Wednesday Hodgepodge Volume 353

It's Wednesday, time to Hodgepodge!  Check out Joyce's post here if you'd like to join in.

1.  The last place you visited/patronized where you felt like you were given 'the royal treatment'?

I'd have to say it was at Vic's commissioning.  He was on sea duty and the ceremony was to be on the ship.  We got in late the night before, checked into the hotel, and Vic had to leave before us in the morning.  We drove to the pier and from that moment on, Sophia and I were given the 'royal treatment' - a car was waiting to take us to the brow of the ship, we had an escort who was there to take care of anything we needed, everyone was so attentive and so welcoming.  I think they were so proud of Vic and what he had achieved and everyone was happy for him and us.  It was a magical day.

2.  The last task you completed that was a 'royal pain'?

Trying to get a handle on the filing - ugh, why don't I file things as they come in?.

3.  How have your strengths helped you succeed?  How have your faults hindered you?

I am super organized and I've achieved success in my career by being able to put my hand on anything my boss needs at a moment's notice.  It all comes down to having a system.  My fault is that I don't delegate as I should so I end up doing it all, all the time, often at the expense of working extra hours or weekends.  I don't mind, but I could make it easier on myself if I could learn to delegate.  I guess I don't feel that anyone else can do the job as well as I can and that's wrong because I'm not really giving them a chance, am I?.

4.  If you found a remote that could rewind, fast forward, stop and start time, what would you do with it?

I would rewind time to when my parents were both still alive.  There are so many questions I have now about my parents' lives that I didn't ask - family members I don't know very much about, what life was like for my parents when they were younger, and things about my childhood and my sister's childhood that are sort of blank areas.  The who, what, where, when, and why of many family photographs, that sort of thing.

5.  Any special plans for the Memorial Day weekend?  Will you in some way honor or recognize the meaning of this day (remembering people who did in service to their country)?  Have you ever been to Arlington National Cemetery?  Does your town do anything special to mark the day?

I'll remember my 4th grade crush, Jamie.  One day, someone from the office came into our classroom and took him away and we never saw him again.  His father had been killed in Vietnam.  I found his father's name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC when we visited and said a little prayer for him and his family.  We booked a tour of Arlington National Cemetery on another visit but we were in a tour bus and it was pouring with rain outside.  The windows were fogged with condensation and we really couldn't see anything.  I hope we can go back before we leave the East Coast.  As for local events, there will be ceremonies on all of the military bases in the area.

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

Did you watch?  Wasn't it fabulous?