• Body,  Mind

    Pushing Past Fear- Indoor Rock Climbing

    I was on a roll after our ski trip and signed up to try indoor rock climbing, another bucket list item.  I was surprised to find a few places in our state and one that is fairly close.  We chose one near my oldest and made the journey to meet up with her.  All of us being newbies, I signed us up for a group class.  They showed us how to put on our harnesses and how to find the right size shoes.  Just like bowling you can rent the shoes but unlike bowling you can use your sneakers if you choose.  We went for the full experience and rented…

  • Mind

    Diversity, Not Just for Humans

    Lately, we have seen so much about being accepting and inclusive to people of all types and how this is needed in our world.  Each of us brings something unique to this world and by excluding people we can miss out on some really great things.  But diversity cannot and should not be limited to just people.  Think about investing, would you really want to put all of your savings in just one company?  No, you pick some stocks and also invest in some real estate.  But why in this world where we are touting the benefits of diversity, are we overlooking other areas such as our energy production? For…

  • Mind

    Packing List System

    I am the type of person that likes to have systems in place to make things easier.  Years ago I realized every time my family would plan a trip I would write out a list of everything we would need to pack so I could make sure we didn’t forget to pack anything.  I don’t know how many times I wrote out these lists before I realized they were basically the same, with some exceptions depending on where we were going so why did I keep rewriting the same list?  I moved my list into tables in word documents and created different ones as needed.  We have a general packing…

  • Body,  Mind,  Soul

    Getting Out, Our Ski Adventure

    As I have mentioned in previous blog posts Covid has really left me feeling unproductive and trapped at home.  Every winter for at least the last 4 years my family has gone for a weekend ski trip.  This year it was not looking like it would happen but I kept thinking I needed to get us out of the house and do something.  I checked the state website and found I could travel to our bordering states without the need to quarantine when I returned, I confirmed this was acceptable with my employer and started planning our trip. My girls wanted to try snowboarding this year and the usual resort…

  • Mind,  Soul

    Emergency Stop Button Update

    When I wrote the original post in January 2020, who knew the Covid-19 pandemic was on the way.  Due to Covid, I effectively received my emergency stop.  I had taken some vacation days when I was called to come into work to finish up some things before we started working for home for what I thought would be about two weeks.  At first, I was gung ho about working from home tackling paperwork projects that often took a back seat to preparing labs.  I started actually taking my lunch breaks, something I did not do when at work.  The introvert in me was more than happy to be sequestered away…

  • Soul

    Lent 2021

    Lent has begun and in the past, I have kept with the tradition and given up something for the forty days.  One year it was coffee, if you know me, you know I never stood a chance that year but I was able to cut back the amount I had daily.  Sugar was another Lent of failure as I just could not stay away from its tempting sweetness.  A few years back I gave up giving up something for Lent but instead looked to add new habits to my life that I could continue well past the Lenten season.  That first year I decided to make time to read the…

  • Mind

    Season of Laziness

    Have you ever been in one of those moods where you don’t feel like doing anything?  Lately, that is where I am.  Now mind you I do go to work five days a week, I cook dinner about five times a week, the house is relatively clean and I get most of my training days completed but after that nothing.  I sit on the couch and veg while playing computer games on my phone and watching television.  I look over at the pile of books I have started reading thinking if I just picked one up I would be far more productive with my time, but they are just out…

  • Body,  Mind

    2020 Running Year in Review

    As with many people as the year comes to a close I look back on the year to see what I accomplished and set goals for the upcoming year.  Since this is the first time I am doing this on my blog I feel the need to catch you up.  I have always enjoyed running and yet when I was younger never participated in any running sports, although there was one field day in sixth grade where I was selected to run for my class.  I couldn’t tell you the distance, maybe a quarter of a mile tops.  I ran my hardest, and at the end I remember it being…

  • Body,  Mind

    Snow Skiing

    As I have mentioned in other posts, I feel I am a late bloomer when it comes to taking on adventure and trying new things. An example is skiing.  The first time I finally went skiing I was in my late 20’s.  When I was younger my Dad talked about taking us but we never got around to it.  In junior high and high school there were yearly day trips but that was something my family could not afford.  In college one of my favorite professors, Dr. McGrellis was the ski club advisor. If I joined I could go for free by fundraising, a week in Vermont sounded wonderful but…

  • Soul

    Sin & Shame

    I have an hour commute to work, each way.  I mainly listen to music during this time with an occasional podcast.  A few years back I noticed how angry I was while driving, it seemed every little thing other drivers were doing had me yelling at them.  Things like “ nice turn signal,” “sure you can cut me off” or just, “what on Earth are you doing?” I would arrive at work or home very agitated and I realized my commute was robbing me of time with my family and time to be productive.  Lent was coming up and I don’t always give something up but sometimes try to incorporate…