27. My Personal Mission Statement, 12/31/10

Good-bye 2010 and Hello 2011—
When I chose to compile a list of 50 things in my 50th year, I wanted to create a personal mission statement. Some might ask, “Why write a personal mission statement?” While I knew why I wanted to create a statement, I could not clearly articulate it so I searched the internet, and this is what I came up with: Developing a personal mission statement would help me discover and clarify my deeply important character values and life goals. A personal mission statement should be a representation of what is most important to me, what I desire to focus on, what I want to achieve, and, ultimately, who I want to become. In its purest form, it is an approach to life, one that allows me to identify a focus of energy, creativity, and vision in living a life in support of my innermost beliefs and values.

Also, remember that your mission will change over time as you and your life changes. A great personal mission statement is one that inspires you, motivates you, and offers you the opportunity for continued happiness and fulfillment.

Most of us make personal, one sentence resolutions like, “I want to lose weight” or “I vow to go back to school.” It is a tradition to start the New Year with things you want to achieve, but resolutions are often unrealistic. I would challenge each of you to write a personal mission statement rather than make a New Year’s Resolution. A personal statement will help you identify your core values and beliefs that you can read anytime and anywhere to stay on task toward your goals. A personal mission statement will make sure that you will not lose sight of what is most important to you. It is an ideal tradition to start so that when next year rolls around, the outdated practice of resolutions will be something you permanently left in 2010.

MY MISSION IN LIFE IS:

To serve God by being A beacon of light, A bridge of understanding, and A tower of integrity.

To remember where I have been and where I am going, maintaining positive relationships with family and friends.

To forgive but not forget so as to learn from each experience.

To content myself in my surroundings so I will always know where security lies within my life.

To grow stronger with each accomplishment and even stronger with each setback.

To be part of God’s plan of what He is doing on earth, and to bring Him Glory by being humble and serving others.

To be guided by my values and beliefs.

To find my inner strength and overcome obstacles that hide my goals.

To look for strengths in others, and the good in every situation.

To live life with an attitude of gratitude.

To believe everything happens for a reason, and there is no better place to be than right here, right now where God has placed me.

To live, work, and play with a renewed spirit.

To treat others with the same respect that I myself deserve.

To give thanks in some measurable way each day.

To live each day to the fullest.

To believe in God, and let God guide me.

To enjoy every moment along this journey finding laughter, love, and happiness with each day that passes.

So, as I say good-bye to 2010, I have some fond memories; however, as I welcome 2011, I am looking forward to the possibilities and promise of a new year.

26. Powell's Bookstore, 12/14/10

Powell's, the nation's largest independent bookseller, is a must-see that engulfs an entire city block. Powell's City of Books is a book lover's paradise, the largest used and new bookstore in the world. The store stocks more than a million new and used books. Nine color coded rooms house over 3,500 different sections, offering something for every interest, including an incredible selection of out-of-print and hard-to-find titles. The City's Rare Book Room gathers autographed first editions and other collectible volumes for readers in search of a one-of-a-kind treasure.

Every day at the buyers' counter in the Orange Room, they purchase thousands of used books from the public. Powell's purchases special collections, libraries, and bookstore inventories as well.



A few facts about the City of Books:
• 68,000 square feet packed with books.
• They buy 3,000 used books over the counter every day.
• Approximately 3,000 people walk in and buy something every day.
• Another 3,000 people just browse and drink coffee.
• They stock 122 major subject areas and more than 3,500 subsections.
• You'll find more than 1,000,000 volumes on the shelves.
• Approximately 80,000 book lovers browse the City's shelves every day in Portland and via the Internet.

The Washington Post called Powell's "perhaps the best bookstore in the world."

Wow, what can I saw about Powell's that has not already been said? Those of you who have been to Powell's before know what I am talking about and for those of you who have not been there, I say that you should go. I never before could understand what someone meant when the said they could spend ALL day at Powell's. Dang, I think I could spend a week there and still NOT see all that Powell's has to offer. Thank you Fran for introducing me to this wonderful place.

25. Themed Christmas Tree, 12/12/10

Tradition - The passing down of elements of a culture from generation to generation. A mode of thoughts or behaviors followed by a people continuously from generation to generation; a custom or usage. A set of customs and usages viewed as a coherent body of precedents influencing the present. A time-honored practice or set of such practices.

I do not remember too many Christmas traditions from my childhood. While I may not remember how our family decorated the Christmas tree, I do remember that when my boys were young, our Christmas tree was a modgepodge of decorations. There were ornaments the boys made at school, cute ornaments that their grandparents got for them, and even ornaments that we, their parents, had collected for them over the years.

One of our family Christmas traditions was to go out the first weekend in December to a Christmas tree farm, to spend what seemed like hours searching for the "perfect" tree, and then to cut the tree down ourselves. When we got home, we would listen to Christmas music as Joe would put the tree in the stand, I would sort and divide the ornaments into piles in front of the person to whom they belonged, and then we each would put our most precious ornaments on the tree.

When the boys were small, they loved these family traditions but as they got older, they did not embrace them as much as they once did. As they got older, we went from cutting our tree down to buying one already cut. They would appease me by helping me decorate the tree, but as soon as the tree was done they would rush off to other things, things more fun. Then the year came that neither Jimmy nor Joshua lived at home any more and the tree decorating fell entirely on me. Usually, one of them would get the tree for me and put the lights on it, but neither of them would help me decorate it.

When Jim and Josh were young and there was no rhyme or reason to the tree, I would often wonder what a "themed" tree would look like, a tree where all the bulbs, lights, and decorations matched. So, this year for one of my 50 things I decided to have a "themed" tree. Jimmy got my tree for me, put it up, and strung the lights, but that is where the tradition as I knew it ended. My lights were the same lights that I have used for years, green and red poinsettias, but the decorations were new. I went with a blue and silver color theme. There are multiple blue and silver ornaments, some are plain and some a little more detailed, and while the tree is beautiful, it is not the tree I thought it would be. Yes, the colors all match and the ornaments are not chipped, nicked, or broken, but there is no story to them either. The modgepodge tree, while not themed, evokes memories, tells a story, reminds us of our traditions.

24. The Pittock Mansion, 12/6/10

Nestled high in the West Hills of Portland, the Pittock Mansion soars 1,000 feet above the city's skyline. A century old symbol of Portland's dramatic transformation from a small lumbar town to a bustling city, it is an architectural wonder. With picture perfect views of rivers, forests, bridges, and mountaintops - and 23 storied rooms teeming with treasures - no other place in town offers a more breathtaking view and more revealing glimpse of Portland's past.

Pioneer and newspaper publisher Henry Pittock and his wife, philanthropist Georgiana, were at the pinnacle of their successful lives when they commissioned architect Edward Foulkes to design and build their new home overlooking Portland. They began planning and designing the home in 1909. Completed in 1914, the Pittock Mansion estate included a 16,000 square foot, 30-room mansion (23 rooms open to the public), a 30-car garage, a greenhouse, and a servants' residence, all situated on 46 acres of land.

Each room has its own theme, but each room stays within the main theme of "A Northwest Christmas: The Natural Beauty and Bounty of Oregon." The mansion has been transformed into a holiday wonderland. Festive decorations, ribbon, garland, poinsettias, and more than 15 Christmas trees fill the historic house. The mansion is open every day from November 22 until January 2nd (or thereabouts depending on the year), except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Hours daily are 11am until 4pm, and the cost is $9 for adults.

Jan, Karen, Keri, and I were able to spend some time up there yesterday and it was amazing. We spent a couple of hours up there and could have spent even more time. Again, I tried to take "good" pictures but that proved to be quite a challenge because you are not to use your flash. Taking photos in the dimmed light is harder than one thinks.

23. Shore Acres, 12/3/10

Shore Acres State Park - Another wonderful gem in the Great Northwest. It is a beautiful park that changes with every season. The park is perched on a scenic bluff high above the Pacific Ocean. Shore Acres began as a private estate with luxurious gardens featuring trees, shrubs, and flowering plants brought from around the world aboard the sailing ships of pioneer lumberman and shipbuilder Louis J. Simpson.

Simpson developed the summer home into a showplace 3-story mansion, and the grounds contained 5 acres of formal gardens. When fire destroyed the mansion in 1921, Simpson began to build an ever larger replacement. However, financial losses during the Depression caused both house and grounds to fall into disrepair. In 1942, Simpson's beloved Shore Acres was purchased by the state of Oregon for use as a public park. The garden now features year-round displays of floral and scenic beauty and the annual "Holiday Lights at Shore Acres" event that runs from Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve.

This year marks the 24th Annual Holiday Lights at Shore Acres and boasts 300,000 lights. This is a community tradition that was born in 1987 when Friends of Shore Acres decided to "string a few lights" to help celebrate the holidays. That first season, 6,000 miniature nature lights, one large Christmas tree, and the decorated and open Garden House drew 9,000 visitors. Now, 300,000 lights - both LED and landscape - dozens of Christmas trees, lighted sculptures, performance pavilion, and the festive open house attract from 40,000 to 50,000 visitors each season.

The park offers a walk-thru display and open house with cookies, hot cider, punch, and coffee. The hours are 3:30-9:30 and costs $5 per car. We arrived about 4 and walked the grounds before darkness fell. I tried to get "good" pictures but found this to be very challenging because of the darkness of the light. If you want good pictures, take a tripod. You can visit their website at www.shoreacres.net