One reason I love the holidays

Apparently all the "So You Think You Can Dance" watching is paying off for our family.  Check out our moves.  We got our outfits in Ireland.  :)
http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/LZU77cPytLhjaGz2

Happy Veteran's Day Dad, Scott, Jared, Nels, Dennis, Ron, Ron, Jeremy, Uncle Kenny, Grandmother Sandidge, Mr. Mayabb....

Aubrey's work.

We Anderson women like us some flags. 

Happy Veterans Day

"Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?"

Go to New York.  Take the R train to Astoria, Queens.  Walk past the homes to security outside the complex it is filmed.

Happy Birthday Sesame Steet.  :) 

Love that Grover.

Bob the Builder Award: Willard and the Ciphers in the Snow

(Mentor Darrel, you will love this.)

The first time I ever remember having my conscious seriously pricked by media was when I was in the summer of my 12th grade year.  I attended my first school leadership camp.  The director, Darrel, showed us a short movie called "Cipher in the Snow."
And I quote:

The story is about an ostracized teenager, Cliff Evans, who following his parents' divorce has no friends and becomes a completely withdrawn "cipher". Then on a school bus, he asks to be let off, and collapses and dies in the snow near the roadside. His school's math teacher is asked to notify his parents and write the obituary. Though listed as Cliff's favorite teacher, he recalls that he hardly knew him. After getting a delegation to go to the funeral - it's impossible to find ten people who knew him well enough to go - the teacher resolves never to let this happen to another child in his charge.

My family says I have what we call the "inviting" problem.  I think I learned it partially from my parents, my dad especially and partially it is in my natural wiring.  I cannot stand to think that I am or we are doing something nice or fun and not invite someone I think might like it too to come along.  I can't help it.  I know it has at times driven my family,my birth family, my best friends, etc... CRAZY. 

Not everything is fun though.  One time I invited a girl I barely knew (I didn't even know her last name) to come stay after she was kicked out her house.  She stayed two years.

This week I was talking to a woman about how her husband was recently taken to locking her and their child in the house.  She had a restraining order against him but buckled and took it off.  I gave her my card and told her if she needed somewhere to stay, she could come.

I had a habit (that has been broken I must say through peer pressure) of inviting in door to door salespeople for a drink or snack. 

I cannot help it.  My name is Valerie, and I am an inviter.

Back to the Ciphers.  The first time I saw that movie short, I cried and cried.  I swore I would always love the Ciphers (heck, I feel like myself some of the time---who doesn't?) and always make a conscious effort to invite them along.  I guess if I was defining my influencial moments like Dr. Phil says I should, I would consider seeing that movie one of them. 

I was a "big fish" in a small town and never felt like I was a cipher.  I didn't know what that meant socially or emotionally, but I understand now.

Which brings me to Willard (in a rambling meandering round-about way...).  The man in the video talks about why he does what he does because it sounds like he was a cipher.  Watch this.  Thanks for sending it on Kathy.

http://www.biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=10248

Hats off to you, Willard, for NOT becoming a cipher in the snow.  For finding your place in the world, strangely enough, in the empty space in the eye of a needle.  :) 

Who wants to come to dinner?

Why I love Rotary--A photographic essay

I had no idea what I was in store for when I attended my first international Rotary function.  I don't attend the big fancy conference they hold each June.  I go the week before, so I can work at the international leadership conference for young people (non-rotarians) ages 18-30.  When I first started going I wasn't much older than some of the participants, many of which are simply amazing.  More than a little humbling for a stay at home mom, to say the least.  The Rotary program didnt quite know what to do with me, given that I am really out of their demographic norm.

This first shot was in Chicago in 2005.  This is Zdenik from the Czech Republic and Newton, from Brazil.  Zdenik is one of my best Rotary friends I have ever met.  He is such a great guy.  Currently buiding a Boy Scout lodge in the Czech Republic, worth over $1 million American dollars.

This is Sophia.  She is Greek.  She is a translator of secret documents

for the Greek government.  She is super wonderful. 

Such a together young woman. 

This is Tato from the Phillipines.  He is quite wealthy and

very influencial in his part of the country.  Here we are in LA.

He is a business man.  We felt like siblings when we met.

(maybe he felt my Chinese vibe?)

This is Erik.  He is the man in Kenya. 

Erik runs a non-profit foundation for at risk childern.

I love this picture of my group taken in Sweden.

Look at how different all our faces are.  Isn't that neat?
All with a story.

George is like the Guru of our program.  Hailing from Sweden,

he is a professional human resource trainer for Aika

and Sony Erickkson.  He is the best at what he does.

We have worked three confernces together. 
Man, I am looking tired in this picture taken in England.

This is Mat and Kate from the States.  Kate works for Rotary

in the youth program.  Mat was our committee chair this past

two years.  I love that they are so different.  Ages, gender,

life stories.  But when we are all together, it matters not.

This is Roger, from England, on the committee for ROtary that I

am serving on as well.  He is retired and is considered THE

leading nuclear engineer of the entire UK.  What I like about

 him besides his profound humility, is that he really

has the best interest of the kids at heart.  Admirable.

There was a quote I heard once from Anne Of Green Gables:
Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think.

It is splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.

I wonder who I will meet in Montreal next summer?