After the accident but during camp...

My office got redecorated...(just in time for me to move out!) with new carpet and then some choice volunteers got thought they'd get rid of the awful green that I did when I first moved in. Little by little, we are going to transform that little office to something the Scouts can be proud of.

I should've had a before but I always think of it when it's like 2/3 done...same thing with yard work. No one would believe how high the grass was and that it took me 3 days to

 

Puppy love?

 

Hi Everyone!!! This is my fiance...his name is [to protect the innocent] Al Alley and don't we look cute together~!!!

Just a quick post to let u know what's been going on with me.

Accidental $1000 giveaway~

 

Ok, so this is one pic...more to come of the accidental $1000 giveaway. This is the result of driving while tired and having an emergency fund that can be drained in one moment of sleepy eye time.

My friends gave me a gift - a bag full of toothpicks (to hold my eyes open), 5 hour power energy drink and no doze! I do love my friends and their sense of humor.

I

The truth of the matter is that I was thinking to myself, man, I'm tired. I should pull over and before I had a chance, I hit the dang pole. I should also admit here that I was jealous of my friend, Bonnie, who always gets to sleep when we ride together because she can't drive and IMHO, has severe sleep apnea and can't stay awake anyways. I always get a bit grumpy because I'm just as tired (or more so) and yet I can't just snore for the 1 1/2 hr drive home. I can't blare the music loud enough or make it cold enough. So, I give away a grand and have increased insurance rates...ah, living the American dream.

I'll blog later about my office.

I do want to note here that I've reconnected with a guy from about 18 months ago named Rob who lives in UT (probably the only bad thing about him)...and I like it.

Hugs to all~

How the weeds killed the baby plants!

See the weed above surrounded by many more weeds? I have patches of grass that are gone because now cause they were so dense!

The weather was agreeable yesterday and so I attempted yard work. At this point you should know that I have tried weed and feed, directly applying weed killer liquids and various other stuffs to handle the weeds in my yard. Nothing worked.

I should have taken a before and after picture excep that I spent 4 hours digging up dandilions and other knoxious weeds and you couldn't really see them (but I knew they were there) by hand! My hands are very sore today. I also planted two tiny little plants - you wouldn't be able to see them either if I took a picture. It's soooo funny looking. It looks like a dirt pile and nothing else. I'll probably do a raised flower bed for some color but I need time to buy and arrange the blocks. I managed to make it to Lowe's last night around 9:45 PM and bought some additional flowers and plants but of course, didn't plant them in the dark. Also, my front porch light is falling down broken and I believe it's a hazard so I disconnected it and now can't even work with a little bit of light in the dark.

I do believe I am going to plant those plants tomorrow. I didn't get around to the backyard yet but I did pay a boy scout (my friend's son) to come and weed wack the entire thing. It needs a mowing and to dig the dandilions out back there, too. One little baby step at a time.

On another note, I should know by now that everything works out the way it should with or without me but I am especially grateful today for volunteers from one district going all the way over to Tillamook to help them have a fun day camp experience. There is tons and tons of work to do still but they are my main priority until then.

Except for...drum roll please...

Tonight - go home for father's day and conveient commute to the golf tourney tomorrow Vancouver
Monday - Golf tourney - way past Canby, OR and then home to finish up yard work
Tuesday AM - Salem, Service area meeting, Leadership Newberg Graduation, Council Fall Membership Kickoff in Tigard

HAVE YOU NOTICED A TREND HERE? NO

TIME FOR DAY CAMP PREPARATION??

Thursday - Tillamook Pre camp leaders meeting, meet at 1 PM at the storage container (remember, I need an agenda and items to give to the leaders at this meeting and 1.5 hrs to drive there). Then Roundtable.

Friday - arrive at camp to recieve camp supplies from council quartermaster at 1 pm, again, travel time. Finish preparing for day camp. I mean, that's it...then it arrives.

Next week I have day camp. I still need 32 kids to show growth in my district for the year and I'm afraid we're not going to make it. This is terribly disheartening. I just got to go and get 'er done, that's all.

I can't wait until it's all over! YIKES!!!! Please, pray for me. Trying to stay positive and happy.

Check yall later,

To Kill a Bird?!

Hello All,

I had the oddest experience today - I wish I had a photo, besides the one engrained in my head!

As I was driving along at 60 mph, a pair of birds were flittering around as birds choose to do in the Spring. It was very random but one of the pretty birds was either just too dumb or too slow to get out of the way and ~BLAM~ the bird flew directly into the grill of my car! I couldn't believe it. Birds just don't do that. They are usually quick enough to get out of the way or something. The bird went under the car and I looked out the rear view window with just enough time to see it land on the ground. It didn't get up either. I felt odd - both bad and mad for it making me hurt it. Why on earth wouldn't it have gotten out of the way. I have been watching birds all day now and it's driving me crazy. I refuse to cause a human fatality due to a bird or breaking for a bird but geesh. Birds used to fly smack dab into our window as a kid. It was huge - probably 5'x4'.

Went to a Wine on Tuesday - now don't go freakin' out people. It's a chamber greeters of sorts. I took Jody Hall and we met up with Nikki Bowes. We got lost and were late so we hung out for a few then went to eat chinese. Then we went to a pack planning meeting for the new Pack in Dundee. They are rockers and rollers. They are soooo on top of things. I just love working with successful people.

Now I'm home. I have to award a bonus coin today still for my LO Healthy Hotties team. It's sort of fun to find hotties who are doing good things. it's inspiring and for me, I could use some of that. hahah...anyway, it's time to update my resume. Gotta run.

Hugs to all my lovlies,

Sharon

NW Mid-singles Conference...Memorial Day Weekend

Ah, it's good to be back online and posting for all the world to see. Or at least a few select people.

I registered for a mid-singles conference (between 28 and 45 year olds) in Seattle (well, Bellevue, WA) for Memorial Day weekend. I couldn't find anyone to go with me from my stake, so I sent out the S-O-S and got a few hits. This though, would mean that strangers would be riding up and sharing a hotel room for a stressful weekend. For the remainder of this post, this phenomenon will be called "stranger danger". yes, when planning an event - words to the wise - don't do it with STRANGERS. You just don't know what you're getting for your buck.
Well, it wasn't all bad, as soon in this pic.

L-R Jenny, Kristine, Cherish and Me, Sharona

J-31, student, K- 40, PhD, Cherish- single working mom of 3 and recently active,

Me, normal, lol...j/k!

The conference was good the first night. We had a catered dinner with fabulous food. I also think it was the night with the most attendees. I guess spending the entire weekend was too much for some. But, it was nice. Speed dating - for any of you who might EVER need it in the future, is kind of nice because you are not trapped into talking to any one person for too long. Plus, you get to talk to people who you would never talk to if it weren't for this opportunity. It was a good way to break the ice with a lot of guys. Only problem was: 400 attendees, 70 men. yeah, so we'd talked and laughed about the m to FM ratio on the way up in Oklahoma, Huntington Beach and other areas around the US but we never thought we'd blow them out of the water! There are so many singles in our age category but it seems they just aren't coming out. They are all over the place, online, in our wards, etc. Whatever...

Cherish is working on her temple recommend and while the rest of us could attend, as she was dropping us off, she reminded us of how jealous she was and that made me re-recognize the blessing of having a recommend. Maybe I take it for granted sometimes and there is NOTHING to be taken for granted.

We met some other folks - Sarah and Clark to be speicifc. I fell in love with Sarah. She's 29, divorced, took a 60% pay cut to be home with her daughter but still makes enough to manage to do fine. She's brilliant and won't be making that little for very long. She will excel quickly. Clark and she are probably dating now. They make an awesome couple.

Sarah and Clark

More later...

ItIt's the Middle of May ALREADY!

I'm a little overwhelemed with life. I have a lot to do and enough time to do the important things - like, keep my job performance up and eat healthy, or at least pretend to.

I have been putting off yard work and so I said to self "Self, get 'er done, tonight, no excuses." And so I began the process. hauled out the lawn mower, weed wacker, edger, extension cord, two buckets, the dandlion weeder thingy, the shovel, and a spade. It was like a garage in the front yard, I swear. I have so much grass...ok, not like acres and acres or anything but enough that in just the front yard and little tiny strip along the driveway, I had to empty the bag like 5 times.

You won't believe that while I was working, a kid (36 year old drunk, recovering from drugs, smoker dude) from church saw me sitting weeding, pulled over and helped me for two hours. We got soooo much done. He really is a sweetheart and honest. He said Sharon, I can either be here helping you or go home and get systematically drunk. I said, hey, stay as long as you like.

For work, we've been challenged to meet and greet at least 20 community folks and I am getting ready for my golf tournament. I've been meeting lots of very cool people and am speaking at several service clubs in the next little bit. We are looking for a chairman and some other folks. We are also planning on doing a commissioner search by taking a look at folks who have volunteered over the last 5 years and who have dropped off - they are candidates.

Alright, I want to post a cool flyer but I dont' know how. I have Till. Roundtable tomorrow and then EV Camporee this weekend. I'm teaching RS on Sunday, have our annual pack planning on Sunday at 1 and a Singles rep committee meeting at 5 PM. I am overwhelmed. one step at a time or one bite at a time or whatever. One check mark at a time. And I KNEW this job wasn't family friendly when I took it.

Ok, gotta go. Report later.