And then some. . .

I was challenged at church today. Our pastor spoke about how to do well at your job and enjoy it at the same time. Along the way (I say "along the way" because I really don't remember the context!) he said that three words make the difference between just getting  by with our work and really knocking it out of the park: And then some. 

Most workers do what it takes. Excellent workers do what it takes, and then some. Sometimes we do the minimum. What if we did the minimum and then some? He challenged us to think about our town (which presently suffers from a collective self-esteem problem) and what would happen if everyone decided to do what was required and then some. It's a cool vision. 

I'm going to try to keep this rolling around in my head for a few days. It would do me good (and maybe some others) if I would do what was right and then some. 

Yeah, well, I've got a wish. . .

We celebrated Ann's 12th birthday this evening with friends, presents, and cake. At a lull in the action, I posed a question, "Got any birthday wishes? Any wishes for your twelfth year?"

Check out the video (low bandwidth folks read below):



Anna says she has no wishes. Well, I have a wish for her: My dear, never grow older than twelve.

Ladderball

We tried out a new game during our recent staff day at the lake: Ladderball. You may know it as Hillbilly Golf or an even less flattering moniker. Since it was pretty fun and I'd found a bag of old golf balls left by the previous owners of our house, I thought it would be fun to make one today. A quick trip to Lowes, just under $20, two hours of time and we're playing ladderball in our front yard. So far I'm the reigning champion. That is, if you don't count Ann or the dynamic duo of Alia and Abigail, who have all beaten me!

Here's the photographic evidence:

Queen of Jumping

Once a year our pastor opens his lake cottage to the staff for a big time party day. God smiled on the event with gorgeous weather. The water was fine, the fellowship warm, and the enjoyment the kids had was worth the price of admission.

Abigail, who's six, demonstrated admirable bravery and jumped off the top level of the dock. The twelve foot plunge was scarier for me than I like to admit the first time we went off the edge hand in hand. After a few duo drops, she continued on her own. If you've got the bandwidth, enjoy these two videos.



"I am the queen of jumping," Abigail says just before she takes the plunge.



Solo jump as seen from the lower deck.