I love my "Air Flosser"!

Most of you know that I am a hygienist. If you don't, then you do now. I just got this new product from Sonicare. It was created for irregular flossers. Well, I have absolutely fallen in love with it. :o) As I have gotten older, I have places between my teeth that catch food. Floss doesn't clean these areas as well as it used to. The new "Air Flosser" really works to get the food out. I don't know exactly how it works, but I know that it gives a burst of air and water. This little burst really cleans the food from in between my teeth where floss isn't working as well these days. It doesn't use a lot of water so it isn't really messy. The tiny water reservoir only holds about a table spoon of water. The user can also put mouthwash in the reservoir. So, I just wanted to share with you about this new product. This product cost less then $100 at Walmart.

Twenty Years

Who knew we would make it twenty years. May 30th, 1992. It was a rainy day that was full of promise. Okay, not so much! It was rainy. We were getting married. I was sharing my wedding day with my twin sister. We had shared every other important day in our lives, so why not this one too? Daddy walked us down the isle... one on each side... what a special moment! I will never forget my dad in his tux! The only time he ever had one on! He was very handsome! I can only imagine how hard it was for my dad to give his babies away on the same day! He was brave to hand us over to two young men who didn't know anything about being a husband. He told those two young men that once they married us they "could NOT bring us back"! I'm happy to say that those young men never tried to return us! Twenty years... how quickly they have passed, how slowly they have passed. The one thing I can tell you about twenty years of marriage is that it is hard work! I received the following message today. "Thanks you two for sticking together and working through issues unlike so many other people who mentored us as youth. Thank you! Congratulations! Love you both". I guess we never know who is watching us! I am glad I can be a positive influence on the people I come in contact with. I know I don't have it all right, but through the grace of God I can be imperfect with effort. I can never hope for perfection... only when I make it to my home in heaven will I be perfect. Thanks to the "other" three in this picture who have also put out the work to make it to twenty years! May God bless us for another twenty!

Long time coming!

Well, I finally graduated with my master's degree.

I know I haven't written much on here, but I have been super busy working on that degree. I know I made mommy proud (remember I promised her on her death bed that I would get my master's degree). I just hope that she knows I actually did it! I ended up graduating with almost a 3.8. I was disappointed it wasn't a 4.0. But considering I was never a good student I should be proud. I want to start writing on here again, but don't know how that will go. My life is rather dull. :o) I guess that is a good thing.

This is a book review I had to do for graduate school. Enjoy!

Book Review for “The girl’s guide to being a boss (without being a bxxxx)


“The girl’s guide to being a boss (without being a bxxxx) written by Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio is a very informative book loaded with very practical information that can be implemented easily. These phenomenal women wrote this book to empower women to become better leaders than their male counterparts. Women do not have good female role models and continue to make the same mistakes of being overbearing, brassy, or possessive. This book has several stories from female bosses that provide some great role models. Any woman who finds herself promoted to boss would benefit from this book. It also gives some great examples of the pitfalls of being the boss and how to avoid those pitfalls. One example of a pitfall given in the book is the trap of bad behavior.

This book was written out of thought and research. Kim and Caitlin run their own small business and have made some of the same bad behavior choices that make being a female and the boss a potent combination. They give viable information that is sure to assist any woman climbing the cooperate ladder. It gives the good, the bad, and the ugly of becoming the boss. It is very realistic in the expectations placed on the female in the role of boss.

This book covers many aspects of being the boss. It shares the reality of loneliness at the top. This book does not recommend being friends with, drink with, and socialize with your employees. I think this is very sound advice because it can cause employees to become self-conscious about not being the “favorite”. It also gives very practical tips on balancing family and job responsibilities. It discusses how delegation can be key for any successful boss. Delegation is not a dirty word but a way to ensure that employees know their value. It gives the boss opportunities to teach each employee, and to help each employee grow. It also helps the boss to prevent limiting their own professional success by doing everything on their own. One piece of usable advice that was given was to be on time when calling a meeting. It is rude and inconsiderate to make the employees wait when the boss has called a meeting and then doesn’t show up. It is important to be respectful of their time. It is necessary to find the strengths of the team and encourage each person to fulfill their potential. According to the authors of this book it takes more than encouragement to help employees to be successful. It takes training so the smart, hard worker has the skills to do their job effectively.

One of the best chapters in the book is about the evaluation process. If the boss is regularly checking in on the employees then nothing in the evaluation should come as a surprise to the employee. Day to day contact with their work will help the boss to give feedback through out the year so if they do have an area of concern it won’t surprise them. As much as reviews are dreaded they are necessary and recommended to do reviews four times a year. Only one of the four evaluations would be for a raise. The other three are to assist in the coaching process of mentoring your employees. It also gives plenty of opportunity to bring up concerns so if the employee is in jeopardy of being fired then there is no surprise. It gives them a fair opportunity and time frame to correct any shortcomings they are experiencing. The book even gives a sample review. This could be very helpful to a boss who is running a small business and needs a review process. While discussing the review process the five most common evaluation mistakes were incorporated. This information is so valuable to the new boss who may be doing the very first evaluations of their career. The other part of being the boss that I am sure is hated is the discipline of employees to include firing an employee. The book outlines what a drag this part of the job is but also how necessary this part of the job is. It is so thorough that it even gives some legal advice to consider along the way to firing an employee.

I enjoyed reading this book because it is well written in easy language. I think the authors provided the information they intended to provide. This book gave very practical information about taking care of oneself ‘s own needs first. If the boss isn’t healthy, rested, and cared for, then they cannot possibly care for the needs of their employees. The other practical information was about communication. Communication is the key! Set goals and then communicate them to the employees. It was noted that even with good communication an employee must be paid a worthy salary. If another employer offers a significant amount of money and half as much communication and employee is likely to take it. The ten practical steps to communicating your appreciation is very sensible information that will help to gain trust and good will from your employees. Everyone likes to feel appreciated and this information can help the boss to inexpensively show appreciation.

I would recommend this book to any woman who is focused on becoming the boss. It gives practical information on how to be a great boss but not and emotional boss. While at the same time, it gives a realistic view of expectations when a woman becomes the boss. I liked the examples it gave throughout the book to head off any of the issues that may arise. I am sure they were not able to cover all the scenarios in a little over 200 pages, but they did cover several that one may see in the time they are the boss. It is an easy read while it continues to hold your attention.

Fun for the Fall!

Well, I know I haven't been here for awhile. I am taking three graduate school courses this semester. I am super duper busy. Life is good. Miss mommy and daddy, but thankful for each new day I am blessed with.

We have had some changes in the house. We have two young ladies living with us. They are in Master's Commission and we are their home openers. We must be crazy!

Hope you have a great fall!

That time of the year!

Here we are! That time of the year!

Two years ago I spent my spring break with my dad and mom. Daddy died within 5 weeks. Last year I spent a few days of my break with mommy and she died 2 weeks later..... well it is spring break again. The good news.... no parent is left to die. The bad news..... no parent is left to die.

As I go thru the mundane parts of life I continue to feel the pain of not having my parents. I applied for my passport today and had to report my parents names and birth dates. My brain wouldn't even work... I couldn't even call to find them out. I had to try to figure it out and I couldn't even do simple math! It is amazing how our brains stop working at moments like that! I hope I got the dates right and I hope if I got them wrong it won't keep me from receiving my passport! I still miss mommy and daddy. I hope my brain will start working eventually!

Now, you may be asking why I need a passport. Well, Elisabeth and I are going on a mission trip this summer. We will spend 12 days in Venezuela! We are excited! We are preparing to send out support letters. We need prayer and financial support! Please pray for us. If you want to make a donation they should be sent to our church. We go to Raleigh First Assembly of God. Just put Venezuela in the memo with our names. They are tax deductible. Some of you will get letters in the mail... lucky you! :o)

Seriously, please pray. We need Jesus to go with us, and before us! Blessings!

Fighting

I wonder if I will continue to fight the same demons until the day I go to heaven? Will I ever stop hearing them speak to me? Will my reality ever be brightly lit with truth?