Do the Cockroach!

Last night I had a good belly laugh.  To the point where tears were streaming and I could barely catch my breath.

After walking the trail, we were all a little tired last night.  Eventually I ended up on the floor in the den.  LB didn't want me to be by myself so she laid down beside me.  And not too long later Daddy joined us.  So, all three of us are lying in a row.

LB starts instructing us, "Do this, Do this!"  Very emphatically.  At first we didn't know what she wanted.  But then we figured out she wanted us to copy her by crossing our ankles and folding our arms.

What proceeded for the next 30 minutes was a game of copy cat that had me rolling in laughter.

My favorite was when Grant told us to lift one leg.  And we'd copy him.  Then the other leg.  Then one arm.  And then the other arm.  And go crazy waving around.  Who knew that the "cockroach" would be such a hit with a 2 year old!

Next LB took her turn telling us something to do.  And after doing it she then said, "tickle me, tickle me!"  It was hilarious.

I don't think I've done the cockroach so many times in my life, but that was definitely her favorite.  Next to us tickling her.

I wish I had photos to share.  On second thought, maybe its better that there aren't any pictures of the three of us doing the cockroach!

Happy Birthday Laura!

Well, almost.  LB's real birthday is on the 27th, but we celebrated this past weekend.  Lots of friends and family gathered for a water slide, games, watermelon and cupcakes.  We all had a blast!  Here are a few highlights.

Aubie Came to Town

By all accounts, we had a celebrity on our hands last night.  At the annual Wiregrass Auburn Club golf tournament this year they brought in Aubie and Tiger Talk.  Aubie was a bit hit with all the kids.  And Aubie gets major props for letting all the munchkins crawl all over him, pull his tail, play with his whiskers and push on his feet.  He was a pro at this.  Here are a few pics I snapped.

Mass Chaos

My best group shot.  LB of course has her back to the camera.

Playing with Aubie's big feet.

Dad's article this week - Two Peas in a Pod

I love my dad's article this week, so I thought I would share it.  Enjoy!

Two Peas in a Pod

By Dan Ponder

“Excuse me,” the man said to the two ladies sitting at lunch in Bainbridge. “Do you mind telling me who that young lady was that just left?” “Catherine Vanstone,” they said.

“She looks just like my high school history teacher,” he replied. It turned out that some 25 years earlier, during a brief tenure at Ashford Academy, Mary Lou Ponder was in fact his teacher for two years. Imagine his surprise when he learned that Catherine’s maiden name was Ponder.

I might pass that off as one of those coincidences that come along occasionally in our lives, except that this was the second time in one week.

Earlier in the week, Catherine was attending a conference at Unicoi State Park near Helen in north Georgia. While eating lunch, a lady walked up to her and asked if she might be Mary Lou Ponder’s daughter.

It turns out that Kathy Doster, an old teaching colleague of Mary Lou’s, had retired years ago to the mountains of north Georgia. Though Catherine was just a child when she left, she somehow knew that the young lady walking across the dining room had to be related to Mary Lou. She was right.

In the space of one week, two people who really never knew Catherine identified her as Mary Lou’s adult child. They were both in a place that wouldn’t make a recollection likely. It was simply that they look alike, walk alike, and even talk alike.

As mother and daughter, they are like two peas in a pod.

I might say it is just their looks, but really it is more than that. They think and act the same way. They both talk with their hands. They even have the same emotional makeup in many ways. If they weren’t parent and child, you would think they were twins.

In many ways I have envied that genetic bond that manifests itself in so many ways in their relationship.

Our other daughter, Elizabeth, certainly looks more like me than Catherine, but she is much more a blend of the many branches of her family tree. That independence in many ways is what defines her.

It is somewhat ironic, then, that she married a twin. Both daughters share first cousins that are twins. They both had great uncles that were twins.

Henry, our first grandchild, was the spitting image of his other grandfather, Jack Vanstone, at birth. Laura, our second grandchild, looked exactly like her father, Grant, the first moment I saw her.

Who is my other pea in the pod?

I don’t worry about this at all. The older we all get, the more I see myself in my children and grandchildren. It may not be physical, but there is a part of me there that I can see. They all got some of the good and bad.

Physically, I see my father in my face more each passing year. My brother has the Beall features and looks more like my maternal grandfather. My sister is her own person in many ways, but with looks and traits that blend from both sides.

It isn’t always just our family that we resemble. We often have friends with whom we share similar traits. Television shows occasionally feature how similar a pet and their owners look alike. Some couples that have been married for a very long time seem to look more and more alike.

Most of us have either seen or had someone tell us about someone else that looked like our “twin.” Perhaps with nearly 7 billion people on the planet it isn’t that surprising that at least one person favors each of us. What is incredible is that we often have the opportunity to actually see that person out of such a mass of people.

Sometimes it works exactly the opposite way. My brother and I are partners, neighbors and best friends, but are as opposite as two people can be. My daughters are not quite so different, but no one is going to mistake them for twins.

Some of the best friends in my life have had very different interests than I have. Some are pretty similar. It doesn’t really matter to me what you share with a friend beyond friendship.

Who hasn’t seen an Elvis impersonator in their lifetime? Who hasn’t seen someone that looks like Marilyn Monroe or Jackie Kennedy? Comedians often make a fortune simply by looking like the current president, whoever that might be.

Some more extreme examples involve people having plastic surgery to look more like their hero or someone famous. Improve your own looks if you must, but to spend money and endure pain to look specifically like someone else, no matter how famous, seems a bit much to me.

God seemed to make my wife and oldest daughter so much alike. Like two peas in a pod, they share things I can’t begin to understand. On the other hand, I get to marvel and enjoy their relationship from afar.

5 Ways to Thrive During Tough Times

This is a great motivational read.

The below article is written by Jon Gordon.  You can find out more about Jon at www.JonGordon.com.

5 Ways To Thrive During Tough Times

Budgets are tightening. The economy is stagnating. Competition is building. Fear is spreading. And uncertainty is growing.

Staying positive doesn't mean you ignore this reality. Rather it means you stay positive and take positive action in spite of this reality - regardless of how bleak the situation may seem.

Now is a time to get back to basics, zoom focus on the fundamentals, grow your business, gain market share and seize the opportunity. Yes, opportunity. Despite what you have been hearing now is a great opportunity for you and your organization to create lasting success.

Study history and you'll find that a lot of people and organizations made a name for themselves and grew their businesses during recessions and downturns. These successful people and organizations all shared similar characteristics and took similar actions to thrive while others merely tried to survive. These success stories offer a blue print we can follow to thrive during tough times. They show us what is possible if we are willing to stay positive, repel fear, and take initiative.

In this spirit, here are five characteristics and actions you can take to thrive right now.

1. Refuse to Participate in the Recession - Businesses and people that thrived during past recessions continued to go about their business as usual regardless of the market conditions. They stayed positive, worked hard and focused on taking actions to grow their business. Focus on business as usual and while others allow fear to paralyze them you will charge forward and move ahead of your competition.

2. Increase Marketing and Advertising - It may seem counter intuitive to spend more money on advertising and marketing but with so many people and organizations cutting back on these expenses this is a great opportunity to build your brand, expand your presence and gain market share. People will still be buying goods and services and they will buy from those who they trust and see in the marketplace. This is a great time to win new customers and stand out.

3. Innovate - Just as the phoenix rises from the ashes, great ideas and new business ventures are born during economic hardships. GE, Disney, and Microsoft were all born during recessions. I believe when times are tough we are more open to new ideas, new products and new ways of doing things. For example, smart political and business leaders should be working on new technologies and infrastructure that will lead us into the future.

4. Become a Talent Magnet - If you are a leader or manager there is no better time to find, attract and hire the best talent. Focus on strengthening your business now and you’ll be in a great position to capitalize when the market rebounds.

5. Think Big, Take Action - Consider that both the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge were built during the Great Depression. Now is a time to think big, create your vision and take action. With more people living in fear and fewer people taking initiative the rewards and recognition will be greater for those willing to work hard and dedicate themselves to building a great business, product, service, and vision. As we know, there is no substitute for hard work and now is a time where those with a positive attitude and great work ethic will shine.

Think Before You Invest

How do you invest your time?  How do you invest...you?

I have shared before how much I enjoy reading Sally Clarkson's work.  Today's post on her blog, I Take Joy, is so relevant for all that I wanted to share it with you.  Check out what she has to say about "Investing your life or frittering away the coins of time".

Great Summer Dessert

Need a great summer dessert that is super easy to make?  I have it for you.  My Key Lime Pie recipe is about as easy as it gets.  This recipe comes from the grandmother of one of my best friends from college. Marie and I stayed with her grandparents in FL during one of our Feb Breaks (yes we had a week off in February in addition to a normal Spring Break) and she kept the pies coming the entire time we were there.  I couldn't get enough of it!

Graham cracker crumb crust

Original Cool Whip

Sweentened Condensed Milk

Lime Juice - one of those little limes with the juice in it is the perfect size, but if you have to buy a big jar of it, then you need 2/3 cup

Mix the cool whip and condensed milk.  Add in the lime juice and mix some more.  Throw it in the pie crust and then into the freezer.  Tada!  

I like to keep mine in the freezer and pull out at serving time because it can soften up fairly quickly in this 100 degree weather.

Great for making ahead of time.  And it keeps for a long time.

Enjoy.