Creative Climber

Just having a chance to post some cute photos in a truly mind-boggling moment:

OK- so, the mind-boggling part,

Sybella couldn't have climbed up onto the toilet to get into the sink, otherwise, she would've knocked all the stuff on the counter off...so, how did she get up there?

The best we can figure, she stepped onto the 6-inch step-stool (really, just 6 inches), then used the edges of the cabinetry as foot-holds, like a rock climber would (God help us!!!!!!!!!).

By doing this, she probably created enough leverage to grab onto the sink and pull herself up.

Where were David and I you ask? We were literally 12 feet away moving the boys bunk beds so that they could clean behind them. She wasn't left alone for more than 2-3 minutes.

Note: If only I could accomplish that much in 3 minutes!

A Movie? 35,000 ft? First Class?

A Movie? 35,000 ft? First Class?

What do they have in common??? Me…

First let me warn you that this is unfiltered and transparent.

Second, this is longer than the usual blog post.

Lastly, not everyone in life is trying to do more and get better (heck…few are trying to do either) but somewhere in these lines I wanted to share a few thoughts on how I am trying to do both. Here goes…

Here I am on Alaska Airlines somewhere over New Mexico on my way from DC to LA and a flood of thoughts happened. I was recently riding in a friends Camaro (actually it was his sons’…but either way, it was a fun ride; he was sharing his journey over the last several months and how he came to some decision points. One thing he mentioned was that recently he would start crying for no reason. This concept did not surprise me…I have been there…but I guess the timing was right to be reminded that when it happens, someone is tapping us on the shoulder and we need to stop and figure why.

The Bucket List is the best movie I have seen in a very long time! It is family-friendly, has a good message, minimal profane language, and I laughed hard. And yes…I cried. Not because the movie was a sob story or mushy…but because it clearly brought back several thoughts to my ‘frontal lobe’.

Not some spiritual prayer, scripture reading, or deep meditation…just a simple movie with Morgan Freedman and Jack Nicholson. The movie was not some revelation, analogy, or parallel. It just brought me back into focus on several things…here they are:

1. Last night I was packing for my trip and I heard it loud and clear, “You’re comfortable and won’t change until you recognize this and do something about it.”

2. In the last three years I have flown business or first class more than I have flown coach (which is pretty frequent if you are wondering) and in the last 5 years I can only think of once when I have not had at least an exit seat to sit in. I am not bragging…just need to say that somewhere along the line I forgot how blessed and highly favored I really am. Now I also have to say that I work a lot (a lot!) while up there and actually accomplish more than the average bear when given the space to do so…so the upgrades and time in first class has not been wasted.

3. Sharon said this weekend that she wants to go somewhere (where is something for her to share) on our 15^th anniversary and I poked fun at her and mentioned how optimistic 15 years of marriage is. The reality is, I want to be able to say I was not only married longer than I was single but that at some point, I don’t know any other way to live than with Sharon by my side (I think that is true now but every year it becomes a little more real). I watched this couple in the plane and he had to go to the restroom three times during the 5 hour flight. Each time his wife got up and helped him to and from his seat to the restroom. Now if Sharon has to help me to and from the bathroom, please shoot me and put me out of my misery :-) but I have to say there is something about the closeness and relationship that is displayed by this couple.

4. It’s hard enough when you cry and don’t know why…it’s worse when you are trapped on an aircraft at 35,000 ft. I have a passion and mission….when I am not on target it is tough to focus and everyday things quickly serve as a reminder that I need to change something. We all need to change something…what do you need to change?

5. I think there is a general misperception that people are called to things that excite them and make them happy. The reality is that sometimes we are called to things that are hard, not fun, and frustrate us. The difference in whether we are happy or not depends on our attitude, commitment, and in whom we are trying to please. There have been several places, people, and situations in the last year that I have encountered and failed to look at with the right perspective and therefore not only did not have the right result but was unhappy.

In the last 12 months we have hit some of our life goals (and it has been awesome to do so) but the journey is just getting started and there is still much to do. While I am not sure where all the potholes and traffic jams are...I do know the destination.

The biggest challenge right now (metaphorically speaking) is figuring out what we are supposed to do with the passengers we've picked up, which vehicle we are supposed to be driving, and which roads we are supposed to use to get us there on time. I am happy with what God has provided, I am thrilled about who he choose for me as a co-pilot, and I don't want to let days go by and not be course correcting.

~David

Field Trip #2- The Washington Monument and The World War II Memorial

Friday the kids and I had our 2nd Field trip of the summer. We went to visit the World War II Memorial and the Washington Monument.

None of us had been to the WW II Memorial before. It is young, it was finished and dedicated in 2004. The Memorial is beautiful. There are 2 fountains and pillars as well as many wreaths that are expertly crafted in metal. We enjoyed walking thru and talking about the history surrounding both the war and the memorial. The boys are big fans of history, particularly wars, and WW II is their favorite to study. This may be because many of their great-grandfathers served in the war. Their favorite story is of my grandfather, Oscar Hahn, who served in the war as a spy. He was German-born but immigrated to the U.S. with his family at a very young age. He was in the pre-curser to the Secret Service and also served as an agent to VP/President Truman during the war.

Next, we took a tour of the Washington Monument. Did you know that one of the stones on the interior wall is made of Jade and is worth $3 million? Neither did we! When you descend the Monument in the elevator, there are 2 different places where the elevator stops and you can see the internal walls. We did not get a picture of the Jade stone But, we got some other stones...As you can see in this picture, stones were sent from many places; this one arrived "From Otter's Summit, Virginia's Loftiest Peak, to Crown a Monument."

Here are some more pictures:

Project Management

Took a course this past week in the fundamentals of project management. Now I have managed projects and programs for a long time but lately there has been a trend towards certifying / accrediting those who can effectively do this work. 'PMP' - Project Management Professionals is much like the title of 'CPA' only now applied to those who meet the standards of the PMI. The class was excellent and Didex provided a great instructor (Stuart Tozier).

It was no surprise that so many projects have missed the target, been canceled, or gone over budget. It seems like every city has their own 'Big Dig' nightmare. Every company and organization has a story on some level about over run costs and how to take a $2.8 Billion project and turn it into a $14.6 Billion project.

I was reminded that we should lead people and manage things.

Pig-Tails

Today, we tried Pig-Tails for the first time. It was interest, fascination, admiring, annoyance, and then joy to get them out. Too Funny!! We'll try again in a few days.

Nationals Game

Tuesday Night the family headed out to the Washington Nationals Game. They lost to the California Angels. They don't often win.....but it's good summer family fun!!

Summer Days with Friends

The boys are enjoying Hot Summer Days with their friends:

Connor's DC United Game

Many of you know that Connor's Team, the Red Dynamites, had the opportunity to escort the DC United Players onto the Field this past Sunday. The United were playing the San Jose Earthquakes. It was a sizzling hot 3pm game with lots of fun, food, goals, and excitement.

The boys arrived at 1:30 to line-up and be escorted into the "tunnels." They were issued their very own DC United Uniforms (Shirts, Shorts, and even Socks). They were taken out to the Players' Field Entrance and had the opportunity to talk to the coaches, trainers, subs, and even spent some time with Ben Olsen.

As the players exited the locker room, Connor was matched up with Gonzalo Martinez, who later scored his 1st goal of the season in the 55th minute of the game. Martinez was certainly in the action of this game, after his goal, he also managed to get a yellow card---Connor was thrilled to have walked with a player who was central to the United's 3-1 Victory!

**Here are some of my favorite pictures, you can check out the rest (all 85 of them) on Flickr.