Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Grant Progress

Good news today- I finally started making significant progress on the grant that is due next weeek. I've been struggling with it for ages, but the lightbulb moment came this afternoon and is started to get easier and I got a lot done. Ah- you should see me typing right now- I destressed a litte earlier by painting my nails. They are almost totally dry, but I'm concerned about chipping, so I'm doing this very strange fingertip only typing on my laptop, which although only a little slow- is causing some serious typos. Anyways, just felt obligated to share.

What else is going on? Not a whole lot. I've been working at a superslow pace this week, not entirely sure why, but there are a million things that I need to get to including work on date auction and anniv. event. The Sharks are holding a check presentation ceremony for us on March 7, so I'm pretty excited to find out what the auction total is. I hope I can stay for the game as well.

I was feeling sad this afternoon. I received an appeal letter from Goodwill asking for a donation and I wanted so much to send them a check, but the reality is that I can't afford it right now. That got me thinking about how much I wished I had money- I would do so much good with it. I've never been obsessed with material things. Of course, I like a nice lifestyle, a nice car, money to go out and do things with, but I don't need much- I've never needed fancy things. If I was able, I would support so many charities and foundations. Particularly the small ones that do a ton of good work and don't get the recognition or the dollars that the larger ones receive. I would support DSS because they are incredibly overburdened, I would help as many families as I could who were facing foreclosure, I would support arts organizations and of course I would help fund Project Smile and help my family. I know daydreaming about money isn't exactly helpful, but it was on my mind this afternoon. It is heartbreaking to see the stories of families who have lost their homes and are living in shelters. It is such a fine line that many people walk between a relatively peaceful life and utter chaos. I drive by a house almost every day of a family that we knew whose home recently went into foreclosure. It is so sad to see people losing what they worked so hard to achieve and lives being uprooted.

Of course, with the constant bad economic news, I worry about Project Smile and where our funds are coming from for the rest of the year. We already had one event that performed significantly less than expected, so is that foreshadowing the next two big ones in the fall? I don't know, but my instinct is that those events will be fine. The truth is that they have to be fine- no matter what, I need to find a way to make those events as successful, if not more, than they were last year. As bad as things are, there is still money out there. The world hasn't stopped. I just watched somone spend $2,000 on an AHL Sharks jersey a few days ago.

Anyways, I think that's it for tonight. I am going to logg onto my Twitter account. I have trouble accessing it through Firefox- the browser that I run my desktop on, so I'm logging in through netscape, then changing the settings so I can "tweet" from my cell. I put a Twitter link on our homepage, so it looks pretty sloppy not to update it frequently. I'm not a big fan of Twitter yet, but maybe that's because I haven't used it enough yet.

Well, I'm off to go and find a grapefruit- I think there is one left in the fridge. Then to write my super long list for tomorrow. I was going to read some more, but I don't think I can concentrate- I just started a new book- a true story about an African boy soldier. Until tomorrow friends..

Monday, February 23, 2009

Remembering and Breathing

So what's with the blog title? Well, I've been thinking about how important it is to pay attention to all the good moments and really let them sink in. It is so easy to get caught up in the moment and forget to really pay attention, to step back a second a take it all in. Saturday night was the Sharks game and jersey auction for Project Smile. The game was awesome- I had second row seats (makes all the difference). The Sharks held a silent auction during the game for their jerseys and they held a live auction after the game for a number of special jerseys- the players came out modeling the jerseys- it was really fun to watch. Before the auction started, I decided to go and check on our table that we had on the concourse level, I probably shouldn't have done that because as I was heading back, I could hear the announcer talking about Project Smile- I started to run, but as I hurried back I made sure to listen- to really hear what the announcer was saying. It isn't often that I hear others talking about Project Smile and this was the first time I heard it come from the ice at the DCU Center. I hadn't planned on speaking, but hurried over and said a couple of words. I was out of breath and felt like I could barely speak- it wasn't from running, but sometimes I think I forget how to breathe. I get a rush of energy and nerves and it is hard to catch my breath. As the auction was going on, I made sure to watch and take it all in- so I could remember it. I've been working on that since last year. I'll always wish that I did that more at the Celtics night- that was the most special night of my life and I will always remember it. I still can't watch a Celtics game without thinking that I actually got to stand on that floor and have that incredible experience. I never talk about it, but I cherish that memory. It was also a blur- all I really remember was looking out all the people and hearing the announcer talk about Project Smile and not really feeling like it was real. I remember smiling and waving, I remember how bright everything looked, but I wish I took more of it in- slowed myself down a little. So now I try to do that with all of the special things that happen- both with Project Smile and personally.

I made a promise to myself on Saturday morning- it's a personal promise, so I can't explain it here, but I mention it because I'm working on making some changes and part of that includes always remembering to be true to oneself. I made a few mistakes these last couple of months and part of that came because I didn't listen to myself. I had always listened to my instinct when it came to Project Smile, so I don't know what caused that to change, but I'm making sure that it won't happen again.

Well, I should get going- I have a ton of work to do tomorrow. I didn't get a lot done today, I was struggling with the grant that I'm working on and I wasn't feeling so good. I'm feeling much better tonight, but it is probably best to go eat my grapefuit, write my long list and then go to bed early- it's midnite. I don't know why I'm struggling with this grant so much, it's not even that difficult. I think I should stop trying to work on it in the morning when my brain isn't fully functioning and do easier things instead. I also have to get working on the date auction and anniversary events. March is almost here and I need to pick up the pace.
Anyways, that's it for tonight..

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Frustrations

Today was a somewhat frustrating day- it wasn't any particularly thing, but a bunch of small things that added up. I found out that the local bank that we do our business banking with is merging with another bank- I already knew that, but what I didn't know was that my bank will basically cease to exist. I thought it was the other way around. I'm so disappointed- that bank was the first bank to support us financially and has been consistently supportive. They have sponsored our calendar, sponsored events, awarded grants- it has been great. The daughter of the bank president started a Weston Chapter when she was in high school. I'm really sad to see this change. I'm hoping that the new bank will be supportive as well and carry on the tradition.

I also received an email from a group that I invited to do a charity appearance at our date auction. They made an appearance at our date auction 2 years ago and did a great job. They weren't able to participate last year because they limit an organization to one charity appearance every 2 years. I thought we had a good chance this year, but I got the email saying that because of all the requests they get, they won't be able to make an appearance. I was so disappointed- they would really add to our event and help push tix sales. I emailed the coordinator back and asked her if there was any chance of reconsidering. I explained to her how our grant funding has dramatically declined and this event takes on even greater importance, particularly since we expanded to work with foster care children. I haven't heard back yet, but I'm hoping a little angel is sitting on my shoulder and we will get some good news. I know it is unlikely, but I'm still hoping. At least I didn't get an immediate "no."

There is also another work related issue that I find intensely annoying. I don't want to go into the details, it's not really worth repeating anyways. But it put me into a lousy mood late this afternoon. I'm glad that I went out and had a good time, because it helped put things in perspective. I just have to let it go and move on. No good comes from staying annoyed. Honestly though, sometimes people's behavior amazes me. I know as one gets older, they usually become less amazed at others actions, but I still get amazed on occasion. In this situation, it's not amazement in the good sense. But, it is best not to go into it, so I will swallow the remaining anger that I feel and move on to bigger and brighter things.

There wasn't much else to report today- I didn't get through to many people. I wrote our February newsletter, did organize some papers and put the files away on Sugar and Spice and our Flirt Fest auction. I updated our financials and that was about it. I did start a Project Smile page on Facebook which is different from our Project Smile group. I can ask Facebook to merge the group into the page, but I'm not sure yet if that is the best thing. I'm probably forgetting other things that happened today. I still feel really off track with my schedule- I need to get back to focusing on the usual things that I do this time of year- contact departments, grants, work on our 2 events. I feel like I've been really distracted with other things.

Anyways, that's it for tonight. I'm looking forward to the Sharks event on Saturday- I hope the jersey auction goes well. I've sent it out to everyone I can think of. I found out that the seats that I saved for myself and family are actually in the 2nd row! I just pulled them out and barely even looked at them, I had no idea that they were the 2nd row seats. I was just trying to sit near the seats that I gave to some of my friends- I'm not even sure if I'm stil near them because I can't remember which tix they have. They are all good seats, but I'm pretty excited to be in the second row. I absolutely love going to hockey games. Someday, I want to get season tix to hockey and the PawSox.

Well, I'm starting to ramble, so that's a sign I need to go to bed. Until tomorrow..

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Inspired

Well, I should be in bed, it is 12:30, but I wanted to write briefly. So, I saw Dirty Dancing the show tonight and it was so fantastic- I absolutely loved it. I hardly ever go to see shows, so this was a major treat and it was wonderful. I know that my Dirty Dancing thoughts have nothing to do with Project Smile, but seeing the show has inspired me to make some changes in life and work. I always find inspiration from odd sources, but there is something about seeing a beautiful production in front of you and watching performers at the top of their game that inspires the viewer to be the best that they can be at whatever it is they want to do. So tomorrow, after I get back on my run to Worcester, I am going to sit down at my desk and focus on changing a few things. I want to improve how I communicate on certain things and there are other things I want to work on too.

Seeing the show tonight reminded me of how important it is to take advantage of every opportunity and not let moments slip away or make poor decisions. It is frightening sometimes how quickly time passes by. I have so much that I want to do, both personally and professionally and I don't want my time to slip away. I never think of Project Smile in terms of what we have accomplished, to me that is almost meaningless- what drives me is the vision of where we are going. It's not that I'm obsessed with a time line or a list of goals that I have to check off- it's about taking advantage of the few precious years that we have on this planet and making something of them and becoming the best person that I can. I know that I an nowhere near the best that I can be- I have so much more to learn, more to grow and more to achieve. I have grown a lot in the last couple of years and I am really happy with the steps that I have taken both personally and professionally. I consider myself lucky in many ways- to have a family I adore, great friends that I spend time with, a job that I love and the simple fact of being healthy and able bodied. So I want to take all the good things and keep building a life that will be truly fulfilling.

Anyways, that's enough for tonight. I'm tired and need sleep.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Updates

It has been a few days and there is much to update on. Big things first- Sugar and Spice went well- I am very relieved. The place looked beautiful- the Hard Rock is a wonderful venue, all the participants showed up and did a great job. Our Berklee musicians were great, the DJ was awesome- he was actually one of the best DJ's I've ever heard. The body painter did a great job and the tacky pick up lines and best lips contest were successful. The food was really good too. I have never been to a mashed potato bar before- I don't even like mashed potatoes that much, but these were delicious. Our volunteers did a good job- we recruited from the Single Volunteers of Boston and my sister's friends came to help as well. Jill, one of Cordelia's friends was our Valentines Vixen- she wore big red wings and her job was to sell raffle tix. She did a great job- the raffle raised almost $500. People looked like they were having a really good time. It was an event that I would have enjoyed attending even if I wasn't involved in. The event planner waived her fee as well which I really appreciate. It was a really nice gesture. She also donated two purses for the silent auction and helped chauffeur the band members to and from Berklee.

This is an event that has a lot of growth potential and could definitely be bigger. I don't know yet if I want to do the same type of thing next year, although I would love to have an event at the Hard Rock again. This event was a small fundraiser, so there is definitely a lot of room for growth in that department and we can also increase the attendance number.

I've learned a lot lately. I feel like I've made some mistakes these past few months and I have reinforced the importance of listening to one's instinct. I've been in new situations, so it is understandable that there is a learning curve and things don't necessarily go as smoothly as one wants them to. I'm learning ways to communicate better. I'm also learning how I can do certain things better- particularly the small tricks that boost fundraisers and ways to increase our mailing list. I have learned everything on the job with Project Smile- I didn't go to school for any of this, I didn't have prior business experience, I had no contacts and no network. The reason that we are here today is because I listened to the good advice that I have received along the way, I've paid attention to details and I have worked really hard to do things the best that I could possibly could at that time. As I learn more, as I get more experience, things keep improving. The funny thing is that I have also learned that just because someone is an expert in their field doesn't mean that they have all the answers and one needs to figure out what advice should be followed and what advice should be ignored. I guess it goes back to listening to your instinct.

Anyways, I'm glad this event went well and I'm glad it is over. I have been really stressed about it, so it is a relief to know that things are fine and that people enjoyed it. I am still waiting for a sponsor check, so hopefully that will come in soon and we can put everything to rest.

On Valentines night, I did a silent auction at Flirt Fest which went well. We raised $500. I know that isn't a lot of money, but considering it was only a few hours work, I wasn't carrying any overhead beyond the sports items I bought and I didn't have to market anything- it worked out great. I would love to do more auctions like that. I really appreciate that Jeff- who runs Boston Event Guide (the company that we market some of our events with) offered me the opportunity. He also helped get two gift certificates donated for the auction, both of which did really well. I also finally sold a framed photograph that had cycled through two other silent auctions without selling.

Well, that's it for tonight. This week, I'm going to keep working on getting people to the Sharks game on Saturday night and get back to work on grants and contacting more departments and working on our date auction and anniversary celebration. I was going to go eat some grapefruit, but my stomach is feeling a little off, so perhaps that's not the best idea. I am so excited for tomorrow, I'm going to see Dirty Dancing with my sis! Cordelia got me tix for Christmas- such a cool gift. Until tomorrow friends..

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The Night Before

Well, here we are- back in a familiar position- the night before a big event. Things are different with this event, I'm not used to having so little to think about. I usually have everything done by the night before, but I'm always running through things in my head, writing my lists for the event and making sure that all the details are accounted for. The event planner is handling all those logistics. She told me this afternoon not to worry about those details because she was handling it all. I wasn't trying to bug her or anything- I'm just not used to not having to think of everything. I've got my box of items packed for tomorrow, my dress ready to go, I have to pick up a last minute auction item in the morning and get money for our bank and that's it. It should feel great not to have a lot to think about tonight and on a certain level it does, but I'm worrying and I feel like I can't relax. I was home at 8:30 and I could have done some more work- I did do a little, or finished my book or watched the movie that just came from Netflix, but instead I wasted time thinking about things for tomorrow that I don't have any control over. These events are so important I can't even begin to explain. The money is the most important of course, but beyond that there is Project Smile's reputation, the exposure that a good event generates, my reputation- there is a lot of pressure to keep our succes going and to make it bigger each time.

Anyways, the interview on WXLO went well. Mark does a great job with his interviews, I always like going there and talking about the latest. I like talking about Project Smile anyways, I could do that for hours. I really need to do more public speaking- it is so important to get out in front of groups of people and spread the word about Project Smile.

I think that's it for tonight. I'm going to take my anxious self and go to bed. Usually blogging helps me relax, but it isn't really helping tonight. So the next best thing is probably to go eat my grapefruit and go to bed early. My 3 sibs are coming to my event tomorrow night- I think that's the first event that they have all come to. Cordelia always comes, but Vince and Eve have been too young for others and with their school/work schedules there have been conflicts. But they will all be there tomorrow. Cordelia has two friends coming to help as well which is great. They helped at the date auction last year and did a great job.

Wish me luck for tomorrow night please- specifically wish for lots of people, many dollars reaised, everyone showing up and doing a great job and a lots of happy guests!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Outreach

So what's the latest? Not much new to report. I spent a lot of time on outreach for our Worcester Sharks event on February 21. The Sharks will be auctioning off their All Star game worn jerseys with a live and silent auction for Project Smile during their Saturday, 2/21 game. We are also selling tickets to the game through a special link that the Sharks set up for us. I have a limited number of free tickets to the game which are primarily for people who are planning on bidding on the jerseys. The free tickets also include entrance to the Shark Tank which is the pre-game party room at the DCU Center. So it is a really cool event and I need to get people to show up. I've posted it on a bunch of sites that list Worcester events, it is on our Facebook page, our website, an email invitation went out this morning to our list and I have emailed a ton of contacts with a personal invitation. I also sent out press releases, I have more to send out tomorrow. The response is a little slow, but I think it will definitely pick up.

I didn't get to work on any grants today and I probably won't get to them tomorrow either because I'm on the road for a good portion of the afternoon. I have to be in Worcester at 12pm to record a radio show that airs Sunday morning- more Sharks promo, then I'm in Braintree at 2pm to pick up our sports silent auction items, then stopping in Wrentham on the way back to pick up the Best Lips prize. I also have other small things to get together for Thursday and I have to do our bid sheets for our silent auction on Saturday night at Flirt Fest.

It gets so frustrating when you have so many things to do and don't get to half of them. I was tired this morning and it took me a while to get started, but then things just took a while to get done. I found another venue to help promote our blog- it is on the Downtown Womens Club networking website that I'm a member of. Hopefully, they will include our blog on their list of members blogs. I was at the Providence Chapter's monthly networking night tonight- it is a really interesting group of women and I've made some great connections. I didn't feel quite as on my game tonight when I spoke, I think I was tired. I was working late on things and rushed to eat before I left, rushed out the door and arrived a little late, that contributed to making me feel a little off my mark. Even though I wasn't at my best, it was still good to attend- it is important to show and participate regularly. I enjoy going anyways.

I can't remember what else is new. I'm going to go and eat some grapefruit. I'm feeling so hungry and actually craving crackers/cheese, but grapefruit is a better alternative. They really don't go with each other, so I can't have both. If only cheese was a health food- I would be by far the healthiest chickie. I'm really looking forward to the valentines event happening so I can stop worrying about it and focus on everything else. The Yelp newsletter came out today with our event as the sponsored item- it looks awesome. We also were included in Going.Com's email blast of Boston Valentines events. I think things will work out fine for Thursday, but I am so anxious. There is a lot riding on this and I need everything to be OK in order to keep things chugging steadily along.

Well, I need to stop thinking and go to bed. My little brain feels like it's in overdrive- besides, grapefruit is calling my name....

Monday, February 9, 2009

Salvaged Day

Well, today was salvaged. It started out pretty badly this morning- actually it started badly last night and continued this morning. I don't know remember what set things off last night- but I went to bed worrying about things- mostly financial and also about Project Smile growth, then I had trouble sleeping which hardly ever happens. This morning, things were still off track and I started work feeling anxious. Then our volunteer came and was working on tallying our revenue/expenses for last year- she did the numbers and they came out that we finished last year losing approx. $5,000. Now, when you're already upset about things, hearing that you took in 5k less than you raised is pretty sucky news. Obviously, we are a non profit and our mission isn't about showing how much money we can bring in, but money management 101 dictates that one needs to bring in more than they expend. It's a simple concept and when you don't get there it is a failure. The idea that we could lose money hurt- it physically hurt to think that I didn't manage things well enough. Anyways, for some reason I decided to recount the expenses, but I didn't recount the revenue. The expenses came out the same. At the back of my mind, I knew something wasn't adding up- I knew we ended the year with more money in the bank than we started with in January 2008- so it didn't seem right that we lost 5k along the way. Finally, I recounted the revenue and this time it was a different story- we brought in $6k more than we spent. It's not a huge margin, but things were the way they should be. Immediately, I felt better- a lot better. Focusing on the positive aspect of our finances made me relax. I hardly ever think about the positive things in terms of our financial situation.

Anyways, what else is new? Well, our valentines event is Thursday. I am really nervous for it. It is a terrific event- I'm just worried about getting enough people there. I was getting those nervous stomach knots this afternoon when I was thinking about it. I haven't had that feeling since before our date auction. I know the date auction turned out great and all the worry was for nothing, but this is a new event and things are different.

In other news, our date auction has a host. One of the ladies who hosted last year is back on board. I will need to find another cohost to share the duties. The other host isn't able to participate this time. I'm happy that Kim is back- she did a great job. I need to get moving on finding sponsors for the event. Hello Stiletto Shoe Club is going to support the event again as well which is good news. Hopefully, we will be able to offer the shoes again with each bachelor. That was such an awesome feature of last year's event.

I think part of the thing that is bothering me is that I feel like I'm not spending enough time on grant work and reaching a lot of new departments. I've been preoccupied with thinking about the Valentines event this week and I also have our event with the Sharks that I'm promoting. I just need to be smarter with my time management and not get bogged down working on one or two things. I posted the Sharks event on a bunch of Worcester websites, so that should help spread the word. Tomorrow, I'm going to contact the radio and papers and keep reaching out to my contacts to get people to the game. It will be a really fun night. I don't have any appointments tomorrow, so I'm going to spend a lot of time on grant work and reaching new departments.

Well friends, that's it for tonight. This is an early blog- it's almost midnite. I even finished eating my grapefruit already! I'm holding off the urge to go and eat crackers and cheese. I am addicted to Trader Joe's crackers- they have so many delicious ones! I shouldn't get started writing about food- once I start rambling on that topic, I can't stop. I haven't exercised these last few days either and that doesn't help- I feel so much better when I exercise every morning, it really puts me in a good mood and helps me focus in the morning. Tomorrow, I will be sure to blast and burn with Jillian Michaels.
Until tomorrow...

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Sick

I'm a sickie- this is not good. It started yesterday and now I'm starting to feel worse. It's one of those annoying times when you feel sick, but not sick enough to justify lying in bed and doing nothing, but too lousy to concentrate and accomplish any work. I was sitting in front of the computer today trying to work on a grant, but couldn't focus and didn't get anything written. I was doing a bit of work on the date auction yesterday. I need to get a sponsorship package together and get cracking on obtaining sponsors. I know it is hard, but this is an awesome event and we will find financial sponsors. I also need to start working on our anniversary sponsors.

I had an almost mini meltdown this afternoon which was spawned partly because I was feeling crappy and then also because I felt like I'm bleeding money. I just got a bill in for PS work that I didn't expect. There is a lot of money going out or will be going out shortly and right now, we have very little coming in. We just got the Foundation grant that keeps things on the level for right now, but I am worried. The good news is that we have the Worcester Sharks game and auction coming up on Feb. 21, and the silent auction at Flirt Fest which both are not incurring any expenses. Of course, there is the valentines event next Thursday which is a cool, fun event. It's the type of event that I would want to go to if I saw it. I'm just worried about getting enough people there. It got even better with the addition of the salsa band. I don't know what else I can do to ensure a successful event. I'm trying to relax about it, but it is really hard to do.

I feel like I've made some mistakes in the last couple of months. I don't want to go into the details of it, but I'm going to learn from it and handle things better in the future. They aren't disaster causing mistakes, things will be fine- but it is definitely a learning experience. I also feel like things haven't started off this year the way I want them to, so I'm going to make a major effort to get things back on track. These are also really difficult times for a lot of people, so I know I can't get too upset about things. I have a job, a job that I love at that and I don't have to worry about getting laid off. We also have enough money to keep things running and all our bills paid on time, so considering the way things are with the economy, that is something to be happy about.

Well, my ears are hurting and I feel yucky- I'm going to go eat some grapefruit. I hope I don't get any sicker, I have so much to do. Until tomorrow friends..

Monday, February 2, 2009

Time

Well, this is my first day of work as a 29 year old. How was it? Earth shattering, incredible, light bulbs have gone on that I never knew existed, I plowed through work with a superhuman force. OK, I exaggerate. It didn't feel any different than my last day of 28-ness. My birthday was yesterday- I had such a great weekend. Before I go on, I just want to say how wonderful it is to have friends. I know that's a pretty obvious statement, but I am so grateful for the great friends that I have. They add so much to my life and it makes me so happy to hang out with them.

Good news today- we have a salsa band coming to perform at our Valentines event. It is really exciting because the lead musician, the sax player is a musical prodigy. He is incredibly talented, has performed at Carnegie Hall, received a lot of recognition and currently has a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music. The coolest thing is that he is only 18 years old! He responded to a posting I had on the Berklee website looking for a salsa band to perform at our event. He is bringing other musicians with him. They can also play other mainstream music too. I am really happy because that adds a lot to our event. We already have a great DJ who is going to help host as well and now that we have a live band- that is terrific. Live music is a wonderful addition to any event.

There is so much else going on, but I can't remember. I don't know why I'm so tired, but it just hit in the last few minutes. I need to start working on getting sponsors for our date auction and anniversary celebration. I got an email this morning from a woman who wants to sign up to be auctioned off, which is pretty cool. I didn't get to email her back today, it was such a busy day, but I will email her in the morning. I was working on more Sugar/Spice promo stuff- Going.Com is going to help promote it as well. I'm still worried about tix sales, but I think it will pick up soon, especially with the live music now too.

Last night, I had trouble falling asleep and I was thinking about time. I think that the amount of time required to achieve success is something that is vastly under-discussed. We live in an age of instant results and instant gratification. We can get things quicker now than ever before and I think that because of that and because talking about how long it takes to achieve success isn't exactly a sexy topic- people underestimate the amount of time required to build a successful business or achieve recognition in a field. I've never thought that I was special, that I had some incredible skill that enables me to grow Project Smile, but I do have the time and the patience that is required. I never expected overnight results and I never got them. Progress is small, but it is the small progress that adds up to major progress. I can have days go by where I don't see any progress at all, but although it can be frustrating at times, I have always accepted it as part of the job.

I have a lot more to say about time- it is a really interesting topic. But I am so tired, I'm having trouble thinking and my eyes are hurting. It's only midnite, so I don't know why I feel like this. Maybe it's because I'm 29!! Anyways friends, that's it for tonight- good night.