Uncle Howard

My Uncle Howard passed away on Tuesday, July 20, 2010, my grandmother's youngest brother and last surviving of her family. I hope every family has their own version of Uncle Howard; someone who welcomes you with open arms, no matter how long it's been since you've seen him, someone who wants to know, really know how you are doing and if there is anything he can do to help, and you know he means it. I have great childhood memories of visiting with him and my Aunt Mildred, always feeling welcomed and loved. I loved spending time in his yard in Provo, Utah where he had planted and nurtured numerous trees, including some varieties that without his care and attention probably shouldn't have survived in that climate.
He is one of the great men I am privileged to have had a part in my life.

You will be missed.

Being involved and included.

One of the best experiences of my life was being involved and included.  I had the honour and privilege to be on the 2006 organizing committee for the Town ofOkotoks team participating in the Calgary Corporate Challenge (CCC).  We made a concerted effort to make sure all employees felt welcome and invited to participate.  My areas of expertise were in promotions and organizing.  I produced brochures, flyers and banners.  We organized lunches, breaks and after work drinks to promote and include; we really wanted people to feel the spirit and energy possible through involvement and participation in the CCC.  And we were successful.  More participation than ever before.  More positive comments than ever before. And I would even say more fun than ever before.  Our committee set a specific goal of the team winning the spirit award; the pinnacle of achievement and the essence of what the Calgary Corporate Challenge is all about, for our division.  The theme for the year, Lights! Camera! Action! Provided an ideal means for our team to show our spirit and grow positive energy wherever anyone from the Town of Okotoks was found.  A dance was created that invite any around to participate in.  We used music from the movies as the inspiration; fun, upbeat tunes that had great dance moves associated with them.  The end result?  Our ‘competitors’, but really our friends and colleagues from other organizations, began looking forward to when the Bighorns from Okotoks would show up and do their fun and crazy dance.  It is amazing the gratification that comes from sharing your fun, your enthusiasm and your spirit.  People that were introverted and shy came out of their ‘shell’ and joined us in the amazing fun that we all were having that year.

37signals

I came across this site after following link on twitter:  http://bigthink.com/ideas/18522.  That led me to 37signals.com.  They have some very cool products that I intend to explore more over the coming days.

Social Media

After reading an essay by Dr. Gary North (www.garynorth.com) back in mid-December on using Twitter as a tool not only in your job search, but also as another way to maintain and expand your network.  It has taken a while, but I have delved a bit deeper into the social media world beyond Facebook.  You can find me on Twitter and LinkedIn.  I have also been exploring what ning.com has to offer.