New Year 2019 and 2018 Reflection

I thought I'd start by stating the obvious - it's a new year!  You may have noticed my thankfulness posts got seriously behind last year.  I've still been faithfully keeping my log for the whole year so will try to slowly finish out 2018.

The question becomes then what to do about 2019.  I'm still planning to keep my own personal thankfulness log, but I think I might not log it here on my blog on a weekly basis like before.  I'd prefer to leave more blogging time for whatever comes to my mind.  Maybe on a monthly basis I'll talk about a few things that I was especially thankful for.

In 2018 I fell behind on my blogging for a couple reasons.  At the end of the year I was trying to do less stuff on the computer to take a break from the screens after spending all day at work.  And part of the year I just wasn't feeling up to blogging and work was quite busy and taking a lot of time.

I won't promise I'll be super faithful in blogging in 2019 either, but we'll see what happens.

2018 was a chaotic and tough year.  In some ways it was easier than 2017, but in some ways it was harder than 2017.  The end was better than the beginning for sure.  I spent two weeks of vacation in New Zealand, traveled to China for a week for work, spent a week in Barbados for vacation, went to ND to visit my parents five times, kayaked a whole bunch including joining a local kayaking group, joined a couple three-week exercise and healthy eating support groups, had three different bosses, sat in three different cubicles, worked on 3 different circuit boards plus solved 2 quality issues on 2 other circuit boards, and made progress on resolving some personal emotional stuff.

Oh, and a new year usually means a new robotics challenge.  Destination Deep Space.  Check it out:

I'm looking forward to a brighter 2019.

Today's Contemplation on Democracy

As I'm sure all my informed readers are aware, today was election day.  I think what's good about a controversial president is that in some ways it helps people care more about their local politics.  They may not be able to have much say in what the president does, but they're taking the opportunity to care about who their other elected officials are.  In self-help speak you might say they're focusing on what they can control.

Today there were lots of people out along main street holding their signs to encourage you to vote for their candidates.  I even saw one guy who is running for State Senate - he was on the street corner holding a campaign sign himself along with his supporters.  It almost made me want to vote for him.

Even though I don't agree with all the philosophies of some of the people running for office, I'm encouraged to see people being passionate about our country's democracy.

Speaking of democracy, I'm reading a book that's about the opposite of democracy.  It's making me appreciate the democracy we have.  The book is called "Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin".  I learned about the book several years ago when I visited Ukraine, and I got around to reading it this year.  It's not really light bedtime reading.  It's quite horrific actually - the number of people in eastern Europe who were killed.  The were killed by purposeful starvation, execution style, harsh overwork in gulags, exposure to the elements, etc.  I don't think I'm even halfway through the book yet, and all that has happened already.  Since my world history teacher was very lax on the teaching part, this book is really improving my knowledge of World War II.

That's all for today.  Tomorrow we'll already be halfway through the week - enjoy the rest of it!

Thankfulness 2018: Week 28

Week 28 was back to the grind at work after an enjoyable long weekend for the 4th of July holiday.  The weekend was spent back in the corny state.  Some things I was thankful for were:

• Taking a new step in the financial world
• Making a good salary
• A beautiful sunset
• Fresh vegetable adventures
• Laughing
• Flexible time at work to run errands
• Someone stopping to say "Hi"
• A compliment that I inspire others
• Nature's impressive lightning show
• Supper and games with Father Dan and Mother Mary
• Good Sunday morning meeting
• Celestial bodies (sliver of moon and Jupiter near each other, plus clear sky to see stars)

Uncle Bex the Activist.  Every day is Earth Day.

Part of the vegetable adventure - cabbage and leftover bratwurst.

Kayaking gang in the corny state.

On a lake in Iowa

This tree had been struck by lightning the night before.  There were burnt chunks of tree strewn about, and parts of the trunk were still smoldering.

Navigating the "swamps".

Thankfulness 2018: Week 27

It was a short week at work the first week in July - only two days!  Then I had some fun going to the cheesey state to see Brudda Jeddles and his family.  And going to the corny state to see Uncle Bex.  Things to be thankful for:

1. A two day work week
2. Taking a minute to stargaze
3. Fresh cucumbers
4. Freedom (it was the 4th of July)
5. Precious time spent with my nieces including playing baseball and playing in the sand box
6. Bratwurst and potatoes
7. Dairy free meals
8. Honest talks with a friend
9. Spontaneously taking a kayak route
10. A (relatively) quick drive home
11. Dark chocolate truffles

Playing Clue....it was Mrs. Peacock in the Conservatory with the Candlestick!

Me and my oldest niece.  Found a baby corn while husking.

Had fun playing baseball with my nieces.  We stopped for a break and to take a picture with the dog.

Look at these cuties!  ;-)

Civil engineers in training.  They spent hours making their pools and canals in the sand box.

Me and my brother - family outing to have snow cones at the Sno-Zone.

On to Iowa for some kayaking!

A cormorant and blue heron in the same tree.  Not something you see every day.

Thankfulness 2018: Week 26

I was getting close to caught up on my thankfulness weeks, but then I fell off the bandwagon.  :-/  Time to get back on since AntEvar even got as far as wondering if I had moved to a different form of social media.  Nope.....just not spending as much non-work time at my computer.  I've been using my supper time as contemplation time instead.

Week 26....that was the last week of June.  It was a week of work followed by a weekend with kayaking guests.  I was going to say it was a regular week of work, but it wasn't all that regular since I had to pack my cubicle to move to a different cubicle again.  Despite that, it looks like there was lots for which to be thankful.

Some of the thankfulness highlights:

• The adventure and excitement of CSA vegetables
• Sunshine
• Strenuous yoga
• Having songs in my head
• Help of a friend from work who has a pickup truck
• A free afternoon to run errands
• Having a great day
• Kayaking with friends
• Watching the sunset with KarmX
• A delicious hamburger

My buddy Gavin - he comes to play in the sand and water while his parents play volleyball with me.

Let the adventure begin.  Lots of things I had never cooked before:  fennel (like it), garlic scapes (decent if you like garlic), bok choy, swiss chard, and collard greens.  Uffda!  Good thing Uncle Bex helped me cook and eat a few of those things.  Also, if the only way to cook a vegetable so it's edible is to fry it in bacon grease, I have doubts about that being a real, quality vegetable.

Cornhole tournament at work.  Also the guy who has a truck and helped me take some stuff to recycling.

Lake MI in summer - almost always a good view.

Kayaking on the river on Saturday.

Inspiration for the Week

I was at 'vention this past weekend in the corny state.  There were lots of good messages.  And a good reminder in the form of this poem.  Basic research on the internet says either Robert J Burdette wrote this in the late 1800's or early 1900's.  Or else Lauretta P. Burns wrote it in the 1970's.  I'm consulting with the Library of Congress to try to find out for sure.  Most of the websites I found that gave credit didn't seem super reliable.  I'll update this post if I find out for sure.  Some websites title this poem "Broken Dreams".  Others call it "Let Go And Let God".

As children bring their broken toys
With tears for us to mend,
I brought my broken dreams to God
Because He was my friend.

But then instead of leaving Him
In peace to work alone,
I hung around and tried to help
With ways that were my own.

At last I snatched them back and cried,
“How could you be so slow”
“My child,” He said, “What could I do?
You never did let go.”

Have a good week - what is left of it.  These kinds of weeks can sometimes feel like they take forever even though they're shorter than normal.  Even though today felt like Monday, sometimes the rest of the days in the week can crawl by.

Thankfulness 2018: Week 25

The third week in June was week 25.  It was the week after I returned from Dagmar.  From my log, it seems like it was a quiet and good week in Lake Wobegon.  Some thankfulness highlights:

• A cool breeze off the big lake
• Air conditioning (must have  been hot that week)
• A better perspective and feeling more positive
• Fresh vegetables and adventures in cooking them
• Feeling like making jokes
• Having a house not prone to flooding during heavy rain
• A reminder about life being short
• Progress seen on yard work
• Delicious grilled food
• Going for a bike ride

And a few pictures from the "ordinary days" of the week to help illustrate things:

The vegetable adventure - my CSA (Community Support Agriculture) half share.  Getting my hippie on with fresh, organic vegetables every week.  After this summer I might be crunchy enough to move to Oregon.

Freshly weeded flower beds bring a nice feeling of satisfaction.

I took a bike ride around town and stopped at the little city bandstand to listen to the city band play their Sunday evening concert.

Thankfulness 2018: Week 24

Week 24 was the second week in June.  I made a last minute purchase of an airline ticket and went to Dagmar for 'vention for a couple days.  I didn't get to be there for the whole time, but it was very nice just the same to see family and friends.  Some of the things I was thankful for that week were:

• Laughing at work
• A hymn in my head in the morning
• A friend giving a different perspective
• A good morning greeting
• Virtual Friday
• People who make me laugh heartily
• Feeling welcomed and loved and trusted
• God speaking in 'vention right away
• Prairie beauty
• Fun hanging out with women my age
• Dad (it was Father's Day)
• Hearing a western meadowlark singing

Early in the week I spent several hours getting the front third of my flower beds looking pretty good.

It was special to see my dad on Father's Day, which I don't think I had done for a very long time.

It's your usual Sunday morning.  Just browning 70 pounds of hamburger for lunch.

One of my favorite views.

This picture doesn't do the sunset we saw justice.  It was awesomely beautiful for maybe 5 minutes, and then the bright colors faded.  It was a good reminder to stop and appreciate nature's beauty when we see it.

Thankfulness 2018: Week 23

On to the first week of June already!  It was a normal work week during which I was thankful for:

• Firsts of the summer (beach volleyball, riding my bike)
• Eggs (easy cooking)
• Cool nights, sunny days with clear blue sky
• Encouraging verses  (I Kings 19, James 5:7-11)
• Inviting someone over spur of the moment
• Spending hours outside on yard work
• An e-mail from a friend
• An inspiring chapter in a leadership book
• Dark chocolate

Me, J-Kac (a.k.a The Jesson), JP, and Jarrett.  There are three other women on the beach volleyball team (these guys' wives), but they weren't volunteering to be in the picture.  And.....I don't always wear long sleeves to beach volleyball, but when I do, I wear all black.

This is a smoothie done right.  It was bright green, but it tasted like peanut butter and chocolate.  Spinach is a good base since it doesn't have a strong taste.

Thankfulness 2018: Week 22

Week 22 was Memorial Day and the days following it.  Another 4-day work week, but for some reason it seemed like the days moved extra slowly.  Some things to be thankful for despite that were:

• Helping Mom and Dad
• Fresh groceries
• No flight delays
• Playing hymns on the piano
• A good meeting after the meeting
• Cheerful people
• Reminder to count my blessings
• Something interesting outside my comfort zone
• Someone who makes jokes
• A good talk with a good friend

Plus a couple memorable pictures of some weekend travel fun.

Kayaking season is in full swing.

Meet Father Dan, griller of the famous "Danburger".

Playing "hand and foot" with Mother Mary.

Thankfulness 2018: Week 21

The last week of May included part of the Memorial Day weekend.  I bought a last-minute ticket that week to fly back home to see Mom and Dad.  Some things I was thankful for:

• God knows our hearts
• Keeping my cool at work one day
• Stopping to appreciate the beauty of the mist
• The beauty of green spring grass
• Strength for the day from God
• A walk to the pier during lunch in sunshine and 80 degree weather
• Reading a psalm before work
• Browsing at REI (one of the few places I like to shop)
• Having fun installing vinyl
• Seeing my nephew and niece

Enjoyable mist/fog

Cutting vinyl with Dad.  Later we installed it in the house they're re-doing.

One of the first nice days this spring to do a pier walk at lunch time.

I'll post more about Memorial Day in a different post.

Thankfulness 2018: Week 20

Week 20 was the middle of May.  I think it was a regular work week.  Looking at the thankfulness log, I see lots of good things that I was thankful for.  However, I seem to remember it was a week of highs and lows.  Some good things happened, but there was also a fair bit of rain and some struggles with not feeling motivated.  But here's some of the good things that happened that week.

• My legs and back not hurting for the first time in weeks
• Someone making me smile
• Salvation
• Yoga stretches that targeted just the right spots
• Hearing messages I needed at Bible study
• Finishing something that had been looming over my head
• Being able to easily schedule an eye appointment
• Seeing someone express similar emotions to ones I'm feeling
• Having will power to eat more vegetables
• Processing a mountain of receipts
• Finding motivation to exercise

Oh, and I signed up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for the first time.  A new adventure in vegetables.  I feel like a genuine hippie since it's even advertised to be organic.

AC: On

I turned on the AC today.  I endured the heat and humidity last night, but I decided I couldn't hack it tonight, especially since it rained this evening and made it super humid tonight.  I though this might have been one of my weaker efforts, but looking back on the log, it seems it's in the "average" range.  Definitely not my strongest showing, but not bad.

It has been in the 90's here the last two days.  Usually those kind of temperatures are reserved for July or August, but I guess not this year.  It's supposed to cool off tomorrow, but not quite in time to sleep comfortably tonight with only the windows open.

Have a good week!

Thankfulness 2018: Week 19

The thankfulness log summary from mid-May:

• Staying on track with eating healthy
• Ramen noodles
• Feeling like I accomplished something at work
• Feeling like I have space to breathe and think at work this week
• Finishing a good resume draft
• Yoga targeted almost exactly to my ailment
• Fun playing board games
• Mom (it was Mother's Day)

I didn't see Mom on Mother's Day, so here's a link to a previous year when I did see her on Mother's Day.

Spring was still in its full glory.  Lots of stuff blooming.

Thankfulness 2018: Week 18

I'm making progress on catching up.  The first week of May wasn't that long ago.  Here are the thankfulness highlights from that week.

• Nature's beauty
• Doing yard work in short sleeves
• A long hike in beautiful weather
• 80 degree weather
• Bright green color of spring
• Seeing the moon setting at the same time the sun was rising
• A day at work full of uninterrupted concentration
• Good advice on expressing emotions
• Lunch with my mentor
• An example of a good testimony
• Getting a clear message at GM
• Accepting an offer of help from an O'Reilly Auto Parts employee

A blooming magnolia - part of the beauty of spring.

A real snail mail letter is exciting, especially when it comes from your niece.

An encouraging quote seen on the fb.

Thankfulness 2018: Week 17

Week 17 was the end of April.  Looking at the thankfulness log, it was a good week.  If I remember correctly, Monday was a bit rough, but I see a theme in the data related to making progress.

• Making progress on a work problem - it was one that had been plaguing me for more than a month, and we finally got to the bottom of things and found the root cause.
• A challenge to focus on outside of work - this was related to a health challenge group that I joined on facebook.  It was a challenge in a good way, not a bad way.  It prompted me to try new things.
• Being outside doing yard work.
• Kayaking adventure
• Feeling like making jokes
• Comforting verses (James 5:11, I Peter 1:5-7,9)
• "Behold, we count them happy which endure.  Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."
• "Who are kept by the power of god through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:"
• "Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."

Spring sunset

Part of the health initiative - eat more vegetables!

Ready for a kayak adventure!  And quite an adventure it was.

Thankfulness 2018: Week 16

Week 16 - the middle and heading toward the end of April.  The robotics season was pretty much over, so I had more free time in the evening to catch up on things and enjoy relaxing a little bit more.  Here are some things I was thankful for that week:

• Laughing
• Inspiration to eat more vegetables
• Learning more about Bible translation
• Staying on an exercise schedule
• A friend to help give perspective
• A cute picture on Snapchat of my sister and my niece
• A day without commitments
• Ribs cooked in the crock pot

This image cracked me up.  This is the coat rack at work.  Do you think engineers are conservative people?  At least the ones who wear coats in April are.....

Gary returned and was looking to make his home under my front deck.  Nuh-uh buddy.  No way.

Still eating vegetables for lunch - with some protein.