Cache of the Day - Solo & Ensemble Competition

This weekend my daughter Taylor competed in the District Solo & Ensemble competition in Bloomington, Indiana. She played a woodwind trio piece with another clarinet and a flute.

Taylor suffers from self-proclaimed "social anxiety disorder" and therefore she was unwilling to play a solo as she did last year (which she won a Gold Medal for). Fortunately the presence of the other two woodwind players calmed her enough so that we could actually watch her perform for the judge.

Even though the other clarinet player got called out by the judge for improper fingering, the trio ended up with a Gold Medal. You can see how excited they were by this shot taken shortly after their score was presented.

As much as she fretted about the performance, Taylor said she really enjoyed the day, and I know I really enjoyed spending time with two things I really love - music and Taylor!

Cache of the Day - Snow Skiing!!!

Our first snow of the year, and of course that means time to hit the slopes! These are pictures of the snow and trees surrounding the house in Bedford - so beautiful to wake up to!

Paoli Peaks is about 1/2 hour south of Bedford and has struggled all season to keep snow on the ground. The last time Taylor and I went was on "fake" snow. Today was a nice mixture although it was a little misty and wet.

Cache of the Day - Another Treasure!

I LOVE this! I LOVE playing with the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, an organization I have been participating in for the past eight years.

I play flute and piccolo and we just had our rehearsal last night for the upcoming "Night in Old Vienna", a GLORIOUS evening of food and dancing held in an opulent venue. More info on that can be found on our web site http://www.bloomingtonsymphony.us/.

How did I get so lucky? How did I know, when I decided to play the flute a gazillion years ago, that I would end up in the best place in the orchestra? Not only do I get to play an instrument that can be coerced to express the innermost feelings of the player, but this instrument is positioned in the MIDDLE of the orchestra. Talk about surround-sound!

I can barely concentrate on my playing when I'm surrounded by the strings in front of me, the rest of the winds behind me, and the composition of Strauss, "The Waltz King". I get made fun of a lot because I can't sit still when I play. It's not good to be so "distracting", but the music touches me to the point where I can't help myself. The music for NIOV is particularly this way....I just want to get up and dance!

Playing with a symphony orchestra is truly a treasure in my life and one that I discovered early in life. This is a cache I love finding over and over!

Cache of the Day - Weekend in Brown County

Family and friends gathered together this weekend to relax, have fun, and to celebrate a 50th Wedding Anniversary. Our retreat was scheduled in a large cabin in Brown County, Indiana, where all 16 of us piled in on Saturday and went back to our respective homes this morning.

Food and conversation was plentiful, and there was never a lack of activities. Here are just some of the things we did:

Games – the group played cards, train dominoes, and a game called “Apples to Apples” (see the picture of Bridget and Lindsay playing). We had great fun finding out about each other with the game “Loaded Questions” which asked the group their answers to such queries as “What three species should be eliminated from the earth?” (I listed George Bush as my first choice). We also had a ping-pong championship that Tom won (see Jill in the tournament at the left).

Geocaching – of course, this needs to be part of a weekend in Brown County, and the following pictures show some of the treasures that were found on this visit (the “treasures” that you see are actually some caches, as well as the scenic treasures that Brown County always provides).

Running – we all got our share of running in. My longest run of the day was when my car had sunk in the mud at a campsite and I had to run quite a ways to the Park Office to find help. Unfortunately, the Park Office was closed. Fortunately, I found four burly good-looking guys to help me push the car out of the mud! I like how things work out!

Football – the Chargers lost and that is all I am going to say about football (this smiley face was taken before the game). Well, I guess I will also say that there is always a silver lining because, since New England won, the Colts will be hosting the Patriots in Indianapolis. But that is a small consolation.

All in all, this was a great way to spend a weekend. Well, except the Chargers lost. And that's the last I am going to say about that.

Cache of the Day - Jazz

Pockets of treasures can be found everywhere, and tonight we came across a small jazz ensemble in an Italian restaurant on the square in Bloomington. Here is a picture of Cathi Canfield - the VP of Performance Development at Employment Plus - and I enjoying dinner together, listening to smooth jazz sounds in the background.

Jazz is such a free form of expression, and I so admire musicians that play in this genre. They can translate their feelings to their instrument, and the connection that occurs in a small group is just amazing. It's more than talent - it's a window into the heart of the player, and this is often how they best express their feelings.

The group was intimate and tight, and so soothing to listen to. Here they are playing a request, "The Way You Look Tonight". They were expressing it the way I was feeling it, and there is no better way for people to connect their souls than through music that is played from the heart.

Cache of the Day - Treasure Found!

Yes, this is one of the treasures of life! Found!

The last two days I have been facilitating the Coaching Clinic, a training workshop designed to help leaders to develop skills that will allow them to create an environment of coaching in their organizations. I was authorized to facilitate this a little over two years ago, and recently I have been conducting clinics for our internal Employment Plus leaders. The clinic was conducted in the beautiful city of Lexington, Kentucky.

The wonder of this is the transformation that occurs with the participants. How their perceptions on leadership change during the course of the clinic. How they walk out with obvious shifts to how they view their role. It is SO cool to see them leave on the last day, and to know that - because of their changed viewpoint - they will adapt their style and become even more effective. And even if it is in a small way, I know that they are taking a path to more effective leadership. I'm excited of course on how this will impact Employment Plus, but I think I'm most excited to see the individual transformation. I've shared some photos of some of our participants at work!

I also really enjoyed spending some down time with the group. A group of us went out to a Japanese steakhouse in Lexington, complete with hibachi grill, sushi, and sake (see a picture of Natalie McMahan from Terre Haute, IN and Trish Thompson from Greenwood, IN). We also had wasabi. Although some people love this fiery condiment, I have a difficult time eating food that causes pain. I passed on it, and simply focused on my fillet and lobster. Good food and good company!

These last two days have been quite a find! I'd like more treasure like this!

Cache of the Day - Intense Work

This is a treasure that is SO difficult to find....to get EVERYTHING done at work! Mondays are particularly crazy since they are PACKED with meetings.

I head up the Professional Training and Coaching division at Employment Plus (www.employmentplus.com). My responsibilities include developing effective performance change solutions to businesses, as well as the internal training needs of Employment Plus.

Mondays are focused on internal needs. To make sure we are serving all our "customers" at Employment Plus we (our internal training team) schedule meetings with each of the functional areas, to ensure we are focusing on the right training solutions. Typically, we will discuss needs with Human Resources, Safety, Partnership Delivery, and Sales. We also have a weekly meeting with our President, Mike Ross, to make sure we are focused on his priorities. (See a picture of Mike above facilitating a session at a recent Leadership Conference we held).

While Mondays are crazy, they are loaded with great interaction and wonderful ideas. I wish we could implement everything we talk about immediately! But that's where the "treasure hunt" becomes so exciting - figuring out the right path to take, how to overcome obstacles, recognizing the sites along the way (and not getting distracted by them!).

This Monday was truly an intense work day, but it feels so good to make progress and to see that the treasure could just be ready to be found!

Cache of the Day - "All the Earth"

My journey today was more of a spiritual one. I haven't quite found this "cache" yet, but I haven't given up the search. I think I need better coordinates. I'm working on it.

I sing on the worship team at the largest Christian church in Bloomington, Sherwood Oaks. I have been involved in the worship ministry for 6 years, and I thoroughly enjoy the people I am connected in with. I especially admire their faith.

We sang a beautiful new song today "All the Earth" by Jack Hayford, Wayne Huirua, and Andrew Ulugia. It really talks to the wondrous creations that have been bestowed on us and how fortunate we are to be surrounded by such beauty.

After church I went for my Sunday run at Clear Creek Trail in Bloomington (I like it because it is FLAT!) and got in a 2.5 mile run. The rain was freezing and the ground was hard beneath my feet, but I still glimpsed the life that surrounds this creek and this sanctuary. My clothes were soaked by the time I got done, but I noticed the wildlife didn't seem to mind the weather.

I really wanted to be home and to snuggle up under a big comforter and get warm, but I never would have experienced what turned out to be a glorious day. (I did do that later!).

Geocaching as Life

As this is my first post, I thought it best to provide some initial thoughts on living life and expectations for the future. You can read my profile, of course, but we all know there is more to a person than where they live and how old they are and what their interests are.

The new year typically brings thoughts of renewal and growth for most people, and my thoughts are in that direction as well. This blog is part of "change" for me. It's something I haven't done, but I sense it will bring some structure to a year destined to be rife with transition.

I won't go into all the transitions now, but I will say that I am looking forward to creating a new and better me (which is also one of the points of my mission - "continuous improvement").

A new hobby I've discovered this past year is geocaching. Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for gps users. Treasures, or "caches" are set up throughout the world. Those coordinates are provided, and individuals (such as me!) can find them.

My intent is not to talk about geocaching here, however, but rather to talk to the analogy of how I view the opportunities in 2007. Just as "caches" are available everywhere, I believe I have a world of treasures to discover myself this year. Some will be difficult, some will be easy. Sometimes the terrain will be treacherous. I will need guidance to capture these treasures, whether internal or from other resources.

Whatever the path I take in 2007, I view it with the same excitement and adventure that can be experienced through gecaching. I've got a world of treasures to discover in 2007 and I'm just getting started!