Our Getaway

Every once in a while you just need to get away with your spouse. Sure you see each other every day and eat dinner together most nights and sleep in same bed (unless someone has homework...) but to change up the routine you just need to get away. Is doesn't have to be far away-just not at home.

So on Friday Dave and I took the day off of work and went skiing. We skied all day and I even did my first mogul run (accidentally)! After 10 minutes standing at the top of the run, looking down at the "bumpy" run, Dave finally coaxed me into making my first turn down the run. I ended up following him down (thank you, Dave) and I am proud to say that I didn't fall once! However, I did watch some guy blaze by me, catch his ski in a mogul and fly head over heel down the hill while both of his feet ejected from his skis...

After skiing we drove to downtown where we had hotel reservations. We cleaned ourselves up and walked to have dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory. Dave had never been there before and I hadn't been there in 6+ years. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner, spumoni ice cream and a balloon guy even came to our table and made me a flower.

After dinner we walked through downtown back to our hotel and enjoyed a drink in the bar on the 27th floor of the hotel. The drinks were expensive, but the view was fantastic.


The next morning we slept in, walked to a little cafe, ate breakfast and headed to my parent's house to begin the Easter weekend festivities. After dying eggs with my sisters and their friends we enjoyed an Easter/Birthday dinner with Dave's grandmother, mother, uncle, aunt and cousin. On Sunday we hunted for Easter eggs with my sisters, went to church and then went to my aunt and uncle's house for Easter dinner. All of my in-town extended family was there and I always love seeing everyone and catching up.


All in all it was a great weekend and even though it was just for one night, I was happy to have a night away with my husband!

Tests

I believe that God tests us to make the right decisions all of the time. From little, every day types of decisions to big, life-changing decisions, we're challenged to truly think about what we're doing, how it will affect us, how it will affect the ones we love and how it stands testament to who we are as people and as followers of God.

Today I was faced with a big decision; the decision wasn't hard at all, but the situation is a tough one. I know that I made the right decision for me, my family and for God, but I know my decision will impact and potentially hurt one of my closest friends. I'm still not changing my decision and I am praying that my friend will be understanding and forgiving, but it certainly doesn't make things any easier right now...

What do you do when your choice is easy but the consequences of your choice will be hard to live with?

Wake up call

Every day we get a good morning greeting from our little friend:

This woodpecker, who we call "Woody", likes to bang on our metal chimney. I don't know if he thinks bugs are going to come out of there or what. His pecking resonates down through the two apartments above us and comes out of our fireplace which is on the opposite side of our bedroom wall. So, good morning to you, too, Woody; we're so glad that we don't live on the top floor!

Rules to live by

OK, I usually don't do the forward thing, but I liked this one.

1. Pray.
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many).
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest.
18. Eat right.
19. Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you Jesus '.
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego.
33. Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.

A wonderful day... 2 1/2 years in the making!

Pride. Honor. Pain. Happiness. Hope. Sadness. Longing. Anger. Anticipation. Comfort. Gratitude. Joy. Regret. Nostalgia.

It was quite an emotional weekend for me. If you've known me for a while you would know that in college I was a member of a sorority that I loved. I lived, worked, breathed and bled for my chapter and would do almost anything for it. I LOVED having a group of girls to hang out with, to cry with, to volunteer with, to have a cause to fight for with, to walk to class with, to ditch class with, to eat with, to sleep with, to share traditions with, to laugh with, to be serious with and to support and be supported.

Funny how a few people making a few bad decisions can affect so many people...

A few weeks into my senior year of college, the decision was made by national council to close my chapter. I was so hurt. I was so angry. How could the people who I called my sisters continually make bad decisions that would lead to the closing of our chapter? Why I couldn't stand up to them or confront them about their choices? Why weren't my sisters acting in the best interest of the fraternity and thinking about the consequences of their actions? Why didn't anyone else stand up to them or confront them about their choices? Why did so many people think that these bad decisions were good ones? Why couldn't I have done something to save it...

In the end I think closing the chapter was the best decision. The chapter in general was going in the wrong direction, good members were dropping out because of the actions of other girls and greek life in general on campus had a bad image.

Fast forward 2 years. I got a letter in the mail from national council saying that they were re-opening the chapter and would be doing recruitment during the fall semester. Hooray! We were told when the chapter closed that we would have the opportunity to be involved with the recolinization of the chapter when the time came and I wanted to be first in line to sign up to help in any way that I could. Most of me was excited, but part of me was nervous... there was a chance that I would have to face some of the girls that made those poor choices as well as some of the girls who intentionally excluded me from unofficial activities after (and sometimes even before) the chapter closed. I think some people thought I told on them and had gotten them in trouble and others thought that I was trying to take over the President's role... none of which was true... but I felt tared and feathered anyway. It took a few weeks for me to gather enough strength to put myself in a situation where I might be talked about, ignored, judged and left out; I just had to remind myself that I wanted to be involved because I supported what the sorority could be and what the sorority was supposed to be and that was more important than anyone's opinion of me.

There was only one person at the planning meeting from when the chapter closed and I was relieved. I liked this person! I did feel good that I had worked through some of my issues with the past and feel (even now) that I would be fine in any situation where those girls would be there.

Since October I have been involved with recruitment, bid day, pledge rituals, philanthropy events, potlucks, chapter meetings and finally (this weekend) INITIATION AND INSTALLATION!!!! It was the sorority experience I didn't know I was missing but still longed for. I finally felt accepted, wanted and needed in that chapter. New members wanted to meet me and learn about the sorority, older alumna wanted to know what I had been up to since the chapter closed and the leadership consultants wanted my input and utilized my experience.

This past weekend I was able to be a part of EACH new member's initiation ceremony. It was so wonderful to see the excitement in their faces as they arrived at the chapter house. I looked on with pride as each girl became an initiated member of my sorority; as each girl became a new sister. The new members amaze me. It is such a change from when I was in the chapter. These girls are enthusiastic, energetic and so willing to support and help each other in any way possible. They want to learn more, want to be involved more and want to be a part of everything the chapter has to offer. I love it! It is so refreshing to see new life in that chapter and in that house. These girls will certainly take that chapter to new heights.

The most emotional part of the weekend was when the chapter was installed, or "reactivated". The girls received their chapter charter and I couldn't help but cry. To me, a charter is like a name, an identity. It signifies that your chapter is active and in good standing with the national fraternity. Too many times I watched as that charter was taken away from my chapter when girls would make poor decisions and the consequences of those decisions affected us all. I watched as the charter was taken away for the last time when the chapter closed and I feared that it would never hang in that house again. But on Saturday, I watched as the charter was given back to the chapter, as they gave the chapter back its name, its identity.

Later that day we (extension directors, district presidents, alumna, new members and their families) celebrated the initiation and installation of the chapter with a luncheon and gift giving. I had the honor of presenting the chapter with my scrapbook (blank, since the chapter closed before I got the chance to fill it) from when I was chapter historian. I am so proud of our new initiates and am so honored that I was able to play a role in the chapter coming back to campus. I am confident that these women will do great things in the sorority and in life and I look forward to being a part of all that is to come. Congratulations, ladies!