You Might Be a Coulter...

Quite possibly the best conversations and deepest laughs I've experienced in life have come while sitting around the table in Nanny & D-Dod's kitchen.  When you come to the table you never know where the conversation may go, but you do know you are going to leave all the wiser (and usually happier)!  This morning over Nanny's AMAZING spanish omelets the converstaion turned to my blog and Coulterisms.  So for those of you who know my family, I hope you will have as much fun reading this as we did writing it.  For those of you who are my family, this is for you... with LOVE!

YOU MIGHT BE A COULTER IF...

* You eat hot sauce three meals a day (and snack on it in between)

* You use lag bolts to hang an 8x10 frame

* You consider 50 guests a "small" gathering

* On vacation you beat the roosters up

* You were in Junior High before you realized you weren't a Mexican

* Your golf cart trailer meets hurricane standards

* Your milestones in life are: Age 8 - Be taller than Nanny, Age 10 - Be taller than Tiffany, Age 12 - Be taller than Turney

* You would pay more money and drive a further distance to a pickin' than any concert in the world

* Your weekly grocery list includes: jalapenos, tomatoes, onions, tortillas, cheese and red beans

* You are more excited to turn 14 than 16 (so you don't have to wear your life jacket on the boat)

* You have cable, the alternative is just more fun

* You don't hire outside help for anything

* All you need is a pinata to make any day a holiday

* You actually WANT to marry someone just like your Mom or Dad

* There is nowhere you would rather be than at the lake!

Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.  -W.H. Auden

 

No Replacement Cost

Our life is many things, but dull is not one of them.  Last night we awoke to the sound of a beeping horm and a lady yelling "FIRE"!!!  After a trip down the road to check it out, Chris phoned back to tell the girls and I to pack some things and leave the lake.  (It wasn't necessarily that he thought the fire would reach our house, but it had already reached the road that is our only entrance and exit.) 

I woke the girls and told them what was going on.  I quickly instructed them to get dressed and grab clothes and anything that was special to them.  I then began grabbing my own things.  I knew that I had to fit myself, two kids, two labs and little Jax into the the car.  That didn't leave a whole lot of room.  I had also already seen Cambrey go outside twice.  I later realized that she had quickly pulled every drawer out of her dresser and nightstand, dumped them into laundry baskets and loaded them in the car. I am actually quite proud of her quick thinking!  Unfortunately all her good clothes were crammed under her bed or in her closet, but none the less we would have had plenty of things to give to Goodwill when I finally found the time.

Caitlin on the other hand grabbed one t-shirt, an arm full of bracelets, and then started gathering the dogs.  She is always looking out for others!

I was not as responsible as either of the girls tried to be.  I didn't grab any important documents.  In fact, I didn't even grab my purse.  I had to borrow money from my Mama Pat just to get gas to get home.  In the five minutes Chris gave me I began to grab things that in my mind have no replacement cost.  Added up they probably aren't worth $100 dollars, but to me they are priceless.  Here they are:

The quilt made for Chris by his grandmother, and a quilt top made by my great-great grandmother over 100 years ago.

A Jim Beam bottle that belonged to Chris's grandmother.

A picture we keep on the refrigerator to remind us not to take life too seriously.

A hammered aluminum dutch oven that belonged to my great grandmother and was a gift from my dad just this year.  A lot of love has gone into the food made in this dish.  Especially the spaghetti!

A clock that belonged to Chris's great-grandmother and was given to us by Penny for our lake house.

The letter "T" made as a gift from my dear friend Staci.

And my Bible.  When I carried it in today I opened it to a page that I had long ago paper clipped.  It just happened to be on a page with a "Monday" (the day of the fire) devotion.  The words of the prayer reminded me of God's constance presence in my life, and the small and unconventional ways he sometimes uses to speak to His children.  "Give me, Lord, fervour of love, shame for my unthankfulness, sorrow for my sins, longing for your grace, and to be wholly united with you.  Let my very coldness call for the glow of your love;  let my emptiness and dryness, like a barren and thirsty land, thirst for you, call on you to come into my soul, who refreshes those who are weary..." 

So tonight as my children are snug in their beds and all my "valuables" have been returned to their places, a song from my high school days fills my head (and my heart).  So light the fire in my soul.  Fan the flames.  Make me whole.  Lord you know where I've been.  Light the fire in my heart again.







Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

Motivation and management are very serious business.  Some people turn to authors like Covey, Blanchard, Gostick and Lencioni.  I, on the other hand, turn to none other than Dr. Seuss to find my direction.  I have a poster on my office wall that reads, “You have brains in your head.  You have feet in your shoes.  You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”  I use it as a reminder to employees that they have full responsibility for their actions (and often outcomes).

 I have read Yertle the Turtle to our sales team to remind them of the importance of each little turtle like Mac. 

The 10 ft. bulletin board in our break room says, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing’s going to get better, it’s not.”  Ok, so this one might make it sound like we need lots of improvement, which we don’t.  But there is always room to grow and improve.  Our goal is to WOW all of our customers, not just 99% (which we do)!!!

My first HR blog at the office was even based on Dr. Seuss.  “And will you succeed?  Yes indeed, yes indeed.  Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed.”  Did we succeed?  Yes indeed, yes indeed.  One hundred and ten percent guaranteed.

And quite possibly the strangest element of my love for Dr. Seuss is the box of Cat in the Hat hats that I keep for days when we really need to put our thinking caps on.  Thanks to my WOW team for joining in on the fun during our meeting on Monday!

Today as you celebrate what would have been the 102^nd birthday of Dr. Seuss (which I am sure you all will) remember that “Today you are You, that is truer than true.  There is no one alive who is Youer than You!”

Loudness Disorders and Other Such Nonsense

I am pretty sure it is not a good thing when the two college students who office around me come back from their Special Education class every few weeks ready to diagnose me with something new!  They've given me their test for ADD and ADHD.  (I still think they should have graded on a curve).  They have on occasion accused me of having Tourette's and Brittany is sure I have some kind of hearing disorder.  I'm pretty sure she calls it "selective".  There is probably at least a little truth to all of the aforementioned disorders, but the last one they diagnosed me with really hurt...  LOUDNESS DISORDER.  Seriously, girls?!?!  Me, loud?

In the days and weeks since this conversation I have really been in tune with the volume of my voice and others. Here are my conclusions:
*  Loud people are drawn to loud people.  Noticing this among a group of friends the other day, I boldly stated that loud people have many exceptional qualities.  One of my friends quickly responded, "No, loud people are just loud."  You can imagine her disappointment when I had to tell her that I considered her part of my LOUD inner circle.  This led me to my second conclusion:
* Most loud people don't realize they are loud.  In fact, the person making my diagnosis is one of the loudest people I have ever met (but I love her anyway)!
* Loud people often breed more loud people.  I am pretty sure my cousin Penny and I proved that with Cambrey and Brooklyn!
* Loud people save money on PA systems.  Phil, you can thank me later.
* Speaking louder does not help non-English speakers understand you.  That's just a freebie piece of advice that I learned the hard way.
* Most loud talkers should NOT be loud singers.  Anyone who has ever sat on the pew in front of Paw Paw, Mamaw and I on Sunday say AMEN!

So friends, loud and quiet alike, whatever your "disorder" go out there and own it.  Love fully, smile big and LIVE OUT LOUD!