Thanks for your patience in my getting our page updated. I never imagined how much turmoil a graduating daughter could bring upon one household. Life has been a veritable whirlwind for the past two months. Sarah graduated May 26 with honors. She will be attending Arizona State University in the fall majoring in business management. At present, she is in London with my mother - her graduation gift from my parents. Michael is working two jobs this summer and getting ready for his junior year. Larry and I just celebrated our 20th anniversary and are heading to Fiji for a second honeymoon.

If you remember, I sent an email asking for your passion. I shared my passion as being my faith and teaching. This year, especially, both have been tested. And yet, they are still my passion. I learn something new every day in God's Word and from my students. I know it's the teacher's job to teach, not learn; and yet I find myself learning from my students just as they learn from me. I had the privilege this year to have nine international students (3 from Korea, 2 from India, 1 from Ukraine, 1 from Argentina, 1 from Guatemala, and 1 from Poland) and was reminded daily of the benefits we have, and many times take advantage of. (Daniel and David, the boys from India, had never worn shoes before coming to America.) Things we take for granted were sources of amazement to them. Watching the proverbial light come on during class sparked my determination and passion to be a better teacher, and yes, a better person.

I hope each of you are able to find a passion and pursue it. Please keep your information coming. Summer vacation plans, pictures, and everything else is welcome. My challenge to you is to contact a Sundance Kid you haven't spoken to in at least 5 years.

Passion     The word itself conveys myriad images - love, diligent work, and hot fudge sundaes. Webster's defines passion as

We have a new addition - He's 8 weeks old and we adopted him at the Petting Zoo at the Ritz on Easter Sunday Brunch - Totally unplanned - My almost 5 yr old daughter Lauren named him Cookie - He's giving us a lot of joy ;) What drives me these days are life with my daughter - watching / helping her grow, building a happy/healthy marriage, in essence. nurturing meaningful relationships with my family & friends - Also derive pleasure from working out and taking care of my physical self as well as growing my PR business, helping small / medium sized companies grow.

My passion is my life with Jon - currently with our cats and garden :)

What gives me passion? Besides a bag of chocolates?
Some people think passion for life can only come from success and pleasure experienced on a grand scale. My passion for living is revealed in small moments: watching my children being kind to others and choosing to do the right thing; climbing a mountain, watching the sun rise over the hill and finally appreciating all of spring's glory, late as it is in Colorado, wrapped in flowers and sunshine; running a 10k and scuba diving for the first time; feeling the music when I sing; helping someone to heal themselves and having faith that God is with us in the process; unexpected kind words from a stranger or a friend; holding hands with somebody you love. I could go on...Happiness and passion are not marked at the end of life, but in the smaller moments along the way.

What a fun question -- there are lots of things I lack in my life these days (sleep is at the top of the list!!) but passion is actually the one thing I work really hard to hold on to. Fortunately I get to balance between both paid work and motherhood so I have a lot to feed that.

This is an especially relevant question workwise: my enthusiasm ebbs and flows, but whenever I feel the passion start to drain and resignation seep in, I tap back into what it is I really love and redesign what I do. Two years ago I started a mini-company within my company and that was really fun -- until the politics started getting the best of it. Now rather than accept it and just tune-out, I'm making plans to start two companies of my very own -- and that's going to be really fun!!

And because I'm not home all day long, I really appreciate the moments I have with the kids. Of course parenthood is tough (and there are many moments where I turn into a witch) but I'm really aware this is such a short window in my total life and I really want to drink in as much as possible. I wish I had time to do even more -- so many things I get excited about. I hope someday to write a book/build a community around what it feels like to be a Breadwinner Mom. And I want to start a charity that supports and encourages families to volunteer together. And I want to plan a neighborhood square dance (doesn't that sound like a blast). I want to be able to travel more with my kids. And play tennis more with my husband. Hopefully I have a nice long time to fit it all in!

Don't feel the need to publish this long diatribe. The short version of your question is tuning into what I really love doing and being incredibly grateful for all I have in my life, no matter how crazy it gets sometimes!