Bathroom Art

If you've ever been in my house, you know every wall is brown. Paper bag boring old brown. When we decided to remodel the bathroom, I made it known that we were going to paint the bathroom and our bedroom a different color. I need light, airy, and peaceful. Get me out of the paper bag. So I chose a charming yellow color for both rooms. I love my bedroom, but as the bathroom started coming together, it was clear that this yellow was not going to work. So now that the bathroom is 99.9% done, we told the contractor we want it repainted. "Ok, what color?" he asks. We don't know. G and I picked up eight paint samples at the home improvement store last night and came home to test them out. This morning I got up and decided of the nine paint colors on my wall, I don't like a single one. How could they all look so pleasing on the 3x3 inch card sample, but once on the wall it looks like cement or mud or paper bag? I was tempted to get a sample of "Breath Blue" or "Maine Mist" (can't you just see the colors by the name?) to be a little more trendy and bold, but no, since I am bold-averse I remain in neutral territory. By the end of the day today we had chosen the new color, which is not one you see here nor is it bold. The guys will be back someday to repaint. Sorry, you're going to have to wait a few more weeks for the big reveal. Until then we'll enjoy our bathroom art.

A Cowboy's Prayer

I was sent this prayer the other day. I don't know if I ever thanked the person who sent it, as it was received at a time when I really needed it. Funny how that is.

Lord, give me a wind in my face.

A wind with ice in it's teeth.

A wind in the mountains, too high for the fog.

A wind to stab me awake to the issues of life.

If we live and nothing ever happens,

well, it is a curse to our souls.

Always, always if we're alive, something's gonna happen;

if not then we're dead in our boots;

stuck in the slush and the muck and the mire.

So Lord, give me a wind in my face

to blow the fog from my brain.

A wind that cuts like a knife.

And, give me the strength to pull my feet from the miry bog.

The will to walk up the pathway too high for the fog.

Your Greatest Growth

I work in the financial industry and unless you live under a rock you know the market has seen some tough times lately. The firm I work for is no exception. So the other day one of our marketing guys, who, like any great marketer, can put a postive spin on any worst case, sent around this quote to help some of us adjust our attitudes:

"Your greatest growth comes during tough times and challenging assignments. When you're going downstream with a strong economic current and the wind at your back, you're less sharp and not totally aware of the external influences that are helping you along. It's only when you face a tough headwind, where you have to diagnose and fix a business challenge, that you achieve real growth. And as you build your skill set over time, you reflect back on these challenging experiences as the most important, so try to appreciate them when they're happening." - Phil Bolsta

I like it. I've read it several times and everytime I do I think, sheesh, this applies to My LiFe. Consider it.

Team U.S.A.!!!

I just watched the men's 4X100M swim relay. The French were quoted as saying they were going to "smash" the Americans. HA! Well, the Americans just crushed the French by 0.08 seconds, the fastest in world history, to take the GOLD! Incredible! I LOVE the Olympics! GO U.S.A.!!

How am I supposed to sleep with this kind of action going on?