I have lost my friend today

Carol Lynn (Smith) DiFazio
Carol Lynn (Smith) DiFazio 44, passed into eternal life on March 27th, 2008. Carol was born on July 15th, 1963 in Colorado Springs, CO. She was married to her loving husband Sal for over 15 years, and they were best friends for 25 years. She treasured spending time with her family and friends. Those who knew her were blessed to be a part of her life. She was a woman who always put others before herself. What we will remember and miss about Carol was her loving, caring, sweet, thoughtful spirit, and the many other wonderful things she meant to each and every one of us. She was employed by El Paso County Assessors Office for 16 years. She was preceded in death by her mother Mary E. (Mallin) Smith and mother-in-law Virginia M. (Reinhard) DiFazio. She is survived be her loving husband Sal and her beautiful daughter Tara; and father Richard C. Smith (Maryhelen); brothers Richard C. Smith, Jr. (Cathy and his son Matthew) and Gary A. Smith (sons Derek, Nicholas, and Mark); father-in-law Tony DiFazio; brother-in-law Ron DiFazio (Pam and their children Lacey, Alexis and Stephen). XOXOXO We love you so much and will miss you XOXOXO Visitation will be held, Tuesday April 1st, 4:00-8:00 P.M. Evergreen Funeral Home, 1830 E Fountain Blvd. A celebration of Carol's life will be held at: Benet Hill Monastery at 11:00 A.M. Wednesday April 2nd 2555 N Chelton Rd. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the: Leukemia Lymphoma Society (LLS/Rocky Mountain) 5353 Dartmouth Ave Ste 400 Denver, CO 80227 Or by phone (303) 984-2110 ask for Georgia. Published in The Gazette from 3/30/2008 - 3/31/2008.

Oh my Gosh- this is terrible news, Carol- She was something else right up to the end. For my birthday in February she sent me an e-mail card,she never forgot that my birthday was on groundhog's day! I didn't even know she was ill, I am so very sad at this news and can't believe it.

I knew Carol from the time I moved into Cheyenne Hills, she always was a friend. I was the new kid in 8th grade having " moved up" a grade when we came back from Europe, She never made any bones about it, just let me be who I was going to be. She was steady and kind and she had a wonderful heart. She was always there at home, a link for me when I thought of anytime in high school or if I was in Colorado Springs I always thought of her.

She loved her life with Sal and her Daughter Tara. I remember attending the baby shower for Tara- I think she was soexcited to have a child. There were other times we got together, but they became fewer over the years as life changes and we go our separate ways. When we organized the 20th reunion, Carol didn't come; I talked to her many times in the year leading up to the event, but in the end didn't get to see her. She knew my parents and always asked after them. I knew her family too.

I was in Colorado Springs just today- incredible news for me. I am not sure I will be able to attend her memorial services, I am just so very sad at her passing and bummed to arrive home tonight to this news. Tamara (Spector)

Phones - Techno stuff?

Well we have brought Hh into the mobile world- connected to the net with her own phone number and samsung phone..... she is delighted and can't wait to have the responsibility for this piece of techno stuff. We stated that there are rules around this little bit of business, and she still is just fine, I hardly doubt she will abuse her privilage -- the hardest part for me is feeling bad about J's lack of good experience with this techno stuff, he abused his privilage and SSD1 did too -- the Text MSGs were out of control and finally we had to limit the use of the phone for both, D1 did get it back recently and we have to have him connected when he is working and riding the bus long distances.

SSD2 has a Techno phone as well , his has a tracking device! and we can " see where he is located" by the satilite GPS hook-up his mom got in his phone. This is a bonus for one who may get lost?? but I am not sure we have used it to its full potential :) . He is very good at keeping track of it and having it with him, as well as calling on Wed's to talk to Dad! pretty neat that he can get some good use out of it and foster abit of communication in the process. We occasionally still have to prompt him to " answer" or " say Hello" but this is all good for a kid with Autisim. Yeah.

S too got a new techno toy- his is the ATT tilt and we added data to our plan, so he can always be connected to his e-mail and his boss! oh joy. It was time, his razor has out lasted its useful life and needed to be replaced desperately.... so he is in techno toy stuff heaven today with his phone.

I am away from home today, I have had a couple of months of filling in for another co-worker, he gets to go to Boulder for some training and teamworking, and I have been replacing him in Colorado Springs, every other week for a while, this will last just a little bit longer, but the best part is being able to see my folks. We have been able to have Dinner together and get to see each other on Sunday nights, they have been putting up with me, and providing a place to crash! so alls good at the moment. that is about all the " news" fit to print for today.

Flowering plants- upcoming fun

hydrangea plant flowers in different colors- here is the source of the above photo

I have one on my desk at work, and I bought one for my neighboring co-worker. mine is " blue" and hers is pink an white! they are gorgous and such a spring treat.

We had about 70 degrees and sunshine yesterday and now it is snowing like crazy here in Boulder. I wore shoes and no socks today so had to go to the grocery store accross the street for a pair of knee highs. LOL - such is spring time in the rockies.

Hh and I are gearing up to have some fun at the episcopal youth retreat- it will be here at the Frontier ranch. I am looking forward to having some camping fun with her. This is the program the Colorado church will present. here is more detailes from the youth page

connecting and paying forward

Here is the actual manifesto,
this is information About the Author

Michael Lee Stallard is a leading authority on employee and customer engagement. He is the president, CEO and a co-founder of E Pluribus Partners, a consulting firm that specializes in helping leaders create “Connection Cultures” to form strong bonds among the management, employees and customers of an organization. Prior to founding E Pluribus Partners, Michael was chief marketing officer for businesses at Charles Schwab and Morgan Stanley. He was formerly an executive in investment banking, marketing and finance at Barclays PLC , Van Kampen Investments and Texas Instruments. Additional information can be found at
www.EPluribusPartners.com , www.FiredUpOrBurnedOut.com and www.MichaelLeeStallard.com.

Change this manifesto- Connection Culture

First, connection is a powerful force that creates a positive bond between people based on
both rational and emotional factors.

Second, connection contributes to bringing out the best in people—it energizes them,
makes them more trusting and resilient to face life’s inevitable difficulties.

Third, connection can vary tremendously across organizations depending upon local culture
and leadership.

What is it about connection that makes it so powerful?”Without going too far into the psychology of connection, let me just summarize by saying simply that we are humans, not machines. We have emotions. We have hopes and dreams. We have a conscience.We have deeply felt human needs to be respected, to be recognized for our talents, to belong, to have autonomy or control over our work, to experience personal growth, and to do work that we feel is worthwhile in a way that we feel is ethical. When we work in an environment that recognizes these realities of our human nature, we thrive. We feel more energetic, more optimistic, and more fully alive. When we work in an environment that fails to recognize this, it is damaging to our mental and physical health.

The core elements of a Connection Culture that meet these human needs
are Vision, Value, and Voice.

It is connection that makes America so productive that with a mere five percent of the world’s population we produce 30 percent of the world’s economic output.Who would ever guess that a country made up of people from every corner of the world would come together like that? Imagine what could be done if more people were connected at work. Connection is the key. It makes a difference in families, in workplaces, in schools, in volunteer organizations, in communities, and in nations. No one can thrive for long without it

Wow this is pretty powerful stuff! Now to talk about paying it forward a bit, because this article has actually touched my life in the last week by having read it about 3 times now. I have been struggling with a decision to give a person who seems pretty needy a Vehicle. We have at church a Jeep that was part of a larger donation from an estate that we were the beneficiaries of. This is not " my Property" but by virtue of being the senior warden - it falls under my purview- we have a couple of members that are needy and one in particular could really use this automobile. I have been struggling about making this decision, because this person sometimes comes across as manipulative, or aggressive in his desires for the church to help him. I think my community should help others, and I have had the blessings of my church helping me to get by in tough times too.... so why am I so conflicted with giving this person the vehicle? I have an ability to read people and I am generous and gracious to everyone, until they prove to me that I am wrong about their truth or life, then I am wary, I do not often pre-judge others, I believe that people are inherently good ( for the most part) and there has to be a big todo to make me change that opinion. So in the long run, i am thinking I will pay it forward to this person, because I have received so many gifts of blessings from my church home, there is just nothing else I can do but to PAY it Forward.

So to tie it all up, I need to give of myself and make a connection. Then maybe the best will come from having paid forward the goodness I have known. :)

easter comes and goes

this is a very early Easter, we had three baptisms at church today and we had a nice reception afterwards with cake and goodies.

Hh came with us and took the banner up and out today.

I made a nice Ham for Dinner, and Deviled Eggs asparagus and holondase sauce , agratin potatoes . it was just S and I

Well I am glad that it is over, there seems to have been alot to do.

hearts

Only the heart knows how to find what is precious~~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky

My Tickets and other Scout thoughts

As I worked my personal tickets I kept alot of the things we did in our course in mind. This outline of the themes that we worked through- is a good representation of the things I discovered and was able to participate in. I am glad I captured my feelings and images in my scrapbook too.

Five Central Themes and Leadership Skills
The themes that follow encapsulate the course content of Wood Badge for the Twenty-First Century.
1) Living the Values
—Values, mission, and vision
—Aims and methods
2) Bringing the Vision to Life
—Listening to learn
—Communicating
—Giving and receiving feedback
—Valuing people and leveraging diversity
—Coaching and mentoring
3) Models for Success
—Team development model
—Situational Leadership
4) Tools of the Trade
—Project planning and problem solving
—Managing conflict
—Assessing team performance
—Managing change
—Celebrating team success
5) Leading to Make a Difference
—Leaving a legacy
—Learning the greatest leadership secret

Today this struck me too, that my expectation is high , but the bigger picture and the long term out comes are the important factors. Some times we just can't saee the forest for the trees!

Realization of your vision
You should not expect that you will realize your vision immediately upon completion of the five
goals; reaching your goals is an initial part of a long-term work in progress.

My Scrapbook- Woodbadge6

My Scrapbook- Woodbadge5

the only pages I am not uploading here are the individual pages I made for my patrol mates. These are personal and I would not want anyone to feel vunerable, by my posting. There are sentiments for the four men I had there to support me in my Patrol- the best men I know besides my hubby ! :)

My Scrapbook- Woodbadge4

what a way to learn leadership skills and life skills. I would highly recomend this to all Scout leaders at any level

My Scrapbook- Woodbadge3

More pages in my scrapbook for my woodbadge ticket

My Scrapbook- Woodbadge2

more layouts.

My Scrapbook- Woodbadge

the first few pages , this is an 8X8 album, with added rusty pickle pages that I cut down to fit the 8 inch width.

Hh has gone PINK!

first she had to go blonde and then she had to go PINK! - my one and only girlly girl .... all this while I am away in Colorado Springs - well I will see it in person later on tonight!

S says it really looks strawberry blonde mostly and you will have to see it to get the full impact.

** edited** Wow I really do like it, though it is pretty PINK!

CUTE MEME

Heart memory

The heart hath its own mind,

And in it are enshrined

The Precious keepsakes,

into which is wrought

the giver's loving thought.

~~longfellow

birthday princesses and king!

for Hh's birthday celebration we had a princess themed bowling party. She invited two boys but only one came- ( he is a hoot) we have known him since kindergarden, Z is like a taz whirlwind and a great kid. The girls had fun and Hh had a laugh when we picked out the favors for everyone, and got Z a little crown with a jewel in it.

they had pizza and two hours of bowling - fun and party with out too much mess, the girls went until about 3am before giving in to a bit of sleep, then I fed them all pancakes. another good year.

high blue belts

this was taken last Saturday the 1st of March. SSD1 and Hh received thier HIGH blue belts and they both broke boards durring the graduation.

Hh is enjoying sparing and wanted to spar but didn't have anyone her size this day.

I am so proud of them both for sticking with this- it has been a confedence builder for them both and a way to shine. it offers alot of other benefits. Hh says she is definately the strongest girl in her class at the moment and the disiple helps her make good choices for herself too. a big bonus is it is FUN too :-)