the long and winding road

NEVER GROW UP

2012-01-27T12:44:00.004-06:00

Sofie and I were out running errands this morning and she wanted to listen to Taylor Swift ....I know, she's 4! Anyway, when this song came on we were sitting in traffic and I really listened, and then I cried there in the van. I guess because we have these girls and they are all growing up and most days I really don't want them to do it. Take a listen and look at those lyrics.....

THE CLASSICS!

2012-01-08T15:48:00.003-06:00

CHRISTMAS IN SUSANI

2012-01-07T12:29:00.001-06:00

THE KING'S SPEECH

2012-01-03T15:03:00.002-06:00

I am always a year late in movies.... we are more in a "The Chipmunks and Dora the Explorer" mode, but I did sit down and watch a DVD borrowed from the public library (a PERK of the USA I'll say) and I watched The King's Speech. It was great, worth all of the awards..... I so understood the way the Prince felt and how he couldn't find his voice. I can't say enough about it!

ROMANIAN WINTER VIEWS

2011-12-30T05:24:00.000-06:00

PHOTO SHOOT!

2011-12-28T05:42:00.001-06:00

Recently, a friend-of-a-friend took some photos of the girls to use in her advertising for her new photography studio - since I took them to their first-ever "official photo shoot," I got in on the action.

SNAPSHOTS OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT

2011-12-26T14:11:00.004-06:00

This was our 2nd Christmas in South Carolina in many a year, and we were slightly more prepared for it this go round. One of our traditions is to eat a meal at McDonald's on Christmas Eve.... I'm sure this may sound a little strange considering all of the options that are around, but it dates back to Romania while Lisa was preganant with Sofie. We were finishing opening our gifts on Christmas Eve in Bucharest and Lisa was craving some protein.... not many choices but McD's, so we drove down to a local one and ate a big meal.... since then we've continued to do it (not quite the same here, but still...). We also attended a Candlelight Service at a nearby church before opening our gifts.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE LONGS

2011-12-20T15:38:00.002-06:00

CHEAP THRILLS IN THE TRADER JOE'S PARKING LOT!

2011-12-20T15:30:00.002-06:00

OUR VERSION OF A BILTMORE CHRISTMAS

2011-12-19T08:36:00.006-06:00

We were allowed to take all the photos we wanted outside of the house, so we took a few!

BILTMORE AT CHRISTMAS

2011-12-18T21:54:00.007-06:00

I treated the family to a visit to Biltmore Estate's candlelight Christmas Tour tonight.... it was fantastic! I'm posting some pictures that are from the internet, because you cannot take photos inside the house. We'll post some we took later..... here's a piece from the Biltmore website about the history of the house (www.biltmore.com):

The History of America's Largest Home

Building Biltmore was, at the time, one of the largest undertakings in the history of American residential architecture and the results were astounding. Over a six-year period, an entire community of craftsmen worked to build the country's premier home. The estate boasted its own brick factory, woodworking shop, and a three-mile railway spur for transporting materials to the site.

A New World Château
The celebrated architect Richard Morris Hunt modeled the house on three châteaux built in 16th-century France. It would feature 4 acres of floor space, 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. The basement alone would house a swimming pool, gymnasium and changing rooms, bowling alley, servants' quarters, kitchens, and more.

An Environmental Wonder
The grounds of the 125,000-acre estate were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the creator of New York's Central Park and the father of American landscape architecture. He not only developed acres of gardens and parkland, but in his efforts to protect the environment and reclaim over-farmed land, Olmsted established America's first managed forest.

A True Family Home
George Vanderbilt officially opened the home to friends and family on Christmas Eve in 1895. He had created a country retreat where he could pursue his passion for art, literature, and horticulture. After marrying the American Edith Stuyvesant Dresser (1873–1958) in Paris during the summer of 1898, George and his new bride came to live at the estate. Their only child, Cornelia (1900–1976), was born and grew up at Biltmore.

THE CLASSICS!

2011-12-12T10:38:00.003-06:00

WANNA BE A MISSIONARY?

2011-12-11T15:34:00.002-06:00

CONTENTMENT & DUTY

2011-12-10T12:16:00.007-06:00

Lately, I've seen that the Lord has been plunging me into the deeper study of contentment, duty, and acceptance of His will.... I came from a background where all of these ideals were sorely lacking and my mind was "trained" from early-on to look for troubles, to expect disaster, to prepare for the worst, and to know that "contentment" always laid in the unobtainable future. Through His goodness, I am learning! Here are a few things I've found as I read:

"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inward peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." Francis De Sales (1567-1622)

"Every lot is happy to a person who bears it with tranquillity." Boethius (470-524)

When thou hast learned to do all things to Jesus, it will shed pleasure over all dull things, softness over all hard things, peace over all trial and woe and suspense." Rev. Edward B. Pusey (1800-1882)

"Duties are ours, events are the Lord's." Rev. Samuel Rutherford (1600-1661)

"Be resolute in overcoming self." Pere Hyacinthe Besson (1816-1861)

"The wise and diligent traveller watches all his steps, and keeps his eyes always directed to that part of the road which is immediately before him; but he does not incessantly look backwards to count his steps and examine his footmarks, — he would lose time and hinder his progress by so doing." Francois Fenelon (1651-1715)

TRICK OR TREAT'N IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

2011-12-10T12:11:00.001-06:00

THE CLASSICS!

2011-12-04T05:56:00.003-06:00

WARSAW IN THE SNOW

2011-11-16T12:37:00.002-06:00

Warszawski bit byt

.....very interesting to watch all the way through, especially if you are a "Europhile" like me!

THE PUMPKIN PATCH

2011-10-31T10:30:00.002-05:00

HALLOWEEN IS IN THE AIR

2011-10-29T14:04:00.002-05:00

ROCK IT ALL THE WAY DOWN

2011-10-29T14:03:00.004-05:00

Mikie has been cheering for our county recreation department.... it has turned out to be a fun experience for all of us..... we've all learned the cheers and we all go to the games. Here are a few pictures of some of our games!

TAYLOR SWIFT

2011-10-29T14:01:00.006-05:00

We treated the girls to a rather late combination birthday gift - Taylor Swift in Atlanta! Originally, the concert was to be in July, but she had some medical problems and rescheduled for October. It didn't seem to matter to anyone. I was impressed with her and her show, especially with her young age ....it was very professional, personal, and carried a theme of a good message for the fan base she carries.

A PICTURE SAYS A THOUSAND WORDS

2011-10-26T12:45:00.000-05:00

DOES THIS LOOK FAMILIAR, OR WHAT?

2011-10-14T11:32:00.004-05:00

I saw this photo on a Bucharest blog (from www.bucharestlife.net)and was stunned .....we saw this very sight from our apartment in Bucharest, every day as we walked to and from school, and practically every time we went somewhere on tram 19. Good ole Timpuri Noi (New Times). This was our answer to the question, "Where in the city do you live?" It is a "sight for sore eyes," as we say down South.

A SEA OF HUMANITY

2011-10-09T19:41:00.003-05:00

We have a good friend who is teaching in Uganda right now. She recently attended a very important soccer game and shared some photos of the day. I've posted one and what strikes me is the 'sea of humanity' that is in that stadium! What a sight!

THE CLASSICS!

2011-09-10T07:56:00.005-05:00

EGGS IN A BASKET

2011-09-09T14:43:00.002-05:00

We've been through a lot lately, it seems. But in it all, we've seen God leading us in a new direction and we keep seeing His confirmations (necessary because we are so feeble as people). We are "putting our eggs all in one basket" these days. Our eggs are labeled things like fear, worry, the future, money, careers, kids, college, braces..... you get the picture. But we know God is asking us to put all our eggs into one basket, His basket. And He's telling us to travel in that basket. Not the same way we traveled before (no, we're not moving!!) but travel none-the-less.

THE CLASSICS!

2011-08-29T15:08:00.002-05:00

CHARLES STANLEY'S 30 LIFE PRINCIPLES

2011-08-29T15:06:00.000-05:00

1. Our intimacy with God – His highest priority for our lives – determines the impact of our lives.

2. Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.

3. God’s Word is an immovable anchor in times of storm.

4. The awareness of God’s presence energizes us for our work.

5. God does not require us to understand His will, just obey it, even if it seems unreasonable.

6. You reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow.

7. The dark moments of our life will last only so long as is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in us.

8. Fight all your battles on your knees and you win every time.

9. Trusting God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees.

10. If necessary, God will move heaven and earth to show us His will.

11. God assumes full responsibility for our needs when we obey Him.

12. Peace with God is the fruit of oneness with God.

13. Listening to God is essential to walking with God.

14. God acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.

15. Brokenness is God’s requirement for maximum usefulness.

16. Whatever you acquire outside of God’s will eventually turns to ashes.

17. We stand tallest and strongest on our knees.

18. As children of a sovereign God, we are never victims of our circumstances.

19. Anything you hold too tightly, you will lose.

20. Disappointments are inevitable, discouragement is a choice.

21. Obedience always brings blessing.

22. To walk in the Spirit is to obey the initial promptings of the Spirit.

23. You can never out-give God.

24. To live the Christian life is to allow Jesus to live His life in and through us.

25. God blesses us so that we might bless others.

26. Adversity is a bridge to a deeper relationship with God.

27. Prayer is life’s greatest time saver.

28. No Christian has ever been called to “go it alone” in his or her walk of faith.

29. We learn more in our valley experiences than on our mountaintops.

30. An eager anticipation of the Lord’s return keeps us living productively.

THE CLASSICS!

2011-08-11T18:49:00.003-05:00

ROMANIA - ALWAYS SURPRISING!

2011-07-22T10:02:00.002-05:00

..........with all of the love I have in me for my second home, a perfect photo on so many levels. So many things I adore about this country!

JET SKIING!

2011-07-18T13:13:00.000-05:00

......LATELY I'VE BEEN FEELING

2011-07-10T12:20:00.003-05:00

The title sums up where I am .....lately I've had a lot of "feelings" that have been floating around. I know that feelings are not the best barometer of reality, but sometimes they take over for a while. What have I been feeling?

Well, let's see: I've been feeling jealous - I know that is not something we're supposed to feel (or at least admit) but it is real. I have been jealous of people who seem to have lives moving on ahead - as if I had my ticket to the train, got on it, was asked to step off, and it left the station with me on the platform. I've felt left behind and I've asked myself, "why didn't I get to have a career after being a missionary?"

I've been feeling disappointed - I think it is rooted in a simple question, one I know that is probably wrong from the onset, "why was our faithfulness not rewarded?"

I've been feeling cheated - wondering "why, if I have so much to offer as everyone else seems to think, I have little areas to offer it?"

I'm making it and heard a great sermon today at a church we've been visiting that addressed a lot of this. But I'm still wondering.....

UNDE?

2011-07-06T11:16:00.004-05:00

UNDE is the Romanian word for "where." I showed this photo to one of my girls and said, "recognize this?" She immediately said, "Oh, that's someplace in Romania for sure! I've probably been there!" She's right ~ at least on the "somewhere in Romania" part. All of the concrete and mud were a dead give-away!

BUCHAREST OF OLD

2011-07-04T05:20:00.001-05:00

THE CLASSICS!

2011-06-25T17:31:00.003-05:00

CAN SHE REALLY BE 4??

2011-06-21T15:18:00.001-05:00

THE FAMILY

2011-06-21T15:17:00.000-05:00

THE CLASSICS!

2011-03-20T21:00:00.006-05:00

RED PAGE'S MARCH MADNESS

2011-03-16T13:00:00.001-05:00

This week marks the unofficial beginning of March Madness (NCAA basketball tournament) with the “First Four” play in games taking place this Tuesday and Wednesday followed by the first round on Thursday. I’d venture a guess that almost all basketball enthusiasts will find a way to be near a computer or television starting Thursday. After all, that is when the most exciting games take place in my opinion. I know I personally planned my travel schedule this week so that I can “work from home” Thursday and Friday! I even remember one semester while in grad school watching the games on a television at our feet while taking a distance education class! Maybe that is why they call it March “madness!”

This week also marks something special for Red Page. For the next three weeks we are going to make a concerted effort to raise $6,000 for the first basketball court in Susani. Starting May 13, a team from Texas and Arkansas will begin building a full court basketball court. The compilation will be Saturday, May 21, with a morning basketball camp followed by the very first Susani Invitational Youth Basketball Tournament! One might truly wonder the value of something like a basketball court. After all, aren’t there more pressing needs? Yes. Yes the needs are great. Yes poverty is overwhelming. Yes we need to focus on education. Yes we need to focus on completing the House of Joy. But, no this is a priority. If we are going to reach the families we must have a way to draw them to the ministry. January 23, 2010, I posted a blog titled “Run for Jesus” in which Ovidiu shared the value of competitive sports in Romania. Here is a short summary:

“During my visit to America I was extremely impressed how many people went to a high school football game in Texas. What a unique sport system in America where everybody has something to gain; values, morals, competitive drive, and sportsmanship. Everybody is a winner.”

“In Romania there are some sports that are popular, but people in general are not practicing sports as they do in the United States. In May we will build a basketball court on the House of Joy property. Hundreds of children will be able to use it and play on it. They will be practicing sports while they learn the scriptures. The House of Joy will be a place for Sports and Scriptures! They can learn them together. Many kids will start running for Jesus because of this awesome opportunity they will find in Susani. We will organize sports camps to improve their skills, both with the Bible and the sport. We will also work to organize competitions with the public schools in our area right on this basketball court. Our hope is to model these competitions after the Upward Basketball programs in America. Kids will come from all 31 villages in our ministry area to learn the skills of basketball, and other sports as well. These sports will give us an audience with the children and their parents so that we can share about Jesus. In addition, we will have concerts, revivals, and festivals on our court. What a perfect place to interact with the children and youth. Everybody loves sports.”

As you can see, the value of a basketball court goes well beyond 26 meters by 14 meters. A basketball court is much more than concrete, asphalt, two baskets and nets. A basketball court in Susani is a place for 2,500 families to spend a Saturday evening together. A basketball court is a place to learn about teamwork, competition, morals, values, life skills, and Jesus. This simple little court is a place to gain the trust and attention of hundreds of families living in rural Rumania in desperate need of a Savior and a little hope. According to UNICEF, “There was an estimated 2.17 million poor persons in Romania in 2009 with rural poverty double that of urban poverty.” The UNDP Human Development report estimated that “38 per cent of rural people were living in poverty.” UNICEF adds that “Some 75% of poor children live in rural areas, where the poverty risk is three times higher than for children living in urban areas. Children from poor and rural areas are more likely than other children to be abandoned, institutionalized, to drop out of school, and later to be found on the streets. Weaknesses in preventive and integrated community-based services, combined with poor family care practices and changing social norms and values have lead to these manifestations.” Inadequate social services, reflected in the poor condition of rural health centers, long distances to schools and poor sanitation facilities, also contribute to rural poverty. Estimates show that only 1 out of 4 village students will graduate high school. Now is the time to reach these children. Now is the time to impact these families. A simple little basketball court will give Red Page and the House of Joy the opportunity to learn more about these families in an effort to develop needs-based programs while gaining their trust and confidence.

The time is now for Red Page and the House of Joy to alter the course of history for thousands of Romanians living in rural poverty. This court is the logical entry point into the hearts and homes of these families. There are three ways you can join our team. First, you can pray for this ministry and the success of the basketball court. Second, you can financially support the building of the basketball court. Construction will cost approximately $6,000. Third, you can financially support Red Page sports programs. Your support will help purchase athletic gear, jerseys, shoes, and educational curriculum.

Our goal is to raise $10,000 by the time the Men’s (April 4) and Women’s (April 5) National Champion is named. Your gift will go a long way in helping us reach our goal. You can mail your donation to: Red Page Ministries, P.O. Box 53653, Lubbock, Texas, 79453 or make a donation online at www.redpageministries.org.

Red Page is a 501 (c)(3) and all gifts are tax deductable. Red Page Ministries focuses on grassroots mission-focused ministry as it works to transform Romania from the inside-out, one rural community at a time. The mission of Red Page is to break the cycle of poverty in rural Romania by empowering poor communities to self-reliance through social welfare, education, and rural development. For additional information you can email us at contact@redpageministries.org.

THE CLASSICS!

2011-03-14T20:05:00.001-05:00

MY NEWEST OBSESSION

2011-03-05T08:42:00.004-06:00

My family laughs at me because I am always "obsessed" with something new every few weeks. I've always been this way, since I was a kid. I would learn about something, read everything I could find, then move on. We had a set of World Book encyclopedias and I devoured them over the years. I'll admit, reading them was a favorite past time!

Lately, I keep being obsessed with places, countries specifically, and poor people. Of course, my obsession with Romania certainly has lasted and it is sharing the limelight. I am really aware of the need to feed hungry people, provide medical care for them, and assist in getting their lives in order. I am, at heart, a lover of humanitarian relief efforts. For me personally, this is the best way to show God's love and compassion.

Right now, it is India. That huge, exotic, spicy, warm country. I'm just saying.

THE CLASSICS!

2011-03-03T12:18:00.000-06:00

A quick, short read that was very interesting and worth the time!

THE CLASSICS!

2011-02-21T15:14:00.002-06:00

I have had a difficult time finding the time to read lately.... finally able to finish another Classic and I am a good ways in to Dracula also. It is quite good as it is all about Romania!

THE VERY TINY BOX

2011-02-06T13:47:00.006-06:00

I've become very aware, recently, that God has indeed put me into a very tiny box. I've always tended to live rather large, most of it being my personality. I am social, I like people, places, and experiences. I enjoy interacting and being connected. As we move towards finishing our second year "back home" in the USA, I am so sure that He has put me where I am for a real reason.

Flashback: for many years, we've been living in Romania, traveling places (planes, trains and automobiles quite literally), seeing things, meeting so many people! I love that life, I must admit. It appeals to my personality. I get energy from people and events. But the Lord has some things He wants to do in me. And to do them, He needs me still and in one place.

Flash forward: we live in the house where I grew up. How much more full-circle can you get! I am a stay-at-home dad to three daughters. I am forever driving girls to school, to friends, to church, picking them up at school, at their grandmother's house. I cook supper. I wash and dry and fold clothes. I let the dog and the cat in and out of the house a million times a day. I watch Dora the Explorer (too much). I let them sleep with me when they are scared. I monitor how much TV we watch and who can use the Internet and why. I put band aids on Sofia's countless boo-boos and I cry with Mikie and Emma as they say goodbye to their friend's mom who just died from cancer. My world is small.

My box is tiny. It has been decades since I lived in a box this small. I stopped fighting it a few months ago. I found contentment in my box. I found purpose there. I am here to answer questions. Explain things. Solve problems or stand by them while they try to solve them themselves.

God has me here to do some things. He's bonded my relationships with my girls. He's shown me it is not "what I do" but it is "who I am." He's shown me that I can do this job (the hardest one I've ever had) and He's shown Lisa she can do her job. We've reversed the roles and it was, and continues to be, His idea. We'd never have chosen it but now I would trade what He's accomplished.

My wish is to live in a larger box again. I long to board a plane again with my family to go see where God wants us to go. But, for now I am in my box. It's OK because there are two laundry baskets of clothes staring at me that need to be folded!

HERE WE ARE

2011-01-10T13:20:00.006-06:00

For the faithful souls who look at our blog regularly, ....been an awful lot of photos and not very many words! I'm not sure because (really) I always have something to say. Maybe it is just that what I've thought didn't even make enough sense to me to say out loud on the blog.

We're in a confused time right now. The journey out of "foreign missionary life" into "everyday American life" has been much more treacherous than we'd imagined. Another one of those "why isn't there a book to give you step-by-step instructions" moments. This said journey has taken us to live in two states (Texas and South Carolina) in less than two years.

For organization's sake, and because I am scattered right now anyway, I'll make it simple and list some random thoughts on the matter in no particular order of importance:

1. We are missing having "a bigger purpose" in our lives and as a family. Serving in Romania gave us that, individually and collectively. We want (need?) that again in some fashion.

2. We are attempting to package all we encountered, learned, experienced, gained and lost there..... what and who and where would be without it all?

3. We are beginning to have a few ideas of how to "define" our family again ~ we've been in limbo, really, since the day we knew we were to leave Bucharest in late 2008.

4. A few of those ideas:

~ we want to be oriented to serve others as a family

~ we want to practice the art of simple living... "Live simply that others might simply live." Elizabeth Seaton.... if years in Romania taught us anything, it taught us we don't need so much

~ we want to raise our girls with an eye to giving their lives away and knowing that the service we give is more important than the things we can accumulate

~ we want to still be connected to the larger world, be a part of it, the people in it

5. The dream of my heart, long before I discovered Romania, was to feed poor and hungry people in devastated countries. How in the world do you "get there from here," I often as the Lord. He knows how.... just waiting to find out.

THE CLASSICS!

2011-01-04T16:30:00.003-06:00

CALATORUL (THE TRIP)

2010-12-31T12:24:00.002-06:00

Since we lived in Bucharest, we completely GET IT! This city is filled with sights.... here is a iron collector (scrap metal kind of thing), his cart, and a tram to hitch a ride!

THE CLASSICS!

2010-12-29T05:37:00.003-06:00

LET IT SNOW

2010-12-25T20:26:00.002-06:00

CHRISTMAS 2010

2010-12-25T20:16:00.004-06:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE LONGS

2010-12-16T20:28:00.000-06:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

FALL IN THE SOUTH!

2010-12-12T16:02:00.004-06:00

KIDS WILL BE KIDS

2010-12-12T16:00:00.000-06:00

THE CLASSICS

2010-12-03T10:57:00.001-06:00

THE CLASSICS

2010-11-09T07:20:00.004-06:00

.....having had the privilege of visiting Greece on vacation with the family, I can really enjoy this book, feel the wind, smell the ocean, see the olive trees!

GIRLY-GIRLS

2010-10-24T17:49:00.002-05:00

THE CLASSICS

2010-10-23T11:55:00.004-05:00

PUTTING THE CART BEFORE THE HORSE

2010-10-18T15:38:00.002-05:00

....you have to have lived there to fully appreciate this and, Jon Hogg if you're looking at this, DA it it for you!

YET ANOTHER REASON (AS IF MORE ARE NEEDED) TO BE A SOUTHERNER (AND I BE ONE, SO I CAN SAY IT)

2010-10-18T08:03:00.001-05:00

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Cops: South Georgia man had sex with dog

A south Georgia man accused of having sex with a dog remained in jail Sunday night, five days after his arrest, a sheriff's office spokesman told the AJC.

Colquitt County Sheriff's Office Henry Gene Ivey, 39, was arrested earlier this week after he allegedly broke into a mobile home and had sex with a dog.

Henry Gene Ivey, 39, has been charged with bestiality and burglary after he allegedly broke into a mobile home and had sex with the animal, the Colquitt County Sheriff's Office said.

Neighbors reported seeing Ivey walking two dogs just before 8 p.m. Monday, police said. Ivey allegedly took one of the dogs into the mobile home, and neighbors heard loud noises coming from the trailer, according to the report.

The first deputy at the scene went into the trailer and found Ivey having sex with the dog, police said.

Witnesses said the dog involved was a black mutt about the size of a Labrador retriever.

Ivey is being held on $20,000 bond.

THE CLASSICS

2010-10-16T10:03:00.004-05:00

Just knocked out these two - something about re-reading some of these (like ol' Silas) is interesting to get so much more out of them now a-days!

PADRE ISLAND

2010-10-10T12:38:00.003-05:00

We recently made a quick day-trip to Corpus Christi and Padre Island on the Gulf Coast. The girls made an impromptu visit to the beach, of course.

TEXAS LANDSCAPES

2010-10-10T12:23:00.005-05:00

Late in the summer, we went to a BBQ in the Hill Country (just north of the city) with some friends. We turned the girls loose with the camera to take pictures and they did a fantastic job - because they don't care about composition and focus, they usually get very spontaneous and authentic shots.

POZE DE FAMILIA

2010-10-10T10:43:00.005-05:00

.....all of us, and a neighbor who was with us (with her dad) at Six Flags Fiesta Texas yesterday

THESE ARE THE SIGNS OF LIFE

2010-10-10T09:54:00.003-05:00

A scattering of things that represent, somehow, life as we know it!

MIGRATION

2010-10-10T09:47:00.004-05:00

It seems that life for our family has been, of late, about migration ~ moving forward. As most of you know, we've spent the last 15 months in San Antonio. She has proven to be a warm, breezy city that flows with the gentle winds of flour tortillas, lazy plam trees, and colorful lights that twinkle in the night skies. We have loved it!

Alas, the Lord has blown some changes our way again and we are heading back to our original home in South Carolina. So many things have led us to this point, and these are a few of them: my mom needs us there to assist in her care at the nursing home now, our girls are longing for time with all of their grandparents there, we all feel a "homesickness" for the familiar of home, we are somehow ending our seven year journey of missions abroad, and we are looing for a place we can settle our girls for a while.

We will be leaving Texas over Halloween weekend and heading "that way," as we say. As Steven Curtis Chapman says, "this is the great adventure."

THE CLASSICS

2010-10-02T19:37:00.007-05:00

Lately I've been reading "The Classics," novels that have stood the test of time. I have a list of about 175 books I want to read over the next few years.... I'm posting them as I go! Here's what I've accomplished so far!

THE RETURN TO ROMANIA IN PICTURES

2010-06-25T22:45:00.003-05:00

RAINING CATS & DOGS

2010-04-17T10:48:00.002-05:00

AHA MOMENT

2010-04-10T08:33:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, I had a big AHA MOMENT, as the buzz calls it these days..... particularly since returning to the US from Romania, I've seen that I am easily frustrated with people in public settings. I have had a heightened sense of expectation for customer service and a general, all-around kindness. Possibly, living in RO helped make this happen because, although I love Romanians, I must say in public (like stores, etc.) many of them are rude and unconcerned. So, I thought "things would be different here." Boy, was I wrong!

Anyhow, I realized that my expectation for courtesy was usually dashed by rude, unconcerned, even ugly clerks, etc. and I was shocked. However, the good news is that I know this now and I can leave that expectation at home and not always be so disappointed. Most of you reading this may not understand, but some will.... America has changed a lot in the 6 years we were away and it has all been for the worse.

We encountered rude teachers at our girls' schools, mean-spirited workers at churches we've visited, down-right ugly behavior with clerks (particularly at Wal-Mart), careless servers in food places, and a lot of general "not my problem" attitudes.

One of the things we've seen, and it is the most shocking and (paradoxically) the most expected, is that (in general) people who are calling themselves "believers" or "Christian" have tended to consistently demonstrate the lowest forms of personal interaction. We both recently commented that if we were not believers, it would be very difficult to want to ever attend most churches because of the people already there.

On Easter Sunday, after church, we were eating at Golden Corral. Seated next to us was a large party (about 8 or 9 people) who were dressed for church. They were loud and in our time there we couldn't help but hear their conversations: the entire meal was spent talking about people, particularly bashing Jehovah's Witnesses and "one-uping tales" of all of the tricky things they liked to do to them, and simply talking about people behind their backs. It appeared that the loudest member of the group might be the pastor. We were very tempted to do two things:

1. ask them what church they attended so we could let them know we'd be sure not to visit it.

2. tell them we were JW's just to see the look on the faces, tell them we'd been curious about visiting a church, and that they'd been a big help in reminding us we wanted nothing to do with it.

.....once again, believers behaving very poorly in public!

FUNNY

2010-04-07T07:54:00.001-05:00

A Polish immigrant went to the DMV to apply for a driver's license. First, of course, he had to take an eye sight test. The optician showed him a card with the letters 'C Z W I X N O S T A C Z.' 'Can you read this?' the optician asked.
'Read it?' the Polish guy replied, 'I know the guy.'

Mother Superior called all the nuns together and said to them, 'I must tell you all something. We have a case of gonorrhea in the convent.' 'Thank God,' said an elderly nun at the back. 'I'm so tired of chardonay.'

A woman came home, screeching her car into the driveway, and ran into the house.
She slammed the door and shouted at the top of her lungs, 'Honey, pack your bags. I won the lottery!' The husband said, 'Oh my God! What should I pack, beach stuff or mountain stuff?' 'Doesn't matter,' she said. 'Just get out.'

EASTER MORN

2010-04-06T20:23:00.001-05:00

EASTER MIX

2010-04-05T09:04:00.000-05:00

GROWING INTO IT

2010-04-05T08:34:00.003-05:00

I've not written here in a while, no particular reason.... just been unsure if I even want (need?) a blog anymore. It was a great way to communicate across the pond, but now we're here (on this side of the pond) and who's interested anyway, right? Any how..... "growing into it" is where I am right now. Growing into the new phase of life we're all in right now. Lisa is working again as a nurse and is getting herself immersed in the world of hospitals and doctors and medicine and patients and protocols again.... I am very excited for her to get an opportunity to go back.

I am with the girls, Sofia particularly, taking them to school, picking them up, cooking supper, washing clothes and all.... that is, I guess, the part I'm growing into right now. Running the home front and all.... I actually enjoy it. I am a little wishy-washy about it all, but not too much. I try at times to picture it from someone else's perspective. Why is a grown man with a master's degree hanging all day with an almost 3-year old? Well, for one thing, I love that little almost 3-year old and she is mine. I also like having a very unique opportunity to spend a sometimes exorbitant amount of time with my girls. How many dads get to do that?

They've had some experiences in this short life of theirs.... lots of airplane flights (something we surprisingly miss), lots of sights to see (we keep remembering how beautiful we thought Rome to be), and lots of interesting food (sarmale anyone?). Yea, so, growing into it, not sure (not even remotely sure) where this road is going.... right now, Sofia is napping on the couch (she awoke very early this morning), the crock pot is humming away with a delicious bean and turkey chili I'm whipping up for dinner, there are clothes to be folded, a dog to walk, public library time to come (Sofia and Daddy love themselves some library), and a trip to Sam's or Costco (dependent upon where I am when I decide to go).

...SO BUCHAREST

2010-03-18T20:05:00.001-05:00

THE GLORIOUS INSULT

2010-03-09T14:35:00.001-06:00

When Insults Had Class: These glorious insults are from an era before the English language got boiled down to 4-letter words.

The exchange between Churchill & Lady Astor:
She said, "If you were my husband I'd give you poison."
He said, "If you were my wife, I'd drink it."

A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease." "That depends, Sir," said Disraeli, "whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."

"He had delusions of adequacy." - Walter Kerr

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." - Winston Churchill

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." Clarence Darrow

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." - William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway).

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it." - Moses Hadas

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." - Mark Twain

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.." - Oscar Wilde

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend.... if you have one." - George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second.... if there is one." - Winston Churchill, in response.

"I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here." - Stephen Bishop

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator." - John Bright

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial." - Irvin S. Cobb

"He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others." - Samuel Johnson

"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up." - Paul Keating

"In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily." - Charles, Count Talleyrand

"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him." - Forrest Tucker

"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?" - Mark Twain

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." - Mae West

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go.." - Oscar Wilde

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." - Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

"He has Van Gogh's ear for music." - Billy Wilder

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening.But this wasn't it." - Groucho Marx

A RIVERWALK DAY

2010-02-27T20:55:00.004-06:00

ANCIENT WISDOM

2010-02-04T11:28:00.002-06:00

19 tips for cheering yourself up -- from two hundred years ago....

This is from a biography of the English writer Sydney Smith, in Hesketh Pearson’s The Smith of Smiths. In 1820, Smith wrote a letter to an unhappy friend, Lady Morpeth, in which he offered her tips for cheering up.

1st. Live as well as you dare.

2nd. Go into the shower-bath with a small quantity of water at a temperature low enough to give you a slight sensation of cold, 75 or 80 degrees.

3rd. Amusing books.

4th. Short views of human life—not further than dinner or tea.

5th. Be as busy as you can.

6th. See as much as you can of those friends who respect and like you.

7th. And of those acquaintances who amuse you.

8th. Make no secret of low spirits to your friends, but talk of them freely—they are always worse for dignified concealment.

9th. Attend to the effects tea and coffee produce upon you.

10th. Compare your lot with that of other people.

11th. Don’t expect too much from human life—a sorry business at the best.

12th. Avoid poetry, dramatic representations (except comedy), music, serious novels, melancholy, sentimental people, and everything likely to excite feeling or emotion, not ending in active benevolence.

13th. Do good, and endeavour to please everybody of every degree.

14th Be as much as you can in the open air without fatigue.

15th. Make the room where you commonly sit gay and pleasant.

16th. Struggle by little and little against idleness.

17th. Don’t be too severe upon yourself, or underrate yourself, but do yourself justice.

18th. Keep good blazing fires.

19th. Be firm and constant in the exercise of rational religion.

ARE WE SICK OF IT YET?

2010-01-31T12:18:00.002-06:00

This little report should make you sick at what we've allowed to happen in our country....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OBAMA WATCH CENTRAL

President makes Top 10 list of corrupt politicians
Believes he 'can violate privacy rights of Americans' without legal consequence

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Posted: December 29, 2009, 9:14 pm Eastern, © 2010 WorldNetDaily

President Obama has been named to a "Top 10" list he'd likely be grateful to avoid: Judicial Watch's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians," for 2009.

"The Obama White House believes," said the report from the organization that monitors government for corruption, and sues when it chooses, "it can violate the privacy rights of American citizens without any legal consequences or accountability."

The report released yesterday said Obama joined the likes of Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.; Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner; Attorney General Eric Holder; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa.; and Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., on the list.

"Even before President Obama was sworn into office, he was interviewed by the FBI for a criminal investigation of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's scheme to sell the president's former Senate seat to the highest bidder," the report said.

"Moreover, the Obama administration made the startling claim that the Privacy Act does not apply to the White House. The Obama White House believes it can violate the privacy rights of American citizens without any legal consequences or accountability," the report said.

"President Obama boldly proclaimed that 'transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency,' but his administration is addicted to secrecy, stonewalling far too many of Judicial Watch's Freedom of Information Act requests and is refusing to make public White House visitor logs as federal law requires," the organization said.

The White House did not respond to a WND e-mail request for comment.

Judicial Watch also cited efforts by the Obama administration to use the National Endowment of the Arts, as well as the agency that runs the AmeriCorps program, as "propaganda machines" and use tax dollars to persuade "artists" to promote the Obama agenda.

Further, he's installed a long list of "czars" in the government.

"Too many of these individuals are leftist radicals who answer to no one but the president. And too many of the czars are not subject to Senate confirmation (which raises serious constitutional questions)," the report said.

"Under the president's bailout schemes, the federal government continues to appropriate or control – through fiat and threats – large sectors of the private economy, prompting conservative columnist George Will to write: 'The administration's central activity – the political allocation of wealth and opportunity – is not merely susceptible to corruption, it is corruption.'"

"Government-run healthcare and car companies, White House coercion, uninvestigated ACORN corruption, debasing his office to help Chicago cronies, attacks on conservative media and the private sector, unprecedented and dangerous new rights for terrorists, perks for campaign donors – this is Obama's 'ethics' record – and we haven't even gotten through the first year of his presidency," Judicial Watch said.

Chris Farrell, the chief of research for the organization, told WND the list is not just about wrongdoing – whether the actions are immoral, illegal or just fattening.

These are issues dealing with an abuse of office, or the abuse of the public trust, he said.

He said the Top Ten list is listed on the Judicial Watch website in alphabetical order because it is not intended to represent that one case among the "Top 10" would be worse than others.

"What they've done has broad repercussions," he said.

According to the report others on the list are:

Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., who also was on the list last year for his corrupt relationship with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for allegedly accepting preferential treatment for himself. In 2009, the report said, the scandals kept coming. He faced an ethics complaint this year for undervaluing a property he owns in Ireland on his federal disclosure forms.

Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., who might be considered one of the year's worst offenders for admitting to an extramarital affair with the wife of one of his staff members, who then allegedly obtained special favors from him in exchange for his silence. "It looks as if Ensign misused his public office (and taxpayer resources) to cover up his sexual shenanigans," Judicial Watch said.

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who is being investigated by Judicial Watch in connection with a $12 million TARP cash infusion into the Boston-based OneUnited Bank. He was the congressman who infamously in 2003 announced, "the two Government Sponsored Enterprises we are talking about here, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are not in a crisis." The comments came as he worked against GOP efforts to rein in the GSEs, which later created an economic tidal wave through the economy because of their financial losses.

Another is Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner, who admitted to failing to pay $34,000 taxes he owed on his lucrative salary at the International Monetary Fund.

Attorney General Eric Holder also is on the list. His record includes obstructing an FBI investigation of the theft of nuclear secrets from Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory; rejecting multiple requests for an independent counsel to investigate alleged fundraising abuses by then-Vice President Al Gore in the Clinton White House; undermining the criminal investigation of President Clinton by Kenneth Starr in the midst of the Lewinsky investigation; and planning the violent raid to seize then-six-year-old Elian Gonzalez at gunpoint in order to return him to Castro's Cuba, Judicial Watch said. He also has dropped a voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party stemming from members' actions on Election Day 2008.

Joining the others is Illinois State Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., who was in the center of the scandal in which Blagojevich reportedly tried to sell Obama's vacant Senate seat. "According to the Chicago Sun-Times, emissaries for Jesse Jackson Jr., named 'Senate Candidate A' in the Blagojevich indictment, reportedly offered $1.5 million to Blagojevich during a fundraiser if he named Jackson Jr. to Obama's seat."

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is named for her "sense of entitlement," which is "at the heart of the corruption problem in Washington," Judicial Watch said. "Politicians believe laws and rules (even the U.S. Constitution) apply to the rest of us but not to them. Case in point: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her excessive and boorish demands for military travel. Judicial Watch obtained documents from the Pentagon in 2008 that suggest Pelosi has been treating the Air Force like her own personal airline."

Also, Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., who "made headlines in 2009 for all the wrong reasons." Judicial Watch said Murtha is under investigation for his relationship with the now-defunct defense lobbyist PMA Group. That was founded by a former Murtha associate and has been his largest campaign contributor.

Also, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-New York, who has been unable to explain how he forgot to pay taxes on $75,000 in rental income, or how his congressional office was able to raise funds for his private Rangel Center by reportedly swapping a tax loophole for donations. Further, he's accused of making financial donations to other members of Congress who are assigned to investigate his actions.

OUR GIRL LIKES TO PARTY ALL THE TIME.....

2010-01-31T12:11:00.003-06:00

if you know me at all, you know my distaste for Nancy Pelosi and her "Brood of Vipers" currently taking up residence on "The Hill." As if more evidence is needed.......

Taxpayers pay $101,000 for Pelosi's in-flight 'food, booze'
Speaker's trips 'are more about partying than anything else'

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Posted: January 29, 2010, 12:20 am Eastern, By Bob Unruh © 2010 WorldNetDaily

It reads like a dream order for a wild frat party: Maker's Mark whiskey, Courvoisier cognac, Johnny Walker Red scotch, Grey Goose vodka, E&J brandy, Bailey's Irish Crème, Bacardi Light rum, Jim Beam whiskey, Beefeater gin, Dewars scotch, Bombay Sapphire gin, Jack Daniels whiskey … and Corona beer.

But that single receipt makes up just part of the more than $101,000 taxpayers paid for "in-flight services" – including food and liquor, for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trips on Air Force jets over the last two years. That's almost $1,000 per week.

OBAMA-CARE!

2010-01-24T20:46:00.001-06:00

LEADERSHIP THOUGHTS: 15

2010-01-21T21:08:00.004-06:00

Ten management lessons from Tesco’s CEO
By Megan Conniff | Published: January 12, 2010

This entry was posted in Education, Events, Retail Companies, Retail TrendsIn his opening comments at today’s Super Session, Sir Terry Leahy referenced Napoleon Bonaparte’s infamous quote “Britain is a nation of shopkeepers.” Although the comment wasn’t originally intended as a compliment, Britain has indeed become a nation of shopkeepers, with Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s experiencing their heydays in the early 1990s. Since then, Tesco has shot to prominence in the U.K. and around the world. This morning, Leahy, who became the retailer’s CEO in 1997 and has earned a bevy of accolades, offered his top 10 management lessons:

Find the truth:

Don’t just rely on research or past experience. Find out where your company stands now by talking directly to the customer. They will be honest about what’s good and bad about your business.

Audacious goals:

These can galvanize your organization. Tesco’s audacious goals included being the No. 1 retail choice for UK customers, being as strong in nonfood as it it in food, becoming a leader in global retailing and inventing retail services.

Vision, values and culture:

These matter more than any plans, strategies or marketing tactics. Your staff can help you learn what your company’s values should be.

Follow the customer:

You’re not going to be able to guess what the customer wants. Therefore, you need to stay close to them, observe them and be prepared when you see a change.

The Steering Wheel:

How do you relate big-picture ideas to what your staff, at all levels, works on every day? Tesco has focused on setting specific measures for customers, community, operations, people and finance. Everyone in each part of the circle knows how they relate to the company’s overall strategies.

People, process, systems:

This is the process of transforming your plans into the customer experience.

Lean thinking:

Leahy read about how Toyota cleaned up its manufacturing process, and used it as a model for how to make Tesco’s business leaner.

Simple beats complex:

Develop a culture of simplicity. Communications was one of Leahy’s examples. Tesco turned to the newspaper industry to better understand how to communicate simply.

Competition is good:

Learn from your competitors and don’t focus on their faults. Focus on their strengths.

Leadership:
Leahy’s favorite definition of this word: A leader takes you further than you would go on your own.

LEADERSHIP THOUGHTS: 14

2010-01-14T10:24:00.004-06:00

This is part of a larger article that I found recently.... some very interesting questions to ask, regardless of "what you lead" (business, family, school, etc).

Ask Yourself Big Questions
18/January/07 Filed in: Leadership Articles

The big question is a variant of the ‘George Bailey question’ (as in the movie, It’s A Wonderful Life). A personal version would be, “what would the world miss if you didn’t exist?”

Below are seven big questions to ponder. Some you have likely seen before, some not, but each has the potential to stimulate important insight.

1. If you started from scratch, would you do what you now do? If not, what are you going to do about it?

2. What would make you excited – joyful, exuberant, energized – to get up each morning?

3. If you were guaranteed success, what would you do?

4. What are your fears? What would you do if you were not afraid?

5. What is the experience you want from life? What is the experience you want other people to have of you? (Don’t forget, what experience does your business give your customers?)

6. How do you want to be remembered? What are you doing to make that happen?

7. What is the gift you bring to the world? What gift does the world bring you?

Putting big questions to work for you is perhaps best explained by further questions. What question most resonates with you, gives you pause to think? What would happen if you asked yourself that question each morning for the next 90 days?

Or better said by the poet Rilke, “Live the questions now.”

***
by Tom Stevens (c)2007
Tom Stevens helps individuals and organizations create brilliant futures and make a difference. To contact him, visit www.ThinkLeadershipIdeas.com

A FEW VERY SHORT BOOKS

2010-01-06T17:17:00.002-06:00

THINGS I DID TO DESERVE THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE by Barrack Obama

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MY COUNTRY by Jane Fonda & Cindy Sheehan, Illustrated by Michael Moore

MY CHRISTIAN ACCOMPLISHMENTS & HOW I HELPED AFTER KATRINA by Rev. Jesse Jackson & Rev Al Sharpton

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT BILL by Hillary Clinton

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT HILLARY by Bill Clinton

MY LITTLE BOOK OF PERSONAL HYGIENE by Osama Bin Laden

THINGS I CANNOT AFFORD by Bill Gates

THINGS I WOULD NOT DO FOR MONEY by Dennis Rodman

THINGS WE KNOW TO BE TRUE by Al Gore & John Kerry

GUIDE TO DATING ETIQUETTE by Mike Tyson

MY PLAN TO FIND THE REAL KILLERS by O. J. Simpson

HOW TO DRINK & DRIVE SAFELY by Ted Kennedy

MY BOOK OF MORALS by Bill Clinton with introduction by the Rev. Jesse Jackson

COMPLETE KNOWLEDGE OF MILITARY STRATEGY! by Nancy Pelosi

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2009

2009-12-25T11:19:00.007-06:00

GLOBAL WARMING

2009-12-23T22:12:00.002-06:00

CAPTIVATING

2009-12-17T08:43:00.003-06:00

....on a splurge (for us, anyway), I bought the new Susan Boyle CD. It is captivating. If you want to get lost in a CD, one to turn up loud in the car, this is the one. Somehow, she represents perseverance. Making it. I'll never forget the first time I heard her voice. It brought tears to my eyes.

"OUT IN THE BACK" AS THEY SAY

2009-12-15T09:06:00.002-06:00

A little over a week ago, I awoke with a stiff and sore neck and was wondering what to do about it. I finally decided to go to the mall and get a 20 minute massage from these guys there who are amazing with their skills. It felt great, but didn't really solve the problem. A few mornings later, I awoke and couldn't get out of bed. The pain was terrible and all I could do was lay back down.

Thus began the journey of this past week ....a chiropractor for starters, then an urgent care doctor (we have no "family doctor" yet since we're new here), then a referral to a spine doctor, then an MRI, then the spine doctor again. Finally, we knew I have a herniated disk and it is very painful. For the first time in my life, I understood how quickly we get caught up in the rush of the medical system.

Today, I go back to the spine clinic and will have a cortisone epidural in my spine. I'm not excited, yet I am. I dread the thought of it (I'm a pain weenie) and I look forward to the pain relief. In bed last night, Lisa tried to prepare me, to walk me through what would happen, what it would look like, reminding me of how it looked when she had epidurals when our girls were born.

As I've laid many days, sometimes in tears over the pain, I've thought about this whole thing. I saw (again) how God goes ahead of us.... Lisa's mom is here visiting from South Carolina for a few weeks. She's been here to watch the girls, run the house, cook and clean.... all of them are things she loves to do! What a blessing.

Also, I saw that I really do know what I want to do.... I'm ready to be a counselor for men who've been abused. I'm ready to start assisting them in unraveling the messy ball of string that is life. I hope that i can help a few people, and I hope that helping them will unravel a few more knots in my own string.

The night before I couldn't get out of bed with pain, we'd gone to dinner with the Hagans, some friends here, and Ellen had challenged us to walk or run in the next Rock and Roll Marathon in San Antonio, next fall. We all agreed that we'd four train for the half marathon.... so I lay that out there. Will I be able to do that? Time will tell.

X-MAS HAIR

2009-12-01T20:11:00.002-06:00

PRETTY COOL (IN MY OPINION)

2009-11-26T22:20:00.001-06:00

HOW TO MAKE A PUMPKIN PIE

2009-11-22T07:56:00.000-06:00

OUR FAVORITE PLACE

2009-11-20T16:39:00.003-06:00

....Piata Unirii in Timisoara, our favorite place to be ....so many memories there - the girls played there for endless hours on summer nights and went to gymnastics there, we sat at the terasa and drank luke-warm Romanian beer with friends, sat on the benches and talked about life with Raoul ....yep, our favorite place.

CHEERS!

2009-11-14T14:32:00.003-06:00

....we had a Brunch this morning in our community and the girls were toasting our success!!

HALLOWEEN '09

2009-11-14T14:22:00.002-06:00

This was the first "real American Halloween' for the girls (at least as far as they can remember) and they had a BLAST, trick-or-treating and being American kids in America! Here they are (and Rudy too) all gussied up. Emma was a "70's disco girl," Mikie was a pirate, and Rudy was her side-kick. Sofia was a princess (aren't all little girls??).

BUCHAREST TIME

2009-11-12T22:40:00.002-06:00

REDNECK PHOTOS

2009-11-06T19:33:00.003-06:00

.....we're from SC, so we can say it!

THE FAM.....

2009-11-03T16:46:00.001-06:00

LEADERSHIP THOUGHTS: 13

2009-11-03T08:16:00.003-06:00

It's been a while since I've stumbled across anything that really "hit me," and then I saw this. I am always amazed how the simplist of ideas are usually the best and the most over-looked because they don't look complicated enough!

Simple, Under-appreciated Leadership Tools
30/October/09

This is a time of extraordinary technological advancements, yet what I find inspiring is the way leaders can make an extraordinary difference using simple tools everyday.

These tools are not particularly remarkable in themselves. You are familiar with most, if not all of them, but familiarity is no guarantee that you are maximizing the power of these tools. Each of them tools has been of particular help to one or more of my executive coaching clients. I trust you will find an idea here that will help you be more organized, think smarter, foster team alignment, and become a more influential leader.

Checklist
$175 million. That is the financial savings realized by Michigan hospitals once they implemented a very simple tool, according to the Heath Brothers in a March 2008 issue of Fast Company magazine.

The tool is a simple checklist. Developed by Johns Hopkins physicians and implemented in intensive care units, it is credited not only with reducing costs by millions of dollars, but may have also saved up to 1,500 lives. And you thought checklists were only for grocery shopping.

Sometimes checklists are avoided simply because they are considered too simple. But where assuring and documenting the completion of multiple actions is critical - think taking off and landing a 737 - the checklist is the best tool around. Are there places in your business where routine actions completed more consistently would boost performance?

Tickler File
This productivity tool has probably helped me more than anything else since I became a small town mayor and had to keep track of lots of events and appointments without the benefit of an assistant. The type of file that I have is one described in Getting Things Done by Dave Allen.

It consists of 43 folders, one for each day - that is 31 - and one for each month. Invitations, directions, agendas, etc. are placed in a file that I reach for the day they are needed. The files are rotated so I always have exactly what I need for the next 30 days going forward. Anything further than that is put in a monthly file, which are also rotated.

Meeting Agendas
Agendas are the basic tool for planning and conducting a meeting, and no meeting should be without one. Essentially, an agenda is a plan about the the meeting’s purpose, content, and process. Purpose is about the results expected, content is about the range of topics to be covered, and process is about the what participants do (e.g. inform, discuss, decide). Effective leaders ensure an agenda exists for any team meeting, any sales call, any time people are brought together for any business reason - preferably prepared in advance and written. That agendas can be used flexibly and in unlimited formats does not mean they should not be used. Even if a meeting created on the fly, the first question asked should be “what’s our agenda?”

Name Tags
When you are part of a project, a committee, a nonprofit or association board, chances are you won’t know or remember everybody's name - even if you’ve been meeting these folks once a month for the last year. And having to ask for names becomes embarrassing.

People work best together when they have effective relationships and that starts with knowing everyone’s names. If you are in charge of a group where participants aren't likely to remember everyone's names, then provide name tags or name tents.

Post-It Notes
Post-it notes. What a great invention, maybe not up there with the wheel and fire, but pretty darn close. Post-it notes are under-appreciated as a tool for visually organizing thinking, either on your own or with a small group of people, such as your executive team.

When you capture ideas on Post-it notes, then you can move and group them in ways that you just can't do if you are capturing ideas on a flip chart or a simple piece of paper. For example, you could have everybody in your team each do their top three priorities, one priority per note. When you lay these on the table, then you can see where there is overlap and where there are unique contributions.

In addition to simple categorical groupings, organize the notes a step further by giving each of the ideas a rating on two different dimensions, like a scale of one to five for cost and then a scale of one to five for ease of implementation. Using those ratings, you can then arrange the notes on an XY chart - a very useful visual for determining priorities. (Post-It® is a trademark of 3M)

Mind Maps
Mind maps are another visual thinking tool easily used by individuals and small groups to capture and organize ideas. Human beings think by associations. A mind map takes a core idea and links other ideas to it in a very holistic way. If you are unfamiliar with this technique, Google “mind maps” or check at Wikipedia and you will find lots of information about how to do mind mapping. There is plenty of great software out there too, although a simple sheet of paper will do.

Handwritten Notes
Leadership is about influencing people, and that means connecting to people in a way that stands out. Want to show appreciation to a hardworking employee, important contact, or a special customer? A handwritten note is incredibly powerful. Organize your desk and workspace so note cards and stamps are easily available.

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by Tom Stevens (c)2009
Tom Stevens helps leaders create and sustain exceptional organizations. To contact him, visit www.ThinkLeadershipIdeas.com or call 800 727-9788

THE BIG BOOTS

2009-11-03T08:11:00.001-06:00

These big boys stand proudly in front of North Star, a local mall here in San Antonio. They are quite an attraction.... I often see people taking photos of themselves and family in front of them. Everytime you whiz by on the 410 Loop, there they are!

MAX'S IDEAS TODAY

2009-10-18T13:05:00.004-05:00

Max (as people tend to call him - Lucado, you know) spoke this morning at church about humility.... an interesting topic for a man who is clearly internationally famous and is a "household name" in many circles. He represents humility, and one would never know he is who he is. That makes attending Oak Hills a joy!

Here is the list he gave to keep us on our "humble toes":

1. Assess yourself honestly - have a sane estimation of your capabilities by the light of faith that God has given you.

2. Don't take your success too seriously - because our hearts are prone to proudness.

3. Celebrate the significance of others - consider others better than yourself.

4. Don't demand your own parking place - be sure to sit in the seat of the unimportant.

5. Never announce your success before it occurs - "one who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off" I Kings 20:11

6. Speak humbly - don't let arrogance come from your mouth.

7. Live at the foot of the cross - the cross is our only reason to brag.

TEXAS!

2009-10-11T20:33:00.001-05:00

Hondo is a little town west of San Antonio and this is their famous sign on the the outskirts.... it was modified years ago to be more polite, so PLEASE was added.