Holiday Helping Hands

This past weekend was such a great kickoff to Christmas season for us!  4 events over 3 days that just warmed the holiday cockles (?) of my heart :).  Singing, volunteering, time with friends and of course, breaking bread.
 
In particular, I wanted to give a big shout out to the 15 ladies that I along with my co-hostesses (a.k.a Asian sistas) Kim & Aimee know from or through our church who gathered together Friday night to donate cookies and assemble packages for the clients that we work with through serving at Open Hands Food Pantry, Central Detroit Christian and one that I volunteer with, Judson Center.  The picture shows part of the 200 cookie & candy packets that we were able to start distributing along with some bibles, and we are truly grateful for your generosity.  I was so thrilled by the abundance of our results (fishes & loaves, right Jodi? :) - THANK YOU!!   While just a small gesture to some communities that are hurting, our hope was to spread a little Christmas joy to others in obedience to God calling us to continually care for our brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
Despite the recession, Americans have already spent over $16 billion this holiday season - and that's just online sales!  Please, please remember your neighbors in need as you plan your Christmas giving.

A love like this

Happy birthday to my dear husband!!!  Love you truly, madly, deeply ;).

Say cheese

Today was not a good day, so posting this picture forced a little smile out of me.   We were cleaning up after a hearty Thanksgiving meal just a couple weeks ago, and as our friends had departed for the evening, it just left our family to pack up and the kids/grandkids to head home.  Then our soon-to-be-5-yr-old nephew declared that we were going to take a picture, and then just started pulling us all in even though we were scattered about and asking his mom/my sister to set up the automatic setting on the camera as he'd obviously seen used before.  So while not the most flattering of photos :), the result was the first one of our whole family since we've been married, in fact we don't even have one from our wedding (I know, I know, Mom, I'm sorry!!).  Here's to giving thanks for each of them...

Rethinking heroes

This photo is about 6 years old, and has been in my office ever since even though I'm not a golf fan, at the time it was a cool opportunity to get the picture and I had joined the ranks of those who admired his unprecedented rise to the top of his game.  I was trying to think of some funny story to accompany it and pretend that it and the autograph was solicited in some shady way, but that would be a lie and frankly I'm too tired to be that witty after being on the road for a couple of days including some late night and early morning work conference calls. 

Anyone else anticipate a "but I'm human" type of excuse?  There's no doubt that I've made plenty of mistakes in my life, and certainly as humans we are prone to err and sin, but really how far does that go when one continues to show poor judgment and disrespect their loved ones?  Reaches that cliche slippery slope far too easily, if you ask me.

Re-entry

Why is it so hard to truly get back into your routine after you've had a few days off of work?  Sure, there's emails and voicemails to trudge through to keep you busy, maybe even some friendly holiday watercooler chat with colleagues, but I for one dived back into bed for 15 minutes this morning after turning off my alarm, then lingered in the shower until my fingers wrinkled.  Perhaps it was simply coming off of a high of having an extended weekend to do so many things that I enjoy so much; spending time with my husband, family and friends new and old, cooking & baking (then eating without reserve - ahem), even a little sprinkle of yoga, shopping, and holiday decorating in between - glorious!   Now the reality sets back in, so on this Monday I am trying hard to put being gracious and grateful into practice.
 
But for an easy smile I thought I'd share a pic of our nephew from warmer weather last month who makes getting into the swing of things look super fun! 

 

Our fortune

Many of you have heard at least a version of Luke 12:48, something along of the lines of "unto whom much is given, much will be required."  Seems fair, right?  But sometimes I'm overwhelmed by this concept, because I feel that I have been blessed with so much in my life, and yet I wonder if I'm doing enough in return.  Do I really give enough of myself at work, at home, to my friends, family and community?  What is it that has been/will be required of me?  It's humbling to be reminded that everything we have has been given to us, and we shouldn't be mistaken with the belief that we earn or somehow deserve any of it. 
 
Here's to remembering we are blessed, friends.  Happy Thanksgiving!

 

A plug for the Volt

November 19, 2009 http://www.freep.com/

Pun intended! But just thought I'd take up a long post to share a recent article in the Detroit Free Press about the project team the hubby is working on - because I'm proud of him :).

November 19, 2009 www.freep.com
Evolution of the Chevy Volt
Engineers work to fix glitches by deadline
by Mark Phelan

From charging the Chevrolet Volt's revolutionary power system to washing the car, everything about the extended-range electric vehicle is new, but Volt owners must find it familiar and easy to use.

Racing to meet those twin goals on an unprecedentedly tight schedule, the engineering team working on the Volt has 25 to 30 of them on the road at all times. The deadline is the Volt's on-sale date in about a year.
"There's still a lot to do, and not much time," chief engineer Andy Farah said Monday. "It's all part of the natural evolution of any engineering program, but at warp speed." Every system, every part must be double-checked and idiot-proofed. Volt engineering manager Nate Fitzpatrick sent his 10-year-old son out to plug the Volt in for charging. "I didn't give him any directions. I wanted to see if we'd made it easy for the owner," Fitzpatrick said. "He figured it out right away."

Troubleshooting the Chevy Volt

The rush program to get the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car on sale in a year has become a 24/7 job for engineers charged with developing the car that's intended to revolutionize the auto industry and reinstate General Motors as a leader in advanced technology.

"We're learning all the time," Volt chief engineer Andy Farah said as seven of the team met for a breakfast debriefing at Athens Coney Island in Royal Oak on Monday after driving the cars all weekend. The Volt has a 40-mile range on battery power and a small engine that serves as a generator of electric power for longer trips. "I've been bustin' around all morning, and the engine hasn't started yet," Farah said. "The trip computer said I got 260 miles a gallon over the weekend." Farah recharged the car at home between drives, allowing it to operate nearly entirely on battery power.

The daily test drives have led to changes in everything from how owners will recharge the Volt to an eleventh-hour redesign of the door for its charging port after it fell off in car washes. The Volt should get a 210-m.p.g. Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy rating in city driving, according to GM's projections. GM built about 80 Volt test cars. Most of the Volts in Athens' parking lot were built to test a specific system, so the engineers compared notes.

"You've got the good aerodynamic package," Volt engineering manager Nate Fitzpatrick said to controls manager Chris Kinser, whose Volt had a nearly invisible air dam below its bumper. "That reduces four counts of aerodynamic drag. I'd give my little finger for four counts of drag," he said, waving his hand over the table.
"They call me 'Stubby,' but it's a great car."

Over the laughter, Rob Bolio, lead development engineer, described the crisis of the car wash. The cover for the Volt's charging port kept falling off. "The guy who runs the car wash came up to me with a box of parts and said, 'You might have a problem here,' " Bolio remembered. After a quick design revision, Bolio and a designer engineer spent four hours taking Volts through the car wash with no damage except to their patience.

"We're easygoing," Fitzpatrick said. "When there's an issue, we give them 24 hours to address it. This has all the challenges of any new vehicle -- and all this brand-new technology. It makes the timing particularly challenging."

For every question any new car must answer -- how do the brakes feel, does the navigation system work and a thousand more -- there's a question that's unique to the Volt. With the first test cars, Bolio woke up two or three times a night to check to see whether they were charging in his driveway. Since then, they've added a light to signify the car is plugged in and charging, a subtle "charging now" beep and a timer.

"Owners can set the car to charge whenever they like," Farah explained. "Just like big commercial customers, they can take advantage of the really low electricity rates in the middle of the night. It's like a programmable coffeemaker; you tell it when you want the car to be ready to go, and it'll be charged for you." The timer can be set for different charging times on weekdays, weekends, or a unique time for each day of the week.