2 or 3 inspirations

I should begin each Sunday’s check-in with what I found inspirational last week, to set a positive tone, right? So here it is.

My friend Denise and I did our presentation yesterday for a group of around 100 certified medical assistants from across the state. The topic was poverty in America and how it affects people’s health, because as medical professionals that’s the kind of stuff we get CEUs for. But, with our passion for Kenya, Denise and I sprinkled the talk with stories from Africa and pictures of poverty there. After the presentation, one of the attendees who I have known for years told me that we should pass an envelope around for donations. I told her that we couldn’t do that as this was a function of a different organization and one time a past speaker had done that and gotten into trouble. She said that then she would do it herself, to which I answered, “I can’t control what someone else does.” The envelope came back to us at the end of the day with $113 inside. Not a huge amount, but enough to warm my heart. I’m sure that many people didn’t feel compelled to give or just didn’t have any extra money on them. I keep telling my daughter that bit by bit we will raise the $6000 needed for her return trip to Africa in April. Just gotta have faith.

The state conference of this organization is the end of April and they are soliciting vendors for the event. The cost is $100. I talked to the organizer (another friend of mine. It pays to get around I guess.) who said she would waive the fee if we would donate one of our Kenyan items as a door prize. Done. So we already have one date for sale of our Kenyan arts and crafts which our team will bring back the second week of April.

A second (or would this be a third?) inspiration that occurred last week (or should I save this for when I have a bad week? No, must thing positive, there will always be ONE thing good at least in each week) happened at our new assisted living facility in town. I finally went for a tour and ran into all six of my patients who live there. They were all delighted to see me! And one started telling the other women with her about my trips to Africa and that I should do a talk for them all sometime. Just then, the assistant director walked into the room, so Joan immediately introduced us. I told her I would love to do a slide show for the residents sometime and we exchanged business cards. I emailed her as soon as I got home. We will see what happens.

Here is how my week ended up:

1) Run through my power-point presentation a few more times. I ran through it only twice, once by myself and once with Denise who was giving the talk with me. We got through it yesterday and I guess we did okay, as attested to above.

2) Write 1,000 words on the second memoir. Wrote 1,065, so that was impressive.

3) Blog twice here and three times on the Dino Chronicles Yes

4) Read six ROW80 blogs and comment on three of them. Yes, I actually read eight and commented on four.

5) Promote my books on social media once. Hmm? I can’t remember, so I’m going to bet not.

6) Send out five letters asking for donations for our trip in the spring. Actually sent out eight. One person got back to me saying that they would get a check in the mail, but haven’t heard from the rest.  

7) Walk/run on the treadmill three times for 20 minutes each day. Only did it twice. Just not enough hours in the week.

8) Submit a piece somewhere. Yes, I sent an article about my daughter and her nonprofit to the local newspaper in the city where she lives.  

Okay, the days aren’t getting any longer. Yet. But let’s keep the ball rolling and have another productive week:

1) Work on a new power-point presentation, this one will be geared towards kids with the title “Kenya for Kids”. I have two potential groups to give this to and might also present it at the assisted living home in town.

2) Write 1,000 words on the second memoir.

3) Blog twice here and three times on the Dino Chronicles.

4) Read eight ROW80 blogs and comment on four of them (since this is what I am averaging).

5) Promote my books on social media once. I think it is time to update my website, so I will work on that.

6) Update the GoFundMe page for our nonprofit’s trip this spring. I’ve about run out of people to ask for donations, but I also may remind the 4 or 5 people who said they would give something and still haven’t. 

7) Walk/run on the treadmill three times for 20 minutes each day.

8) Find something inspirational this week

Kenya for Kids

Without copying and pasting my whole list of goals for this week, I will just that I am actually doing okay. Though I haven’t practiced my presentation that I am giving this Saturday for between 100 and 120 people, I did start putting together another powerpoint about Kenya. This one is geared towards kids, so instead of being about the doom and gloom of living in poverty, it will be pictures of:
this is a house a Kenyan might live in,

this is some food an African might eat,

this is a school Kenyan kids might go to.

Our Sunday school teacher wanted me to do a presentation for her class and our Kinship organization her in town had mentioned it a while back. So once I get this presentation together I need to contact them.

In other news this week, Sunday night I wrote 1,065 words on my second memoir about Kenya. I also mailed out eight letters asking for donations for my daughter’s trip in April. I’ve run on the treadmill twice. And best of all, I submitted an article about my daughter’s upcoming trip to the local newspaper where she lives. We will see if they are receptive to it or not.

I’m thinking that is pretty good for being just Wednesday evening. How about you? Accomplished much yet this week?  

what inspires you?

Here we are, writing another Sunday check-in, with some great goals accomplished and a few floundering like a fish out of the tank.

1) Finish my power-point presentation for the medical people, and present it at a meeting on Tuesday night. Done. I think I mentioned at my midweek check-in, that the presentation went well, though poorly attended, but it still merited the inspirational item of the week (see #8).

2) Write 1,000 words on the second memoir – not a single word, didn’t even look at it.

3) Blog twice here and three times on the Dino Chronicles – blogged here on schedule, but only twice on the Dino Chronicles.

4) Read six ROW80 blogs and comment on three of them –Yup, right on track.

5) Promote my books on social media once – Yes, actually twice even.        

6) Send out three letters or e-letters to prospective donors for our trip in the spring – sent out four e-messages. Did get two donations, one completely unsolicited, so that made me happy, but we are still something like $1200 short.

7) Walk/run on the treadmill three times for 20 minutes each day – only did it twice

8) Find something inspirational this week – The day after my presentation Tuesday night, I received a beautiful thank you from one of the participants. She wrote, “Your presentation last night had every person fully involved, absorbing every bit. I have never been so interested by information in a CEU course ever before… Your personality and passion for the topic were what brought your presentation together. I can’t thank you enough.” Isn’t she a sweetheart? Something to keep me going.  

What have I got to do this week:

1) Run through my power-point presentation a few more times as I am giving it again on Saturday for a group of CMAs from around the state, over a hundred people.

2) Write 1,000 words on the second memoir. I really need to get this done in the next month or so because then I will put it away to ferment while I edit my novel one more time.

3) Blog twice here and three times on the Dino Chronicles

4) Read six ROW80 blogs and comment on three of them

5) Promote my books on social media once

6) Send out five letters (because I came up with five more prospective donors) asking for donations for our trip in the spring.

7) Walk/run on the treadmill three times for 20 minutes each day

8) Find something inspirational this week

9) Submit a piece somewhere, because it is almost the end of the month and to stay on track for submitting 12 in the year, I need to do one a month.

 Nothing is as inspiring to me as Lake Superior.

What inspires you? 

tuesday night escapades

Of course the big goal which I had to reach by this post was the powerpoint presentation for my local fellow CMAs. I finalized the presentation Monday night, and even though I forgot to take my typed notes with me, I was able to remember enough information in addition to what was on the slides to give an interesting and informative talk. It was only supposed to last an hour, but there were so many questions and comments, that it last an hour and a half. 

It made for a long day, but worthwhile day, made longer by the events I posted in my other blog this morning.  

Other than that, not much work on the goals. No other writing or book promotion, no promotion of Tumaini Volunteers. And I've only walked on the treadmill once so far this week. I did read a few ROW80 blogs and commented on them.

And I really think that's all I have so far this week. I don't know how much more I will get done, as I work on Friday at the day-job, my usual day off and most productive. But it is what it is. 

Here are some of the pictures from last night's escapade, in case you don't make it over to my other blog. All pictures of Dino hard at work in my living room. 

Happy VD

Happy Valentine’s Day to all those who believe in such holidays. I view holidays like this, along with Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc., as a way for greeting card companies and flower-sellers to make an extra buck. I guess we should support certain businesses, so if you feel compelled (or know you will be in the doghouse for ignoring these holidays) at least buy your cards and flowers from local businesses which support the local economy and the small business owner. Ok, that’s my plug for the day.

What did the past week look like for me?

1) Finish my power-point presentation for the medical people – really close

2) Write 1,000 words on the second memoir – not quite, but really close!

3) Blog twice here and three times on the Dino Chronicles – no. Can you believe it? I just broke down this week, I don’t know what I did all week, but I only blogged here once and twice on the Dino Chronicles.

4) Promote my books on social media once - yes

5) Update the Gofundme campaign for the nonprofit’s trip to Kenya in the spring - yes

6) Send out five letters or e-letters to prospective donors for our trip in thespring – yes, I lose track, but I know there were five, and maybe even six.

7) Walk/run on the treadmill three times for 20 minutes each day - yes

8) Decide what I am going to do for Lent, as in give up something or do something more inspired – still not so inspired, have been reading the Bible on my Kindle though, so have been reading it more frequently as it is easier to carry around. Other than that, I got nothing, Lord, sorry.  

9) Read six other ROW80 blogs and comment on three of them – read 4 and commented on 3

Though the list above doesn’t look too bleak – there is a reasonable amount of green and yellow – there’s a whole list of secret goals (ie sewing, cleaning, work projects, etc.) that are making me feel like I am spinning my wheels. I know there are only so many hours in the day and I shouldn’t beat myself up. I just wanted to get one thing at a time finished, but my mind keeps wandering off and my body keeps wandering into the kitchen for chocolate! (Oh, yea, see, I should add chocolate to the VD gifts listed above.)

Okay so what about this week?

1) Finish my power-point presentation for the medical people, and present it at a meeting on Tuesday night, so I really need to finish it! Today!

2) Write 1,000 words on the second memoir

3) Blog twice here and three times on the Dino Chronicles

4) Read six ROW80 blogs and comment on three of them

5) Promote my books on social media once

6) Send out three letters or e-letters to prospective donors for our trip in the spring. Maybe send reminders to the five people who said they would be happy to make a donation. We still need to raise close to two thousand dollars. My daughter is starting to panic. They leave in just over six weeks.

7) Walk/run on the treadmill three times for 20 minutes each day

8) Find something inspirational this week – I need to include this here as I keep forgetting about it. I don’t remember anything last week which fit the bill, but I need to be more cognizant.

Bleah! Time to get it together.

Oh, hold it, here’s something inspirational.

When I was getting ready for work Saturday morning, I looked out my dining room window to see these two beauties. They look well fed. Or are they just fluffy from the cold? 

time to review

Holy cow, here we are a full week into February. That must mean this Round of Words is one-third of the way over, or so.

Maybe it is time, first of all, to review my 2016 year-end goals.

1)         Finish editing my third devotional, “Early Ministry of Jesus”

2)         Finish editing my first novel, “Finding the Way Home”

3)         Write second African memoir – I have a start!

4)         Start writing my second novel, “The Novitiate” 

5)         Research getting an agent

6)         Submit 12 pieces – submitted one piece, which is on track, coz that is one per month  

7)         Have 4 pieces accepted

8)         Attend a writers’ conference

9)         Blog three times weekly in the Dino Chronicles – have been keeping up

10)       Blog twice a week here – also keeping up

Wow, what was I thinking when I came up with that list!? Even though I put up some green, there are a lot more things that haven’t been touched. Well, I just reposted it to keep myself on track, or more like get back on track.

But what about last week?

1) Continue to work on my power-point presentation for the medical people - nope

2) Write 1,000 words on the second memoir – yes, 1,245 words

3) Blog twice here and three times on the Dino Chronicles - yes

4) Promote my books on social media once - yes

5) Update the Gofundme campaign for the nonprofit’s trip to Kenya in the spring - yes

6) Send out five letters or e-letters to prospective donors for our trip in the spring – hmm? I think I sent one

7) Walk/run on the treadmill three times for 20 minutes each day – only twice

8) Get serious about watching what I eat – well, this goal just plain needs to be more specific, don’t you think?

Okay, I guess that’s not too bad. I also got two more possible engagements for doing presentations of my trip. First though, I didn’t tell you that the one at my church last week went well. About 30 people were there. Here’s a picture from it.

Wednesday night, our Sunday School teacher asked if I would do a revised, kid-friendly talk about Africa for her class. And then at my cousin’s daughter’s funeral (I hate to even write this coz it makes it sound like funerals are just one more chance to network), a woman who knows a member of my church asked if I would do a presentation for her church. My daughter was there also, so I kind of pawned the woman off on her, coz my daughter needs to do that kind of networking too.

Oh, and the funeral was nice – again, I probably shouldn’t write those kinds of things, but it’s true. Stephanie Nickel in her blog always opens with a Celebration goal, something good or inspirational that happened that week. I would have to say that last week it would have been at the funeral, the beautiful picture of Erin at her sister’s wedding in September. If Sara hadn’t gotten married when she did, when Erin was still doing okay and able to attend, we wouldn’t have those precious memories.

What about the upcoming week?

1) Finish my power-point presentation for the medical people

2) Write 1,000 words on the second memoir

3) Blog twice here and three times on the Dino Chronicles

4) Promote my books on social media once

5) Update the Gofundme campaign for the nonprofit’s trip to Kenya in the spring

6) Send out five letters or e-letters to prospective donors for our trip in the spring

7) Walk/run on the treadmill three times for 20 minutes each day

8) Decide what I am going to do for Lent, as in give up something or do something more inspired
9) I also keep forgetting to add some goals for supporting my fellow ROWer's. I will shoot for reading six other blogs this week and commenting on four, for starters. 

Not much new on that list, I am going to keep plugging away

where am i at

Where am I at:

1) Continue to work on my power-point presentation for the medical people - nope

2) Write 1,000 words on the second memoir - nope

3) Blog twice here and three times on the Dino Chronicles - on track

4) Promote my books on social media once - nope, not really, unless I can count that I did mention my memoir on my other blog

5) Update the Gofundme campaign for the nonprofit’s trip to Kenya in the spring - yep and actually are one-third of the way to our goal

6) Send out five letters or e-letters to prospective donors for our trip in the spring - I think I have messaged one person so far

7) Walk/run on the treadmill three times for 20 minutes each day - just once

8) Get serious about watching what I eat - yea, right, not hardly

We had a death in the family on Monday, and though it wasn't someone close enough to disrupt my day to day stuff, it still sent me into a tail-spin. Just haven't been able to motivate and do much other than talk on the phone and look up random stuff on-line. Like, it took me way too long to figure out just what year this girl's father died (he was my cousin, who I used to be fairly close to, so I feel bad that I was off by four years on the year of his death).

And of course, with the funeral coming up this Friday, which is my usually most productive day, well, it doesn't matter, because the family is the most important thing. Second most important thing, or will be this week, is that I am taking my Kinship kid shopping on Saturday. Again, other things are more important than eight items on a list. 

Hope you all are having a better week than I am!

All the cousins and a few spouses. Dear sweet Erin, the lamb who just passed away, is in red.