yes, it is birthday time

That time of year has rolled around again. I try not to make too much of the day, it is really just one more to be grateful for waking up in this wonderfully challenging environment.

I won't do a birthday challenge with Facebook. They don't need your data. There are way too many opportunities for them to misuse it.

If you do chose to mark my day with a donation to a worthy cause, I have several suggestions where you can make a donation.

Honor Flight - the group organizes trips to the war memorials in Washington, DC. My brothers and I were fortunate to take Dad there before he passed on and it is a very worthy cause.
https://www.honorflight.org/

Reading is Fundamental - yes, learning is lifelong and reading is one of the keys to that process.
https://secure.rif.org/page/7549/donate/

American Cancer Society - I lost both my parents and a number of other relatives and friends to this disease.  https://www.cancer.org/

Crohn's and Colitis Foundation - coincidentally. Dec 1-7 is awareness week. One of my daughters has Crohn's so this is also a cause close to home.
http://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/

Horace Mann Education Association - a Franklin based org doing wonderful work with those challenged by a disability. My cousin had Down syndrome so this is close to home too.  https://www.hmea.org/

Franklin Food Pantry - and last but not least, if not Franklin, every community should be serviced by a food pantry or food bank to help those challenged by food insecurity.  https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/

Dad recounting a story for Mark, Bob, Mike and I in WDC 2007

raindrops (audio)

reflections in the mixed precipitation on the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor

baseball field at the Parmenter School early this morning in the mixed precipitation

The 60th Birthday Party (Video)

Yes, there was a big surprise and the video does well to capture the fun!



Dolores and Steve 60th Birthday Party from Allison St. Pierre on Vimeo.


thank again to all who participated, it was great fun (and still being talked about!)

When kids don't listen

Several weeks again as Dolores and I were approaching our significant birthdays, we told our daughters we didn't want a party. We had made plans to go away for a weekend to Portland, ME and would schedule a family dinner to celebrate.

Saturday, Nov 23rd turned out to be the date among the various calendar commitments that worked for the six of us to go out to dinner. Carolyn and Dan would be home from Boston. Allison's travel for Assumption would be finished. Brad didn't have a game event to go to. All would work out well.

Saturday arrived, Dolores and I divvied up the chores and then we got to our errands. Dan's parents were going to meet us for a drink and late lunch at British Beer Company. We'd come home and be ready for dinner somewhere local with reservations for 6:30 PM.

The day flew by, the chores were accomplished, the meeting and conversation with Dan's parents went well so we left (just before 5:00 PM) with time to spare to be home and then go to dinner. Why we even had time to add a few steps to the walk across the parking lot to Stop & Shop to get some Molly McButter as that had been on the list for shopping and two stops were unsuccessful. The third time was going to be the charm!

As we walked across the parking lot, Allie texted to let us know that Carolyn and Dan had arrived. Good. I replied back that we were about to stop for the Molly McButter and then be home soon. We did get it, drove home and as I was unloading the other items from our earlier errands, Allie was on the landing waiting for me to get to the stairs. Did we stop and think there might be something up? No. She was greeting us as we came home. She had done so before. However as the door opened, there was a shout of "SURPRISE!" and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!...

Yes, the girls as well behaved and such good upstanding young ladies as they are had not obeyed our instructions. No, not at all. So instead of a quiet dinner for the six of us at a local restaurant, we walked into a host of family and friends, many of whom had traveled some distance to surprise us.

Surprised? Yes, we were. I certainly was. I had no clue.

The party had a fifty's bowling theme to it and was a combination of home goods, crowd sourced and catered food and drink. Plenty to go around for all. we had taught the girls well!

Dan and Cassie at the ice cream soda fountain

One of the better parts of the evening was that there were no gifts to be brought. Instead, we were honored to collect over 100 pounds of food goods and over $150 for the Franklin Food Pantry!

the collection for the food pantry

So when your kids misbehave like this, what would you do?

I had tears in my eyes as I thanked them many times!



Note - there will be additional photos to share. A slideshow was put together of Dolores and I through the years. Many gems to be seen there!

Birthday wish

As I take a few minutes to look back on 2012, my three word goals definitely helped me though the year.

I have learned about dealing with loss (here and here) and have worked through some challenging times with the Food Pantry. I have continued to share here and elsewhere. And laughter has definitely helped to carry me through the day.

So what is my birthday wish?

I don't expect you to follow my three word goals. It would be better for you to determine your own. You will should them. They should matter to you and those who surround you!

If you recall the lessons of Maslow's Hierarchy, food is right there on the bottom of the pyramid. It is a key building block to self actualization. I would like you to contribute in some way to your local food pantry.  Spend some time volunteering, contribute financially, or at least find out about what they are doing, how they are doing, and help to spread the word about their good work.

I support the Franklin Food Pantry because Franklin matters to me. Help me enjoy my birthday by doing something for your local food pantry!

Thank you


FYI - You can find a local food bank here  http://feedingamerica.org/foodbank-results.aspx

or a local food pantry here   http://www.ampleharvest.org/find-pantry.php

You can donate to the Franklin Food Pantry here  http://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/


Photo from the Turkey Trot Family Fun Run 5K held in Franklin on Thanksgiving to help the Franklin Food Pantry.  http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/11/turkey-trot-family-5k-fun-run-photo.html

It's my Twitter birthday!

Wow! Has it been that long?

@shersteve Happy 6th TwBirthday! You've been around since 14 November 2006! twbirthday.com/shersteve/
— TwBirthday (@TwBirthday) November 14, 2012

If you'd like to follow me on Twitter you can find me here
https://twitter.com/shersteve

Birthday flowers!

The flowers delivered to Dolores for her birthday!

With some candy corn to eat as well

Early birthday photos

I probably should save this for later this year but this is too cute to wait for



And likewise this one



Birthdays are so much fun! One reason why we should celebrate our birthday every day is simply the glory of getting up to enjoy an other one!

Happy Birthday, belatedly for Will Shakespeare

How could I miss sharing this, nay, fear not. I did but hence find it and can share it with thee!

Happy birthday, Will Shakespeare!

Steve Sherlock is Social Media: and So Can You

What follows is a guest post from Steve Sherlock's birthday mate, Phil Gerbyshak
Social media is a big part of my life. I spend about 20 hours a week online, writing and reading blogs, on Twitter and Facebook, and cultivating my network on LinkedIn. I also teach people to successfully use social media to grow their personal brand, and take their business to the next level. After 5 years doing this, I've come to realize one thing:

Steve Sherlock is Social Media, and So Can You!

I met Steve Sherlock a few years back. We started out as blogging buddies, sharing a space on a the Synergy Weblog, 100 Bloggers, and eventually, as part of the Ho'ohana Community at Joyful Jubilant Learning. We learned and shared the way of the geese from the wonderful book Gung Ho! If you're not familiar with the story, part of the story has geese honking each other on to achievement. Honk Honk! It's what Steve, and I, and the rest of the community did, and continue to do; we've helped each other find our way in the world.

Steve Sherlock is Social Media, and So Can You!

But it didn't stop there. Steve and I spent time taking the blog off the blog with phone calls, Skype conversations, and then taking advantage of travel opportunities to connect in real life. I've stayed at Steve's home in Franklin, Massachusetts, and we always get on like old friends. Sometimes Steve and his family would come near Milwaukee, and he'd always look me up, so we could reconnect and get to know each other a little more.

Steve Sherlock is Social Media, and So Can You!

I think most importantly, Steve has taught me about the power of asking questions to learn more about people, to pay attention to happy coincidences (like our shared birthday) and
sharing what you know by adding value where you can.

Steve Sherlock is Social Media, and So Can You!

It's really not that hard to be like Steve, or like me, whether it's your birthday today or not. Here's how you can be social media:

1) Seek out and show up in places where other smart people hang out - I spent time on the blogs Steve and I eventually connected at long before I ever left a comment or was part of the community. The folks there (Troy Worman, Rosa Say, Trevor Gay and Steve, to name the 4 most prominent folks) shared what they knew in real time. It wasn't perfect, but it was authentic and it was refreshing. There are now MILLIONS of blogs. Find a few with smart people and get to know the writer and the commenters. Make it your home. Get deep on just a few places and really add value to the community.

2) Take it off the blog and Twitter - Always make time to connect off the blog. Tweeting a link to your favorite bloggers post is nice. Spending time with them at a conferences is even better. Pick up the phone and call someone new. Chris Johnson is GREAT at this! He makes time to call people every single day. You can do it too!

3) Pay attention - Steve and I noticed that we shared a birthday. I noticed it was Stephen Smith's birthday yesterday. The more attention you pay to someone, the easier it is to get to know them, and the better you can help them. Social media has a LOT of ways to pay attention, so pick a few and use what you learn to better connect with others in your life.

Steve Sherlock is Social Media, and So Can You!

Happy birthday Steve! Thanks for sharing your space, your readers, and more importantly, your life, with me!

And to all the folks reading this post, thanks for sharing your attention with me! It means a lot to me, and I know you have a million other things you could be doing. The fact you took a few minutes of your time to share with me means a lot to me.

What are your best ways of BEING social media? Share your tips in the comments, and let's get to know each other a bit more.

Honk Honk!

Phil Gerbyshak is a professional speaker and social media coach based in Milwaukee, WI. He shares a birthday and a passion for lifelong learning with Steve Sherlock. If you'd like to connect with him, your best bet is to follow him on Twitter and send him a Tweet.

Robins_Birthday

Robins_Birthday, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Two of the eggs have hatched today.

Symphony Hall

Inside Symphony Hall, it is dressed up for the Holiday Pops performance. My ladies took me there Thursday evening as a delayed birthday present. A wonderful evening of music.

Mobile post sent by shersteve using Utterli. Replies.

Double nickels of link love!

I have a tradition of running a mile for each year I have been around on my birthday. As I get older, that gets harder to do by the mile. But one can change the measure to minutes and be successful. This year that would be farther than I can do on the comeback trail so I settled for 2.55 miles. Cute huh!

But I was still thinking about what I could do for double nickels.

Send an email? might be considered s*p*a*m... not good

Send a tweet each minute? might be inconsiderate of my followers... not good

Give link love? ah, the gift that everyone appreciates!

Now how do I get 55? Since my bloglines feed listing exceeds 800, this by nature will be selective. Let me count the ones I most frequent or find the most good stuff on. In somewhat alpha order since I started with Blogrolling listing. If I left you off, it may have been an oversight or a sign of my new age. :-)



800 CEOReadBlog
37 Days
A Clear Eye
Bernie DeKoven
Blog Brothers

Brand Soul
Chris Brogan
Chris Owen
Christopher Penn
Confident Writing

Dark Reading
Dan Ward
Dave Rothacker
Doc Searls
Drawn

Dwayne Melancon
eHub
EM Sky
FAST Company
gapingvoid

gillianic tendencies
Good Experience
Greg Balanko-Dickson
Hamguin's Hideout
Hobopoet

How to Save the World
John Richardson
Joy of Six
Joyful Jubilant Learning
Karen Wallace

Learned on Women
Make it Great
my topography
New Charm School
Occupational Adventure

Ptak Science Books
Pause
Phil Gerbyshak
PureLand Mountain
Robert Fulghum

Seth Godin
Simplicity
Songs of Experience
Talking Story
Terry Starbucker

Tim Millburn
Time Goes By
Tom Peters
Tomorrow Today
WonderBranding

World Changing

Sanders Says

Ze Frank

Beach Walks with Roz

Limerick Savant

Enjoy!

Who would you add to this listing?

Speed limit 55

speed limit 55, originally uploaded by TheTruthAbout....

The body is constrained, especially by the laws of gravity and age.

The mind however, really has no limits other than what you place upon yourself.

As you wake up each day, a new birth each day, it is your choice.

What limits will you test? Learning doesn't come from the safety of the center. Learning comes from exploring along the edges.

I will run today and set about enjoying a wornderful milestone.

What will you do today?

How is your radar set?

Happy Birthday Dolores!

The flower bouquet that was delivered to Dolores' classroom yesterday for her birthday.

A classroom delivery is always a big hit with her kindergarten students.

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Good fortune - Life is a verb

How is this for good fortune? Out for a family dinner to celebrate Dolores' birthday to PagoPago in nearby Milford.

It was Allison's good fortune to get this one!

Patti, I did not realize your book tour had extended so far! Way to go!

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Once upon a time this summer

We did go to Weikert, PA to spend sometime with our good friends, the Bastian's. Doug's father, Walter, has a tradition of making hand cranked ice cream. The old ice cream maker finally gave way last year. It was time this year to christen a new 6-quart model.

Walt's birthday happened to fall during the time we were there and I offered to be the designated photographer to record the surprise party. I finally caught up to putting together the slide show for the multiple birthday parties Walt celebrated, culminating with the big surprise one.

View slideshow

Enjoy!

Consider a special announcement for a birthday

The Wizard of Ads is making a good offer to announce a special birthday or event for someone you know.

The details can be found here

Happy Birthday, Franklin

I almost missed the event but now I know how I can remember it in the coming years.

What does Dr Seuss and Franklin have in common?

Yes, the share the same birthday!

Theodore Geisel was born on March 2 and Franklin was incorporated on March 2.

Birthday Greetings for Phil

In case you were not aware, today is a special day. Phil Gerbyshak and I share this day as our birthday. How cool is it that two folks, meeting and connecting through the wonderful world of the web, share the same birthday!

He is off making it great as usual. Add to his day with a birthday greeting!

I am off to get in a good run, then cover some family activities, and then I should be back online later today to provide some updates.

Make it a great day!