Sunday afternoons are for football

It's a beautiful day in sunny south Florida. The sun has been shining and the temperature is mild. I enjoyed my favorite Sunday activity - reading the newspaper. And turned the TV to football. Besides being America's game. It's a great activity to get stuff done by. You don't really have to watch every second (sacrilege to men I know). You can be doing things and if you hear the announcer going crazy you know you need to get to the TV. If you have Tivo even better.

I've been gardening while listening and watching the Eagles vs. Giants. Great game. Eagles dominated the Giants. (Too bad for my fantasy football team. I knew I should've started Kevin Walter). All the while I planted my new bougainvilleas, and avocado pits. It was fun and relaxing. I didn't miss a thing in the game.

Now I'm watching the Dolphins (Go Fins!). I may actually watch the entire game. I'll sweep and swiff at halftime.

Ahhhh now that's a good Sunday afternoon. ;-)

Why you should never have your network server off site?

Our network is down AGAIN. I swear (ok it's not nice to swear) it's down more than it's up. And because it's off site we're dependent on our IT company to fix it, which is dumb cause the server isn't in their office either. It's in a bunker somewhere where it can be accessible after a hurricane except that it doesn't work when there isn't a hurricane.

So the reason you should never have your network server located offsite is because...
YOU CAN'T KICK IT!

There I feel better now.

Happy Black Friday!

OMG! It's been forever since I've blogged. It's not that I haven't been doing anything. I just didn't know what to say or how to say it.

It's been an amazing 6 months. I've been to the Mediterranean. Seen the Acropolis, Rome, the Pyramids and Sphinx, Pompeii, Ephesus and Istanbul. They were trips of a lifetime. I've made new friends and learned so much.

I turned 50 last Sunday. 50!!!! I can't believe it. I feel great. Definitely not 50. There are days of course but mostly not 50.

I've lost 30 pounds in the last year - 20 of them in the last two months. Me, Queen Latifa and Valerie Bertinelli and Jenny Craig. And I can't forget my time in the gym. How can I forget, my body is screaming at me after Wednesday's work out.

The most important thing on my mind is - I have great friends and family. While my finances are in a mess, aren't everyones? I'm reminded that it's relationships that are most important. The finance thing will be worked out. But without health and friends life in deed would be dull and without meaning.

So today, instead of shopping (4:30am?!? not) I'm feeling extra grateful. I'm going to finish cleaning the house and start decorating for Christmas. This year I'm going to enjoy it all.
I hope you do too.

I Don't Get It!

Why can't we just get along! We, and I use the term loosely, are commanded to love one another. The second half of the greatest commandment according to Jesus, and He should know, is that we love our neighbors as ourselves. The Bible says, they will no we are Christians by our love. They'll marvel about how we love one another. If all that's true, and I believe it is, then why do we have so much trouble doing it?

Today, I've had two friends who have been hurt by believers. Not just believers but church leaders. People who have been entrusted with the care and nurture of God's sheep. I've been sitting on my couch staring at Facebook and talking to God about it. I'm asking how come his leaders act this way.

All I hear is that they are flawed just like I am. Sinners saved by grace. Which is true. However, (you knew that was coming) It really hacks me - get's on my last nerve, frost my cake, you name it. When leaders screw up, and when they hurt fellow believers, it sours believers on God and the church.
The church is where "people will know and marvel at how". If our leaders don't learn how best to love. How to speak the truth in love, and encourage and sharpen their flock, how is the church suppose to grow? How is the church supposed to prevail against the gates of hell?

I don't know. But I suspect that God ain't happy.

It's been awhile

Let's see if I can summarize everything that's happened since February.

• Went to St. Louis, hung out with Carol, discovered the most comfortable underwear ever
• Survived Easter services, what a whirl wind!
• Trying to take care of Dad who is at home with in home care for 8 hours a day
• 85 year old father tells you he's in love with one of his caretakers, and is giddy about it
• Caretaker isn't in love with papi
• I'm gonna get to go to Europe this summer AND see the Pyramids before I turn 50
• Yes I turn 50 this year. GAG
• Coordinated another wedding (Aunt Gigie and Uncle Lu),barely made it through alive
• Read a great series of books by Stephanie Meyer - Twight, New Moon & Eclipse (look for the movie in December)
• Listened to an awesome book on by Ipod - World Without End by Ken Foillet
• Been hanging out on Facebook a lot playing Text Twirl and giving out pieces of flair
• Dad decided to stay home today - was going to go out with brother - now he's home alone and I'm a nervous wreck.
• Wish I could makeover my kitchen (I should probably stop watching HGTV)
• Went to Fairchild Tropical Gardens yesterday with Ann - had a blast - it was beautiful AND hot
• Got to see D-man and Sugar Monkey on Friday at Scotty's. I love that place

Ok those are the highlights. I'll try to do better with the blog

Reading - it's FUNdamental

So I'm updating the blog and looked at the books I'm reading and of course I'd finished all of them ages ago. I read about a book a week, more when I'm traveling. That airplane flight is golden for reading. I put on my ipod and I'm off.

There's one book that I'm reading very slowly - Cold Tangerines - by Shauna Niequist. Shauna is the daughter of Bill Hybels from Willowcreek Church. Cold Tangerines is a collection of her writing that encourages the celebration of life. It's fabulous. I read one story a day or try to and reflect on the simplicity of the writing and the authenticity of the communication of the story and of the story itself. It's helping me "keep it simple" and reminds me to enjoy. Check out Shauna at her website, just click on her name. By the way her brother, Joe is sailing around the world with his friend Todd. They've got a website where they journal and post pictures of their journey. I think it's cool. Check it out crisismode.

Ok, our server is back up so I've gotta go back to work.

Peace & Joy

Surprise! I'm still alive

It's been a depressingly long time since I last blogged. Christmas 2007! Valentines 2008 is breathing down my neck. Where does time go? Where ever it goes, the one thing I do know is that you can never get it back.

Since Christmas, Papi has been released from the rehab center and after much soul searching we decided to let him live at home in the house we were raised in and where he's lived for 40 years. He was diagnosed with a degenerative condition pan cerebellar something or other. It affects the same area of the brain as multiple sclorosis and parkinsons but it's not as devastating. So Papi is not going to get better. We just have to keep him safe and happy. We've been blessed with two fabulous caregivers that spoil him rotten. The cost is astronomical and I'm thankful that my brother is in a position to make this happen. We're exploring assistance options to handle this but my advice to you all is "long term care insurance". Home care is expensive and medicare covers very little - 1 nurse - 1 hour - 3 days a week. Hmmm. Papi is happy and that is more than I could have hoped for a couple of months ago.

I've been busy getting him set up at home, man that's time consuming and expensive too! Things have started to settle down and getting in to a routine. I've started traveling again for work and recently escorted a client on a 5-night cruise. I know it doesn't sound like work but it is. Church is keeping me occupied as I have an opportunity to lead in the tech/media area.

I'm learning that I need to be quiet more and be thankful for little things. It's not how many things you check off your to-do list. It's the life your living as you work through the list. Which,by the way, never ends. For everything that gets crossed off 3 more things are added.

So here we are in 2008. It's the big 50 year - let's hope I spend it wisely and some of it unwisely :-). You know me if ain't fun, what's the use.

I can't promise I'll blog more often, but I'll try.

How's 2008 for you?