Nuggets from Dad: May 2014

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Katie and Uncle Ricky - Go Trojans!

After relentless recruiting effort - Katie McDowell chooses left coast and leaves Uncle Ricky no choice but to wear the cardinal and gold (at least once)!

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Emily's fashion projects - Spring Quarter

History of Fashion Final - 18th Century shepherdess hat

Apparel 1 Final - Emily designed, draped, patterned, and then sewed. Inspired by 1930s and 1950s.

This was the beginning illustration.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

WASBAF!

It is Stay Whole Tuesday, but today we celebrate number four on my list . . .

Here they are, my guiding five, by which I strive:

Everybody has his or her own path. (MAY 3, 2014)
Life should be good, fun and easy. (MAY 5, 2014)
This too shall pass. (May 26, 2014)
Wear a smile, be a friend.
Stay whole.

And what a great day to celebrate Aunt Dianne's now infamous mantra, Wear a smile, be a friend, because today Lucy gets her braces off! We shortened this to WASBAF many years ago, which is often said when dropping off for school, followed by the reply FABSAW, which of course is WASBAF backwards.

I think we all know people who just smile a lot (in a genuine way) and I think those people make us feel good. We have all heard that it takes far fewer muscles to smile then it does to frown or pout. For me, a great example of this was when I was playing basketball in high school and we would have to run 'suicides' at the end of practice. I remember some people running with a look of pain and anguish on their face. And I remember others who went through the drills with a smile, even though everyone was hurting on the inside. Since I was always one of the slowest runners, maybe I had more time to notice these things!

And then there is the 'be a friend' part of WASBAF. Everybody needs a friend and learning to be a good friend is one of the most important skills you can master. Think about how it makes you feel when true friends greet you with enthusiasm and a smile.

So always try to wear a smile and be a friend!

Monday, May 26, 2014

This too shall pass

Hey Sally. I've been a little slow getting back to my graduation series, and I know you have been wondering where I have been? (Smiley face.)

As a reminder, I set out to write to you about some topics I feel I know something about and some of which I am less knowledgeable, but are important none-the-less. I want this series of Nuggets to encourage you to think about these things.

I think they are important topics to have a certain sense of awareness about as you enter into the next phase of life. I hope you will consider these short essays a gift to you and I hope Emily and Lucy might also read and think about these things, as they continue to grow. Ultimately you will want to create your own way of walking in the world, and it does not have to be the same way that I walk.

There are five over-riding themes in these short essays. As I have gotten older, I have decided that these five things should guide me in all that I do. Here they are, my guiding five, by which I strive:

Everybody has his or her own path. (MAY 3, 2014)
Life should be good, fun and easy. (MAY 5, 2014)
This too shall pass. (TODAY'S TOPIC)
Wear a smile, be a friend.
Stay whole.

Remember, these are my five things, and they don’t have to be yours (note #1 - everybody has his or her own path.) I am repeating myself, but it is important to me that you know that this is a gift intended to get you thinking about life, about life-transitions, about dreams and opportunities. It is not meant to be preachy or exact in nature. It is far more important that you form your own way of approaching life, then to try and emulate my way or anyone else for that matter.

After touching on each of my guiding five, I hope to write about ten other topics, broken into two groups of five. The first group represents topics that I feel I have some level of understanding or self mastery. The second group represents areas or subjects in which I hope to learn more about - opportunities for growth. Remember the two questions we learned as a family years ago?

First ask, what did I do well? Then ask, what could I have done better?

You might think of these two sets of topics as my attempt to answer those two questions.

First five: Some sense of mastery or understanding (What did I do well?)

On love, marriage, and family
On exercise and health
On happiness, contentment, change, and loss
On spirituality, religion, prayer, and meditation
On adventure, spontaneity, and intuition

Second five: Opportunities to learn and grow (What could I have done better?)

On money, stuff, and things
On fear and anxiety
On addiction and rituals
On business and partnerships
On music, art, and dance

So that is a nice review of the series, but what about today's topic, 'This too shall pass.' As noted in a previous post, I first remember hearing this phrase from Aunt Dianne, and second from your mom. Of course, it is also often believed to be a Bible Verse, though in doing a little research I see that it is not actually a phrase found in the Bible. Here is short essay that I encourage you to read. It points to a number of verses in the Bible that can help you navigate through choppy waters.

I also really like the image that I posted at the top. It is a good reminder that we all have ups and downs throughout our lives. Some of our challenges (down times) will be our own doing, and some will be caused by others or simply out of our control. The same can be said of the good times. But what we can control is our attitude and our belief in ourselves and in a higher power!

In closing, I want to encourage you to read as much as you possibly can about this topic. Study the lives of successful people and you will see that often times they were successful not because they knew how to do everything right, but rather because they learned from their mistakes and they always got back up, when something in life knocked them down. A book that I remember reading when I was about your age, was Dr. Robert Schuller's Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do! I think you might like it. Send me your new address and I will have a copy delivered as a house warming gift.

Next - Wear a smile, be a friend!

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Magna Cum Laude - proud of my girl

My dad said, "I graduated Laude (Lordy) just get me out of here!"

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Reasons we love Emily!

Crested Butte, CO

Mom: I love Emily's spirit. She loves a good birthday party and doesn't mind throwing herself one when necessary! (Like today.) Emily is always a team player. She accesses her team or group of friends and encourages everyone to be the best they can be. I admire her and love her for that.

Dad: Emily is just plain fun to be around. She knows how to brighten the day of everyone she interacts with, by always making you feel like she is listening to what you have to say. She also knows how to look at the big picture and understands that sometimes you have to delay gratification if you are going to dream big dreams!

Sally: I love Emily's ability to make everyone around her feel special and loved. I also love Emily because she is always fun to talk to and always has something hilarious or interesting to say.

Lucy: I love that Emily is always looking out for me and making sure I'm okay. I love the way Emily is always looking at the bright side and can find the joy in even the worst situations.