Posts Tagged ‘Communication’

Dec. 26 Video Cameras

Monday, December 26th, 2011

I took a video of my grandfather today. I asked him to tell the story of how he met my grandmother. I’m happy I could capture something so sweet and will be able to watch it for years to come.

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Dec. 10 Welcoming

Saturday, December 10th, 2011

Last night was the Christmas – er, “holiday” – ;) party for my husband’s office. The boss and his wife host it, and I am not exaggerating when I say they are some of the most gracious hosts I have seen. They do a tremendous job of making the spouses and significant others feel welcome at these events. Which, when you consider the potential awkwardness of making conversation with people you see only once a year, is saying a lot. I want to host like them when I grow up.

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Dec. 1 Feedback

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

A friend gave me some really encouraging – and specific – feedback today about this blog. It wasn’t “hey, your blog is cool.” It was “hey, I read this post and it resonated with me for this reason.”

As every website in the world starts to post 2011 year-in-review stuff… would you take a moment to let me know if a certain post or idea resonated with you this year? I’m planning to continue blogging in 2012 with an expanded scope of subject matter, and I would love to hear what you liked and what you would like to see more of. Thanks!

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Posted in Encouragement, Friends | 2 Comments »

Nov. 20 Literacy

Sunday, November 20th, 2011

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying Facebook friends’ Month of Thanksgiving entries. I’m stealing this from one of them because it’s such a great one. I am so thankful to be able to read! (A special shout-out to my mom for reading to me as a wee one. :) )

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Nov. 19 Google Maps

Saturday, November 19th, 2011

Although I have already extolled the virtues of GPS, I am also quite thankful for Google Maps. We drove all over northern VA today, and with Google Maps on my phone, I could map out the best route for our errands and even search for food on the route when we got hungry.

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Nov. 8 People doing the Month of Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

As you may have seen, I started this blog thanks to the idea of observing November as a Month of Thanksgiving. Last year, my friend Kristen was posting one thing she was thankful for on Facebook each day, and I decided to join her. Then I just kept going.

I’m so excited to see Facebook friends joining in the Month of Thanksgiving this year!! I have seen at least one mention already that searching for things to be thankful for is improving her attitude a little bit each day.

I’ll share again one of my newest favorite quotes that sums up what I’m trying to accomplish here – for skeptics and pessimists like me!

“Thankfulness isn’t a matter of forcing yourself to see the happy side of life. That would be like returning to naïve optimism. Thanking God restores the natural order of our dependence on God. It enables us to see life as it really is.” – Paul Miller, “A Praying Life”

It’s never too late to start!

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Oct. 21 Sharing Stories of People

Friday, October 21st, 2011

I’ve had the opportunity to share some fun stories lately. I just told a co-worker the story of meeting my husband and our first couple of dates. While on vacation, I told my husband a bunch of stories about traveling with college friends during my semester abroad.

Stirring and reliving these fond memories gave me a renewed appreciation for those times and warm fuzzies about the people involved.

(Musical note: I’m obsessed with applying the new Switchfoot song “Souvenirs” to my college travels right now.)

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Oct. 16 Away from home: Language understanding

Sunday, October 16th, 2011

We have had a decent time communicating with people on our trip. In most cases, we have been able to find a few English words in common. I even got to use some shards of leftover high school Spanish, which was very fun.

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Oct. 6 Radio traffic reports

Thursday, October 6th, 2011

Road congestion isn’t exactly the category where you want your home at the top of the list, but there it is. I live in an area with award-winning traffic. D.C. has only so many bridges accessing the city, so for the most part, it’s a turn-up-the-music-and-bear-it situation on the commute. Every now and then, though, a heads up can help me avoid a clogged route. Thus, I listen to traffic reports religiously in the car.

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Oct. 1 Learning from Other Writers

Saturday, October 1st, 2011

Any time you write, you are inviting scrutiny. Put yourself up on stage to explain the process behind your writing and take questions about it – now that’s pretty gutsy.

Four Pulitzer Prize winners did just that today, and I got to listen in on their conversation. I attended Poynter’s writing workshop in D.C. featuring famed writing coach Roy Peter Clark. I’d been hearing about him for years, and he did not disappoint. The entire day was awesome – hearing veterans of personal essays, humor columns, hard news reporting and op-ed writing talking about their experiences and what they’ve learned. Not only was it journalism nerd heaven, but I also left with tons of food for thought.

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