More from Breckenridge Testing

More high kicking maddness, this was the fun stuff and at least they were moving.

Early on sunday morning this was the lovely view street side and just waking up with a light dusting of snow.

More pictures of the Many participants.

ski slope and mountain side - just waking on the Sunday morning. look at all that frosting !

breckenridge excellence - black belt testing

Lots of testers for this Prep Cycle

After getting the final belt with old ones on the floor

Kicking and endurance were part of the testing too

Tons of sitting and waiting and waiting some more focus and fidget less?? yuk that was the hardest part I am sure

All Those men are VIP's our G.M. Seo and his G.M. Kim are the middle and Hh on the right side with the other 19 testers in her group

High Brown Achieved !

A long weekend in Breckenridge with Seo's National Karate- HH has achieved the rank of High Brown belt the real first step to black belt excellence. The trip was pleasant and there was a ton of hurry up and wait all weekend long. This is a pretty typical scenario with GM Seo. I did tons of sitting so did Hh mostly on the hard carpeted floors. She says she even got a butt chap LOL :)

1st time black belt testing

Last of the Prep cycle classes :)

Waiting on instruction conditional black belts and the brown belts ( 1st time testers)

We are off for the hills tomorrow, the Black belt testing in Breckenridge- Hh going for her high brown belt. It will be grueling and she is ready but nervous I think. We will leave the pups at home and J says he will come up and feed them, and put them to bed. He will need to feed fish too! I am glad he is going to come up and help.

we are arming ourselves with books, books on tape and laptops- it will be a lot of sitting and waiting and stuff. we will take protien bars for Hh as she will most likely not get a full meal for two days.

I will take photos and possibly video - look for those post to come next week.

colorado fall foilage

neighbor to the east of our home ( backyard) has a really pretty tree- though you might like it too.

I am on my way to Colorado Springs and Planning for retirement presentations tomorrow at the University of Colorado - UCCS - should be good, hoping for a good turn out - but we did not mail advertise this year. only e-mail blasts and campus news items.

this is national retirement planning week and new limits for 401k and tax defered programs should be set soon for the upcoming calander year. Will update here in a few days.

School Confrences at M Middle

I went to the Middle school parent teacher conferences this evening , the only teacher I didn't get to meet with LOVES hh so I think that was o.k.

She is doing well and being heavily recruited to all the local area HS programs in IB ( international baccalaureate) . The rest of the teachers had also good things to say. Some had constructive comments to help her do even better. !! She is spending all her homework time doing Math - algebra- advanced for her age but she is doing well. So overall nothing bad to say.

The " prep cycle" for Karate has been grueling and we are coming to the home stretch there too. I am spending my time waiting for October to be done :) but we are going through it at a faster clip than I thought possible. Hh is looking pretty buff after 8 weeks, I am up to 50 crunches almost every night now and my what a good habit that is too. :)

We got some school photos and will be sending those out in a few days as I can, find a bit of time to make a few cards. Look for those in the snail mail to our PEEPs who read here regularly.

That's all for now folks.

one of the cutest things I have seen in a while

this u tube video is cute

Happy at work action day

Take action to be happier at work- from Karl of the same type of paost last monday.....

Many people have been letting me know that doing all four elements of the Happy at Work Action Day will feel forced. I suggest picking two and making that your mission today.

4 Rules to Happiness at Work Action Day

1. Celebrate! (i.e.Throw an office party.)
2. Reward a deserving co-worker or client.
3. Reward yourself for a recent accomplishment.
4. Take 5 minutes to reflect on the crazy beauty in your life.

Check out his blog for great suggestions- not just action today!

#4- The crazy beauty of my life right now is the amount of things that will need to be done in October. Work has been super busy- and will continue to be through the end of the month.
Hh is in the middle of prep-cycle that will be everyweekend this month, plus additional weekdays and extra stuff, her homework is loaded up as well, she is stressing out. I just want to veg. and not so a thing.... I will need to wait until november! - but then we will have a few days off right at the end of november- so I will set my sights there and try to live in the present and take care of the now, with a wish for a future little relief.

round and round it goes

Where it stops nobody knows !!

maybe after next week this week will seem like a nightmare and we will wake up an realize we are still in our own bed?

the madness at work continues, the phone the e-mail the letter! yikes - I took another 60+ calls today- we can't get any regular work done, we are all in hyper mode.

Hh has had a cold/cough /sore throat on and off for 2 weeks, we are all run down and on the edge. We need a break- I am actaully waiting for Nov.1 as I feel my october is so busy I don't even want to go through it.

Still no relief- what a shame

more calls, we stayed - in queue for about 3 hours today - we ended the day with more than 600 calls- yikes I hope that they will send out an e-mail blast to counter this amazing issue.

how to cause a riot?

Write a letter - send it to lots of people and ask them to fill in a survey. Don't proof the letter and let all the call center answer why ???

I don't want to say too much about this, lets just say today was a huge uproar to a communication that was not well thought out. from 1-5:00pm we received almost 300 calls- almost as many as a heavy day during open enrollment.

somedays you just have to laugh

Monday morning

Karl at work happy now - blog is blogging about what we CAN do- to help ourseves be happier at work.

I am going to take these to heart and start a new monday morning program....

If you go into work with a question such as, “how can I improve my happiness?” You are focusing your mind on finding a positive answer.

Here are some of the questions I ask myself every Monday…

1. What is one thing I can enjoy about each person that I come into contact with today?
2. What is the most important thing I need to do today?
3. Who can use a compliment today?
4. How can I make someone laugh?
5. Where can I optimize my strengths?
6. When my motivation dips, how can I stimulate myself to take action?
7. Who needs my help today?
8. What three people do I need to support to improve my work relationships?
9. Who can teach me a valuable skill to improve my job?
10. Am I being my true self at work?
11. What is one task or routine that I can eliminate?
12. What is the best part of my job?
13. Why am I good at my job?
14. What would be my ultimate job? And am I building towards it?
15. Who is my role model at work?
16. What can I do to become more engaged with my work?
17. What matters most to me at my job?
18. How can I lead the people around me to improve their happiness?
19. When I’m stressed out, how do I cope with these feelings?
20. Why do I assume I know what my coworkers are thinking?
21. How can I make my work more fulfilling?

Choped and kick through boards

HH- Karate Choped and kicked through 5 boards at the board breaking event this weekend!

the Chop is most impressive to me, she got it the 1st time around and everytime this event. = she just had to not overthink it and imagine following through

We are 1/2 way through what is called Prep-cycle for the high black belt testing and that is going well too. She is really focused on improving her overall game. She is working hard toward greater goals. I think the testing will be tough but fair.

back in business

the e-mail is up and working ! yeah- it took a little tweeking but S had the crandall dot org working now!

A road to the future

A good friend is a connection to life~~ a tie to the past, a road to the future.

The fritz-

S- has the computers on the fritz- email is not working going in or out at the moment from the crandalls dot org domain. So bear with us if you are used to making contact with me or Him by that method.

hopefully he will get it figured out soon.

We are having a very bleary day over the flatirons in Boulder Today- it looks like winter, it rained like crazy- this is the worst wetest weather I can remember in the " summertime" in a very long time. we have had more than our fair share of wet weather and rain and hail.

wishing for a bit of chilli - or soup for Dinner.

more senior portraits outtakes and proofs

It doesn't take long for SSD2 to be fed up with me trying to get him to " relax" and look at the camera, he was good after the first 5 shots and I took almost 90 total to find a few good ones!!

See those forhead wrinkles, we call that the begining of being very unhappy camper.

I just had to shoot through lots of eye and head movment hoping for a couple opf good shots - LOL

same photo- different backgrounds ~

More about the parade

This is the Grand Master of the school, master Seo

The Karate group - speacial weapons demo team in the black tops and regualr students in the red tops

This was the Arvada Harvest festival parade ( one of the longest in existance accross the state) - they do this every fall, Hh was required to participate as part of the Karate school and I will post some photos of their grouip here too. you can not see her as she was across the street and holding on to a huge American flag as part of thier display. They got the " largest float award" for the sheer size of the flag- it took about 70 people to carry it the parade route.

We love us a parade

This guy loves a parade - he especially loves it in person !

It's my High school ! all the way from Colorado Springs- Harrison high school marching band and flags

The begining of a long 100 + parade and bands, floats and stuff! - this was Saturday

Hh needed to try out the props for senior photos

Interesting with the green screen we can put her in front of any background! she is cute and was very helpful with the portrait sitting with her Step bro

we are both fighting off a " cold" with runny stuffy nose and cough, I also have a bit of fever. Off to bed early tonight.

Walmart made me sign a copyright -

SSD2- is a senior and I took photos and S photo shoped them, with cool backgrounds, when we went to walkmart to make proofs to give to EX-TC, walmart wanted to know that I had the copyright to these " professional photos " this cracked me up.

S dezitted him, and arranged his coat I took 90 photos on a " green screen" to be able to find one or two with good color and expression! Here is the end, we were done at this point and not too happy!
This on the other hand is PURE SSD2 - a crack up he is very interested in telling knock knock jokes at the moment, he has quite a few he knows and can remember all the punch lines. Love this kid an can't get over his seniorness!

National Payroll week!

National Payroll Week to raise awareness of payroll-related benefits September 7 - 11

Tomorrow we are having a potluck for our Payroll people ( the other side of my working team) benefits is hosting it and payroll is coming. We are going to bring a couple of grills and BBQ burgers and things - all other dishes are coming with a " green " theme - I am bringing brownies with really green mint icing!

I think I will try to take my camera so we can see other Green foods- what fun

stay tuned for potluck food fun !

Health care and me...

My adult life has had a long association with Health Benefits. When I worked at the USGS - I " did " benefits, now for the University of Colorado, I " do " benefits. I am not yet sure how I feel about the OBAMA benefits for health care plans?? I don't know if I undersatnd enough to explain any of the " programs" or even what we heard in his speech tonight. My politics and world views are some times a little different thatn others, as I have been exposed to a few other systems in other countries as a child and young adult. Since Mom is french we talk about the socialized medicine there too.

I will get back to you on this topic as I can learn more and explain better after I try to get it myself.

no nifty title- just stuff

I have had my plate full to the top these last few months. Mom has had a health crisis and I am not certain we are past it completely. She has been her typical self in that she has kept it away from us, this in my mind is not helpful. I would rather know and understand the issues and solutions and seek help from others, it is helpful to me to learn about the outcomes good and bad. it is helpful to look at other peoples experiences and see how they have coped with the same crisis. She on the other hand wants to shut herself away and not allow anyone to help.
What is difficult as well is that I think that my Dad's condition is worsening as well, the stress of having to " deal" with Mom in her crisis and the tight reign she has on anyone knowing or helping causes more stress than necessary. I think he is in need of help - but won't allow us to come and figure out good outcomes. The two of them are so fiercely independent it makes me put my teeth at edge.

Work has been busy too, it seems there are not enough hours in the day for all that I want to accomplish. I have regularly been assigned outreach duty at the Anschutz Medical campus of the University of Colorado. The office is nice and I get alot done as it can be quite and and that makes it a good work enviroment. But being away from my Boulder office has some drawbacks too. I need paperwork and items at my home office. I don't have quite as many resources As I would like. And sometimes it is just that I am by myself so long the lights in the out hallway turn themselves off ( they are on a sensor- movement) . So maybe you get the picture.

no real funny stuff lately hopefully this will come around again when things settle down. -

Take it easy and drop me a line if you are so inclined.

Kind Words

Kind Words smooth all the paths of life and smiles make burdens light and uncomplaining friends can make a daytime out of night. ~~ Carrie Jacobs Bond

Lots is happening in my Life at the moment, I am strugglling from time to time with depressive episodes

1000 posts later!

I can hardly believe I have 1000 posts with this one! When I started writing this blog i wasn't sure where it would lead - I had boys at home all the time :) LOL and a girly girl Hh, I craft , I alter, I vent and I have taken tons of pictures.

I don't get as much traffic as I used too and i have slowed a bit on my posts, my life has lost it's young boys and they are all growing up. But I still love this form of communications and it is like a little piece of me i can leave in the world. it has allowed my the opportunity to document my life with kids and spouse and friends. it still allows me to show the world what things i love and care about. What things I discover a passion for.... how i live and what i do. it has been there for me to tell about the hardships of raising sons and the hardships of losing a job and gaining a new one. the tough things and the joyous things the little things we celebrate and the big things we take for granted.

My life is full of things I love - things i am so blessed with that i can't imagine how i could want to be anywhere else. I still have my desires for material things that I don't have, I want to be able to get out of the debts i do have and i want to be even happier in the future. just a few things on my list ! LOL but i am always traveling down the path that god is directing me i am still rowing along but he steers an awful lot and i am a grateful soul that he is in my life.

So thank you my friends and family that are loyal readers and love to " see what we are up to" here in my little corner of the world. I feel your presence in my life and i hope this blog continues to provide you with joy in your life and you learn a little something every now and then. You all inspire me to keep posting my thoughts on life and what it gives us.

cards from the hero art stamp

here are some stamped cards I made with the large stamp I won from the twitter contest from the hero arts company. I used water color pencils and luminarte colored pigments and on the red background i embossed them with holographic embossing powder from ranger.

daring do?!?

I did my hair, haven't been a red head in quite some time LOL - but been toying with this for a while and today Hh wanted hers colored again for school. so I am pretty dark and her too.

tiny colorful delights

I have never been a millionaire. But I have enjoyed a crackling fire, a glorious sunset, a walk with a friend..... There are plenty of life's tiny delights for all of us.

Jack Anthony

Everywhere we turn color is all around us, interesting to me is how it plays in the everyday. My blog gets lots of traffic in this area because I have been tagging colorology and colorstrology - * one is a mis-spelling** by the way LOL for a couple of years now. And search engines bring on the readers looking to predict color by thier birthday and what traits that color signifies.
i love purples and pinks and most of febuary birthdays fall in these color ranges I have quite a few colored pieces in my wardrobe in these colors. I also have quite a bit of lime green and apple green- which I get complimented on quite a bit when i wear that color. I have noticed that Hh has quite a bit in the green apple, lime family too. funny she is a febuary birthday too.
it does make me wonder the influnces that drive my color palette and hers.

Karate and Life lessons

Success in the martial arts - by Harry Cook



This is a very good article about what it takes to " do " the martial arts. Hh I hope is on the way to a black belt and i hope she will use these principles set out by Mr. Cook, She has learned a few has improved a few and needs to work on more still to really achive her sucess.

her disipline has helped her tremendosly already in school and life, breaking boards and practicing and being aware of your body is so crucial at her point in life.

see what I won??

Design Block Butterfly Wood Mounted Stamp- From Hero Arts- it is pretty and sweet to have won in a tweeting contest!

now to make some cards and use this in a project. I need a creative muse- my mojo has been seriously lacking, I haven't even altered anything in a while.

reading all the tweets from CHA and following some new bloggers has helped a bit but I am lacking girlfriend power. I haven't been motivated to crop by myself in a while, it seems to take too much effort to be nice to other people. LOL , but maybe I will finally get motivated to scrap hh and my trip to beautiful San Deigo ( that has been in my scrapping brain for a while)

Life lessons

45 Life Lessons

I love this list!

I took it from Kim Kwan

It was written by Regina Brett from Cleveland, Ohio, who recently re-published this list in a local newspaper in honor of her 90th birthday. There is more than enough good stuff in this list for each of us to learn something...which ones speak especially to you?

Which ones do you need to work on?
Today, I want to work on #4, 10 :), 17

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:"

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?".

26. Always choose life.

27. Forgive everyone everything.

28. What other people think of you is none of your business.

29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.

30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

31. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

32. Believe in miracles.

33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

34. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

35. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

36. Your children get only one childhood.

37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'dgrab ours back.

40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

41. The best is yet to come.

42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

43. Yield.

44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

45. ( i don't know what happened to 45 LOL! )