"No offense to men, but I think it's safe to say most of my music is geared toward the female listener." -Shania Twain An old friend appeared again on my list this week and the timing was perfect. The Woman in me came out in 1995 as I was trying to figure out what type of woman I wanted to be. "Any Man of Mine" spoke to my heart as I longed to be a fiercely independent woman who wanted to be a partner in a relationship not lesser. "God Bless the Child" spoke to my soul as a christian. The fun beats of "(If you're not in it for love) I'm outta here" matched my take on life.
Fast forward 23 years, and I still love this album. I have had a super busy week so spending an hour listening to this old favorite as I puttered in my office making art was perfect. It took me back to an "easier" time when there wasn't so much pressure. and you know what? It was a great reminder that taking time to enjoy in simple pleasures was much needed today. I have a smile on my face, a song in my heart and I'm ready to be a fiercely independent woman once again.
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“Innovation is hard because solving problems people didn’t know they had and building something no one needs look identical at first.”-Aaron Levie Uber has been a "thing" for a while now, but I didn't get what the fuss was all about. Living in Colorado all my life, public transportation is a "non" issue for me so I didn't get why I would pay for someone to drive me when I could just drive myself. So, when I was creating a list of experiences that would get me outside of my comfort zone, I added riding an Uber to the list.
Well, this weekend, an opportunity appeared to try it out. I had "#IMOMSOHARD" tickets with my friends. None of us wanted to drive because we all wanted to be able to enjoy a few drinks with dinner and the show. So, Uber it was. And you know what? It was great. Instead of fighting to find parking in a super busy down town, we just got to get out of the car and walk into dinner. Instead of worrying about who had to stop drinking once we got to the show, we raised our glasses to good times and enjoyed a drink all together. And after the show, there was no fighting the long line of traffic out of town. Uber really did fix a problem I didn't know I had. I can't wait until my next date night with Luke--we can both enjoy each other instead of worrying about getting there and back! “Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too.”-Yogi Barra A perfect night for family fun. The ball park, a chilli dog, a cold beer, and my favorite guys. We had fun watching the Rockies go through the batting order in an inning. We laughed at Jaxon eating enough sugar for a small nation. We sang walk up songs, played would you rather, and simply enjoyed one another’s company. A perfect night of family fun.
"I've always been crazy, but it's kept me from going insane." -Waylon Jennings I LOVED this album. From the first notes of "Lonesome, On'ry and Mean" to the final bar of "Are you sure Hank done it this way," Jennings is unapologetically himself. His music captures a feeling of being who you are and living life. I added nearly EVERY song to my country playlist and have listened to it for several days in the row. I now understand why everyone is so big on Waylon--he is awesome!
"It's a great day for hockey." -"Badger" Bob Johnson Hockey is my Husband Luke's FAVORITE past time. He has spent the last sever weeks counting down the days until the season started. Then, magic struck. His sister-in-law Julie was able to get free tickets to section 126 for the first preseason game where the Avalanche took on the Las Vegas Golden Nights. And for a brief moment, all the stress and business of life took a backseat to smiling and cheering and laughter. Luke found a smile and we enjoyed a grown up night out with his family. A small treat in a big busy life to be savored!
"It resonated with me because of what my troop leader had taught me: You can create your own opportunities, you can set your goals, you can break down what you need to accomplish ... and then just achieve them,"-Sylvia Acevedo For years, I have always gone "Awwwww...." when seeing book signings advertised or featured in pop culture. The idea of having a moment to speak to an author who has put their heart into writing a book speaks to my heart as a teacher and a creator. So, when it was time to make my list, I added this as one of my items.
Fast forward to July when a Facebook Friend posted that the Tattered Cover had an author visit program that was free to schools. She posted that Sylvia Acevedo would be coming to Denver to promote her book "Path the the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist." This made a light bulb go off in my head--we needed to bring a book signing to our school. I texted my principal to ask permission and got the event set up. Well, today we had our visit and it was such a fun day. Sylvia Acevedo grew up a first generation American who loved math and Girl Scouts. She learned valuable lessons about creating opportunities through the scouts and shared that learning with our students today. It was exciting to see my students realize that they had similarities with this inspiring woman. After her whole group talk, students who had repurchased the book were able to spend time one on one with the author. She took time to ask each and every student what they had related to in her talk. This then turned into her inscription in their book. My son Jaxon was the only boy to buy a book, so I thought he might feel out of place. But instead, he embraced the moment and shared how much he too liked math. It was a proud mama moment. I can't wait to go to another book signing. My friend Aimee invited me to go see Anne Lamott in a few weeks and I am excited to hear her wisdom in person. I may have found a new hobby! "God's Blessing go far beyond anything we could ever dream." -Unknown Tonight we celebrated my friend Kip's fortieth birthday. Kip and I met during the first day of college orientation (21 years go by awfully fast!). We went to the Colorado Rockies Beer fest and I got to enjoy all of my favorite things--beer, a green chili dog, good friends, and time with Luke. It was a joyful way to connect with friends and to celebrate life! I thought that when 40 approached it would be scary or depressing. But instead, I am learning that it I am so grateful that we live a blessed life and get to fill our time with people and things we love. It is amazing!
"Anyone who stops learning is old whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young." -Henry Ford I love to learn--this is a key part of my identity. A whole part of my starting my life list was that I wanted to have a "stockpile" of things to keep me learning. This fall, I am starting some really specific learning--how to be a great engineering teacher. I have been looking at "STEM" programs over the past few years to fill in my skill set, but most have focused on Math or Science. At the end of last summer, however, I caught wind of one that might help me out while attending a training. Tufts University has a Teacher Engineering Education Program that provides direct instruction in both engineering pedagogy and content. A perfect solution!
This semester I am taking an Engineering for Secondary Teachers Class and I'm so, so excited. So far I have learned to program the data logger on a LEGO Mindstorm EV3, tested how different shopping bags fail, and learned that my coffee stays hot on my desk for about 70 minutes. I am excited to see where this learning adventure takes me! "Enjoy the little things in life, because someday you will realize they were the big things." -Unknown Taking a girls trip is something I have wanted to do for a while, but with so many mom friends it is super hard to get one set up. So, when my friend Kirsten decided to have a weekend away for her bachelorette party I leaped at the opportunity. This weekend I spent 3 days in Estes Park with Kirsten and her people and it was AMAZING!
I enjoyed the camaraderie of spending time with girls. We ate, played games, enjoyed nature and a few cold beers. Prior to the weekend I had met a couple of the girls going, but I didn't actually know any well. I really enjoyed meeting people who were new--I don't often do this but this group of ladies were so kind, fun, thoughtful, and inspiring in how they interact with the world. It was lovely. One part of the weekend that particularly was fun for me was going on a hike that required some climbing. Now, I wish I could say that I am athletic or in shape, but that is not currently a reality. So, when the girls said they wanted to do the Lily Lake Ridge, I was worried. Could I do it? Could I keep up? Would I embarrass myself? I didn't know and I want to hide. But, then I remembered, that I can do anything I try if I give myself permission to be imperfect. So up the hill we went and it was AWESOME! The view of the lake was spectacular but it paled to the sense of accomplishment I had at finishing something I did not think I could do. During the trip, two other items on my list magically manifested themselves. First, the house we rented had a HUGE yard with chairs out by the River. We spent both evening sitting out under the stars. Being so far from the city turned into a great opportunity to enjoy the Milky Way in its full glory. A couple of years ago I started doing a light pollution PBL with my students to look at how to improve our view of the night sky. This weekend I was reminded of why this matters so much. It was stunning, it reminded me of just how small I am in the scope of the universe, and just how beautiful God's creation truly is. During the first night of the trip, we were lucky enough to see the Perseus-Aurigid complex shower. We saw 15 or 20 shooting stars and it was so fun! I loved it! It took me back to my childhood when looking up at the sky was one of my favorite pastimes. It fed my soul and my heart! (PS--this picture is NOT mine!) |
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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