by Heather Plett | Feb 25, 2010 | Uncategorized
Who doesn’t like getting fun things in the mail? Nobody – right?
A few weeks ago, I spotted a tweet by Kaileen about a gift swap she was hosting. I don’t often join that kind of thing, because I’m not very diligent about getting stuff into the mail on a timely basis and too often end up feeling badly about letting people down. But this time I thought it would be fun, and really… who doesn’t need a little good karma now and then?
True to form, I was late mailing my package (sigh – I could use travel and 101 other things as excuses, but let’s face it – it’s just not my strong suit to be organized) but it’s on its way now, so hopefully my swap buddy won’t mind the delay.
In the meantime…. oh my! What a treat I got in the mail today! Amy from Dish on Design sent me such a cool package, I just have to brag about it.
Cookies, chocolates (from a local sweet shop in Cincinnati), tea, a lovely candle (mmmm… it smells SO good!), and some word art to adhere to the wall (“Live, Love, Laugh”) in a very cool little fake-book box.
But… the very best part… oh you’ve GOT to see this up close!!
She did a bunch of research on my blog to find out what she could about me, and she created this amazing framed art work to celebrate ME! Using one of my own photos (of my feet) as a backdrop! Is that not the coolest thing EVER?! She called me a “global fumbler”! I think I may need to use that as my new tagline! And check out the way she used the letters in “fumbler” to define me:
- Friend & mother
- Unbridled creative
- Mentor to many
- Beautiful soul
- Leader of all things are possible
- Exceptional person (doesn’t give herself enough credit)
- Risk taker… fearless explorer
I feel so special! Thanks Amy!
And just so you don’t think I was greedy with the treats (she mentioned they were for sharing with my girls), here’s proof that they were enjoyed by them…
by Heather Plett | Feb 25, 2010 | random, Thursday thirteen
Reading all of Michele’s happy posts has inspired me, so here’s a Thursday Thirteen about all the things that are making me happy this week:
1. Marcel got a job! Wait… I need to say that again…MARCEL GOT A JOB! It’s a term position, but that’s the best anyone is getting these days, so we are all ecstatic for him!
2. He got a job because he put in extra effort in a substitute job he had, creating worksheets and impressing the administration with his initiative. I’m so proud of him I could burst!
3. Speaking of jobs… the 4 new staff I hired this year and the new volunteer that joined the team are working out BRILLIANTLY! It looks like we hired well and that makes me very, very happy.
4. I get to delegate more and, you know what? I’m kinda lovin’ it.
5. Nikki got a new cell phone, and now she sends me cute little text messages like “how was your day at work, mom?” I kinda like it.
6. The book “Refuse to Choose” by Barbara Sher is just SO GOOD! I feel so understood! And inspired!
7. Chai latte. I only let myself buy one once a week, and with a Starbucks in my office building, I’d say that’s pretty remarkable restraint. But when I have one… happy!
8. Last night’s documentary night at church. A cozy little group of us watched Etre et Avoir, a gentle little movie about a teacher in a one room school house. I’m so happy that Pam was inspired to start this!
9. I get to go to Chicago in April. A trip on the horizon ALWAYS makes me happy.
10. Online friends. I have some great ones!
11. Clara Hughes wins a bronze. At 37. Her sixth Olympic medal – in summer AND winter Olympics! She’s amazing!
12. Writing. I’m always happy when I’ve had some time to do some good writing.
13. Did I mention… Marcel got a JOB?! Oh yeah – I said that already. Oh well – it deserves at least two points on the list.
14. Bonus point… this banner in Toronto made me smile. Anyone want to go see a play with me?
by Heather Plett | Feb 23, 2010 | parenting, Passion, personality
I’d forgotten about this photo until I unearthed it the other day. I am absolutely IN LOVE with it in a way that I don’t remember being when I first saw it. There were other photos from that day (like the one in my banner) that grabbed me more at the time. (Video here.)
It tells such a great story of the generations of women I’m embedded between. My mother, my daughter (Julie) and me.
I had just jumped out of a plane. Look how incredibly joyous I am! What a moment of pure, intoxicating adrenalin! I finally knew what the sky tasted like!
When I landed, my mom and Julie were the only people to come running across the field to greet me. (My husband followed later with the camera.)
Mom, carrying my chute, supporting me, content to pick up the rear. Proud of me. And not one bit afraid to watch her daughter do something as crazy as jump out of a perfectly good plane. In her heart I know she was a little bit (maybe even a LOT) envious. If there’s one thing I inherited from my mom it is my “adventure junkie” tendencies.
Julie, wearing my helmet, leading me forward, grinning with pride, and also… a whole LOT jealous of me. Of my three daughters, she’s the one voted “most likely to follow her mom’s footsteps and go skydiving some day”. She developed a new dream that day – work at the skydiving place so she could skydive as often as possible. If there’s one thing she inherited from HER mom it is her “adventure junkie” tendencies. (If you watch the video, you’ll hear her eager voice wanting to come rushing to me before the plane landed.)
It just makes me smile to see the story of women as it passes from generation to generation – through my mother to me, and through me to my daughter.
What about you? Why don’t you play along? Show me a picture that tells a story of your generations. Or write about it in the comments.
by Heather Plett | Feb 22, 2010 | Uncategorized
I was at my favourite bed & breakfast in Toronto. I’ve stayed there nearly a dozen times. It’s my “Cheers” – the kind of place “where everbody knows your name” – and I love, love LOVE it! I even made it onto their Christmas card list this year.
James, the manager, wasn’t there. He had a few days off and David (the weekend guy) was filling in for him. I’d never met David before, but James had briefed him.
“James told me about you. You’re a writer, right?”
Hmmm…. how do I answer that question? My first instinct was to say, “well, I’m not really a writer. I make my living as a communications director in a non-profit organization and when I have some time, I do some freelance writing.” But I didn’t. At that moment, I wanted to simply be the writer that James said I was.
“Yes… yes I am,” I said simply. And then I found out that David was (very happily) an accountant when he’s not working at the B&B.
It’s something we all do, don’t we? We let ourselves believe that the only true way to define ourselves is through our professions – that which pays the bills and puts food on the table.
But is that the truth about who we are?
It’s not that I don’t like my professions – most days I like it very much. But that’s not the full picture.
As I’ve said before, writer is and always will be part of my truest essence. I could add other definitions to that – photographer, artist, speaker, fumbler, workshop facilitator, blogger, wanderer, mother, wife, seamstress, cyclist – but the truth is, you’ll rarely hear me use those words to define myself, at least not in the “elevator pitch” you’ll get in the first 30 seconds. To be honest, that’s partly because I feel like I am so many things that I’ll lose your attention span before I get to the list, but it’s mostly because we’re used to hearing people defined in a certain frame.
What about you? How would you define yourself if you didn’t have to connect it to “what you do for a living”? Perhaps you’d be different things for different people?
by Heather Plett | Feb 21, 2010 | Nikki, parenting
The naysayers won’t hesitate to tell you how tough life can be with a teenager (or two) in the house, how they talk back and have little doubt that they’re smarter than you, how their attitudes quickly outgrow your ability to be patient, how they turn dark and moody over the slightest provocation, how they would rather hang with their friends than families… BUT… they never seem to tell you how much fun it can be to have them around.
She turned 14 today, and I am still head-over-heels in love. She makes me laugh almost every day. She’s got a sense of style that puts Tyra Banks to shame. When she’s feeling confident (which she often is these days), she glows with beauty and self-awareness. She is fiercely loyal to her friends, but she still likes to hang out with her mom. She’s got a mind for history and she’ll spout off random historical facts about people as diverse as Marilyn Munroe or Ghandi. She’s become almost obsessed with keeping the house clean and picks up after her younger sisters more often than I do (how lucky am I!). She hates handing in anything late, so she’s never had to be told to do her homework. Seriously – not once! She’s never met a mirror she doesn’t like. She loves to run and there are few things more beautiful than watching her do it. She is fiercely competitive in sports and will stare an opponent down even if they’re much bigger than her. She’s got amazing focus when something is important to her and more self-discipline than I will ever have. Despite how hard it’s been, she’s shown remarkable grace and resilience this year while she’s had to wait for her knee to heel before she can return to her beloved soccer. She’s the cooperative kid in the class that every teacher likes and we’ve never had to sit through uncomfortable parent-teacher meetings with her. She makes me marvel every single day that I am lucky enough to be her mom.
Hard to believe that fourteen years ago, she made me a mom. Happy birthday, my beautiful Nicole.
