I had the opportunity to speak to all of the Bishops in my Stake today- it just so happens that my job with the Boy Scouts takes in McMinnville Stake. The purpose of our meeting was to get the executive officers trained. What would you train the bishops on if you had their ear for 30 minutes?
I started out with asking them point blank if they ever felt there was a disconnect between a campout and a good missionary? If they thought that managing the Scouting program in their wards was time consuming or cumbersome? Only two were honest, the rest were grateful the others were honest.
Jim (my boss man) and I shared a few quotes and some ideas on how to make their lives easier. Scouting isn't really there to take all their time and leave them with nothing. It's to provide them with avenues in which to share testimony of the gospel and practical life skills.
Two quotes I shared with them tonight:
The first by the General Primary President, Cheryl C. Lant. She said:
Scouting is fun and has an important purpose! Soven through all the fun is an inspired program that really works. Scouting is about learning and living the gospel. Socuitng can reinforce positive character values and leadership skills that are taught in the home. Scouting prepares boys to become righteous men who hold and honor the priesthood of God. Scout leaders have the repsponsibility to help each boy connect what he is learning in Scouting to his preisthood preparation and his future as a covenent-keeping missionary, husband, and father.
Powerful. But then get this one that we closed with.
This is not an optional program....Scouting is no longer on trial. It is an economincally, socially, and spiritually sound program. It builds men of character and spirituality and trains them for citizen and leadership responsibility. Scouting teaches a boy to take care of himself and stand on his own two feet. It is an inspired program for a demanding time. This is that time! I would to God that every boy of Scouting age could have the benefits and blessings of this great program. It is truly a noble program. It is a builder of character not only in the boys but also in the men who provide the leadership. - President Ezra Taft Benson, March 31, 1978.
May we soon learn to listen to the prophet's voice!
I really, truly do love Scouting. Not because it's my job either. I just love and appreciate the program. It really does help young boys become great men. I see it in my own little pack made up of 5 non-member boys. I see their little faces brim with pride when the reach a milestone. I listen to them speak to people at their door steps as they collect food and clothing for those in need. I hear them refer to their leaders as their friends, trusted friend. Do not all children need these same blessings?
Food for thought.
29 January 2009
19 January 2009
Fianlly, an update!
I had to schedule an hour to update my blog. My eyes are all blury, dirty glasses and headaches, etc.
First a very quick update - busy, dang busy. First the crazy weather, then the holidays. Then it was like the flood gates finally opened with my volunteers - they also came back to life and with only one week to make year-end membership, slammed. And the boss man kept asking us to head to Salem. For me, total waste of time. Oh, and this whole time I had a sprained ankle!
ANywho...finally it was Friday and I had a ton of people coming and going from my small, two chair office turning in membership, making calls and do you know what? We made it! +1. I know, it's small and it was at 5:40 pm but hey, we did it. It's Tina's leadership and others who cared enough to do their roster checks. The stake presidency got in on it...bringing in 5 kids at the very end.
Then the very next week (so now we're at like 1/12) we spent Monday running around to Salem again because Jim thought that meeting Tu-Thus wouldn't be enough? and then of course Tues - Thurs at the planning conference in Salem. Then Sat we had our day of planning for day camp at the coast. Geesh, I am do tired!
The conference was good and bad. Crazy drunk people should be quarantined until they sober up and some are just freakin' hilarious when drunk and all lounging on the same bed. I wish I could find a pic of that...maybe? There were like 11 of us on one bed, the boss's.
Roommate problems? I never had any until early Thursday aM. she is a freak!!
Anyway, it's MLK day and I finally had a day off. I set my alarm for 9 and woke up at 7, :( boo hoo. I made my list and checked it twice and got most of it done with still many more things to do. I'm only about an hour behind schedule too and Joanne called and we talked for like 1.5 hrs (she's Will's baby's mama). Does that makes sense? Elijah is her son. I still think they should move into my house and be section 8 renters.
That's all I got - sorry for the lack of detail. If I could keep up, I could be more detailed. Have a fantastic day all.
~Sharon
First a very quick update - busy, dang busy. First the crazy weather, then the holidays. Then it was like the flood gates finally opened with my volunteers - they also came back to life and with only one week to make year-end membership, slammed. And the boss man kept asking us to head to Salem. For me, total waste of time. Oh, and this whole time I had a sprained ankle!
ANywho...finally it was Friday and I had a ton of people coming and going from my small, two chair office turning in membership, making calls and do you know what? We made it! +1. I know, it's small and it was at 5:40 pm but hey, we did it. It's Tina's leadership and others who cared enough to do their roster checks. The stake presidency got in on it...bringing in 5 kids at the very end.
Then the very next week (so now we're at like 1/12) we spent Monday running around to Salem again because Jim thought that meeting Tu-Thus wouldn't be enough? and then of course Tues - Thurs at the planning conference in Salem. Then Sat we had our day of planning for day camp at the coast. Geesh, I am do tired!
The conference was good and bad. Crazy drunk people should be quarantined until they sober up and some are just freakin' hilarious when drunk and all lounging on the same bed. I wish I could find a pic of that...maybe? There were like 11 of us on one bed, the boss's.
Roommate problems? I never had any until early Thursday aM. she is a freak!!
Anyway, it's MLK day and I finally had a day off. I set my alarm for 9 and woke up at 7, :( boo hoo. I made my list and checked it twice and got most of it done with still many more things to do. I'm only about an hour behind schedule too and Joanne called and we talked for like 1.5 hrs (she's Will's baby's mama). Does that makes sense? Elijah is her son. I still think they should move into my house and be section 8 renters.
That's all I got - sorry for the lack of detail. If I could keep up, I could be more detailed. Have a fantastic day all.
~Sharon
15 January 2009
Planning Conference 2009
Planning Conference 2009
We are in the final few hours of our 2009 planning conference. It's been pretty good this year, not as good as last. The facilities are really nice this year - Sheraton at the Airport. I was paired with a roommate who until she was stone drunk was really nice and fun.Now we are watching a video on the new compensation program that I already watched. Skip t the Q & A already!I'll have way more details later - way more!~Sharon
We are in the final few hours of our 2009 planning conference. It's been pretty good this year, not as good as last. The facilities are really nice this year - Sheraton at the Airport. I was paired with a roommate who until she was stone drunk was really nice and fun.Now we are watching a video on the new compensation program that I already watched. Skip t the Q & A already!I'll have way more details later - way more!~Sharon
31 December 2008
Sweet, sweet Holidays
Hellooooo Folks,
This has been such an odd last couple of weeks due to the snow and crazy weather we've been having. Added to that I have lost all connectionto my officed from home, a very rare feat indeed. I've worked for the Boy Scouts for like 6 years and the entire time I've had at home access. My new laptop isn't compatible due to the # of bits? Whatever...just make it work! Hahaha...
My new computer isnt' copatible to the secure network and that is AWEFULLY frurstrating! I feel like I lost about a week and a half trapped in the house. And I was one of those crazy people who ventured outside at least 3-4 times.
Anyway, I took some pics and will try to get them up of me getting the chains on! (woman power, lol) and downed trees and now that the snow is all gone, I can hardly remember that it was even here or how bad it was.
Wed. AM I had finally had it with my tub not draining and decided (well, I really decided on Tuesday to go early Wed AM) to leave VERY early for the PDX office so I could work for the 1/2 a day and then head across the bridge to my parents house. On my way to PDX, boss man called and told me that they had closed the office so I just kept on keeping on all the way to my parents. I got there around 9:30 AM. Not too bad considering the ruts were about a 1.5 ft deep and it was snowing like crazy. See, out here in the NW, cities doesn't have plows...what would we do with them the other 45.9 years between severe snow falls?
I arrive and my mom and I decide to venture out. She hasn't been out in days and I for sure wanted to get out and about and figured that in a town of 4 times my entire county's population, the roads would be better...I was soooo wrong but who cares. I had my chains and false yet happy security. We wandered to the post office and WalMart. It was icy but ok. My mom needed her prescriptions and I needed stamps.
We call my SIL and ask her if she's coming over and she says yes but that she needs help digging out so I head on over with the Elders and we begin to dig her out. This is another testimony that we did have that freezing rain they promised because we had like 8 inches of soft powdery snow then an inch of solid ice, then 8 inches of snow again. The two cutest things ever were: My SIL was putting the mittens on my nephew and he got so excited to come down with us and "help" that he walked away with only 1 and I asked him, "Aukai, where's your other glove?" ANd he looked down and thought, oh yeah, I forgot it and headed back up but mom had sent the keys down with him so I said, hey, can I have the keys? He promptly threw them down two stories at me!! lol...good thing he has a good throwing arm and I can catch well!
Then he finally gets down to the parking lot and his tool of choice to shovel the family car out from under the mounds of snow? A kitchen spatula!! And he was so dedicated to making it happen. He just shoeveled his little heart out! It was adorable...as he really is. Sissy, Keli'i and mom joined us and we were off.
We dropped the kids off and Nell and I headed out to pick up the easel from Cherish's place. That was an episode all of it's own because Cherish wasn't home so Nell and I went shopping to the fabric store, Tuesday AM and Wendy's for Frosties. Like we really needed a frosty in that weather?
Christmas was adorable with the missionaries (they live with my parents) and my nieces and nephews. They were very cute and just happy enough. I got everyone in my family the same thing - signs for the doors or inside that say "Nihpali Family - Eastablished 19 or 200..." Except Andrew. He's not married so why would he get one? Anyway...it was a good surprise because I kept them hidden in the car until late Christmas Eve. Hohoo ho!
This has been such an odd last couple of weeks due to the snow and crazy weather we've been having. Added to that I have lost all connectionto my officed from home, a very rare feat indeed. I've worked for the Boy Scouts for like 6 years and the entire time I've had at home access. My new laptop isn't compatible due to the # of bits? Whatever...just make it work! Hahaha...
My new computer isnt' copatible to the secure network and that is AWEFULLY frurstrating! I feel like I lost about a week and a half trapped in the house. And I was one of those crazy people who ventured outside at least 3-4 times.
Anyway, I took some pics and will try to get them up of me getting the chains on! (woman power, lol) and downed trees and now that the snow is all gone, I can hardly remember that it was even here or how bad it was.
Wed. AM I had finally had it with my tub not draining and decided (well, I really decided on Tuesday to go early Wed AM) to leave VERY early for the PDX office so I could work for the 1/2 a day and then head across the bridge to my parents house. On my way to PDX, boss man called and told me that they had closed the office so I just kept on keeping on all the way to my parents. I got there around 9:30 AM. Not too bad considering the ruts were about a 1.5 ft deep and it was snowing like crazy. See, out here in the NW, cities doesn't have plows...what would we do with them the other 45.9 years between severe snow falls?
I arrive and my mom and I decide to venture out. She hasn't been out in days and I for sure wanted to get out and about and figured that in a town of 4 times my entire county's population, the roads would be better...I was soooo wrong but who cares. I had my chains and false yet happy security. We wandered to the post office and WalMart. It was icy but ok. My mom needed her prescriptions and I needed stamps.
We call my SIL and ask her if she's coming over and she says yes but that she needs help digging out so I head on over with the Elders and we begin to dig her out. This is another testimony that we did have that freezing rain they promised because we had like 8 inches of soft powdery snow then an inch of solid ice, then 8 inches of snow again. The two cutest things ever were: My SIL was putting the mittens on my nephew and he got so excited to come down with us and "help" that he walked away with only 1 and I asked him, "Aukai, where's your other glove?" ANd he looked down and thought, oh yeah, I forgot it and headed back up but mom had sent the keys down with him so I said, hey, can I have the keys? He promptly threw them down two stories at me!! lol...good thing he has a good throwing arm and I can catch well!
Then he finally gets down to the parking lot and his tool of choice to shovel the family car out from under the mounds of snow? A kitchen spatula!! And he was so dedicated to making it happen. He just shoeveled his little heart out! It was adorable...as he really is. Sissy, Keli'i and mom joined us and we were off.
We dropped the kids off and Nell and I headed out to pick up the easel from Cherish's place. That was an episode all of it's own because Cherish wasn't home so Nell and I went shopping to the fabric store, Tuesday AM and Wendy's for Frosties. Like we really needed a frosty in that weather?
Christmas was adorable with the missionaries (they live with my parents) and my nieces and nephews. They were very cute and just happy enough. I got everyone in my family the same thing - signs for the doors or inside that say "Nihpali Family - Eastablished 19 or 200..." Except Andrew. He's not married so why would he get one? Anyway...it was a good surprise because I kept them hidden in the car until late Christmas Eve. Hohoo ho!
I think i'll end tonight on the happy note. Only depressing things happen beginning the day after Christmas.
Hope everyone had a very, very Merry Christmas!
Hugs,
Sharon
17 December 2008
White Christmas?
Or just another year of crazy winter weather in the NW? Sunday it snowed and it wasn't suppossed to get above freezing until next Sunday. People drove on the roads thinking it was fine and now we have packed snow and ice and crappy roads. Look, my little town of Amity isn't equipped with sanding and ice plows or even de-icer. We have one paid cop, one paid fire chief guy and an all volunteer city council. But the bigger surprise is that the roads in the surrounding towns (Salem, McMinnville) roads are WORSE than in Amity. I just don't really understand this but it's true. It is nice to have a blanket of white (and Maleen, I don't have closed toed shoes let alone snow pants?) but it's a bit cold and I'm a bit unaccustomed to it. Plus, I only heat my home with a pellet stove and I'm running low on pellets. I put off buying the two pallets because we had such a mild fall. Oh well.
Have a great day y'all.
~Sharon
Have a great day y'all.
~Sharon
11 December 2008
My Monster Treadmill
This should be good fodder for my friends...fyi: I have used it 75% of the days I have owned it, so far. This is a really good %. [Update: Now it's more like 85%] But the story goes like this...
I've been thinking about how lazy I am and how out of shape and obese (yes, I typed that word on my BLOG) that I am. So, since I know that I can and am able to lose weight and change my lifestyle, albeit when I lived much closer to a gym, that I have been thinking about getting a treadmill for a long time. I mentioned this to one of my friends (Shan, love ya girl) and she said, oh, I've got a treadmill. I said great for you - are you looking at selling it? She said they never use it and that the incline was broken. The incline is a fundamental part of the plan for me to lose weight so it might not work out. I convinced her to show me her machine (a very NICE machine) but it's broken.
So, we started looking online for used treadmills. Ok, remember what I said in the first paragraph about my size. For those of you who are skinny minnies or don't use treadmills b/c you are a skinny minny (btw, congrats on that, it's not a put down at ALL!), there are weight limits. This turned out to be my largest obstacle. Finding a treadmill that can handle my weight so I can work out to lower my weight. yes, well, anyway. I looked everywhere, went to discount dealer websites and even almost paid $1275 for a machine. In the end though, you'd be so proud of me that I hung up with that guy, I paid a nice young man with a 1 mo old who lost his job $500 for a $2800 machine that had only been used maybe 30 times. :)
It's huge (it has to be to support me) and the incline works and I love it. It does take up the entire living room and to be perfectly honest, I don't care at all. I walk on it either every AM or when I get home at night. I love having absolutely no excuse!!! not to use it.
The first workout was pretty difficult but mostly I believe it was because my back was all out of whack. I got done and stretched and listened intently to pop, pop pppop, ppop. Ah, the migraine went away and I can stand up straight again. :)
I've been thinking about how lazy I am and how out of shape and obese (yes, I typed that word on my BLOG) that I am. So, since I know that I can and am able to lose weight and change my lifestyle, albeit when I lived much closer to a gym, that I have been thinking about getting a treadmill for a long time. I mentioned this to one of my friends (Shan, love ya girl) and she said, oh, I've got a treadmill. I said great for you - are you looking at selling it? She said they never use it and that the incline was broken. The incline is a fundamental part of the plan for me to lose weight so it might not work out. I convinced her to show me her machine (a very NICE machine) but it's broken.
So, we started looking online for used treadmills. Ok, remember what I said in the first paragraph about my size. For those of you who are skinny minnies or don't use treadmills b/c you are a skinny minny (btw, congrats on that, it's not a put down at ALL!), there are weight limits. This turned out to be my largest obstacle. Finding a treadmill that can handle my weight so I can work out to lower my weight. yes, well, anyway. I looked everywhere, went to discount dealer websites and even almost paid $1275 for a machine. In the end though, you'd be so proud of me that I hung up with that guy, I paid a nice young man with a 1 mo old who lost his job $500 for a $2800 machine that had only been used maybe 30 times. :)
It's huge (it has to be to support me) and the incline works and I love it. It does take up the entire living room and to be perfectly honest, I don't care at all. I walk on it either every AM or when I get home at night. I love having absolutely no excuse!!! not to use it.
The first workout was pretty difficult but mostly I believe it was because my back was all out of whack. I got done and stretched and listened intently to pop, pop pppop, ppop. Ah, the migraine went away and I can stand up straight again. :)
Well, I should take a photo and post it because it's so huge and takes up the entire room and almost blocks my view of the Christmas tree, but I don't care!! I think it's worth it. No buyers remorse here.
~Sharon
03 December 2008
Trimming the Tree
Ok, so when mom and dad were out on Saturday, I got the tree up. But I couldn't get all the lights to work. It's not like I had a lot of time or energy to work on it either. But then Sunday came and went and nothing got done. Then Monday...so finally today, Wed. AM I decided to tackle the tree.
I am so grateful for my Savior. As I was "foofing" the branches of my fake, yet equal opportunity tree (it spins and gives every ornament equal time to be mezmerizing), I got the lights to work. I thought, oh how pretty it is with all of these white lights. Then, I began trimming the tree with reflective ornament bulbs and the light grew - magnified by the reflection. If the lights are the Light of Christ and we are the oranments, reflecting His love and mission, how much greater is our joy when we share His light? The tree became brighter and brigher, ever more beautiful as I added more ornaments. Then I began my "bow" fettish. This part takes the longest but this year, I allowed it to be "imperfect". And, I realized that the bows allowed the light to shine through them. Lots of metaphores and analogies this year. I just looked at my lovely tree and thought about how grateful I am to have a job, a family who loves me and I love them. We belong to the Lord's restored church on Earth, we live in the free-est land in all the world and we enjoy propsperity known to no other people (as a whole). I don't even think that I know "want". This is something that is in my patriarchal blessing - that I would always have my needs met. Ah, what comfort those words bring to me now as we have these difficult days and months ahead. You know, everyone struggles with something. Don't get trapped in that ploy of the advesary that you are all alone or no one understands. It's bunk. It breeds discouragement and disappointment in life.
I'll post pics just as soon as I figure out how to get my new computer working, promise!
~Sharon
I am so grateful for my Savior. As I was "foofing" the branches of my fake, yet equal opportunity tree (it spins and gives every ornament equal time to be mezmerizing), I got the lights to work. I thought, oh how pretty it is with all of these white lights. Then, I began trimming the tree with reflective ornament bulbs and the light grew - magnified by the reflection. If the lights are the Light of Christ and we are the oranments, reflecting His love and mission, how much greater is our joy when we share His light? The tree became brighter and brigher, ever more beautiful as I added more ornaments. Then I began my "bow" fettish. This part takes the longest but this year, I allowed it to be "imperfect". And, I realized that the bows allowed the light to shine through them. Lots of metaphores and analogies this year. I just looked at my lovely tree and thought about how grateful I am to have a job, a family who loves me and I love them. We belong to the Lord's restored church on Earth, we live in the free-est land in all the world and we enjoy propsperity known to no other people (as a whole). I don't even think that I know "want". This is something that is in my patriarchal blessing - that I would always have my needs met. Ah, what comfort those words bring to me now as we have these difficult days and months ahead. You know, everyone struggles with something. Don't get trapped in that ploy of the advesary that you are all alone or no one understands. It's bunk. It breeds discouragement and disappointment in life.
I'll post pics just as soon as I figure out how to get my new computer working, promise!
~Sharon
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