How does your garden grow?

I finally got over to Campbell's Nursery and Garden Center here in Lincoln to pick up flowers and plants to arrange in my one little pot that I've had for the last two years.  I don't have much of a green thumb naturally but I seem to be able to handle a few flowers in a pot as long as I remember to water them.  Two years ago at my old apartment I took a shortcut and bought a pot that had been put together at the nursery.  I opted for a partial shade variety which turned out to be the wrong choice.  Where the pot was placed on my front stoop encountered too much sun and those plants did not fair well that summer.  The next year I was smarter and bought drought tolerant, full sun plants and flowers to fill the container.  Unfortunately with our extreme drought conditions and my aforementioned, underdeveloped green thumb, those plants quickly succumbed to the scorching heat.

Now that I've moved to a new place, my planter is out on my small, covered balcony which is mostly full shade throughout the day but with some peeks of sunlight.  So this year I wanted to attempt to replicate that original partial shade variety pot that I had originally purchased.  Luckily I had taken photographs and kept tags so I knew for the most part what I needed to buy.  Here's what I found at Campbell's to build my lovely container garden.

Begonias are great shade flowers and I think they are just plain cute so I chose three different varieties for my planter this year.  The top two will be a little taller and fuller whereas the white variety are a bit smaller. 

This Lobelia will spread out and hang over the top of the planter and fill in the gaps nicely.  I had hoped to purchase the bright blue variety but sadly they were sold out already.  The purple will be a nice change though.  

Finally, the centerpiece of this project, the Alocasia that I was so happy to have found!  This plant grew so nicely that first year and the wide, vibrant leaves gave the planter a nice tropical feel.  

The final product! I'm quite happy with it and hope that it will flourish on my little balcony.  

So there you have it!  My little flora and fauna oasis in one little flower pot!  As a side note, all of these photos were edited with PicMonkey - a FREE photo editing site with lots of options as well as the little banners, text and other scrapbook-like additions.  

Happies of the Day:

Begonias...just the word makes me happy. 

A weekend full of relaxing.

Dirty gardening gloves.

Sincerely, Dorothy

Once in a while, a person comes into your life through certain circumstances that you didn't plan for and that you didn't expect but in the end, perhaps that is the greatest gift.  Nearly two years ago I was lucky enough to meet someone like this through a mutual friend and I am so thankful that I did.  Although we don't know each other as well as we could or as much as I know others (despite deep conversations over delectable spaghetti squash), I can tell you that Melissa is one remarkable individual.  Over the last two years she has (probably without knowing it) inspired me to be more creative, to embrace what is right in front of me, and without a doubt to have a fonder appreciation for all things musical (especially Jamie Cullum).  Not to mention this woman has a heart for the Lord and finds ways to serve him that you and I would likely never consider.

So, when she teamed up with her sister Crystal to create music and perform under the name Dear Herman, I was so excited for her!  In the time I've known her, Melissa has always had a song in her heart and a lyric on the tip of her tongue so when I heard about this project I was not surprised.  However, when I watched the video I'm about to share with you, and listened to Crystal describe this new endeavor and heard both of them perform just a small piece of it, I was moved even further.  So much so that I knew I had to support this project not only in my hope and prayer for its success but also financially, even if my contribution was small.

I don't want to dive too much into the project itself here because Crystal describes it so much more passionately and vividly in the video.  But I will tell you this.  Sincerely, Dorothy is a project unlike anything I have ever heard of and far from what many might dream up, but it is a story that truly must be told. I hope you will at least watch the three minute video to catch a glimpse of what could be and if you are as moved as I was, I hope you will consider contributing to the production of this project through Kickstarter, an online community for backing creative projects.  Dear Herman has just 6 days left to reach a $6,000 goal otherwise all funding already pledged by backers is returned.

Melissa and Crystal both reside in Lincoln, so if you have always wanted to support local artists, here's your chance! I realize that not everyone will be able to become a backer, but at the very least if you believe in the story they want to tell, please share this video and the link to their Kickstarter page with others!

You can find the video and Kickstarter page here. (Did you click on it yet? Because you should!)

 

Give to Lincoln Day 2013

Give to Lincoln Day 2013 is today! If you are resident of Lincoln and even if you're not, check out the list of organizations you can support!  Donations will be matched with a proportional share of a $200,000 challenge match pool of funds from the Lincoln Community Foundation! We have so many worthy causes in our community it almost makes it difficult to choose.  I find at times like these that you have to follow your heart and truly remember that simply put: Love Does!

2 Corinthians 9:7 "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 

Love Does

I've never written a book review on the blog before but if ever there was a place to start it is with the book "Love Does" by Bob Goff.  The style of writing is hard to describe.  Basically each chapter is a short story that Bob tells using experiences that he has encountered throughout his life. In addition to being the best-selling author of Love Does, Bob is also an attorney and founder of Restore International, a nonprofit human rights organization operating in Uganda and India.   

The premise of this collection of experiences is to demonstrate that loving others as He first loved us does not mean just saying the words and thinking the thoughts but that Love DOES.  It is action, it is actively pursuing opportunities to love others.  Like the picture I found above with a quote from Bob, it's giving away love and grace like you're made of the stuff.  

This was truly an inspiring book and I don't think I'm doing it justice in this description. Please check it out.  Even if you are unsure of where you are in your faith journey, this book will move you in ways that you wouldn't believe.  

Today I discovered he is also hosting a conference this week in Tacoma, WA called Love Does Stuff  which will including many presenters and even some musical performances.  Among them being the Kid President!  So wish I could be there and hope it becomes an annual event!  Maybe next year. 

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Love Does! 

“But the kind of love that God created and demonstrated is a costly one because it involves sacrifice and presence. It's a love that operates more like a sign language than being spoken outright.” 

“Grace works that way. It's a kind word from a gentle person with an impossible prayer. It's a force sometimes transmitted best hand to hand in a dark place.” 

“...we need to stop plotting the course and instead just land the plane on our plans to make a difference by getting to the "do" part of faith.” 

“Simply put: love does.” 

-Bob Goff

For whom the phone rings

My workplace is rather large, with many, many, MANY phone numbers, as is typical of any large health system.  Add on to that the number of fax numbers we also have and I can't even begin to imagine how many numbers that might sum up to.

Over the last two years however my coworkers and I have found few things more amusing than the abuse my particular direct extension takes.  I was reminded by one of my friends in my former department that I was given the option of changing extensions when I switched departments and I'm beginning to wonder if that would have been the wise choice.  However if I had, I would not be able to delight you with these random musings here on the blog.  And I'm sure after reading this you'll be quite glad that I didn't.

Let's start with the fact that my number must be very close to a frequently used fax machine extension.  Periodically my phone will ring and the caller ID will flash a few numbers and the word FAX.  When I see this delightful little notice on the screen I know that the next 15-20 minutes will go something like this:

Ring Ring!
*picks up*
SCREEE....SCREEE...beep...beep....beep
*hangs up*

....5 minutes later....


Ring Ring!
*picks up*
SCREEE....SCREEE...beep...beep....beep
*hangs up*

....5 minutes later....


Ring Ring!
*picks up*
...not even waiting for the SCREE this time (and therefore probably seeming quite rude to my new coworkers who can hear me hanging up each time)
*hangs up*

....5 minutes later....

Ring Ring!
*picks up*
*slams receiver down in annoyance*

And so on and so forth because you know that little fax machine has to attempt to send at least 3-5 times.  Lovely.

Now that is manageable, don't get me wrong, people type in numbers wrong, no harm done, they'll see it has failed and (most of the time) correct the number and move on.

But what really amuses me (and I'll admit, sometimes concerns me) is the fact that my extension also happens to be one digit different than our Emergency Department's direct extension that they sometimes give to people asking them to return calls, etc. So it happens on occasion that I will walk into work early in the morning and see my voicemail light blinking only to retrieve my messages and hear something that goes like this  (disclaimer: all voicemails have been fictionalized):

11:52pm
"Hello I'm looking for my sister, I was told she was brought in and I need to know where to come pick her up."

2:32am
"I was there earlier this evening and was asked to call back if anything changes with my [insert specified wound/injury here]. There seems to be some oozing."

Not even kidding.

Don't misunderstand, I realize people dial wrong numbers, it happens and perhaps in all of the times I've received voicemails like this, the person is in some sort of distress, is exhausted or overwhelmed.  However, I find it somewhat odd that so many people continue to leave a voicemail after my outgoing greeting declares "Hi, you've reached Amy Myers, Market Analyst at such and such....blah blah blah"

Call me crazy but I don't think in the event of an emergency we're going to ask you to call our Market Analyst right away so it stands to reason you might have the wrong number at that point.

But alas, I'm left to often wonder for whom the phone rings....

Taking a cue from my friend Kensy over at The Scoop from the Coop I'm going to try and end each post with my favorite things from the day.  Or for my Dinner Club friends who might be reading my "Happies."

Today's Happies

Dinner with my beautiful cousin and Baby Fountain
Blogging on the deck and listening to the bells at St. Peter's
Talking with my VP about new and exciting work projects!
My awesome new bronze shell wind chime from Pier 1 for my porch.  

Begin Again

I've had a blog for a while now - since moving to Aberdeen, SD in 2010 actually.  And I'll be perfectly honest and admit I haven't always kept up with it like I had intended.  Now however, so many of my friends are blogging away and not just occasionally but DAILY!  That has lit a fire under me for sure (competitive much?) so expect to be hearing more from me from now on.

I titled this post Begin Again not only because I'm blogging for the first time in several months (and love that T. Swift song), but because in many ways I feel like that's where I am in my life right now. I'm not starting over completely from scratch, but simply beginning again where I left off in many ways. Many things have changed.  My job is in a new department now and I LOVE IT, my personal life has changed tremendously in the last few months but with fresh perspective and hope, and I've even moved to a new apartment here in Lincoln.  Amidst all of that, I trained for and completed my second half marathon this past weekend and beat my time from last year by 6 whole minutes.

The heavy stuff can wait for another day.  Today I wanted to answer some questions I frequently get asked when I talk about running the half marathon.  Some of them serious, some of them not so much.

Q: Are you crazy?
A: Quite possibly, but I prefer to think only half crazy.

Q:  Have you always been a runner?
A:  No way!  Actually  I used to hate running and I even quit Junior High track after just one week.  Granted I was a scrawny little thing back then with no athletic ability or stamina but still, I wasn't a runner. I dabbled in running in college and grad school but never quite dove in.  Then when I moved to Lincoln in 2011 and watched my friend and my cousin run the half here in town I decided I was going to be there in 2012 (and sure enough I was and again in 2013).  Why it took this race to bring me around to running I'm not sure.  I've spent several days watching my sister run full marathons and never had the desire.  But something about Lincoln and the crowd and the route, just made it seem possible and - dare I say it - fun!

Q:  How do you stay motivated?
A:  I'll be honest, sometimes it's like this:

But most of the time the most motivating thing is progress.  Whether it's a change in my body, increased energy, being able to go an extra half mile or mile, breathing easier, seeing little changes makes you that much more excited to go out and try it again. Also having a looming deadline of a big race helps quite a bit too! 

Q:  What's on your running playlist?

A:  This is probably one of my favorite questions!  I love finding new music to run to and my playlist for the half ranged from Lady GaGa to Chris Tomlin to Garth Brooks.  If it has a good beat, if it's inspiring or motivating, it's likely to make the cut.  Here's a list of my current favorites, although they are constantly changing:  

1. Canned Heat - Jamiroquai
2. Strong Enough - Matthew West
3. How Far We've Come - Matchbox 20
4. I Will Wait - Mumford & Sons
5. Everybody Talks - Neon Trees
6. Lay Me Down - Chris Tomlin
7. Edge of Glory - Lady GaGa
8. Welcome to the Black Parade  - My Chemical Romance
9. Standing Outside the Fire - Garth Brooks
10. Perfect Day - Hoku

I've also got a couple "guilty pleasure" running songs on my iPod as well - ones that I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit!  Among them would be Stronger - Britney Spears and the Bellas Finale from Pitch Perfect. Actually I'm not at all embarrassed.  You try getting through 13.1 miles without a little bit of cheesy music!

So there you have it, a little bit of my formula for success (a.k.a. surviving) when it comes to the half marathon. I'm still debating whether I will sign up again next year or not, or try a different 13.1. Truth be told it would be hard to turn down the chance to run the Lincoln Half again.  The crowd and community support makes it all worth it and creates a fun environment in which to push yourself. For now my focus will be on keeping up with my running regimen even without a race looming on the calendar. I think I'll take this "off season" to really work on building my strength and my lung stamina and hopefully improve my pace a bit for the next race.  

What are you doing to begin again today?