It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know

It's not what you know ...

Stop right there. Not entirely accurate.

I highly recommend you know something!

As the old saying goes, "It's not what you know, it's who you know." You could know every person in the world, but if you don't know s***, you are in trouble. Who and What are equally important. Without the Who, though, you may have a harder time getting to the What.

If Kellen lived in a bubble, he would probably have to hit the internet, then start pulling companies that appealed to him out of thin air, then make some sort of initial contact, then probably send a copy of his resume, then sit back and wait to hear from somebody. And probably wait, and wait, and wait.

Fortunately for Kellen, he does know some people, and I mean these aren't just people, they are GREAT people to know. That means his job hunting is different, different in a really amazing way. As a mom, it absolutely warms my heart to see all of these people making calls, sending emails to wonderful contacts, taking time out of their busy lives to help my little boy. Finding a job is a tough job and not for the feint of heart. Any help along the way: Bonus.

A day in the life of Kellen:

Kellen talks to Uncle Gord about how to go about finding a job.

Uncle Gord says call Cousin Mike; he can talk to you about his job. (same field)

Cousin Mike says call Cousin Joely; she has more contacts in the Minneapolis area.

Cousin Joely says send me your resume.

Cousin Joely receives it, then sends it on to a whole slew of great contacts.

Kellen comes home for spring break.

Kellen talks to Uncle Gord, who suggests he drive to Great Falls and meet with one of Joely's contacts and Gord's good friend, Tom Nelson.

Kellen drives to GF, meets with Gord, then heads over to DADavidson to meet Tom and discuss life at DADavidson, which, by the way, has an office in Minneapolis, where Kellen would like to stay.

Tom welcomes Kellen, discusses life at DADavidson, then sends Kellen off with one of the analysts, as Tom had a meeting. She fills Kellen in on what her job entails, which he thought sounded really interesting, maybe right up his alley, then graciously takes Kellen around the office to meet other people. He already knows two of the people he is being introduced to. 

Tom suggests Kellen get his CFA. Great advice. This can only help in his quest for the perfect job.

On Top of the World

Kellen drives back to Helena, excited, full of confidence, ready to tackle the world.

In the end, this may not lead to a job at DADavidson, and he may not be successful in the next job that he applies for, but it will lead to people that Kellen now knows, a better understanding of the financial world, and the feeling that it is not Kellen versus the World. What a really great team of support.

Kellen's Team of Support at Griz Soccer Camp 1999 (Kellen, Kolby, Tyce)

Gord, Mike, Joely, Tom, Kreg, thanks so much from the bottom of my heart! Cheers.

"Success is falling nine times and getting up ten." ~ Jon Bon Jovi

"That's what I'm talking about." ~ Gordo

Crazy Days

First Stop -- No, we did not go in!

Chris and I jumped in the Subaru and headed downtown to take photos. What a blast. There are so many great things to take photos of in Helena. Have a Helena Day!

Across The Street From The Base Camp

Helena is known for great murals painted on the sides of buildings.

What?

Off to the Last Chance Casino to see our buddy Chris, eat breakfast/lunch and play live keno. OMG. No keno. The motherboard went out. Hopefully, they will be back in business Tuesday. Crazy Days just got more crazy. What is a girl to do? We probably each saved $4, so probably not the end of the world.

Off to the store. Five ingredients each. We spent most of our time at the casino coming up with the rules for the Crazy Days Food Challenge.

Crazy Days 2013 Rules: (Maybe these will change from year to year. You will have to stay tuned.)

Each person secretly selects:

1 protein (meat, fish, tofu? probably not)

1 vegetable

1 item in a can

2 at-will items

Check-out. Still a secret. You still can't see what the other person selected.

Go Home. 

Draw for ingredients.

Looks Like We Are Having Tenderloin

Well, our challenge turned out to be pretty funny. We both picked tenderloin and fresh green beans as two of the five items. Maybe you don't think that is funny. We did. It is sort of like how you and your dog start looking alike after many years of being together. I guess after 24 years of being married, we think, shop and eat alike.

Our other ingredients included a can of crab, a can of peaches, black truffle goat cheese, fingerling potatoes, Ciabatta bread, and an assortment of fresh mushrooms. Nice.

Crostini/Black Truffle Goat Cheese/Peach Chutney/Sun Dried Tomatoes

We oven cooked the steak (that steak cooking method deserves a post all to itself); made a crab hollandaise/bernaise sauce; steamed the beans and potatoes; sauteed the mushrooms in butter and wine; put the mushrooms on top of the potatoes and beans; made a peach chutney; made crostini out of the Ciabatta; topped the crostini with the goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and peach chutney.

Great Meal

Wow. It was a GREAT meal and a CRAZY day.  I would highly recommend you plan for next year's Crazy Days Food Challenge, the first Sunday after the Super Bowl. Mark it on your calendar now. Happy Birthday, Ron!

"Don't stop having fun when you get older because you will get older when you stop having
fun." ~ author unknown

Writer's Block

Anyone Can Get It

Yep, I have it.

The pressure is getting to me. I haven't written a new post since December 29, as my sister so directly pointed out, but not because I haven't tried. The truth of the matter: I haven't eaten good food, drank great wine, or done anything worth writing about for the last six weeks. I even had a birthday in that time period. Not that it wasn't a good birthday, but it was kind of a boring birthday, as birthdays go, especially after the last birthday, the Big 5-0, which was a birthday that created an arsenal of blog post topics.

So one day in January I sat down and started writing about new year's resolutions. Oh, please. Delete. And, yes, you're welcome.

Then I started writing about not giving a damn, which, frankly, my dear, I didn't give a damn. Delete.

For the last 45 minutes I have been staring at this screen waiting for the perfect topic to pop into my head. Didn't happen. So the winner is: Writer's Block. And now I am out of coffee and will move on to a ManMosa.

ManMosa

My brain is always going a million miles a minute. Why, oh, why, can't I come up with one single thing that is entertaining or funny? Life must be on auto pilot for me. It is time to change it up, starting today.

Typically, on a Sunday morning, I would jump in the shower, put on my Nike fleece sweats, a Macalester sweatshirt, and put my hair in a pony tail. I would then get some keno money out of the money jar, and Chris and I would head to the Last Chance Casino for breakfast and some live keno. I would play the same three numbers in the corner, 10, 19 and 20, and I would get one push and lose the rest. After spending about $4, 8 or 9 games, I would be bored, and we would then head to the grocery store. We would buy ingredients for the meal that we had planned that was hopefully going to be really great and really fun. Well, for the last six weeks, we've bombed out. Nothing great to eat; therefore, nothing great to write about.

Today: Crazy Days. You know how the stores change it up one day a year and put their stuff out in the street for cheap and dress in some silly costume? This will be my version of Crazy Days:

Just Another Day In Paradise

I am going to NOT shower (sorry, I showered), wear something absolutely crazy, maybe a spring skirt with my snow boots (it snowed last night). I will still wear a Macalester sweatshirt in honor of Kellen and his hard work. I will put on my North Face down coat and wear something in my hair with no pony tail.

Let's See, What Should I Shoot?

We will start by going downtown shooting (with our cameras, not our Red Ryder BB Guns). We will then go to the Last Chance Casino because it is the only place in town with live keno. I will pick three NEW numbers and play until I win. We will then take our winnings, go to the grocery store, where Chris and I will split up, each picking 5 ingredients not known to the other, then meet up in the checkout line. We will then go to Island Liquor and pick out something that we have never had. We will then go home and figure out what in the heck we can make with our 10 ingredients. This will be a fun day, and hopefully a Crazy Day. Crazy Days will be a new made up holiday the first Sunday after the Super Bowl.

A Really Cool  Mural

My new holiday is all about people having fun and being whacky. As I like to say, "Live a little or live a lot. The choice is yours."

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming – “WOW – What a Ride!” -Anon.

As Coach Herman Says, A Time For Prayer and Reflection

If a tree falls in the forest...

My favorite movie of all time is Remember the Titans. There are many life lessons to be learned from that movie. I also love football and Denzel Washington.

2012 was a great year. As 2013 approaches, I must reflect on some of the crazy, great things that happened in my life.

My theme for blogging is food, fun and wine, and letting those three things guide your life. For some, that just makes no sense at all. For me, it makes all of the sense in the world. I love to have fun, I love to eat, and I love the art and science of wine making. I also love things that matter.

I Pledge Allegiance To The Flag - Turning 50 is a big deal!

Turning 50. OMG. That is a big one. You realize that each day is a gift. There is no guarantee for a tomorrow. There never was a guarantee, but the morning you wake up 50 years old, it is like a big old sock in the nose. Make the most of every day and every minute. Also take the time to celebrate with all of the people that matter. Don't forget your high school girlfriends.

My House Wine Bike Photo

This past year I learned a little about a camera and taking pictures. That was both fun and frustrating, It was fun for Chris and me to go out and shoot. I like to say "go out and shoot." I learned that you need to take at least 10,000 photos before you can even begin to think that you will take a good photo. I am nowhere near 10,000, but maybe one day. I do, however, have a lot of pictures this year to remind me of the great fun I had.

Roasted a chicken for the first time ever this year.

In 2012, I ate a lot of good food and drank a lot of good wine. I can say that with certainty because I weigh more today than I did on my 50th birthday. I worked really hard to be at my lowest weight since childbirth, and then obviously forgot how hard it was to do that, as I celebrated that wonderful accomplishment by eating great food and drinking great wine. I have one month to try to rectify that.

Husna and Mwana - I love you two so much!

I went off on my 35-day Tanzanian Adventure. Greatest experience of my life. I love the people of Babati, and I love what they stand for. They are simple, happy people. If I could wish for anything in the world, I would wish to live in a world where all people live like Tanzanians.

Kellen

Kellen is in his senior year at Macalester and will graduate in May. Life as we know it will soon change. It warms my heart so much to see what a hard-working, responsible young man he has become. He will probably never work as hard at a job as he has worked in college. There is just nothing that that boy can't accomplish. I am so proud of him.

Adi, the best dog ever.

Chris took the photos and made the posters for the high school soccer and basketball teams. He really likes doing it. I am his assistant. I don't think I do much to assist, but he keeps telling me I do, so I keep going. It is always so fun to see his photos around town. He is very good at it, and it is a really nice thing for him to do for those kids. Also, Chris has become the new Cat Photographer for the Humane Society. He went out to give some money at Christmastime, and offered to take photos for them if they ever needed any taken. It turned out they had just lost their Cat Photographer, and he was hired on the spot; hired as a volunteer, that is. He is very excited to start. He is also allergic to cats, so we will see how that goes. Maybe he can work his way up and become the Dog Photographer. He would probably like that a little bit better, no offense to cats and cat lovers. Sometimes, though, you have to start at the bottom to appreciate the top.

A Christmas Story

Another great Christmas at the McManus Cabin in Neihart, MT. Always fun. Always crazy. Chris and I hatched what we thought was a great Christmas idea on Friday, December 21st: A Christmas Story, Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun for everyone! We dispensed hunter orange stocking caps and protective eye wear to everyone and insisted they wear them. We set up a target outside and took turns shooting. It gives a new meaning to "let's go out and shoot." It was a lot of fun. Now we are trying to figure out the best way for our kids to get the guns on the plane and back home. Chris also helped me put together a DVD to give to my family members that highlighted the last 26 years of our lives. I had a lot of fun making it, and I got to see how much time and effort Chris puts into every DVD that he has made for me, our family, and our friends.

The highlight of our Christmas, though, was being able to help out our little friend, Carla, the 5-year-old angel that was blessed this Christmas season with a new heart, as she blessed the hearts of so many people across the country. Cousin Joely and Mike delivered some Christmas money to the family out in Seattle. We are so happy for the Wright family and will be praying for them every day.

2012 was a very good year!

As Coach Boone says, "I don't scratch my head unless it itches and I don't dance unless I hear some music. I will not be intimidated. That's just the way it is."

A good motto to live by. Do things that matter and don't worry about what others think. Cheers to the new year, 2013. ~ Stella

The Reason For The Season

Happy Holidays!

"Are you ready for Christmas?"

The question asked over and over all month long.

I think a more appropriate question would be: "Have you done anything thoughtful and kind for someone less fortunate than yourself that warms your heart?"

Isn't that the real reason for the season?

My sister and I try to find a someone-less-fortunate or a cause that we care about. Last year, Kristi hooked up with a Title 1 elementary school in Great Falls, which means it has a lot of children that live in poverty, and had a coat drive for them. That was really a lot of fun. She collected tons of coats all around Great Falls, and I collected some from Helena. Many people donated money, so she was able to buy a lot of new coats as well. Our gifts to each other were money to buy more coats.

In the end, there were hundreds of children that got a warm winter coat. Something like that makes you feel so good, brings tears of joy, and also warms your heart.

Carla, the Rock Star

Speaking of hearts, this year we want to raise money to help a beautiful 5-year-old girl that was born with half a heart. She was on the heart transplant list. The middle of November 2012, she got the good news and got the new heart. She is in a Seattle hospital still today as her fragile little body tries to make sense of it all. She has good moments and bad moments, ups and downs. She is incredibly strong, though. The last few days have been really good! We want to help this family have one of the most awesome Christmases ever, a Christmas to remember.

Anyone interested in donating to Carla and her family, please got to ourlittlewrightfamily.blogspot.com and you will find a donate button. You will also get the most awesome updates from Carla's mom, Jen.  As Sheldon's mom (Big Bang Theory) says, God doesn't give you more than you can handle. Both Carla and Jen are an inspiration to all!

"There is no ideal Christmas; only the one Christmas you decide to make as a reflection of your values, desires, affections, traditions." ~ Bill McKibben

Oh, To Be Thankful

This is the Sinai Primary School kitchen.

Today is Thanksgiving Day. The holiday season has officially begun. I am taking a break from the kitchen.  I don't have much time before my timer goes off, so I better get moving.

My year has been completely over the top with food, fun, and wine. What I am most thankful for are food, fun and wine. Just kidding. While I am thankful for those three things, I will always, and have always, been very thankful for friends, family and good health. There are a lot of things, though, that get overlooked because most of us are just too busy to remember that we should be thankful. Period. That needs to change.

Yes, it is really an underarm perspiration stain. 

I am incredibly thankful for a job that demands a lot of me at times, but also gives me the freedom and flexibility to get my work done, morning, day or night, which leaves me time to do the things I love.

Trixie's

I am thankful for a boatload of girlfriends that love to do the things that I love to do. That would  be eating, drinking, being merry, getting pedicures, and shopping.

Grandma Zella Supervising the Making of Shortbread

I am especially thankful for having 50 great years with my Gram, the Best Egg Ever. She lived a good long life, and I plan to follow in her footsteps.

Husna and Mwana

I am out of this world thankful for the WaterPowerPeace project, the Kahembe family, the Mason family, my family of friends in Babati, and my family of friends in New York.

Now for the good stuff.

Our Matching House Wine Bikes

I am thankful that my sister challenged me to wash my hair every other day. She told me once I got used to the feel of dirty hair, I would love it and never go back to washing it every day. Guess what? I have washed it every other day, or less, since New Year's Day 2012. Think of the money I have saved on expensive shampoo and water and electricity. It is true, you can fix your hair so much easier when it is one day dirty. Thank you, Kristi.

I Love My TOMS

I am thankful to have finally learned that you can wear something and not automatically have to put it in the wash. For some reason, that just seemed wrong to wear something twice. Africa does not lend itself to a never-ending supply of water, so you wear the same clothes until wash day. You use water only when you absolutely need to. If you don't have the water, you are obviously not doing laundry two times a day, which frees up a lot of time. It is liberating. Thank you, Babati.

Kellen Playing The Piano

I am thankful for the direct flight from Minneapolis to Helena. It is so easy for Kellen to come home, and we have now discovered it is just as easy for Chris and me to go out there. We have driven the 15 1/2 hour trip for the last 3 years, two times a year, because we usually were hauling Kellen's things out or bringing them back. Not anymore. Kellen has a car now. He can pick us up at the airport, drive us all around, then return us to the airport. Thanks, Delta, and thanks, Kellen.

Lastly, I am very thankful that I have people that actually go to my blog. When I sit down at the computer, I first go to My Audience to see how many people have visited my site. I realize that some get there totally by accident, but, hey, it is still someone that visited my site. When I wrote my first post, I was scared to death to hit publish. I was afraid that people would read what I had to say and think I was an idiot. It didn't take long to figure out that they very well could, and probably do, think I am an idiot, but who really cares? I like to sit down and write about silly things that make me happy.

Happy Holidays! Hopefully we will all have some good food, fun and wine to guide this holiday season.

"May the true spirit of the season find you and fill your heart with happiness." ~ author unknown

Life 101

Whenever there is a life lesson to be learned, my brother-in-law, without fail, turns to "Life 101" to make his point. When you think about it, it really makes sense.

Most of life's challenging moments can be dealt with using good old common sense. A lot of people over think things and believe a challenge in life needs a complex solution, no matter how big or small the challenge.

Now that I am 50 and have lived in Babati, Tanzania for 35 days, I realize I don't have the time or the energy for complex solutions to life's (mostly simple) challenges. At this age, remember, every day is a gift. It is time to enjoy what life has to offer and stop worrying. Once you do that, many of those challenges will disappear.

As we all wander through this thing called life, I really don't think there is any situation that can't be made better, unless maybe we are on death row. I would call that a very complex life challenge that requires a very complex solution and some really good lawyers, or an outgoing governor with a big heart.

So what are some of life's simple challenges?

Can we serve red wine with fish? The wine snob may say no. I say whatever you want to drink is fine. If you drink red wine with your fish, who will know and who will care? So if you are having a dinner party, serving halibut, fretting about the wine to pair it with, stop fretting. Buy some red and buy some white. If your friends find it in poor taste, they don't need to come to your house for dinner anymore. Common sense.

I used my mulligan on the first hole. Can I take another? Of course you can. You paid for the round of golf, you can do whatever you want. If you don't want to keep score, don't keep score. Common sense.

Should I get a dog? I don't have a job and I don't have any money. Of course you should not get a dog. Common sense.

Seriously, though, if life's challenges are getting you down, stop, breathe, figure out one simple thing that you can do to make your life more simple.

"To be simple is to be great." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson