Obviously, I am not yet a frequent blogger. My home has been a hotel for a business associate for the last week. Evenings were usually full of planning, work, alcohol, very late nights, and no blogging. Just fat growing and stress. I did have a really fun weekend with Eddie, though. For those of you who don't know, Eddie is my dog. We went for walks, relaxed around the house, ran errands, and slept. Today, Eddie tried to lie down several times during our walk in the 97 degree heat...he's a little furry guy, and I suppose it was too much. So, this afternoon, I used some clippers and shaved him down and gave him a bath! I didn't take it too short and he's much happier now. After the cleaning and grooming, I clipped his toenails. He got the royal treatment! I don't have a good picture of him to post. Later today, I helped mow the lawn at my parent's place. Dad's recovering nicely from his cataract surgeries, but not up for mowing lawns.

So, I went over and did yard work all day. Mom is busy getting ready for a big adventure tomorrow. She, 's two kids (Emily and Brandon) are driving from Austin to Priest River, Idaho where the family ranch is. They will be gone for 3 weeks or more, I imagine.... seeing all the sites and relatives they can along the way. Once to the farm, they'll fish and ride and hang out and have a blast. Wish I could go.





Here are pictures of the kids last summer eating berries in Alaska and Amy, sporting a Coach Connect T-shirt.

Tomorrow, I'm off to the Nation's Capital for work. I have a pretty tight schedule, but I'm hoping to do some fun stuff. Wish me luck!

PS...Ann, thanks for pointing
out the correct spelling of Nice.

Tony Robbins

I am sorry about my picture. It, combined with my blog title, may convey a rather Tony Robbins-esque image. I can assure you that I am not a motivational speaker. However, I wouldn't mind owning an island in Fiji as Tony Robbins does...

I do tend to speak a lot, though. Tonight at a family gathering, where all of us tend to be over-speakers, the air was filled with loud words. I loved it. They were wonderful words. But I am going to try to listen, and be quiet, and consider my words, more than I do currently.

Wait a minute, it sounds like I'm making a self-improvement list...rather motivational speaker-esque, no? Sorry.

Tonight was the last night of Uncle Bob and Aunt Anne's visit. Bob and his brilliant wife Anne are in Texas as guests of the Kennedy museum in Dallas, where there is a showing of one of his films of JFK and a speaking engagement. Bob is a world-famous documentary film producer. He has been awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (and others), an Emmy, first prize at Cannes, Nice, Venice, Toronto, and others. He is hailed in college textbooks as the 'father of American Cinema Verite,' which literally means "cinema of truth," and combined motion picture with live sound in a candid scenario for the first time in the 1960'. He is a Harvard Neiman fellow who did not finish high school. He didn't finish high school because he joined the Army Air Corps to fly fighter planes in WWII at the age of 17, was shot down and lived in the mountains of Italy for two months behind enemy lines before escape. He became a Life correspondent and editor prior to making films. http://www.drewassociates.net/index.html

His films broke ground with intimate portraits of world figures such as John Kennedy, Indira Gandhi, and Fidel Castro. His latest film, made at age 80, is about his family's life during WWII. It is called "From Two Men and a War," debuted at Tribecca, and is being hailed around the globe.

I write the paragraph above not to brag about my uncle (well, maybe a little bit), but because I am proud and grateful. The truth is, I am proud and grateful for all of my family members.

Bob and Anne are listeners. They have made a life out of helping other's tell their stories in their own words...not just for the sake of story telling, but for the sake of making a journalistic impact on the way others see the world.

Yet, while Bob and Anne are master listeners, and thoughtful speakers, I will always love the boisterous level of sincere loquaciousness that emanates from my sisters, mother, and myself (note I left my dad out…he has a slightly more calculated, but perfectly warm delivery). We may be trigger-happy talkers, but we rarely leave a topic untouched! Somewhere in-between is probably the best place to be for me, so I will try to get there.