Nannette's 68th Birthday

     Today would have been Nannette's 68th Birthday, so I thought that I would write a little something in honor of this occasion.

     There has been a lot going on in my life the last few years and this makes me think about how much I miss my mother as an advisor.  Like some many other mothers out there, she was always supportive and the biggest cheerleader to my sisters and I.  Somehow you always felt that no matter what problem might be plaguing you, that just by sharing it with her, you already half way solved it,  and you were then in a better state of mind to face the challenge.  She was, of course, there for the bumps, bruises, broken bones and broken hearts.  While my dad continues to have a wonderful business sense, it always felt good to get my mom's feedback and support.

     I think that my mother would be very proud of her grandkids today.  Anna and Sarah are both doing well in their schools and both just had their best report cards ever. They have both adjusted well to life post elementary school. I'm getting old, but I find it is really so hard to believe that Caitlin and Jake are close to graduating, Caitlin will do that this year and Jake still has a year to go.  Things are looking really good for Caitlin to get a scholarship and go on to college. It is also hard to believe that they both went through drivers education already! I also hear that Brendon is developing into quite a young man as well.  I sure miss seeing my family (especially on days like this).

     I think that my mother would be happy with what I've done with Toastmasters.  I've met some really great people. It is a very positive part of my life.  I was elected president of my club and am currently serving as president (till the end of June). I've found all kinds of ways to harness my creativity: by doing fun and exciting speech projects; becoming webmaster of my club's website; developing a social media plan; and countless other things. I started a podcast for Toastmasters in Europe and have interviewed and met lots of great Toastmasters as a result. I've met Olivia Schofield and gotten involved with Spectacular Speaking and am involved in promoting a wonderful conference that they have planned for March 14th and 15th in Warsaw, Poland. Six incredible speakers will work with the participants on: the proper way to prepare a speech or presentation; techniques for crafting and delivering a compelling story: using the stage effectively; finding their voice; and so much more. I'm pretty excited about the workshop, if you haven't figured that out yet.  

     I lost my job at HP in October last year.  I've given a lot of thought to what I want to do with my life, post HP, in fact I think about it pretty often. I'm currently working on opening a franchise, but I can't really get into the details about it just yet.  I see leaving HP as a chance to do something different with my life and really want to harness this opportunity.

     Mom, you were responsible for bring three people into the world and the resulting six grandkids.  You've left quite a legacy. I could sure use my trusted advisor and head cheerleader now.  Happy 68th Birthday!

     Note, the picture is of my mother with my Aunt Rose taken at my sister Nicole's wedding in 1995.  Sadly, Aunt Rose passed away last year.