Mike and Me

For three years now, Mike and I have been gracious guests of Mountainland Supply Company on a Caribbean cruise. Each cruise finds us in a traveling group of 60-100 people, made up of fellow landscape and plumbing contractors, and of course the MSC workers that serve as our hosts. We both feel tremendously blessed for the opportunities, and we thoroughly enjoy the downtime, and the forced separation from real life that comes from being on a ship at sea.

I know it isn't the case for every couple, but Mike and I really enjoy spending time together. Life with a business, five children and regular life gets sort of crazy at times, so we don't take for granted the time we have alone together. Whether it's a Scrabble game on a Sunday afternoon, a quick lunch together during the week, or a week alone in the Caribbean, Mike and I do our best to make the most of time alone.

Mike and I frequently make it a point to make sure our children know that our relationship with each other comes first, and we make little to no apology when we turn down other things to be together.

Our time spent on cruises have always included plenty of time together; playing Scrabble, reading, simply relaxing, and most of all NOT BEING INTERRUPTED by five demanding children. Our first cruise we spent a lot of time on the top floor in a library that opened into a bar area, that had lots of tables and we spent a fair amount of time playing Scrabble and Rummikub with a couple from CA that invited themselves to join our game one afternoon.

I'll interrupt myself to mention that upon arriving on the ship, one of the first places we explore is the library and check if there are Scrabble games available. This most recent cruise scored big points because it had brand new, unopened games available to play. Hooray for Scrabble games with no missing tiles!

Last year's cruise, we spent a lot of our free time in a mid-floor office type room that had an awesome spiral stair case up to a library. And this year, our favored place became the back of the ship behind the main cafe. It wasn't so much that the couches we frequented were comfortable, but it was in close proximity for the hours of offered sushi (Mike) and crusty bread and cheese varieties (me).

I have never really given much thought to the time Mike and I spent together while the ship is sailing the sea. We make it to the 2 "work meetings" that are really just fun games with cash prizes but called "work meetings" for the IRS purposes of bringing people on a free cruise, and we frequent the formal dining room to socialize with our group a few nights of the cruise.

Throughout the time on the ships, I've always seen different groups of people from our large group hanging out at different times and places together, I've never given any thought to Mike and I preferring to be alone. I didn't think anyone else noticed, until this last cruise, one of the ladies who has been on all 3 with us said, "So where is your private hide-out on this ship?"

Her tone was hard to read. I'm hopeful she was being facetious.
But I'm not sure.
And now I've got myself wondering if next year's cruise I have to feign the desires to be more social.

But if that's the cost of a free cruise.
I'll likely oblige.

Jamaica

When I found out our cruise was going to be stopping in Jamaica, I was so excited! Mike joked that he never knew Jamaica was special to me, and it isn't that it ever was, but there seemed to be something appealing and thrilling about visiting Jamaica!

The group we were traveling with had a group excursion for us to embark on in Jamaica. I knew what it would entail, as it is similar to the excursions they have treated us to in the past. This year, I prepared mentally and committed to Mike that I was going to participate fully in this excursion.

Barring drinking the free alcohol they offer on the catamaran as part of the package, I was going to participate fully by this time getting in the ocean and snorkeling, instead of staying on the boat to read and occasionally take pictures of Mike. (Several people skip the snorkeling part, but after my break-through in St. Thomas last year, I wanted to participate.)

We took a long bus ride from the ship to Dunn River Falls, where we loaded onto a catamaran and traveled out into the depths of the sea.

My nerves began to get the best of me, and as the boat workers started passing out snorkeling fins, I declined to take them. Mike was completely supportive of my decision, and didn't force me, but when I asked him, "Do you think I'll regret it?" He firmly replied, "Absolutely!"

My biggest issue was not wanting to jump in, (I've never jumped into a body of water before, why start now?!) but then I saw a few others climb down the steps instead of jumping, and it started to change my mind. But then... I looked into the ocean, and there in the water with all her snorkeling garb on, was an 81 year old grandmother from our group.

That made my decision.
I didn't look back.
And I never regretted it.

I stayed fairly close to the guide that was helping the 81 year old and her 84 year old husband!! Which definitely had its perks; like holding a sea urchin he cracked open and having fish swim into my hand to feed from it. (I initially wanted to die when the guide took my hand and placed the sea urchin in it. I don't even pet our goats or horse!) He helped us see so many cool things, that I regretted (and I think Mike did too) sending Mike away to explore on his own so as not to hold him back.

Mike had misunderstood the guide's time rotations of being in the water, and he returned to the catamaran long before me. Which was sort of fun, because he grabbed the camera to prove I really did do it!

I returned to the boat, feeling satisfied and with a sense of pride of really doing something difficult. It's hard to describe how much water typically terrifies me, and what a personal accomplishment this event was.

I didn't know that the next activity planned would test my limits and leave me feeling proud too.

Our next stop was to hike Dunn River Falls. We had been warned to wear good shoes, and to not take cameras or anything as we would become completely wet. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. But certainly not this.

This photo only shows a portion of the approximate 1000 foot water fall that we looked up at and they told us we were hiking it!

I momentarily had a little freak out questioning of whether or not it was safe.

After the first 20-25 feet or so, I may or may not have had another freak out moment firmly suggesting to Mike that as parents of 5 children thousands of miles away, we had no business embarking in such a risky activity.

We have no photos of the place--only these Google image photos.

Apparently, it is all sorts of safe. They scrub the rocks each morning to prevent slippery mildew forming and it was surprisingly non-slippery.

So many fun (and not so fun) moments during this hike. I will likely never forget the thrill!

When we returned to the catamaran after this hike, I felt as though I could do just about anything! But I was glad, nothing else was on the agenda to get my heart racing again.

We rounded out the excursion with a lunch at a hotel (dang I wish I'd have taken a photo of the building) that was once an old plantation. I was so in love with the building, that instead of taking photos, I found myself searching out someone to ask about the history of the building. The building seemed to be bursting at the seams with stories it wanted to tell, and I regret we were sort of in a rush to leave to get on the bus for the journey back to the ship.

(Only photo I took was the view FROM the hotel, not the building itself.)

This is where my visit to Jamaica sort of caused a change of heart.

Up until this point, my experience in Jamaica, had been nothing short of wonderful. I felt exhilarated, alive and invigorated with enthusiasm for not only the beautiful world we live in, but the personal satisfaction in my activities while there.

I was anxious to get back to the port by our ship to do some shopping. I had left any souvenir shopping to this day in Jamaica (our first two stops we have been to previously and the last stop I knew shopping would be limited). Plus, I wanted souvenirs to mark such a memorable day.

The bus journey back was due to be an hour plus, and looking at the clock, we knew our time was going to be cutting it very close to get back to the ship on time. The time wasn't the main source of my anxiety however, it was the horrible driving of the bus driver on the 2 lane highway. From our seat on the front row, Mike and I watched as he passed slow vehicles when it seemed hazardous, and downright stupid. As much as I wanted time to souvenir shop, I also wanted to arrive back to the ship alive. It was a nerve-wracking, heart-racing drive, and as several fellow group members were also getting antsy looking at the time and considering the shopping they wanted to do too, we came upon traffic at a complete standstill for miles.

Our entourage included 3 buses, one of the busses in our group was detoured down a side street, yet our driver stopped and yelled in some foreign dialect to the police officers and they moved some cones for our bus driver to drive through.

(If on an excursion booked through the ship (ours was), the ship waits for the passengers to return if they are notified of a delay.I'm sure the bus driver's yelling included something about us needing to back to the ship.)

We passed a horrific accident scene. And though the emergency vehicles/injuries had left by this point, the remains of the scene were disturbing to see. Especially seeing a tour bus part of the wreckage. Having traveled on tour/excursion busses in several Caribbean cities now, we know that their safety standards are nowhere equal to those in the USA. It was sickening to think of tourists, on an adventure similar to what my day had been, end their day in an accident.

Our ship waited for our return, and our group boarded the ship disappointed about little to no souvenirs from our day in Jamaica.

I spent the next few days lamenting the fact Ellie didn't get a deck of cards from Jamaica to add to her collection. I felt bad I didn't get something for myself to remember the day by. And I just plain felt disappointed the way our Jamaica day finished up.

Then on Monday, after returning home, I saw from a fellow group member a link to the accident in Jamaica. (You can read it HERE.) Reading the article erased any frivolous regrets of not having souvenirs. I was (and still am) surprised how difficult it has been to know about a young mother and her daughter from Minnesota, returning to their ship after a fun day of swimming with dolphins in Jamaica involved in the horrific crash. The young mother lost her life on that dangerous Jamaican highway, a husband back home in the US lost his wife, and 4 young children no longer have a mother.

It put all sort of things in perspective. I may not have any souvenirs from Jamaica, but I have my memories, I have my life, and I am living with those I love.

Those are worth more than any memorabilia money could buy.

A Good Gift

I'm quite certain I have shared the story of our first Christmas together in 1997, when I awoke on Christmas Eve morning with a huge frying pan in the sheets of my bed. Suffice it to say, I didn't really appreciate it, nor was I very excited about it.

First of all, it was Christmas EVE not Christmas DAY
Second of all, a frying pan for someone that has been married 8 months wasn't exactly the right type of gift.
Third of all, it was a HUGE frying pan for just two people.

For the record, I'd actually LOVE to receive that frying pan now! 18 years later, that frying pan is long gone and it was actually a pretty decent one.

I've probably even mentioned the Christmas I received a curtain rod (no curtains...), and I'll actually stop here, because Mike is a wonderful husband in SOOO many ways. Good gift giving just isn't really his thing.

I, on the other hand?

I'm a pretty good gift giver.
You can ask him.

Take the gift he received on the most recent Father's Day for example: An opportunity to drive a Ferrari or Lamborghini at top speed at a nearby motor raceway. Last Saturday, his scheduled ride arrived.

Mike had a pretty big smile on his face about the whole experience.

Not sure what his face is saying or doing here. I think it was as soon as he got finished and was expressing his enthusiasm for the experience.

(We laughed that the drivers had to wear helmets and use seat belts, but their instructor passenger didn't even wear a seat belt!)

As we got in the car to drive home in our little Audi sedan, Mike said, "I used to think this car was quite fast and zippy. Not anymore. It feels like a Fisher Price car."

Later that night, Mike went to bed with a smile on his face, but not before warning me: "You did a dangerous thing today: giving me an appetite for that." Not sure what that means; good thing his wallet doesn't hold quite as much money as a Ferrari costs.

Mike loves cars. I love giving gifts.
It was a good fit.

Something Hard. Check.

It would be very accurate to say, I am not a water person. The single "most traumatic" experience of my childhood was being baptized a member of the LDS church when I was 8 years old. That is a story in and of itself, but suffice it to say that was the first (and second!) time I ever put my head completely under the water.

Although I did learn to swim as a child, I have never to this day jumped into a pool or body of water that isn't more than 3 feet deep. I have never passed on my fear of water to my children, they just understand it to be that I don't really "enjoy water."

This year on our cruise, in talking to one of the couples in our large group they brought to our attention one of the "shore excursions" they were going to go on at the end of the week. Immediately, I wanted to do it. Mike looked at me like I had just said we were going to jump off the ship and swim home. He couldn't believe I wanted to do something that used words to describe it like: "snorkeling in the ocean", "kayaking", "strenuous", etc.

For some reason, I had a tight grip on the idea, and Mike stood encouragingly by me a couple of days later as I signed us up for the, "Kayak, Snorkel, Hike" excursion.

 Mike never said a word to discourage me, in fact I think he was rendered absolutely speechless by me suggesting and signing us up for the whole thing!  (He also knows me well enough to know, I'm somewhat frugal, and so if I'd just paid that amount of money for it, he knew I wouldn't cancel or bail.)

Granted. I knew I had  signed up for something completely out of my comfort zone, but I was still surprised the night before our 8am meeting time when I couldn't sleep well. It wasn't just the stress of which shoes to wear first and which ones to pack (both flip flops and tennis shoes suggested) that was keeping me awake, it was the excitement/nervousness/apprehension/surprise/anxiety about the whole adventure I was about to embark on.

Really, one could think I am making far too big of a deal about a simple excursion. But I know me well, Mike knows me well, so do my children. So this was a big flippin' deal that I was doing this! And I can't let it not be recorded into my family history files.

As we boarded our truck/wagon/would be 100% illegal and unsafe in the USA vehicle that transported us to our destination, I knew the experience was going to be one of two things:

a. A complete flop in which either Mike or I, or both would be completely embarrassed of my fears and the potential outburst I could have at either him or anyone else, and we would return to our cruise ship deflated and at odds.

b. Or, it was going to be one of the proudest days of my life. A day which I accomplished something fearful, difficult and hard. And not only lived to tell the tale, but had a smile on my face for days because of it.

The latter occurred.

It was one of the most fabulous things Mike and I have ever done together. I loved it. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't the smoothest few hours. I did speak a little harshly to Mike on the initial kayak ride that he needed to quit moving because it was going to tip us. And I did initially chicken out about swimming out to the 12 foot deep waters to snorkel, and instead told Mike to go on without me. (Mike should have been born a fish,  he loves the opportunity to be in any body of water. Especially, the beautiful clear waters of the Caribbean. I didn't want him to miss out on this experience.)

(I wish I had a photo of the look on my children's faces, when I told them, "Dad and I rode kayaks in the ocean, and went snorkeling together." Their jaws hit the ground and the comments were, "No way!" "Seriously? You?" "I don't believe it. We need proof.")

(I spent the first little while with a death-grip on Mike.)

Mike refused to leave me behind, and in a firm, yet kind way encouraged me to come further. And before I knew it--I was snorkeling in water that was well above any depth of water I've ever been in before, and having the time of my life.

(Me posting this photo, is almost as brave as actually being in the water!)

 (There's a sting-ray down there if you know what you're looking for.)

 .
There were so many emotions, and life-lessons for me personally from doing something so out of my comfort zone. I know it is a seemingly easy experience for most, but it wasn't for me, and I felt pure pride and satisfaction from doing something so hard.

The world is a beautiful place, and I'm so glad I got to see parts of it I've never seen before.

One of My Favorite Days

I've written lots of anniversary posts and Mike and Tiffany posts over the years, so I wonder what more there really is to say about us that others will want to read and here.

(Here are a few of my favorites: HERE, HERE, and HERE.)

There really isn't much, except the simple words on a sign I saw the other day at a gift store. I now wish I had bought the sign, because I say those words to Mike all the time, and didn't really think others would say them too, until I saw the sign.

"I LOVE US"

And I guess that's all I'll say to wrap up our anniversary post this year. Happy 17th Anniversary to us. I'm even more excited about it this year because it is on a Thursday, just like the day it was in 1997.

I'm glad that I quit trying to marry Mike off to all my friends (proof of that in my avid journal writing entries from my college years), and married him myself. I'm a pretty lucky gal.

(Most days that is. Some days that guy has far too much stubbornness for a pleasant, kind-hearted person like me.)

Actually we make a good pair, in completely different and opposite ways.

I heart Mike.

Bliss

I kept a pretty accurate and regular personal journal while on our recent cruise to the Western Caribbean. I've decided to primarily leave my thoughts and feelings there, and am choosing instead to post a few pictures and just a few thoughts here on my blog.

It was a glorious trip. After our flight left Detroit (we flew from SLC to Detroit, and Detroit to FL), I never experienced a moment of anxiety. For 8 days, I didn't snap once. I never raised my voice, and the only time my blood pressure rose was when the group we were traveling with did an organized scavenger hunt and as the team captain I felt it my responsibility to secure our team a win. (1st place and $25 per couple later, I relaxed.)

Motherhood isn't quite as glamorous as cruising. As tempting (and relaxing) as becoming a full-time cruiser looks versus motherhood...I have no plans to quit my day job anytime soon.

One of the good and bad things about being on the cruise is we didn't carry our cell phones around with us constantly. Which translates into not always having a camera immediately at our disposal. Though we carried a camera around with us off of the ship, on the ship we didn't so much. And there are some things not captured on film, that are some of my favorite memories.

~ Me singing along (Karaoke style) with the Piano Man performer. I didn't really plan on it, but when he started playing "Summer Nights" from Grease as part of a "Name that Tune movie trivia", and said, "I think I need some women voices to come help me out...", I couldn't resist. It was by far one of the most bold and daring things I have ever done. I don't sing on key, but yet the microphone was held in front of me the entire time. Me and the talented Piano Man. I can only imagine how it sounded, by the look on Mike's face when I returned to my seat. I know Mike was trying to figure out how to pretend he didn't really know me, but alas when I plonked down next to him, his disguise was up. It was actually all fun and games until the next day when on a boat ride, somebody said, "Hey-you're the girl who sang last night at the Piano Bar." I was just trying to quietly acknowledge her comment, when another man began clapping and said, "Oh yeah! I was there too, that was great. Guess that's what happens when you have one drink too many." I'm not sure what was more embarrassing--having them recognize me or the fact I had to admit, "Actually, the sad reality is--I was completely sober." Heaven help me and my enthusiastic non-singing voice.

~ Mike and I made frequent trips to get ice cream cones. We may or may not have gone several times a day.

~ Mike and my walks around the deck of the ship that was used as a walking track. Mike walked plenty, but he didn't choose to participate with me in the Ship 5K Cancer Walk. Instead I ended up walking alongside a lady from North Carolina who didn't really have anything positive to say about anything. ESPECIALLY when she found out I had 5 children. I won't type her response.

~ Spending almost 24 hours a day with Mike for 8 days straight and us never tiring of each other. Okay, well if you don't count that teeny tiny snap I made at him while in Key West. But I gave him a bite of my key lime pie, so it probably cancels out.

~ The frozen daiquiris (me) and pina coladas (Mike) that were luxurious and refreshing rolled into one.

~ The 80 year old man that invited himself into our basketball game, and fell and got hurt 5 minutes later, and subsequently had to visit the ship's ER.

~ Making friends with a couple from Washington while in line for our food at the Mexican Fiesta, who happen to be LDS.

~ A girl I went to high school with tapping me on the shoulder and saying, "I know you."

~ Making friends with a couple from Northern California and enjoying many games with them while enjoying the nearby solo guitarist. 

~ Feeling an appreciation for the beauty around us at every corner. I was overwhelmed with the thoughts of the diversity of the world's creations.

~ The temporary tattoo I got on the private beach in Cozumel. One of these days I'll get the real deal, but until then I'm testing it out. For the record, I LOVE IT. Mike...not so much. (One of my biggest regrets from my college days is that I didn't get a tattoo.) I know. I know. Some of you are judging me right now. Go right ahead.)

~ Checking in via email each morning with my family at home, and having full faith they were in good hands. Serious shout-out to my cousins, Andrew and Ashley for taking on parenting 5 extra children for a week.

~ Enjoying chips and salsa and drinks at a bar in Mexico, and Mike paying two different times for men to serenade me in Spanish prose. For some reason, Mike was more amused by it than I was. His attempts at romance were somewhat lost on me.

It doesn't seem right to sum up a 7 day cruise with just a handful of photos and a few paragraphs, but it will have to suffice. I feel overwhelmed with the generosity of Mountainland Supply for sponsoring the trip, and the kindness of my cousins and BFF for helping make it all possible. And although the return to real life has been painful, I've been repeating the following Dr. Seuss quote the last few days,

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."

Toothpaste Tubes and Kind Words

One of the things I love about my association with the Power of Moms, is how many wonderful women I get introduced to, and meet. One of my favorites from last spring's Las Vegas retreat is Shannon. I love to check in with her blog every once in a while--there is always something inspirational to find there. She's an amazing lady. I copied the following idea from her recently for a Family Home Evening lesson.

My children were definitely intrigued during the opening prayer and song with the paper plates and tube of toothpastes set at each spot around the table. Even Mike was giving me questioning glances as to what exactly I was going to do.

Much to Drew's dismay (he thinks he has the corner on the market when it comes to picking FHE songs), I requested, "Kindness Begins with Me" for the opening song. One of my absolute favorites! Even though it is sung almost every morning before we leave for school, the simple words are always worth repeating.

After the prayer, the children were invited to take their places at the kitchen table and draw any design they wished on their paper plate with the tube of toothpaste.

They would have spent forever had I let them, but fortunately their toothpaste tubes ran out and we could move on.

After they each displayed their design, the object lesson came in...

Each child was given straws, spoons, toothpicks, etc. and asked to put all the toothpaste they used back into the tubes.

Some of my children are quite confident in their abilities and Luke was convinced it'd be quite easy and he immediately began attempting the task.

I let them give it a good honest effort,

Until the frustration became too much for me to tolerate.

The object lesson was complete, and it was time for the explanation.

The Words We Speak...

Once they've been spoken, they can't be taken back. I mean, not that we'd ever have to encourage our children to use kind words around here. Not that we ever have issues of meanness, unkindness and rudeness, but I thought it would be a nice idea to give the lesson nonetheless. 

Disclaimer: Those last two sentences are a JOKE. We need the lesson just as much, if not more, than anyone else does.

We read the story The Power of Kind Words from the March 2011 Friend Magazine and Speaking Kind Words from the January 1997 Friend Magazine. We then came up with possible scenarios that we could choose nice, kind words in, rather than unkind and mean ones.

I'd like to say our Family Home Evening lesson sunk in immediately and we've heard no unkind words since. Unfortunately, that isn't the case... but as Mike and I often say, "Hopefully one day, some of these things will sink in."

And so we keep on trying.

Mike, Tiffany and a "Hollywood" Debut

I recently recalled an assignment I had in a Minority Relations class at the University of Utah, almost 20 years ago. We had to list all of the "hats" we wear. College student, bus-rider, employee, sister, daughter, etc. are a few that I remember listing at the time. Our assignment was then to expound on what situations we found ourselves a minority in.

I think the reason I thought about the assignment was because while getting ready to leave the house yesterday morning, I laughed when I thought about where I was going...

To film a commercial for Caterpillar machines for Wheeler Machinery.

The hat I wore today was as an owner of a landscape construction company, and I had to give my two cents about why I love their machinery??

Back to why I remembered my college assignment....I'm quite certain that among my peers, I am a minority in some of the hats I wear...dealing with a dying goat one day, filming a Caterpillar commercial a couple days later.

The night before my filming debut, I texted a dear friend to tell her I could no longer keep an appointment. Her reply was a compliment, "Now you can add movie star to the list of amazing things you already do." It meant a lot, and I was quite flattered by her comment.

The same night, I emailed my BFF the dilemma I was facing. I asked sincerely, "So, what exactly should I wear for a Caterpillar machinery commercial tomorrow? Yes. That is my dilemma for the evening."
Her reply?
"HA HA HA HA HA!!!"

So much for the boost of confidence from HER.

Back to the commercial filming. (And no, you won't be seeing the commercial during any prime time television. It will be used primarily for Wheeler Machinery's own marketing efforts.) While waiting for the film crew to arrive, Mike walked around the job site doing what he does. I felt a little out of place. OK, kind of a lot out of place. I mean, what was I supposed to do? Start laying sod? Climb in a piece of equipment? Shake people's hands? I couldn't figure out what to do to look official. So instead I sat inconspicuously at a nearby abandoned picnic table and sent photos of myself in a hard hat and safety vest to Megan and my BFF.

The crew arrived at the most inconvenient time--just as I was calling the school to excuse Luke's absence because I left him at home providing daycare for Drew. Not that I'm embarrassed to be a mother, but I didn't want my first impression to be on the phone taking care of "mom business." I'm sure Mike gave it all away when he sarcastically said, "Oh! Important customer call?" as I approached to shake everyone's hands.

So... I'm not exactly the most "hands on" business owner, and Mike scripted me on the drive there as to why exactly I love Wheeler Machinery and Caterpillar products.

I was kind of a fake.
Well, not a business owner fake, but a lover of machinery fake.

Fortunately the recording was not live, and they told me several times they can edit the interview quite "flawlessly" to make it flow well in the final product. Which is a good thing, because there may or may not have been a few questions that I either laughed at or answered with something resembling, "Uh. I don't know anything about that."

Mike on the other hand was a natural.
A NATURAL!
Helps that he KNEW what he was talking about, but still between the interview part and the still photo shoot part, he was asked more than once if he had interview/modeling experience.
H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S.

Mike wanted to die when they asked him to put his foot up on the equipment and "pose."

I'm sure my hysterical laughing in the background had something to do with Mike ending up with a few bouts of the giggles himself too.

  (photo courtesy of Tom Zdunich of LENZ works)

 (photo courtesy of Tom Zdunich of LENZ works)

Then when I was asked to put on my hard hat and the photographer suddenly started snapping away at me, I really couldn't stop laughing.
Seriously?
Since when does my life include photo shoots wearing a hard hat? Or for that matter any photo shoot?!

I may be the owner of Sinc Constructors Co. on paper, but 99% credit goes to Mike who manages day-to-day operations. He's worked hard to build this company. Considering he started the company in bed while on bed rest, with instructions to lift nothing heavier than 10lbs for 6 months following his back surgery, he's come along way.

(These were not "set-up" scenes. Our workers continued to work hard on the job, while the film crews did their job too.)

I should take credit for playing a supportive (and important decision making) role.
We make a good team.

 (photo courtesy of Tom Zdunich of LENZ works)

 (photo courtesy of Tom Zdunich of LENZ works)

All in all, the day ended up being a definite highlight for Mike and me. The people we spent hours with were fabulous! I wish I'd have done the interview part later in the day when I felt much more comfortable with everyone. I loved them all! If Mike and I didn't have our own company to run, I'd definitely want to be an employee of Wheeler. But as neither of us are in the market for a new job right now, we'll stick with being their customer instead. What a company! (And no, that wasn't part of my script. I discovered that all on my own after a great day with some top notch people out there in the business world.) I'm also not much in the market for a video made about myself, but if I were, or ever am...I'll be using the same recording crew at LENZ works. Great day!

So thinking again to my old college assignment...Here's the hat I wore today.
No pun intended.

 (photo courtesy of Tom Zdunich of LENZ works)