Life's Lessons but Don't Forget to Laugh!

Its been a couple months since I have taken some time to sit down and writing personally.  And boy does time fly!  In the little over two months since my last posting, We have Celebrated Christmas, New Years, I have made 2 trips back to Montana, one of those surprising everyone for my grandmother's 90th Birthday,  had a good friend come visit, and moved to a new home.

Yup I've been busy.  But keeping busy is good for the mind.  As I sat here trying to write today, my focus kept taking me other places.. Dishes, Laundry, projects around the house, and than I stumbled upon this shared by friend:

• Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
• When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
• Follow the three R's:  1. Respect for self; 2. Respect for others; 3. Responsibility for all your actions.
• Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
• Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
• Don't let the little disputes injure a great friendship.
• When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
• Spend some time alone every day.
• Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
• Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
• Live a good, honorable life.  Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
• A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
• In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
• Share your knowledge.  It's a way to achieve immortality.
• Be gentle with the Earth.
• Once a year, go somewhere you've never been before.
• Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
• Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

~ Dalai Lama

If I could add just one thing to this list it would be:

• Remember to laugh at least once EVERY Day!!

I think this list kinda sums up where I want to be in life. Maybe for you too.  I hope I am well on my way along this life path of what is truly important.  I want it to be a great reminder of what is important in life.  Friends, Family, Self Respect, and Treating Other's as You Would Like to be Treated...

As for your laugh today... Enjoy!

Outtakes from the Carol Burnett Show

Its Time to Do More Than Just Point Fingers!!

IT as been sometime since I posted, and honestly I had no intention of chiming in on the conversation following the terrible tragedy in Connecticut.   Families there have barely had time to grieve and we are already pointing fingers at one another for who is to blame.  I have tried to stay positive and believe that this act of evil does not out weigh the goodness that is in most people in this world.  

However the constant bombardment of postings is just too much for me to keep quiet about.  I am sure I will offend, upset and perhaps even be "unfriended" or "unfollowed" by the end of this blog, but saying everyone needs to carry a gun, arm our teacher's and even the most ridiculous of allowing kids to bring weapons to protect themselves is just absurd.  In the same sense blaming video games, movies,    or the abominable snowman or whatever the scapegoat is this specific day, are the cause of this evil that one individual chose to carry out.  

Do I believe we have a gun problem in the United States?  Yes!! As someone who grew up in Montana, I understand the right to bear arms.  I personally own a couple guns. But owning a firearm also comes with certain responsibility.  Just like in everything else Education is key in teaching gun safety.  I also believe that this right requires knowing and assuring they are kept locked and out of the wrong hands.   As much as I respect everyone's right to own a weapon, I draw the line at any civilian ever needing an assault rifle.  There is not one good reason you can give me why anyone under God's green grace needs to have one of these in their possession. 

Many have claimed that video games and movies give kids these ideas, and desensitizes them to violence and the understanding that dead is dead!!  Once again I throw this reasoning out the window.  A normal person knows the difference between right an wrong, and blaming these for the epidemic that seems to be sweeping our nation is just wrong.

I do think we all have a part and a responsibility in making sure tragedies like what happened last Friday never happen again.   How do we do that?  By stopping pointing fingers and actually doing something!!

I believe the media needs to stop airing every second of these types of events.  Giving this much attention to evil only attracts more evil.  Yes as much as we all want to know details, rushing to be the first with the story, even if it means printing  inaccurate details does nothing to help the situation.   During this tragedy in Connecticut, I made an active choice NOT to watch any coverage on TV.  While I read stories, and saw pictures, I wasn't overwhelmed with images, music and a production on someones worst day.  We have families that are just starting to bury their loved ones.  There is no need to run these stories of these poor families in their worst time.  Let them grieve in private!!  

If you own firearms, not only do you make sure yours are secure, but how about volunteering in teaching gun safety or donating some gun locks to your local law enforcement agency to help distribute.  How about working positively in making sure EVERY firearm in the U.S. is registered and does not fall into the wrong hands.  

If you think video games and violent movies are the downfall of a generation, how about becoming a volunteer at a youth center, or become a big brother or sister.  Lets help mentor the next generation and get them active and motivated in something that truly will benefit our community.

We have a serious issue of mental health in this country.  Yes this time of year around the holidays, always seems to increase depression.  That in conjunction with a bad economy with so many people facing hard times elevates it even more.

The word Obamacare stirs raw emotion in this country, and I do not want to go down that road, however somehow, someway we need to make it easier and more accessible for folks who need help to get help!!

As I try to wrap this up, I really hope you take a look at what you say, or post.  Instead of just passing on some easily shared picture, get involved and become part of the solution.  Show some compassion for your fellow being and lets work together to solve problems.  Despite whatever differences we all may have, we need to figure out how to get along and live in harmony.  

 I leave you with Matthew 25: 40  "The King will reply 'Truly I tell you , whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'

How Well Are YOU Connected?

I started my day like most, opening my computer, checking the news and firing up a few of the many Social Media accounts I have. I have a pattern of  looking to check if it's anyone's Birthday.  (Thank You Facebook for this!  It makes not forgetting someone very manageable.) As it turns out, it happened to be a friend and peer from Montana's Birthday!   I took a couple moments to wish her a Happy Birthday.

Needless to say, I was the one who got a smile when a little later in the morning, I received a message back thanking me, but also figuring I would have "Tweeted" her Birthday Wish.  Well not to let someone be disappointed,  I had to oblige, but I wanted to be an overachiever... I decided to see how many "Platforms" we were friends on, that could share her Birthday wishes.

My lunch hour was spent thinking of the many platforms we were connected on.  Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Linkedin, Skype, YouTube, Klout.  I had hit seven!  Success right?  Wrong!


One more little message had me looking again.  In a day of connections using social media, I had forgotten some very simple easy connections.  EMAIL!! So, messages were sent than to both personal and work email accounts.  Lets not forget  texting!


In a day where we have so many options to communicate with friends and family is it strange the most obvious option, of just picking up the phone was overlooked?    Well, not if you know me.   Those of you who know me, know how much I dislike actually talking on the phone so I could have "called" her cell, home, and work, but, ya that's not gonna happen.

We also found a  couple more options!  Yay for Google Voice and Google Talk!  As I chatted with Tanja a bit more, I found it funny, when she commented I may have more ways of communicating with her, than her husband.

The Moral of the story, In an age where we are only a click away from someone, don't overlook the simple options of keeping in contact.  Whether a simple phone call, text message or a unique YouTube video, take a moment and make someone else smile!

And Tanja, for the record, and tally I hit Ten!! Wait with this Blog all about you we're at Eleven, and when I share it with Facebook, Twitter, Google +, HeHe ..... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! 

The End of a Family Line

I am going to start off and premise this blog, in stating that this one really has more of a thought cleansing for me.  There is no real lesson learned at this moment.  Just me, working through something in my life.

This morning I woke up to the news of a family member's passing back home. He was beloved by the community and over the years he was given the nickname of "Mayor of Park City."  I was saddened to hear of his passing, and have many fond memories of Darrell over the years from the early days of smoking fish with him and Uncle Pete, to many memories including the Fire Dept.

Yet the thing that struck me to the heart was the context of the comment that informed me of this news.  The message went on to say... "Sad! End of that family line."    Darrell like me had never married, never had any children of his own.  His  only siblings passed away when they were only infants.  Yes, Darrell was the end of that line of the Franks.

This really had me thinking today about my own mortality.   Even though I have a wonderful sister and three precious nieces, I too am the last Frank male in my family line.  Will this be the same comment that will be said about me when I pass away?  This has really bothered me all day.

I did not choose to be single this long in my life. I did not choose this journey in which life has taken me.  Yet it is the life I have, and for the most parts, I would not change the journey I have taken.  I have had some wonderful experiences in my lifetime and through being a youth leader, Sunday School teacher, and even subbing in the schools, have always felt like I have kids of my own.  In fact I still enjoy the conversations when a some of my former youth students who are now adults, with families of their own, call me or we chat to catch up.

Today hit me a little hard, and I know this will pass in time, yet today I do not want to be just a memory.  Just as I have wonderful memories of my grandparents, and family stories passed down over the years, I want to be part of those stories for future generations of our family.


This is also reason for us to remember:  Love your Family while they are here.  Not only when they are gone!  We cannot turn back the hands of time.  Live Today with no regrets, as tomorrow is not promised.

Darrell may be gone, however he had a much bigger family in the community of Park City. I hope the memories of him, as part of the Park City Family will live on for generations.

San Fran....A Sibling Get Together...

With Many Hidden Extra's!

My sister will be the first to agree that we were not the closest growing up.  Sometimes as we sit back now and talk about our childhoods, it almost seems we grew up in two different worlds.  However, as we have aged, we truly have become close and I love the relationship I now have with my sister.

When I was back in Montana this summer, we came up with this novel plan of a little get away and to take in a baseball game.  After checking schedules, and dates available, it was settled.  San Francisco was the destination.

We both flew in of a Thursday evening, and after meeting up at the airport in Oakland, we took on the Bay Area Rapid Transit System to find our ways into Downtown San Francisco and our Hotel.  Well this is where Extra #1 occurred.  We had decided to share a room.  Well there was a mix-up and that room had just one bed.  There were no extra rooms available at the hotel we were at or in the area, so a little nest I made on the floor for 3 days...

After we got settled, we decided we needed to grab something to eat, so we headed down to this recommended steakhouse.  As we checked it out, the little Irish Pub Bar sounded like a much better option.  I am so glad we did.  After eating, we were sitting there having a beer when in comes this group all dressed in U.S.A.  athlete outfits.  I mean wrestling singlets, Boxing Trunks, Swim speedo's, and Gymnast gear.

After a few minutes and of course my sister's outgoing personality we learned that these were the San Diego Padre Rookies and as part of their "Initiation" they were out on the town.  Seems when they got back to their lockers, their suits were gone and these outfits were in their place.  We had a blast talking and laughing with several of them for a good part of the evening.. For the highlight story of that night tho you better ask my sister.

Friday morning we got up early and had a plan of sites we wanted to see.  As we headed to Powell St. to catch the Cable Car Trolley, we realized we weren't gonna get on one of these anytime soon.  Shawna and I decided our best plan was to start hiking it up over the hill and hopefully catch one a little less full along the way.  No such luck, but it was a great way to see a great part of the city as we made it up and down the streets of SF on our way to Fisherman's wharf.


As we started along the waterfront, our first stop was the U.S.S. Pampanito and U.S.S. Jeremiah.  Aboard Jeremiah we had a great viewpoint as the Space Shuttle Endeavor circled the bay area giving everyone a glimpse.. WOW  a piece of history witnessed.   As we continued along the waterfront we took a cruise of the harbor getting to see up close both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge.  Good call Cody!  We took a trip through the wax museum, Pier 39 shops, including seeing Jeff Barnes from the Oakland Raiders signing autographs, and the Aquarium along the way as we ventured closer and closer to AT&T Park for the Giants game.

And what a Giants game to attend!  We saw them honor both past and the most current 2012 Olympians including Swimmer Nathan Adrian and Women's Water Polo Gold Winning Scorer Carli Lloyd.  Along with that, we also witnessed Buster Posey winning the Willie Mac award. The Giants won the game, and the following night they clinched post season.  What a night to witness.

Saturday we decided to take it a little easier.  A cab ride took us to Lombard Street to start our day.   This little windy one block is known as the "crooked street in the world."  From there we ventured down the hill where we just stumbled upon the Maritime park.  It was a much more low key and slower paced than Friday was.  The only real place we had to be on time... Alcatraz.

I gotta say, I don't think any trip to San Francisco should be complete without going onshore at the "Rock"  I was amazed as I walked about the island and through the cell block listening to the audio tour from both former inmates and guards as they told the stories of Alcatraz.  But our unexpected surprises didn't end there.  Aboard our cruise boat taking us over to the island were a bunch of folks all dressed the same in basketball warmup gear.  As it turns out, they were part of the 1 on 1 "King of the Rock" basketball tourney that would be played there that evening.  Within the crew filming was a fellow Montanan who was missing Bobcat Homecoming along with me...

As we finally got back to the mainland, we ventured back to the hotel, cleaned up a bit before venturing down the block to try some different cuisine.. On the menu was Moroccan, Belly Dancers included!

It truly was a great couple days.  Sharing my first taste of San Fran with  my sister will be a memory I will always hold close.  It was such a fun little trip, and I can't wait for the next Sibling Adventure!!

Oh Alaska State Fair How I Miss Thee

The Alaska State Fair kicked off  Thursday August 23rd.  For those of you who may not know, this has been my home away from home the past few years for 3 weeks at the end of August, first part of September.  For me, not being there this year is just another of the many  changes in my life this past year.

Although I am not there, Alaska State Fair is still a big part of my life. I have made some very good friends both because of and within the Alaska State Fair. Along with that, I have friends that have once again traveled up there for this years fair.

All of this got me thinking about the Fair.  The fair was a lot of hard work, long hours, lack of sleep lots of cool wet weather, but of course there are some great things I will miss this year...There is a real uniqueness to the ASF in comparison to other fairs I have attended.

People - Over the past few years I have made some very good friends in Alaska.  Many with the help of Social Media now make it easy to keep in contact with them all year long.  This includes folks from Montana, Washington, and Oregon who traveled up with me as part of the supervisory team, Staff of the Alaska State Fair that I worked side by side with,  and those I had the privilege of supervising over the years.  They truly have become my "ASF Kids!"

Food - Fair food takes on a whole new meaning in Alaska... Yes there are a few of the common fair food vendors, but the local homegrown specialty food items far out number them, and oh the flavors and smells.  A few of my favorites include the bread bowl soups, loaded potato, fresh salmon salad, glacier pizza, loaded local version of the philly steak, and the nacho's muchos.

The Location -  I don't know of another fair location that is surrounded by such beauty.  ASF sits right in the heart of the MAT-SU Valley.  Beautiful mountains surround the valley and even a glacier can be seen close by.  One of the traditions every year wqas seeing how quickly summer would end and fall would arrive during the fair, capped off with what the locals call "termination dust" (first snow) atop one of the mountains.

The Entertainment -  It has amazed me over the years to see some of the entertainment that ASF has attracted.  My job during the fair really didn't allow me to take many of the shows in however I was able to slip away at least a couple times each year to catch bits and pieces of some great shows including Rodney Atkins, Kenny Rogers, Colbie Caillat, and Garrison Keillor.

 The Gardens - Each year I have been amazed at the flowers and gardens around the ASF grounds.  Not only because of thinking that this is Alaska, and they would not have such a growing season for such beauty, but also the time and care they put into all of them. Each year they all have a theme.  I have never seen such beauty and colors as each of these are transformed each year. This years theme is full of blues, like the ocean with plants in the form of seals.     Along with gardens are the half whiskey barrels all over the grounds.  There is an entire crew who early each morning makes the rounds watering and caring for all of them.

The Vegetable Displays -  Home of the giant cabbage and pumpkins!!  Even with a very short growing season, they grow some amazing vegetables because of the very long days of sunlight during that summer.  Besides the cabbages and pumpkins, there is a huge botany  display that I always tried to grab a glance at.

Our Bunks

The Accommodations - No list would be complete in talking about our annual trip if I didn't mention where we stayed.  The last couple years I worked the fair, summers were so busy, I joked I saved all my camping for 1 - three week camping trip.  The entire experience is something that reminds me of church camp.  Old trailers that had been converted into bunkhouses.  We also had the "Clubhouse" which served as our kitchen, laundry room, and shower house.

One of the Unique Booths at AS

The fair is truly an amazing place.  The People, the booths, everything is unique about Alaska State Fair.  I Strongly suggest following their Alaska State Fair Facebook Page, and if you ever get to Palmer at the end of summer take in the ASF!!

Everyone is Replaceable... Or are We???

I've heard it time and time again, "Anyone can be Replaced!"  With the field I work in, we build plans so that if something happens to one person, someone else can step in and things continue.  I totally understand the concept on continuity in business and government.  In fact I believe as a concept it is crucial for emergency situations.  Certain things need to be done to restore and put in place life safety measures.  It it also imperative for public trust in their local leaders that everything will be Okay.  Having plans in order to help pick up the pieces and continue on I think, as a process is important, but I think we overlook the personal side.

We have become so focused on the almighty dollar, I think we forget how much some folks do in boosting moral and actually caring for the folks they are in charge  of.  Personally, this is something I hope I can always keep in perspective.  From the early days as the Fire Chief, to later days as a supervisor and manager, I always have held the philosophy that I would never ask someone to do something I was not willing to do myself.  When I was subbing in the schools, I saw this on a day in and day out basis of teachers who were tremendous mentors of the next generation, giving selfishly of themselves and connecting with students like none other.  I think we all can relate to this.  We all have one or two favorite teachers from our pasts that hold a special place in our lives.

Fairgrounds at Alaska State Fair

Bobcat Stadium

So why in a day when the majority of society is living paycheck to paycheck, do we work so hard to minimize the importance and uniqueness we each bring to the table?  As many of you know, and that is how we became friends, I worked for a company doing staffing at events
in the Billings, Wyoming and Alaska area part time.  I started doing this on a whim for a friend who was short
staff one year for the N.I.LE..  I said "no" I can't even remember how many times before I finally agreed to help out.  Needless to say a little over three years later that one time event became a part time position that  had taken me places, allowed me to see entertainers I would have never imagined or spent money on, but there was more to it.  I liked who I was working for, and I liked who I worked with.  We became a little family.  Just like my days on the Fire Department, we learned who we could count on when we needed help. This was not only while we were working an event, but in everyday life. The long hours and days involved in working some of the events all paid off knowing we had done a good job.  Not only was the person we worked for appreciative, we knew the client was also satisfied.

The Midway at one of the fairs

Kenny Rogers Performing at Alaska State Fair

Things changed the first of December last year, and new management was brought in.  I was included in this, at first but realized I could not fill the shoes of the person I was asked to.  Let alone the fun was gone. It now was just a job, and my family was still fractured.  As much as I was relying on the income from this job, I knew it was not worth the headaches and stepped away.  Looking back it was the best decision I could have made.  As I look from the outside in now, I see a crumbling empire failing.   Yes the corporation is bigger than one person, but the loyalty was to a person we cared for and considered a friend not the corporate headpiece a thousand miles away.


I think this is just another example of how little of an impact we place on having the right person in charge.  I think many overlook the human factor as they choose someone to manage or supervise within their organization. The right person can make or break it, and replacing someone can have long term consequences that far outweigh any small issue that might lead in replacing key management.    We are all human, and want to feel like we belong and are part of something we believe in and are proud of.  There must be a personal connection.

So yes everyone can be replaced, however no ONE is replaceable!