Week of Jan 15th

I was not looking forward to this theme.

Fast forward to Sunday afternoon. Paul went to play guitar w some guys, kids were with their mom, 5 loads of laundry were almost done, and all my other craft projects stalled out. I had already Skyped with Elli, Michael and the Cutest Girls in the Universe (why can’t THAT be a theme!?) so I got out the quilt project. Excuse me…The Quilt Project.

And it occurred to me as I laid out 64 square feet of fabric of my life…

This is my self-portrait.

I have filled in the 2 gaps, but did not retake the pic. Used the T shirt that was our coaching "uniform" when Paul and I coached Tyler's basketball team this season.

Of course I got behind quickly (very similar to my athletic races these days), but am not caught up, have a custom template that I love and am ready to share! Some things will overlap, some will be new (like you probably don’t need a play by play of Maggie and I making a car trip to the store to get me a Diet Pepsi on my work-at-home Tuesdays), and some are too big to share in the photo-a-day/page-a-week project (of course I am talking about my grandmother-in-law shanking my tire story).

Would love any suggestions for photo ops, questions you have about our daily do-ings and requests.

January 1-7, 2012

This week’s theme was “I Dreamed a Dream” in honor of the MLK holiday. Welp, on Monday Paul was at work, kids were at Robin’s and I had the whole day to make my dream come true. I went to the Natural Science Center with a plan to work on aperture and shutter speed. It was pretty chilly, but the tigers did not disappoint. I set up “camp” near their enclosure and went to work taking photos and notes as I clicked. After awhile a little girl came up asking me what I was doing. I told her I was taking pictures of the tigers.

Then she asked me, “For a book?”

I smiled to myself and said, “Someday, kiddo. Someday.”

The person on the other line was my boss’s boss’s boss’s boss’s boss. Seriously, Ed McMahan would have surprised me less. I think I even stood up straighter. Could he SEE me standing in the parking lot of the Subway? Why was I reading Magical Thinking instead of Good to Great or something else heady and business-like?

Why was he calling me? WAIT! I just had my annual review this morning and IT WAS STELLAR! High ratings, excellent feedback from my manager.

HE WAS CALLING ME TO OFFER A NEW JOB!!!

Or at the very least, he had heard of my rock-star performance in the first year w the company and was calling to encourage me. Now THAT is some principle-centered leadership in action. I was blown away and was so busy getting my acceptance speech ready, I didn’t listen too closely to what he was saying until the end.

He was looking for the OTHER Susan Sanders in the company. It was a wrong number.

Vote for “Water fun!” click here: http://bit.ly/pXjpuq

Water fun!

Now I need your help because I want to be a professional photographer. Biz sent me a link to a contest that I KNOW I can win if you take a second to vote. I entered the following 4 photos, vote for 1 or all, plus please forward to everyone in your email contacts, please!

Bird at sunrise

To vote for “Bird at sunrise” click here: http://bit.ly/nNgrxp

Having a blast on the boogie board!

To vote for “Having a blast on the boogie board” click here: http://bit.ly/rdN35U

Sunrise on N Myrtle Beach

To vote for “Sunrise on N Myrtle Beach” click here: http://bit.ly/p8CPTy

Water fun!

To vote for “Water fun!” click here: http://bit.ly/pXjpuq

Of the three books described in the opening of this Bookworm! series, this is the book that probably made you raise your eyebrows. Or as the author would describe it: cock your head to the side and perk up your ears in question. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein is again a book I had in my hands, put down, and it appeared at Ruthan’s house. I borrowed it Wednesday after running 6 miles before work (i.e. REALLY tired that night so not lots of time to read) and finished crying in the Subway sandwich shop over my flatbread egg white sammich. I was reading it Wednesday night before meeting my winter Team in Training teammates to work on our fundraising. Turns out one girl is readying it for her book club this month and my friend Lauren has been reading it too! If you have (or have ever in your life had) a dog, you need to read this book. It is hilarious in points (monkey’s are inferior to dogs and Enzo, the dog, is indignant that the monkeys have opposable thumbs when he doesn’t); it is heart breaking in others (did you read about me crying in Subway?). No matter what you will not be wasting your time with this book. If you are a deep thinker (i.e. I am too good to read a book written from a dog’s perspective), be heartened—there were many parts that as I read them, I knew they held a deeper, more mystical message. I didn’t slow down to pick up those messages, I liked the part where Enzo was talking best. Makes me want to be a better Master to Maggie. (sorry Barton)

Oh, Kelly C—thanks for letting Ruthan borrow your book out to me. I took good care of it, didn’t drop it in the toilet or tub!

The next choice was UBER exciting b/c it was the first book I read on my NEW IPAD (yes, you have to scream it every time you type “NEW IPAD” for the first year—it’s in the EULA contract). This was a big leap for me—I love the feel of books (hardback and paperback), I love the smell of books (I don’t care if someone told me that smell is actually the pages decaying, I want a perfume that smells like it—better yet a cologne that smells like it that Paul can wear). I also love looking at the cover—why did the author choose that cover? That typesetting? Do they like the cover? What were they thinking when they had that PR headshot taken? I also love carrying a book around—makes me feel pretentious, “What? You don’t read World War II historical memoirs over your Panini at lunch? Loser…”

But I also love technology and my husband, and quite frankly, Paul was sick of lugging around my “do box” of books and magazines every time we took a car trip. This way I can store it all on my NEW IPAD and that fits into my purse! My sister has a Kindle and she loves it so I took the leap with a book that has been on my To Read list for over a year or so: Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand.

This is the story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic distance runner who ended up a Pacific POW. Sounds really uplifting, right—you know how difficult running is for my and the Pacific POW camps make Gitmo sound like a resort. In a Pacific POW camp, they were probably begging to “only” be water boarded. I admit, I have always been fascinated by concentration camp stories. In 8^th grade I entered a public speaking contest with a speech about concentration camps. I think the subtitle of Unbroken really sums it up well for me though: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. I LOVE a good survival story. I LOVE the word RESILIENCE. Not in a Bear Gryllis sort of survival, but when your mental and emotional mettle is tested. What would I do in that situation? I like to think I am a pretty strong chick (beyond bench press), but could I withstand the boredom, physical exertion and starvation (not to mention the torture, of course). And if I could, would I be able to withstand the survivorship? Spoiler Alert: Louis does magnificently and is a new inspiration for me (not necessarily in timing a mile, but in overcoming obstacles).

The only word of caution I have about this book is not to read it when you are backpacking with children. Especially those that tend to be more dramatic than others. You will have no sympathy for a kid whining about walking uphill after you hear of someone’s fingernails being ripped out. No tears are shed for children who dropped s’mores chocolate once you read of a POW who was forced to lick feces from the commander’s boot or be kicked in the face repeatedly. A dramatized headache brings eye rolls when they are not brought on by a beating session where 200+ strikes in one’s face by other men’s fists, clubs, boots, and branches. Its hard to remember to live in the now when reading a book so mesmerizing. Paul plans to read it if I ever give him enough time on my NEW IPAD.

Standby for Part 3!

In the past week or so I have read 3 fantastic books that I have to share w you. They are very different in some obvious ways:

1 fiction, 2 non-fiction
1 author is a dog, 2 are people
1 was on my NEW IPAD, other 2 were paperback
1 was borrowed, 2 were owned

But the one thing all three had in common was that they were all very uplifting, encouraging, happy books. Kind of a variation for me in some ways. I remember going to Barnes and Noble w my family once on vacation and Elli snorted as I came out of the Business section with a book on improving communication, “Why don’t you ever just read fun books?”

A book a read last year or so was We Need to Talk about Kevin, about a boy who is a sociopath and becomes a school shooter (movie debuted at Cannes this year). It was quite chilling and was hard to shake when I finished. Related to that was Room, which I posted about last year about this time.

So that is what I am trying to do now—gather “fun” books that have positive messages. Although I am worried perhaps Paul would have preferred I spend more time in the communication/self-help section and being a step parent has made me NOT read scary-children type books. I’d love to hear what you are reading or what books are on your favorite-of-all-time-will-read-over-and-over list.

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

This book was recommended to me by my friend/Wednesday morning running buddy Ruthan (also one of “The Favorites”). I had seen it several times, picked it up in Target more than once, but not taken the leap. I saw it in her house one Wednesday when I went to run and she said it was a sweet, but powerful book that I had to read. I bought it and it sat on the bookshelf for several weeks until she asked me if I
finished it yet. Two days later I had finished it.

Yes—it is that good. Just like the little boy in it imparts wisdom beyond his years after a trip to Heaven during surgery, this small book packs a powerful message in its fast-paced read. It asked and answered questions I have about Heaven and since it was the experience of a 4-year old boy, I understood much more. It did not feel preachy at all. Instead it really made me want to read more about this Heaven stuff.
In general it was a very positive, uplifting feel good book!

Stay tuned for installments # 2 and 3!

Look--you can ever see the water droplets on the petals.

]]> http://www.spsanders.com/2011/07/25/best-photo-ever/feed/ 2 http://www.spsanders.com/2011/04/11/yo-adrian/ http://www.spsanders.com/2011/04/11/yo-adrian/#comments Mon, 11 Apr 2011 12:12:59 +0000 Susan http://www.spsanders.com/?p=1848 I’ll admit that Bluesy is a little inbred.

And an abandoned sewer cat.

That was found chillin’ on a car tire. And we wanted to move the car. And he didn’t care.

Needless to say he fits in well with our family.

Very well.

Problem is, Bluesy likes to fight. Actually, the problem is not that he likes to fight, the problem is that he is a crappy fighter. And weighs 7 pounds. And he is dumb (see above, I don’t mean in a mute, can’t talk kind of way). And deaf in at least one ear–from a fight of course. Here are some of his current nemesises (nemeses? nemesisae? I mean nemesis plural):

• Maggie
• Paul’s flip flop (just the right one)
• Barton
• Ponytail holders
• Shelby (a neighbor dog who is one of Jake’s puppies, comes around often when we are outside)
• The school bus
• Wind

We have spent hundreds of dollars getting him patched up post-bout. Lately, I just patch him up with whatever is in the first aid cabinet. Note the gash on his “lip” in the photo above. You feel sorry for him. Until he jumps on your head in the middle of the night because your breathing is blowing your hair a little bit. And he considers the moving hair a new nemesis.

I like to brag about the traits that I pretend they got from me (mad ball handling and piano playing skills, for example).

However, the argument became a self-fulfilling prophecy last night when we were proof-reading Anna’s homework. Back-story: the assignment was to make a sentence using each spelling word. One of her words this week is “wait.” Here is the sentence she crafted, including the punctuation:

I want McDonald’s… wait cancel that.

Where does she get this stuff from? (…hee hee….sheepish smile….)

I love being organized and having organized surroundings. I am sure Paul and the kids would help me maintain that if only they knew where to put things right? Before I had ghetto hand written labels or perhaps labels I typed and laminated, but I am THE worst cutter in the world. It never comes out straight so the ghetto-ness is in full effect. So I redid all of the existing labels and added a few. Last night was the perfect night to do it b/c Paul went to his friend’s house to play guitar and the kids were at Robin’s. I was alone. For hours. With my Brother. OK, the dogs and cats were here too, but I created  “dog food” and “cat food” labels first so they were ok with it.

The other bonus is that I will no longer be the household St. Anthony, Patron Saint of Lost Things. I know we did this to my mom (sorry, Mom!!!) and now I know how annoying it is to be asked to find socks, shoes, school papers, backpacks, etc.I also give the equally annoying answer, “where did you have it last?”

I love reusing items so labeling is key. Side note to emphasize my point: My favorite column in Real Simple Magazine is the “New uses for old things” [did you know they have a BOOK OUT WITH 869 NEW USES?!?!?!]. As you see here with Brother’s home, some may mistake it for an old shoe box, not the resting place of the Holy Grail.

Although, now The Others know where it is and I might have to share it… crap.

When I was debating whether or not my jeans were work-appropriate, Elli had a checklist to determine if jeans are too tight. Here is the list, in no certain order:

1. Can you breathe?
2. Does the seam leave imprints on your legs by the end of the day?
3. Does the button give you a new navel by the end of the day?

I am adding a 4th criteria: What do the voters on the blog think of them? Review the picture and decide…

Are Susan’s jeans appropriate for work?

Obviously I would not wear this shirt to work, no matter how bad ass it is. Are these jeans ok for work?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

I ran the spreader for 2 rounds (fertilizer and lime) on Saturday. I could barely clench my hand into a fist when I woke up on Sunday. A little cheesy grits helped loosen it up, and we were able to go for a quick kayak trip before we got the kids.

Tuesday, yes 4 DAYS LATER, my elbow still hurts when I grip something to pick it up. My R pointer finger (injured playing basketball in college) was aching Sunday and Monday night when I went to bed.

Growing old blows monkey chunks.

Chris from the Greensboro store’s paint department recommended the Homax kit:

Homax Caulk Refinishing Kit

Not only did it have a tool to remove caulk, but it also had a separate tool for applying the caulk! All for $5!! It kicked ass for removing the caulk.  I used it when applying the silicone caulk and got the opposite result. It looked like butt when I used it on the silicone caulk. When I used it on the latex caulk (long story why I used 2 kinds of caulk), it was back to kicking ass instead of looking like ass. Interesting findings. I am glad I bought it even if Paul did laugh at me. He recommended I use a screw driver. Funny thing was my dad said he often just used a screw driver.

Maybe the moral of the story is not buy the proper tools for the job. Instead it is girls really do marry their fathers!

It was pretty standard as far as first days go. We went over orientation schedules and had a tour, then spent 7 hours going through the different programs and services that Active Health Management offers. Each has its own proprietary software that have different usernames and passwords and can be used independently or in combination with each other.

The most important issue: What did I wear for my first day on my new job: black pants, my new black shirt and a Carolina blue jacket. My hair was kind of average, but considering that I barely brushed it, let alone fix it. It was probably just not sure where it was supposed to go.

I appreciate the phone calls, texts, and emails that you have sent wishing me well for my first day. Thank you!!!

Laundry Room "renovation." We had one shelf that had all that stuff on it. Paul moved the shelf up, then added the 2nd one. DOUBLING our storage space--WHOOOO HOOOOOO!!!

Not to mention he is funny and super-cute:

Paul wears his goggles instead of sunglasses on our way back from an open water swim practice.