Cache of the Day - Biking

In honor of the final day of the Tour de France, Taylor and I got out our bikes and went for an extended visit along the bike trails in Bloomington. What a great workout, especially since the brake on my mountain bike was rubbing the entire time, causing better resistance than could be artificially simulated in any gym. I hated it. But Taylor sailed along on her road bike and laughed at me a lot.

The weather was perfect - warm and breezy, and we encountered many interesting characters in our travels.

We enjoyed the rest of our Sunday evening eating Mexican food on the patio, and Taylor here is still reading Harry Potter. (Don't tell her the ending yet....there are spoilers everywhere!).

Cache of the Day - Loving Summer!

After having lived in Phoenix for 20 years of my youth, I had a rather cynical view of summers. The year my high heels melted while I was walking on the sidewalk put it all in perspective and I knew I couldn't stand the heat any longer. While I miss my mother (hi Mommy!)and my brothers Stephen and Charlie and my sister Lisa (who I know never read my blog so I am not going to say hi), I don't miss the scorching heat of an Arizona desert summer. I sympathize with My Pal Andy, who just had to have a "snow day" in Phoenix because it was TOO hot!. (Actually, I don't really sympathize with him - seems he made out pretty good!). Read his post here to find out more.

I can get why people ("snowbirds") migrate to Phoenix in the winter, because that is when the weather is just about right. And the fall and spring is even perfect. Here's a shot of Taylor and I when we visited in March (out in Carolyn's back yard), and we could still be outside without collapsing from heat prostration. (And I don't want to hear any of that, "But it's a DRY heat!". It's still hot. I don't care how dry it is....115 is still quite unbearable. Especially when walking on the sidewalk.)

But of course the main reason for the migration is that the snowbirds get away from Midwest winters.

But I don't need to think about Midwest winters now. It is a glorious summer day here in southcentral Indiana. It is about 75 degrees, a clear, blue sky, and a gentle breeze is wisping along my back porch, where I have a view of a lush, green mini-forest and, if I look really hard, I can see the edges of the lake (I can totally see it in the winter, when the trees have no leaves).


And along with this glorious weather, comes fun outdoor activities, preferably involving water! I have had a chance to get out to the lake, where Stacy and I rented a boat for a whirlwind hour of water activity.


We also had a chance to visit Put-in-Bay, an island just off the coast of Ohio in Lake Erie. We had met some people in Chicago who invited us there...and we took them up on it. (Be careful what you invite us to!). They had a 35' boat that took us there (see the pics of Terry, Debbie, and daughter Brooke), and we had a WILD time.

And what a stellar way to celebrate summer. Beautiful weather, water, fun times with friends, good food and drink, lots of sunshine, great conversation....and relaxing!

I'd love to hear ways that everyone else is celebrating these beautiful warm summer days.

Cache of the Day - Guest Posting on Thursday Quote Day

Deb gently reminded me that Thursday is "quote day" on her blog so I've accomodated. Check out the latest at 8 Hours and a Lunch.

Cache of the Day - More Guest Posting

See me at Deb's blog today! Click on this link to access the post "Do you have a WIG...or a PIG?". I'll be back here soon!

Cache of the Day - Guest Posting!

I am a "Guest Post" on my friend Deb Owen's blog, so I'll just refer to her site this week. Click on the link to access her blog.

Cache of the Day - A Girl's Weekend

Happy Birthday, Dawn! Today is Dawn's actual birthday, but we celebrated all weekend in Chicago this past weekend. Of course, Dawn LOVED it when I would ask the waiter to PLEASE have everyone come over and SING to Dawn! You should have seen her face! She was SO happy!

Somehow - whenever I'm with Dawn - my sarcasm skyrockets. I can't say why. It just does.

We did have a great time, dining in wonderful restaurants (I especially enjoyed our dinner at Lawry's Prime Rib), and we also had our share of imbibing.

Check this out: we even discovered a wine/cheese/chocolate bar, with flights of each available for astronomical prices. It was all worth it, however, just to have the opportunity to sing - once again - to Dawn.

We also caught a show at the Second City. Very fun and very well done. Improv is SUCH an art! Such talent!

The weekend was great fun and I can say this with all sincerity - Happy Birthday, Dawn!

Cache of the Day - Changing Perceptions

I love love LOVE my job, especially when I have the rare opportunity to actually work with a group to facilitate learning. Today, I facilitated a group of leaders from various organizations throughout the Bloomington area. This was session 5 in a series of nine sessions designed to increase the skills of leaders so that they can more effectively create RESULTS for their companies.

Oftentimes, leaders will think they are on the right track but - if they are open to new ideas - a "shift" in their perception can take them to a more impactful place. A shift that will provide a clearer identification of what needs to be different. A shift that creates a path to a different future. I love the way that training can shift the thought process in an individual so that they can more clearly see where they need to go.

Our class today focused on COMMUNICATION (ALWAYS a great topic) and the necessity for leaders to adapt their styles to create a more effective relationship at work. We did some "skill practice" exercises (we NEVER do role-playing, by the way. NO one likes to do ROLE-PLAYING!), and we had some discussions on challenges and limitations that we have in our current relationships.

Everyone had a chance to adapt their own style to meet the needs of others. Not easy, but changing perceptions isn't an easy thing to do.

Our participants had a great time, learned a lot, and changed their perceptions on how to more effectively communicate with others.