Hugs All Around
Day 2 in Salt Lake City, and many of our 588 franchisees have arrived in town. Nearly all of our conference attendees stay in our HQ hotel (the Grand America) so this place is covered in our folks, and let me tell you you've never seen such a hugging bunch of people. They love to hug! If I even accidentally get within two feet of a fellow Express person you're pretty much obligated to hug. And I'm not exactly the hugging type. But it is so fun to see so many people get together who enjoy each other and are so happy to be here. And I guess when you're that happy, a handshake just doesn't cut it.
Outside the Comfort Zone
Well, it's Day 1 in Salt Lake City, and as always on the travel day for conference we get to do a bit of sight-seeing. One co-worker suggested we go visit the Mormon Tabernacle located downtown, so we did. What we didn't realize was that if you're not Mormon, you don't get to go inside the actual temple, so it was more of a tour about the Mormon faith, it's history, and a soft sell by the Mormon folks.
There are a lot of young people there who are working their 18 months of volunteer work spreading the Mormon faith, and two of these young ladies served as our tour guides. After telling us about the history of their faith, they asked about ours. "What are your beliefs?" they asked. Three of us stood there for a second or two before we mumbled, "Christianity, Church of Christ, Charismatic Christianity, Non-denominational..." She wasn't familiar with any of the non-denominational denominations we blurted out.
"So...do you believe in prophets like we have today?" She was referring to Gordon B. Hinckley (current president of the Latter Day Saints) and the other Mormon prophets before him including Brigham Young and founder John Smith. "Uh..." we looked at each other and another co-worker managed to change the subject or redirect; I dropped to the back of the group.
Two things struck me about this little venture outside of our comfort zone today. One is the way these two young tour guides spoke with such conviction and passion about their faith. They were knowledgable and confident and so eager to share their beliefs. Regardless of the fact that to Christians many of their beliefs are terribly misguided, they stood firm in their faith and their excitement to share that faith with others.
The other and much more bothersome thing about my head-on encounter with this very different faith was how I lacked what these girls had. Have I ever shared my faith with complete strangers? Where would I begin? I certainly wouldn't want to offend anybody or make anyone uncomfortable. Do I speak with excitement and passion when talking about Christianity or what God has done for me lately? Have I spoken at all about what God has done for me lately?
I've grown up in the church all my life. I surround myself with people who share a similar faith, or at the very least don't disagree with mine. Hanging out with Christian family and friends has allowed me to stay within my comfort zone. I've never had to spout my beliefs and why I'm saved because no one has ever challenged me. And if I've seen a challenge coming, I've avoided it.
If I've learned anything today, it is that I need to stop relying on my church or my family to reiterate or outline Christianity for me. I must know it myself. I need to be able to tell others why Jesus is the reason for the hope that lies within me. And I need to be able to do it with confidence. With hope. And with passion.
My Crazy Dream
It's not only my crazy dream, but it's also the one I have the most. It's the same dream; it just changes based on what's going on in my life - the dream that I've forgotten something important. When I was a kid, I dreamed that it was time to go to church camp and I hadn't even started packing. When I was a waitress, I would forget about my tables. When I was getting married, it was my wedding day and nothing was done. You get the picture.
So, now that I'm preparing to go to Salt Lake City tomorrow, I'm packing anything and everything I think I might possibly need to make it a week away from home. Forget the fact that I'm sure there's a WalMart just down the street. I'll end up taking two large suitcases, one carry-on suitcase and my big tote bag with me, while most other co-workers manage to fit everything in one big suitcase and a carry-on.
My fear did actually partially come true this past summer when Chris and I went to Alaska. In our haste to round up our 7 or so suitcases and bags, we left one behind at the airport. Which one, you ask? The one that contained just about every article of warm clothing I had packed. And with a few gift shop purchases and the couple of warm items I had in another bag, I managed just fine. But that hasn't cured my obsession with over-packing.
So, now that I'm preparing to go to Salt Lake City tomorrow, I'm packing anything and everything I think I might possibly need to make it a week away from home. Forget the fact that I'm sure there's a WalMart just down the street. I'll end up taking two large suitcases, one carry-on suitcase and my big tote bag with me, while most other co-workers manage to fit everything in one big suitcase and a carry-on.
My fear did actually partially come true this past summer when Chris and I went to Alaska. In our haste to round up our 7 or so suitcases and bags, we left one behind at the airport. Which one, you ask? The one that contained just about every article of warm clothing I had packed. And with a few gift shop purchases and the couple of warm items I had in another bag, I managed just fine. But that hasn't cured my obsession with over-packing.
Salt Lake City or Bust
Monday I leave for a week to help put on our company's International Leadeeship Conference in Salt Lake City. My role includes scripts and speeches and other activities that happen in our general session room. There will be about 1,000 attendees, and everything that goes on in that room is live, so there's always room for error. And there always are errors, but the most important thing is that the audience never notices any mistakes.
Our department works hard to make sure everything is as planned out as possible. The entire event is scripted and timed down to the minute, but there are always those things that crop up at the last minute. The actual conference begins on Wednesday and ends on Saturday night after about a four hour awards ceremony. But that's the good news. This particular event used to push midnight, and now we anticipate it ending at around 10:30.
We usually put in 18 hour days once the show finally gets going, but it really is a lot of fun. We work like maniacs but somehow manage to have a blast. As crazy as it sounds, I can't wait for it to be here, and once it's over, I'm always looking forward to next year.
Our department works hard to make sure everything is as planned out as possible. The entire event is scripted and timed down to the minute, but there are always those things that crop up at the last minute. The actual conference begins on Wednesday and ends on Saturday night after about a four hour awards ceremony. But that's the good news. This particular event used to push midnight, and now we anticipate it ending at around 10:30.
We usually put in 18 hour days once the show finally gets going, but it really is a lot of fun. We work like maniacs but somehow manage to have a blast. As crazy as it sounds, I can't wait for it to be here, and once it's over, I'm always looking forward to next year.
Little Big Sister
Chris and I went to Bristow this weekend to visit my parents, grandparents and our family friends, the Hueys. No matter how hectic and busy our lives are, we always enjoy going to Bristow. We made the usual rounds, visiting with Mike and Elaine Huey and their parents who were in town, spending a good part of Saturday with my parents and Grandma Nellie who dropped by, and then going over to my other set of grandparents to visit with them. It was a typical weekend of eating and visiting, but the highlight by far was seeing my little sister.
My sister, Jenny, is three years younger than me. In the past 10 months she has gotten married, moved to Tulsa, gotten pregnant, graduated from college and started teaching (in that order). Talk about watching your sister grow up overnight! And now, before my very eyes, she's becoming a mother.
Jenny is now just past the four-month mark, and she's finally beginning to look pregnant. "Show me your belly!" is the first thing that came out of my mouth when she walked in the front door. I just couldn't stop staring at it. It's so weird but so fun to watch my "little" sister (and only sibling) have the first baby in our family. As the oldest, I've always been the one to experience all the firsts - first to ride a bike, drive a car, go to college, get married - so watching Jenny finally be first something, and especially at having a baby, is really quite fun.
Jenny has become quite the young woman, and as she gets a head start on motherhood, I'm looking forward to looking up to her for a change. And she's probably glad that pregnancy is one topic of which I have little knowledge, and therefore no authority to play "boss," as is my still accustomed older-sister role. Old habits do die hard, but this time I'm happy not to be first.
My sister, Jenny, is three years younger than me. In the past 10 months she has gotten married, moved to Tulsa, gotten pregnant, graduated from college and started teaching (in that order). Talk about watching your sister grow up overnight! And now, before my very eyes, she's becoming a mother.
Jenny is now just past the four-month mark, and she's finally beginning to look pregnant. "Show me your belly!" is the first thing that came out of my mouth when she walked in the front door. I just couldn't stop staring at it. It's so weird but so fun to watch my "little" sister (and only sibling) have the first baby in our family. As the oldest, I've always been the one to experience all the firsts - first to ride a bike, drive a car, go to college, get married - so watching Jenny finally be first something, and especially at having a baby, is really quite fun.
Jenny has become quite the young woman, and as she gets a head start on motherhood, I'm looking forward to looking up to her for a change. And she's probably glad that pregnancy is one topic of which I have little knowledge, and therefore no authority to play "boss," as is my still accustomed older-sister role. Old habits do die hard, but this time I'm happy not to be first.
TGIF...Again
It's amazing how much we miss the little things in life when they disappear - especially without warning.
Such was the case yesterday morning after I got out of the shower. Just as I was about to begin drying my hair the electricity went out. Then it came back on. Then it went out again. And it was gone for good. I fumbled around for the lighter, the candles, the spotlight and the whiskey (just kidding) and used the oh-so-loved automated voice system to inform OG&E that I had no electricity. You gotta love a pre-recorded voice that informs you that, "All of our customer service representatives are busy serving other customers right now. For immediate assistance, please log onto our web site at www.oge.com." I would if I had POWER.
Long story short, I arrived to work resembling something between a drowned rat and a sea urchin and proceeded to finish drying my hair. Not exactly how you want to start your day, but thankfully the electricity was back on by the time I arrived home.
This morning I regretfully dragged myself out of bed and turned on my shower. Just as I stepped into the warm water - the water stopped running. But the electricity was still on. What was the deal?! And then it hit me. THE PIPES ARE FROZEN. On one of the coldest nights of the year, I forgot to leave our faucets dripping.
Sooo, I got dressed again, grabbed my trusty blow dryer and trudged outside and into the well house at 6:30 a.m. It took about 15 minutes, but my little Conair 1500 got the job done. For the second day in a row I was 20 minutes late for work, but at I was fully assembled when I arrived today.
Once again, thank goodness tomorrow is Friday.
Such was the case yesterday morning after I got out of the shower. Just as I was about to begin drying my hair the electricity went out. Then it came back on. Then it went out again. And it was gone for good. I fumbled around for the lighter, the candles, the spotlight and the whiskey (just kidding) and used the oh-so-loved automated voice system to inform OG&E that I had no electricity. You gotta love a pre-recorded voice that informs you that, "All of our customer service representatives are busy serving other customers right now. For immediate assistance, please log onto our web site at www.oge.com." I would if I had POWER.
Long story short, I arrived to work resembling something between a drowned rat and a sea urchin and proceeded to finish drying my hair. Not exactly how you want to start your day, but thankfully the electricity was back on by the time I arrived home.
This morning I regretfully dragged myself out of bed and turned on my shower. Just as I stepped into the warm water - the water stopped running. But the electricity was still on. What was the deal?! And then it hit me. THE PIPES ARE FROZEN. On one of the coldest nights of the year, I forgot to leave our faucets dripping.
Sooo, I got dressed again, grabbed my trusty blow dryer and trudged outside and into the well house at 6:30 a.m. It took about 15 minutes, but my little Conair 1500 got the job done. For the second day in a row I was 20 minutes late for work, but at I was fully assembled when I arrived today.
Once again, thank goodness tomorrow is Friday.
Nursery Day
Every second Sunday of the month Chris and I work in the nursery at church with another adult and his teenage son. Our designated age group is around two years old, and this Sunday we had 11 kids! From when we check in at 10:15 to when the last child checks out at 11:50, we are four diaper-changing, nose-wiping, chaos-organizing maniacs. Our morning always goes something like this (note that names have been changed to protect the innocent):
"Good morning! Hi, how are you all doing? Oh, Suzy, you look so cute in your little skirt. Uh oh, somebody needs a Kleenex. Big blow. Is it normal for it to be green? Jimmy, sweetie, get down off the table. Feet on the floor, please. Ohhh, somebody smells dirty. Sam, are you dirty? No, it's not Sam. Jack, are you dirty? Ohmygosh I think I'm going to throw up. Found the dirty one! Okay, let's get you changed. Fifteen diaper wipes later. Okay! All clean. Don't you feel better? Must go wash hands immediately. Make mental note not to wear dry-clean only clothes when working nursery. Joe, honey, that's not your drink. Here's your drink. Adam, that's not your pacifier, honey. Here's your pacifier. You want your mommy? Your mommy will be here in just a minute! As in approximately 65 minutes."
And repeat the exercise above approximately five - six times.
Working in the nursery is exhausting to say the least, but it's fun. The kids already have such diverse and fun personalities, and it's so fun to watch them interact with each other. It also gives us a renewed respect for parents of toddlers. After the last child is picked up, Chris and I are exhausted. But for the parents of these kids, their day has just started. It makes me need a nap just thinking about it.
"Good morning! Hi, how are you all doing? Oh, Suzy, you look so cute in your little skirt. Uh oh, somebody needs a Kleenex. Big blow. Is it normal for it to be green? Jimmy, sweetie, get down off the table. Feet on the floor, please. Ohhh, somebody smells dirty. Sam, are you dirty? No, it's not Sam. Jack, are you dirty? Ohmygosh I think I'm going to throw up. Found the dirty one! Okay, let's get you changed. Fifteen diaper wipes later. Okay! All clean. Don't you feel better? Must go wash hands immediately. Make mental note not to wear dry-clean only clothes when working nursery. Joe, honey, that's not your drink. Here's your drink. Adam, that's not your pacifier, honey. Here's your pacifier. You want your mommy? Your mommy will be here in just a minute! As in approximately 65 minutes."
And repeat the exercise above approximately five - six times.
Working in the nursery is exhausting to say the least, but it's fun. The kids already have such diverse and fun personalities, and it's so fun to watch them interact with each other. It also gives us a renewed respect for parents of toddlers. After the last child is picked up, Chris and I are exhausted. But for the parents of these kids, their day has just started. It makes me need a nap just thinking about it.
Hello, Old Friend
A familiar friend has returned this week with which I have a love-hate relationship. When it's around, my work is exciting and busy, school flies by and there's never a dull moment. When it's gone, I'm calm and relaxed, but then I often feel anxious, waiting for the next project or exciting adventure to appear. Who, or more appropriately, what is this old friend, you ask? Oh, you know it well, I'm sure. It's stress.
What's that old cliche? Can't live with it, can't live without it. Stress is often the motivating factor under which I complete time-sensitive work and school projects, but it's also that annoying thing that makes my shoulders and neck knot up, and if things are really crazy, it makes my heart feel like it's skipping beats (don't worry; had that checked out last year). Chris claims it even makes me cranky. Well, I'm not so sure about that...
School projects are cropping up, and one of my classes ends the very week I'll be in Salt Lake City helping to produce our company's annual conference. Right now I'm in the midst of writing the scripts for virtually every word that will be spoken on stage. Did I mention that this conference begins in two weeks, six days and 22 hours? But I love it! I love the way work gets chaotic and everyone is running in a million directions but we're all working toward the same goal. It's so rewarding to have the opportunity to have a hand in writing every script and speech that is delivered from the stage.
I love my job, and even though school is demanding and stressful, I really enjoy it too. If it wasn't for my Blogs class I wouldn't be doing this blog, and I really enjoy blogging. It's hasn't been easy taking classes over the past three years, but I have learned a lot, and I know I've benefited greatly from pursuing my masters degree.
It really isn't school, work, church or housework that's overwhelming. It's all of them combined. But I know that this too will pass. May will be here before I know it, and all this craziness will be a vague memory.
I also know that there are so many people in the world who would love school and work to be their biggest problems. So, for the comparatively little stress that I do have, I'll be thankful. My sister is expecting her first child in July (it will be the first grandchild in my family) and my dad recently said that instead of worrying about so many things, we should pray for a new set of fingers and toes. Now that helps put things in perspective.
What's that old cliche? Can't live with it, can't live without it. Stress is often the motivating factor under which I complete time-sensitive work and school projects, but it's also that annoying thing that makes my shoulders and neck knot up, and if things are really crazy, it makes my heart feel like it's skipping beats (don't worry; had that checked out last year). Chris claims it even makes me cranky. Well, I'm not so sure about that...
School projects are cropping up, and one of my classes ends the very week I'll be in Salt Lake City helping to produce our company's annual conference. Right now I'm in the midst of writing the scripts for virtually every word that will be spoken on stage. Did I mention that this conference begins in two weeks, six days and 22 hours? But I love it! I love the way work gets chaotic and everyone is running in a million directions but we're all working toward the same goal. It's so rewarding to have the opportunity to have a hand in writing every script and speech that is delivered from the stage.
I love my job, and even though school is demanding and stressful, I really enjoy it too. If it wasn't for my Blogs class I wouldn't be doing this blog, and I really enjoy blogging. It's hasn't been easy taking classes over the past three years, but I have learned a lot, and I know I've benefited greatly from pursuing my masters degree.
It really isn't school, work, church or housework that's overwhelming. It's all of them combined. But I know that this too will pass. May will be here before I know it, and all this craziness will be a vague memory.
I also know that there are so many people in the world who would love school and work to be their biggest problems. So, for the comparatively little stress that I do have, I'll be thankful. My sister is expecting her first child in July (it will be the first grandchild in my family) and my dad recently said that instead of worrying about so many things, we should pray for a new set of fingers and toes. Now that helps put things in perspective.
A New (Unwelcome) Guest
This furry creature captured by our game camera is not cute or welcome; it's a coyote. Molly has already had one run in with him, and despite her usual "bring it on" attitude, this time she tucked her little tail between her legs and headed for the hills (our back porch). By the time Chris figured out what was going on and grabbed his shotgun, the coyote was already gone.
The good news is these guys are nocturnal, so hopefully he and Molly (who sleeps in the house) won't cross paths. There are many benefits to living in the country, but varmints like this one are not one of them.
TGIF
I'm always glad to see Friday roll around, but I was even happier when the clock struck 5 p.m. today. It was quite a week for Chris and me! My Monday started out with a sick dog; Molly (see last week's post for more about her) woke me up coughing and wheezing. I ended up taking her to the vet and she had bronchitis! What kind of a dog gets bronchitis? A shot, two prescriptions (an antibiotic and a cough suppressant) and $110 later and she's almost back to her old self. And for the third year in a row, we've spend more on Molly's medical bills than we have our own. But, we still love her. Go figure.
On Tuesday I went to visit a new doctor (no big deal) and had to take some forms with me. One of them that I had to complete had mine and Chris's name, our address, social security numbers, etc. on it. When I made it into the doctor's office, I couldn't find the forms. Must've left 'em in my car. Went to my car. No forms. Must've lost 'em. Now, some pain medicine addict leaving the Mercy emergency room (adjacent to the doctor's office) has all my personal information. Thankfully, a few hours later I discovered they had simply fallen under my driver's seat. That was a relief.
Chris has had quite the week as well. He's currently working for a company installing a sprinkler system in a cave in Missouri where it's about -20 degrees Fahrenheit. That might be a little exaggeration, but not much. They have to wear special suits and socks just to stay warm.
Weeks like this can cause one to focus on negative, but despite all the craziness this week had to offer, there were some bright spots too. The bad weather caused UCO to cancel class Wednesday night, so I got to go straight home from work rather than go to my two-hour class. Although Chris's job is very cold and distant right now, he has a job, and that's something for which we're very thankful. And besides little Molly, the rest of our family and extended family are in fairly good health. I guess you just have to keep it all in perspective, and thank God for Fridays.
On Tuesday I went to visit a new doctor (no big deal) and had to take some forms with me. One of them that I had to complete had mine and Chris's name, our address, social security numbers, etc. on it. When I made it into the doctor's office, I couldn't find the forms. Must've left 'em in my car. Went to my car. No forms. Must've lost 'em. Now, some pain medicine addict leaving the Mercy emergency room (adjacent to the doctor's office) has all my personal information. Thankfully, a few hours later I discovered they had simply fallen under my driver's seat. That was a relief.
Chris has had quite the week as well. He's currently working for a company installing a sprinkler system in a cave in Missouri where it's about -20 degrees Fahrenheit. That might be a little exaggeration, but not much. They have to wear special suits and socks just to stay warm.
Weeks like this can cause one to focus on negative, but despite all the craziness this week had to offer, there were some bright spots too. The bad weather caused UCO to cancel class Wednesday night, so I got to go straight home from work rather than go to my two-hour class. Although Chris's job is very cold and distant right now, he has a job, and that's something for which we're very thankful. And besides little Molly, the rest of our family and extended family are in fairly good health. I guess you just have to keep it all in perspective, and thank God for Fridays.