Picturing the Possibilities

"Picturing the Possibilities" started out as a phrase that my friend/business partner and I used as a marketing tag-line for our new business Picture This! Fundraising. I thought it was a cute, catchy phrase. But I've realized that it has become more than just a clever saying, it has become a new way of thinking for me.

I wouldn't say that I am a negative person (and I hope my friends would agree) but when it comes to trying new things or starting new projects I do have a tendency to think about what could go wrong more than what could go right. I think it is because I am afraid of failure. Aren't we all to some extent? But now, thanks to a new business adventure and a business partner/friend (who is tenacious, bold, and creative), I'm excited to take chances, to ask for things and I'm not worried that the answer might be "no." These days, I'm more inclined to ask "Why not?" instead of "Why?"

I feel like I am on a personal and professional growth journey. It sounds corny, but it is true. I'm learning so much each day--how to start a business, how to build a blog, how to take a better photograph, how to make a 3 year old laugh (the key is potty humor). It has been an amazing experience!

To anyone out there that is contemplating trying something new, I urge you to give it a go. You never know who you'll meet, what you'll discover, or what you will learn about yourself.

Mexico's Troubles

As my past few posts have mentioned, we spent spring break in Mexico. It was a fantastic trip. We rented a lovely house in San Pancho, Mexico a charming fishing village North of Puerto Vallarta. My parents and aunt and uncle joined us on this wonderful trip.

I had planned the trip in September 08. When the flights were ticketed, car booked, cook reserved, and deposit for the house mailed, I felt that I covered everything and that I had nothing to worry about. The feeling of planning the perfect vacation lasted until February when I received a phone call from my mom regarding a 60 Minutes episode she recently watched. It was on the drug wars in Mexico and it made her a little worried about our upcoming travels. I told her that I thought it was only a border town issue and that we should not worry about it. So I put the drug cartels out of my mind until I saw a friend at school who also talked about Mexico travel warnings. I guess I had been living under a rock, because I really had not heard any of these reports.

I was then on hyper alert. I started scanning the internet for reports and found many travel advisories cautioning spring break revelers. NPR's Diane Rhem had an evening show dedicated to the unrest in Mexico, The Early Show ran a piece, MSNBC had weekly reports on their website, the newspapers were running stories and my worry-o-meter started to fly through the roof. From the reports I read, it seemed that most of the issues were occurring at border towns or in the bigger cities. And the majority of the violence was between drug gangs.

I felt that I should do more due-diligence and emailed the owner of the home we were renting to see if he had heard of any issues in the Puerto Vallarta, San Pancho area. He reassuringly told me that the media was really blowing things out of proportion. He had just been down there for two weeks and had a terrific time. He reminded me that, just like at home, it was important to lock the doors when we left the house and at night but other than that the area is very safe.

We headed to Mexico and had a great time. The people were friendly, the weather was great and the company fantastic. San Pancho is a beautiful, sleepy little village where we felt completely removed from the hustle and bustle of touristy Puerto Vallarta. We enjoyed walking down the cobblestone streets, meeting locals, and drinking strong margaritas on the beach. It felt like a true cultural experience, not a commercialized, sanitized version of Mexico that you get when you go to an all-inclusive resort. The part that we had to worry about the most was the semi-rough surf but we were able to drive to other beaches with calmer waters. It truly was paradise.

Now we are back at home, enjoying our pictures and memories. Sadly, Mexico is faced with another frightening issue, the swine flu. And this has me more concerned than the drug violence. On our way home we connected through Mexico City. We were in the airport that is now handing out surgical masks to travelers. We were there just one week ago! I know I am being irrational--but could we have been exposed? My gut tells me we are fine. My husband's eye rolling, tells me the same. But I will keep a keen eye on my children.

I just hope that the swine flu is contained, that no more lives are lost due to this virus or drug violence and that Mexico is able to rebound from all of these difficulties.

Note to The Reclining Airline Traveler

I was talking to my friend Suzanne about our recent Spring Break trips. Her family flew to the East Coast and my family went to Mexico. As we exchanged highlights of our trips, we realized that we shared a similar air travel complaint. It wasn't about fight delays, or losing baggage, it wasn't about the fact that the meals (that is if you get one) are awful, or that some airlines are charging to check your bags. No, were both grumbling about those fellow travelers who choose to recline their seats--especially during a 4-5 hour flight!!

Let's face the facts, traveling in the cheap seats means limited space. It really seems as though the space behind the blue curtain is shrinking. There is barely enough room for a carry-on item (stored neatly under the seat in front of you) let alone your legs. You don't have to be 6' 4" to feel as though you are eating your knees even when all of the seats are in their upright positions. Even my 8 year old twins have a tough time maneuvering about with their backpacks and video players sprawled across their toes. But I've accepted this fact and know going into my journey that I may suffer from RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome) better known as The Jimmys.

Now, I realize that the seats are designed to recline to help make the flight more relaxing and comfortable but come on do you really have to use them? Does reclining 3 inches, really make it easier for you to fall asleep? Do you realize that you are now encroaching on the comfort of your fellow passenger (me)? Do you even think about your fellow traveler?

So here is my plea, to you my fellow traveler, who feels as though it is o.k to recline into my lap on a 5 hour journey--PLEASE DON'T!! At least look and see if I have reclined my seat, before you push your magic button. And chances are, I have not. I only use the reclining feature if I know that the person behind me is also using it--kind of like a domino effect. Maybe if we all vow to abstain from reclining and just face the bitter truth that it is going to be a long, uncomfortable ride, we would all end up having a better one. At least I won't feel compelled to kick your seat as you lounge into my lap!

Vacation Preparation

My family went on our Spring Break Vacation this week. We headed south of the border to one of our favorite destinations, Mexico (I started typing this while flying 30,000 feet above sea-level—oh how I love my laptop). As I waited for my in-flight drink (it was after 12 p.m. and I’m on vacation), I slowly felt the tension release from my shoulders. Viva Mexico!

In preparing for this trip, I have realized that I have some travel quirks. One is that I tend to wait to the last minute to pack. I like to think that it is because I’m so easy going and relaxed and that I really don’t need to be that organized. But truth be told, it is because I dread looking for everyone’s stuff and figuring out which suitcase it will all fit in. We don’t have the fancy matching luggage. Ours is more of the Goodwill variety—second hand stuff that gets the job done. I’m not opposed to using a little duct tape to make sure the suitcase doesn’t burst at the seams. At least it is easy to spot at baggage claim!

I also have this thing where I need to have the house clean before we go. I want everyone’s rooms to be tidy and all of the toys picked up and put away. I do not want to come home to a mess. Along those lines, I like to have all of the laundry done. I’ll do loads and loads of laundry before we go, which only adds to my preparation frenzy. In the end I create a more clutter because I have laundry baskets and suitcases scattered everywhere. I guess it is because to truly let go and enjoy myself, I need to know that work is not awaiting me when I get home.

And then there are the lists. I make one and seem to always misplace it. I’ll start another and tell myself that this list will be “The Master List” and will not move from the kitchen island-and usually that works. The Master List, is what ultimately gets us on our way with everything we need. Well, almost everything, inevitably something slips through the cracks. It wouldn't be a vacation without leaving something behind. At least we always remember the kids! :)

CSI Facebook - in Search of my 5th Grade Best Friend

Late last year, a good friend invited me to try Facebook. If you're not up on Facebook, it is a social networking site founded by some young kid who is now a gazillionaire. (I'd like him to "Friend" me in his FB will.) I really didn't know what to expect from this, but I dutifully filled out all the forms and profile fields, having fun just playing around with something new. Little by little, more and more friends "friended" (a new verb coined by FB) me which allowed me to experience first hand what this social networking is all about. Basically, it is an open diary of your life including as many photos, videos and commenting that you care to opine about. There are ins and outs of FB, including discreet ways to "unfriend" someone so they barely know you knocked them off you A-list, or viceversa. In any case, I find myself taking daily peeks and finding out what my friends are up to. It makes it possible to enjoy being this quiet part of their lives and know what they are up to. Especially for friends who live far away, it really allows you to feel involved in a unique way.

But the best part is, it has allowed me to find some long, lost friends, - friends I didn't know how else to find. Originally, when I added my profile on FB, I posted only my married name. Then I realized I ought to have my maiden name somewhere in my profile. Within a few days of adding that, someone in search of my sister located me, asking if I was "L's" little sister. Sure enough, the inclusion of my maiden name made a difference. Serendipitously my sister's friend knew the cousin of my best friend from 5th grade. I asked the cousin to friend me on FB, and within days we were in touch.

The journey to find her has been fun. I actually tried other circuitous routes a few years ago, including calling her relative in our old hometown to no avail. I always wondered how my life would be different if my family never moved to Maryland, and how our friendship could have formed the person I am today. I always envied people who had life long friends because they never moved or somehow managed to stay in touch. But now I have one back. We only have to catch up on the 40 years of our lives that we missed.

Workin' the Phones

Last week I volunteered to work the phone bank for the Cupertino Union School District's Measure B campaign. I firmly believe that we need to do all that we can to keep qualified teachers and educational programs such as science, music and art in our schools. Unfortunately, with state budget cuts looming our public school system is in grave danger of losing many of these programs. That is why I will vote Yes on Measure B when my yellow ballot comes in the mail this month.

But that is not the intent of my post. I want to write about my experience working the phones. I was a newbie. I've never been a cog in the political wheel. But I believe in this cause and figured it was my duty to assist. However, I must admit that despite my conviction, I was a little nervous to be playing the role of a telemarketer, after all I know how those poor people are treated. I'll own up that I am not so nice to the poor guy or gal who calls during dinner wanting to tell me about a new insurance plan, mortgage rate, or magazine subscription. I'm not out right mean (o.k., occasionally I just hang-up--that two second delay is a dead giveaway), but most of the time I engineer a graceful exit. I've been known to say I'm the babysitter, that I'm in the middle of dinner (which is not a lie because I truly am), that they have a wrong number, or let my kids answer the phone and have a chat. For some reason, I have a hard time coming clean and just saying that I'm not interested. I don't know why--that is fodder for another post.

Anyway, my evening on the phones was not so bad. 30 volunteers from our school (parents, teachers, and administrators) were all there ready to do their best to make a difference. We received our call lists and training and then we were off--dialing for votes. I breathed a sigh of relief when the parent leading the training told us that we would be calling on people who had already been qualified as supporters of the measure. Our goal was to Get Out the Vote or (GOTV), to remind people that their ballot would be arriving in the next few days and to encourage them to vote YES and mail it in. I think I would have broken into a major sweat and squeaky, stuttering voice, if I had to don a sales hat and convince people to vote "yes." I'm not saying that I couldn't/wouldn't do it, but it would have required some Mitchum and a few Stuart Smalley moments (You are good enough, you're persuasive enough, and you wont get upset when someone is rude).

My first page of calls went smoothly. It was a piece of cake. I confidently dialed each number and the script flowed effortlessly out of my mouth. That was until I called Mrs. Smith (name has been changed to protect her identity) who informed me that she had spoken to her husband and was now unsure exactly how she was going to vote. She then proceeded to ask me numerous questions such as how many pink slips are expected to go out, how big are the budget cuts going to be, is this really going to affect our schools. I tried to answer her questions as best I could. And as I did she went on to tell me how back when she was a teacher she had to teach 30 kids and boy was that tough. I listened and tried my best to move on to the next call, but she clearly wanted to have a long chat. I finally got off the phone. A few calls later, I had the pleasure of speaking to another person who informed me that the URL for the Measure B website was too long and how he should know because he is a tech guy and no one would remember any URL more than 10 characters long. I told him I'd pass along the information and managed to squeeze in a plea to vote Yes before hanging up. After these semi-nerve racking calls, I had to relay my stories from the trenches to my fellow phone buddies. I was not alone, we all had a few "phone bank war stories" to share. Thankfully, we each only had a handful of long-winded or opinionated calls.

After grabbing a couple of brownie bites and a few swigs of lemonade (your mouth really gets dry when you talk so much), I was ready to forge ahead. It only took a few calls to see a pattern. I knew which folks would thank me for volunteering (quite the rush), I could predict who would be a bit crotchety, and I could guess who would just want to get off the phone. Yes, the ages of the household members were listed. Secretly, I began hoping for answering machines when I would see a certain age demographic.

In the end, I only had one person hang-up on me before I could finish my pitch--her kids go to private school-thank you very much! The majority of people were all very cordial and treated me kindly. And most importantly it was truly gratifying to be a part of this grass roots effort that will make a difference in my kids' education.

If you would like to help with the Measure B campaign, it is not too late. Calls are being made each night throughout the week and a district walk is scheduled for April 18. Click here to register and don't forget to mail in your ballot! This is a mail in only vote!

Let the Madness Begin!

Until this spring sports season, our 4 kids have always participated in the same activity—soccer.  Thankfully, the kids all liked soccer and were not that interested in pursuing other sports.  Having them all play soccer was easy—we could all pile into one car, drive to one location and spend most of the morning or afternoon moving from field to field.  Because of these simplified logistics, we never brought up any other sports.  We liked being a soccer only family.

Well, I knew this time would come—the time when my kids would want to do their own thing and we would become one of those crazed families running from one activity to the next.  It all started with a postcard notifying us that it was time to register for spring soccer.  When we told our kids we were going to sign them up they all wailed in unison “noooooo.”  They were tired of kicking around the ball and all wanted to try something different.

My daughter decided on volleyball.   She has never played before nor has she been exposed to it.  Her friends at school were talking about trying out this sport, so she decided she’d like to give it a go too.  I was happy to hear her excitement about something new, so we went online and signed right up. 

My twin boys, unfortunately, each wanted to do try a different activity.  I realize I shouldn’t think of them as a package but it does make logistics easier.  Anyway, I wanted to give each boy a chance to explore his own interests, so we now have karate and tennis on the sports line-up.   However, one of the boys decided to join his twin in tennis (so that his brother wouldn’t have to be in a class with out any familiar faces) in addition to working on obtaining his black belt.

My eldest son, S., also decided to try tennis this spring.  We thought this would work out great--all three boys would have lessons at the courts one  after the other. That was until we received an email from his fall soccer coach looking for more kids for his team.  S. was interested in playing, so we added soccer back to the list of activities.   And wouldn’t you know, my son (who usually needs to be talked in to doing things) came home from school this week excited to join his middle school’s track team.   I don’t want to squash his enthusiasm— but how will we juggle all these activities?   This is new for us—we usually allow for one activity per kid and it is usually soccer.

So this weekend was our first attempt at juggling all of these activities and you know what? It wasn’t so bad.   We had to do a little planning and arrange a few carpools but it all worked out.  The best part is the kids all enjoyed their new sports.  Who knows, maybe we’ll have a future Bruce Lee, Andy Roddick, Kerri Walsh, Beckham or Edwin Moses in the family.

I Love Laundry!

O.K. maybe I don't really love doing laundry but I am certainly liking it a lot more these days. If you are wondering why anyone would profess to enjoying this mundane chore, it is because of the shiny, new washer and dryer that was delivered to my home on Monday.  

We have been debating the purchase of a front loader washer and dryer for over a year.   Our washer and dryer isn't that old (7 years) but the dryer has been fixed twice this past year and just last week  my washing machine was going on the fritz.  It was washing o.k. but not doing a great job on the spin cycle and all of my stuff was coming out soaking wet.  I was having to resort to my McGyver clothes line (I strung it myself with some old rope I found) to dry our clothes and it can barely hold any weight.

Instead of going our usual route of calling the repair man, we decided that we would invest in new machines.  Receiving a tax refund and another lice cleaning frenzy made the decision a lot easier (That and I think my husband really wanted to avoid seeing me curl up into the fetal position--lice and your washing machine breaking down can do that to a gal).  

Luckily, a friend of mine had recently purchased a new washer and she had done a lot of research on the various brands.    As soon as we decided to commit to the big purchase, I emailed her to get the 411 and placed an order all within 48 hours.  This has been the fastest purchase of big ticket items I have ever made!  And I did it with no regrets and no second guessing (well almost no second guessing).

So now, I have these gorgeous machines (I got the Bosch front loaders)that barely fit into my laundry room.  I had to take the door off and you know what, I don't care!  I love walking by the laundry room and seeing them shimmer and glisten.  I'll even pull out my microfiber cloth to polish up the chrome.  Oh, how I adore these powerful, enormous machines.  They are so quiet, so efficient, so easy to cram full of sheets.  

I now understand why my mom enjoyed sitting next to her machines, sipping her cup of coffee watching the clothes go round and round when she first got her pair of front loaders (and hers are in her basement).  I thought that was a bit quirky, but now I GET IT.