Who is your best friend?

I am now on the last day of a "Leadership Conference" in Couer D'Alene, Idaho. It is really a conference with a little bit of business and alot of reward for our outstanding leadership. I don't really know what that means but I do know that the conference has been outstanding.

The Couer D'Alene Resort is fantastic. I have a room with a fireplace, view over the lake, two queen sized beds and a luxurious bathtub and a shower. I don't really know what they paid for this place but I know it must have been quite a bit because everyone is nice, the kind of nice that only money can buy.

Besides just being in this beautiful location and hotel, we have been given the following:
A $25 resort gift card to buy those little souvenir type gifts to take home (or to use in the bar etc)
A $125.00 Visa gift card to use however and whenever we want.
Upon arrival, there were two chocolate dipped strawberries and a bottle of champagne in our rooms waiting for us.
A two hour dinner cruise on the lake, beautiful!
An IPod Shuffle was given out as we left the very last meeting of the week.

But the most important thing that was given to us was a speaker, Dave Mitchell. He has a company called "The Leadership Difference" and is billed as a motivational speaker. He is very much more than that. He is not a psychologist or anything of the sort but he is perceptive beyong his 46 years into one's self. He was on our schedule for 2 hours and when I saw that I thought to myself, "One speaker for two hours, how am I going to get through this?" Those two hours went by so quickly that I sincerely thought he had just been talking for about 1/2 hour.

He is very funny but his message is so important. We have the power within ourselves to recognize what we can and cannot change and to come to terms with ourselves. In essence, we must become our own best friend and treat ourselves, talk to ourselves, resolve issues, with ourselves the way we would with our best friend. He has written a book which I took this afternoon to read and I had him autograph before he left. I even got a copy signed for my son in Alaska.

What struck me most about this guy was that he talked about the power of positive thinking but no in so many words. Basically, he said there are two kinds of people, those who have an optimistic outlook on life, they see what is wrong and think of ways they can make it better, and those who are pessimistic, those who dwell on what is wrong and blame others for it. I have dealt with this most of my life and have always put myself in the first group. What I learned is that anyone can be in that group and as a leader, it is my challenge to get everyone there. As a wife and mother, it is also my challenge to get the most important people in my life there.

Wow! What a challenge! It starts with myself and my quest to become healthier which leads to my liking myself more will be the first step if my journey to helping others become what I know they can be.

I have rambled long enough. Few will read this but those who do, know that you are important to me and you need to be important to yourself first and foremost. Be your own best friend.

Cougar Pride!

I love my new blog look.  It brings out the Cougar in me which isn't all that hard.  I love being a Cougar.  But why? 

I remember the day my parents dropped me off at WSU for my first year.  The Stephenson dorms were new and I had a room on the 5th floor of Stephenson North.  My parents were so intuitive they knew exactly when to say their goodbyes and after having done that with my own sons I now know how hard it was for them.  I was their last one and I went the furthest away from home.  I don't know if I ever really thanked them for that.  

Anyway, I unpacked my things and waited for my roommate, who, unbeknownst to me, would become the single most roommate from hell but that's another story.  I decided to just walk around campus and I thought to myself as I did "This is my college".  I became a Coug that day and that is just something that is as sure as the breath I take.  

Yesterday I called my friend Jill for her birthday.  I met her in my first semester at WSU.  When I couldn't stand my roommate, she was always there for me.  She only stayed a semester but we have remained friends throughout the years.  She introduced me to my husband.  Those are the kinds of relationships you make at college, especially WSU.  

So, just how Cougar am I?  I have a multitude of WSU attire, doesn't everyone?  I have all three Legends of the Palouse DVD's.  We have plans to turn our family room into a Cougar room but that takes money and we still have a Cougar at school so that will have to wait.  I am known at work as the fanatic Cougar and you should see me on Apple Cup Friday.  I love it when they win!  Oh, and did I say I hate the Huskies?  That goes without saying.  Everyone knows that there is now and never will be anything purple in our house.  And finally,  I have two Christmas trees and one is all Cougar ornaments.  I spend the entire year surfing the internet for Cougar ornaments and I always find some.  

I have so many reasons to be proud that I am a Cougar.  If I had to have both my sons leave the nest, I am so glad they chose WSU.  A tradition begins that way.  

Thanks to my oldest son for making this blog just what I wanted it to be.  Let me know what you think.  

Halfway there!

Yes, the interim goal of 25 pounds has been reached.  Now at 195 and counting!  I am particularly proud of this given the weekend in Pullman that could have been disastrous for this plan but wasn't.  I have to thank my son for helping stay on the straight and narrow through it all. 

I now have just over three months for the rest of the goal.  This is not going to be easy as it is coming off slower and slower now.  I am looking forward to sons being home and cooking for them, taking them out etc.  I will again count on them to help me stay on track.  I am hoping they will also help me stay active outside of my exercises to give me the boost I need to make it there. 

As a side note, I am looking out the window right now, April 19th in Gig Harbor and it is snowing like crazy!  What is up with that?  Is this global warming?  

No matter, snow, rain, sun, it is a good place to be, made better by the presence of my sons who for a short time will fill my empty next again. 

Mom's Weekend a Dream come true!

You know how sometimes you go into something with high expectations only to be disappointed? Well not this time. Mom's Weekend at WSU 2008 was one for the record books. Sorry Kale, but this goes down as the best one ever! Everything combined to make it that way. Perfect 80 degree weather, lots of activity, Elton John and of course, my son.

Through self control I was able to wake up on Saturday early, feeling great (ie: no hangover). Breakfast at The Old European Restaurant, probably the best breakfasts in town. Then on to see the Grizzly bears which a group at WSU is doing research with, raising them with human contact. Absolutely a great way to start the day, so cute!

Then, on to the craft fair which is usually a quick walk through, lots of stuff I am not interested in but this time, I actually bought a couple things. It was pretty good.

Then, what's better than college football, right? The spring scrimmage was fun, interesting to watch the new no-huddle offense. As always, we have the optomism that only a true Coug can have, maybe this year won't be so bad.

What's better than college football? WSU baseball on an 80 degree day beating the number 2 team in the nation, that's what. It was a great day for baseball and the team beat Arizona State 10 - 5. The down side? A nasty red face from all the sun! It was worth it though.

Mom's Weekend in Pullman is crowded to say the least. Thankfully, with the weather what it was it was perfect for a BBQ at Rainey Park so we didn't have to beat out a crowd for a dinner table. The burgers prepared by my own gourmet son were the best! Lot's of people and lot's of fun.

Finally, what can I say? Elton John. We arrived at the door to the coliseum right at 8:00 and there was a huge line. We were going to miss the opening act. We jumped to different entrance though and sat in our seats just as the lights went down. Who was the opening act? No one knew. That's because there wasn't one. Sir Elton himself came out and sat down at the piano to play. Our cheap seats turned out to be awesome because the piano was situated so he was facing us and we had a great view.

I need to set the stage so you can understand this moment for me. Elton John was a part of just about everything I did in college. He was always spinning (yes, only vinyl in those days) when I got ready to go out, studied, went to sleep. The very first song of his I ever heard was "Your Song" and my favorite all time song is "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding". So here I was, back on my old college campus and Elton John comes out and plays "Funeral for a Friend" right off the bat. Of course, I got teary eyed and made my son laugh at me. But it was so surreal. I now understand why I have never seen Elton John in concert before. I was meant to have this single experience. This may be his last tour but even if it isn't, I doubt I would go see him again because I want to always have this experience. He played for 2 1/2 hours then spent 5 minutes signing autographs for those lucky fans in the front rows and left the stage. No "Your Song" had been played. I had forgotten about the encore. He came back out and played "Don't Let the Sun Go Down" and ended with "Your Song". Absolutely perfect!

I have to say, I am a little old for all this excitement and am exhausted today but it was so worth it. It is my last Mom's Weekend. For that I am sad. I have had unique experiences at each and every one of them and I am so glad that both my sons were willing to show me good times at all of them. Just another "last" putting an exclamation point to that "Empty Nest" feeling once again.