My first Zendala Tile

“I think I may be getting a wrinkle.” my grandson, Jack, on his 11th birthday when asked if he felt older

Most of my week was taken up with meetings and travel.  While most people would find this a drag, there are some benefits too.  Air travel  offers opportunities to catch up on reading and long meetings allow me to tangle a little here and there.  I usually read from my Kindle, but this time decided to catch up on some work related reading.  Bonus points when my boss asked who had read the latest issue of 360 and I was one of only a handful to raise my hand.  This was one of three team meetings held each year.  These are always packed with training and updates, but for me the real value is connecting with my peers.  I am the only employee for my company in the state of Louisiana, so for the most part I am the lone ranger.  It was great to catch up with everyone, share ideas and problems, and just have some fun at a funky bowling alley in downtown Houston.  We also celebrated our company’s 100th birthday at this meeting with champagne, cake and an inspiring video you can see here.  Happy 100th Birthday, Steelcase!

Early dismissal from the meeting for me since a team-mate and I had a very important work event in Baton Rouge on Thursday evening.  We co-sponsored a table at the gala to raise money for OLOL Foundation and their Children’s Hospital.  The OLOL Foundation does some great work in our community and it was a pleasure to sponsor such a worthy cause.  We had just enough time to fluff up the hair, fix our makeup, don our ball gowns (tux for the hubby) and get to the party.  We were beginning to sense a theme as we tip-tapped in high heels and evening dresses past the bowling tournament being held in the same complex as our event.  A delicious meal by Chef John Folse and fabulous concert by FOREIGNER made for a great Thursday night.

We were awakened by the phone ringing on Friday morning.  Our oldest daughter was calling to tell me that Jack was dressed and waiting for his birthday phone call.  Years ago, I started singing a truly horrible song to my girls on their birthdays to wake them up.  My singing voice is bad, but I do my best to rise to obnoxious for this song.  It has become a tradition they treasure, waiting  for the call now that they don’t live at home.  My grandchildren have joined the birthday song club.  So we hang up and I call back, asking for Jack.  After I sing his song and he quits giggling, I asked if he felt any older.  He gravely replied “I think I may be getting a wrinkle.”  Happy Birthday, to my favorite Buddy!