As part of my “Professional Development” goals for this summer I enrolled in a one day (8:30 -5:00) PowerPoint class. Now….I am not a computer geek so this is not what I would consider to be a “good time”! I have had PowerPoint on my computer forever and I have messed around with it a few times, but…I really have had little reason to see what it can do.

One of the strong motivating factors in learning this particular software is a pending presentation that I volunteered (what was I thinking?) to give with my friend and colleague Ed Smith at the SCD seminar in October. There is nothing like a pending “opportunity” to motivate action. Sometimes we need a push to get us going.

I just returned from the class and I have to say it was really fun!! The teacher was excellent and I learned so many new things. I might even be able to teach my kids something. Okay…maybe not! Immediately after I got home from the class my daughter started quizzing me about what I learned. I think she may have taken the advanced class…HA!! Well, anyway…. I am very excited about my new found knowledge and I can’t wait to put it to good use. I can see many creative opportunities for this application in the future.

On a side note...If you have been wanting to learn something new (like ....drawing, floral design, watercolor, knitting, etc..) or if you need something to get those creative juices flowing, check into the community colleges in your area. They usually offer a wide range of art classes that are relaxed, inspiring and very educational!

I survived the 16 mile walk last weekend and I am off the hook for the 18 mile walk scheduled for this weekend because we are going camping!! I’m planning to hike in the woods on Saturday but I may be too busy eating smores! HA!

A lot of new things are happening at Deborah Spofford Designs; a new studio, a new web site, and a new logo. My logo was designed by an up and coming young woman named Katie Berggren. Katie is a talented illustrator and graphic designer. You can visit her web site at www.kmberggren.com. I met Katie at a meeting for women entrepreneurs. She made a presentation about her business and I was so impressed that I hired her to design my logo. You can find my logo at the top left corner of my web page frame. I sign my work with the initials djs (the j stands for Jean) and I add a swirl over the j instead of a dot…pretty original don’t you think! HA! So….when we were discussing ideas for a logo this seemed like a natural fit. Thanks Katie!!

I have had many “personal growth opportunities” this summer with my computer. I have learned more than I ever wanted to know about creating and maintaining a web site, I am taking a class to learn PowerPoint and Photoshop, and my newest “growth opportunity” is to learn a new email system. AAAHHHHH!!! What was wrong with the old system? I knew how to use it and I was perfectly content to use it forever! One of these days I think my head might explode from all of this new found knowledge! My daughter, Abbey, who is twelve, asked me why I was taking a class to learn PowerPoint. She said “Mom, I can teach you how to use PowerPoint; I use it all the time”. How did these kids got so far ahead of us? Well, the good news is that I have an “in house” tutor for my homework!

I think we need to celebrate our little accomplishments in life and this week I am celebrating. I successfully uploaded information to my web site ALL BY MYSELF!!

Have a good weekend everybody!

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