Resolution Progress

Three months ago, I laid out 10 resolutions for 2011. While I haven't even thought of some of them (Christmas stockings, War & Peace, Jesus the Christ), I have rallied on a few:

I've been reading the New Testament fairly consistently and am nearly through the Gospels.

I've booked a ticket to go to Argentina in November to celebrate my 40th birthday. I have to be honest and say that I'm also looking to do a mini-vacation on my actual birthday...I mean, who wants to be at home on one's 40th birthday?

I've been working out with a trainer and am trying to be more judicious in my food choices...and yet I haven't lost a pound...go figure.

I've put $100 aside each month for my extra 1% charitable contribution. I need to start thinking about where I'd like to contribute...the Boy Scouts? The church's Perpetual Education Fund? The Mission Fund? We'll see.

I've been thinking more about going to the temple - and for me, just thinking about something is a big move - and am now taking the temple prep class.

All in all, pretty good progress. Especially, since my pattern in years past is to forego the annual resolutions by, oh let's say, January 3!

The best news is that today I achieved one of my ten 2011 resolutions. Thanks to my $20,000 bonus, which in reality is $12,720 thanks to Uncle Sam, my emergency fund / money market account now sits at $41,354.27. That equates to just over 10 months of cushy living expenses. If I truly lost my job and needed to draw down on the money, I could probably make it stretch beyond 10 months.

It's absolutely a huge relief to have this money available to me. I hope I never need to tap into it, but its oh-so-nice to know it's there if I ever need it.

Now, about that War & Peace!

Under the Knife

Last night, my Mamacita sent an email to Allen, Susan and I with the subject line, "Mom needs help." Not a great email to get when one's widowed mother lives 2,500 miles away!

Mama needs to go in for some surgery on April 18 to fix what she calls "female problems." When I finally got the scoop from her (bladder prolapse) and called Allen and Susan to pass on the details, Allen opened with: "Let's start this out with the fact that I know Mom has a vagina...now, what's the problem?" And that pretty much sums up the Shelden Family attitude toward decorum and privacy!

As luck would have it, I'm scheduled to be in Philadelphia on April 18-20 for a new client's announcement of layoffs, so Susan is going to go to Colorado to take Mom to the hospital and stay with her for the first couple of days and then I'll fly to Denver on Thursday and stay with her through Easter Sunday.

It's never a comfortable feeling to have a parent go "under the knife" but Mom is feeling very optimistic, so I am too! Here's hoping her recovery is easy breezy!

Bonus Time!

I love this time of the year...the flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, the days are sunnier a little bit longer, and my boss calls with news of a bonus!

This afternoon, Mike called to tell me he is giving me a $20,000 bonus for last year's work. Waahoo! I'll take it!

The great news is that with my savings, my tax return and now this bonus, I think I'll have achieved one new year's resolution...I think I'll reach just over $40,000 saved in my emergency fund! Double waahoo!!

Of course, the trick is not to find some "must have" jewelry item to spend money on!

Hello, Pittsburgh

Wouldn't you know it...three days after being told to pack up and leave the 'Burgh, I'm told to head back to work on another project. I'm going back to Pittsburgh on April 11 to work on a project that's always semi-interested me. My only fear is that the work will be menial and mind-numbing, but allegedly the assignment is only through August. I figure I can do anything for four to five months. Plus, it keeps me off of my boss' layoff list, which he's starting to tick off this week. Two people already let go because our numbers aren't good. I need to be busy and billable, so if that means I'm in Pittsburgh, so be it!

Bye, Bye Pittsburgh!

Tonight I got the news I've been wondering would ever come...my Pittsburgh assignment is over. What started in July 2007 came to an end tonight when my colleague, who serves as overall client lead, called to tell me that the client wants to end my project, effectively immediately.

In truth, the project has been in a stalemate for five months, so there was no need for me to be in Pittsburgh any longer.

While I'm very excited to return to a real life in DC - sleeping in my bed every night, going to social functions, setting a regular workout schedule - I'm also a bit sad to say goodbye to Marriott Reward Points (I now have 700,000), United air miles (I now have 400,000) and Hertz reward points (the equivalent of 30 free days).

As a real wrinkle that hurts, I'm scheduled to go to New York in two weeks, Denver in six weeks, and San Francisco and Vegas in three months; now, for the first time in nearly four years, I have to buy my own plane tickets! Ouch!

Lesson of the Day: Always Check Your Backside

So, today, my darling friend Amber made a blunder of epic proportions that every woman fears. After Sacrament meeting ended, she went to the lobby for a little socializing, stopped in the ladies room and then made her way into Sunday School, which was being held in the Chapel.

She walked into the Chapel and down the aisle to her pew, which was in the middle of the chapel, only to then have a woman, who was seated behind her, tell her that the back of her dress was stuck in her underwear.

HORROR!!!!

She did this cat walk in front of at least 30 men and women, all with her goodies hanging out.

As she reported to Jill and me immediately afterward, "I have to leave the Church." To which we replied, "We have to leave this friendship."

What an embarrassment! Why does she always create her own lessons in humility?!?!

Susan's Birthday

Baby sister turns 32 in a couple of days, so tonight I threw her a small dinner party with all of her girlfriends.
We had a western themed Tex-Mex dinner with Amber, Jill, Kristen, Emily, Tirza, Sandra and Marissa. Over our favorite Rio chips and salsa, we had a lot of laughs, including a few bouts where Jill and Susan laughed themselves breathless.

For her present, we got Susan a ticket to the Garth Brooks concert in Las Vegas in June. She was absolutely giddy with the gift, which is just what you want a birthday reaction to be!! Now, to find a plane ticket to Vegas for less than $400....

"Are these efforts bearing any fruit?"

That was the question posed to me this afternoon by Bishop Sampson, who called me into his office to invite me to attend a new temple prep class and to talk to me about my temple readiness / preparedness.

When I went for my tithing settlement in December, he and I spoke about my desire (or lack thereof) to go to the temple. We had a good talk and I told him that I would think about it.

Today, when I met with him, I told him I was doing things more diligently than I had in the past - such as reading my scriptures - and that I was being more contemplative about going to the temple. Hence his playful question, "are these efforts bearing any fruit?"

We had a good laugh when I said, "I'm not sitting here asking you for a temple recommend!," but we did have a really good conversation, in which I shared with him some of my concerns about how I might react to the temple ceremony and my concerns about my readiness, my knowledge and my preparation for doing something so important.

He was very understanding and respectful of my feelings, but he also said something interesting to me. He said, "I think you're putting too high a standard or too much pressure on yourself when it comes to your readiness. I've watched you; I know you're faithful, I know you live according to the gospel doctrines. No one goes to the temple knowing all the answers...that's one of the reasons we go to the temple: to find more answers."

An interesting perspective. One of my biggest fears is that I have a bad experience going through the ceremony. I know of so many friends - as well as Mom and Allen - who did not have positive experiences and it's frightened me off more than I think. It's definitely something I'm considering this year and I'm trying to be more dedicated in my adherence to simple gospel steps that will help me go to the temple.

Maybe next time Bishop Sampson calls me into his office, I'll have some good news for him!

Introducing Walker Henry

How adorable is this little face?On March 11 at 8:13 a.m., Allen and Jocelyn welcomed Walker Henry to the family. To quote his Dad, Walker is "a truck." I mean, check out the beer belly on this kid!Allen's quick email announcement:

"We are very pleased to announce the arrival of boy number two yesterday morning. Mr. Still-Has-No-Name came in at 9lbs, 12oz, and 21.75" long. Mom and baby are doing very well. Sawyer is very excited, though I don't think he appreciates that it will be a few years until his little brother can serve as a tackling dummy. We are still working on a name but I can tell everyone that my suggestion of 'Turbo Hawk' is officially off the table."Allen promised Sawyer that he'd be the first one to hold his baby brother...apparently he was a little overwhelmed "in the moment" - in this photo he looks like he's thinking, "uhhmmm...what??" - but I know he'll love his future "tackling dummy" to pieces!

I'm off to Denver in May to snuggle these two sweet boys...cannot wait!

Spring has Sprung!

It's officially March, which means it's officially Spring in my book!To mark the occassion, I pulled out my beloved Easter eggs that I bought in Prague and Vienna in 2004. I know Easter is still a month away, but I love these little beauties so much that I want to enjoy them as long as I can. Plus, I'm just happy to finally have a home where I can display them!Another favorite mark of Spring is the blooming of Spring flowers. The other day, I looked out my front window and discovered these beauties! There are daffodils sprouting all over Fairlington Villages and my hydragena plant is starting to show the beginnings of green leaves.

Yippee! I love the beginning of Spring and the end of Winter!

Tango, Anyone?

I decided last year that for my 40th birthday I’d treat myself to a nice long vacation somewhere exotic. I’ve been weighing Australia, Argentina or Africa – maybe Kenya or Tanzania – as suitable destinations for a two-week, fun-filled birthday celebration, and last night I made the call. I reserved two seats for Susan and I on a November flight to Buenos Aires!

I bought a Frommers guide book for Argentina last month and have been reading a bit about the country. It sounds AMAZING! There’s a ton to do – museums, hiking, mountains, horseback riding, waterfalls, glaciers, penguins…you name it, we can do it!

The dates of our flights are not ideal – November 21 through December 6 – but I’m already looking forward to a nice long vacation. Now, I just need to figure out a few things: 1) getting the time off of work; 2) telling Mom that two of her children won’t be home for Thanksgiving; 3) figuring out how to get Amber and Jill to join us; and 4) paying for two weeks in Argentina!! Minor, minor details for another day!