Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Dinner – Pasta Stir Fry – YUM!
The last time Mom was here for a visit, she made a pasta stir fry that was absolutely incredible. She just threw a bunch of stuff in a pan and tossed it all together and it tasted amazing! I have considered trying to do it myself, but wasn’t sure I could make it taste the same – or even close. But, decided to give it a try tonight. After making a call to be sure I remembered the spices correctly, I got the rest of the selected ingredients and came home to cook.
There is no recipe — just use the meat or seafood and veggies of your choosing and season to taste. It is only limited to how much you need to make for the number of people you’re serving, what ingredients you like, and how much seasoning you prefer. Here is the basic idea:
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Cook pasta to al dente (spaghetti, linguine, or fettucine) – drain and set aside
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Pour olive oil in a large saute pan – a little more than enough to cover the bottom of the pan (enough to saute the ingredients and coat the pasta, but not too much so that it stays oily after mixing)
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Mix roasted garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper in the olive oil – use enough to make the flavors robust, but not over powering – depends on your taste preference
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Add a large sweet or Vidalia onion chopped in large pieces
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Add meat or seafood (shrimp, pork, chicken, or beef – or use your imagination)
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Saute until meat/seafood is done and onion is tender
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Add vegetables of choice – fresh or frozen – any mixture will do
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Ensure everything is coated well with the olive oil and seasoning
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Heat through
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Add cooked pasta and toss to coat with the olive oil and seasonings
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Serve hot
The variation I made tonight was with beef strips, linguine, and a mixture of corn, baby carrots, asparagus, and peas. I also used Italian Herb flavored roasted garlic. It was amazing and full of wonderful flavor! The only thing I would do different, if I ever use beef strips again, is to marinate it or something to tenderize is some – it was just a little chewy, but not bad!
Here is what mine looked like – the first is the individual serving and the second is the leftovers (which I usually don’t care for, but I think this is going to be so much better after the linguine has a chance to soak up all that wonderful garlic and ginger):
Enjoy!
Movie Review – Charlie St. Cloud
There hasn’t been a lot of movies out this summer that have grabbed me and compelled me to go see them. Most of the ones that did pique my interest didn’t motivate me enough to put other priorities aside and go to the theater. And, the ones that I did go to the theater to see have been less than impressive – “The Kids Are All Right” was good, but fell a little flat and “The Other Guys” was a total waste of my time! So, I decided not to gamble on “Dinner With Schmucks” – which I thought might be a fun movie, but so far, I haven’t heard many rave reviews from those I know who have seen it and I actually over heard someone at the theater yesterday say it was the dumbest movie they had ever seen – not a good sign!
So, I was even a little leery of “Charlie St. Cloud” – it looked like just the type of movie I really enjoy and the previews looked great, but my track record has been so poor, that I just wasn’t sure……..but, I gave in and went to see it today. As I was getting my ticket, I over heard a group behind me talking about how much they were looking forward to the movie and a couple in their group said they have already seen it and can’t wait to see it again! Good sign – I was feeling comfortable with my decision!!!
The movie stars Zac Efron – you know, “High School Musical” – in what I believe is his first serious film. Efron plays the title role, a sailing enthusiast who lives with his little brother and mother in a sleepy little coastal town in the Pacific Northwest. He is just graduating from high school with a scholarship and dreams for a bright and successful future. Until tragedy strikes and changes his life forever. As time goes on, he has to decide whether to honor a promise made to his little brother, Sam, or a chance at love and discovery of why he was given a second chance at life during the horrible accident that took Sam.
The story is touching, warm, and endearing. Efron does a decent job in his role – not oscar worthy, but not bad. Charlie Tahan, who plays Sam, was sweet and charismatic. Amanda Crew is well cast as Tess Carroll, an old school friend of Charlie’s that comes back into his life. In two smaller, but important parts, are Ray Liotta, as the paramedic who revives Charlie in the accident, and Kim Basinger, as Charlie and Sam’s mother.
The movie was a little slow in spots – they could have either beefed up the story a little or cut it down some. But it was good. I felt a part of the character’s lives and would have liked to see the director cut parts of the fluff and add-on to the end to show more of how everything turned out — although, they did have flashes of that during the credits.
I really enjoyed this movie. I’ll take some points off for the pace, but over all, I rate it a solid A-. It was a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon and restored my faith in my choice of movies!
Restaurant Review – Sabatino’s
Sanford has a new restaurant downtown – Sabatino’s Italian Restaurant. It has only been open about a week, but I have already heard many great reviews regarding the food and the prices, so I decided to give it a try. I ate a late breakfast and spent a couple hours outside Office Max for the annual CIS Stuff The Bus Campaign, so I didn’t really think about lunch until about 2:00 – when most of the locally owned restaurants close. I was happy to see that Sabatino’s doesn’t close between the lunch and dinner hours and that I was able to go for a nice lunch before going to a movie.
I found Sabatino’s to be delightful! The decor is bright and cheery, yet still has that wonderful Sanford old building feel with at least one wall of exposed brick. There was lovely old Italian music playing to set the mood and everything was so very welcoming.
The menu has a wide variety of wonderful sounding dishes and the news of it being reasonably priced was accurate. I had the 1/4 rotisserie chicken (dark) with mashed potatoes and corn. I mulled over the Italian choices, but really wanted something light after being out in the sun most of the day. I was very pleased with my decision – it was incredible! The chicken had an amazingly crisp skin that was seasoned beautifully and the meat inside was moist and flavorful. The sides were huge and served in their own large oval dishes – the corn was fresh tasting and not at all mushy; the mashed potatoes were made from real potatoes and pleasingly lumpy, yet creamy! Everything was delicious and there was so much, I wasn’t able to finish it all! And the bill was just about $5.00!!!
I love all the locally owned restaurants downtown — it is no secret that I am a huge fan of Cafe 121 and The Steele Pig, among others. But, I am so happy to see this new addition, giving downtown a little more variety — especially since it is open when some of the others aren’t!
Check out Sabatino’s — from my experience and what I hear of other experiences, you won’t be sorry! I can’t wait to go for dinner one evening and have one of the many Italian dishes that sounded so amazing as I read the menu.
Sabatino’s is located on the corner of Steele and Carthage Streets at 101 Steele Street. They are open Mon-Sat 11:00 am – 10:00 pm and Sun 11:00 am – 4:00 pm. 777-0501
Movie Review – The Other Guys
I hadn’t seen anything on the new Mark Wahlberg / Will Ferrell movie until I saw it listed on the line up at Spring Lane Cinemas. I checked out the trailers online and was hooked! Personally not a Will Ferrell fan, but LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mark Wahlberg. The plot sounded cool and the promise of a mix of Action/Adventure and Comedy was intriguing. I instantly had to see this film. I read the reviews on Yahoo and they were mixed with an average rating of B- for critics and B+ for users…….not bad! Some really enjoyed it and some absolutely hated it. I decided to give it a try!
Wahlberg and Ferrell are cops who aren’t really the “stars” of the precinct – they are “the other guys”. But, they wanna be and they finally get the case that just might do it for them. But, things just don’t go as planned.
I’ll get right to the point —- I can be added to those who absolutely hated this movie!!! Hands down, one of the worst movies I’ve seen in a very long time! It was NOT funny — I didn’t so much as smile at any scene and there were very few in the theater that chuckled and it was rare when they did! The action scenes were totally unbelievable and hokey. Will Farrell was dull and boring. And the worst part of all? Mark Wahlberg was supposed to be this ex-macho cop who was banished to low profile cases and made fun of because he accidentally shot Derek Jeter and cost NY a chance at the playoffs……..but, he came off as a mad, yet wimpy and irritating character. AND – unless it happened during one of the times I dozed off, he never took his shirt off once! I think this is the only movie he’s ever been in that he didn’t go shirtless for at least one scene!
As I just mentioned, I slept though parts of the movie. Also, the couple in front of me left about 1/3 of the way through it! And there was very little out loud laughter from the rest of the audience (BTW – the audience was mostly guys). So, I’m guessing I wasn’t the only one there that was disappointed.
Save your money on this one — if you really think you might disagree with me and like it, wait until it comes out on NetFlix! I rate this one a solid D — the only thing that kept it from being even lower was the presence of Mark Wahlberg, even though I was not at all happy with his performance.
Quickie Trip….so worth it!!!
Going home is always a treat. No doubt or argument there. I give a lot of thought to the pros and cons of going for 1-2 extended trips or multiple shorter trips each year. Both definitely have distinct benefits and downfalls. In past years, I have tended to go for the longer, but less frequent trips. But this year, I seem to have opted for the multiple shorter trips. I just popped up for a long weekend visit last week and was so very glad I did!
The reason was a spur of the moment trip up for Mom’s birthday. The ulterior motive was that she has been having some problem with pain and has been laid up for several months. It was upsetting to be so far away and not able to help or do anything! It worked out that I could have a nice visit with her, help her out a little, and be able to take her to the doctor for an appointment. It was really nice and well worth it! We had a good time just spending time with each other!
I also managed to cram a few other things in this trip, too!
First — my first great-nephew was born in January and I haven’t been able to meet him, yet. I was up over Memorial Day weekend, but they were out-of-town, so I missed getting to see him! We finally connected this trip! We had a little family gathering for Mom’s birthday and Nolen was there. He is absolutely PERFECT! At six months old, he is 22 pounds, 6 ounces and 28 inches tall! Big boy! But, beautiful! Here is my precious great-nephew, Nolen – totally fascinated with my watch! I dare you to try to tell me he isn’t the most adorable big boy in the world!
Of course, I also popped in at the Mount Albion Cemetery to visit Poppie, Grandma, Grandpa, and other relatives that are no longer with us.
A while back, a friend posted an article about an open house at a Bed & Breakfast in an old school in our town. I found the information interesting and thought that I would have to check it out some day, but didn’t make note of the date because I didn’t have any plans to go up at that time. I don’t know what made me think of it when I was packing for the trip, but I decided to see if by some freak chance it might be happening that weekend – I thought there was no way the dates lined up! But, they DID! So, I had to go to town to pick up some groceries for Mom and run a couple other errands for her, so I popped in to check it out! WOW — what a treat! The historic building was the old St. Mary’s Assumption School and someone bought it and turned it into a B&B. They kept the antique feel and the Catholic school theme for the decor throughout. It is amazing! If you ever find yourself in Albion, NY and need a place to stay, check out the Erie Canal Schoolhouse Bed & Breakfast – here is their web site for more info about it.
Part of the open house was a display of handmade miniature carnival rides that was incredible and also a wonderful tribute to Charlie Howard – the real Santa Claus! I was so excited to see it all. I have so many wonderful memories of Charlie Howard’s Santa Claus School and Christmas Park that was a major attraction in my home town when I was a child. I wrote a special post about him and his legacy (click here to read it). The following photo shows some of the signs that came from Christmas Park – the one in front put a huge smile on my face because I used to LOVE to put my quarter in the clothes pin at the end of a fishing pole string and dangle it over the wall to “fish” for a special surprise gift! What fun for a child!
Another day when I went to town to get some things for Mom, I made a side trip to Point Breeze to check out the progress on the new lighthouse they are building there. (check out my post about the lighthouse so you, too, can see the progress) They still have some work to do and the brick walkways and seating areas they have planned aren’t started, yet, but it looks pretty good!
And, of course, I can’t go to Point Breeze without spending a little time enjoying the water and watching the boats making their way up Oak Orchard River out to Lake Ontario for a day on the lake. I love Point Breeze and being on or near the lake!
So – it was a very FULL trip, but mostly spent just being with Mom, which was GREAT! The only regret is that I didn’t have a chance to contact some of my friends and arrange a lunch or get together of some kind — next trip, for sure!
Meal Time
Meal time is quite the ordeal at my house. It is full of excitement, energy, interesting moments, and unwavering rituals. Of course, I don’t mean MY meal time — I mean the girl’s meal time! Three very different personalities in every other aspect of their lives result in three very different eating habits and rituals. It also results in my active involvement in ensuring everything goes smoothly and everyone gets their fair share – and ONLY their fair share!
Katie
Katie is always the last to finish. When her bowl is placed on the floor, she meanders over to it, sniffs all over the food and around the dish, and then……slowly……methodically……eats one or two pieces at a time and chews thoroughly! She’s like those people who eat popcorn one kernel at a time!
Amy
Amy used to be the first finished every time! About a month or so ago, that changed. I’m not sure why, but she is now a much slower and more deliberate eater. I place her’s and Megan’s bowls down at the same time, but she waits until all three bowls are down, Megan and Katie are started, and I am sitting at the table ready to watch them. She sees me sit down and looks around at the others and then walks over to her dish. She starts to eat and looks at Megan’s dish to see how far she is along with her meal and then eats. She is typically the last to finish, now!
Megan
Megan inhales her food and would eat everyone else’s, if I gave her a chance! As I am setting her bowl down, she already has her nose in it and begins eating like it is the first meal she’s had in a month of Sundays and may just be the last one she has for who knows how long! She gobbles so fast she can barely breathe. Then she licks the bowl as if there is something more there she can’t see or maybe she’s trying to lick the design off the bottom of the bowl! Then, she stands there staring at the other two just waiting for a split second opportunity to dive into their’s! I have to watch her closely and get her to stand next to me as I sit waiting for meal time to end. I pet her and try to distract her, but with no luck. She is intent on staring at them, which makes Katie growl while she’s eating and intimidates Amy enough that she sometimes backs away from her food – at which time, I have to hold Megan so Amy can finish! Once the other two are done and walk away, she has to check both of their bowls to ensure nothing is left – she licks each bowl like there just has to be something there!!!
Routine Meal Time Conversations
Megan: {staring down her sisters in an attempt to steal their food}
Me: Don’t you stare at them!
Megan: {looks away, but keeps peeking out of the corner of her eye}
Me: Amy, don’t let her intimidate you – stand your ground, girl!
Me: Katie, stop growling and chew – you’re going to get indigestion!
Me: Megan, you had you’s! Don’t be a pig! Let them eat in peace!
Me: Slow down, Megan – you’re gonna choke!
Yep – it is an interesting time and it happens twice a day every day!
A Saturday Well Spent
Saturdays are often a struggle of whether or not to take care of business or sit back and enjoy the end to a long work week. You know – some business can only be taken care of on Saturday morning and there is all that housework and laundry that you really weren’t up to taking care of after getting home from work! But, then again, it is Saturday – a day off work – meaning NOT a work day! But there is all that personal work that needs to be done and who else is gonna do it if you don’t! So, what often happens? Saturday is a full and busy day trying to do it all – housework, shopping, and relaxing!
Here’s how my Saturday played out this week:
As usual, the girls woke me up about 6:00 am to go outside and take care of their business. But, I was able to get them to come back in quickly and go back to bed. This is getting to be a nice ritual that I’m glad they have taken to — better than in the past when I would try to go back to sleep and they would prefer to play and make sleeping in impossible!
I finally got up for the day about 8:30 – earlier than I had hoped because I had a pretty exhausting week, but it was nice none-the-less! I fed the girls and we curled up on the couch to watch a couple of the programs I had on DVR. Megan played ball with me and Katie and Amy snuggled. I was well on my way to deciding the relaxing option was going to win out. I thought about all the things I should be doing and then looked at the girls and just settled in for a quiet morning!
Then…….suddenly, at 11:00, I remembered that I needed to go to Sanford Animal Hospital to get some Advantix and Interceptor because I forgot to get them at All Animals the other day when I was there and I give those treatments out on the 1st of each month……..so, I headed out. And that was the turning point where the day became more about getting things done!
I made a long weekend trip to see my Mom last weekend and when I got in my car at RDU I found that I must have parked near an ant hill or maybe someone spilled a sweet drink beside my car or something — whatever caused it doesn’t matter — what matters is that I discovered the inside of the rider’s side door was a swarm of ANTS!!!! They were localized just on that door and a little on the rider’s side of the dashboard. So, I got in and drove to Lowes to get some ant spray. Bottom line, the pony needed a good cleaning to get rid of the mess all that left. So, from the vet I went on to the car wash on the corner of Horner and Wicker — all nice and clean, now!
I came back home to think about what else I needed to do — I decided to go to Cary to BJs and Party City to get supplies for Communities In Schools of Lee County’s Second Annual Dancing with the Lee County Stars event that is being held at the Civic Center on August 13th (how about if I take a moment here to add in an extremely shameless plug for the event — go to www.dancingwiththeleecountystars.com to purchase tickets, vote for the dancing couple of your choice, or get info on how to be a sponsor)!
I headed that way about 2:00 or so and I have to say that I really hate going in to Cary! Sure, they have a great selection of stores and restaurants and entertainment. But, the traffic and difficulty getting in and out of places just kills it for me! Crossroads Plaza is where I had to go for Party City and I also did a few other things while I was there — you get in that place and end up driving all around the world trying to figure out how to get out going in the direction you want to go! And I was parked in lines at stop signs and stop lights longer than it took me to take care of the business I needed to do!
I enjoy shopping in Sanford and usually find whatever I may need right here! I support shopping locally and have limited reasons for going out-of-town to shop. If Sanford could just get a BJs and a PetSmart, I could avoid Cary a lot more often!
The up side was that between BJs and Party City, I got all the supplies I needed and a few things for myself, as well. I also ran into a dear old friend I rarely get to see and we talked in the aisle at BJs for what seemed like an hour or more! I also took in a movie – scroll down to read my review in a post I wrote last night. I also planned to pop in at Macy’s and PetSmart while I was up there, but it got late and I got tired, so I decided not to!
The icing on the cake was dinner at Red Robin — YUMMM! Of course, the meal was good, but I really enjoyed the Speckled Lemonade – a quirky looking glass of nicely tart lemonade with fresh strawberries cut up in it! OMG, it was so good I had to take a photo of it:
No – there was no alcohol in it and my camera wasn’t drunk when I snapped the photo – that is really what the glass looked like! Funky and fun!
I got home about 8:30 or so and snuggled in with the girls to watch TV and play! A perfect end to a day mixed with relaxation and productive activities.
So, now on to Sunday — definitely a day of relaxation and enjoyment!
Movie Review – The Kids Are All Right
It has been a long time since I’ve been to the movies. In fact, the last movie I wrote a review about was “Date Night” on April 15th. I have been busy and away on a few trips since then, but that is no excuse! I’m a movie lover — I should have made time before now! But – today, I fixed that and went to see “The Kids Are All Right”. I had to go to Cary, anyway, so I checked out what was playing at the Crossroads 20 and decided on this one.
First, let me say that the popcorn at the Crossroads 20 theater is the WORST of any popcorn at any movie theater I’ve ever been to! I knew this from past times I’ve been there, but still got the popcorn and was so utterly disappointed! The bag is always 3/4 or better small crumbs with just a few popped kernels throughout and they measure the butter in a tiny cup before they pour it on the top! BAD!
Now on with my review:
Viewer Alert — this is NOT for kids!!! It is rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, and language. Quite often I find these ratings to be overly sensitive and not always warranted. But, this time — they mean it! There is a lot of blatant gay and hetero sex, as well as a lot of “F” bombs dropped. I only mention this because the previews make it look like it might be a nice movie a family might enjoy because it is about family relationships………I want to warn that it is really an adult movie and you should probably consider leaving the kids home.
The movie stars Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo. Bening and Moore are married to each other and 18 years earlier they went to a sperm bank to get pregnant. That visit resulted in a daughter, Joni. A year or so later, they went back and got sperm from the same anonymous donor to get pregnant, again. This time, they had a son named Laser. When Joni turned 18, she petitioned the sperm bank to find out who the donor was. Joni and Laser went to meet him – Paul, played by Ruffalo – and began a relationship with him. As they all get to know each other and Paul gets closer to them, the relationships ALL get complicated and broken.
I like all three key actors and they didn’t disappoint in this film. Mark Ruffalo’s character was the most likeable of all – he was fun and real. He comes off as the bad guy, but I still found him very adorable. Bening and Moore come across very genuine and comfortable as an on-screen couple. I also liked Mia Wasikowska as the daughter, Joni. She was sweet and natural. They all made me believe they were a real family that I was eavesdropping on and I got involved in their story, their love, and their pain.
It is a good movie about life and relationships and feelings and family and all the complications that all these things bring. It is beautifully acted and well told. It is rather slow at times, though, and I felt like there were parts that didn’t seem to fit – like the relationship between Laser and his friend Clay – I’m not sure it added anything to the story.
All in all, it was good – some really funny scenes that had the whole theater (and it was just about full) laughing out loud – some touching and sad scenes, but it wasn’t “great”! I took away points for being slow and having some parts that didn’t connect well. I rated it a B- because I thought it had mostly good qualities and told an interesting story.
Paradise
So often I, like many others, think that I have to travel to some exotic place to find Paradise. The image of what Paradise is reflects mental photos of secluded island beaches, pleasant breezes, relaxation, peaceful atmospheres, and the total absence of stress and the sense of urgency in life! Where else can you find all this in one place except for tropical islands and exotic locations? What in normal every day life can even come close to that?
It is mornings like this one that brings me back to my senses and reminds me that I don’t have to spend a lot of money and time taking myself to Paradise to find peace. I have a version of it right here – whenever I want to take it all in!
Picture this
It is the morning after the Fourth of July holiday – the day my work observes the holiday, so I am off on what is usually the first day back to work after the weekend. I woke up at the usual time to let the girls out to take care of business, but was able to convince them that going back to bed was better than starting a day of play so early. They let me sleep in until a little before 9:00! It is a lovely morning, so I cleaned and refilled their pools so they could splash around and keep cool through the day.
Now, I am sitting on my shaded patio. The temperature is in the mid-high 70s. There is a constant breeze that is mostly gentle with some stronger occasional bursts. The wind chimes are playing delicate music for my listening pleasure – two perfectly tuned metal chimes and one with bamboo that adds the perfect contrast to the sounds of the others and lends a tropical feel to the setting. I can hear a woodpecker in a nearby tree hammering away to complete his work responsibilities. The locusts are serenading me with a song that predicts the upcoming heat of the day. There are birds chirping to let the world know what a lovely morning it truly is. The girls are sunning themselves in the warm grass to rest after their play session of running through the yard, chasing each other through the pools, splashing around, and rolling around the grass to get dry. The sky is an incredible blue with no sign of clouds to break up the smooth, vibrant color.
If there is a Heaven on earth, it is here!
And the best part? It isn’t just today! I enjoy similar experiences all the time — either out on the patio or in my comfortable home. My home and my girls bring me such joy and happiness. I have learned to sit back and take it all in……leave the stresses of life at the door (for the most part)……and simply enjoy my own little Paradise! What more could I ask for? Life is good!
But, if you think that means I’ll never plan another trip to a more exotic Paradise, think again…….variety is, afterall, the spice of life! Hahaha!
Beginnings, Endings and Beginnings
The beginning? Well, I guess you can say the fall of 2005 was the beginning of the beginning. There was “some sorta” before that and it really truly began after that, but yeah, let’s go with the fall of 2005. Because it was then that I joined the 2005-06 class of LEEdership Sanford and met the people who would get me hooked on what became a passion for me – Communities In Schools of Lee County. It was also the beginning of a lot of really great friendships!
The “some sorta before” relates to why I had an interest in considering CIS. The place I work has had a long partnership with CIS and for some years prior to the fall of 2005, I was involved on a small level in volunteering for CIS through work – tutoring, reading to kids on my lunch break, collecting stuff for the Teacher Resource Room, etc.
Then, my boss and our plant manager recommended me for the LEEdership Sanford class that year. I was a little reluctant, but agreed. And, I’m so glad I did – I really enjoyed every part of LEEdership Sanford. I learned a LOT about the community I had lived in for 20 years, but really wasn’t overly engaged in. I met so many wonderful people, especially my class mates – many of whom are still good friends.
Through that amazing experience, I met Alison, who was the Executive Director of CIS at the time. Alison and I became friends and she recruited me and a few of our other class mates to join her Board of Directors. I was planning to ask her how to get more involved in volunteering, but didn’t quite plan to jump in with both feet! I had never been on a board before and didn’t know what to expect. But, Alison and the other wonderful board members made it easy!
I spent my first year learning the ropes as Program Committee Chair and fell in love! I told Alison when she signed me on that I would work hard for her, but to not expect me to be good at asking for money or organizing fundraisers! But, that was also the first year CIS held a major fundraiser – the very first Gala event and I assumed the role of Gala Chair and got thrown into the world of fundraising BIG TIME! It was so successful — the biggest and most elegant event Sanford had ever seen! It was a huge effort on the part of many people and I was so proud to be a part of it all!
Because of my work on the Program Committee and the Gala, I was asked to agree to being nominated for the position of Board Chair. I really didn’t think I was ready for that responsibility, but Alison and the board thought I was, so I agreed. And that was the beginning of a three-year run as Board Chair.
This past week was the end of that run……..after a lot of ups and downs – three successful Gala events, the economy hitting us with both barrels, almost having to shut down, multiple employee changes, and our coming back with a vengeance with the amazing Dancing with the Lee County Stars event last year – I have turned the role over to a new Chair who will be amazing and bring a whole new perspective to the organization! I thought long and hard about resigning from the board altogether, but I couldn’t do that – I have too much of my heart and soul in it. But, it was time for a change – both for me and the organization.
But that isn’t the end…….it is the beginning! I’ll continue on as a very active board member and am looking forward to great things to come! I am excited about being a part of the newly formed Public Relations and Marketing Committee and the chance to work with the person that was appointed as Chair for that committee. I have come to love that part of the work I’ve done with CIS the most and am really anxious to learn all I can about how to best promote and market this great organization!
The organization is going through new beginnings, as well — earlier this year, CIS-National rolled out a new logo and we started using it recently. It is so cute and a lot more representative of what we do in the community.
The old logo:
The new logo:
They also rolled out a new Mission Statement:
The old Mission Statement: “Helping Kids Stay in School and Prepare For Life.”
The new Mission Statement: “Empowering Students to Stay in School and Prepare For Life.”
Locally, we have a new Executive Director who I’m sure will raise the bar and do some amazing things for the organization! And, last but not least….for now….we are a little over a month away from the Second Annual Dancing with the Lee County Stars event! August 13 — Dennis A Wicker Civic Center! Visit our website at www.dancingwiththeleecountystars.com for more info!
It was a great three years and I am extremely proud of what we all accomplished together — but there are so many wonderful things on the horizon that I know it will be just a drop in the bucket of great memories associated with CIS!
Oh, and by the way – if you ever get the opportunity to be a part of the LEEdership Sanford program, I highly recommend it! If all you get out of it is the friends you make, it is so well worth it!
Kim's Thoughts 
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