Laugh

dilemma

I've been in the city all week, attending a training conference. Thankfully, Kelly came with me. I'm a bit leery of social situations where I am forced to mingle with strangers, so I'm certainly glad for the company. And, we've been laughing a lot, which always makes for good times.

When we arrived, we discovered our bedroom has a shower in it. Not a full bathroom, but a shower and a sink. While we have to use the toilet down the hall, at least we don't need to line up for a shower. Then we'd have to have one of those what-time-will-you-shower-
so-I-can-figure-out-what-time-I-will-shower conversations. And I really hate those.


So we started unpacking and getting settled into the room. As we moved around over by the beds, we realized this perk had a downside.


Do you see our dilemma? We can just picture ourselves filling out a comment card at the end of our stay.

Suggestions? Uhh... How 'bout a wall separating the glass-door shower from the rest of the room!?

So Kelly and I got creative. We pulled a MacGyver and made the shower safe for modest bathers using only a towel, a window curtain, and a towel rack.

Step One:
Step Two:

We applaud our own ingenuity and laugh each time one of us has to climb under that jimmyrigged monstrosity to take a shower.

I cringe just imagining how things would be if Kelly hadn't come with me. Having that conversation with a complete stranger is exactly why I hate things like this!

flotsam and jetsam

This week went by far too fast. And it seemed far too busy. Yet when I try to think back on what happened, I'm not coming up with much. Hmmm...

  • I visited an ear, nose, and throat specialist in the city. I've always had huge tonsils and battled with constant infections. Now that we have medical insurance, I figured I could/should look into what could be done about it. We discussed removing my tonsils, and all the wonderful side effects that could come with the surgery. For now, I was prescribed a 6-week course of penicillin: three pills a day. The doctor thinks it could help shrink my tonsils down a dress size or two.
  • Off-and-on over the past year, I've watched Judging Amy. And this week, I watched the very last episode... of all six seasons. It was bittersweet to finish.
  • A staff member and an intern both turned 21 this week. Parties ensued.
  • I laughed a great deal over this:


Somehow... that's all I've got. Shame.

flotsam and jetsam

Better late than never...

  • Monday night, we had a rockin' Superbowl party. Too bad we didn't get to see the American commercials... that's the best part of the game!
  • Each Wednesday morning we gather as a team for prayer. But none of this popcorn-prayer business. We all pray simultaneously. We've been doing it this way forever so I don't really think much of it. But one of our interns recently wrote about how these prayer times have affected him. It's incredible to me how much our interns will grow this year -- through planned and unplanned development opportunities.

Each Wed. morning we have corporate prayer with the staff. It is done "African" style. That is all-together as the Spirit leads you. The first week was nerve-wracking as I had very little idea how to do this and I did not want to come off as doing something "wrong". The last two weeks have been much different though. I have truly gotten into the prayer, being honest, truthful and emotional as I almost never am during prayer. God is working richly during these times and I'm so thankful for them.

  • We took the interns to a touristy/artsy town over the weekend. We were gonna go hiking in a national park, but the rain changed our plans. On the drive home, I had the best DJ I've had in a long time. Kelly played lots of fun songs, including "Gaston" from Beauty and the Beast. Everyone was amazed by the fact that I knew all the words!
  • I've discovered that I really enjoy reading memoirs. I'm about halfway through "Tough Choices" by Carly Fiorina, the first female CEO of a Fortune 20 company. I'm particularly enjoying the book because Carly didn't use a ghostwriter. She wrote it all herself, and she's surprised me with her style. Some nuggets? Sure.
    • Character was everything, and character was defined as candor, integrity, and authenticity. Candor was about speaking the truth, and about speaking up and speaking out. Integrity was about preserving your principles and acting on them. Authenticity was about knowing what you believed, being who you were, and standing up for both.

    • Challenge comes from the reality that your best is required and falling short is possible. Learning comes from rising to meet that challenge.

    • Sometimes it's important to see what's coming down the road. And sometimes it's important just to put one foot in front of the other and not look too far ahead.

    • About determining a career-path, or discovering your purpose: I had to find something that challenged by mind and captured my heart. ... Be fully engaged in a pursuit worthy of my talent and passion.

    • A boss's confidence is a powerful motivator. Because they saw potential in me, I began to look for it in myself... Believing in someone else, so they can believe in themselves, is a small but hugely significant act of leadership.

how to milk a moth

I wonder how many blog posts I can get out of the moth incident?

In the past few days I heard more details about the story that just make me shudder. Katie had the covers over her head, trying to avoid all manner of insect, when the demon moth flew into her ear. The ornery bug got under her sheet and blanket, and then flew straight into her ear. Blech.

Katie's recovered from the traumatic moth episode just fine. Her ear drops have eased the pain and stopped the crackling noises she was hearing. (Yep! You read that right.) She has since added a few components to her sleeping attire, though. She now goes to bed with earplugs and earmuffs!