"Singing is a just a feeling set to music." -Carrie Underwood So, I don't know if it is because I was a new mom when this album came out, a busy teacher, or lived under a rock, but today was the first time I had ever listened to Some Hearts by Carrie Underwood. The verdict? I LOVED it!
This album is DEEP with great music ranging from sassy (Before he cheats) to beautiful (Jesus Take the wheel) to meaningful (Wasted). Carrie Underwood is incredibly talented and her message of living life to the fullest made my heart smile as this is my current life focus. I will definitely add this album to my playlist rotation--it was great to work to as I cleaned up my desk this morning. Can't wait to listen again.
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"That man is rich whose pleasures are the cheapest." -Henry David Thoreau It has been a week. The first full week of school always brings with it the reality that work of my heart requires patience, perseverance, and plenty of coffee. The excitement of the first week filled with new clothes, new supplies, and seeing friends is quickly replaced with the tiredness of waking up earlier, the realization that last year's academic challenges are still there, and the truth that education is a complex series of decisions that come at lighting speed. This year, a traditionally challenging week, was amplified when I woke up Thursday morning to the horrific news that a former student had passed away at the delicate age of 19. Words cannot express the feelings that come with such tragedy--why? how? why again? Oh, and did I mention sore feet? Oh, how they ache by the end of the day.
So, this Saturday morning, I woke up before the rest of the house. I decided that some self care was in order and I simply took an hour to fill my soul. A hot cup of vanilla cinnamon coffee, a new issue of Bella grace, and the flowers that Luke brought home to me last week, my dear sweet Layla curled up at my feet. Simple pleasures, quiet time, and peace. These will not take away the pain of loss, the stress of starting or the worries of the world, but for a brief moment, they filled my heart with joy and now I am ready to face the world again with a smile on my face and a song in my heart. "All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking."-Friedrich Nietzsche Living in Colorado, you see 26.2 and 13.1 stickers everywhere. It seems like EVERYONE has done a marathon or a half. But to me, the "I wish I was athletic, but I actually HATE working out" girl, it seems like a daunting task. So, I decided that this week as I started on my Colorado Trail journey, I would try to knock off my goal of walking a marathon in a week and kill too birds with 2 stones. And how was it? Not bad. My new classroom is HUGE and the distance between it and the bathroom/office/lounge has allowed me to easily hit this goal.
Now to try to walk a 5K in a reasonable time so that I can sign up for that item on my list! A fresh start. This year school feels like a new beginning as we are poised to start out the school year in our brand new building. Organization and materials management have always been HUGE struggles for me, so I signed up to take the 40 Hour Teacher Workweek to lean how to make my classroom more efficient. And after 4 days of unpacking, organizing, and preparing, my classroom is beautiful. When I walk in the door, my heart begins to smile and I feel a calm, easy feeling. It is beautiful, new, and full of potential--just like every day of our life! And that is a feeling to be cherished.
"But I would walk 500 miles, And I would walk 500 more Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles to fall down at your door" -The Proclaimers I need to move more. As an overweight person, I know this, but it is incredibly hard for me. I don't actually like to exercise other than swimming, but that takes time I don't feel like I have. So, this school year, I have set the goal of walking 500 miles. To help me stay motivate, I am going to track my progress as I "walk" the Colorado trail from Denver to Durango. There are 28 segments (+5 More from the alternate Colligate Route) that result in a total journey of 568 miles. I will use my Fitbit and phone to track steps along the way. I probably won't post all the time about this--step counts are BORING. But, I will update you once a month to see how far I've come and hold myself accountable. Today was day 1 and I finished 5.7 miles. Only 562.3 to go!!!!
"You get what you give." -unknown Leaving a 100% tip was a way to practice gratitude when I made my list. We have SO many humans in our sphere that give us great service despite low pay and long hours. Today my opportunity came to live this out.
Tonight I went to meet Kirsten at 20 Brew Tap House. This local favorite lives out its values of great beer in community every day in every decision that they make. So, when the owner walked up to us tonight and remembered that we were teachers, I was touched. But then, came the sad. Apparently, several teachers lately have come in and been very negative about their profession and the respect they were not receiving. The irony? The tap house recognizes teachers with a 25% discount everyday, no questions asked. Dave let us know that because of this, they had decided to stop with the discount. However, they were going to "grandfather" us in because we had always appreciated them back! I decided that they needed my gratitude and appreciation tonight and so I left a 100% tip on our tab. Lesson--you get what you give. We need to live out our values and it comes back to us! Remember this each day in each interaction you have! "There are great slender models, great tall models, Amazonian models, great busty models-my point is models of all shapes and sizes, age, ethnic backgrounds should be embraced and celebrated." -Erin O'Conner If you had asked me just a few years ago to go to a photo shoot, I would have laughed at you. I'm a plus size girl and always a little self conscious about having my photo taken. But I pushed through those thoughts on Friday when I saw a candidate for the state senate put out a call for teachers to participate in a photoshoot for election materials. I decided last spring that it is important to get more engaged in politics especially around education. So I said I could help. This morning I took a bunch of pictures with cute kids and candidates to help them prepare to take back the senate in November. And you know what? it was fun! I am a model! (Curves and fuzzy hair and all!)
"I created the OASIS because I never felt at home in the real world. I just didn't know how to connect with people there. I was afraid for all my life, right up until the day I knew my life was ending. And that was when I realized that...as terrifying and painful as reality can be, it's also...the only place that...you can get a decent meal. Because, reality...is real." -Halliday, Ready Player One There are SO many thing that I should have done this morning--finished cooking freezer meals, cleaned the house, paid bills, etc. But when Blake asked me if I wanted to watch a movie with him, I said yes. Because, it mattered. Spending time with these boys being present and sharing time is what it is all about. We rented "Ready Player One", made some popcorn, and ate some pizza. We laughed at all of the Easter eggs (and at Jaxon dancing!). My heart is full, my house is messy, and guess what--it was a real moment.
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AuthorAlmost 40 and tired of the treadmill, I am going to LIVE each day as a new adventure while finishing todo items on my life list. Mom, wife, teacher, geek! Archives
May 2020
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