My Dogs are Mooing

As of a few weeks ago, Fiance is no longer Fiance -- he has been promoted to Husband.  Wow, it's still strange to say that!  I've caught myself a few times referring to him as "my fiance" before realizing I can't say that any longer.  I sometimes look down at my finger and am surprised to see another ring there. I've started the process of changing my name and my driver's license and all of that other fun stuff. I'm re-learning how to write my signature, and I will admit it was exciting to get my first piece of mail with my new last name. Legalities aside, we've now become a team of two.  We're linked by more than just a hard-to-pronounce last name and a piece of paper filed at the courthouse.  We've promised to be there for each other no matter what.  He's going to see me at my best and at my worst, and it won't change how he feels about me.  When he's frustrated he might want to push me away but I won't let him. We hope ...

Last week I attended a meeting where the presenter discussed the power of "yet"-- how someone can re-frame his/her thinking so as to have a growth mindset.  For instance, instead of saying "I can't run a marathon," I should tell myself, "I can't run a marathon...yet."  To be fair, I feel there's a fine line between self-confidence and false confidence; no matter how strongly I believe in myself, I'm not sure any amount of positive thinking will turn me into an Olympic gold medalist.  However, my thoughts on the theory were tested just a few short hours later... I discovered that someone was making disparaging jokes at my expense about my weight.  It's no secret that I have a love-hate relationship with my body; anyone who follows me on social media has seen my #runburstinrun journey. And it is indeed a journey -- I feel like I barely remember where I began, and there is no ending in sight.  The source of the jokes claimed no harm was ...

This past week I've been working with my students on writing revisions using the genre of flash fiction. Typically flash fiction is 1,000 words or less; for our purposes, we are sticking between 500 and 750. In order to model for my students I created a piece of my own, and I enjoyed reconnecting with my inner writer.  One of my students, after hearing me read my first draft, asked me why I was a teacher instead of a writer #notsohumblebrag.  Now that I've polished my story, I thought I'd share.  It may still need a little work (I'm still not sure I'm happy with how I wrote the ending), but it sure was fun to create. Enjoy! The Golden Years “Mistakes are ok...but not here.  You’re fired!” Fred started filling a cardboard box with his personal belongings from his locker.  He wondered if they had a room of boxes somewhere, ready to hand out whenever someone was let go -- something that happened a lot.  In his time at the company Fred only b...

It's been another long delay since I've written, and it's for all of the usual reasons -- life is busy, work is busy, same old same old.  Less than a week after my last post I got engaged, and not two days later I was wrapping up the school year knowing that I'd be taking on new challenges right away.  From playing principal over the summer to starting a new position for the new school year, I had my work cut out for me.  Both changes were exhausting and overwhelming and scary and fun and humbling all at the same time.  I'm still catching my breath from it all.  I keep telling myself that as soon as _______ is done, then life will calm down.  Unfortunately there's always something new filling in that blank. I've been struggling with a lot of self-doubt and apprehension lately.  Over the summer I constantly felt on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop -- the administrator's dilemma, I suppose.  I'd barely had time to process the experience be...

In January I wrote about pushing my personal reset button.  I had come to the realization that there is no "I" in team and that the "me" in team is just a bit smug.  But charming platitudes aside, I figure it's time to check in and report how things are going so far. The good news is that I've actually, like, ridden my bike in the last few months -- and for more than a mile or a spin around the neighborhood.  I bought a little computer thingy to attach my bike to tell me how hard I'm not working when I feel like I'm pedaling like mad.  I even wear padded bike shorts with...well, not pride, but with enough swagger to acknowledge that I prefer comfort over style. Beyond that?  I'm still learning.  The supposed thrill of flying down a hill with the wind in my helmet has yet to replace the cramp in my hand as I desperately ride my brake and hope I stay upright.  If I want a drink along the way, I best be pulling over to the side of the road becau...

Happy 2016!  It's hard to believe that another year has come and gone.  As is usually the case, talk this time of year centers around resolutions.  While I have a thing against them (as I've written about before), I also see this time of year as a push of the reset button.  In taking stock of a few things in my life, I realized that my reset button was surrounded by big arrows and a "Push Me!" sign that couldn't be ignored. I tried really hard last year to live a healthier life.  I started running (well, shuffling, but still).  I ate better.  It was hard, but I saw results.  After taking the cohabitation leap with my guy I started to notice that some of my results were positive but some were not.  As it happened, Boyfriend was feeling the same way.  He has had some physical fitness goals he has been chasing our entire relationship, and he was frustrated at his lack of progress.  As 2015 came to a close we both seemed to have st...

To make up for my lack of recent posts, I've decided to share with you a sermon I wrote about gratitude.  My Youth Group students led a service the other night, and as part of it we read the story of Jacob and Esau. I was asked to say a few words about the story.  As a nice little companion, I also highly recommend watching "The Science of Happiness -- An Experiment in Gratitude" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHv6vTKD6lg).  So, so, so worth it!  Anyways, let's pretend that I wrote this specifically as a new blog post and am not just kinda sorta cheating by pasting in this speech instead. Good evening, and Shabbat Shalom!   On behalf of the Youth Group I’d like to thank you all for coming this evening to worship with us.   We talk often of the importance of guiding our students through their religious journeys; your presence here tonight is a wonderful symbol of that community support. Tonight Rabbi Block took us through the well-known tale of ...

I realize that it has been a year (well, technically 374 days, but who's counting?) since my last post.  I could probably come up with a whole host of excuses as to why I've been absent, but I won't waste your time here.  I've just been absent.  However, after reposting a picture from an old post I heard the glimmer of excitement in my dad's voice asking me if I had written something new.  Rather than let my beloved daddy down, I figured I'd pick up the proverbial pen and get to work. Last you heard from me I had graduated with a degree in administration and was standing at a career crossroads.  One year later?  I'm still standing in that same spot looking at the same horizon.  As time passes I find myself less and less interested in taking the leap into a new career.  Instead, I'm finding ways to add responsibility and excitement to my current job.  There are still days I fantasize about running off and spending my days with my toes in the...

Last Friday I had the honor of receiving a master's degree in administration.  I fully admit that I had a pretty easy path -- because of my previous schooling, I had fewer hours and projects to complete than most.  Sure, the work kept me busy but I tried to keep things in perspective; it only took me a year, and I wasn't juggling a family or a long commute like many of my classmates.  However, I can now look back and say it was hard.  I had plenty of my own responsibilities to balance.  Many times class discussions on hypothetical situations had me in a panic -- what if it was me?  What would I do?  And is knowing what to do enough?  Could I actually, you know, do it? Finishing coursework was only one part of the equation.  I sat through an intense licensing exam that, with each question answered, created more questions in my mind about my ability.  Seeing only one minute left -- with big, flashing numbers on the screen -- caused t...

Tomorrow, for the first time in six weeks, I will be leaving work early.  I will not be putting in a 13 hour day.  I will not have to work with my middle school students to figure out how to build a robot for the BEST robotics competition in only six weeks, and I will not have to worry about sending out reminder emails or arranging for t-shirts to be made or putting together lunches for students.  I will not have to find a way to borrow tools and return them, and I will not have to haul large pieces of wood and plexiglass to a shop teacher.  While I'm thrilled to have my life back, I have to admit that in many ways I'd like to have those six weeks back again.  Why?  Because despite everything we did to build the robot, we still ended up without one.  And, quite frankly, that sucks. To be clear, our lack of robot had nothing to with lack of effort.  I had parents and students put in long hours and give up their nights and weekends.  The team...

These last few weeks have been some of the most stressful I've had a in a long time.  The start of robotics competition season was extremely exciting, and as much as I enjoy the process I have to admit it's also extremely draining -- physically, mentally, emotionally.  Add to that my role as a youth group adviser, classes towards my master's degree, and time spent volunteering for the Gifted Association of Missouri and it's a wonder I get any sleep at all; I leave early every morning and never make it home until well past dark.  Once home my mind races with things to do, calls to make, emails to send.  Taking the time to write this post is one of the few things I've done for myself in the last few weeks. Maybe that's why, then, I received several random compliments and praises today when I needed them most.  I'm not sure I believe in the whole fate thing, though I don't knock people who do.  However, I have to wonder why today of all days.  A parent ...

Back in the classic days of SNL Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd used to do a segment on Weekend Update called "Point/Counterpoint", which would begin as a current events debate but generally devolve into insults about their, ahem, personal characters.  Today was a Point/Counterpoint day -- minus the jabs at my integrity. Point -- I donated my old collection of classroom books to a worthy place.  Eight years of books equals a lot of boxes. Counterpoint -- I live on the second floor.  My car is on the first floor.  A lot of boxes of books had to get from the second floor to the first floor. Point -- I went on a walk and found an abandoned license plate by the side of the road and turned it into the police department to be returned to its rightful owner. Counterpoint -- It was really hot today.  Why did I go on a walk? Point -- The police officer who collected the plate from me was appreciative. Counterpoint -- He was probably more appreciative that he was done...

It's been far too long since my last post.  I thought about writing several times, but my brain had other plans.  A lot has happened recently, and my mind has definitely been all over the place.   A new nephew.  Changes at work.  Returning to school for another master's degree.  A fender bender.  Meeting a celebrity.  And that's just the beginning... My life has certainly maintained its roller-coaster tendency. Some days the ride is exhilarating, and other days I wish I'd never even entered the amusement park.  I suppose that's natural though; the road not taken, indeed.  If you had asked me a year ago where I'd be, I never figured I'd be here -- whatever here means.  The impact of changing one part of my life has bled into the other areas, and taking on a new role as a student has me examining all of the other roles of my life in a different way.  My instructors have repeatedly talked about keeping life in balance and not l...

Yesterday was the Go Girl half marathon.  I was privileged and honored to spend 13.1 miles with some extremely special girls. The weather was perfect, and as the ladies started gathering around the starting line there was a great spirit of excitement.  My friend Andi and I saw matching shirts, cheerful signs, and tutus (hey, this was an all-girls race!).  There was even a spontaneous Zumba warm-up before the race, courtesy of Mark Livesay and the Ultramax team.  Once the race started we kept telling ourselves we were just on a nice long walk.  Emphasis on the long part. About three miles in we caught up with two young mothers pushing strollers.  They were part of a mothers' group based out of Fort Leonard Wood; military wives teamed up for races and called themselves "warriors with strollers".  One woman, named Sunny, was embarking on her first half marathon.  She would run in short bursts, telling herself she could make it to the next stop si...