Archive for January, 2009

Why I volunteer at the animal shelter

Cat Sanctuary, Romestories like this really make me feel good about finding ways to give back. this is an email from one of the animal shelter leaders.

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to give you an update from Yandy since so many
people fell in love with his spunky personality and loving nature.

Yandy was the cat that was on a 6 month quarantine because
he was seen in the mouth of a coyote. When he arrived at the shelter, it was
during the middle of the Shelter’s highest cat population (280 cats in
the cat building). So Ron Edwards, the Shelter’s Administrator, housed
Yandy in his office to wait out the quarantine.

Yandy was recently released from his quarantine last Friday
and he already had a great home from one of the shelter’s former
volunteers. At first, he was a little nervous in his new home and meeting his
feline room mates.  However, he has finally settled down in his new home
and is getting along with the other cats in the house. His new family is giving
him lots of attention, love, and TLC and they appreciate all of the staff and
volunteers who helped Yandy while he was at the Shelter. Also, in his new home,
Yandy will definitely not be seeing another coyote anytime soon.

Please enjoy the attached pictures of Yandy in his new home.

Thanks!

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hope…it keeps me going. How about you?

“hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. and no good thing ever dies”Shawshank

When I saw Shawshank Redemption many years ago, this quote always stayed with me. I don’t know why and I couldn’t remember the exact words. I just always remembered that hope was a good thing and it kept me going. In looking up the quote, I realize the importance of the last sentence – no good thing ever dies!

We all go through difficult times in our lives. Maybe a loved one passes away. Maybe we go through a bad breakup. Maybe we lose that job and don’t have savings to fall back on. But when you dream…when you have hope that things can get better, then it provides fuel to your soul. It seems to be the good thing to all that is bad, the light to darkness, the hero to the villain.

I’ve recently endured some hardship. There are times when I’ve wondered what I’ll do given the changes the lie ahead, or what feels like the unknown. When you take something away that you love and that feels comfortable, there is emptiness. I’ve tried to grasp on to things that may not feel right, but they feel comfortable.

Separating comfort and what is the best path has been the most difficult thing I’ve done in my life, and at times I feel like the decisions made weren’t the right ones. Comfort isn’t right. It’s what gets us by. It’s the “gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat” (see my leadership philosophy). Life is more than comfort. Life is about happiness, passion, love. Yes, maybe that’s idealistic, but that’s why we dream. At least, that’s why I dream.

And that’s where hope comes in. Hope that one day I will find peace in knowing that no matter what happens, I’m with me and that’s ok. Hope that I will one day be with someone who sees things the way I see them. Hope that I can focus on things that I should of focused on for the last several years. Hope that what I’ve built with my best friend over the past five years isn’t lost but simply a foundation of something wonderful to continue in the future. Hope is so much more than comfort.

Wikipedia has a LONG definition of hope. To me, I can feel hope and that’s what matters. I thank the world that there’s hope. If you haven’t discovered it, if you haven’t learned how to dream and hope for better things, then today is a good time to start. Because today could be the first day of the rest of your life. And that is something to be hopeful for :)

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what i’ve learned – more words of wisdom

Atlas, it's time for your bathgot this from the here (similar to last post). these are awesome as well! once again, bolded the ones that I really felt while reading (could also be the state of my life as well, as I bolded nearly all of them :)

I’ve Learned
that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.

I’ve learned-
that no matter how much I care, some people just don’t care back.

I’ve learned-
that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

I’ve learned-
that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I’ve learned-
that it’s not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.

I’ve learned-
that you should never ruin an apology with an excuse.

I’ve learned-
that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you’d better know something.

I’ve learned-
that you shouldn’t compare yourself to the best others can do.

I’ve learned-
that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I’ve learned-
that it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I’ve learned-
that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I’ve learned-
that you can keep going long after you can’t.

I’ve learned-
that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I’ve learned-
that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I’ve learned-
that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I’ve learned-
that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I’ve learned-
that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I’ve learned-
that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I’ve learned-
that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I’ve learned-
that sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

I’ve learned-
that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I’ve learned-
that just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.

I’ve learned-
that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

I’ve learned-
that you should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if they believed it.

I’ve learned-
that your family won’t always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren’t related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families aren’t biological.

I’ve learned-
that it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you are to learn to forgive yourself.

I’ve learned-
that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

I’ve learned-
that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I’ve learned-
that a rich person is not the one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.

I’ve learned-
that just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other. And just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.

I’ve learned-
that we don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I’ve learned-
that you shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I’ve learned-
that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I’ve learned-
that no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process.

I’ve learned-
that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I’ve learned-
that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I’ve learned-
that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

I’ve learned-
that it’s hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people’s feelings, and standing up for what you believe.

I’ve learned-
that people will forget what you said, and people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

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life instructions – how many do you follow?

Endless lovefound this via stumbleupon (which is my new favorite site). I’ve bolded my favorites. comment your favorites to me!!!

01. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

02. Memorize your favorite poem.

03. Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have, or sleep all you want.

04. When you say, “I love you”, mean it.

05. When you say, “I’m sorry”, look the person in the eye.

06. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

07. Believe in love at first sight.

08. Never laugh at anyone’s dreams. People who don’t have dreams don’t have much.

09. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.

10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

11. Don’t judge people by their relatives.

12. Talk slowly but think quickly.

13. When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, “Why do you want to know?”

14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

15. Call your mom often.

16. Say “bless you” when you hear someone sneeze.

17. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

18. Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.

19. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

20. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

21. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

22. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

23. Spend some time alone.

24. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.

25. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

26. Read more books and watch less TV.

27. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll get to enjoy it a second time.

28. Trust in God but lock your car.

29. A loving atmosphere in your home is so important. Do all you can to create a tranquil harmonious home.

30. In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.

31. Read between the lines.

32. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.

33. Be gentle with the earth.

34. Pray. There’s immeasurable power in it.

35. Never interrupt when you are being flattered.

36. Mind your own business.

37. Don’t trust a man/woman who doesn’t close his/her eyes when you kiss.

38. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.

39. If you make or have a lot of money, put it to use helping others
while you are living. That is wealth’s greatest satisfaction.

40. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a stroke of luck.

41. Learn the rules, then break some.

42. Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for each other is greater than your need for each other.

43. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

44. Remember that your character is your destiny.

45. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

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dilbert and unemployment

Dilbert.com

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dilbert and the financial crisis

this cracked me up. enjoy

Dilbert.com

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True love…this is how you make it work!

Romance Isn't DeadFound this list online here. I think this is a great list that every serious relationship (marriage or otherwise) should follow. If you find you’re starting to fail on some of these, then start working harder!

  1. Go to bed together. Going to bed at the same time shows that you want to experience the closeness that can only be found in bed.
  2. Have shared interests. Sharing your interests & ideas with life partner is one of the activities of
    happy Couples. Stay together find things that they both enjoy doing.
  3. Hold hands. Holding hands shows that you are still in love. That you cherish just touching your
    partner and need that connection whether you are walking through a store or just sitting on the couch.
  4. Focus on the positive. Remaining positive is one of the important secrets of happy married couples.. Everyone has something that they dislike about their spouse. But couples that are happy focus more on the positive things about their spouse than the negative. They look not at the few things their spouse does wrong but all of the things that they do right.
  5. Forgive. One of the hardest things to do is to forgive. But couples that are happily married forgive freely forgive each other. Not only do they forgive each other, but they also do not bring up past mistakes. Once the misdeed is forgiven it is also forgotten.
  6. Say I love you. “I love you,” is a very important sentence for happy married couples. It makes couples more intimate by expressing these words.
  7. Communicate. Communicate to stay connected with spouse. Communication is a secret to remain a happily married couple for years. Couples who can talk to each other stay together. Being able to communicate means that you can share the good things and discuss problems without getting angry. It also means that you probably talk to each other throughout the day. My husband and I communicate through email and phone calls during the day then always take time to talk to each other every evening.
  8. Compromise. Sometimes you will disagree and thats when compromising comes into play. If both spouses learn to give then both will be happy.
  9. Share affection. Giving affection through hugs, kisses, and touching, is important. It creates a bond and keeps the romantic feelings alive.
  10. Show respect. Each spouse needs to respect the other and their desires. Mutual respect means that consideration is taken for the others feelings.
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if you’re into football, watch this video!

i’m a big fantasy football fan, and this video is freakin awesome. take the two minutes to watch it. any idea how real they are?

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listen to the customer, but make sure you…

the customer may explain things one way, but that may not be exactly what they want. so do your due diligence and ask a lot of questions. make sure you get them to sign off on it before you devote too much time. don’t do the following:

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my leadership philosophy

3D Team Leadership Arrow ConceptOne of my goals of 2009 is to develop a leadership philosophy. Over my career, I’ve always looked for others to provide leadership. Everyone has their own style, and if it wasn’t the style I was seeking, then I often felt uninspired.

I went through leadership training in November of 2008. It was called the Culture of Performance at HID. The biggest takeaway from this training, aside from the obvious networking within my company, was that I needed to develop my own leadership philosophy and work on instilling that in others. Of course, if it conflicts with someone else’s philosophy, then we’d have to figure out a way to gel.

Nevertheless, this gave me an opportunity to think about how I wanted to lead, and look at my own philosophy for inspiration. This post is the beginning of my leadership philosophy – I will maintain this in my Pages above.

  1. Be on time – it’s important to be respectful of other people’s time. I expect people to respect my time as well
  2. Listen actively – Whether I agree or disagree with what you say, I will listen to you and acknowledge your viewpoint. If it’s a matter of opinion, I will hold your opinion in high esteem and not judge you based on it. Everyone is different. We grew up in different environments, and I will listen to what you have to say
  3. Everyone is a teacher – respect everyone I meet because each person has something to teach me. Closing the door on a person is closing the door on an opportunity
  4. Don’t spread yourself thin – Focus on one thing and do it really well. If I’m so busy that this can’t happen, then work extra hours temporarily and find a way to manage this so it doesn’t continue. Always be VERY GOOD at what I do. Don’t do things mediocreMarathon Medal
  5. Push the limits – just when I think I can’t do more, I usually can. Push to do more. Constantly be amazed with challenging the realm of personal possibility
  6. Smell the roses – this is my most difficult thing. When a job is completed, celebrate. Don’t forget what I’ve done to get here.
  7. Say Thank You – to everyone who helped me do a good job, I will say thank you.
  8. Be assertive – to everyone who prevented me from being my best, be assertive and constructive in letting them know what I need next time.
  9. Learn from the past, but always look forward – I must understand how I got here, but I understand in order to know where I’m going

To be continued in my pages above…

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