I’m sure you caught it on the news:  A Costa cruise ship captain sailed too close to the Italian shore, the ship grounded, quickly took on water,  and listed to the side as it began to sink.  Four thousand passengers on board were told to abandon ship.  In the midst of all the confusion, when [...]

Several  years ago Bruce and I hiked Mt. St. Helens with three of his kids.  (No worries about an explosion, the top had blown years before).  The path started out easy enough.  We wound our way through the forest.  As we gained altitude, the trees thinned out and we picked our way between big rocks.  [...]

Several years ago I decided to go back to school and earn a Master’s Degree in History.   AFTER I’d registered and paid my tuition, I discovered that EACH term I had 45 books to read and 16 papers to write!  It was really hard, SO hard I was tempted to quit and go back home, [...]

When my kids were small and I had lot’s of housework that never ended, I’d often bribe myself with rewards for getting things done.  For instance, it’d be, “When I finish washing the dishes, I’m going to eat that last piece of chocolate cake.” Then, I’d finish washing dishes and something would distract me, like [...]

You remember that question, don’t you?  We’ve all asked it on long road trips when it seems like we should have already arrived.  I’m asking this question now, not because I expect you’ll have finished your goals already, but because it’s important to estimate how long it’s going to take you to complete your goals [...]

Did you write down your family history goals for this year?  Wondering what to do now? BREAK IT DOWN!  Most goals are so large, that you need to break them down into manageable parts.  I think this is the hardest part of goal setting because it requires going under the surface to describe ALL the [...]

Would you like to join me in a rocket launch, actually travel inside the rocket, or is that only a dream for you?  This year we’re going to shoot for the stars in the goals we set.  If we don’t finish them all, no worries, we may still hit the moon.  So, do you want [...]

Years ago I attended my daughters’ cheerleading competitions.  These contests were amazing for the electricity and energy in the room, but also for how supportive the girls were to those that were essentially their competition.  When a team took the stage, EVERYONE in the room exploded with cheers and applause. As I reflect on this [...]

Say you’re flying an airplane headed from Los Angeles to Boston.  You’ve already mapped the course and filed your flight plans.  You’ve calculated your speed and estimated your time of arrival.  Now, you’re in the cockpit and you’re watching the compass to make sure you’re headed in the right direction.  (You could have set the [...]

First, the Black Friday deals:  If you want to stay cozy and warm here’s some deals on the Internet!  I have a Black Friday widget for Amazon.com on my sidebar that will take you straight to the Amazon.com deals. Fold3 is offering a Black Friday deal: A one year membership for $47.95.  That’s a 40% [...]