Slacker isn't a good word

Slacker isn't a good word for why I haven't been on this blog. I'm always busy and so that isn't an excuse. But, I've honestly forgotten about it. Trying to work full-time and be a part-time entrepreneur has left little room for some things...if only because the task doesn't come to the forefront of my mind.

So, what have I been doing while off this blog. Hmmm. Perhaps a couple of bullets will do:

• Dealing with furlough - yep, I've been furloughed. So, I have 11 fewer days of pay and ....in theory there are 11 fewer days of work. Except that isn't how it has gone. It has wreaked a bit of havoc on the job. We produce a lot of products and so all the schedules are all out of sync and it is creating more work.
• Taking my body back - lots of things have happened this year with health - stress, losses, scares, etc. This summer I've been diligent at swimming my laps at least twice a week and that has been wonderful amongst all the stress.
• Entrepreneurship - I've always wanted to be one, but with full-time work it is very difficult, But, http://www.nudgevillage.com is my website and I've got a few free courses on other sites that have over 500 students taking them! Pretty cool. I've paid a few coaches to teach me a few marketing principles and am finding that I know a lot about marketing. Just need to focus on what my product is, but ....hard to think on things when so much else going on.
• Moving on - time for a change. I've lived in the same place for almost 10 years and in the same area of the country for over 15 years! We'll see what happens. Maybe just a move to a different place. Who knows. Will keep you posted!
• Work - did I reference this above? Yes. It's been quite the year at work. I'm actually the "right hand woman" to a Dean that is setting up a new college in our organization. It is millions of dollars in projects and I get the joy of managing them. There have been many struggles along the way, but in the end I will be a more talented and marketable person, right? Seriously though - major lessons in leadership, management, culture, change, treating people well, risk, etc.
• Most importantly - the family - I'm trying to make time to see family amongst it all because the years are flying by. A few trips across country and even nearby. Family and friends are what it is all about, right? I'm putting my money where my mouth is and taking that time.

So, there it is - a bulleted list of what I should expound upon a bit more and with specific lessons learned and sharing. It does lack a bit of heart, but starting back into this Blogger space slowly.

Now, time to go read your blogs! It's been a while!

Loved Ones

Sitting in church today someone said "loved ones." I think we all say it without recognizing what we are saying. Or, maybe I'm just late to this ah-ha moment.

Here's a typical sentence:

"We were praying for our loved ones that were in Hurricane Sandy."

I had always thought of these "loved ones" as a group, but it very clearly states in the dictionary that this is "a person who you love, usually a member of your family."

We are all individuals and feel loved one-on-one.

I'm going to think on that the next time I revert to praying for large groups at a time. It's individual people with individual feelings, needs, heartaches, and talents that need individual attention and prayer.

Ringing in Christmas

Wow! I decided to fully celebrate the Christmas Season this year and not let day-to-day work get in the way. I'm off to a good start and hope that the festivities continue!

The past week has been a whirlwind of travel, parties, networking events, work, Christmas concerts and catching up with some friends.

First, I spent last week in New Jersey visiting my sister and family and watching her perform with her husband and some of the kids in an interfaith Christmas Concert.

I got to spend some quality time with the three youngest who went from dark velvets to winter white as they changed over from their church attired into their performance attire. They looked like little angels, but they actually played the parts of little lambs...though I neglected to get a picture of them with their hats.

It was a great concert and my sister got to sing a solo along with the choir. It sounded beautiful!

Before the performance

On Monday I had to return home to continue out the work week since we've got a ton of initiatives and projects in the final stages of completion.

Tuesday was a ward choir Christmas Party which was a great way to get to know a few more people in our congregation. I'm grateful to be getting to know people better. When you don't have kids and have a day job, it is tough to get to know people since play groups, mother excursion and the like aren't part of my life.

Wednesday we went to a networking event and had a great dinner with people we had never met, but got to learn a lot about. The first few minutes are always a bit shallow, but then people start talking and you find out you share the table with rocket scientists, famous (but, private) engineers, and big shots that like to remain anonymous. Soooo different from the likes of Hollywood, and a bit intimidating.

Thursday was work day and laundry day. Am I the only person who enjoys doing laundry on Thursday night? I feel more prepared for the weekend if I get a head start.

Friday was staying at home and work, work, work day...with a few walks in the nice weather.

Saturday was FULL!

We started off the day de-junking. The clothes that occupied these hangers are now sitting in a Goodwill bin. Yep, half a closet gone. Now our clothing fits neatly into our closets. It is such a relief to get rid of things. I find that half the battle is mental. When we finally let go of the "stuff," it is amazing how one day later it isn't missed and the existence is forgotten.

The closest Goodwill happens to be about 15 miles from here (can you believe it? - so far for such a populated area) and so we had some Peruvian chicken at a hole in the wall for lunch and then I remembered that I had a friend in town! Totally forgot, but just in time.

I got to spend a few minutes with my high school friend while she was in town for a local arts and crafts festival.

She designs and creates wooden flowers and vases. Very beautiful - http://www.dmwoodart.com/.

Afterwards, I took a jaunt down to DC and to Georgetown University where one of my office co-workers was participating in her dance troup concert. Belly dancing! Of all things! I think I'm the only person that was there specifically for her and so I'm glad that I went.

I've taken a couple of belly dancing classes from her at work as another form of exercise. It gave me a greater appreciation for how much work some of those seemingly basic moves are - a little harder than hula it seems. There were women from 20 to 75 years old of all shapes and sizes and races. Many took this class as a confidence building activity and it showed. They got quite the applause throughout the concert.

This evening we went to the Washington LDS Temple Festival of Lights to see the temple, the lights and Jennie Oakes Baker perform on the violin. She was recently nominated for a Grammy and so we figured it would be harder to see her now that she has reached a bit more fame.

As luck would have it, we ran into one of my cousins who is out here going to graduate school and so it was a nice little reunion. Ok, we saw her a couple of weeks ago, but still it was fun.

I'm invigorated by the festivities of this week, but know that going into a second week of parties, choir practices and networking events will be a little harder. Yet, that is what the next week holds.

The good thing is that no time has been spent shopping - except for toothpaste and food - and I am feeling like I'm focused on the right things this season.

Family and friends are dominating my time and that is the way that I want it. I haven't been too good about that in the past.

As a side note, I'm making a wall Christmas tree with cards, concert programs and family pictures that I get in the mail. Should be fun to see it take shape over the next few weeks. Right now it is a bit lacking, but it will grow.

Fun Weekend

I had a fun weekend with nieces and nephews! Dancing included.

Christmas Moments 2010

Though my parents now have 19 grand children and counting, there were none for Christmas...at least not by the time I got home.

Just a couple of brothers, my parents and my man. Very small for a family of our size.

But, it was fun to be with family for a few days.

Dad reading one of the MANY books given as gifts.

Brett LOVES Christmas and ensures we celebrate it moment by moment from 24th through 25th.

We played Boggle in honor of Scot since he wasn't there to celebrate.

Played whatever this game is for 10 rounds.

Wore Vicks filled vapor tissues to protect us from some family members that can't control their personal smells.

Admired the newly renovated kitchen - that still needs a bright area rug to add color!

Dad's head becomes an ornament holder, but he is apparently used to these antics because the game rolls on.

Great gifts - like this colorful laptop bag.



Rebecker attempts usage of someone elses gift. I've got a ways to go!

Craig, can't let a day go by without researching financials.

A bit tired and worn, but Mom and Rebecca capture a shot.

Documenting Christmas ornaments that have been around since I was a little girl.

Mom presenting her new kitchen.



Mom gets a gumpy uniform (er, Snuggle) to stay warm around their cold house.

Chicago

Well, I was out of town last week as a result of a phone call from one of my brother's saying "I have some frequent flyer tickets I have to use FAST."

So, off I trekked to the Chi-cago area for a few days! I'd forgotten how much a liked it, perhaps because most of my trips there had been from the Michigan side which meant you passed through Gary, Indiana and a bit of west Chicago to get there - much scarier than DC or even Detroit.

But, I digress.

First, my brothers treated me and the little men to a lunch at an Eastern European semi-hole in the wall restaurant. The food was great - from the plates of others. My meatloaf was lacking in color (light offwhite) and threw me off psychologically.

Note: Blogger is now whacking out the order of the photos I put up and so de-stress myself, the rest of this post is in no particular order.



Me receiving a "consultation" from Craig. Am I saving enough to retire? Yikes.

 

We made a visit to Craig's house because little man #1 HAD to see the Superman Blanket...a day before he went to his "Super hero workshop"



Enjoying an outdoor tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright house (his house) in the famous Oak Park area - filled with AWESOME Frank Lloyd Wright designs. Also saw the Ernst Hemingway childhood home in the same neighborhood. Small world.



Chris, Jessica, little man #1 and little man #2 at a local apple farm. Unfortunately, our coupons for a free dozen donuts and bag of apples wasn't redeemable until October. It was pretty clear they were going to hold us to it. Still fun to be out in apple farm country.

Grandpa helping little man #1 understand that he too is a super (BIG) hero. Little man #1 loves super heroes - especially Superman.



Took a trip to downtown Chicago to the Lincoln Park Zoo.





Met Grandpa halfway between Chicago and Indianapolis so he could take Aunt Rebecker there for a while before she went home.

Ate Jessica's delicious "pizza in Chicago" which is her own variation of "Chicago Pizza." We out at a few good local joints too.


Great little trip! Miss my nephews and being with family in a real life Mid-west big city/comfortable suburb atmosphere.

But, cube farms await for now...

Bros come to visit

So, this weekend I was lucky to have a couple of my brothers come in to town. I've been a lucky a few times this summer. One flew in from Chicago and the other rode a bus down from Manhattan. And yet another person (brother's girlfriend) drove for hours from southern Virginia to come for the visit.

I offered a cramped condo (storing 1.5 rooms of furniture for someone for one month), little tidbits of food, and driving without a chauffeurs license.

We never did meet up with different cousins, as it always seems to coordinate more than 2-3 people nowadays.

Craig offered never ending meals at the Silver Diner.























We took a walk at Manassas Battlefield Park, if only to experience Virgina with fewer people. Perhaps I should sign up to be a tour guide since I frequent it way too much!



















It's always great to catch up with members of the family. Plus, they forced me to open some gifts that I received over two years ago - Monopoly and Clue. Craig won Monopoly and Amber won Clue, but does it matter that I was a close second on Monopoly?

Ahhhh well. I was comforted that one night all the youngins feel asleep before me ....and I'm 11 years older than the oldest of them.

That counts as a secret happiness in my book. More later. I'm catching from four days of visitors and long hours of lost work....but I'm not complaining.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Dad!

Little Brett is home

Well, he isn't "little," but my youngest brother just got home from a two year mission for our church.

Brett was born when I was finishing up my senior year of high school (I'm the oldest) and so there is an 18 year difference between us.

I drove over to Columbus, Ohio to see him, my sister and children and parents. It's great to have these little meet ups in random cities where none of us live. The visits are short, but fun. And, I get to spend money on $80 speeding tickets to further expand the cost of my trip. The joy of being a lead foot! Though, I will admit, that I am a very fast driver and I should be getting tickets all the time instead of every five years.

It was good to take a mini road trip and see family. It reminds me of the "I need to do this more often" that I often forget when I get too focused on work and other unimportant minutia.

Welcome home Brett!

2010-06-06

Quiet

I'll admit to being a little quiet lately on the RebeckerOnline front. I have a lot going on inside and outside of my head. It's like I'm going through a big huge reflective period of life while de-toxing from the extremely stressful last few work years.

I see why it is difficult to take these reflective moments on because it forces dealing with reality.

What am I going to do the rest of my life? Will I have a family? Have I spent my time wisely? Do I help the right people? What was I supposed to do with this time and did I do it? Am I comparing myself to myself or to other people and their seemingly perfect lives? Why am I not rich yet? Should I become an entrepreneur sooner rather than later? Why do I relapse and eat entire (large) bags of peanut M&Ms just because they are sitting there? Oh, wait, why did I feel the need to save 4 cents an ounce and buy the big bag when I know full well I'm a peanut M&M -oholic? Who are these people on Facebook that go to the mall everyday shopping? And, why do they have the need to share? Should I be selling that book on Amazon or keep it to share with a friend? Why can't I talk to my friends sometimes? Why can I become such a hermit when I need to deal with issues?  When did I start liking tv so much? Why do I work in a cube farm? Is the world going to end in 2012 or is the history channel creating spin like all the other news channels? How can I be of better service to others and at the same time just plain get away from people? Why do I want to get away from people, especially since I'm a person? Why can't I write like Seth Godin and be a good "Linchpin?" Why does he have thousands of followers of his blog? Do I want that? I don't know.

Why does my life never go the way I planned?

The what, where, why and how questions are rarely helpful to me. But, once in a while I do ask the questions.

Geesh! Re-reading this I feel like a complainer.

Regardless, I'm grateful for those quiet friends. Those that I can go back to after not talking for three months, a year, five years or whatever. I'm grateful for those that continually try even if I'm not mentally ready. Even if I'm fighting battles in my head alone. I'm grateful for random family visits (which I've had over the last few weeks) where I have real conversations with people that must be part of my life even if they didn't choose it. And, part of me knows that they would have chosen to be friends even if we weren't family. I'm grateful for past co-workers that invite me to their lake house for a few hours and I drive back feeling like I experienced a week long vacation.

Right now I need to quietly deal with a few things, but I'm anxious for the next phase.

A beautiful little quote to remember:

"You can fly, but let go of that cocoon of yours."

Ah, but its still a little safer in here...

NJ "W" family visits DC!

NJ Wimmers came down to visit and we had a great time even if a little disciplining had to take place at times. (-: Of course, that is to be expected when a sister, an aunt (me), five nieces and one nephew try to go see sites around DC.

We were able to go to the old Air and Space Museum on the National Mall, go by foot to the Lincoln and FDR Memorial, visit the playground at Haines Point, drive down to the new National Harbour where "The Awakening" statue from Haines Point has been relocated to and last, but not least, swim in the hotel pool and have a continental breakfast. That was pretty much Friday.

Saturday, after the swim, we were able to go enjoy the DC temple grounds and visitor center until it was time for them to head back up north.

It was great to see everyone...though I think I need to be a better aunt on their next visit. I was plum tuckered out even before they came and we had a few interesting moments. Shall I name a few?

• Renaye bought a frozen pizza. To our dismay, there was no oven in the kitchen. Hmmmm. Microwave it is with a follow on cooking in a frying pan. Think of it as a pizza pancake because we did flip them just to make sure they had a little crisp.
• Choral Crying - I forget that if you let one little person cry, others will join in for no apparent reason.
• Rogue Escape Artist - Not sure if she is three or four, but she found a way to subtly just keep walking (in the wrong direction) just to create a scene or test us or ? All I know is that these three and four year olds KNOW what they are doing when they run away from you. The craftiness is written all over their face.
• Food - don't ever think you have enough in the van. We ended up in a two hour traffic jam on 495 at dinner time. Efforts to find anything took at least another 15 minutes and by then the "choral crying" (above) had begun.
• Sick - if they say they are going to throw up, but then say maybe not - tell them to get out of the van anyway. My sister did this and it was a good thing. Just don't follow them after they have completed the task...unless you have a strong gag reflex. (I'm having a problem writing this now).
• Sponge Bob Square Pants - I've never seen this show until now. It was the prime attraction on both tvs in both rooms at the hotel. I do have to say - it was fairly entertaining.
• Red Shirts - great idea! They all wore red shirts and it was easy to see all of my nieces and nephew when we got separated. It was surprisng how few people were wearing red.
• Little moments - it's these that make up for all of the other stuff. A little huge, a little smile, a "look Aunt Rebecca, look at me."