my thoughts on Warren Buffet (edited: Ha! I'll spell his name correctly: Buffett!)

Lunch, yesterday, was for real a blast. A few observations:

• The Omaha Chamber of Commerce is a really impressive, tightly knit group of people who take their networking seriously. I saw so many cards passed and sincere collaboration ideas shared. It was just entertaining to sit and watch these interactions unfold.
• Chamber people are classy people. There were 2500 people at this luncheon (I know!) and everyone was wearing dark suits with new haircuts, good makeup and nice watches (you can sort out which gender each of those comments pair up with.)
• Networking is everyone's top priority. Our table was super conversational and in the end of the meal we each had nine new contacts. At our table we had the head fundraiser for Omaha Salvation Army, the director of sales for KGBI (a local Christian radio station), a man who hosts a Saturday evening local Omaha television show on NBC, an attorney, and the woman who runs the young entrepreneurs arm of the Omaha Chamber.
• I'm pretty sure a memo was sent out before the event, warning people not to drink their water during the meal. I didn't get this memo. I drank my water and then another glass. And then I sat for the next 90 minutes, marveling at how no one else at the table touched their water, and wondering how they knew better than to drink it. And then I sat and marveled at how distracting a full bladder is.

Warren Buffet interviewed Hank Paulson, the Treasury Secretary for President Bush. It was very casual, two leather chairs up front with them basically having a conversation about what went wrong and why our economy is in its current state. It was interesting, but its so hard to know the truth when everyone has a different spin on the same story. And it's hard to concentrate when so much of your energy is plotting your path to the bathroom as soon as these two guys wrap it up.

But it was a great experience for sure. I love networking and this kind of event is every extroverts dream gathering.

our superbowl

Sunday came around, and it was time to stop going places. Do you ever just hit that wall? I have been in and out all month, and I just wanted time in my own livingroom. So we cancelled our superbowl plans, and decided to lay low.

We watched the game and commercials, after we tivo'd an hour or so, allowing us to skip through the many car and cbs commercials.

At some point during the game the multi-taskers in us took over, and I made sugar cookies and Rory built a battery-free radio. I was happily mixing my dough and Rory was happily coiling wire. By the time the Saints won, we feasted on cookies and milk and listened to the talk radio station Rory found on his little radio. He kept saying, "lick your fingers and then stick this wire between them and then you'll hear the station." No clue how that actually works, but it sure was cool.

lunch with mr. omaha

Mr. Warren Buffett is speaking at a luncheon that Rory got tickets for as a member of the Omaha chamber of commerce. I'm taking a half day vacation and am ready to learn the secrets of making millions. :)

I told this to my sister last night on the phone and her husband Jedd yelled from the other room,"I can tell you the secret of being a millionaire. First, you just have to find yourself a million dollars and then it's easy from there..."

We'll go see if we can learn something about "finding" that million dollars. I'll be back later today with what I learned...

ice fishing

I sat next to a woman on my flight to Minneapolis (layover to Arizona) who moved to Omaha in June from India. She and her husband met on the internet, and she talked of what a blessing it was to find him because he was from the same region in India and from the same caste and their parents were very pleased with the match. Now she is in Omaha and she talked about being homesick and lonesome. She is a cricket coach for an Indian team and was travelling on to London for three months where they would be in training. But she wouldn't be able to go home.

We flew to Minneapolis and I explained that I could see my parents house if we took a certain flight pattern and that I, too, feel homesick sometimes. We were looking out the window, a ways out from the cities when I pointed out all of the ice houses on the lakes.

I have never had the honor of explaining ice fishing to someone who has never heard of this sport before. I explained how you drill through the ice to make your hole, how people sit in their little ice houses for hours, how many are heated and some even have televisions. Her eyes were as big as saucers, and the whole concept did seem quite strange as I kept explaining this winter phenomenon.

Then, a few days ago, I got an email from my good college friend, Erik, who is the quintessential Minnesota outdoor enthusiast. He hunts, fishes, snowmobiles, and I think he even spear fishes... Anyway, he sent me a link to a ice fishing competition he and his family fished in this past weekend. Over 20,000 holes are drilled on a lake in Brainerd, Minnesota and the biggest fish wins $150,000! I read the articles about this tournament and suddenly felt my eyes as big as saucers like my new Indian friend. You can read more about the tournament here. The picture below is lots and lots of people standing on blue ice and white snow...

passing on the faith

We are right in the middle of 'Believing God' and I am, once again, learning so much. But for me the coolest thing about the study this time around is getting to do this Bible Study with my mom and my grandma. Not to mention the women from all different parts of my life who have also joined in this online study. It is a sweet community, and I am grateful.

When I was in Mesa, I found this list taped to my grandma's bathroom mirror. It's the five statements that the study is based upon, and part of the study is to memorize them. I saw them taped on her mirror, in her handwriting, and in that moment realized what a true treasure this opportunity truly is... to get to study and learn God's Word with my grandma. My heart overflows with thanksgiving for this sweet 10 weeks of growing in faith with her, and for her strong example to never stop learning God's commands and to always follow Jesus.