"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!
0 Comments
"Unless your name is google, stop acting like you know everything ;)"-Unkknown In January, I went to the Alice Keeler Training (see post here). After that day, I realized that I didn't know as much about Google Aps for Education as I should for my students. Thus, I added getting my Google certification to my life list. This week I finished both Level 1 and Level 2--and boy am I glad I did. Here are my 10 favorite things I learned:
10. Create and Host your Own You Tube Channel 9. Using the Explore Tool 8. Creating custom Maps for student learning 7. Adding Cards to Youtube Videos 6. Create your own learning adventures in google forms 5. Using the Unique Formula In Sheets 4. Conditional Formating in Sheets and Forms 3. Using Filter Views (and saving them) in Sheets 2. Appointment Spots on Google Calendar 1. Canned Email Responses I am going to take a break now from Google as school gets started. I think that I might try to finish the certified trainer course at a later date. "Everyone can rock a bikini, swimsuit, unicorn onesie...whatever floats your boat. If you wear it with confidence, you will look hot." -Iskra Lawrence Last time I went to Mexico with my kids, I was lame. I sat by the pool in my coverup and read a book instead of getting in. Why? I didn't like how I looked or felt in my swim suit. But, you know what? I missed the feel of floating and loving the water. So, when I made my life list, I said I would swim in the ocean. And I did....every time the kids got in the water, I was right there with them. I didn't worry about how I looked--I felt happy being with my kids.
"Where is that inner child that use to love life so much? It's time to reconnect...Happiness and success depend on the child that you still carry within." -Roxana Jones In February of 2016, Luke and I took a trip to XelHa, Mexico to relax. We spent the day traveling up and down the raft river. On each journey, I saw people jumping off of cliffs. It looked like a lot of fun, but I was scared to try it. I was too old and someone might say something. I am too fat. It might really hurt. So, each time we went down the river I smiled at the children doing the cliff jumping and wished it was me. This experience stuck with me and I decided that I wanted to cliff jump when I made my life list.
Today, that wish came true and I found my 8 year old self. My initial post about this shows my joy: "Found my 8 year old self today at Xelha. Jumped off cliffs, chased stingrays as we snorkeled, used a rope swing into a Cenote, and rode more zip lines than I could count. Loved every minute. (Tomorrow my 39 year old self may not be as happy)." Now that I have had some time to reflect, I realize that the reason I had such joy today was that I stopped caring about what others think and worried only about being my authentic self. I love to play in the water--it makes my heart so full and I can't help but smile. It was exhilarating to step off that cliff knowing that I cannot do ANYTHING else but let go! We jumped and jumped and then moved on to spending the WHOLE afternoon doing zip lines into the lagoon. It was beautiful and fun and I can't wait to feel that way again soon! "Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including YOU." -Anne. Lamott Taking me time is something that I have worked on over the past few years. It is easy as a mom, teacher, wife, to spend all my time and energy giving to others. However, that does not work if the bucket it empty. So, half way through our vacation, I decided to unplug from all of it for a few hours. I used a few left over points from our time share to get a day at the spa complete with a massage and a mani/pedi. It was great to stop the world, stop my mind and truly relax. I loved how calm and peaceful I felt by the end. I need to add this back to my list so that next time I am running on empty at home I can refill the bucket there!
"We climb to heaven most often on the ruins of our cherished plans, finding our failures were successes." -Amos Bronson Alcott Central America is filled with ancient ruins that tell us about advanced civilizations. In particular, I am intrigued by the Mayan culture who was able to use celestial cycles to predict the weather, imagine the number zero and construct the most accurate calendar in known history. Learn more here: I was very excited to go see the most significant set of ruins--Chitzen Itza. On the bus ride to the side, we stopped at a Mayan Cooperative where the boys were able to get their Mayan birth certificates and we ate lunch while watching the dancers.
Once at the cultural site, it was HOT, and HUMID. The engineering used to build the central temple was amazing considering the time. On the solstice, you can see a "snake" crawling down from the top to let farmers know it is time to plant before the rainy system. If you stand in front of the stairs, you can clap and hear "birds" calling back to you thanks to echos from the 91 stairs. The other highlight of the site was the ball court which was much larger than I had imagined. It was sad to see that the site has been overtaken by vendors selling their wares. You could not go far without hearing "one dollar, one dollar" or the jaguar whistles. As our tour guide explained, it would be equivalent to our greatest museum being filled with Americans selling stolen goods. Our day finished up with a stop in a colnial city where stones from the Mayan city stand in the mission and churches. (We also had the most delicious churros ever in the plaza as we watched Mayan dancers. Overall we had a great day. I'm curious to go see ruins of other cultures to see how they are similar. "It's the ropes and the reins and the joy and the pain and they call the thing rodeo." -Garth Brooks Growing up, the fourth of July weekend was synonymous with Rodeo. Every year, my hometown hosted the worlds largest amateur rodeo and 3 days of associated events. It was one of my favorite times of year--after a few weeks of break you were guaranteed to run into friends at the fair grounds as well as other friends from church. When it was time to create my list, revisiting this was important to me as I realized that I had never taken my boys to see a rodeo.
We started our adventure with the free BBQ dinner. Delicious brisket with spicy beans were served by many faces of my childhood from both church and school. As soon as we sat down, I spied my middle school language arts teacher which was a special treat. The kids had very different takes on the Rodeo. Blake was not a big fan. He felt like it drug on and they kept on doing the same thing over and over again. About half way through he decided to keep his grandpa company in the car instead of finishing. It worked out alright though--he really enjoyed the one on one time with Papa (who enjoyed it too!) Jaxon loved the freedom of the grandstands in the small town. Over the course of the evening he was up and down a hundred times with his cousin Zach. He really liked being able to climb the fence around the arena to catch a closer peek. His favorite event was the bull riding. As for me, the rodeo still made my hear smile. I ran into my dear friend Becca who was in town with her five sons from Florida. We don't see each other often so it was a treat. I also was super impressed with the batch of barrel racers--they were not only quick, but competitive. Each cowgirl out posted a faster time which was really exciting! It was also fun to munch on fresh kettle corn and funnel cake--it tasted like summer! I'm glad we took the time to share this adventure. I always feel better when I go home, slow down, and remember the joys of being a small town girl. There is nothing better. I'm grateful I get to share these trips with my boys so that they know there is more out there than the city! “As I get older I am more and more comfortable being alone.” -Sienna Miller When I made my initial list of adventures I wanted to have, going to a movie by myself sounded like a stretch. Movies have been one of my favorite past times for my entire life. As a middle school/high school student, most weekends found me at the theater with either family or friends to see the newest movie at the one screen Sands Theater. In high school, the Cover in Ft Morgan added a second screen and it was amazing--we had three choices each week!
As I moved on to college, movies became one of my favorite activities to share with my roommates and with Luke as we dated. I love a good adventure movie and even more I love comic book movies! I always joke with Luke that he is the luckiest bastard alive because each year our anniversary hits memorial day weekend and the opening of a new comic book movie. He never has to plan more than that and a trip to the melting pot! So, why go to a movie by myself? Well, I think the honest answer is that it means that I am finally confident enough in myself to not worry about what other people think. In my small town, going together was the event, not the movie. Going by myself would have meant I wasn’t “cool” or “loved” or “liked” in my teenage mind. Throughout the years there have been many movies I wanted to see but skipped because of a lack of a date. So, today, I pushed those thoughts aside and went to see Oceans 8 in Boulder while Jaxon was at Robotics Camp. How was it? It was LOVELY! I really enjoyed the movie--it has a strong cast of women who played marvelously fun characters. The heist centered on the Met Gala so there were gorgeous crowns, beautiful baubles, and no one stole my drink! (I even had half left when the movie was over!) No one noticed that I was a alone and I felt brave for finally taking the plunge. I can’t wait to go again--I can see whatever I want now :) “The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words.”--Elliott Erwitt After having family photos taken with my family a few years ago, having pictures taken with Luke's family became something I wanted to do. So, for Mothers/Fathers day, we gifted them a photoshoot! We got our pictures back today and I couldn't be happier. They capture us right now and the reality of how we are today! I can't wait to get them printed and up for us all to enjoy!
"I think that, if the world was a bit more like Comic-Con, we'd all be a little happier."-Matt Smith So, if I am being honest, I am not exactly sure why I put going to Comic-con on my life list. At the outset, it is too nerdy for even me. The thought of grown men dressing up in costumes and spending three days stalking their favorite comics/movies/books seemed odd to me. But, it also intrigued me. What would it be like for all of the geeks in an area to come together? So, when Kirsten said she wanted to go to comic con for her birthday, we went. And--the verdict? It was AMAZING! Here are 10 things that stuck out about our experience! 10. Creativity is fun One of the highlights of our day was the time spent in the kid area making. I have been developing skills in collage lately, so I loved creating a chic superhero collage. I really loved their idea to print images on old overhead transparencies--I will totally use this technique again! 9. Technology making is everywhere The maker movement and digital making are all over the education landscape--and comic con too! Jaxon made a light saber and investigated VR/AR in the kids zone. I love that this is starting so young--kids think it is play instead of hard. This will help later on when they add the math and science concepts! 8. Comic-Con Beer is Yummy After a long day of geeking out, we stoped at the concession stand to try the exclusive Comic Con beer-Razznarok! A great summer raspberry, it was both refreshing and delicious. (and the mascot was a girl riding a pegasus--awesomesauce! 7. We all have a geek inside of us My niece Molly came to life as we found her "people". She made collage, bought new stuffs, and read her first comic book. She loved taking it all in and I can't wait to bring her again. She said thanks for being a geek with me--made my heart happy. So grateful that being a geek is so cool now! 6. Comic books are timeless As a child, I loved reading Archie Comic Books. My oldest son LOVES his Walking Dead Comics. So I spread this love today by buying everyone in our family a new comic book. I picked a Wonder Woman comic--a first for me! Loved searching through the big bins of books! Made my heart smile. 5. Pop Art is Fun The artist valley was one of my favorite parts of this event. There are SO many talented artists taking on so many different styles and issues in their art. We needed up bringing home Hans Solo and Princess Leia (holding a baby chewy) in vintage pioneer style portraits. They will make a super fun addition to our artwork and I am sure I will smile every time I use our powder room from now on! 4. Homemade costumes are best As soon as Jaxon and Molly realized they got to go to Comic-con, they made their costumes. And you know what? Next time I will too. The costuming at the event was awesome, but at the end of the day the best costumes were those homemade with love. 3. Sharing time with our people is priceless Auntie Kirsten is one of our favorite people and I am so grateful we got t share this experience with her. Blake loved having time to geek out as they explored merchant marts and I loved raising my beer with her too. It was a priceless experience for us all! 2. Experiences always beat presents The best part of the day wasn't all the fun merchandise--it was having a new experience. It was awe inspiring to see all of these people in one place celebrating heroes of all kinds. I won't forget it any time soon and I can't wait to go again. 1. Diversity is beautiful In a world that is filled with division, we have a lot to learn for comic con. I saw people of every shape, size, color, ethnicity, and comic universe represented. There were no arguments, only affirmations of "wow-you're cool" or "How's it going?" or "Yes! That is awesome!" We all can learn from embracing diversity the way pop culture has--our world would be a better place! |
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
Categories
All
|