12-13-13 Friday Musings - Navigating Under Uncertain Conditions

Navigating Under Uncertain Conditions

Synchronized driveway driving. It is officially winter. Due to the snow and slippery roads, I decided to drive the little white Ranger truck one day last week and let Aubrey (high school driver) drive the all-wheel-drive vehicle with brand new tires I usually drive - since she is a nanny after school and provides a ride to a young 9 year old. So, while attempting to maneuver around my husband's truck that was at the bottom of our driveway the little white truck started to slide and slide and slide and soon I was sliding perpendicular to his truck - with the nose of my little white truck a hair's distance from his large black truck -while sliding the entire length of his truck. Unbelievably, I did not hit Steve's truck, but did "take out" the garbage container as I hit the street. Thankfully I only drove to the bus terminal and let the bus driver take it from there. Our next house.... no slope on the driveway. Do you have a commute story from the last couple weeks to share? 

 

"Google and PeaceJam have joined forces to work toward "One Billion Acts of Peace" -- an international global citizen's movement led by thirteen Nobel Peace Laureates and designed to tackle the toughest issues facing humanity.  Between now and December 31, 2018, average citizens around the world will work together to create one billion high quality projects addressing the root causes of the most important problems facing our planet -- crucial areas like rights for women and children, access to clean water for all, and alleviating extreme poverty." As we reflect and consider what to include in our 2014 Plan of Work - how can we purposefully participate in efforts that contribute to larger efforts such as this? Please review.... what do you think?

  

Plan of Work Retreat January 8 & 9

Speaking of Plan of Work...... You received an invitation to participate in our 2014 (and Beyond) Plan of Work Retreat January 8 & 9, 2014. Please register. What will happen there? We will work together to plan for our "Highest Possibility for Impact." This does not happen by accident -but through planning. We will conduct activities identifying what issues and opportunities we will allocate our scarce resources (our time), we will reflect on our completion of  2013 Plan of Work, we will continue our work from annual conference to develop  and explore opportunities between FR FRM (Family Resiliency) and Children, Youth & Family Consortium, reflect on how our own research and evaluation informs our work, and consider developments in our fields of work nationally and internationally and how these developments influence our work. Sounds like a full agenda doesn't it? Attend with anticipation for possibility and ideas on how you can contribution for addressing or solving issues important to Minnesota residents and beyond.

3 positions Posted to Expand our Team's "Highest Possibility for Impact"

Please share broadly these position postings, 2 faculty positions in Family Social Science with responsibility for Extension scholarship in Family Financial Literacy/Economic Well-being and Family Parenting. These positions will provide leadership for Extension programming, work collaboratively with Center for Family Development in interdisciplinary and community based work, develop a focused and sustainable research agenda, and establish and maintain external funding to support Extension and research agendas. Thank you to Ellie and Jennifer for participating in the search committees. We are also happy to share there is a county educator position in Family Resource Management in Dakota County (will be posted this coming week).

Passings.....

Many of you may remember these former Extension colleagues.

Harold Alexander and Trudy Strinden

have passed recently. Trudy was also my husband's god-mother.

 

 

 

Share your December photos - historic or recent- for our Team Webinar Monday.

If you want to.... please send me a photo, in a text or email by Monday morning, of a special memory you may have during this time of the year. It could be  "selfy," it could be of a special place, could be grandchildren, it could be an old family photo - below is a sample. Yes - one of those cute girls is me! Only one or two photos please. I will compile for a fun photo sharing time during our webinar Monday afternoon.

Trish Olson, Extension Center for Family Development Program Leader