I've been traveling so much for either work or personal business that I'm getting close to MVP status. I can't wait until I get to stand in that 'other line'

I just returned from San Jose for a brief trip to visit one of my clients. I'll be going to Utah next month to visit a call center and then back in San Jose in November. I'll be going to Portland sometime between now and mid-September for a project from another client that I'm starting next week.

Last week, I finished a French version of one of my modules (oooh- la la!), so now I can say I'm international!

Additionally, I learned this week that one of my vendors sold two of my 'off the shelf' training modules, with another one pending. He's giving a seminar next week to discuss how important front-line training is and he's featuring my product and is asking for another line of product from me. I'm on it, dude! Another Information Security company found my company information on a forum I joined a couple of weeks ago and is asking about selling my product as well.

This self-employed stuff sure was a good idea!

I've learned recently that I might have an opportunity for another contract with a company out of San Francisco. That means another opportunity to work at home in my monkey slippers and visit cool places. What the WHAT? It wasn't even two years ago when I was worried about getting another job after being laid off.

I think the most rewarding part is that I truly feel appreciated by my customers. One of them said, "you're the best. I bet you get tired of hearing that", to which I replied, "I do get tired of hearing that, which is why I now require being told in different languages." Another one of my clients heard that story so she wrote to me today, "Thanks Lori!! you're the best! Since you need to hear it in a different language (aap bohat aache ho - in Hindi)"

I think I like the idea of requiring compliments in different languages. I might make it part of my Statement of Work (the contract between me and the folks hiring my services.)

On the downside, I had to purchase a new training program for just over $1,000.00- but it's something I've needed to take my training to the next level. Now I have it and I'll get to use it on the Portland customer, which will be fun.

Oh, did I mention that the National Association of Professional Women has named me Business Woman of the Year for the state of Washington? Yep. If you want to see, go to their site and put *my name in the search box. Once it pulls up my picture, click on it and you'll see the little ribbon showing my award. I get a plaque for my wall, even!

I guess this post is just a bunch of sentences reiterating how glad I am that I was brave enough to start my own company. I'm also thankful for the people (and you know who you are) who nudged me in that direction.

*if you don't know my full name, you'll just have to imagine it!

The only appointment available with my cardiologist was last Thursday, a day that I'm normally scheduled to work for "Big Fish". Turns out that there was a 2 hour conference call that started an hour prior to my appointment, so I decided that I could easily call in and continue listening while on the road to the cardiologist and listen in the waiting room since my cardiologist usually runs about 45 minutes late. Kill two birds with one stone. (that's a horrible term.. I'll have to find something different.)

I had my cell phone on speaker phone on the road, with the mute on. Once I got to the parking lot, I took the phone off speaker and plugged in the headphones. What I didn't realize is that when you do that, you're automatically taken off mute.

How did I know this? I was at the reception desk announcing MY NAME, WHY I WAS THERE, and answering questions. It was then that I heard the speaker in the conference ask me to put my phone on mute. I think the only thing that could have made it even more embarrassing is if I was on the scale, with the nurse announcing how much I weigh before I muted the phone.

I'd say that this was a huge 'my bad', considering that there were dozens of people in the conference room and on the phone.

Being defeated is often only a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
~Marilyn vos Savant

I haven't written in a while, I know. I think it's because I haven't slowed down enough to even think, let alone write.

I chose this quote because it's a true reflection of my core personality. I've felt defeated many times, but I never EVER give up. Sometimes I think of myself as one of those kids bop bags because I can get punched down, but I always pop back up, though sometimes it takes a while.

I was bopped a good one on Thursday at the cardiologist's office. He had to take me off of the drug that has 100% stopped the fainting and near-fainting episodes because my blood pressure was so high that I was in danger of a stroke.

A week prior I was in the ER, because I was having stroke symptoms (left side of my face droopy, slurring my words, confused, etc.) and my blood pressure was soaring. I was diagnosed with a transient ischemic attack. Thankfully, the symptoms subsided after about five hours and they sent me home.

The next day, the cardiologist's office called me and set up an appointment with my cardiologist. They told me to cut the medication in half and told me to take my BP twice a day until my appointment.

Normally, my BP is 100-110/60-70. My BP remained over 145/80 (sometimes clear up to just under 160) and I had a horrible headache for a week. But I didn't faint!

The cardiologist said that there was nothing else they could give me for the fainting that wouldn't do the same thing to my blood pressure, and took me completely off the medication. He said he didn't want to be the one responsible for giving me a stroke or heart attack. I guess I don't blame him.

The first day off the drugs, I started to pass out twice. I wanted to cry, I really did. OK- truthfully, I did have a bit of a pity party this morning, but I'm mostly over it.

He gave me a prescription for compression tights (from toes to waist as soon as I'm out of bed) and wants me to keep drinking electrolytes, eating lots of salt and drinking lots of caffeine.

Oh, and raise the head of my bed. He told me to do that the last time I was there and I haven't done that yet. He scolded me like a child, "Lori, you KNOW we talked about this last time you were here". I felt really stupid.

The cardiologist told me that I'm one of those people that "lightening hits more than once, apparently". I've thought the same thing myself, but I refuse to roll over and play dead.

...I may lie down and take a nap though.

Waxing poetic today, me thinks.

My grandmother has passed away. I knew it was going to happen sooner, rather than later based on what I saw when I went down for her 97th birthday in February. I knew then that it would be the last time I'd see her.

It's been an amazing five years. I could go down the "I feel cheated" road, but as I stand back and look at things, I know for certain that everything happened exactly as it should have. I'd never trade one life (the one I would have had if I'd grown up knowing my biological father) for the other (the one I had growing up with my dad.) I'm sad I missed out on all of the years knowing my grandmother, but I choose not to focus on that.

Instead, I choose to focus on the miracle that she was still alive and well at 92 years of age, allowing me to get to know her and love her as my grandmother.

I'm still meeting people from my father's family as recently as a month or so ago, and my relationship with my half-sister is growing. We don't talk often, but when we do we never run out of things to talk about. I guess that's what happens when you have 40 some-odd years to catch up on.

I've saved every letter my grandmother has written to me and there is no doubt in my mind that she left this world knowing that I loved her and was grateful that we found each other. I know she loved me too, because she never missed an opportunity to tell me that. How awesome is that?

My belief system tells me that she's together with her husband, my father and my aunt (who died a couple of years ago) and that they're having a wonderful visit. I don't judge those who don't have a belief system in an afterlife, but I'd be kicking and screaming on my death bed if I thought that's all there was. I could be wrong, but I sure hope not.

I fly in to California next week to stay with someone I've never met in person, but I sure like her! She was married to my father's brother long ago and is the mother of a cousin that I plan to get to know a whole lot better. I had to laugh as we were making plans for her to pick me up from the airport. She wrote, "don't get in the car with strangers!" We've never seen each other in real life, met each other via FB just a couple of months ago, and all I know is that she'll be driving a black Altima.

....I like to live on the edge.

I'm still processing all of this and can't really put my finger on how I'm feeling. I'm sure after the funeral I'll be more in touch with my feelings. Right now I feel removed from my emotions. Not necessarily a good thing, but something I've perfected over the years.

Rest in peace, sweet Munner. My life is better for having known you.

I have several things to post about, but I don't feel like doing a This and That so let's talk about family time!

I'm UP TO HERE with family. Ha ha ha- I'm kidding! We've been fortunate to be able to spend loads of time with family in June and beginning of July. The first part of June, we (the boys, Sweet Girl, Ranger Mike, BJ and I) went to Arizona to visit my parents and brother. We all stayed in a nearby hotel, so as not to overwhelm my parents with our irreverence. We saved all that stuff for the evening in Casey and Ranger Mike's room. We were WILD with the Skip-Bo playing, I tell ya.

Here's most of the family. Unfortunately, not everyone could make the trip and they were missed.



Ranger Mike and I stayed a few more days than the rest of the travelers so we'd have more one-on-one time with our parents and brother. We took our brother to a petrified forest of some sort. It was really fun for me, being on crutches and all...



Next up on the family togetherness train was a weekend on the peninsula with the boys, Sweet Girl, Einstein, BJ, BJ's mom and me. We pretty much did the same thing there that we did after hours in Arizona. Played games, ate, yacked and (some) drank. If you are a FB buddy, you would have seen the expose. :: snicker ::

Did I take pictures? Uhhh... no. Except one of Casey being sad because I beat him at Monopoly. I've been horrible about taking pictures lately. Well, unless you want to see a lot of Einstein.

Last was the 3rd of July celebration at the horse track. My company (you know, the one that has one employee.. me) sponsored a room and a race. Lookee!!





Squee, right?

Casey was really impressed that the family got to go down and watch the Lemonade Stand race from the winners circle. He said that he was sure that everyone at the track wondered if we were rich. Silly boy...



We had a mish-mash of super fun people there. I haven't laughed like that in a while and y'all know how much I love to laugh.

I'm pretty sure this post is really disjointed. My brain is going in a million directions right now, but I really wanted to get this posted for the family before it was completely erased from my memory. So, there we are.