Summer is almost here…and so are Twinkies March 13, 2013

According to today’s New York Times article, it looks like Twinkies have survived and will be back by the summer. Hip-hip-hooray! No, not really. I’m starting day three of a real mission to drop the 60 pounds I’ve gained since I turned my life upside down to move back to the sticks and get closer to family. It all started in 1993-94 when I decided to move closer to my dad who had been battling Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

I left a community I loved (Sugar Hill/Lake Lanier,) a job I loved (Metro Bank – the original Metro Bank n/k/a Regions Bank-Sandy Springs,) and working with wonderful people I loved to be closer to my dad. It was the best of times and the worst of times – he battled cancer and lived without complaining until he died in July 1996 and I spent a lot of time with him learning more about him as a man of real integrity. He had a quiet strength that very few people have.

Just because I stress how much I loved my life before the move doesn’t mean that I don’t LOVE my life now. It is just a very different life, now. Before the move I was VERY structured. I had work, home/family, and my own personal wellness as distinct and separate agendas in my life. Somehow, after the move, I allowed everything to get muddled together and lost the focus for the goals I had in each area of my life. My exercise habits suffered the most. Somehow, I developed guilt about the time away from family that a regular exercise program takes. I’m sure if you asked my family, they would have said, “Let the laundry pile up and leave us alone for that hour a day.”

Lesson learned: compromise to achieve everything at one time = failure in one or more areas.

New focus

I will complete my B.A., Technical Communication with a concentration in Digital Media this summer and started 2013 with new goals that have a distinct focus in all the areas of my life. My focus and goals revolve around my spiritual growth, physical health and financial security.

Three days ago I started on a path back to the physically fit me that has a regular exercise program – everyday. I’ve started my quest to find other moms that have put their fitness on the back-burner. I’m looking for anyone that is READY or thinks they are CLOSE TO READY to make changes to improve their health. Let me know if you want to come along with me. I’m ready to create a team that wants to track activity, monitor results and reset goals as each new one is accomplished!

Join me in the  90-Day Weight Loss Challenge! Our personalized program, BodyKey by Nutrilite, will help you find the customized plan that fits your needs and give you access to tons of digital tools! Plus, you’ll have a chance to win amazing prizes, including all-expense paid trips to the Catalina Islands and California! Watch this custom video for more information!

http://www.bodykeyinvitation.com/videos/watch/974

February 2013 – A new beginning…of sorts.

The Sting wins 3rd place in the Georgia College Press Association’s Most improved newspaper publication in the state of Georgia for a 4-Year College

Rain drops and the “Gift” December 19, 2011

Glistening in the street lights of the mild December night at the Mill in Villa Rica Friday night weren’t snow-flakes, it was the misting rain that had held back all day to come down just in time to be reflected in the night sky as over 650 people gathered at the first Live Nativity scene sponsored by the First Baptist Church of Villa Rica. FBCVR

The children’s eyes sparkled as they fed the camels, lamas, lambs, and goats.  Adults and children alike enjoyed the cookies and cocoa provided by FBCVR and didn’t seem to mind the misting rain.  It was a time for a community to come together and get away from the stress of the tasks and duties that surround this holiday season.

Alex Hawkins and Lindsey Kelley as Joseph and Mary Photo by Jim Enterkin

The inspiration for the live nativity scene comes from the story of God’s gift to all people.  Around 60 members of First Baptist Villa Rica came together to organize this event on the suggestion of a member who recognized an opportunity to provide a spectacular event for the Villa Rica community.  The story is not a new one, but one that reminds us during the holiday season, that Jesus is the reason and it all started with the humble shelter of a simple stable.

First Baptist Church of Villa Rica, located at 1483 W Hwy 78 (Bankhead Hwy, ) Villa Rica, GA 30180 will be having a Christmas Eve service at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday night and a Christmas Day service at 10:15 a.m. Christmas morning, a casual service with children welcomed in their pajamas!

Group project podcast December 5, 2011

http://vnix.podomatic.com/

For all the hiccups, hang-ups and hinky microphones…we had a great time!

Of course, my microphone came in loud and clear.  Our group will remember when we thought we lost power on the lav mic and discovered that it WAS still recording.  Well, I think that reveals what our REAL problem was with the mic.  The setting on the computer (most likely) reflected that we were using the Mac’s internal mic and not the external Lav mic.  So, Justin and Nii had their back to the mic and that is why I kept getting a hum every time I tried to increase the volume on their track…it was a hum from the lighting when I had it maxed out.

An interesting lesson from this has been that my $30 MP3 player I used for the sign off recorded better than using the Lav mic.  If we knew that an MP3 player could be such a great device, we could have found a quieter place and actually spent more time to be creative with the edit than spend so much time trying to correct a train wreck of a recording.

Group projects December 4, 2011

Unexpected lessons are always expected from a group project.  I loath the coordination process of any group project.  It seems that finding a good time to meet is always the big challenge.

My current group project was easier once I decided that I would just do whatever it took to meet with my group and get it done.  Interestingly enough the latest project is a podcast.  Without a studio, we scrambled to find a time where we could meet and record in a relatively quiet environment.

Guess what?  The TCOM lab is always occupied.  Our group met late at night and decided we would just record even if another group in the corner wanted to carry on a conversation about “whatever” while we were recording.

I loved my group.  We were all on the same page as far as organizing and executing efficiently.  We completed the recording well before the deadline, but here I am…stressing a little because I volunteered to edit.  Where did I think I would squeeze that in!  Oh, well…who needs sleep.

http://vnix.podomatic.com/

Thankful November 27, 2011

Thanksgiving is my time to evaluate my year and plan my new year resolutions.  This year was the first year I didn’t fret over the actual Thanksgiving dinner.  I have been so “overbooked” that the dinner seemed like the minor event of the week instead of the big deal it is normally.  I made the decision to not stress out over the day.

Being taxed with family, church, school and a freelance job, I didn’t even plan the menu until the night before the dinner.  My daughter made the calls to make sure the invited family knew what time we planned to meet and got the turkey started on the “thaw” process a few days before.  I’m thankful that I didn’t have the time to fret about the details, because this one turned out to be the best dinner, the most relaxing afternoon and the all time BEST family time.

Turkey is easy

Having a thankful heart for the duties of family, church, school and work led me to my reward.  Learning to set my attitude before the event is much like setting my sails to the wind to get to my destination.  My lesson for this week week…Setting my sails…finding the wind.

Masterful leadership and good people November 20, 2011

What seems like a lifetime ago, I worked at a little bank in Sandy Springs that grew up to be a medium size bank (eventually sold to Regions Bank.)  A dozen or so folks raised a little capital from a few lucky friends and launched a bank.  I was lucky enough to land happily among these great minds and warm hearts.     Many say that the front line of any organization is a reflection of the leadership. Metro Bank was no exception.  This little bank had a customer-base of loyal customers who enjoyed and appreciated good customer service.  It was expected that all the customers would be known by the employees but, it was amazing how well the customers got to know the employees.     The president of the bank, Ray Fisher, is one of the warmest people I know.  Unlike many bank presidents, Ray’s office was six steps from the front entry of the bank and his door was always open.  He was a second generation banker and managed with a peaceful strength.  I was reminded of his peace, strength and hilarious humor recently. While looking for my birth certificate, I found an envelope containing a nice note from him and a photos from some of the company parties.  I had forgotten all about these.  Encouraging his staff was a part of his everyday life.

Ray awards the “oops” award to me at the annual Christmas Party

A tradition starting with Ray, an award for the dumbest loan of the year was awarded to the loan officer who made the dumbest loan.  In an environment where “heart” was a part of the lending process, there were many opportunities to earn this prestigious award.