Posts Tagged ‘Honor’

I just have to give a shout out to Craigslist.  Specifically Craigslist-Portland.  Todd and I re-did our computer room.  To us it was past time.  In doing so, we had a hide-a-bed couch and computer desk sitting in the garage needing a home.  Neither one of them belonged in a landfill.  They were both in good condition, both well used, and they just needed somewhere new to go.  So I posted both of them on craigslist for free. 

Within 10 minutes I had 5 requests from Craigslist and a total of 15 requests for the furniture by the time they were picked up and in a new home!  Within 2 hours from the time I posted the add on craigslist, both the couch and desk went to a new home of a newly widowed woman who has two young daughters.  Thank you CRAIGSLIST!  You are AWESOME!  If you’ve never experienced Craigslist, check it out.  They have something for everyone!

 Written by a dear friend who wanted to post something to honor her family’s beloved friend.

RIGGS AND US:  THE LOCAL”MARLEY AND ME”

I’ll never forget the day we went to pick up our beautiful new puppy.  I never had a dog of my own before, and although Mike had, this was our gift to each other.  It was something we were doing together.  We weren’t even engaged yet, so the responsibility of having her was the beginning of us.  All the other little puppies were barely walking, hardscrabble little blond beings who were tripping over each other and making tiny fools of themselves.  And then there was Riggs, walking, marching, running ahead of the pack.  She was always the fastest dog around.

Riggs, although never an affectionate dog, had an uncanny ability to win people’s hearts.  She made you feel like you were the center of all her attention.  She would run, furiously wag her tail and jump up, slamming her sidebody into your leg or anything else she could make contact with.  She was all about the thrill of an adventure and our joy of watching her took us on countless excursions both near and far.  On hiking trails, her favorite activities were body slamming into strangers, swimming and peeing in bodies of water, searching for food and always finding her way away from us.  At the dog park, she would shimmy up to the other dogs, tease them with her cute blondness, then take off in a scorching run when she had acquired their attention.  And then there was her smile.  That dog had a smile.

During her 13 years, Riggs destroyed untold amounts of our possessions.  There was the time she sucked on our resin lawn furniture until it looked like someone had taken a blow torch to it.  Or when she pulled all the stuffing out of our cushions so it looked like it had snowed.  Or when she smelled something she had to have and dug a hole through the carpet and padding to the subfloor of our rented house.  Or the countless socks, shirts, plastic toys (ripped apart until the “squeakie” was obtained), stuffed animals who lost their battle with her teeth and acid saliva. 

When our kids were born, as often happens, Riggs took the back seat.  She did it in stride, never malicious to the kids but somehow hopeful that she would one day again have her throne.  She had a particular fondness for Barbie feet and Littlest Pet shop.  We continued hiking with her, bringing her on trips and throwing her her beloved frisbee.  But she never regained her position of prominence pre-children.  Mike and I feel guilty about that but know that it was inevitable.  She got some attention by constantly jumping over the fence and visiting all our neighbors, in search of new types of food, making new friends and making us crazy. By doing so, we met lots of new neighbors, had trips to the vet ER and lots of interesting new poo to clean up (the remains of snacks provided by her new pals). 

Over the last couple years, she began to move more slowly, bark less, jump less and get out of the yard less.  Her preferred place to be was in our front yard, watching passersby and feeling like she was part of the action.  She was always there, no matter what life brought us.  She was always home, even when she greeted us less and less.  When she began losing weight, we thought she was going through one of her spells again, where she ate slug bait or some plastic thing that stopped her from eating.  She withdrew from us physically and emotionally and looked sad.  It was hard to see her this way.  So, this past week, Mike and I said a tearful goodbye to our puppy.  It was the end of an era for us. Mike and I know Riggs has marked the first part of our lives together and that her life is a reflection of ours and that our memories are reflected in her.  Because she was always there.

Rest in peace, Riggs.  You were an unforgettable dog.  In heaven, you can run fast again.

My life has been greatly impacted by women.  When I reflect on the people who have helped me to become the person I am today and who continue to impact me, the large majority are women.  The two women who are participating in our experiment here at inhonorof deserve so much respect for everything they do for the people around them.  They are amazing ladies who firmly believe the world can be a better place and don’t even realize that it already is because of their efforts.

In my usual way, I started to doing some research on who is currently trying to honor women already and found some great resources.  The site that captured my interest the most is www.honoringwomenworldwide.org.  I was very moved by their definition of honor, “Honoring exudes showing profound respect, deep care, and high regard.”  What a wonderful place to be where more people respect, care and show high regard.

I don’t have a formal challenge for our readers, but I think it would be great if you could focus your random acts of kindness for the next few weeks with thoughts towards honoring everyone, but especially the women in your life that are sometime overlooked or taken for granted.  I know that I will.

Sincere compliments can do amazing things for people.  For me, one single compliment is bringing me back to my spin class after a long vacation from it. 

Since riding the STP, I have slacked in going back to the spin class at the gym.  I’ve been going to the gym, just not to spin class since my training is complete.  Well, I finally went to the class this week and let me tell you, I was SUCKIN’ air, big time.  It hurt.  My legs were like cement, my form felt weak, I felt slouched over with a wussy core and it was just plain hard.  I was done with the class mentally, way before time was up.  I was just constantly hacking myself  in my mind, annoyed that I had lost my biking endurance and form and just felt lame.  It was a boxing match in my head and Negative Nancy had won. 

And magically, here is where the compliment came…after class the instructor and I crossed paths and he took the moment to stop me and my badgering little buddy in me head, to tell me….”You have Great Form.” 

What?  Great form?  Really….Ok…..Cool.  Oh ya, that’s right.  I’ll be back next week.

Ofcourse, like for everything else in life, there is the argument against the positive.  In this case, it is said that compliments can be detrimental, unhelpful, unconstructive especially if they are quick to be said and usually about appearance and not something else with more substance regarding the person.  It is argued that there is an effective way to compliment.  Some people simply don’t care for them. 

I understand it all, but sometimes it pays off to just be “dumb and happy”, skip the annalytical pieces of a compliment and surf the happy wave.   I side more with ”The Compliment Guys”.  They are 2 guys who attend Purdue University who decided to actively give out compliments on campus, just trying to spread some cheer.  They just finished with a 10-city Brightside Tour supported by Kodak aimed completely at giving compliments!  I love it!  

“I can live for two months on a good compliment.”  Mark Twain

I know I could write this as a comment to Jenny Johnson’s Disneyland’s Eco-Efforts post, however, I could not stand the chance that my comment would be missed by others.  Therefore, I decided to dedicate my newest honor post to Jenny as she has changed my life for the better! 

Thank you Jenny for challenging me to stop using paper and plastic grocery bags as I have not only completed the challenge of using re-usable totes for 21-days, but have continued it forward as it has now become second nature to bring my own bags.  Granted, frustrating times at the grocery checkout lines have come where I realized I did not pack my bags and instead re-loaded all the bought groceries into the giant cart to only unload them individually into the car and unload them again individually in my house.  But the thing is, even though I was annoyed, I still did not waste another bag by taking it home from the grocer!  I’ve tried this re-usable tote thing in the past and never followed through with it.  Now, I cannot imagine going back to paper or plastic!  Thank you again, Jenny!

Faboosh (for Fabulous).  Crackalackin’ (as said by Marty the Zebra in the movie Madagascar).  Fo shizzle (Snoop Dog).  Redunkulous (for Rediculous). I love them all.   

I am one who likes to make up words when I am in convo with someone (I totally thought I made up convo, but then found it online).  Usually it is when I am talking with my husband, in a normal conversation and I am spitting out words and wind up making up a word (Not always on purpose.   It is just what comes out sometimes, when I am on a roll and my words keep flowing, but my mouth speaks faster than my brain is thinking for a brief moment) and my husband always stops me and raises an eyebrow to the word I just used.  My simple and logical response to him is,  “Use your intelligence”.  He should be able to figure out my word, my point, and what I mean because I totally know what I am trying to say and in my head at the moment it makes absolute sense and is an absolute perfect word to be used.  So….In Honor Of people who like to make up words, I want to give some credit where credit is due.  Made Up words don’t always make sense, but they make me smile!

Thoughts?  And other favorites?

Hello dear readers!  I just wanted to take a quick minute to encourage you to check out our “Past Challenges” tab!  We’ve had some great challenges out there – maybe you’d like to join in, as did our recent readers The Gresos when they read about the reusable tote challange.  Or even if you don’t want to join in, just leave a comment – kudos to someone for trying, or a helpful hint for participants to complete the challenge.

We want to hear from YOU!  And keep checking back in with us… we’ve got a great challenge that’s a-coming…  it’s going to be pretty amazing!  Get ready to LET THE WORLD KNOW… we’re ready to give, inspire AND honor!  How about you?

-Jenny

I love this blog and I think about it all of the time!  What we are hoping to accomplish is really exciting and I plan to see it through until the end.  What that is ultimately we will just have to wait and see!

Lately, I have been thinking about the word Honor and what it means to me.  Thomas Jefferson said, “Nobody can acquire honor by doing what is wrong”.  Ofcourse societies and personal perceptions of wrong and right change over time so the honorable action today has changed from the honorable actions of two hundred years ago.  At the same time, I know without a doubt I would like to do what is right whenever I can.

Thinking about how to be honorable in my own life is a challenge.  We have so many responsibilities that pull us in different directions.  Frankly, it can be hard at times.  I really appreciate what Walter Lippmann said “He has honor if he holds himself to an ideal of conduct though it is inconvenient, unprofitable, or dangerous to do so.”  I have confirmed for myself that I want to live an honorable life and Lippmann’s words seem to point in the direction that can sometimes lead.  I must be prepared to make inconvenient, unprofitable, even dangerous choices.  I am prepared to do so!

Finally the words of Lao Tzu helped me to realize one of the critical necessities to finding personal honor, “fail to honor people; they fail to honor you…”.  I see so much in our world the makes me believe the honor is alive and in my next posts I will point to them.  I would also enjoy hearing anyone’s feelings about personal honor and honoring others.

On her 10th Wedding Anniversary our friend wanted to Honor her husband, Judson.  So, without further ado….

My husband & I are celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary on July 18th.  When I take a step back from the buzz of every day life, I realize just how lucky I am to have him for a husband.

 Judson is a super hero… seriously.  He may not have any super human powers, but in every other way he qualifies.  Not only does he risk his life in his job as a firefighter working long shifts, but on his “off” days he single-handedly takes care of our two beautiful girls (ages 2 1/2 yrs & 7 months).  And somewhere in between his two jobs he finds time to do all the cooking, cleaning, all the yard work including the fruit/vegetable garden, build a shed & chicken coop, ski, tile the bathroom, remodel Isabel’s bedroom, pay the bills, fix anything & everything that needs to be fixed, brew delicious beer, be a sounding board for all my woes, bikes, be an award winning Political Action Chair for IAFF Local 452, sing/dance unabashedly to The Wiggles with our girls, the list goes on & on & on…  Not to mention that he is amazing at Scrabble, has a crazy memory for even the smallest of details, is a fantastic story teller, can answer most questions on Jeopardy, and knows just enough about a lot of stuff.  He is also a very caring person
and will go out of his way to help people whenever he can. 
Yup, total super hero material.
 
Judson, it seems like yesterday that we were on the beach in Maui and said “I do” to the hippie preacher man. 
The love I feel for you has only grown deeper over the last 10 years. 
Not only are you my best friend, but you are the love of my life. 
Happy anniversary, babe.  I love you!

This last weekend Todd and I, plus 2 friends of ours participated in the 30th Annual Seattle to Portland Bike Ride along side 9,996 other riders.  So, In Honor Of the 10,000 bicyclists out on the road for the STP, I want to give a Whoot Whoot!  A Yee Haw!  A Hell Ya!… for pedaling those pedals for the 202 miles in 2 days and some doing it in just 1 day. 

It was an awesome experience to see riders of all ages (age 5 or possibly younger to 85 or higher), of all body types, on all different types of bikes (unicycles, mountain bikes, road bikes, tandem bikes) all voluntarily signing up for good HEALTH!  The energy is positive as this article in the Seattle Times presents so well, the STP Support Team from beginning to end is faboosh (my new favorite word for fabulous, thank you Perez), and the best part of all for my experience was doing it with my husband, Todd, and friends, Judson and John.  They kept me laughing, pedaling and attempting to sing along to Judson’s 1-man mobile karaoke band.  I not only want to do it again, I am excited to do it again.  Any volunteers for babysitting next year during the training? 

And I MUST say thank you to all of our babysitters, Jenny, Ashley and Nana Jill, who came to watch our babes while we trained and rode our booties off, thank you to my kids for supporting their parents in having a fun adventure together, thank you to the STP staff for all the cliff bars, water and porta-potties a girl could want, and thank you to my Facebook entourage who followed me on my journey through my statuses and kept cheering me on through their comments!  I highly recommend the STP to all, but just don’t take my spot!

Even though there are millions of tributes to Michael Jackson, I still felt like posting my part.  He was awesome.  I loved him as a kid and he made an impact in my love for music.  Here is one special memory I will carry for Michael, my sister, my dad, and Twin Spits, WA.

1982, THRILLER was released and not just on MTV, but on the regular network.  That means I was 7 years old.  I have this great memory of the debut of the music video.  My sister is 3 years older than I, so back in 1982 that means she would have been 10 years old.  So here is this 7 and 10 year old, hanging with their Dad at these rustic cabins at Twin Spits, WA (our vacation retreat we’d go with him) and the grand debut of Thriller is going to played late that night.  I swear it was a midnight release cause it seemed like I stayed up so late, but it very well could have been only 9pm.  Regardless, it was cool.  I was staying up late with my sister who I idoled.  And I knew it was very important as she was really excited to see this video thing.  So, here we are, Dad asleep in the next room, my sister and I snuggled up close together, late at night, watching a small, grainy, rabbit eared (possibly black and white) non-cable TV, all to see the magic of THRILLER.  It was amazing.

Here is one more tribute to Michael Jackson, performed by Filipino prisoners.  Yes, prisoners.  A choreographer was hired and dancing was encouraged in their exercise program.  In 2007, they danced to Thriller and on June 27th, 2009 they did a longer tribute to Michael Jackson .  Both videos are posted on YouTube.  I love it as it reminds me we are all people, some living in harder circumstances, but often with the same love for music.

Any great MJ thoughts or memories for you?

Well the ladies (Jessy and Jenny) say that we need a bit more testosterone on the site.  I aim to please!  Now, I know that many of you ladies out there have discovered video games and I am happy for it.  This honor, however, is for the games of old, the lowly quarter eating machine.  The coin operated video arcade games of yesteryear.  The dark dungeons and sticky corner marts that us men of a certain age hunted down with glee (we wished you ladies were there, but we never saw you).  Everyone knows Donkey Kong, Galaga and Ms. Pac-man, but oh there were so many more.

Our parents were sure that no value would come of those quarters plugged into space.  Little did they know us computer kids would inherit the earth.  Our hand eye coordination was beyond belief and we could react in moments to the spinning of a barrel or the quick turns of a chasing ghost.  Our endless pursuit of one more quarter and another high score led us to set goals high and achieve them at all cost.  If you want to watch a great example of someone striving for their goal; check out The King of Kong: A Fist Full of Quarters.

So here is to the lowly video game still under attack.  I gave you my quarters, you inspired me towards so much and now I honor you for your greatness.  I would love to hear your arcade story, just make sure that it has a quarter or a Chucky Cheese token involved!!!

I came upon this link to a youtube video that brought chills to my bones.  Good chills, very good chills.  After watching the video I had to learn more and started google searching like mad.  And so, in honor of Gregg Breinberg and his talent of teaching music, I want more people to see this chorus of his sing.  Granted, 100’s of thousands have already seen a video or two of this group, but this is one to be shared constantly. 

As the public school system in this country continues to have budget cuts and art programs are erased, I hope a video like this will inspire us all to say and give “our 2 cents worth” to keep these programs alive.  Just watch this teacher and the children.  They are glowing, learning, doing something different and from the looks of it… LOVING it!

In this video Staten Island’s PS22 Chorus sings Lady GaGa’s Just Dance.  You will not regret the few minutes of downtime.  There are other videos of the PS22 Chorus singing  Stevie Nicks’ Landslide, Tori Amos’ Flavor, etc., etc.  The list of their vocal accomplishments goes on. Also worth checking is their blog which shows the incredible work, adventures and opportunities these children are having! 

Thank you Gregg!  These children are amazing.  You however are incredible.

A neighbor friend was inspired to do an Honoree Page for her husband, Mike, and we gladly posted it for her.  And so, without further ado….

Happy Birthday to the best husband and father we could ever ask for!!!

Interview with Jillian “JiJi” (age 4) and Ellie (age 7) 
First answers are from Jillian, second are from Ellie

                          1.  What is something Daddy always says to you? 
“Show us your muscles”  “I love you”

2.  What makes Daddy happy? 
“Seeing me”   “Being with the family”

3.  What makes Daddy sad? 
“When he has to leave for work before we get up”  “When I don’t pass”

4.  How does Daddy make you laugh? 
“Body slams”   “When he’s silly”

5.  What was your Daddy like as a child? 
“Playing outside all the time like he is now”   “Always trying to build his muscles”

6.  How old is your Daddy? 
“39″  “40″

7.  How tall is Daddy? 
“10 inches”  “The top of my height measurer”

8.  What is his favorite thing to do? 
“Take us to school”  “Take us to Dairy Queen”

9.  What does he do when you are not around? 
“Goes on bike rides”  “Takes Mommy out to lunch”

10.  If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for? 
“That he won’t have to work anymore!”  “For being the best Dad ever and the best doctor”

11.  What is your Daddy really good at? 
“Doing laps on his bike”  “I would say everything”
 

Mike Farber, on this your fortieth birthday, I wanted you to know how much you are treasured and loved.  Long before kids came along, you were always there for me and you always accepted me just as I was.  We were so young when we met and got married, I am amazed what a great choice I made and how right on I was about how amazing you were and would become.  You work so hard, and provide so much.  Not just material stuff, but heart, compassion, strength and perseverance.  I have never felt anything less than completely loved by you.  Thank you for such a precious gift, and for our crazy happy life.  

Happy Birthday!!!
Lots of love, Jeanne, Ellie and Jillian

Ok, I don’t have a personal cycling coach, however, this lady fit that role for me even though she probably doesn’t even know it.  I just found out that my cycle instructor at the gym is retiring and today was her last class.  The horror!  I know, I know…boo hoo, right?  But really, she is an amazing instructor and motiviated me to kick my own butt in class which in turn gave me the best workout every Monday morning. 

I’ve never been a bike person, more of a runner.  I don’t even have a road bike, just a super-duper awesome pink cruiser and a 16 yr. old mountain bike that makes it out of the shed maybe once a year.  But then I registered to ride in the STP, a 202-mile bike ride from Seattle to Portland, this July with my husband and suddenly I needed to become a bike person.  Last January, with no road bike at hand, I dedicated my Monday mornings to instructor, Erin.  And with a huge thank you to her, I enjoy cycle classes, I now know how to use my core during cycling and I constantly remind myself to drop my shoulders, relax the top,  and push, pull baby! Push, pull!

I think I have become a bike person!  Going out on the road on a real (borrowed) bike is so much more enjoyable due to her class and instruction.  Thank you Erin!  You are the best.  Congratulations on your retirement!