during his state of the union address to all the 600+ alumni in the audience who had no clue that this was coming. Not so sure if the president's tactic was an "in your face" maneuver or something that was required of him. But the reason the president cited for his resignation was a difference in opinion on strategy between he and the Board of Trustees that cannot be rectified. Hmmmm.

Of course there is all kinds of speculation on campus. All kinds of water cooler talk. "I heard that there was tension between Inge and he", "I bet it is because of his wife" to even the comment that, "its because he is Jewish!" It seems as if gossip and rumor has taken on a new level at Cornell. Now, politics goes higher than just the petty stuff at the division and department level, there are seeds of a scandal at the highest place. ooooh, the intrigue.

But what amazes me at an Organizational Development level is the affect that this news has on the staff, the university's dynamic and our future direction. Because no one is really talking other than the standard "because of differences" the masses are left to speculate on their own, and given the fact that it is summer and there is very little else to focus our energy's on, we are left to gossip and gossip and gossip. I wish someone would lay it all out on the table so we can actually focus on the business at hand.

People are worried on what kind of impact something like this will have at an institution like Cornell. What will this do to our image? Well, I tell you, if this is all we focus on and gossip, gossip, gossip, we have destroyed our own image. . . not the president's act of resigning. Cornell is still Cornell. We have a legacy, we have a history. Trust the institution and it will prevail. An act of a simple resignation will not destroy this place. It is only if we linger in it and dwell that it can have the most damage.

It is also interesting to note the fear that an institution has when it loses its leader. Good or bad, we lost our champion, our director, our man in charge. What’s going to happen? What will happen to the two years we spent moving in this direction under the president's leadership? Will we change? Will we lose our momentum? Well, yes and no. Of course we can expect some directional change, of course some of our energies will be spent finding a new leader. But Cornell still plugs along in its institutional calendar.

Change hits people on an emotional level. It has been interesting to watch the last few days unfold and how people cope. The next year ahead will be an interesting one to say the least in the soap opera that is Cornell.

Book Tag. . . my turn

2005-05-31T11:46:00.000-04:00

Sigh. . . I have been "tagged" by Gregg to answer the following questions on my blog. While I grumble in answering these questions regarding my reading habits, I do thank Gregg for giving me something to post on my blog. I have been a lousy "poster" as of late.

1) What is the total number of books I've owned? A hard first question. My answer: a lot. I love books. I love collecting them. I love having bookcases full of them. My dream is to have a library in my house with one of those sliding ladders to reach the top part of the collection. Cool. Very cool.

2) What is the last book I bought? The Second Summer of the Sisterhood. For more information, read on. . .

3) What is the last book I've read? Second Summer of the Sisterhood. Too cute. Its the second in the series of books that started with Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (now a movie staring my favorite coming of age actresses: Alexis Bledel from Gilmore Girls). It is a fun read about the bonds of friendship and the dynamics of mother daughter relationships. Yes, I know, the target audience is for girls ages 13-16. But hey, I work at a summer camp, don't I? I have to be in touch with what young girls are reading today. Hmmmm, I wonder if I can write off the expense of the book for tax purposes. . . .

4) What are the 5 books that have meant a lot to me? First You Have To Row a Little Boat (a great commentary on sailing and life), Hinds Feet on High Places (a book about Christian Faith that I read when I was 19 and helped form my adult understanding of Christianity), The Bible (how can it not be on this list?), The Notebook (a moving love story set in one of my favorite towns), The Missing Piece (a Shel Silverstien story with lessons for both kids and adults).

BONUS: what book would you wish to buy next? Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood. Its summer and I am looking forward to seeing what these girls do next.

Thanks for the questions, Gregg. And I choose to end this game of tag. No need to pass this on.

05/05/05

2005-05-05T19:29:00.000-04:00

How can I let the day go by and not offer a little 05/05/05 post? I love days like this where the numbers line up. Similar to my 100,000 mile party with my car, things like this only happen every so often and it is fun to record what was happening and if I did anything special to stop and pause and say, "Hey! This is pretty neat!"

Today is not only 5/5/5, it is Cinco De Mayo, and Hobie Cat's birthday. I think I will go home and celebrate, sing happy birthday to my cat, and eat some chips and salsa. Whoo-hoo! Rich, I need you home soon if this is what my celebrations have come down to. Only 49 days to go.

Tomorrow is Slope Day at Cornell. At Slope Day students celebrate the last day of class by actually skipping classes, drink huge volumes of alcohol and gather on a particular section of campus known as the slope. Snoop Dog is performing and I will be at the ID tent entertaining the masses that stand in line to get their wrist bands. THIS should be an interesting day. I have mixed feelings about Slope Day and the way Cornell has stepped in to regulate the festivities and keep order. But I will save all of my thoughts and opinions for the next posting when I have experienced Slope day 2005.

Say a prayer for all of the students who will be abusing their alcohol tomorrow. May everyone be safe. Sigh.

Making Progress

2005-05-04T19:48:00.000-04:00

YEA! How exciting, I am really starting to make some progress regarding my wedding plans.

Date: October 9th
Location: Key West Florida
Dress: Found it
Save the date cards: done (but with a glitch)

Sigh, nothing is excactly perfect, is it?

This past weekend my mother and I headed to Key West to do as much planning and connecting as possible on location. Our weekend was a good blend of work and fun. We met with my wedding coordinator, Stephanie. Yes, we did hire a wedding coordinator, and God bless her and her connections. She has really been our navigator through the whole process. She has connected us with some great vendors and she truly knows Key West. Of course, there are a few things that I could be critical with for her. . . but for right now, I thank my lucky stars that she has opened many doors for us and has made this planning from afar much easier.

It was a good trip and wonderful to spend time with my mom, whom I don't spend nearly enough time with. Our time there has gotten me more focused on the wedding plans and a better vision on what is going to happen and how things will look come the big day.

The Hunt

2005-04-18T10:43:00.000-04:00

OK, I'll admit it. I am addicted to wedding gown shopping. It's just a really fun experience. There are so many dresses, styles, fabics, and designs. Most of the time when I have walked into a salon, I have been treated like a queen. I have my personal assistant who helps me get in and out of the dresses, carries my train, walks me over to a mirror and tells me I look beautiful. Then she comes back in the dressing room with me and hangs up the dress. All I have to do is worry about not exposing too much of myself while she is doing her job.

Over the course of the last two months I have tried on over 35 dresses. Some of them have been absolutely spectacular. There was one dress I tried on that was selling for $4,500. Of course I did not know the price until after I had it on and commented on how beautiful it was. Sneaky little sales lady! Then there have been others that were downright hideous. Sometimes I am amazed that women would actually wear some of these dresses to their own wedding. And during this process I am getting a better idea of my style, my taste, and what kinds of dresses look good on me. There was one big pouffy dress that when on looked like I was going to play the role of Martha Washington in some period piece. It was a nice dress, just not the right dress for me.

And so I am on the hunt for THE dress for me and my big day. There are a few that are potential dresses. But I am holding out to try on one more dress that I am having a sample special ordered into a salon in Watertown. My fingers are crossed that this will be THE one.

Double Digits

2005-03-17T09:14:00.000-05:00

Ahhh. There is something exciting about the day. The sun is shining, the snow is melting, I am feeling energized, I am wearing green (its Saint Patricks Day after all). But, what makes this day so exciting is that there are 99 days left until Rich comes home. Yep, we have entered the double digit countdown. There is something powerful about this that words alone can't describe. It is a mental sigh. It is a little flutter of my heart. It is hope, relief, and excitement all rolled up in one.

I am trying to think of something fun and "ritualistic" to do each day as I count down the numbers. But my head has not wrapped itself around a particular idea. Any ideas out there, you are welcome to share. But for now, the important thing is that Rich and I have weathered the storm of continuing to grow as a couple while so far apart and under such stress. I will be the first to tell you that it has not been easy. But I will also be the first to tell you that our separation has made is stronger and in some odd way, it has brought us closer. It's not over, true. But the hard part is behind us, I feel. 99 days and counting!

Much Needed R&R

2005-02-27T17:20:00.000-05:00

Hallelujah! Within 24 hours, I am off to California for some much-needed R&R, sunshine, and quality time with friends. Ohhh how I have needed this. There is something good about getting away and taking time out for me. Work and adjusting to Rich being gone again have taken their toll as I have been extremely moody, unproductive, and all around not fun to be with. In the last three weeks I don't feel like I have been much myself.

I hope that this week away will bring me a little bit closer to me being me. I know I will be re-energized thanks to my friends Tina and Mandy. And I even hope that they will help me wrap my mind around this wedding planning thing and start moving my tail into high gear. We have a day of gown, bridesmaid dresses, and invitation shopping. . . so if that doesn't do it, I do not know what will! I am half expecting the two of them to plan a bridal intervention with me, hold me down and make me choose a location and a date. I will admit, I have missed having friends close by to help me in this process. In Ithaca I have felt rather alone. Planning a wedding solo is no fun indeed.

Over the weekend I will be leading a retreat for Cal Berkeley Greek students. It will be great fun. . . but this year will be a bit different without Tina there to play with. How dare she skip TEAM Cal! She has been a part of it since its inception in 1997-- and actually one of its lead designers. Sigh, I will miss her, and I know the program will too. But I know the retreat and its location will also be good for the soul by getting the opportunity to do what I love to do and doing it right in the middle of one of the most beautiful places in the United States.

How fortunate I am to have this time away from the cold Ithaca winter and from the routine. I hope that I'll come back refreshed and renewed. Its exactly what is needed in my life right now.

Three Minutes with "The Dean"

2005-02-24T12:52:00.000-05:00

Yesterday provided a neat opportunity for me. As a part of Creating Chapters of Excellence (the fraternity/sorority program I oversee), I was able to coordinate a reception for Howard Dean in one of the Fraternity houses. Yep. . that's Howard Dean, former Presidential candidate, "Yeaaaaawwwwh" man, and newly elected leader of the Democratic National Committee. Pretty cool, I thought. . .for the students on such a "liberal" campus, and pretty cool for me too.

So, before I headed down to Sigma Pi, where the reception was held, I thought to myself, "Gee, if I get time to talk to Howard Dean what would I say? What questions would I want answered? What would I want him to know about that concerns me with politics and the Democratic Party today?" If you had three minutes with "The Dean" how would you spend it? After a bit of reflection, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. . .I grabbed what I needed, and off I went.

The reception went very well in my opinion. Howard Dean arrived on time and during the event made the expected jokes about life in a fraternity house. . . "Gosh its clean, does it look like this all the time?" "Where is the keg?", etc. Sigh. . . this is one of the reasons we are trying to have more events like this in fraternity and sorority houses more often. Get people though the doors at the right time and at the right event, people might actually start viewing fraternities and sororities as valuable organizations to have on campus. . . . but I digress.

I did get my three minutes with Howard Dean. And I chose to spend that time talking about Rich's experience in Iraq and what I am learning outside of the mainstream media thanks to Rich's blog. I know that Howard Dean's early presidential candidate support was as a result of technology, the Internet, and the growing number of blog users. Certainly, this was a man from Washington that could appreciate how Rich chose to communicate to us back home and his story of Iraq from an unfiltered perspective.

I encouraged Gov. Dean to visit Rich's blog site and gave him one of my business cards with Rich's name, unit, and blog address on the back of it. Shameless promotion for the man I love. . . absolutely! No doubt about it. He seemed genuinely interested in what Rich was experiencing and sharing with others. He mentioned that he connects with a solider in Afghanistan that has a blog on a regular basis too. First hand accounts are a good thing for all of us over here, he said. Exactly the point I wanted to make. In our conversation he thanked Rich and he thanked me for "our" service. That caught me off guard. . .I didn't expect to be in the list of his thanks. I was not the one over there actually serving. But it was nice to be recognized for what is a rather complicated life right now.

So my three minutes with Howard Dean were well spent. We did not talk politics; I didn't share my opinions on what he needed to do to "save" the Democratic Party. I chose instead to offer my story. . .and Rich's story. A good story can influence the hearts of men a lot faster than spouting off fact, figures, or debates about who is right and who is wrong. Personal stories are how change begins.

I also asked another favor from Gov. Dean, and he proudly accepted. Rich should be getting a fun piece of mail from one of his newest fans in the next week.

Note: for those of you who forgot, Rich's blog address is: http://richbrowntod.blogspot.com/ And maybe we need to start looking for some kind of comments made by a Dr. H. Dean!

All Hail Jon Stewart

2005-02-09T13:58:00.000-05:00

If I ever wanted to know what mattered in the hearts of the Cornell students all I would have to do is simply walk outside my building and see the line that has grown overnight to buy tickets to see Jon Stewart. About 250 students camped out overnight and more joined the mass as early as 4:00 AM this morning. They did so because they wanted to see Jon Stewart. The line has grown. . . .four to five people wide. . . stretching clear across the academic quad and to the Art Museum. Hundreds. . . maybe even a thousand people skipping classes, avoiding the library, rescheduling meetings all because THIS is where they want to be. You see, in college, when Jon Stewart speaks, these kids listen!

Jon Stewart. . . who is he? Well if you are at Cornell and didn't know, you certainly know now. He's the anchor on Comedy Central's, The Daily Show. Half comedy, half news, half talk show (wait, I am not so sure I can split things up that way) all blended into one. This show has been the talk of the college campus for several years now. And as I have begun watching I have become a fan too. This guy is brilliant. Stewart is never one to take the news or the media's spin on the news seriously, and I have to say that I appreciate this refreshing perspective. Of course there are all kinds of naysayers out there about the show and how terrible it is-- not real news, etc. But the college population is making a statement today about that. They just don't care. This guy is great. And in a day in age where we have CNN (the liberals) and FOX (the conservatives) why not have one more that speaks to the younger generations and all those that want to laugh. Damn. Sometimes the news is just way too serious and full of itself.

I have told Rich once before that he would never have to worry about my eyes going astray so long as I never meet Jon Stewart face to face. And sweetie, still no worries on this one. He comes to campus in early March and I will be out of town. I will admit I am sad that I will be away. Seeing him on campus live would be great. . . . but I am also not about ready to stand in line with all of the other crazy fanatics. And well, as one other student has said, "I get to see him every night on TV, so what's the big deal seeing him again packed in to Barton Hall with four thousand of my closest friends?" Well, I guess to those four thousand Cornell students willing to camp out in line, it is a big deal. And that is quite telling. The tickets sold out by 2:30 PM

All hail Jon Stewart!

There is Grass Under that Snow!

2005-02-08T09:26:00.000-05:00

OK. . .so there are all kinds of things I can say regarding my last post and all of the angst I feel regarding work and my general mood right now, but for now I am going to offer a happy post.

The 8.5 inches of snow is melting! Ithaca is seeing green again! First time in 2005 that I have seen what lays beneath the snow. Over the weekend we had incredible weather. . . we are talking sunshine and 50 degree temperatures. And for anyone who has been to Ithaca in the winter, you know how rare this is.

So now there are patches of green grass amongst the white piles of snow. But many of us know up in these parts that mother nature is a tease and we will see blankets of white again soon. In the mean time it is nice to be reminded of the Spring and all that is to come.

Overworked and Underpaid

2005-02-04T17:47:00.000-05:00

I am swamped! Help! Work is crazy. There is way too much going on and such an unrealistic expectation placed on me that I can do it all. This month and the next few months are going to be hell (sorry mom, but it is time you knew that I swear). My life will be consumed with attempting to sell our model of chapter improvement to the many different fraternities and sororities at Cornell. So far this week, I have logged a total of 52 hours at work and it is only going to get worse in the weeks to come.

Now one of the things I have learned about the culture of higher education is that it is expected for people to work more than 40 hours a week and work late hours (students hold a lot of their meetings at night and events happen over the weekends). And I have never really had a problem like this. I do not typically count my hours. But there are times such as this that I get curious.

In addition to preparing for this huge presentation on February 12th and then other countless presentations to individual chapters after that, we are also in the middle of a major office staff reorganization process. There is a huge potential that my job will change significantly. . . and right now I am not ecstatic about the changes. Quite truthfully, they do not make a whole lot of sense.

So right now I am feeling very overworked and underpaid (or maybe undervalued) and hope that there is a happy ending to all of this maddening effort I am putting in. Sure, a good outcome would be for this program to receive rave reviews and go off without a hitch but I know the likelihood of that is slim to none. We will always have our critics.

I guess more of what I am looking for is an acknowledgement that I am a valuable player within the university and within this task and that future job descriptions and pay increases reflect that. Right now . . .. it's really not that clear.

But I work anyway until the task is done. Overworked and underpaid.

135 days and counting!

2005-01-25T19:33:00.000-05:00

Well, Rich is on his way back to Baghdad. Our two weeks of time together has come to an end. But as Rich has said repeatedly we did get a whole lot of livin' in during those 16 days we had together. And now we are focused on the magical date of June 11th. This is the rumored date that Rich's tour of duty will end and he will be back on American soil; this time for good. So, the way I see it, only 135 days to go!

I am amazed with how the time just flowed during Rich's leave. You know how some weeks seem to just fly by in a blink of an eye? These 16 days were not like that. But they did not labor on super slow either. It just kind of happened as time does. We really made it a point to plan where we could plan and leave our days open where we wanted them open. The blend was perfect and for a moment it seemed as if time just stood still.

Rich held my hand through a bit of the wedding planning process and did an exceptional job both touring possible locations with a wedding coordinator and looking through my incredibly thick wedding planner/notebook. We are further along in our planning and with decisions and I could not have done it alone. I am working on a few more details, but soon I will be able to officially announce the where and the when of the wedding. And then the fun can really begin!

And with all the talk about the wedding and spending so many wonderful days together, I was reminded just how thrilled I am to be marrying Rich Brown and how blessed I am to have him in my life. Things just feel right and right is such a good feeling to have. At last.

In many ways (and Rich said it too) our time together this month was a "sneak peak" of what is to come and how life will be after his tour is over. How great it will be when the norm will be talking to each other in person. How great it will be when the norm is being able to kiss each other hello, offer hugs when we get overwhelmed, and hold hands as we walk down the street. How great it will be playing Jenga one night because we just don't feel like watching TV. It's hard to do those things right now. . .our norm has been email, Instant Messenger and quick phone calls. But in 135 days that will all change and I will be ready for it. Let the countdown begin!

Back to the grind. . . for a short while anyway

2005-01-03T17:09:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh. What a wonderful Christmas vacation. Florida. Sunshine. Family. No real worries. No real chores (thanks Mom, Linda, and Mark for doing the dishes so often). And really, very little thoughts about work. . . or at least anxiety producing thoughts. It was a great R&R holiday.

But now it is back to the grind and all of the things I thought I'd do over the holidays that was work related really does need to get done. After the pleasantries of welcoming everyone back from the holidays, I quickly quarantined myself into my office to develop a plan of attack for the week ahead. Much to accomplish and a huge motivating force to get it all done: RICH IS TAKING LEAVE AND WILL BE COMING HOME THIS WEEKEND!

I am ecstatic. It will be so wonderful to see him and to be with him in person for the next two weeks. Wow! How wonderful that he is able to take leave. But his return is kicking me into high gear at work and at home. You see, the more I get done this week the more time I can take off work (and feel okay with it) when he is in town and the more we can be together.

Despite the work load I am feeling right now, the timing of Rich's homecoming is quite perfect for me. The students are not yet back and as a result my schedule can be a bit more flexible. I know that this semester is going to be a busy and stressful one for me. We are reorganizing the office/job responsibilities, expanding the Creating Chapters of Excellence program to more chapters, and hiring more staff (graduate students). And with all of this change, I want to make sure that I am right there in the think of it calling as many shots as I can for the success of the program and for my own job security.

So this week I am learning the meaning behind the proverb "work now, play later". While it is my preference to constantly go back and forth between the two (work and play) I know now is not that time. I have to condition myself to go all out at work this week, for next week there will be plenty of time for play.

Travel safe Rich and I'll see you soon! Hot dog.

Merry Christmas!

2004-12-25T22:10:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas to one and to all!

Whew. What at day. It all started at 7:30 AM. Yes, my nieces let us sleep in a bit this year (guess we kept them up late the night before). And by 7:50 we were looking at the loot in our stockings and opening presents under the tree. All in all, gift-giving wise it has been a wonderful christmas. Not too overwhelming for the girls (or the adults) and certainly some fun surprises in there too. Grace got her Princess and the Pauper Barbie, Kira got her Jack and Annie book. All was good.

Of course my treat of the day was to log on to the computer and spend some time IMing with Rich. We got each other web cameras for Christmas and what a wonderful treat it is to see his face as we communicate back and forth via computer. I tell you, technology is an amazing thing. It is wild to think that though our computers we can see each other, real time, and feel connected on this special holiday. Of course now with the video, I am much more aware of how I look when I type on the computer. I look at the key board quite a lot. Thats what you get for deciding to opt out of typing class in high school, I guess.

It was through the web cam today that my sister and her family got to "meet" Rich for the first time. And what chaos! Kira and Grace were elated to see themselves on the computer screen. I don't think they quite caught on that the focus was supposed to be on meeting Rich. Oh well, at least Rich got to see them in their element.

So in some small way at that moment today, I felt a bit of what I believe Christmas is about. My family (Rich included) was gathered around the computer sharing the Christmas spirit. Laughing, teasing each other, being goofy, screaming, sometimes arguing, but all together. I felt complete. It is times like this that I savor. It is times like this where I feel God's presence reminding me that this is what life is all about. And that I have found it. Or rather, I have it. It was given to me with no real search on my part. God has blessed me indeed.

Brr!

2004-12-20T16:35:00.000-05:00

It's f-f-fr-freezing! It is officially winter in Ithaca and pretty darn cold. Latest reading is 1 degree. . . . but it feels like -14 degrees with the wind chill. Wowzers, that is cold! "Colder than a witch's navel," my Dad would say. But Dad, just how cold is a witch's navel, and how would you know? Ah, the important questions in life I never got to ask him while he was around.

It snowed about 6-7 inches in my back yard yesterday. It was quite the winter storm. We managed to shovel ourselves out of the winter whiteness and I started out to the mall to do some last minute Christmas shopping. About 15 minutes into my drive to the mall and having only traveled 3 miles, I started to ask myself, "What am I doing? Its Sunday, the roads are bad, only the crazy people are out in the cold. Why am I going to the mall?" It was then that I turned around and headed for the warmth of home. Christmas presents can wait.

So, given the weather situation, it looks like this neck of the woods is gonna have a white (and chilly) Christmas. Thank goodness I will be in Florida! You know, I love white Christmases and all, but this year I do not think the powder will be missed.

Thanksgiving

2004-11-30T01:11:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving. . . a couple of days late! I've been in Missouri at my sister's house and have had a good vacation with family. Thanksgiving is quickly becoming a favorite holiday of mine. I feel as if it is one of the few American holidays that is left virtually untouched by the pressure to buy, buy, buy. Instead, we focus on eat, eat, eat. . . and perhaps a little bit of thanks, thanks, thanks.

This Thanksgiving I have much to be thankful for. My life is abundantly rich and I can count so many blessings. Yes, there are difficult times but if anything, I have learned over the last year that to be thankful while in the midst of difficulties helps keep my values and priorities in check. And I really do feel more blessed as I remember all that I have been given.

A few weeks ago I made a card for Rich that listed all of the things that I am thankful for this season. It was a good inventory. It listed people in my life, opportunities I have had, my health, computer technology, and several miracles of nature. Of course on the top of that list was Rich and all that he has added to my life. But I will save that sap for my letters I send to Rich. No need to go on gushing right here. Instead I will share the memories from Thanksgiving 2004 for which I am thankful:

Hugs from two beautiful nieces: Kira and Grace. They are growing up fast and I treasure the time that I get to spend with them as they grow.

One-on-one time I got to spend with Kira. We went shopping. I introduced her to Limited too, sales, and clothes that might make her mother cringe! I love being an Aunt!

Conversations with my mother and my sister. Sure we tease my mom about genealogy, but I am thankful for my mother's sense of history, family, and tradition. I will carry it on.

My sister doing a fabulous job preparing the bulk of the Thanksgiving meal. . . and doing it with such humor while sick. Singing into the Turkey leg as if it were a microphone was a bonus.

Going to the ARC. . . .an indoor pool of sorts. . .actually I would call it an indoor water park. What a great place for families. Thanks for letting me swim a few laps, Mark.

Meeting the new dog, Dora. Makes me want to get a dog of my own.

All good things this Thanksgiving: Family, food, crazy kids, dogs running around. This is what holiday's are about!

Veterans' Day

2004-11-11T20:31:00.001-05:00

Happy Veterans Day and Marine Corps Birthday to all of you out there! This day for me has a bittersweetness to it. With Rich in Iraq and my Dad (a former marine) no longer with us, I feel a sense of pride mixed with melancholy on this day. In the last 10 years while living in Florida, my father returned to his military roots and with that came the celebration of the Marine Corps birthday, all of the songs, honor, and bonds of brotherhood too. I began seeing a face to the US Military I had not known before, or at least had never been that close to home. November 11th was a big day for my Dad and his buddies and they would go to great lengths to throw some legendary parties. . . among the retired community anyway.

And now, in the last eight months, a year and a half after my father's passing, the US Military is again playing a role in my life. A new face of the military has shown itself to me. This time it is in the face of the man I will marry. (Geeze, you think Freud have something to say here?). Rich is in the Army and stationed in Baghdad. A recent veteran, he is working with the people of the city to bring about peace, change, and perhaps a bit of democracy. He is showing the Iraqi citizens a strong but gentle face to the US Military. A face that I fell in love with. How can they not do the same?

So today, I am sad. I miss these two veterans who have had such a powerful impact in my life. Today I am humbled at the commitment both my father and Rich have made to serve this country, protect our freedoms, and strive to make the world a better, more just, more free place. But today I am also glad. I am glad to know these men like I do. I am honored that I can understand our country, our ideals, and even our hang-ups a bit more through these faces and the sides of the military they have shown me. And I am proud. I am proud of who these men are, what they have done, and what Rich continues to do. The legacy is a powerful one.

I was reminded of that legacy just last week as I went to DC for a conference. While there, I took some time to venture out on a solo "War Memorial Run" on the Mall. During my run, I made it a point to visit the various memorials and monuments that cluster that area. The better-known ones being: Vietnam, Korea, and now World War II. During my run, I did stop to soak in the monuments, to pay my respects, and to somehow honor those who have served throughout our history (at least our modern history). I was moved to tears at the WWII memorial. The memorial itself is impressive. But what got me most was watching the older generations come to the memorial with such reverence and pride. I saw veterans in their ball caps that marked which destroyer they were on or which platoon they were a part of roll down the ramp with their walkers. I saw husbands with their wives. I saw grandparents with their grandchildren. I saw fathers with their sons. I saw men and women who served attempt to remember and reflect on what the war meant to them. I saw these veterans attempt to pass on their experience and their emotion to the others with them. Little did they know that they were passing a part of that legacy on to me, a bystander, too. Yet I am also beginning to realize that I am not as much a bystander as I once thought I was.

I am part of the legacy. Through my father, through Rich, and through the hundreds of thousands of men and women who have served in our past and who are serving right now. It is through your faces that I have come to know my country better and even come to know a bit more of myself.

I miss you, Dad. I celebrate the Marine Corps birthday with you. Semper Fi! I miss you Rich. Happy Veterans' Day. You make me and countless others back home proud. Be good to somebody over there (as I know you will). I look forward to running (or walking, depending on our age) the monuments with you and doing our part to pass this legacy on.

SNOW!

2004-11-09T14:20:00.001-05:00

Well, winter is here. I am looking outside my window and all I see are white flecks of snow falling from the sky. My reaction: I am sooooo not ready for this. Here is a case in point story about the start of Ithaca's first snow-fall day.

I was slow to wake up and head to work this morning. Nothing new there. I did notice a light snow covering on the ground through my window. Great, snow. I thought. Winter has finally arrived. But what really got me this morning was deciding what to wear. I was really in a jeans and sweatshirt mood (given the weather), but I couldn't justify a casual day on Tuesday. So, I dressed in a fall favorite outfit of mine. . . a comfortable yet professional jumper, hose, and heals. I was ready to go.

Walking out the door, I slipped on some of the ice/snow accumulating on the stair. My brown shoes are not good shoes in the snow. "What was I thinking wearing this fall outfit on such a winter day?" I thought to myself. But I trudged on, "I'm not gonna get a little bit of snowfall get me down." But as I approached my car, a completely new thought entered my mind. My car was blanketed by 1 inch of fresh snow. Somehow, the ground managed to melt a good amount of the accumulation, but my car kept it fresh and piled high. Prepping my car was gonna take some work this morning.

Still thinking optimistically, I brushed off some snow so I could open my door, get inside and start my car. Old Faithful, 100,000 miles and going strong, started right up; no problem there (see last post). I switched on my windshield wipers thinking I could brush away the snow with a simple swoosh. A little snow, no problem. But boy, was I wrong. There was ice under that snow! This was going to require more work than what I was expecting and what I was prepared for.

The humorous part of all of this was that my industrial strength ice scraper/brush was most likely in the trunk of my car. . . . under piles and piles of junk that over the last few months I have let build up in my car. Getting this scraper. . my only one. . . was not going to be an easy task. Plus, even opening up the trunk with the inch of snow on top of it was going to be a snowy, wet process. "This is just not gonna happen today," I thought. I was unprepared for weather like this today. So, instead, I started my car, turned on the defroster/heat on high and went back inside. "No scraper, no problem," I told myself.

When inside, I sadly went back to my room and changed into a more practical "snow day" outfit. Wool sweater, turtleneck, and pants: the third outfit of the day. 10 minutes later, I walked out of my apartment a bit more prepared. The snow was starting to melt around my windshield. I did a minimal bit of snow clearing before I got into the warm interior of my car. And as I pulled out of my driveway I chuckled to myself. I realized that winter was here, like it or not, and I needed to start acting like it. First item of business, clean out the trunk of my car and find that ice scraper.

A milestone

2004-11-08T13:36:00.000-05:00

100000!
Originally uploaded by BlockHD57.

Every so often, those milestones in life happen and you want to record them for posterity. A personal milestone happened yesterday. My car, my first car that I ever owned outright, hit 100,000 miles! Now that is something that doesn't happen every day. So, here is a picture and an entry in my blog to lock this occasion into my vault of memories.

My trusty Honda Accord turned to 100,000 while I was driving home from a conference in Washington DC. I was on I-95 outside of Baltimore to be exact.

Now you have to understand that while driving, I get caught up in the numbers game and the odometer reading. I look for those occasions when there is a fun pattern of numbers, or when I hit a special number on the drive itself.

For instance, during long drives I make things more exciting by having 100-mile parties. These parties usually involve honking the horn, playing a special song full blast on the radio, or treating myself to a candy I have stashed in my bag. The larger the number, the bigger the party (just ask Kathryn what we did for our 500 mile party while road tripping to Vanderbilt our senior year of college). So you can imagine how big a party I wanted to have for such a large number this time around.

A toot of the horn, a picture while driving (ok. . . I know, not really safe to do. . . but I was only going 70!) a call to my sister. . . and a stop for fries and a shake soon after. But also with this little celebration I thought about the bigger picture.

This little occasion has helped me reflect and realize that I have taken this little car of mine for granted over the years. 100,000 miles and running fine. A dream car for me: low maintenance. Truly amazing when I think about it. Very rarely has this car given me angst, robbed my wallet, or prevented me from going about my normal day and my normal driving routine. Nor do I see that changing any time soon. 100,000 miles and going strong.

Thank you little car.

Election Day

2004-11-02T16:05:00.000-05:00

Happy Election Day! Or should I say, "Happy Election Month"? From the sounds of it, we might have another long battle to determine our next president. And that means MORE politics, pundits, and opinions, and way too much press coverage. I want the madness to stop. . . . no more coverage of what Bush said and then what Kerry said in response to Bush. MAKE IT ALL GO AWAY!

In effort to make the election coverage go away, I did my civic duty and went to vote earlier today. I had heard rumors that people were waiting in 1/2-hour lines in Ithaca at 8:00 AM. I was voting close to 10:00. My polling place was relatively quiet when I entered. No person or people standing outside with last minute campaign slogans, no one questioning my right to be there and if I was really registered to vote, and no one taking exit polls. Guess New York isn't that news worthy, huh?

I waited a total of 4 minutes from the time I stepped into the building to the time I went into the booth. There were three people in front of me. There was one voting booth in the whole place-- the old-fashioned kind with the levers. It felt so retro/nostalgic to be using a voting booth as opposed to computer ballots or punch cards. With this machine on hand, I had good confidence that my vote was going to be counted. I did notice too, that there was a 3-minute time limit that I could be in the booth. No eenie-meenie-minnie-moe to help me make decisions on the lesser items on the ballot. That would take too long.

I will admit, that I did find myself getting a bit misty-eyed as I was waiting in line and soaking in all that the 4 minutes held. I felt empowered. I felt proud that our country votes the way we do (despite all of its problems). I was happy that things were civilized, peaceful, and that my vote really does matter. My mind went to Rich being in Iraq, serving our country, and attempting to help a new population of people come to love democracy as much as we do . . . or at the very least encouraging them to give it a try.

I also was witness to a citizen educating a foreigner just how we do things over in the US of A. My guess is that this woman is an international student at Cornell and he was somehow her professor, mentor, or older and wiser friend. She watched him sign his name and then went into the booth with him. Less than three minutes later, they walked out of the booth with smiles on their faces. I think he let her pull the lever that opens the curtain at the end. That's my favorite part, anyway. To know at that moment, when your hand is on the lever and you hear the curtain open and the levers reset, you then know that you have spoken to the rest of the country, to the rest of the world how you would like to see the next four years. Yes, my voice and all I have to say is reduced to a few names on a ballot, and half of the country may not listen anyway, but some people don't even get that much.

And you know what, I was smiling when I left the booth too.

Homecoming 2004

2004-10-18T17:18:00.001-04:00

Whew! Homecoming has come and gone this year. While there were no major problems this year and things seemed to be relatively calm, a number of things really got me going, the first of which were the T-shirts I saw. . . . add these to the Greek "wall of shame"

"The more you score, the louder we scream"
"When was the last time you got sacked?"
"Our drinking club has a sorority problem"
"Win or lose, we still booze"
"Turning beer into breakfast since 1888"

or this one. . .

"Homecoming comes once a year,
we get up early and drink lots of beer.
When you are with XYZ, the fun never rests.
A great group of girls with really nice. . . personalities."

And believe it or not, most of these were the sorority t-shirts! Yes, it was the women who were sporting the most questionable shirts. OK. . . I admit, I chuckled and shook my head in disbelief. But I also wondered how on earth these women could walk around with these t-shirts promoting themselves and their sorority. Some call me old-fashioned. I have had a number of students tell me that things are just different in today's generation. . . they are much more open and ok with things of a sexual nature. But to do so in the name of sorority and fraternity is where I have to draw the line.

We spend countless hours trying to develop a good name for the Greek community. I hear students whine all of the time. . . . "We are not all bad. We aren't about the stereotypes 'Animal House' would have you believe! We do good things too!" For instance, they usually tout that Greeks care about the environment and the town-gown relations, every year we pick up trash in the streets during College town cleanup. Greeks care about service and philanthropy. This past year fraternities and sororities gave over $200,000 in donations and over 25,000 hours are given in service. But ladies, by strutting around in these t-shirts, you also showed that we are the ones that reinforce the "Animal House" stereotypes the best. The proof is how we represent ourselves on Homecoming weekend: a time in which alumni, faculty, staff and community are swarming campus.

We represent ourselves not by taking this time to do our good things, to show the world we can act responsibly, make good choices, and communicate to everyone that we are about leadership, scholarship, service, and fellowship (the values we pull out when we have to defend ourselves). Instead, the fraternities and sororities are roped into what I would describe as a quarantined tailgate area, far away from all the other tailgaters. "The Greek ghetto" I heard someone describe it. We have signs that warn people upon entering "No children allowed" suggesting that Greeks corrupt youth and are something evil to keep your kids away from. We drink, and drink, and drink, and drink. And then we choose to wear t-shirts that reinforce all that is "bad" about us? Doing just about everything we try to fight against when we feel targeted unfairly. But you know, maybe we are not targeted so unfairly after all?

Yes, poking fun at ourselves is fine. Yes, we do have a right to freedom of speech. Yes, these t-shirts cause people to laugh. But laugh at whose expense? I’d like to argue that it is at ours.

We are values-based organizations. It’s time to start acting like it. Perhaps then we would get the respect we deserve.

Day Four

2004-10-14T20:12:00.000-04:00

Well. . . day four just plain sucks! Most of everything that this guy recommends to obtain more energy has been thrown out the window today. Guess when I am stressed and there is a lot going on things collapse. No exercise, way too much diet coke, no water, and worst yet, it is 8:15 and I am still at work and will most likely be here until 10:00 ot later tonight.

Homecoming is this weekend and in the fraternity and sorority world Homecoming translates to "all hands on deck!" My Saturday is going to consist of monitoring the tailgate area reserved for Greek students, make sure that they are safe and that no one under the age of 21 is drinking. Now come on!!!! I totally agree with the first part of these job duties. I want students to be safe and smart about their drinking and Homecoming festivities. Yet, I did not enter this profession to police and monitor who drinks, who does not and how those under 21 got the alcohol in the first place. This will be the challenge of the day for me.

Also a part of this weekend is interacting with alumni and promoting all of the good things that are going on in the Greek community on campus. So Saturday I get to experience the drunken fest that is homecoming and then in a blink of an eye I get to put on a smile and assure the alumni that the Greek community is moving forward and that they should invest in its positive future by contributing to the Creating Chapters of Excellence fund that pays for my salary and so many other worthwhile events.

At times I feel like a hypocrite. At times I feel that there is little I can do to make a difference in this community. At times I wonder if college students will ever "get" what fraternity and sorority-- at its core-- is really about. At times I think I am this older, out of touch idealist that believes the Greek community can be so much more than what it currently is (if only we lived by our mission and values). At times I think that students really don't want what fraternity and sorority--at its core-- has to offer. At times I think the college students just roll their eyes and tell me the answer they think I want to hear because it is just easier that way.

We will see if this weekend is one of those times.

Day Three and New Games

2004-10-13T17:45:00.000-04:00

Doing well. . . . was successful in going to the gym last night, getting 8 hours of sleep (ok, it was more like 7.5), limiting myself to 1 Diet Coke, and sticking to more of a schedule. All is good. Am I bouncing off the walls? Not yet. I think the thing that I like that I am doing is making a deliberate effort to make exercise a part of my routine. Something that is a part of my day from its very beginning rather than an add-on because I have free time or nothing better to do. Back when I was training for my marathons, it worked that way too. . . mostly due to the "fear" and the need to train now or pay for it later. But without a marathon goal looming over my head, exercise has taken a back seat. And I am not too happy with that.

But the biggest joy of the day was my class that I teach at Ithaca College: New Games. For the past eight weeks I have been going over to IC (the other college in Ithaca, also made famous from the movie "Road Trip") to teach a class in the department and therapeutic and recreation education. Not a bad gig considering that most of the two classes each week consist of playing games and teaching the students the best way to lead games. And the class only lasts for half the semester.

I have taught the class for three semesters, and this semester has by far been the most rewarding for me as an educator, and I think the students too. 26 of them in all. No major attendance issues this year (like in semesters past) and kids with a great amount of enthusiasm and joy for just being silly and having a good time. The class even gave me a nickname this semester: the funmiester. And they would use it.

Anyhow. . . today was the last class session. And as in semesters past, at the last class we invite as many children as we can to play with us. So today we had 12 kids (most of which are home schooled) come to the gym at Ithaca College. The cool part was that not only did we have an adorable new group of little ones to play with, but also the students took ownership in introducing and leading the games that we played. And to see all of this in action was amazing. The kids loved the experience. The students loved the experience. The parents were impressed and appreciative of the opportunity. I was humbled to know that everyone was having so much fun. I was excited to see how much everyone was getting out of a simple hour's worth of games in a college gymnasium.

There is something powerful about seeing a child laugh. There is something even more powerful about seeing a college student get jazzed over that laughter too. I needed those moments in my life today. As I complain and question about the impact that I have at Cornell and with the students with whom I work, it is a moment like the one I had earlier today when I think, "yeah, this is what it is all about. This is what I live for." And I am amazed by the simplicity of everything: Laughter.

At the end of the class, I had several students come up to me and thank me for "the best class" that they have had at IC. How much they learned and how much fun it was. They wished that the class would continue on for the entire semester. They called me "funmiester" one last time; they even gave me a round of applause. It feels good to be appreciated. To feel validated. But it feels even better to know that the students will look back on this class, and especially this day, to remember the laughter and the joy that can be had when people come together in the spirit of play.

Day Two

2004-10-12T18:10:00.000-04:00

Well. . . can't say that I have more energy today. Actually feeling a bit annoyed due to a frustrating staff meeting and the realization that the rest of the world (ok, more like the rest of the staff in my office) does not feel and think like me. Ugh! How aggravating. OK, I know that this would be a terrible thing, but sometimes I find myself questioning my job, my work, and the impact I have on the students with whom I work. Sometimes I feel so limited in my ability.

But, enough of my frustrations. . . on to my energy makeover! I DID drink 4 glasses of water yesterday. I DID go to the gym for a 2 mile run. I DID have only ONE diet coke yesterday. I DID get 8 hours of sleep. I DID NOT hit the snooze button this morning. But I DID go back to sleep after I turned off the alarm. OK, no one is perfect.

Day two is going well. Sticking pretty close to the plan and my goals for the day. I just need to learn how to drink more water. I'll share the full report tomorrow.

Energize Me!

2004-10-11T13:15:00.000-04:00

OK. . . so watching the Today Show this morning as I got ready for work, I listened to some testimonials from three women about how they are getting "energy makeovers" from some energy guru, Jon Gordon. Apparently what he has been asking them to do is working. This energy makeover started last week as we learned a bit more about the CRAZY lives all three women lead and how they just feel exasperated at the end of each day. Sounds way too familiar, I thought. Lately I have been fighting this slump in my mood, attitude, and all around productivity level. And if I am feeling this way now, I cannot imagine what it would be like to add on family responsibilities in a matter of years. So, I started listening to what this guy, Jon had to say.

Granted, this guy's credibility is questionable because as he is talking he is practically jumping off the walls. Sure, if he is an energy guru, he needs to exude energy, but come on. . . . he was over the top. A bit too happy. I'd like to see him when he finally crashes, cause I know it is ugly. Nevertheless, I still listened to his message of 1) cut caffeine, 2) simple energy workouts every day (we are talking 10-minute walks), 3) drink water, 4) no snooze button, 5) Eight hours of sleep. All seem pretty doable, I thought. Just have to be a bit more intentional with things.

So. . . just what I intend to do. . . for the next seven days I intend to take the "energy addict challenge" that he proposes. . . almost like what these three women are doing and reporting on the Today Show every morning. I am going into this week trying to be more deliberate and attempting to structure my day a bit more. My preferred style is to go with the flow and let the day determine what I do and what happens. But, I know where that gets me at the end of the day: feeling drained.

Day one is today. . . . my commitments for the day: 1) drink 4 glasses of water (I am still on glass one), 2) go to the gym for a short workout (its starting to get dark and cold outside), and 3) go to bed by 10:30 for my eight hours of sleep. . .and NO snooze button in the AM!

I'll make notes of my successes and challenges each day on my blog and at the end of these seven days I'll analyze how things are working. And if nothing else, at least I tried something different. Certainly I'll learn some helpful ways of being or some new insights into how I operate.

Off I go to drink my water!

Yeeeeehaaw!

2004-10-05T14:52:00.000-04:00

What a happy day. Not only is it a crisp and sunny fall day in Ithaca (a rarity in these parts), but I just discovered that the Texas Quarters are now in circulation! So here is a simple shout out to the great state to show my enthusiasm over the newly released quarter. The back of the coin is not that spectacular. . . I would have expected to see The Alamo, the Texas Flag, or maybe even a picture of the Bush Dynasty. But I guess the picture of the state and the star make the back rather timeless. Doesn't quite grab me though. But what does grab me is that we now have a new quarter to admire and collect when we spend our cash!

Yes, I am one of those that collects all of the state quarters. Mind you I am not as obsessive as some people I know whose goal is to stockpile as many state quarters as possible (yes Ed, I am talking about YOU). I simply am collecting 3 quarters from each state: 2 from the "P" mint and 1 from the "D" mint. While 2 of these quarters are for my own personal collection, the extra "P" mint goes to a collection that I am keeping for my future family, cause some day we are gonna learn all about the United States, its geography, and history from the backs of a bunch of different quarters. Yeah, I know, family fun at its best! But imagine the show-and-tell that my son or daughter can bring into school.

My collection is far from complete. It seems that the 2003 coins are harder to find. Or at least they have been harder for me to get my hands on. I just have not seen many of the 2003s in circulation. Alabama is close to nonexistent up here. I am still on the hunt for Michigan, Florida, Alabama, Missouri, and Mississippi (the Denver mints especially). Being from the east coast, the P mint (Philadelphia) is much easier to find. That half of my collection is almost complete. Where I am hurting is the west coast Denver mint variety. And yes, for those of you who do not know, the coins from the US are minted in either Philadelphia or Denver and have a small, almost microscopic "D" or "P" on the front face of the coin.

So now, with the discovery of the Texas coin, I am now re-energized to go on the hunt for the quarters I am missing. I'll be on the West coast in December. Here is hoping that I find some more of the D mints while I am over there.

News from Iraq

2004-09-27T20:23:00.000-04:00

MajorBrown
Originally uploaded by BlockHD57.

Happy day! I got a call from Rich today from Baghdad letting me know that he has arrived and all is well. It was so wonderful to hear his voice and to sense the energy in his tone. I got the feeling that he is in good spirits due to the fact that he had me laughing in the very first minute of our conversation. "I have some good news," he said. "Great, what is it?" I replied thinking that the orders were messed up and he is coming home sooner than planned. His reply, "I just saved a lot of money by switching to GEICO!" Yep, this is the man I love. What a goofball!

I am so thankful to have heard from him, so thankful to know that he has access to a satellite phone, and so thankful that he has logged on to his computer and Internet is working well too. So it looks as if there are all kinds of communication sources in our favor. THIS will help make the time go by much faster.

So he is over there and I am over here. Separated by thousands of miles but still connected and each attempting to be a rock for the other to depend on. I am just glad that my rock has a sense of humor about him!

And in honor of Rich's arrival and start of his tour I wanted to share this picture of the two of us with him in uniform. It was taken on August 31st. The first person to figure out what is "wrong" or outdated in this picture wins a prize. (Rich, you can't play cause I am quite confident you know). Any guesses?

The Trials and Tribulations of the Engaged Perfectionist

2004-09-21T19:50:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I know. I have not gotten into the groove of being a serial blogger yet. Has it really been this long since my last post? Engaged life is GREAT! It is fabulous to know that I have found the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. It is fabulous to look down on my hand and be reminded of this fact. It is fabulous to get a bunch of oohs and ahhhs when people see "our" ring for the first time. But you know what? It stinks when someone asks me a question like, "have you set a date?" or "where are you going to have the wedding?" and I don't have an answer to give them. Truth is, not much wedding planning has been going on.

I guess I have held out with the planning because as with any project that I undertake I am not so sure just where to start. You see, I am a perfectionist. And a rule of thumb for any perfectionist is to not start something that you cannot guarantee will be flawless. And because I want to do things right, I have to gather about me the "right" resources: friends, books, magazines, notebooks, and supplies. Funny thing about me is that I can spend a great deal of time THINKING about how I want to do things and PREPARING to do things, it is just in the ACTION area where I am slow to start. . . because. . well, I don't want to be wrong. So, I have purchased a number of Bride magazines, I have talked to a number of friends about their experiences, I have even bought a special notebook and a special wedding pen I want to use for all of my wedding note taking. But over the weekend, Rich and I did take a step in the right direction. . . we talked.

Rich and I had a good conversation about our wedding thoughts; what we want; what we don't want; where; when; and a little bit of the who and the how. So besides feeling prepared and feeling set up for success, I guess I also needed a bit more information from him, and maybe I needed him to get a bit more information out of me. A wedding, in my mind, is a collective experience and celebration, and I certainly want Rich to feel like he is part of this experience and celebration. It is about US, not me. And the challenge we have before us is that Rich and I will be thousands of miles apart during this planning process. We got a fair amount accomplished in the conversation this weekend, but I am envisioning many more conversations via email to come.

So now I am a lot closer to ACTING than what I once was. . . now that I have a pen and everything! And believe it or not, I do have a plan for this weekend. My task: to case out a few nearby towns and hunt down the PERFECT church and reception location. My thought is that if Rich and I can iron out the WHEN and WHERE questions first, the rest will fall into place. . . PERFECTLY, of course.

Saying Goodbye

2004-09-02T17:50:00.000-04:00

Ugh. What a difficult and heart-wrenching day. Rich left for Fort Bragg this morning. Samantha and I took him to the airport, smothered him with kisses, and watched him walk off beyond the security checkpoint to his plane. Neither one of us is sure when we will see him again, as the Army has not made that part of his mission in Iraq known. Yes, I was extremely sad to see him go-- especially given all that has happened to us these past two weeks and how deep our relationship has grown. But as I said to him earlier that morning, "we have been preparing for this day from the very beginning of our relationship." I knew the day of our first date-- and now that I think about it, even before then-- that Rich was going to Iraq. And as hard as this year apart is going to be, in some ways, I am glad it is finally upon us. It has been this D-Day looming over our heads. It has been this unknown that neither one of us could never clearly understand. But now it is here. No more wondering, worrying, or questioning. It is here and I am willing to embrace it and to finally start getting through it.

The most difficult part of the experience of saying goodbye was watching Samantha, Rich's seven year-old daughter, cope with the emotional pain of seeing her dad leave. To experience this through her eyes and her cognitive ability truly got me choked up. I am so proud of Rich and Samantha for the courage, strength, and love that they displayed as they said their goodbyes. Sure, it will be a tough year for me, but it will also be a tough year for the rest of Rich's family. . . yet we are not alone: we have each other.

As Sam and I left the airport, we were comforted by an older couple that watched their son board that same plane for the very same mission. At that moment, the whole world opened up to me as I realized that I am far from being alone. That in some way, I am connected with the countless other men, women, children, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, etc. that have watched their loved ones go off to war. And more than that, I am experiencing a part of history. . .a significant part of American and world history. Because of my love for Rich and my connection to this war, I am no longer some far off spectator who would rather not be bothered by the politics and the details of it all. I am invested. I care. And someday, I will be able to share this story with future generations who wonder what life was like "back then" and how a war, one that was fought so far from home, impacted the lives of people back in the United States.

So now as I type this entry from my office at Cornell, I am hearing the chimes from our clock tower play "As Time Goes By". Hmmmmmm. Fitting for today, I suppose. Time DOES go by, time WILL go by. I just pray it goes by quickly. I miss you already, Rich.

Holy cow, I am engaged!

2004-08-29T14:59:00.000-04:00

Our First Sail,
originally uploaded by BlockHD57.

Yes, it is true. Rich and I are engaged and I could not be happier, the ring could not be more spectacular and my love for Rich could not be deeper. I keep asking myself, how lucky am I? I am truly blessed to have found THE one with whom I want to spend the rest of my life. . . and what a life it will be. I know, I know, I am full of sap, goosh, and lovey-dovey feelings right now. But should it be any other way for a newly engaged woman? Not at all! So I am going to ooze sappiness all over the place, because I so deserve it.

Here is "the story" of our engagement as Rich and I wrote it for an email we sent to our family and friends:

(Lisa writing) I'll start off by saying that these past two and a half weeks have been a gift for Rich and I. As many of you know, if life went according to plan, Rich would have left for Fort Bragg North Carolina on August 14th and then soon after he'd be heading off to Iraq with his Army Reserve unit. But, plans change, orders get adjusted, and opportunity knocked for Rich to try to get some extra time at home and it worked. We were given the rare gift of time-- 2 1/2 weeks of it! Totally unexpected, but totally celebrated! In many ways I felt as if I had won the lottery, it could not have been more perfect. We focused on us, counted our blessings, lived for the moment, and discovered how absolutely "right" all of this felt.

So, with all of that said, Rich actually proposed-- ring in hand-- this past Saturday, August 28th. We had a rather laid back day with no real commitments except for a sunset cruise on our friend Renee's sailboat that evening. This was to be the first time Rich and I went sailing together. And boy, was I excited for him to experience one of my big passions in life. My wish was for him to get bitten by the sailing bug too. Then, I thought, we truly could live happily ever after.

The evening started out GREAT! We boarded Renee's boat only to find wine, crackers, and cheese out ready for us to nibble on with music playing. How sweet, I thought. Renee and her boyfriend, Al, soon joined us and we left the dock ready for a great sail. About 20 minutes into our voyage (and seconds after the attached picture was taken) we got caught in a torrential downpour. Thank goodness I brought Rich and I some rain gear. We got soaked! With no hope of an end to the rain in sight, we took down the sails and headed back in. A short sail, a quick introduction to the world of sailing. I hoped that this rain and this experience wouldn't taint Rich's impression of the sport. With a quick goodbye to Renee and Al, I rushed Rich back into the car where we could regroup, avoid the rain and head home.

(Rich writing) So, my plan for the sunset cruise didn't go as planned. But it was indeed planned. Lisa had NO idea that I had been talking to her friend Renee and that had been the plan all along. Lisa caught me putting a towel into my bag and thought it funny that I was bringing it along "in case we got wet". What she didn't know was that the champagne was in there, along with the ring. Despite the rain I did have a good time! But I was a bit lost on what to do now.

I had thought of some other proposal ideas but now time was running short for us and quite frankly, I wanted to propose. So as we pulled into the driveway the last thick raindrops were falling around us the moon was up. We were soaked, and chilly, and happy to be with one another. Lisa made the comment that it would be a great time to get into a hot tub, if only we had one. I replied that I could do better than a hot tub and presented Lisa the ring. Shock, bewilderment, let me tell you, Lisa had no clue.

(Lisa) Yep. I was speechless for a while. Was this really happening? Tonight? In the rain? Rich asked if I would marry him and held out the ring. I think I said yes and I think that Rich helped put the ring on my finger but I think my shock and excitement took over my ability to communicate (and remember) effectively. I do know that I begged to move into the light and go inside because I could not get a clear visual on the ring. We quickly ran inside and continued our conversation and our celebration.

The past few days have been wonderful as we have started to share our news with others. Rich and I Ran the Puds Run 5K on Sunday and I was most impressed that as Rich was introducing me to people he knew how easily the word "fiancee" rolled off his tongue. And how fun it was to hear it!

Rich received his new orders from the Army and is going to Fort Bragg on Thursday, September 2nd followed by his deployment to Iraq in late September. But regardless of this sad news, our time together and this engagement has obviously solidified who we are as a couple and our future together. We could not be happier as we enter this new (and sometimes frightening) chapter of our lives. This year apart from Rich in hostile territory is going to be tough. With your prayers, hugs, and words of encouragement, the year will go by quickly and before you know it, it will be time to watch us walk down the isle as husband and wife! Wow!

(Rich) To echo Lisa's words, these past two and a half weeks have been a Godsend. In life we need to make the most of the time we have, and that's what we did. Everything over the past few weeks has been one fulfilling moment after another and I have come the realization of everything that I have been searching for - for so long. I am more prepared to face the mental and emotional challenges
ahead because Lisa is by my side, no matter how far away we are physically. How lucky are we!

(Lisa) Thanks for reading our news and sharing in our excitement. Please know that you can keep up with both of us on our online blogs. Rich's will be all about life in Iraq and Lisa's will be all about life as an obsessed bride planning her wedding. Should be interesting, stay tuned!

Our Love,
Lisa and Rich

Here I am

2004-08-27T11:55:00.000-04:00

Well, here I am. Not so sure what I am doing, but thought it would be fun to join the masses and start my own blog. Special thanks to Rich Brown for introducing me to this site and showing me how things work. But true kudos go to Gregg. . .the master, who shows us both how the real blog user gets things done.

So what am I doing here? Well, besides chronicling my ever fascinating life and my truly random thoughts, I thought it might be fun to use this site as a way to connect to all of my friends, keep Rich current on my life while he is overseas, and well. . . just see what happens and how things evolve. Who knows, I am willing to be surprised by inspiration, creativity, and the necessity of keeping in touch with those I love.

So here's to a great experiment! See ya on the other side.