veterans day

Today we say thank you to all who have served.  Thank you. Many of the thanks include something like this - thank you for your service and sacrifice.

It's true, serving in the military requires many things.  But sacrifice?   Not sure.  And I will tell you why.

Paul LOVED and I do mean LOVED the Navy.  Loved the ships and carrier he served on, really loved the people he worked with and led, and mostly loved deploying.  To far away places. For months at a time.

(I loved it too but that's because I am an introvert and long periods of time alone were fabulous)

But really, it was me who sacrificed.  I moved every two years whether I wanted to or not, trying to piece together an education, a career, a life.  I had to make new friends every time we moved.  I had to manage moving, packing, traveling, new housing, and unpacking.  A sick dog.  A broken dishwasher.  A potential evacuation.

Sometimes all by myself.

I had to endure employers who wouldn't hire military spouses because we moved every two years.  I had to live where the Navy said we should because that's where the Navy sent us.

They are called Orders for that reason.  They weren't asking.

No one ever talked about it but there was always the potential of the knock on the door.   If you served, you know what this means.  If you are spouse, you don't think about it.

Later in Paul's career, I stopped moving.  I had a great job in a wonderful city, fabulous friends, a big pool, and no mosquitoes.  For seven years, Paul lived on the East Coast and I lived on the West Coast.  Many of our friends did this too.

That's when he sacrificed.  Not while serving, not the Navy but leaving me behind so I could do meaningful work too.

From Last week in the Navy

So this Veterans Day, thank a veteran.   And if you can, please include his or her spouse.  It's a family commitment to serve the country and the nation.

Life on a farm

Yesterday, we were invited to tour the Folkema's dairy farm.   Sure I knew that there would be cows.  But I had no idea the scope, complexity, and work involved in keeping such an operation going.Starting with - the cows have to be milked three times a day.  For as much automation as there is, it is still a manual process.

From Folkema's diary

From Folkema's diary

From Folkema's diary

From Folkema's diary

The cows are udderly amazing. (heh)  When they are escorted to the parlor (where they milk), they know where to go. Seriously. These cows KNOW where to walk in, back up, and wait for the milking gear.  I was speechless. When Jess and I were still working together, she explained to me the stress cows experience when moving to a new farm.  I didn't fully understand it until I saw the cows moving in and out of the parlor. When the cows are done being milked, the gear automatically falls off and they wait patiently to be released.  When the gates open, they just amble on their way. They know what's needed when.

From Folkema's diary

From Folkema's diary

They are constantly cleaning.  EVERYTHING. It's AMAZING.  Every surface, every tube, every container is continuously checked, cleaned, and checked again.  It's a lot of detergent and iodine.  :)

These cows - they LOVE their food.  They are very curious - they were constantly watching us but if I got too close, they backed up.  And that food?  Well that food is a special recipe of ingredients necessary to produce optimum milk that is purchased at the highest price.  Okay, who knew this?  Not me.

From Folkema's diary

From Folkema's diary

From Folkema's diary

From Folkema's diary

They have steers too.  And horses.  And pregnant cows.  I don't know when anyone on this farm sleeps.

From Folkema's diary

From Folkema's diary

It's simply beautiful there.  I am sold.

From Folkema's diary

Let me share what I learned.  These farmers are incredible business men and women;  along with business savvy and acumen, they are also part vet, part chemist, part ecologist, part environmentalist, part dreamer, and part realist.  There is something more that can be done yet time and money and opportunity can be limiting agents.

I will NEVER complain about the price of milk again.  And you can treat yourself to a good read about farm life over at Jessica's blog.

Friday afternoon

Okay, it's time for a giggle.

Friday afternoon, I am sitting at my desk, working away.  Love my job.  Love my work.  All happiness and light.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  

One odd thing though, I noticed that I didn't get a lot voicemail messages last week.  Didn't think much of it other than, well, maybe people weren't in a hurry to call me back.

Whatever.  Then ...

... my friend and colleague swings by the office about 4 pm.  I am on the phone and my door is closed.  He tells our HR assistant that someone, who is not very happy, is answering my phone.  And since I will be a while on my phone, he sends me an email.

I think he just probably dialed wrong.

Nope.

So I put my phone on call -send so my calls will go right to voice mail.

Some woman answers the phone.

I panic.  I hang up.  I am laughing so hard I can't breathe.

If I don't answer my phone, my calls were being automatically forwarded to this poor woman.  And she keeps answering the phone.  And she is NOT HAPPY.

I have no idea why this is happening.   So I call my friend Bob in Telecom.  We are laughing too hard to actually do anything.

He tries a couple of things.  Calls my number.  She answers.  She is NOT HAPPY.

We have been laughing about this for 24 hours.  I hope she appreciates all the efforts to get these phone calls to stop.  I don't think she will but I can hope.

Still don't know what's wrong.  But if you call my phone number at work, at least it goes to my cell phone.  Not hers.

More to follow.

Friday Happy Dance

It was been a wickedly busy week.  I wouldn't even know where to start.  But I know where to end.  Friday.  :) 

This was a delightful Thursday afternoon.  I had a chance to talk to some students about managing their online reputation.  After our time together, we were invited to dine in the dining hall for the annual Thanksgiving dinner.  Oh my goodness, was the food delicious.  Fresh vegetables, mashed potatoes, freshly carved ham and turkey, and incredible salads.  Oh, I splurged on a little chocolate milk.  Paul was able to join me and we sat with some good friends. 

I haven't eaten dinner this early in years.  But it was fabulous. 

I close my eyes and think of this. 

From 2011-11-13

Ending the day in gratitude.  Happy weekending! 

Gratitude

I work with the most incredible people, at the most magnificent place, and get to do amazing things.  Thursday was no exception.  Every year, the freshmen at Calvin College head into the community to do good work, God's work. It's known around campus and around town as Streetfest.

And I got to go take pictures.  How cool is that?   My assignments were Pilgrim Manor, the Ronald McDonald House and Meals on Wheels.

Despite the fact that it was 100 degrees (literally), I had a blast.

From 2011-09-01

From 2011-09-01

From 2011-09-01

From 2011-09-01

From 2011-09-01

From 2011-09-01

From 2011-09-01

From 2011-09-01

Thank you.  That's all.

Take my camera work day

I have the coolest job.  What made it even better was yesterday;  by all accounts it was an ordinary Wednesday with the exception of Calvin 24.  We (faculty, staff and students) were encouraged to bring  our cameras to campus and take pictures of people doing daily things - sitting in class, having lunch, hanging on the lawn, doing their jobs.  Since starting, 1500 pictures of been uploaded to the site.  

Of course I had to take my camera.  

From 2010-10-06

From 2010-10-06

From Calvin 24

From Calvin 24

From Calvin 24

From Calvin 24

From Calvin 24

So much fun.  I hope we do it again.  

Glorious

Such a wonderful weekend.  We have been full force cleaning up the backyard.  This has been one of the the warmest and earliest spring that I can remember since moving back.  With no bugs, cool temps and clear skies, Paul and I have taken full advantage of cleaning out 26 bags and 3-36 gallon containers of old leaves, sticks and general mung.  To the passerby, it may not look like anything different but to us, it's the world.

I had the joy of shooting some pictures for the Calvin College softball team last week.  Had a blast and sat in both the Calvin and the KZoo dugouts to get good pictures of the players, coaches and fans.  I felt like a rock star wandering around, taking happy snaps.  What a blast!  If I am lucky, I get to do it again.  :)

The coach

The team

The dugout

There has been much work East of the Equator.  The windows are in, the electric and plumbing has been upgraded and carpet goes in on Wednesday.  To say that we are excited would be the understatement of the year.  Look for updates, info, calendars and pictures - coming soon to a blog near you.  

Mr. Samson, the Canine Good Citizen has been romping, rolling and having the time of his life.  We have had him groomed and brush him constantly with the Furminator.  And the fur just keeps coming.  How he isn't naked is beyond me.  German Shedding Dog, he is.

We have a couple of great weekends coming up with cool happenings and excellent travels.  Full reports including pictures are a guarantee.  

A most remarkable day

I have written previously about The January Series, perhaps the one very thing that gets me through the post holiday doldrums. Friday was perhaps one of my very favorite speakers, Jimmy Wales then tack on the invitation to the Manor House after his talk for a magnificent lunch.

The presentation was interesting - the premise of his talk was Democracy and the Internet. He walked us through the nuts and bolts of Wikipedia and some of the issues people face in areas of censorship - Cuba, North Korea, China and Iran. What struck me (and my colleagues) at the talk was his factual, neutral approach. Wikipedia is concerned with ensuring that the information is factual - not inflammatory, unbiased, accurate. His approach was the same - not critical,very factual and in cases where he disagreed with courses of action (i.e Google in China) he did a remarkable job of presenting both sides. It was easy to connect the dots - his matter-of-fact approach, see-both-sides is a core value to Wikipedia. The 45 minutes he had to talk flew by.

Lunch after his presentation. My friend and our chef, Tim England, made us an amazing feast. The finale, a smoked, dark chocolate tart with lightly burned marshmallows was served on a floor tile and dusted with cinnamon powder. #Hokeyspitballs. During lunch, Jimmy Wales talked about a couple of other initiatives in which he is involved - Wikia and Hunch. Two neat things worth exploring. I see all kinds of potential in both.

It was a most remarkable day - one of the reasons I love my job so very much. Continuous learning every day! And now, my Twitter streams will return to regularly scheduled programming.

A jaunt

I am writing to you from beautiful Myrtle Beach. Sadly it is raining and that impacts picture taking. It does not however detract from the amazing beauty of the coastline and the ocean. Goodness it is beautiful here.

I flew in on Sunday morning, checked in to the hotel (with a stunning view) and got to see an awesome friend, Kim and her husband Nick. We would still be at the restaurant talking if we didn't have to work.

Tomorrow, I will be presenting a session to the 800 or so students in the MBA program at Wall College, at Coastal Carolina University. You know how much I love social media and networking, and how much I love HR -it's the perfect blend of all the stuff I love ... and mostly, it's just a joy and privilege to come down here and talk about it. Good timing. I think my friends and colleagues are a teeny, tiny bit tired of hearing 'bout Twitter. :)

I miss my two Handsome men who are holding down the fort while I am away. See ya on the flip side!

Friday Happy Dance!

Can you believe it? It's Friday. Amen!

I am sorry that I have been absent and feel compelled to explain where I have been. No Tech Tuesdays. No amazing pictures of the Handsome One. No cool, fun, neat and exciting adventures in East Grand Rapids. I am sorry. I miss writing. And I miss you all.

You know that espouse the wonders of Twitter. I love Twitter. And the most amazing thing happened along the way to school one day...I met the most remarkable people. On line. Who you ask? @stelzner @employerbrander and @chris_bailey. Incredible people who see the need and feel the need to help. And we are working, day and night on @jobangels. The premise is simple. We try and help someone find a job, one person at a time. We have a Twitter account. We have a LinkedIn account. We have a Facebook account. And pretty darn soon, we will have the most amazing website at www.jobangels.org.

I come home, have time with the Handsome One, Paul who makes dinner and takes care of all the chores and I sit down to work. This isn't a job, it's a calling - a command - a direction. I have to help. I promise that once I get this up and going, we will be back at fun and games soon. Once we have helped all the people who need a job. That's no small order, no small feat. So help us, won't you? Email me if you can help or if you just want to know more.

Until then, enjoy the picture of Mr. Samson, lounging in front of his fireplace. Happy weekend, all!

A Michigan kind of week

I saw a great quote by H. Jackson Browne, whenever I think about being busy. Here it is with no excuses.

"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein."

So no excuses on the lack of updates and fun in the Enchanted Mitten. The week flew by and we are at Sunday already. How this time flies is just a mystery to me. Huge and baffling mystery.

I had a couple of incredible days. On Wednesday, I attended the January Series speaker's lunch. This year, I had the privilege of being invited to hear Christine Brennan, a sports journalist with USA Today. She gave a great talk on tough topics - women in sports, children with demanding parents, young women and sports injuries, doping, Olympics - no topic was off limits. It was incredible. We were also treated to another incredible speaker on Friday, Ayaan Hirsi Ali. She was amazing. If you don't know her story, you can read about it here. And you will understand why she travels with body guards, along with incredibly tight security at the college.

Another cool thing occurred at work. I was sitting at my desk, (WORKING) and my colleague, Razel said, Dee quick, look out your window. The most amazing hawk was sitting on a branch right out my window. Now I didn't have my good camera or any good lens for that matter, the day was horrible gray and I have some dirty windows... but I did have my little Lumix and grabbed a couple of pictures of him. In talking to Henry, he suggested that I send a picture to Randy Van Dragt, our Ecosystem director. Randy said, "This is an immature red-winged hawk. Heavy spotting/streaking, the white stripe above the eye and no red tail are signs of an immature." We just thought he was stunning.

Since I am just turning 35, I wanted a special dinner for my birthday. Last night, Paul made me Prime Rib for my birthday dinner. We included our good friend Deb in the celebration, since there is always way too much Prime Rib for just two people. :) We stopped by our favorite store and Amy, Ryan and Andrea put on their thinking caps, pondered and looked and then recommended a fabulous Syrah -2003 Bonaccorsi Santa Ynez Syrah. WOW! It was amazing. And for dessert, we had our favorite Irish Coffee with a recipe from the bar of the same name in San Francisco. It was a terrific night.

I have been busy with consulting projects - mostly volunteer work, helping people who need it. I have been busy with pictures, my camera, light, lenses and learning. I have been busy with his High Handsomeness, as Big Johnny fondly calls him. We are just crazy about him, ya know.

Today, we are hosting Ann Marie for the day. It's a nice chance for her to take a break from school, hang with HB, curl up on the sofa, surf and study. Samson loves her as much as he loves Deb so it's fun to have her over. Don't know what we are doing for dinner - Ann Marie and Paul will probably go forage for food and supplies. I do know that we will watch the NHL All Star Game and probably have a good fire in the fireplace.

So that should catch us up. Happy Sunday to all. Doesn't get much better than this. Tomorrow, we are back at it! Enjoy!

Wednesday .. er, Monday ... or...

...whatever day of the week it is! I was back at work today and while not feeling 100%, was well enough to keep down some scrambled eggs and chicken soup. Oh yum.

Lots going on in the world -a woman in western Michigan is stealing Salvation Army toys (an incredible low), the governor of Illinois, was well, trying to sell a senate seat (what bizarre and erratic behavior) and Mr. Handsome spent his day at the Spa.

Much more to write but the hands are tired from stuffing Christmas cards. Go Wings!

Hump Day

I have nothing pithy to say. I am tired, a little chilly and curled up with one of my favorite blammets, watching football. Red Wings play tomorrow.

On Monday, we moved our office. We moved from the center of campus to one of the newly acquired buildings. After significant renovation, we were able to move it. While it is a bit of a hike to the center of campus, the new building is beautiful. It will take a little bit of time to settle in and let the chi flow but I am thrilled. We have space for all the visitors and employees who come to see us. And what an investment the college made on our behalf.

I have a beautiful view of the Ecosystem Preserve. A gorgeous area for a nice walk, some good pictures and a mid day break. I will love this new place, with the exception of walking to campus center in January. ;)

It's Wednesday, and we are halfway there. Lots going on and will update as conditions warrant. Have a good one.

It's Monday

And no one seemed to sum it up better than Mr. Handsome.

Enjoy your day!

Wrapping up the weekend

It has been lovely weekend. On Friday afternoon, Paul headed back to GP to hang with friends and fam, and I had time to hang with Mr. Handsome. We had a thoroughly delightful weekend that involved naps, walks, hunts and Frisbee in between raindrops.

There is nothing too remarkable to report about meals sans Paul. One meal involved a hand-made pizza from Sam's Club and another meal was pre-made chicken tettrazini. Both forgettable.

I did have a chance to write out some thoughts about my time with Samson. I wrote this to post on a GSD website and liked it so much that I thought I would share it with you.

Pithy thoughts on the Handsome One.

Samson must follow me everywhere. EVERYWHERE. The bathroom, the basement to do laundry, the kitchen to cook, the dining room to eat, the backroom to hang. And most of the time, he has to be touching me (or husband). Sometimes he falls asleep with his head on my Paul's feet.

When I am walking around, he is walking with me and leaning/touching my thigh. Sometimes he does a little nudge. He cracks me up doing this but sometimes I don't WANT to go to the puppy treats. Sometimes I need to you know, do other things.

When he thinks there is a pause in movement, he will plop right down. Could be smack dab in the middle of the kitchen, right in front of the stove. Could be right in front of the toilet, which does create some problems. Could be right on the bed when I am trying to change sheets. Doesn't matter as long as he is right in the middle of everything. If you could hear Paul and I talking to each other while we cook, you would mostly hear, "don't mind us, dog" and "don't let me get in your way, Samson." He is waiting for gravity to work in his favor, having good eats fall to the floor.

He hates squirrels. He barks and talks to them through the sliding doors. They perch on their back legs and chatter at him from outside. If I could just get him to be quiet and stealth, he would have a much better chance of catching them.

I swear this dog is nothing short of psychic. When I think about taking him outside to play, his ears go up. It's crazy. And I know that he understands every thing I say, even when I try and spell.

The cutest thing was I caught him playing with a pillow. I did an 'Uh oh" and he immediately dropped the pillow, ears went back and he buried his face in my knees. I could not help but giggle. Here is this 100 lb dog afraid that I am not happy with him.

This week, we will have had him one year! I didn't think that I could love a dog as much as I loved my Allie but found the my heart has a lot of room for love, and I am just crazy about him. From a cement cell to a leather sofa. Yup, we love him.

And Monday, it's back to work!

Home sweet home

Had a great time. Glad to be home. We had an almost full moon while in St Louis and my little Nikon Coolpix P5100 didn't disappoint. I have more pictures but this was my favorite!

Well, it's hump day and back to work. Enjoy the day!

Quick Note from St Louis

I have been having a delightful time in St. Louis at the national CUPA conference. Some good topics, good sessions, great people and wonderful food. It's nice to spend time with people who speak the same language, understand the sea of acronyms and mnemonics (FLSA, FTE, CBA, WAGS) and nod their collective heads about topics that make The Office pale in comparison. Yep, it's nice to be with my peeps.

I will be back tonight.

Weekend wrap up

It's a day early. I am hitting the road again. This time, it's a conference in St Louis where we can learn to be smart. In case you are interested it's the National CUPA conference, a convergence of HR professionals working in higher ed. A bunch of HR geeks all in one place.  Oh yeah, we will have fun. :)

Lisa mentioned in a previous post how much we ALL love the fall. We love the fall. This time of year seems to fly by, October in particular and I want it to sloooooow down. The slower I want it, the faster it seems to go. Wish I could understand why.

So many reasons that this is the most wonderful time of the year. By this time, we have had a frost and the mosquitoes are dying. Yeah, die nasty mosquitoes. We wake up in the morning to the sounds of the East Grand Rapids high school marching band practicing early, and I do mean early, in the morning. (and a small plug - they are GOOD). Football has been on the tele for a couple of weeks and hockey started last week. Hockey. Oh happy day.

A colleague of mine, Marcie, summed it up perfectly. She said, "I love the food this time of year." And she is right. The apples are ready to be picked and made into amazing culinary dishes. She made us the most amazing Apple Crisp. And our office ate it ALL.

Speaking of food, this time of year we can make the hearty dishes that feed our bellies and souls - chili, Stay-in-Bed stew, chicken dishes in curry and tarragon and Paul's masterpiece, prime rib. We enjoy the warmth created in the kitchen.

Even magazines look better. Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel feature fall-themed catalogs with gorgeous, earthy colors and rich fabrics. All things that make a house warm and cozy.

Yes, we love fall. And the Handsome One loves fall too. His yard is alive with with hoppy things just waiting to be chased and hunted. The earth smells good and calls to him.

So I am off to travel some more. I will be back in a couple of days with great stories of travel and geeky HR topics. And some pictures, always pictures.

Home sweet home

We had a wonderful time up in Sault Ste. Marie. Paul and I took off on Wednesday morning for the way north, so that I could attend my annual Michigan CUPA conference. Normally, Paul and I love a good drive but it rained, at times heavily, most of the way up. We did stop and take some lovely pictures of the Mackinac Bridge as it had stopped raining, at least for a bit. I missed a whole lot of trees because of the rain and the lack of scenic turnoffs. The state needs to get better about this whole tourist thing.

My conference was hosted by three colleges up north - MTU, Northern and LSSU. It was a great group of people and the conference itself was actually hosted at a local casino. It could have a been a magnificent time but because of the incredible amount of smoke (and the smokers), it really killed some of the fun for us. There was a constant smoke haze inside the entire building. Even our suitcases smell like smoke....

We got out a whole bunch! We went out to dinner with our friend (and immigration attorney) Scott. We had to stop a the VFW and the American Legion in Sault Ste Marie and drove around doing some site-seeing - frankly anything to get out of the building.

The hotel gave us 'free' tokens to play. We got $20 of tokens the first day and then $10 the next day. We played them and saved everything we won. I don't think that's what the casino wants you to do with them but we did, and end up with out $80 in total winnings. Paul, the black jack wiz, won $40. SWEET!

I did go to the presentations and heard some great presentations on compensation and performance appraisals (everyone's favorite topic). There were some good presenters scheduled on Friday but I woke up with painfully bloodshot eyes and a sore throat - all from cigarette smoke. It really was awful. As much as I enjoyed the conference, I will not be returning to a casino. Ever.

We picked up Samson on Saturday. He was happy to see us but oh-so-tired from spending three days running and playing with his friends at Whiskers. He needed a quick bath when he got home (he was a LITTLE stinky) and he promptly went to sleep. It's soooo good to be home. We all agree, including Samson.