www.MackAcademy.com http://www.mackacademy.com/ica/blogs/mackacademy.nsf/ en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:42:57 -0700 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:42:57 -0700
My dad passed away in 1996, and it meant the world to me that people I had never met came forward to share their good experiences and memories of my father. They either did so by showing up at my mom's door, or by attending his service. After that experience, I realized that I wanted the families of those I know who died, always to know how special their loved one was to me. If I could not attend the service, I would try to send a card with a special story. So, it didn't take but a minute to decide to attend Mrs. Cothren's funeral.

[Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=memories-of-annabelle-cothren http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/memories-of-annabelle-cothren Kathy Kathy Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/memories-of-annabelle-cothren?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/memories-of-annabelle-cothren Providence seems to bring surprises at the most unexpected times.  On Wednesday, December 30, my daughters and I arrived in Modesto to visit my family for the New Year's weekend.  Upon my arrival, my sister handed me the local newspaper, folded open to the obituary page.  It seems my high school choir director had lived her last years not too terribly far from Modesto, and had just passed into Glory.  Her funeral was to be held the following day at the local cemetery.  

My dad passed away in 1996, and it meant the world to me that people I had never met came forward to share their good experiences and memories of my father.  They either did so by showing up at my mom's door, or by attending his service.  After that experience, I realized that I wanted the families of those I know who died,  always to know how special their loved one was to me.  If I could not attend the service, I would try to send a card with a special story.  So, it didn't take but a minute to decide to attend Mrs. Cothren's funeral.

Mrs. Cothren had no children, but was lovingly tended to by her nieces and nephews.  Their admiration for her was tremendous.  I was greeted by her family members and welcomed warmly into the group.  Her passing had only been advertised in the local paper prior to her service, so I was the only former student there.  I know my presence represented dozens and dozens of students who pay their respects to this delightful woman.

I was blessed to have Mrs. Cothren as my choir director for two years at North Salinas High School.  My freshman year (1974-1975) was spent in her Girls' Glee Club, and during my sophomore year I was in her Mixed Chorus.  At the end of the year, before her retirement, she advanced me to the Chorale Ensemble, which I would attend during my junior and senior years.

What did I learn from Mrs. Cothren?  Well, first and foremost, how to spell T - S - C - H - A - I - K - O -W -S - K - Y!   She treasured the great composers, and wanted to make sure we could identify them.  She turned the spelling of Tschaikowsy's name into a little sing-song, so we could remember it.  She introduced me to Jester Harriston's gospel music, which we had the great blessing to sing with the composer himself.  She made sure we knew the school hymn and fight song.

Mrs. Cothren was a physically beautiful woman - I learned at her funeral that she had been homecoming queen.  While I admired her poise and femininity as a student, I admired character after attending her funeral.  

I wasn't aware of her devotion to our Lord and to her family.  After her first husband died, she returned to her hometown in Kansas.  Each Christmas, she participated in a local college's performance of Handel's "Messiah."   Since the text of the "Messiah" is taken from the book of Isaiah, it was quite fitting that the pastor (her nephew) based her memorial message on this book.   She truly loved the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

Mrs. Cothren,  I haven't seen you in the 32 years since you retired from North Salinas High School, but I am thrilled to know that I will be seeing you again.  

ANNABELLE R. COTHREN APR 19, 1918 - DEC 27, 2009
Annabelle Cothren passed away into the presence of the Lord on Sunday, December 27 in Madera, California at the age of 91. She had resided in Fresno, then Madera for the past 10 years where she was attended to by her niece, Sarah Brannon. Annabelle was born on April 19, 1918 near Larned, Kansas. She was the first of four children born to Ira and Helen Raymer who were farmers. At a young age, she demonstrated great interest in music. Her mother purchased a piano for her 10th birthday, earning the money through the sale of chicken eggs. Annabelle rewarded her mom with a lifetime of commitment to piano and choral music. In 1936, Annabelle graduated from Zook High School near Larned, and then continued her education at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas where she majored in music. Prior to her graduation from Bethany in 1940, she was chosen Homecoming Queen during her senior year. In the early 40's, she moved to California to be near other family members, and resided in the town of Waterford. Here she began her teaching career that would ultimately lead her to Salinas where she taught choral music for many years at North Salinas High School. It was during this time that she led a high school choir ensemble to Washington, D.C. in 1970, this being one of the highlights of her career. Annabelle married Paul Cothren, who was head instructor of auto mechanics at Hartnell College, in Salinas. He passed away in 1983. Seven years later, she married Paul Peterson of Linsborg, Kansas and became a resident of her old college town until the passing of Mr. Peterson in 1999. It was at this time that her niece, Sarah Brannon, helped her re-locate to Fresno, California where she lived at Carrington Pointe assisted living until her move to Madera in 2006 where she was a resident at County Villa until her passing into Glory. In addition to her musical career, Annabelle enjoyed being a member of P.E.O. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church of Salinas for many years prior to her move to Lindsborg, Kansas in the 90's. She also enjoyed traveling and took trips to Japan, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Israel, and Egypt. Annabelle is survived by her niece, Sarah Brannon and her family of Madera, CA; niece, Marsha Quesnel and family of Nebraska and Washington; brother and sister-in-law, Marshall and Ellen Lewis of Empire, CA; stepdaughters Linnea Clinton and Mary Ann Johnston of Salinas, CA; and many other nieces and nephews. A viewing will be held Thursday, Dec. 31 between 12 noon and 1 p.m. at Lakewood Funeral Home in Hughson, California, located at 900 Santa Fe Avenue, 209-883-0411. A chapel service will follow at 1 p.m. Remembrances may be sent to The Gideons International, a mission's organization which Annabelle supported.

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/memories-of-annabelle-cothren http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/memories-of-annabelle-cothren?opendocument&comments Thu, 24 Dec 2009 21:41:32 -0700
Tonight, my three sisters and I sang at our local church for their annual Candlelight Christmas Eve Service. The song we chose to sing was "A Carol for Today". The song recounts the story of Christmas and asks us this challenging question: "Can we like the shepherds and angels say... Glory to God on high"? Christmas is not about Santa, presents, decorations, or even about visiting one's family. It's about God's incredible love for us. Love so strong that He was willing to come to earth as a baby to pay for our sins through his death and resurrection. So we on this night - as we should every night - praise God and say "Glory to God on High!"

Merry Christmas from the Mack Sisters!

Emily, Amy, Wendy, and Kelly
[Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=a-carol-for-today http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/a-carol-for-today Christmas Wendy Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/a-carol-for-today?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/a-carol-for-today
Tonight, my three sisters and I sang at our local church for their annual Candlelight Christmas Eve Service.  The song we chose to sing was "A Carol for Today".  The song recounts the story of Christmas and asks us this challenging question:  "Can we like the shepherds and angels say... Glory to God on high"?  Christmas is not about Santa, presents, decorations, or even about visiting one's family.  It's about God's incredible love for us.  Love so strong that He was willing to come to earth as a baby to pay for our sins through his death and resurrection.  So we on this night - as we should every night - praise God and say "Glory to God on High!"

Merry Christmas from the Mack Sisters!

Emily, Amy, Wendy, and Kelly

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/a-carol-for-today http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/a-carol-for-today?opendocument&comments Tue, 1 Dec 2009 00:39:43 -0700 http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=2009-christmas-card-gifts-under-the-tree http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/2009-christmas-card-gifts-under-the-tree Kathy Eric Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/2009-christmas-card-gifts-under-the-tree?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/2009-christmas-card-gifts-under-the-tree

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/2009-christmas-card-gifts-under-the-tree http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/2009-christmas-card-gifts-under-the-tree?opendocument&comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:30:58 -0700 just announced that they have released the LabVIEW Education Edition software, which is focused on helping students learn how to program robots with software used in today's engineering industries.

For the past few months, I've had the privilege of beta testing this software as I learned more about LabVIEW. Having come from FIRST FLL, I had experience with both MINDSTORMS NXT-G and ROBOLAB, but LabVIEW was completely new to me. It's been really exciting to work on learning a new programming language. I feel that National Instruments and Tufts University did an outstanding job making the integration between FLL programming and FIRST programming easy.

This has been a really exciting experience for me and I definitely plan to continue learning LabVIEW.

You can learn more here.
[Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=labview-education-edition-is-now-available http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/labview-education-edition-is-now-available Robotics Eric Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/labview-education-edition-is-now-available?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/labview-education-edition-is-now-available National Instruments just announced that they have released the LabVIEW Education Edition software, which is focused on helping students learn how to program robots with software used in today's engineering industries.

For the past few months, I've had the privilege of beta testing this software as I learned more about LabVIEW.  Having come from FIRST FLL, I had experience with both MINDSTORMS NXT-G and ROBOLAB, but LabVIEW was completely new to me.  It's been really exciting to work on learning a new programming language.  I feel that National Instruments and Tufts University did an outstanding job making the integration between FLL programming and FIRST programming easy.  

This has been a really exciting experience for me and I definitely plan to continue learning LabVIEW.  

You can learn more here.

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/labview-education-edition-is-now-available http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/labview-education-edition-is-now-available?opendocument&comments Sun, 1 Nov 2009 21:53:30 -0700
My sister and I had the double treat of ringing not only with our own church handbell choir, the Master's Hands, but also with Jubilation, one of the handbell choirs at The Master's College.

This is the last song that we rang. It was written by John F. Wade, arranged by Cynthia Dobrinski, and conducted by Christine Anderson.
[Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=adeste-fideles---mass-ring-at-the-masters-college-bellfest-2009 http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/adeste-fideles---mass-ring-at-the-masters-college-bellfest-2009 Amy Wendy Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/adeste-fideles---mass-ring-at-the-masters-college-bellfest-2009?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/adeste-fideles---mass-ring-at-the-masters-college-bellfest-2009
My sister and I had the double treat of ringing not only with our own church handbell choir, the Master's Hands, but also with Jubilation, one of the handbell choirs at The Master's College.

This is the last song that we rang.  It was written by John F. Wade, arranged by Cynthia Dobrinski, and conducted by Christine Anderson.

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/adeste-fideles---mass-ring-at-the-masters-college-bellfest-2009 http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/adeste-fideles---mass-ring-at-the-masters-college-bellfest-2009?opendocument&comments Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:26:19 -0700 For the past year or so, I have undertaken the challenge of learning the LabVIEW programming software from National Instruments I was invited to participate in the beta program in Tufts University and play around with the new Robobooks and Robolab (Based on LabVIEW software for NXTs). In addition to going through Michael Gasperi's book, LabVIEW for LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT,

To help me reinforce what I was learning, I decided to create a video tutorial to share with others. I based it on one of my favorite ROBOLAB tutorials from Carnegie Mellon University.

I have only a few weeks left before my LabVIEW trial license expires, so I don't know if I will have time to create another video before it does. In any case, I really enjoyed working with LabVIEW and I met many friends along the way as I learned and shared what I was learning. I also had fun learning how to use Camtasia Studio to create the video tutorial as well.

(Disclaimer: I have permission to share this video, however, please note that the software I am using is still in beta and may look or work differently when it is released on November 9.)

Click on the link below to watch the tutorial video. (It's 11 minutes long.)
[Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=my-first-labview-tutorial-video-random-touch http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/my-first-labview-tutorial-video-random-touch Wendy Wendy Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/my-first-labview-tutorial-video-random-touch?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/my-first-labview-tutorial-video-random-touch For the past year or so, I have undertaken the challenge of learning the LabVIEW programming software from National Instruments  I was invited to participate in the beta program in Tufts University  and play around with the new Robobooks and Robolab (Based on LabVIEW software for NXTs).  In addition to going through Michael Gasperi's book, LabVIEW for LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT,

To help me reinforce what I was learning, I decided to create a video tutorial to share with others. I based it on one of my favorite ROBOLAB tutorials from Carnegie Mellon University.  

I have only a few weeks left before my LabVIEW trial license expires, so I don't know if I will have time to create another video before it does. In any case, I really enjoyed working with LabVIEW and I met many friends along the way as I learned and shared what I was learning. I also had fun learning how to use Camtasia Studio to create the video tutorial as well.

(Disclaimer: I have permission to share this video, however, please note that the software I am using is still in beta and may look or work differently when it is released on November 9.)

Click on the link below to watch the tutorial video. (It's 11 minutes long.)

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/my-first-labview-tutorial-video-random-touch http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/my-first-labview-tutorial-video-random-touch?opendocument&comments Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:13:10 -0700 Finale music composition software. Unfortunately, I bit off more than I could chew in trying to compose and arrange my own piece of music as I know very little about writing or arranging music. So, after two and a half hours of banging my head against the computer trying to create something playable, I was incredibly frustrated by the time I went to talk to my father.



My father listened to me as I told him all about my frustrations, then he suggested I try something different. He recommended taking the easiest children's song I could think of and arranging a simple piece - which I did. I chose the song "I've got the Joy Joy Joy Joy" by George Willis Cooke.

My Dad must have been in a ragtime mood because when I showed him my arrangement he challenged me to write something worthy of a ragtime pianist at Disneyland. I took his challenge and began to play around with it on the piano until I knew how I wanted it to sound. After that, the notes came easily and in twenty minutes I had finished my first ragtime piano duet.

I hope you enjoy-joy-joy-joy this arrangement!

Here's my arrangement:
20091024-I've_got_the_Joy_(Arranged_by_Amy_Mack).pdf

You might enjoy reading and trying to keep up with the lyrics here.

(Right-click on the link below to save the mp3 file to your computer.)
[Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=ive-got-the-joy-joy-joy-joy http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/ive-got-the-joy-joy-joy-joy Amy Amy Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/ive-got-the-joy-joy-joy-joy?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/ive-got-the-joy-joy-joy-joy Finale music composition software.  Unfortunately, I bit off more than I could chew in trying to compose and arrange my own piece of music as I know very little about writing or arranging music.  So, after two and a half hours of banging my head against the computer trying to create something playable, I was incredibly frustrated by the time I went to talk to my father.



My father listened to me as I told him all about my frustrations, then he suggested I try something different.  He recommended taking the easiest children's song I could think of and arranging a simple piece - which I did.  I chose the song "I've got the Joy Joy Joy Joy" by George Willis Cooke.

My Dad must have been in a ragtime mood because when I showed him my arrangement he challenged me to write something worthy of a ragtime pianist at Disneyland.  I took his challenge and began to play around with it on the piano until I knew how I wanted it to sound. After that, the notes came easily and in twenty minutes I had finished my first ragtime piano duet.

I hope you enjoy-joy-joy-joy this arrangement!

Here's my arrangement:
20091024-I've_got_the_Joy_(Arranged_by_Amy_Mack).pdf

You might enjoy reading and trying to keep up with the lyrics here.

(Right-click on the link below to save the mp3 file to your computer.)

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/ive-got-the-joy-joy-joy-joy http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/ive-got-the-joy-joy-joy-joy?opendocument&comments Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:40:00 -0700 article that really upset me. This article by the Olympian listed several reasons why parents should consider not home-schooling their children. This article seems to be getting a lot of attention and I thought I would add my opinion as a student being home schooled.

First I should probably tell that home schooling is a family effort. I have been home schooled my entire life and have loved it. My mother does not work outside of the home - but she's never idle. She is constantly busy teaching my three sisters and I (all varying grades), running the household, as well as assisting my father as a secretary for his business when needed. My father works at home and runs his business from his office which is on the same level we all do school. He also acts as our principal (if needed), and teaches us occasionally.

In the article I read, the point was made that "...One disadvantage is the financial burden or hardship it can impose upon a family. It is the responsibility of the parents to purchase the curriculum needed for home schooling where the public school provides it at no charge." It is true that home schooling costs. Books can be expensive, but this also gives the parents the freedom to choose the material for their child. If there is something we disagree with, the parent can find another resource for their child - public schoolers do not have that option.

The article also brought up "...Another disadvantage is the amount of time it drains from parents who perform the task..." There's no denying it, home schooling does take a lot of time an effort. But the job of parents is to be responsible and devote the time to their children and train them. All throughout history, we read how children were privately educated, whether by their parents or by a hired tutor. Either way,
[Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=homeschooling-is-bad http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/homeschooling-is-bad Home Education Eric Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/homeschooling-is-bad?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/homeschooling-is-bad article that really upset me. This article by the Olympian listed several reasons why parents should consider not home-schooling their children.  This article seems to be getting a lot of attention and I thought I would add my opinion as a student being home schooled.

First I should probably tell that home schooling is a family effort.  I have been home schooled my entire life and have loved it.  My mother does not work outside of the home - but she's never idle.  She is constantly busy teaching my three sisters and I (all varying grades), running the household, as well as assisting my father as a secretary for his business when needed.  My father works at home and runs his business from his office which is on the same level we all do school.  He also acts as our principal (if needed), and teaches us occasionally.

In the article I read, the point was made that "...One disadvantage is the financial burden or hardship it can impose upon a family.  It is the responsibility of the parents to purchase the curriculum needed for home schooling where the public school provides it at no charge."  It is true that home schooling costs.  Books can be expensive, but this also gives the parents the freedom to choose the material for their child.  If there is something we disagree with, the parent can find another resource for their child - public schoolers do not have that option.

The article also brought up "...Another disadvantage is the amount of time it drains from parents who perform the task..."  There's no denying it, home schooling does take a lot of time an effort.  But the job of parents is to be responsible and devote the time to their children and train them.  All throughout history, we read how children were privately educated, whether by their parents or by a hired tutor.  Either way, the parents took on the responsibility of training their child through time and/or resources.  Parents took this task seriously and did their best to provide for their child.  They then took great pride when their children grew up with the established values and principles they had learned at home.

Another point made was "...the lack of a guide or counselor can be a serious disadvantage.  Sometimes, children have issues or concerns that they don't feel comfortable talking to their parents about....(in public school) Children also have their teachers to talk to and provide support.  It is important for children to have someone safe they can confide in when necessary."  If you are being home schooled your parents become your guide and counselor.  If your parents are involved in your life every day there isn't that hesitation of talking with them.   You know they care about you, else they wouldn't be home schooling you.  I can guarantee to you that most home school students aren't going to want to give up talking with someone they know and love for a complete stranger that the school district says you can trust.

Probably the biggest point that this article made is nothing new.  This argument keeps coming back again and again.  "...The biggest disadvantage to home schooling is the child's lack of socialization which does not provide them the opportunity to interact with other children."  This is a severely mistaken point of view that many people believe.  I have found that home schooling has allowed me more socialization than I probably could have had at a public school.  Without the constant interruptions that public schools have, I am able to focus harder on school, get more done, and get done faster than a public school student.  With the extra time I get every day, I have been able to participate in many different activities such as handbell choir, extra curricular science courses, vocal choir, church activities, robotics, drama, etc.  I still get to interact with people, the difference is that I get to choose who those people should be.  

I hope I have given some more information on the benefits of home schooling. I have found this to be a blessing to me - our family has never been closer. I admire and really want to thank my parents for making the right decision to home schooling us.

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/homeschooling-is-bad http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/homeschooling-is-bad?opendocument&comments Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:19:00 -0700 GTD Summit my father was given some free credit on the GTD store with which he purchased my sister and I each a GTD Note Taker wallet. I have to say that I am very impressed.

I have long been jealous of my father's GTD wallet which came complete with several spare pads of paper, a pen and pen holder, money holder, and credit card holder. I grew tired of lugging around several pens and different pads of paper in my purse “just in case I have an idea I need to capture.”

The wallets came in a beautiful box which held the wallet, several spare pads of paper (each the right size for the wallet) as well as a few ink re-fills.

I am now fully enjoying my new GTD wallet and the freedom it allows me to capture information on the go. I would highly recommend this product to anyone else who in interested in a great capture tool.


[Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=i-have-a-new-gtd-note-taker-wallet http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/i-have-a-new-gtd-note-taker-wallet Getting Things Done (GTD) Amy Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/i-have-a-new-gtd-note-taker-wallet?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/i-have-a-new-gtd-note-taker-wallet GTD Summit my father was given some free credit on the GTD store with which he purchased my sister and I each a GTD Note Taker wallet.  I have to say that I am very impressed.

I have long been jealous of my father's GTD wallet which came complete with several spare pads of paper, a pen and pen holder, money holder, and credit card holder.  I grew tired of lugging around several pens and different pads of paper in my purse “just in case I have an idea I need to capture.”  

The wallets came in a beautiful box which held the wallet, several spare pads of paper (each the right size for the wallet) as well as a few ink re-fills.  

I am now fully enjoying my new GTD wallet and the freedom it allows me to capture information on the go.  I would highly recommend this product to anyone else who in interested in a great capture tool.



Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/i-have-a-new-gtd-note-taker-wallet http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/i-have-a-new-gtd-note-taker-wallet?opendocument&comments Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:58:00 -0700 GTD summit, my father bought me a GTD NoteTaker Wallet. For years I have always been jealous of the fact that whenever my father wanted to capture an idea or record information, he would simply open his wallet and write it down. In order to accomplish the same task, I used to carry a small pad of paper in my purse but soon abandoned the idea for its bother. It seemed easier to try to remember something or have my father write it down than to lug a notepad around in my purse and deal with bent up, loose, or torn papers.

[Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=i-love-my-gtd-note-taker-wallet http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/i-love-my-gtd-note-taker-wallet Getting Things Done (GTD) Wendy Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/i-love-my-gtd-note-taker-wallet?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/i-love-my-gtd-note-taker-wallet As a thank you gift for working at the GTD summit, my father bought me a GTD NoteTaker Wallet.  For years I have always been jealous of the fact that whenever my father wanted to capture an idea or record information, he would simply open his wallet and write it down.  In order to accomplish the same task, I used to carry a small pad of paper in my purse but soon abandoned the idea for its bother.  It seemed easier to try to remember something or have my father write it down than to lug a notepad around in my purse and deal with bent up, loose, or torn papers.

When the wallet finally arrived, I was very excited.  But I think that even better than the fact of getting a new note - taking wallet was the entire experience of receiving it.  Even something as ordinary as a wallet was made special by the incredible presentation.  The wallet came in a nice box with the GTD logo on it.  Inside, neatly arranged, was the wallet wrapped in a small bag, an extra supply of notepads, and spare ink cartridges.  As for the wallet itself, I appreciate that I was able to gain the use of a notepad without seeming to lose any space - either for ATM cards, coins, or even space in my purse.  DavidCo did a very nice job with both the design and the presentation of the GTD NoteTaker Wallet.



Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/i-love-my-gtd-note-taker-wallet http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/i-love-my-gtd-note-taker-wallet?opendocument&comments Mon, 7 Sep 2009 15:33:54 -0700 "Do you think she's following us?" my daughters wondered as they entered the main gate of Disneyland on September 5, 2009. You see, this year, Disneyland is offering everyone free admission on their birthday, and we decided to take advantage of that for Amy and Wendy's 17th birthday.

Amy & Wendy have had many opportunities to go around Disneyland together, or with their younger sisters, but in the past, Mom and Dad were still on Disney property. Not this time - Mom took off to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, where she could roam and read about the displays in peace!(A fabulous place, by the way - we are blessed to have two Presidential Libraries in Southern California - The Ronald Reagan Library is located about 90 minutes northwest of the Nixon Library).

So, the girls kept looking over their shoulders expecting me to pop up at any time. We knew they would have a wonderful day and create many magical Disney memories of their 17th birthday. Thanks, Disneyland!
[Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=growing-up-disney---the-twins-17th-birthday- http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/growing-up-disney---the-twins-17th-birthday- Growing up Disney Eric Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/growing-up-disney---the-twins-17th-birthday-?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/growing-up-disney---the-twins-17th-birthday- "Do you think she's following us?" my daughters wondered as they entered the main gate of Disneyland on September 5, 2009.  You see, this year, Disneyland is offering everyone free admission on their birthday, and we decided to take advantage of that for Amy and Wendy's 17th birthday.

Amy & Wendy have had many opportunities to go around Disneyland together, or with their younger sisters, but in the past, Mom and Dad were still on Disney property.  Not this time - Mom took off to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, where she could roam and read about the displays in peace!(A fabulous place, by the way - we are blessed to have two Presidential Libraries in Southern California - The Ronald Reagan Library is located about 90 minutes northwest of the Nixon Library).

So, the girls kept looking over their shoulders expecting me to pop up at any time.  We knew they would have a wonderful day and create many magical Disney memories of their 17th birthday.  Thanks, Disneyland!

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/growing-up-disney---the-twins-17th-birthday- http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/growing-up-disney---the-twins-17th-birthday-?opendocument&comments Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:30:00 -0700 I've just completed all of the requirements to earn my Master of Information and Knowledge Management Degree, with honors. Just over three years ago I closed the first chapter of this journey. Today, I close the second chapter. Before I begin the next chapter, I want to pause and reflect on my experience and thank the many people that helped me get to this point.

After working for two decades as a consultant in the areas of technology, information management, collaboration, and productivity, I realized that while these were all good things to do, the next opportunity was in the area of how we manage what we know and what we do with what we know. That realization led me to pursue the field of knowledge management and the management of intellectual capital. Unlike many people in the 1990's and early 2000's, I decided not to focus on the organizational level but rather to direct my attention to the individual or personal aspect of knowledge management. My work as an eProductivity specialist taught me that it's much easier to bring about a lasting impact working with individuals - from the bottom-up - than to try and create a system to be imposed on the organization top-down. Thus, my interest in knowledge management, and specifically my interest in what is frequently referred to as personal knowledge management, began.

[Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=completion-what-a-wonderful-feeling-chapter-2 http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/completion-what-a-wonderful-feeling-chapter-2 Education Eric Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/completion-what-a-wonderful-feeling-chapter-2?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/completion-what-a-wonderful-feeling-chapter-2 I've just completed all of the requirements to earn my Master of Information and Knowledge Management Degree, with honors. Just over three years ago I closed the first chapter of this journey.  Today, I close the second chapter. Before I begin the next chapter, I want to pause and reflect on my experience and thank the many people that helped me get to this point.

After working for two decades as a consultant in the areas of technology, information management, collaboration, and productivity, I realized that while these were all good things to do, the next opportunity was in the area of how we manage what we know and what we do with what we know. That realization led me to pursue the field of knowledge management and the management of intellectual capital. Unlike many people in the 1990's and early 2000's, I decided not to focus on the organizational level but rather to direct my attention to the individual or personal aspect of knowledge management. My work as an eProductivity specialist  taught me that it's much easier to bring about a lasting impact working with individuals - from the bottom-up - than to try and create a system to be imposed on the organization top-down. Thus, my interest in knowledge management, and specifically my interest in what is frequently referred to as personal knowledge management, began.

Knowledge management (KM) is a young profession and there are only a handful of graduate programs in this subject around the world. I selected the Master of Information and Knowledge Management degree program offered by Tseng College at California State University Northridge after carefully studying the course descriptions and faculty bios. Due to a schedule conflict with my previous degree, I missed out on the traditional (live classroom) cohort, so I signed up for the on-line program. This offered several advantages in terms of flexibility and the ability to learn from faculty/practitioners around the country. In addition, it allowed me to interact with other working professionals with similar interests.

My graduate studies included course work in each of the following areas:

• Information and Knowledge Management
• Policy, Law and Economics of Knowledge Management
• Information Organization in the Knowledge Management Environment
• Information Needs and Learning for Knowledge Managers
• Management of Information and Knowledge Services
• The Knowledge Management Business
• Communication in the Knowledge Environment
• Information Access and On-line Searching
• Knowledge Management
• Competitive Intelligence
• Technology for KM Professionals

It was an intense course load and I made it more so by continuously going beyond the course work that was focused on the organization aspects of KM to look for ways to apply what I was studying to the area of high-performance knowledge work.

While I learned a lot in each area of study, four courses stood out to me as exceptional.  The course on information needs and learning for knowledge workers, taught by Tracey Wik, began with Peter Senge's work on the learning organization and showed us how to put this in practice. I looked at these both from an organizational as well as an individual knowledge worker perspective. Allan Crawford, in addition to serving as academic lead for the second year, taught the course on management of information and knowledge services. This was an extraordinary course - it was basically a mini-MBA delivered in the context of managing intellectual capital. I could easily take this class again. The course on Knowledge Management, taught by Kiho Sohn, stretched our thinking in the areas of developing KM programs, tacit knowledge transfer and systems thinking.

Kent Greenes, whose name is already known to anyone familiar with KM, taught the final course on the knowledge management business. Kent's vast experience as a knowledge management pioneer and as a KM practitioner in his own KM consulting firm, brought rich understanding and case studies to the program. Like Allan's course, I could easily find value in taking this course again.

For my capstone, I chose to research and write about the practices that lead to high-performance knowledge work. This research and paper will become the basis for an upcoming seminar and book. This course was a self-study program with a lead academic advisor. I was fortunate to have Allan as my academic advisor and still have the input of the other two advisors, Tracey Wik, and Jon Powell of Ernst & Young. These five professors brought hands-on experience to our KM activities. It was a treat to have in this MKM program a balance of academics as well as practicing KM experts in their fields. I learned a great deal from each.

[If you are considering a graduate degree in Knowledge Management, there's still time to sign up for Cohort 3, which starts in early 2010. You can learn more about this program here. The program also hosts a blog. I would also be happy to answer any questions which you may have about the program or my experience along the way.]

I supplemented my graduate studies with learning from other people and resources, including KMWORLD, the Southern California Knowledge Management Forum at CSUN and JPL, and the National KM Conference at Pepperdine University. If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you know my passion for teaching and public speaking. Looking back, I do not know how I managed it, but I presented a workshop on Knowledge Worker Productivity: Strategies & Techniques with Steve Barth at KMWORLD 2007 and on  Mobile Productivity at the Office 2.0 Conference. I presented a second workshop on Personal Knowledge Management & Productivity with Paul Heisig at KMWORLD 2008.

Between the two, I collaborated with my close friend and colleague, Michael Sampson, to write and deliver the keynote and 30 sessions at the Beyond Planning Conference in Manila, Philippines. Oh, and I taught my first two undergraduate courses on Technology for Business Decision-making. Wow! It overwhelms me to read that in one paragraph. I’m so glad that I had GTD, eProductivity and a phenomenal family and support team to keep me going during all of this.

Words of appreciation
While I'm proud of my accomplishment, I could not have done this alone. To my family and friends, who helped me complete this degree - thank you! You stood beside me financially, in prayer, and with words of encouragement as I dealt with the challenges of balancing family, study, and work. I could not have done this without you.

To David Allen and Wayne Dell, thank you for your encouragement, mentoring, and letters of recommendation - this kicked off the adventure! To Michael, and to my colleagues in cohort 1: thanks for always being willing to take my call to discuss an idea or listen to me rant about some aspect of KM or my experience. To Steve: thank you for your mentoring in the area of Personal KM and many introductions to the people and research on the topic. To Dr. Allan Crawford, who convinced me and several others to stick with it when we hit the inevitable bumps in the program and who continuously challenged us to think deeper about the value that knowledge management can bring to individuals and organizations.  Allan's leadership in the second half of the MKM program kept us focused on this and I know that he's already looking at ways to apply the lessons learned from our experience to the next cohort.

To my eProductivity team – Ian and Ryan - I cannot express enough thanks to the two of you.  You kept the show running when I needed to step away – especially during the final couple of weeks while I worked on my capstone project.  Thank you for the peace of mind.  I knew all was in good hands. Michael, Tanny, John and Kirk, you have been a tremendous source of encouragement.  Thank you, gentlemen for your support, council, friendship, and prayers. And to my Grace Group Bible Study - thanks for your friendship, encouragement and most of all your prayers. Lelia, thank you.

I would also like to thank my ICA consulting clients, who, by allowing me to serve them, provided the opportunity for me to apply what I was working on and to learn from their results.

Most important, I want to recognize and thank my lovely wife, Kathleen, and my daughters, Wendy, Amy, Emily, and Kelly, who provided encouragement and support and who sacrificed family events and activities so that daddy could study. Without these five lovely ladies, I would not have had the ambition or support to complete this journey. I am truly blessed. Words of gratitude would be incomplete without recognizing The Lord who provided throughout. It is my desire to honor Him through my service to others.

What's next?
I look forward to spending more time with my wife and children. They sacrificed a lot while I studied and kept ICA going. Now, I hope to have a little more balance so I can enjoy time with them. eProductivity, our software company, continues to grow. I look forward to working with the team as we focus on taking this excellent product to the next level of user adoption. On the KM front, I have two events scheduled for the 2009 KMWORLD conference in San Jose. First, I'll be presenting a 3-hour workshop: Personal Knowledge Management (PKM), Social Networking & Productivity with Allan Crawford. We are excited to have this opportunity to present some of my research in high performance knowledge work. Allan and I will also be moderating an amazing panel of PKM experts in a session: Changing/Resetting the Enterprise With PKM & Social Software Tools. I'm honored that the following people have agreed to be on the panel: Steve Barth, Stan Garfield, Jim McGee, and Dave Pollard. (Unfortunately, David Gurteen is unable to join us.)

I also plan to continue my research and consulting in the area of high-performance knowledge work, eventually leading to a seminar and book on the topic. I'm looking forward to pursuing this at my own pace, however, I do look forward to making what I hope will be an important contribution to the professional and academic KM communities.

If I return to school, it will be to study two subjects that I had hoped would have been covered in more detail in the MKM program. These are the legal and technological aspects of knowledge management. Meanwhile, I'm currently exploring alternatives to increase my own knowledge in these areas. (Suggestions welcome).

As an adjunct professor of the Center for Professional Studies at The Master’s College, I will once again be teaching in the Organizational Management program. I'll be teaching MGT430 – Technology for Business Decision-making. It’s a fun course and I hope to rewrite the last section to introduce a KM approach to the course, as well. This way, my students will learn about the people, process, and technology side of knowledge work. I enjoy teaching and while I get to do it professionally, I think I would like to return to academia someday to teach a course on Personal Knowledge Management and High Performance Knowledge work at the undergraduate and graduate levels. This would be an exciting way to equip the next generation of knowledge workers.

As things settle down closer to Christmas, I hope to dust off a number of hobbies I put on hold 8 years ago when I began this academic journey - including vintage computer restoration, personal robotics, CNC, and mechanical music.

A final thank you
Once again, I would like to thank everyone that has been an encouragement or help as I worked on these goals. I am grateful for your support and friendship.

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/completion-what-a-wonderful-feeling-chapter-2 http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/completion-what-a-wonderful-feeling-chapter-2?opendocument&comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:21:48 -0700 [Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=memorable-wedding-vows http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/memorable-wedding-vows Humor Eric Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/memorable-wedding-vows?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/memorable-wedding-vows
Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/memorable-wedding-vows http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/memorable-wedding-vows?opendocument&comments Sun, 26 Jul 2009 10:31:00 -0700 http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=46 http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/46 Family Eric Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/46?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/46

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/46 http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/46?opendocument&comments Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:21:07 -0700 [Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=if-man-landed-on-the-moon-today http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/if-man-landed-on-the-moon-today General Eric Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/if-man-landed-on-the-moon-today?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/if-man-landed-on-the-moon-today
Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/if-man-landed-on-the-moon-today http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/if-man-landed-on-the-moon-today?opendocument&comments Sat, 4 Jul 2009 14:00:00 -0700 For July 4th we sometimes drive down the mountain to see fireworks or we find another way to celebrate the holiday. This afternoon, we celebrated July 4th at Fort Tejon as it was celebrated in the 1850's. There, we got to see a 31 gun cannon salute to the 31 states in the union at the time, compete in sack races, tug-of-war, and pie eating contests.

This evening, I plan to print and read the Declaration of Independence with my family. We will try to imagine what the circumstances were like that led our nations founding fathers to draft this document - a document that shapes much of who we are as Americans and why we are not English.

This document defines principles of limited government and personal freedoms. It sets the groundwork for a government that will represent the people and protect and encourage these principles as rights. I encourage you to become familiar with the language and the arguments in the Declaration and to think about it as you read or discuss issues concerning public policy.

Take some time today or this weekend to read this important document.

It's important to understand what we are protecting.

Happy 4th of July, America!
[Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=when-was-the-last-time-you-read-the-declaration http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/when-was-the-last-time-you-read-the-declaration America Eric Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/when-was-the-last-time-you-read-the-declaration?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/when-was-the-last-time-you-read-the-declaration For July 4th we sometimes drive down the mountain to see fireworks or we find another way to celebrate the holiday. This afternoon, we celebrated July 4th at Fort Tejon as it was celebrated in the 1850's. There, we got to see a 31 gun cannon salute to the 31 states in the union at the time, compete in sack races, tug-of-war, and pie eating contests.

This evening, I plan to print and read the Declaration of Independence with my family. We will try to imagine what the circumstances were like that led our nations founding fathers to draft this document - a document that shapes much of who we are as Americans and why we are not English.

This document defines principles of limited government and personal freedoms. It sets the groundwork for a government that will represent the people and protect and encourage these principles as rights.  I encourage you to become familiar with the language and the arguments in the Declaration and to think about it as you read or discuss issues concerning public policy.

Take some time today or this weekend to read this important document.

It's important to understand what we are protecting.

Happy 4th of July, America!

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/when-was-the-last-time-you-read-the-declaration http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/when-was-the-last-time-you-read-the-declaration?opendocument&comments Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:50:21 -0700
But watch, something special happens.

I wonder if she knew he could sing?

I still prefer my marriage proposal to my kindergarten crush. (See the comments for Kathy's telling of the story)

Via: Video of the Day
[Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=a-marriage-proposal-to-remember... http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/a-marriage-proposal-to-remember... America Eric Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/a-marriage-proposal-to-remember...?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/a-marriage-proposal-to-remember...
But watch, something special happens.

I wonder if she knew he could sing?

I still prefer my marriage proposal to my kindergarten crush. (See the comments for Kathy's telling of the story)

Via: Video of the Day

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/a-marriage-proposal-to-remember... http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/a-marriage-proposal-to-remember...?opendocument&comments Sun, 21 Jun 2009 13:52:44 -0700
1. A Spiritual compass

2. A Biblical self-image

3. Physical affection

4. Roots and wings

5. Marital harmony

6. A positive attitude

7. Purposeful discipline

8. A good role-model

9. A passion for life

10. ______________


What would YOU add to this list?
[Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=top-ten-gifts-a-dad-can-give-his-children http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/top-ten-gifts-a-dad-can-give-his-children Family Eric Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/top-ten-gifts-a-dad-can-give-his-children?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/top-ten-gifts-a-dad-can-give-his-children
1. A Spiritual compass

2. A Biblical self-image

3. Physical affection

4. Roots and wings

5. Marital harmony

6. A positive attitude

7. Purposeful discipline

8. A good role-model

9. A passion for life

10. ______________


What would YOU add to this list?

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/top-ten-gifts-a-dad-can-give-his-children http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/top-ten-gifts-a-dad-can-give-his-children?opendocument&comments Sat, 23 May 2009 21:53:06 -0700 Free Willy playing on the big screen.

On the first 5 minutes of the VHS tape there is a music video by Michael Jackson and a commercial for the "Save the Whales Foundation."



Let me get this straight:

In the commercial, the Save the Whales foundation is sponsored by BumbleBee Tuna?

Sounds fishy to me.
[Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=watching-free-willy-with-my-daughters http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/watching-free-willy-with-my-daughters Family Eric Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/watching-free-willy-with-my-daughters?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/watching-free-willy-with-my-daughters Free Willy playing on the big screen.

On the first 5 minutes of the VHS tape there is a music video by Michael Jackson and a commercial for the "Save the Whales Foundation."



Let me get this straight:

In the commercial, the Save the Whales foundation  is sponsored by BumbleBee Tuna?

Sounds fishy to me.

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/watching-free-willy-with-my-daughters http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/watching-free-willy-with-my-daughters?opendocument&comments Tue, 19 May 2009 09:44:00 -0700
We recently attended the Awana year-end celebration. Part of the activities include recognition of each child's accomplishments.

Emily (11) earned her Timothy Award through the Awana Bible club program. She has been a part of Awana since she was 3. To earn this award, Emily spent the last four years memorizing 438 Bible verses! Emily also participated in Awana Bible Quizzing this year, and her team earned a second place ribbon.

Kelly (9) earned the Awana Bible club Excellence Award. Like her sister, she has participated in the Awana program since age 3. Kelly spent the last two years memorizing 190 Bible verses. She also represented our church at the Awana Games tournament, earning a third place ribbon, and at the Awana Bible Quizzing event, where she took home a first place medal.

Next year, Amy & Wendy will earn their Citation awards for their accomplishments, including memorization and reference of almost 800 verses.

The Awana program has spent the last 60 years helping churches and parents raise children and youth to know, love, and serve Christ. It does this by teaching them to hide God's Word in their heart (Psalm 119:11) - by memorizing the Scriptures and by study, Q&A, and games. Each week more than 1 million children and youth, and 250,000 volunteers participate in Awana in over 17,000 U.S. churches, and in over 100 coun
[Originally posted on the MackAcademy.com web site. (http://www.MackAcademy.com)]

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/trackback?open&id=celebrating-accomplishments-in-the-awana-program http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/celebrating-accomplishments-in-the-awana-program Family Eric Mack http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/celebrating-accomplishments-in-the-awana-program?opendocument&comments http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/celebrating-accomplishments-in-the-awana-program
We recently attended the Awana year-end celebration. Part of the activities include recognition of each child's accomplishments.

Emily (11) earned her Timothy Award through the Awana Bible club program.  She has been a part of Awana since she was 3.  To earn this award, Emily spent the last four years memorizing 438 Bible verses!  Emily also participated in Awana Bible Quizzing this year, and her team earned a second place ribbon.

Kelly (9) earned the Awana Bible club Excellence Award. Like her sister, she has participated in the Awana program since age 3.  Kelly spent the last two years memorizing 190 Bible verses.  She also represented our church at the Awana Games tournament, earning a third place ribbon, and at the Awana Bible Quizzing event, where she took home a first place medal.

Next year, Amy & Wendy will earn their Citation awards for their accomplishments, including memorization and reference of almost 800 verses.

The Awana program has spent the last 60 years helping churches and parents raise children and youth to know, love, and serve Christ.  It does this by teaching them to hide God's Word in their heart (Psalm 119:11) - by memorizing the Scriptures and by study, Q&A, and games.  Each week more than 1 million children and youth, and 250,000 volunteers participate in Awana in over 17,000 U.S. churches, and in over 100 countries.

I am thankful for the Awana program which helps parents teach their children to hid God's Word in their hearts. The Bible teaches us that God's Word does not return void. No doubt, this knowledge will serve them well throughout their lifetime.

Originally posted on MackAcademy ]]> http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dxcomments/celebrating-accomplishments-in-the-awana-program http://www.mackacademy.com/ICA/BLOGS/MackAcademy.nsf/dx/celebrating-accomplishments-in-the-awana-program?opendocument&comments