Connected by Destiny

On the 243rd Day of 1998, Sarah Jayne Walters came to the University of Pennsylvania, to move in early for her Pre-Orientation program.  And, as she was in 3401 Walnut Street to get her ID Card, we were, for the first time, in the same place at the same time and we did not even know it.  Now on the 243rd Day of 2015 (8/31/15), I look back and I am so glad that she decided to come to Penn (thank goodness Penn Nursing was and is #1) so that our destiny (density if you are BTF fans) could be fulfilled.  On this day celebrating her birth, I cherish the connection that we have and the connections that are to come.  Happy Birthday, Sarah. <3 <3 <3!

Discerning Connections

Sunday 8/30/15 started off as many Sundays do, with Church.  And, on the 242nd (PALINDROME, no wonder the day was so great - and we passed 55855 in  the van!) day of 2015 we were treated to another wonderful message from a young member of our Church community.  Pastor Michael sent us an e-Psitle a few weeks ago about how encouraging it is to have so many of our younger members interested in the ministry.  And, it's true, it's fun to be connected on Facebook and see Emily at her Ordination and to wish Margaret best of luck as she starts Seminary.  And then, these past two weeks, we have been able to hear how Ian and John have connected their interests and dreams into a potential career in ministry as well.  And then I found this quote which does not have only a religious implication.  John's message, to me, can connect well to this quote, as well as the discernment that goes on when a person decides to add religious education to their lives.  BUT, it also applies to every day life.  Trying to connect to this quote and trying to determine and discern what is truly right - it's hard but very necessary!

Couples Connection

Sarah's Birthday Weekend continued on the 241st Day of 2015.  On 8/29/15, we dined out with good friends, trying a new restaurant (for us) because of a gift card I had received.  Meanwhile, our kids were the babysitters of their kids.  It is great to have connections with couples where we can discuss everything: kids, jobs, worries, joys - great food, great friends, great conversation, great evening with great connections.

Rivershark Connection

Day #240 of 2015 was (mostly) a very happy day.  It WAS the last day for a co-worker at SRFS, but, other than that, 8/28/15 was a great, productive day at the ol' job.  Then we went to the Camden Riversharks game, where Alexa and Anna got to throw out the first pitch, one of the girls' friends was chosen to do the trivia question in between innings, they all got to run the bases, and there were fireworks.  As Sarah said on her page, a great way to kickoff her birthday weekend.  And the Riversharks are such a fun place to go.  I like the way they connect with the fans to make the experiences fun for all.  And, sitting there, in Campbell's field (my Mom used to work at Campbell's Soup, in Camden) and looking over Left Field at the Ben Franklin Bridge (my Mom's favorite bridge), how could I not help but feel connected to my Mom as well.  A Great Night!

Connections Moving on Up!

Although 8/27/15 was not the last day for my team-member colleague, we celebrated her on the 239th day of 2015.  She is truly moving on up to a bigger and better position and I am very happy for her.  I will miss working with her and I will miss the connection we had in the office, often sharing the same humor at interesting situations.  But I am hoping that, as with many of my other colleagues, our connection will stay in force, and she will still be someone who I can reach out to, when I have those strange questions that only she can answer.  People do come and go (as I stated earlier in my daily observations), but hopefully the connections can live on.

The Dog (Connections) Days of Summer

There was another outdoor event on Penn's campus on the 238th day of 2015.  8/26/15 was the night of the President's Sophomore/Junior picnic on Wynn Commons.  It was a beautiful day in August, even during the dog days of Summer.  Speaking of dogs, it is National Dog Day and here is a picture of my lovely dog Skylar, in repose (a rarity).  I love my dog and she and I have a connection in that she knows when I am sad and always cheers me up.  She also has an uncanny ability to know when I have treats!  She got her special treat from Sarah and the girls tonight - a Mr. Softee vanilla cone! Happy Dog Day, Skylar!

Red and Blue Connections

The 237th Day of 2015 brought me one of my favorite campus events.  8/25/15 was, I think, the earliest Convocation dates in my memory (if not ever) and the weather was perfect.  As I sat in my usual seat, with the Band, I felt connected to the many classes that had sat before us in previous years.  I felt connected to my colleagues and friends who both volunteered to make the event come off without a hitch, as well as my friends on the stage with the Academic Procession.  I love Convocation and the way it kicks off the start of the new academic year - I wish all my student contacts the best of luck in all of their classes this year - here we go!

NSO Connections

The 236th Day of 2015 was a great one.  On my lunch break on 8/24/15, I got to sit at the Concierge Desk of the Franklin Building and welcome new students who were coming to pay their bill or talk to a counselor about loans or scholarships, or looking for the Payroll office, or picking up a refund. NSO is one of my favorite times of the year! Connections being made by the students to Penn, to their classmates, and welcoming them to the campus I love is one of my favorite pastimes.  GO QUAKERS!

Flashback Connections

8/23/15 was the 235th day of 2015.  It was a really nice Summer Sunday spent at Church, a Temple soccer game, and a family and friend movie excursion.  But what kept coming into my mind were flashbacks to times gone by.....it's amazing the connections that one's memory can make.  As we were driving to Temple's Ambler campus, we passed by the site of my nursery school, Walnut Center, which has now been razed for development on Drexel's campus.  I remembered back to Mrs. Bacon's (yes, related to Kevin) classroom, where she let me read to the other kids in the class.  At 4, that was pretty special.  And we passed by the site where I proposed to Sarah, a parking lot on Penn's campus, but a lot no longer as the Perry World House is being built there.  And then we passed by the site of the Wharton Sinkler Conference Center, a place at which I spent many a summer weekend evening, working weddings and other special events, as we did, "I Want To Dance with Somebody" was playing on 80's on 8....a song I remember playing while dancing around the Sinkler Kitchen with Nora Jackson, our chef.  And then we arrived on Ambler's Campus, and my mind was back to the department picnics my dad used to take us to, when he worked at Temple, and the fun times and softball games that happened there.  All these things were in the recesses of my mind and it is amazing the connections that can be made when passing a place where wonderful things occurred.

Chillin' and Connecting

The 234th day of 2105 was a welcome respite in many ways.  We actually had nowhere to be on 8/22/15, so we hung around the house, completed a few errands, started the cleanout of the Snack Stand, but spent a lot of time at home, relaxing.  And chilling and relaxing in the backyard with friends, s'mores, connections, and fun......a good way to start the weekend!

The Most Important Connection

8/21/15, the 233rd day of 2015, ended a very long and tiring week.  Got home feeling exhausted and kinda miserable.  Spent the night with the family.  Connected greatly in the most important ways. Ate dinner together, watched baseball together, laughed together, sang together.....together with family.  The best!

Still More Cousin Connections (NJ side this time)

Another palindromic day (#232) in 2015, 8/20/15, and after another demo day at work, we came home and had dinner at my Brother and Sister In-Law's house.  A send off for my beautiful niece who is heading back to Penn State for her Junior Year of College.  And the girls just loved watching her making the decorations for her off-campus apartment.  The connections that my daughters have with her are so valuable to me.  She is a wonderful role model for them and a wonderful, beautiful, smart kid.....we will look forward to seeing her at Thanksgiving and count the days until Winter Break when we can hang out with her again!

Connecting for a Successful Plan Execution

On the 231st day of 2015, 8/19/15, was a big vendor demo for my project at work.  And there were a LOT of moving parts.  And, as I sat, watching the demo, in a room filled with my colleagues, I marveled over the number of connections that ended up making this a successful event.  Current colleagues, past colleagues from Nursing, vendor colleagues, campus caterers - all connections I have and that I had to employ to ensure it all went well.  And it DID!  Hoping tomorrow is more of the same success!

Band Parent Connections

8/18/15 - Day #230 of 2015 - 818 is a palindrome - day has to be great, right?  RIGHT!  Walking across campus heading to a meeting and who do I run into, a Penn Band member moving in for the year with her parents.  I love connecting with band parents.  Band parents rule!  And especially today, as I ran in to one of the nicest, funniest sets of parents I have ever experienced in the Band.  Freshman Move-In is tomorrow and, with it, the chance to recruit MORE band members, and MORE BAND PARENTS!

BTS Connections

8/17/15, the 229th day of 2015, and the Penn Campus is abuzz with back to school event planning. And my Facebook news feed was abuzz with first day of school pics from family and friends.  And, even though my kids have about two more weeks to go, they went School Supply Shopping tonight and they are all ready to go for the Fall.  Back to School connects us all - on campus, at home, on FB.... it's going to be a great year!

Connections in the Family Van

So we did it again on the 228th day of 2015.  On 8/16/15, the Sherr Family packed up into a vehicle and, once again in the Summer of 2015, drove a long distance together.  We connect well in the car, the Sherr family does.  We laugh, we sing, we listen to movies (OK, the kids watch the movies and we listen from the front).  Family connections that are strengthened ... as long as the traffic is not bad :-).

The Best Kind of Connections (8/15)

Day #227 of 2015 and 8/15/15 was spent in the best ways - with friends and family having fun! Rockets, swimming, listening to rain on a screened in porch, anniversary dinner, playing games, laughter, friendship, love.....who could ask for better connections than that! Feeling Blessed!!

Gaming Connections

8/14/15 was Day #226 of 2015 and was a really nice day.  A day off for all of us as we made our annual trek to NH to see friends.  And after an awesome dinner (and the largest "kiddie" sized ice cream in the world), we played a game together, both families.  And we connected via the game and had fun and laughed and it was awesome.  Fun Times!

Teaching Connections

Ahhhhh, the 225th day (8/13/15) of 2015 was the annual "who'd your kids get?" posting on Facebook as our community's school's parent portal went live with the student class assignments for 2015-2016. As my kids are in the 6th (one class this year in the school) and 8th (know who the Junior High teachers are) grades this year, I did not get as excited as many of my neighbors.  But I DID love watching their excitement as <kid #1> got <awesome teacher> for the 2nd grade and <kid #2> got <amazing teacher> for the 5th grade.  It made me smile and it made me think of the connections my kids have had with the great teachers of Oaklyn Public School.  This will be our 9th year in the school, 7th year with BOTH kids in the school and, honestly, we have never had a dud teacher.  Each teacher has assisted in the development of both of our kids and our kids have thrived under their care I know our school is small and does not always have the resources of the larger schools in the area, but the MAIN resource is a group of caring, amazing, hard-working teachers...and that what this school DEFINITELY has.  I love their connecting attitudes and I am glad that I and my kids are connected to them.

Extroverted Connections

I often say that, once I return from my late July/early August vacation, Summer is, basically, over. And today, on the 224th day of 2015 there was a LOT of focus on the Fall.  Our project team, on 8/12/15, was focused on the milestones for our Fall rollout.  And I saw the hordes of RAs and GAs on campus for their training.  And then, to cap the evening off, I gave an MBTI lecture for PennQuest training.  And of course, as an extrovert, it filled me with energy and joy to meet these new student leaders and talk to them for an hour, make the connections and help them see how they can work their personality preferences to maximize THEIR connections as well.  And I saw a participant from last year with whom I connected, and it was fun!

Student Employment Connections

8/11/15 was the 223rd day of 2015.  It was a long day at work, but it was a good day at work, and I reflected on how I got my start at Penn, as a Student Employee.  That Work Study grew into a job and that job grew into a Career.  And I still have so many of my connections with student employees I have had of my own, throughout my career.  From Dining, from Nursing, and hopefully I will get some at SRFS :-).  The best part about these connections is seeing how well developed THEIR careers have been, from starting a non-profit car-share in Philly, to being one of Philadelphia's top lawyers, to a former-student who has become one of my best friends, to a former-student who invited me to her wedding, to a former-student returning to work at Penn (and I am having lunch with her tomorrow!)  But my FAVORITE moment was today, when stuck in a tech-oops situation, I could pick up the phone and call one of my former employees who is now an IT Director at Penn and - BOOM - problem solved. You can never have too many connections and I am glad that so many of my former employees are still connected to me!

Relaxed Connections

The 222nd Day of 2015 (8/10/15) was a palindromic day (and, on cue, a palindromic post was made on my timeline.... woot!)  And the work day was the kind you would expect on one's first day back from vacation (sigh!), but the evening was awesome.  Dinner with my wife, watching the Phillies, working on our PTA project, just the two of us...nice to connect and spend some time together...in a relaxed evening.

Connecting People

8/9/2015 - Day #221 of 2015, and a really wonderful day spent at a bucolic cottage with family at a reunion.  Family reunions are a fantastic opportunity to renew connections that you may not have made in at least a year (more for us since I think we have missed the last few of these!)  The best part for me was discussions with a bunch cousins that are all college or soon-to-be-college aged.  We discussed job search strategies, college choice strategies, and I even offered to make some connections at Penn for one of them.  I know I am not supposed to mix work and family times, but this was fun!

Driving Connections

Well, the 220th day of 2015 was another travel day as the Sherr Family, on 8/8/15, went from the Left Coast back home to the Right Coast.  And, as we returned the rental car,I thought about how vehicles connect us.  Not just the obvious connections: the commute from home to work; the bus or train or plane that takes us to our destinations.  I am also thinking about the connections that are made in these vehicles while on these trips.  The memories made while driving together as a family. Sometimes the arguments over the directions, sure, but let's put them aside and focus on the happier memories. :-)

Watery Connections

8/7/2015 was our last full day of our California Vacation.  And on the 219th day of 2015, I spent a lot of time thinking about water.  All week we have been seeing evidence of California's drought conditions.  But, today, we spent the afternoon visiting my Aunt Teddy and swam in her pool.  I always find it remarkable how good it feels to be weightless and to stretch and relax in a pool of water.  And, last night, it rained in parts of this area and it was neat to see my family and their friends be so excited.  It makes me think how much water means to the World and how water connects us all. I hope that it snows a lot in the mountains this Winter so my CA family and their neighbors can have the water they need!

Soundtrack Connections

So today, 8/6/15, the 218th day of 2015, found us at Waterworld.  Apparently this is Northern California's largest a best waterpark.  While Sarah and Abigail and the Cousins splashed around and rode the slides, I was happy to sit in my chaise lounge and relax, gazing up at the palm trees and the blue skies.....and I listened to the soundtrack of the park, playing (loudly) over the speaker system....I quickly noticed they were ALL songs I liked.  I was tapping my toes and singing along...under my breath and, at times, out loud!  As we were exiting, I asked the front gate staff who picks the soundtrack....the GM they replied.....is he 46 years old?.....Yup....BOOM...and I was musically connected to a guy my age who I have never met nor will I ever meet - but our tastes are from the same era and I felt connected to him even though I will never meet him.  Musical serendipity!!!!

Connected to Pixar

As many of you saw today on my FB feed, the highlight of the 217th day of 2015 was our trip to Pixar Studios.  On 8/5/15, we were blessed to get a tour from my cousin who works there (i.e. our connection).  The tour was not long (he apologized for the lack of rides - HA!), but it was neat and fun and I just felt a vibe of creativity and fun in the air.  I love Pixar, I have seen all of the full-length features and most of the shorts...and it was awesome to be connected to the Studios for just part of one day....

Unexpected Connections

8/4/2105, the 216th day of 2015, was filled with the unexpected.  And the connections did not stray from that path.  From a current bando finding a connection with a bando from 1986 (much to the delight of the Band Directors) to enjoying the random connections that liked our family photo shoot, I enjoyed seeing how connected we all are these days.  Facebook makes it easier to do this, obviously, but easy does not detract from the enjoyment of the unexpected.

Food Web = Connections Abound

Day #215 of 2015 = 8/3/15 = Day #2 (not counting travel days) of our vacation.  Love coming out to California every other year and seeing the different Bay Area sites.  Today was the Cal Academy of Science and we, of course, did the Planetarium show.  It was about Earth's habitat and the food web and how all species are connected to each other via this web.  And I smiled, and claimed that the Cal Academy had stolen my idea!  Who knew when Dr. Tkacs suggested connections as a theme to me when we had lunch back in September that it would be a theme from which I would find meaning all year???  Awesome!

Cousins Connection II

So, if you are a daily follower of my posts (and, if you are, thanks - and this post, BTW, is the 944th post overall, since 1/1/2013), you know that I posted about cousin connections on 7/3.  Well, again, today, almost a month later, on 8/2/2015 I am thinking about them again!  Here we are, on the 214th day of 2015, brother-sister-cousins, playing a fun game.  A Sherr Family Vacation tradition.  One I love.  So glad we can get the cousins together each year!!  In person is much more fun than FaceTime!

Traveling Connections II

A late post for the 213th day of 2015.  On 8/1/15 we set out on our journey from Oaklyn (NJ) to Oakland (CA).  And there are many obvious connections that one makes while travelling, the connecting flight (no issues other than delayed boarding), the connection to the rental car, after landing (also no issues), connections one can make while flying, sitting near to people one has never met, etc.  But I was also noticing, during our layover, how connections demand support.  We all (my family, but also other travelers) huddled around the outlets in the Phoenix airport, trying to charge our devices as much as we could before the next flight.  It's amazing how Not complaining, of course, since I love my devices, but it is something to think about....