Sunday, May 4, 2008

May 4, 2008 - Thanks Jenny & an ode to a man's best friend


Hey there, hi there and hello there and happy May to you all. This has got to be one of the most up and down weeks of all time, but I guess that sometimes you're the squirrel and sometimes you're the nut ... think about it:) Happy birthday to my cousins Emily and Mr. I'm-Taller-than-Nathan-but-Still-Can't-Wrestle-Him-to-the-Ground Derek!

It was another crazy work at Aflac, but I've gotten used to it I believe. I finished up my rotation a bit early in Sales Support & Administration and began to hand off the project I'd been working on. It's gotten interesting trying to stay on all of the projects from all of the departments I've been to so I'm trying to make some smoother transitions as I head out. The people in that department were all very kind and quick to thank me for the work I had done ... which always puts a smile on some one's face. I had my last Level 1 Leadership Development course this week which consisted of good ol' Kenny Blanchard's lessons on situational leadership. I learned that on paper I seem to be a pretty flexible leader that attempts to focus both on coaching and supporting. I need to work on my delegating a bit, but for many years I have realized that! I had a chat with my now former boss-man Bob to try and figure out how to say "no" in work/outside of work situations and he let me in on his little secret ... he didn't know how to say no either, which made me chuckle! On Thursday I started in my new rotation under Mike on the Policy Services Process Innovation & Control team for my second go-round. We had a strategic planning meeting on Friday and it appears that there are a lot of opportunities and I think I will soon have a lot more responsibility throughout my rotation, so it should be very exciting;) I also spent some more time on the SS&A 500 Leadership Conference planning that is coming in the next couple of weeks which should be awesome! Employee Appreciation Week starts tomorrow, so I should have many more stories in the week to come.

Team En Fuego had our final game of the season in the tournament this weekend. We finished the season with a great practice where all of the kids played vs. all of the adults and they had a blast. We ended up losing on Saturday 3-2, but the kids played great and had a blast. I'm hoping that they all return next fall ... if so, I'll probably coach again because it was a very fulfilling experience. I also had the good fortune of attending the annual Volunteer Luncheon for the community at the library ... can't beat free food and good fun!

O yes, I almost forgot ... the girlfriend came down for an amazing visit! Jenny is kind of crazy, which I like, and she decided it'd be a good idea to come visit, which it was. She arrived Tuesday night and hung out by the pool, which she continued throughout the week to try and catch me on the tan bod contest;) I made a couple of meals throughout the week including Alfredo chicken pizza and my world-famous ... spaghetti, both of which left her with a smile of approval! Wednesday night was by far the best when we hopped in the ol' Honda for Atlanta for a romantic dinner at the Varsity Drive-In and one of the best shows on Broadway; The Lion King. It was absolutely wondermous with all of the costumes, characters and songs. Simba, Timon and Pumba were good but my good pal Rafiki the blue-butt monkey stole the show. It left us with goosebumps, and Jenny left with a bump on the knee after a race up the stairs in heels ... of which she almost won, but instead took a bit of a biff, shook it off and kept on truckin ... now that's amazing. Thursday we went to lunch with the gang at Fuji and I took her to soccer practice Thursday night. Even though she'd never played before, she laced 'em up and kicked it around with the kids and parents. A couple of the players on my team even gave her the nickname "underwear." Not quite sure, but it was hilarious! Friday came too fast as usual, but it was an absolutely wonderful time ... thank you so much Jenny, it was fantacular!

Thank you everyone for your prayers for my Grandma Naber, but keep 'em coming b/c it seems to be working as the Cubbies won again this weekend! Hope you start feeling better and that all of my grandparents can go through this week in good spirits and health!

Last but certainly not least I must bid farewell to a man's best friend. Back home in Shueyville I learned that our family dog of the last 14 years Cash made his way to dog heaven. He was absolutely the best pet a family could ask for. He was always willing to wrestle around and never did he shy away from a good head rub. Cash was there through the thick and the thin and I will always remember the times when we played with the remote control cars and jumping around together in the snow. You will be missed pup and thanks for the memories!

I know Cash lived by this motto: "The goal in life is to live young, have fun, and arrive at your final destination as late as possible, with a smile on your face."

Thanks all for your thoughts and have a great week ... good luck all you Mustangs taking finals and stepping into the real-world ... where has the time gone?!

Alwayz,

Nate

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