tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-127976622024-03-14T00:25:21.257-05:00As I Sing It...Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.comBlogger441125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-83614117823956795462019-05-31T18:41:00.000-05:002019-05-31T18:41:05.299-05:00We're Okay Until We're Not
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<span class="s1">We are ok with others as long as they believe what we believe, act how we act, live the way we live and do as we do. We don't take the time to truly understand their whys or hows. We listen. We see. But we do not understand with our hearts.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">We accept the kindness of others. We welcome their money, their friendship, their love, their generosity, their time. We dwell in their homes, find sanctuary in their presence, allow them to make us feel good. We feel their warmth, benefit from their selflessness, succeed on their backs or launch from the pads they built.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">We enjoy their humor (when it aligns with ours), we bask in the light they shine, and feed on the fruits of their labors.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We lean on their shoulders, bend their ears, engage them in our battles, find support in our weakness and encouragements in our strength.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Until...</span></div>
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<span class="s1">They run out of stuff to give. They are drained. They are all used up. They decided to focus on themselves for a while or maybe put themselves first, just once.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">They say something with which we disagree. They not only say it, they proclaim it, declare it, stand firm on it. They speak in a tone that we would never use. They phrase their words in a way we do not understand. They look at us in a way we perceive as "some kind of way."</span></div>
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<span class="s1">They disagree with us politically or religiously. They do not meet our expectations. They err, make a mistake, make a bad decision. They sin a little too much or not enough.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">We hold those things we don't like above all other things. We plant those differences in the forefront of our minds so we can dwell on them long enough to turn them into the enemy, the "unlike" us, those people.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
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<span class="s1">We do. To friends, to family, to coworkers, to strangers, to our leaders, to our pastors... We do.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></div>
<br />Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-58574635627208875202018-05-13T08:44:00.000-05:002018-05-13T08:44:55.522-05:00The SonI imagine he'd be beautiful,<br />
strong in body like his father,<br />
strong in spirit like his mother,<br />
strong willed like us both.<br />
<br />
I imagine he'd be generous,<br />
helping hands for all around him,<br />
saving the world one by one,<br />
making me so proud.<br />
<br />
Of course he'd be athletic<br />
how could he not be<br />
following in the footsteps<br />
of his parents?<br />
<br />
He'd meet challenges head on<br />
and never know a stranger.<br />
He'd have the courage of a lion<br />
and the heart of his mother.<br />
<br />
He'd graduate this May<br />
and head off somewhere to college<br />
where he'd show the world his brilliance<br />
and work toward his success.<br />
<br />
And he'd return to care for me,<br />
his aging, lonely mother<br />
who would never be alone<br />
thanks to the son she had conceived.<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">On this day more than any other, I am reminded of the child that I carried who left before I knew him but not before my hopes and dreams for him solidified. It's not his birthday or the day I lost him that stand out after 17 years, it is Mother's Day that hurts the most.</span></i><br />
<br />Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-81186550252294912152018-05-05T08:53:00.001-05:002018-05-05T08:53:49.118-05:00These DreamsYears ago, while at a music conference, I attended a class on dream interpretation. What messages are you receiving in your dreams? What issues are you unknowingly wrestling with or are causing you worry? The main idea I took away from that class was that 98% of your dreams are about you, even when they seem to be about someone or something else.<br />
<br />
My fascination with the meanings of my dreams started when I was very young and continues today. The vivid pictures conveyed in my sleep and rife with symbolism cause me to get very little sleep. I dream constantly. On average, over the last three months, I have slept about five and a half hours per night. During that time, I am in REM sleep for a little more than and hour and a half on average. It's during REM sleep that we dream.<br />
<br />
Some nights, my dreams are like movies: long and detailed and laden with characters from childhood through my most recent interaction. Most often those dreams are about my lifelong struggle to feel accepted and loved. Sometimes, however, they are celebrations or reminders of how fortunate I have been to know such a diverse crowd of influential people.<br />
<br />
Other nights, I dream in short vignettes that are seemingly not connected in anyway. The meanings or the messages in those dreams vary. But they are widely connected to my worries or some sort of grieving I am experiencing internally. For example, over the course of the last three years, I have had many different dreams involving one friend in particular. We were estranged over the last three years and, while the situations were always different, the ending was always the same. We would be on a trip or at the beach or out shopping and, in the end, my friend would leave me or ditch me or abandon me in a parking lot. I felt lost and intensely sad every time I awoke from one of those dreams. We have since reconciled and the dreams have stopped.<br />
<br />
I am grateful for my sleepless nights because dreaming puts me firmly in touch with everything that's really going on in my head and my heart. I often ask God to speak to me in my dreams. I feel like that's the only time I am quiet enough to receive guidance. My dreams are the reason I just know things sometimes too. Intuition, for me, goes beyond a feeling. It is an experience that most often teaks place while I am asleep.<br />
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So, what are you dreaming about?<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #e5e5dd; color: #330000; font-family: georgia, "bookman old style", "palatino linotype", "book antiqua", palatino, "trebuchet ms", helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, "avante garde", "century gothic", "comic sans ms", times, "times new roman", serif;">Dreams are the most curious </span><i style="background-color: #e5e5dd; color: #330000; font-family: georgia, "bookman old style", "palatino linotype", "book antiqua", palatino, "trebuchet ms", helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, "avante garde", "century gothic", "comic sans ms", times, "times new roman", serif;">asides</i><span style="background-color: #e5e5dd; color: #330000; font-family: georgia, "bookman old style", "palatino linotype", "book antiqua", palatino, "trebuchet ms", helvetica, garamond, sans-serif, arial, verdana, "avante garde", "century gothic", "comic sans ms", times, "times new roman", serif;"> and soliloquies of the soul. When a man recollects his dream, it is like meeting the ghost of himself. Dreams often surprise us into the strangest self-knowledge.... Dreaming is the truest confessional, and often the sharpest penance. ~Alexander Smith (1829–1867), "On Dreams and Dreaming"</span>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-73426040849755482692018-03-21T12:09:00.001-05:002018-03-21T12:11:04.287-05:00Back to Being StrangersSome of us should just go back<br />
to being strangers.<br />
Stop pretending<br />
to be more.<br />
<br />
We were inseparable<br />
in the seventh grade.<br />
We worked together<br />
years ago.<br />
<br />
We met through friends at Christmas<br />
at that happy hour.<br />
We sang side by side<br />
in the choir.<br />
<br />
We studied Math and Spanish<br />
in the senior lounge.<br />
We partied all night<br />
at college.<br />
<br />
Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram<br />
reunited us.<br />
With posts and pictures<br />
we caught up.<br />
<br />
We disagreed fervently.<br />
Conservative stance<br />
and Lib'ral beliefs<br />
collided.<br />
<br />
My tone was difficult for<br />
you to decipher.<br />
You no longer heard<br />
my voice speak.<br />
<br />
I still love 80s rock and roll<br />
you think it is trash.<br />
I no longer drink.<br />
You're a lush.<br />
<br />
Devoted to your fam'ly<br />
and I'm so single,<br />
time proved tough to<br />
set aside.<br />
<br />
Attempts to reacquaint us<br />
failed miserably.<br />
It's been too long<br />
since last time.<br />
<br />
Some of us should just go back<br />
to being strangers.<br />
Stop pretending<br />
to be more.Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-17470277536762371622018-03-19T09:51:00.000-05:002018-03-19T09:52:30.676-05:00SleepSleep:<br />
A necessity for healthy living<br />
but an inconvenience for those<br />
who want to enjoy<br />
every<br />
minute<br />
of life.<br />
<br />
Napping:<br />
pleasurable if napping with another.<br />
But to nap alone<br />
for napping's sake<br />
seems<br />
wasteful<br />
to me.<br />
<br />
Dreaming<br />
delightful images for the visionary<br />
and predictions for the future<br />
but why dream<br />
when<br />
action<br />
is needed.<br />
<br />
I will not...<br />
<br />
...sleep<br />
my life away when in waking hours<br />
my hands might build and create and fulfill<br />
those dreams of mine<br />
before<br />
night<br />
comes again.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-12153472987081673932018-02-26T21:56:00.000-06:002018-02-26T22:09:30.252-06:00Ten Blogs 'til 47: Ten Things You Didn't Know About Me'Twas the night before my birthday and I cooked and I baked til I was red in the face. Cupcakes and pancakes and sausage and cookies... We're gonna eat GOOD tomorrow. I have always felt like the best way to celebrate my birthday was to show my love for others. Although I make a big deal out of counting down until the day arrives, too much attention sort of embarrasses me. So I try to make it about everybody. Surprised? Here is a list of ten things about me that might surprise you:<br />
<br />
1. I would rather cook for 100 people than 1.<br />
2. I have never drank a full cup of coffee.<br />
3. I am extremely claustrophobic. I wasn't claustrophobic at all until I was in my late 20s.<br />
4. I have never had any dental work.<br />
5. I have had 10 surgeries in 6 different hospitals.<br />
6. My first job was as a baker at a restaurant.<br />
7. I have sung the national anthem for 30 years for many organizations including MISL, NHL, MLB, MiLB, PBR, NHRA, NASCAR and The National Dog Show (sponsored by Purina). My first anthem was in front of 10,000 people at the old arena for a St. Louis Steamers game.<br />
8. I didn't have my first real kiss until I was 17.<br />
9. My first concert was a band called Survivor at Six Flags.<br />
10. When I was a little girl I wanted to either be a singer or the quarterback for the football Cardinals.<br />
<br />
The more you know, huh? Well, tomorrow is the big day. 47. I am grateful.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-73578655115983443332018-02-25T14:01:00.000-06:002018-02-26T21:00:01.560-06:00Ten Blogs 'til 47: My Top Tens for 47<br /><div>
My 47th birthday fast approaches and so I am thinking about the things I want to make sure I do or say over the course of my 47th year of life. The great thing about birthdays is that they are another beginning of another new year. I suppose these are my 47th year resolutions.</div>
<div>
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10. Volunteer more. Volunteering was a priority in my 40th year and it was an incredible year. In this way, it would be ok with me if history repeated itself.</div>
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<br /></div>
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9. Watch less TV. I feel like the television is always on so it is kind of tough to avoid but... I will make the effort.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
8. Write more. I have all of these half finished books that need finishing and this will be the year, I will do it.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
7. Save money. Since I became a teacher it has been IMPOSSIBLE to save money. But I will get as many side hustles as it takes to get some money in the bank.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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6. Spend more time outdoors. I love the outdoors. Not in the camping and hiking kind of way but in the sitting in a beautiful place and allowing it to inspire me kind of way.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
5. Work to repair relationships. I will leave it at that.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
4. Rebuild relationships that I have left fall dormant. I know too many incredible people who I have called friend who I have allowed to fade into the background. No more! Get ready folks!</div>
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<br /></div>
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3. Sow seeds for the future. I have plans. I have visions. It is time to plant the seeds for those things to come to fruition.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
2. Continue to learn. From everyone.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
1. Hug more and say "I love you" more. YES, EVEN MORE.</div>
Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-84165860000914453952018-02-24T11:29:00.000-06:002018-02-25T11:33:14.072-06:00Ten Blogs 'til 47: A Few Top TensMy coworker and friend Katy is incredibly clever. When I told her that I wanted to come up with some top ten lists that I could use in my blog, she had a list of ideas for me as long as her arm. In fact, I bet she is still thinking up some more as I type.<br />
<br />
She suggested a Dwayne Johnson-themed list that might have been way over the TMI line for some of you so I will just contemplate that on my own. She also suggested "Top Ten Ways to Ruin a Perfectly Good Cup of Coffee" which I can't do because... I don't drink coffee. All of my ideas for ways to make it tasty would probably make everyone else barf. (Yes, I said barf.) That said, there are so many that I would love to do. So I picked the ideas that I thought I could do the most justice.<br />
<br />
<b>Top Ten Guys Who are Gross but to Whom I am Oddly Attracted</b><br />
(Coming up with ten for this was difficult and let me be clear, this title was suggested by someone else. Others find these men to be ugly. I happen to love them. :) )<br />
<br />
10. Adrian Brody<br />
9. Steven Tyler<br />
8. Tom Arnold<br />
7. Sean Penn<br />
6. Paul Stanley (from Kiss)<br />
5. Javier Bardem<br />
4. Benicio Del Toro<br />
3. Danny Wood (from NKOTB)<br />
2. Joe Elliott (from Def Leppard)<br />
1. Sylvester Stallone<br />
<br />
<b>Top Ten Realizations I Have Come to in My Life</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
10. Too many people wear socks with sandals.<br />
9. Nobody is going to take the trash out for you.<br />
8. In that same vein, if you want something done the way YOU want it done, you better do it yourself.<br />
7. French fries can be eaten during any hour of the day and it's ok.<br />
6. A great piece of chocolate cake is hard to find.<br />
5. Most people are really only concerned with what's best for them.<br />
4. People will tell you they love you and leave you in the same breath.<br />
3. Some of your very best friends are afraid of your potential for greatness.<br />
2. Happiness is a choice.<br />
1. You can say you're sorry 100 times but never actually BE sorry.<br />
<br />
<b>Top Ten Favorite Pieces of Art</b><br />
<br />
10. Dogs Playing Poker (No, I am not kidding.)<br />
9. The Flower Carrier<br />
8. Anything Jackson Pollack<br />
7. <span style="background-color: white; font-family: , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Warrior Wombyn (aka Rezzie the Riveter)."</span><br />
6. The Pieta<br />
5. The Green Dancer<br />
4.The Great Migration Series<br />
3. Starry Night<br />
2. The Kiss<br />
1. Water Lilies Series<br />
<br />
More to come!<br />
<br />
<br />Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-84088448582694333612018-02-23T12:13:00.000-06:002018-02-24T12:32:34.877-06:00Ten Blogs 'til 47: You Can Be Anything You Want to Be!First of all, bullshit. You absolutely cannot be anything you want to be. As one of my students reminded me, if I wanted to be a dolphin, I could not be a dolphin. UNLESS that dolphin was a member of the Miami Dolphins and, therefore, a professional football player which... We all KNOW I could not be. So, let's stop the madness. Truer statements:<br />
<br />
1. You can do great things.<br />
2. Goals are attainable if you work hard.<br />
3. Set the bar higher than even you think you can reach and you will not disappoint yourself.<br />
4. Choose a career you love and you will never work a day in your life. (Full disclosure: I don't know who said that first but it was not me.)<br />
<br />
I believe, at 47 years old, those four things have been true in my life. I have done great things. Unimaginable even. Stuff I never thought I would do. Things I didn't know to dream. I have reached and surpassed many goals. I have higher expectations for myself than I do for others. Although I am not sure others don't have even higher expectations for me because I have disappointed some people in my lifetime. I have chosen three careers that I have loved. And I have quit two of them when they started to feel too much like work and not enough like pure joy.<br />
<br />
In my current career as a teacher, I find joy in about nine out of every ten days. But on the tenth day, I think, "I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS ANY MORE." I am sure saying that (or typing it) out loud is treasonous but I don't care because, my friends, IT IS THE TRUTH. Yesterday was a day ten for me. Teaching is the hardest job I have ever had for many reasons but the top reason is that you work daily to put children in a position of success that sometimes will call you a bitch or record you and put you on snapchat calling you a fat ass or lie to their parents or other teachers about how horrible you are. And it is still your job to make sure they are successful. Let me be clear. I love my students. They do not always return the love. Yesterday, was a day ten. So I started thinking, if there was time for a few more careers, what would they be and I came up with a list of ten. Here you go:<br />
<br />
1. Full-time Author<br />
2. Principal<br />
3. State Representative<br />
4. Movie Producer<br />
5. Secretary of Education<br />
6. Owner of a Non-Profit Ad Agency with a portfolio of clients that worked to make life better for the disadvantaged or underprivileged<br />
7. Events or Tour Manager in the Music Industry<br />
8. Travel Writer<br />
9. Public Speaker<br />
10. Independently Wealthy PhilanthropistMichelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-38506163406601231762018-02-22T11:40:00.000-06:002018-02-24T11:56:42.130-06:00Ten Blogs 'til 47: Travel Through TimeTraveling has provided me with tremendous experiences, broadened my horizons, opened doors of opportunity, and allowed me to escape from the daily stresses of life. In my 20s and 30s, I traveled a lot. Then for some reason, I decided to become a teacher in my 40s and was immediately flat broke which limited my traveling funds pretty dramatically. Now, I am about to turn 47 and have clearly crossed the thresh hold of mid-life crisis and I am longing for the road. So today, I will reminisce about ten of my favorite trips, pictures included.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tTWAvv8sOxw/WpGS22hyuPI/AAAAAAAAAxk/7e0NxPxhLmoa8B6p36d2oVTI08Xa8ydMQCLcBGAs/s1600/598615_10150830635366148_815691506_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="769" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tTWAvv8sOxw/WpGS22hyuPI/AAAAAAAAAxk/7e0NxPxhLmoa8B6p36d2oVTI08Xa8ydMQCLcBGAs/s200/598615_10150830635366148_815691506_n.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirk and I in South Dakota</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
1. South Dakota. I loved this trip because, for some reason, I felt like I was home. The spiritual experience in nature is beyond what words can explain and the people... The whole trip was love for me.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ciENXMtd11k/WpGS1vWijvI/AAAAAAAAAxo/85FTlL1CmAAYUrxN81Y3czBbzT3tplP2QCEwYBhgL/s1600/11935567_10152969847551148_8295109628116121258_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="665" height="193" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ciENXMtd11k/WpGS1vWijvI/AAAAAAAAAxo/85FTlL1CmAAYUrxN81Y3czBbzT3tplP2QCEwYBhgL/s200/11935567_10152969847551148_8295109628116121258_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirk, Denise and I taking a tour of <br />
Central Park before Hurricane Sandy hit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
2. New York in the City. We survived a hurricane but I LOVED being in New York with my sister and nephew. It is truly the city that never sleeps... until that hurricane hit. I wish I had the guts to go when I was younger. Although, I may have never come home. What life might have been!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NReMtmbvaVQ/WpGS2QiT42I/AAAAAAAAAxg/ezHH5E5FwasIwu6OeLdxam8PY5ES_fAXQCLcBGAs/s1600/47163_425722751147_4250354_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NReMtmbvaVQ/WpGS2QiT42I/AAAAAAAAAxg/ezHH5E5FwasIwu6OeLdxam8PY5ES_fAXQCLcBGAs/s200/47163_425722751147_4250354_n.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The clothesline of towels<br />
and swimsuits at Table Rock.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
3. Table Rock Lake, MO. My family, cousins included, returned to the same resort my mom and dad used to take us to when we were kids. We all stayed in the same cabin. We ate together, fished together, and swam together like we did when we were little. Then at night, all of us "kids" would head back to the lake and lay on the shore to stargaze together. It was an amazing blessing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ts4P9Vy9_S0/WpGS1g6yn1I/AAAAAAAAAxU/CMEQhxYIQu0A4VjiD4lHD_00t-unaq7LgCLcBGAs/s1600/10561526_10152135939906148_8234568089751265087_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ts4P9Vy9_S0/WpGS1g6yn1I/AAAAAAAAAxU/CMEQhxYIQu0A4VjiD4lHD_00t-unaq7LgCLcBGAs/s320/10561526_10152135939906148_8234568089751265087_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kirk, Denise, Mom, and Shiloh enjoying the farm in New York.</td></tr>
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4. New York in the Country. We stayed on an alpaca farm in the countryside which was incredibly calm and beautiful. For a couple of days we also headed into Cooperstown to watch a Hall of Fame Induction and enjoy all the chaos of Hall of Fame weekend. What a pleasure!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p6v4q9pGQX0/WpGZaOYQ8TI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/P0i3AAbxqG0M9RMo1dIfsVlVihDBI-QowCLcBGAs/s1600/155616_1698214540804_4338995_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p6v4q9pGQX0/WpGZaOYQ8TI/AAAAAAAAAyQ/P0i3AAbxqG0M9RMo1dIfsVlVihDBI-QowCLcBGAs/s200/155616_1698214540804_4338995_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shopping in Breckenridge</td></tr>
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<br />
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5. Breckenridge, CO. This trip came on the heels of quitting my job. I had enough and I needed eight days in the snow to find myself again. Every day, I pulled on my boots and headed out for a walk in the snow. This is also where I realized how much I loved riding a snow mobile. The outdoor hot tub in the snow was pretty cool too.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fbekxtytSrs/WpGS2DakJGI/AAAAAAAAAxc/Sulmd_j3A5Ao3j3U1DKATCFlsLVh-_rSQCLcBGAs/s1600/253176_10151244989521148_2120705922_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fbekxtytSrs/WpGS2DakJGI/AAAAAAAAAxc/Sulmd_j3A5Ao3j3U1DKATCFlsLVh-_rSQCLcBGAs/s200/253176_10151244989521148_2120705922_n.jpg" width="200" /></a>6. Orange Beach, AL. Disconnected from the world, sat on the beach, and TRULY relaxed. I remember trying to be PRESENT and ignoring messages from work. I ended up leaving that job shortly thereafter also to go to another agency so I didn't feel as much pressure to be available. But to TRULY relax was a gift. We even rented a sailboat (that came with a sailor) and he sailed us around the ocean for three hours.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mx3Fw7_WF8s/WpGZaZ55KhI/AAAAAAAAAyY/5jB35bIwS70y0fFE4P5djlKq0Ovj6mNHACLcBGAs/s1600/259501_10150197792411148_2777263_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1142" data-original-width="1600" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mx3Fw7_WF8s/WpGZaZ55KhI/AAAAAAAAAyY/5jB35bIwS70y0fFE4P5djlKq0Ovj6mNHACLcBGAs/s320/259501_10150197792411148_2777263_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"selfie"</td></tr>
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7. Any road trip... There is nothing like loading up the car with a destination in mind but no real timeline. Stopping at random roadside stores to pick up some lottery tickets (because you know the winners are always in some small town) or to buy an "antique" that you don't really need. Diner food, farm land, cows (especially in Missouri)... it's what dreams are made of really.<br />
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8. The Field of Dreams in Iowa. First of all Iowa is a gorgeous place. As green as I imagine Ireland might be. I love driving right down the middle of a farm with cows and horses and sheep within reach from the car. But then, to stand where Kevin Costner stood. Well, we all know that made me giddy. Most importantly, however, this was the trip that launched the birthday trip tradition I have with my nephew Kirk. And now, every year for 9 years, we have gone on a trip for his birthday. </div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4tA-Aqjv_tw/WpGS1lrCxmI/AAAAAAAAAxY/N07-_Ra8DV8pAmupNyO4VxmfpL7oa0w-wCLcBGAs/s1600/20157735_10154490460131148_1538921966956396929_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="1047" height="160" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4tA-Aqjv_tw/WpGS1lrCxmI/AAAAAAAAAxY/N07-_Ra8DV8pAmupNyO4VxmfpL7oa0w-wCLcBGAs/s200/20157735_10154490460131148_1538921966956396929_o.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
9. L.A. with my nephew allowed me to see it with fresh eyes. I had been many times before but witnessing his excitement as we toured a movie lot, walked through the set of one of his favorite TV shows, took pictures with famous people (wax famous people but still), and traipsed up and down Hollywood Boulevard overjoyed me.<br />
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10. Finally, any trip I have ever taken to Memphis. I cannot recount the stories because some of them are secrets but I can tell you that I have eaten the best barbecue and met some incredible people. I have listened to great music, sung before thousands and danced til the sun came up. I have laughed more in Memphis than probably anywhere in the world because I have been afforded time there with some very dear friends.Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-45420561289849160072018-02-21T04:00:00.000-06:002018-02-24T10:12:13.474-06:00Ten Blogs 'til 47: Oh That's TastyIn keeping with the theme of lists or top ten lists in ten blogs until I turn 47, I thought I would keep things short and sweet. FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD is the subject for today. Here are the top ten foods I would eat if I could only eat ten things for the rest of my life:<br />
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1. Throwed Rolls from Lamberts in Sikeston<br />
2. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches from McGurk's in Soulard<br />
3. BLTs from Crown Candy Kitchen<br />
4. Spaghetti & Meatballs made by me<br />
5. Fajita Nachos from Chava's in Soulard<br />
6. Barbecue Ribs from Pappy's<br />
7. Mac and cheese from Costco (I know, I know...)<br />
8. Biscuits and Gravy (I haven't found the best yet but I am in hot pursuit!)<br />
9. Signature Chocolate Cake from Russell's on Macklind<br />
10. Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice Cream from Baskin Robins<br />
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AND, ten things I drink the most:<br />
<br />
1. Diet Dr. Pepper (I have a student who tells me every day that this will kill me.)<br />
2. Orange Juice<br />
3. Beer<br />
4. Red Wine (I love a good Norton.)<br />
5. Mango Margaritas (Best served at Chava's)<br />
6. Margarita on the rocks with salt (Still seeking the best)<br />
7. Water<br />
8. Diet Pepsi<br />
9. Milk<br />
10. White Wine (When the red has run out.)<br />
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There you have it. My lists of over-indulgence and many of my vices. All here. To be judged. Ah... mid-life crisis.<br />
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<br />Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-18770718105377896412018-02-20T04:53:00.000-06:002018-02-24T09:58:51.721-06:00Ten Blogs 'til 47: MASHCars are not really my "thing" but do you remember being a little girl and playing MASH with your friends? You would make these lists of things you wanted for your future and then you would pick a number and your friend would count through the list crossing off every spot she landed on when she got to your number. She would keep counting and crossing off until there was only one thing left in each category.<br />
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M.A.S.H. stood for mansion, apartment, shack, house. But we had a list of boys we liked, the kinds of cars we'd like to drive, how many kids we wanted, and we would add stuff all the time like what state we would live in and what kind of job we would have. I remember we always had to have one item (or person) in each category that we DID NOT want to end up with because it would be funny if you ended up living in a shack with 10 kids, driving a Ferrari and married to John Stamos.<br />
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Most of the plans for the future that I made as a child were squashed by bad decisions and procrastination and luck of the draw and maybe a little bit of favor in the form of unanswered prayers. But if I could play MASH one more time...<br />
<br />
Where would you live?<br />
1. Mansion<br />
2. Apartment<br />
3. Shack<br />
4. House<br />
<br />
What kind of car would you drive?<br />
1. Jeep<br />
2. Explorer<br />
3. Escalade<br />
4. My dad's old minivan<br />
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How many kids would you have?<br />
1. 4<br />
2. 3<br />
3. 2<br />
4. 1<br />
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Who would you marry?<br />
1. The Rock<br />
2. Channing Tatum<br />
3. John Stamos<br />
4. Idris Elba<br />
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My number is 7. The number of perfection.<br />
<br />
OH to be a child again!<br />
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<br />Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-12476844862429777032018-02-19T20:00:00.000-06:002018-02-24T12:08:02.079-06:00Ten Blogs 'til 47: I'm with the BandBounding into the kitchen, I interrupted my mom's chores to announce that I would one day be a famous singer. Mom continued washing the dishes and kindly dismissed me. I was six.<br />
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I went to college to be a music major. I was too fat to be a part of the musical theater program. They wanted me to do opera. I quit to become a sports writer. I was 18.<br />
<br />
In 2001, I lost 64 pounds and decided I might try to revive my dying dream of singing for a living. That year, I sang the national anthem for the first time for the St. Louis Blues. I would become a regular, singing up to 22 games per season at my peak. It would launch an anthem singing career across the country and open the door for me to sing for no only the NHL but also the NFL, MLB, NASCAR, and many, many more organizations. I was 30.<br />
<br />
In ten days, I will be 47. I realize my star power has faded and my opportunity has passed but I would still drop everything to tour and sing back up for some folks. This leads to yet another mid-life crisis question: if you could sing backup for anyone, who would it be? How about a top ten list?<br />
<br />
10. Pink<br />
9. John Legend<br />
8. Kelly Clarkson<br />
7. Sam Smith<br />
6. Luke Bryan<br />
5. Chris Stapleton<br />
4. Janet Jackson<br />
3. Almost any gospel artist on the charts<br />
2. Justin Timberlake<br />
1. Bruno MarsMichelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-6648318492407615402018-02-18T23:30:00.000-06:002018-02-24T11:54:47.179-06:00Ten Blogs 'til 47: What's Next?Ten days until I turn 47... My mid-life crisis has officially arrived in the form of voices in my head bombarding me with questions I have successfully ignored for the last ten years.<br />
<br />
What are you doing with your life?<br />
What's next?<br />
When you are you going to get married?<br />
You ain't got no kids?<br />
Did you finish writing that book yet? Better yet, have you actually found a publisher to produce that shit you think is brilliant?<br />
Why are you still cussing like a sailor?<br />
You know that perfectly imperfect is not really a thing, right?<br />
What's next?<br />
OMG, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT?<br />
You know you can't find love because you are fat don't you?<br />
Are you sure you want to eat that?<br />
How many times have I told you to KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT? (Everyone doesn't need to know what your thinking)<br />
So tell me again, what are you doing with your life?<br />
Don't you want to live in a nice house and drive a nice car with a successful husband and four brilliant children?<br />
I mean... is this enough for you?<br />
HOLY CRAP, did you know you only have three years left until your 50?<br />
What's next?<br />
But really... what's next?<br />
STOP. I need to know... what's next?<br />
<br />
I don't know what's next. But I do know that I have ten days until my 47th birthday and in honor of that joyful day, I will be writing ten exhilarating blogs.<br />
<br />
Welcome to my mid-life crisis.Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-32481630286212284002018-02-18T11:15:00.002-06:002018-02-18T11:15:26.159-06:00LockdownI remember the first time a school where I taught ordered a real lockdown. Area police were in pursuit of an armed man who decided to run through our campus. It was a campus with plenty of places to hide: multiple buildings with hundreds of rooms, closets, nooks, and crannies.<br />
<br />
My classroom sat in the center of a long hallway in a building close to the edge of campus. It's single story frame offered an easy escape through the seven windows that lined the north wall of my room. But the building also offered easy access from the outside with countless windows and at least six doors that opened to the outside.<br />
<br />
Inside my room, I had one closet filled with shelves from top to bottom and no door. Cabinets were scarce. Essentially there was nowhere to hide. Evading an intruder would be complicated even further by my large class sizes. Having survived intruder training and after watching multiple videos about how to keep my students safe in a dangerous situation, I realized that the only way I would ever be able to protect my students would be to get them out of that room quickly and quietly. I replayed the scenario over and over in my head, just in case.<br />
<br />
Unlike many of the teachers with whom I work, I did not become a teacher until I was in my 40s. I didn't have my first classroom until 2014. The massacre at Columbine occurred in 1999 with hundreds of incidents to follow. So I knew going in that there was a possibility that one day I might have to do more than just teach English. I also knew without doubt that teaching was a step in fulfilling my life's purpose so putting my life on the line would just be something I would have to do.<br />
<br />
On that day, when my students and I were told to lock the door, turn off the lights and be quiet until it was safe, we did as we were told. I locked the door while a few boys in the back of the room pulled the curtains across the six-foot tall windows and everyone else shifted to the side of the room and sat on the floor. One of the girls reminded the students to turn off the flash notification on their phones and to put them on silent. As I pulled the door closed, a district security officer stopped me and shoved three truant students, who I had never met, into my room. I ushered them to the side and sat them behind my desk. I remember saying to the kids, "If we have to leave the room, just follow my lead. As long as you can see me, you will be safe."<br />
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It was dark. It was silent. And then I thought, "How the fuck am I going to save 34 kids if somebody comes in here?"<br />
<br />
I was fully trained. I felt fully prepared. Until it was real. And then I knew in my heart that it would be impossible for me to shield 34 kids from a bullet. I couldn't even really hide 34 kids. I could maybe hide three. So... which three? I could maybe shield two. So... which two? What about my other 29 students?<br />
<br />
In less than ten minutes, the security officer returned and said we were safe to go back to normal. The three truant students rushed to their classroom. We left the curtains closed. The students remained quiet. There was nothing normal about that day.<br />
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<br />Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-34021748918099320312018-01-06T10:11:00.001-06:002018-01-06T10:12:18.944-06:00Live Your Life<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I don't understand why my young people are racing through life. So many are living life twenty years in advance of their actual ages. I realize there are many reasons pushing today's kids to accelerate the timelines of their lives but, from my seat of experience, I see our youth being cheated the chance to truly live. Some kids have watched their friends die before the age of 18 or shortly thereafter. Others are consumed with these being the end times. Still others long for independence from what they perceive as servitude under their parents. And finally, many are being prematurely pushed out of the nest by parents who no longer want the responsibility of their children. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The other day, my aunt told my cousin that life is not supposed to be figured out, it is supposed to be lived and enjoyed. Pure genius! This notion occupies a great deal of time and space in my thoughts lately. What exactly does that mean? While, for each of us, the path of truly living will vary and will absolutely lead in a unique direction, I can reflect on my beautiful life and offer some ideas that might also work for others.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">College may not be for everyone. Many might have said that about me. But I had the choice to either get a full time job or go to school. I chose school mostly because I didn't want to work. However, I am glad I made that decision. College presented the ultimate struggle for a kid who hated school but needed to pass 12 credits a semester to stay there. It took me seven years to get my undergraduate degree. I partied a lot. I got into a lot of trouble. I am not advocating that for others but there were some incredible experiences in between the craziness. I met so many people who I never would have met without college. Going to classes by myself in a place where I knew nobody forced me out of my comfort zone and demanded that I carve out an identity separate from where I came from or who my friends were. Take a class. Go to some kind of training. Join a book club. Do something outside of your comfort zone. DO NOT JUST SIT AT HOME.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">It's no secret that I don't like to work in one place for too long. The same boredom that plagued me throughout my education rears its ugly head on the job. If I don't feel like I am still learning or growing or if the experiences gets stale (what others might call comfortable), I am out! Most people see that as a bad thing but it has been a blessing for me. I have worked as a baker & a prep cook in a restaurant, a nanny, a public relations liaison, a sports writer, a publications coordinator, a technical writer, a project manager, a coach, a teacher. I have been the low man in the seniority rankings and I have been the boss. What I have discovered is that in all things, it's the people that matter most. It doesn't matter the job, or the process, or the industry, working is really all about the people you will meet and the experiences you will have. So try something you have never done. Apply for a job you think you'll never get. And mix it up. You will be better for it.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Travel. Travel. Travel. Escaping the status quo and venturing out into new, unseen places offered irreplaceable experiences to me in my twenties and thirties. Of course, I still had to work full time by then but a lot of my money went to seeing as much of our country as I could. The level of diversity in culture and food and religion and environment and people in this country is abundantly more than you can imagine. I can tell you that New York City is completely different from St. Louis which is completely different from Los Angeles and Des Moines, and Miami and Milwaukee. The way people get to work in those cities is different. What they eat for breakfast is different. Where they spend their time is different. How they talk is different. IT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING IN THE WORLD. I can tell you that people stand in Times Square in New York dressed as Elmo to make money. In LA, you can find impromptu food stands set up in front of folks' houses where you can get the BEST tacos made by somebody's mom. The smell of beer brewing in Milwaukee is much stronger than in St. Louis and late at night, when people are leaving the clubs and the bars to go home, sausage stands are set up on the corners and, while it might have been heavily influence by the beer, I think I might have had the best sausage I have ever had there. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Speaking of food and beer. TRY IT. Eat sushi. Go to a wine tasting. Eat at the new Indian restaurant in town. Make friends with your Pakistani neighbors and get invited to dinner! Don't limit yourself to chips and mozzarella sticks. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, the one thing that everyone can afford to do is volunteer. I spent every month of my 40th year volunteering for a different cause and it was the most rewarding year of my life. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.12px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: -0.12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The pressure to grow up is so intense these days. But you have so much life ahead of you. Live it a little. There's plenty of time to work 60 hours a week, buy a mansion, adopt 7 dogs, and join the PTA. Slow down. And, LIVE life.</span></span>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-77086487477631477082017-07-25T21:30:00.001-05:002017-07-25T21:34:12.363-05:00Summer LessonsMy summer has come to a close. Time flew by quicker than I could have imagined. I am glad I didn't have a job this summer and I had the opportunity to work on our house, reignite my writing career, and spend time with my family. I walked my dog twice a day, did a little painting, and tried a few new restaurants too. During the school year, teacher life occupies most of my time. I know you often hear about how teachers don't make enough money to work the ridiculous hours they work and how teachers are under appreciated and how teachers get so mad when people say things like, "It must be nice to have summer off." Well, it is all true. The school year was exhausting so a "relaxing" summer was just what the doctored.<br />
<br />
That said, teachers never stop learning, even when they are on vacation. Here are some of the things I learned over summer break:<br />
<br />
1. Breathe Right strips do not work for everyone.<br />
2. Buffalo sauce is not necessarily the best thing for your dog to consume. You should be prepared to let said dog out into the yard fairly soon after you have shared your buffalo chicken sandwich with the pup.<br />
3. Reading is fundamental.<br />
4. Sleep comes quicker when you ban electronics from your bedroom. Unless, of course, you keep getting up and going out to the kitchen to check your phone. Then you might be up all night.<br />
5. Feelings are feelings. Nobody can say they aren't real. (Well, they CAN say it but they might be complete assholes too.)<br />
6. Surprising me might be the worst idea EVER. I will ruin it every time.<br />
7. Everything is not Mike Matheny's fault. Everything is John Mozeliak's fault. (Ok, this might not be a cold, hard fact but... it's what I believe.)<br />
8. Writers must write every day. It doesn't matter if it is a grocery list, you must create. You also must know how to use commas and how to make sure your subjects and verbs agree.<br />
9. Xanax can easily be replaced by long walks with your dog, if you have the time to make that happen.<br />
10. The beard gang is serious about their beards. But they make me hot just looking at their hairy faces in July.<br />
11. Carjackers are either brave or crazy. But if you come by to take my car, I am going to give you the keys AFTER I practically talk you to death.<br />
12. 100 degrees is just too hot to do anything. If you need me on a 100 degree day, you can find me on the couch.<br />
13. Sometimes you have to mute the people by whom you are completely entranced. That kind of one-sided fondness is dangerous because it delays your possibilities.<br />
14. My number one goal from here on out is to become independently wealthy. I want to have so much money that I can spend it anytime on anything I want. I might still teach though. Working while rich has got to be a blast.<br />
15. Washing your car is a sacrifice to the rain gods.<br />
16. Maybe we are all not meant to be friends. Maybe I am working too hard toward a unity we will never see. But I will not stop being who I am no matter who you are.<br />
17. Cheese is life. Sometimes.<br />
18. Inspiration is all around you.<br />
19. I would do anything for puppies and babies. OMG.<br />
20. I am looking forward to hanging out with 10th graders this year. I used to hate teenagers. Now, I can't imagine my life without them.<br />
<br />
That's probably just the tip of the iceberg but I think it has been an educational break. Now... back to the books!Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-68053739257237764972017-06-25T22:38:00.003-05:002017-06-26T10:17:28.605-05:00In the Garden<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>"Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes." -Unknown</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pPQxmLsMDnQ/WVB-G3eHaII/AAAAAAAAAv4/fplVs_VbcB8cRMK2SyRljNaVKALnklQqgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_6717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pPQxmLsMDnQ/WVB-G3eHaII/AAAAAAAAAv4/fplVs_VbcB8cRMK2SyRljNaVKALnklQqgCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_6717.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dqKTRziAPKc/WVB_BlgW-BI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/mTZh5uHfM2kZvu1_ROMlhFvXT51EeGAnQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dqKTRziAPKc/WVB_BlgW-BI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/mTZh5uHfM2kZvu1_ROMlhFvXT51EeGAnQCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_7614.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wcdyyt0VSPk/WVB_DG6u6FI/AAAAAAAAAwU/oWLM1YIWQ30VMYinYdGlT1sSX-gaU_L-ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wcdyyt0VSPk/WVB_DG6u6FI/AAAAAAAAAwU/oWLM1YIWQ30VMYinYdGlT1sSX-gaU_L-ACLcBGAs/s200/IMG_7722.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xHMaag-4voo/WVB-Sq3EdcI/AAAAAAAAAv8/0PBdzHTlX2w6ilH5PzbrRjCB8xUKzy7bwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xHMaag-4voo/WVB-Sq3EdcI/AAAAAAAAAv8/0PBdzHTlX2w6ilH5PzbrRjCB8xUKzy7bwCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_7487.JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I was a little girl, the piece of yard beside our garage was a little garden tended by my father. Small, round watermelons sprung up there along with big, juicy tomatoes and radishes and green onions. There were cucumbers and peppers and tall stalks of corn. Dad cultivated the land and guided the food to fruition. Sometimes, when everything was ripe, he would take us through his masterpiece and allow us to harvest parts of our dinner.</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WDmsDiTqmhE/WVB_NMl-E2I/AAAAAAAAAwc/MnxGZE9AP4UywB9p8KgHfpFbnDP2rmdcACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WDmsDiTqmhE/WVB_NMl-E2I/AAAAAAAAAwc/MnxGZE9AP4UywB9p8KgHfpFbnDP2rmdcACLcBGAs/s200/IMG_7727.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DRzFkaH_2os/WVB-nPucn0I/AAAAAAAAAwE/QqCTDoW4zI8rCoEFLYG1KVyVEDpPJjUJQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DRzFkaH_2os/WVB-nPucn0I/AAAAAAAAAwE/QqCTDoW4zI8rCoEFLYG1KVyVEDpPJjUJQCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_7490.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Early this Spring, I decided I wanted to try to carry on the gardening tradition. I had some rose bushes removed, tilled some soil, and started with seeds in the house that I transplanted after the last frost. It was a slow and steady process but now I have real plants in the garden. I am awaiting my first harvest. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There is something so satisfying about growing things. Seeing it burst forth from the ground and reach slowly toward the sky. Watering, feeding, weeding... It's hard work.</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jeP5e_Ajd84/WVB-_9YcGsI/AAAAAAAAAwM/xPFOASzV5joWNHQqbbCIkt7olZPTdoe7QCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jeP5e_Ajd84/WVB-_9YcGsI/AAAAAAAAAwM/xPFOASzV5joWNHQqbbCIkt7olZPTdoe7QCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_7725.JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I can't wait to taste that first tomato.</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I-uayfuxEy0/WVB_MSmw4qI/AAAAAAAAAwY/nLwSq1DaPxg8RaIkg4czveYPdNOtPY54ACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I-uayfuxEy0/WVB_MSmw4qI/AAAAAAAAAwY/nLwSq1DaPxg8RaIkg4czveYPdNOtPY54ACLcBGAs/s200/IMG_7728.JPG" width="150" /></a><i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">"Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity." -Lindley Karstens</i></div>
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</span>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-1732531793749948412017-06-25T16:55:00.001-05:002017-06-26T10:19:32.260-05:00It's Not That DeepAnd then he said, "If it's not important, I just don't archive it."<br />
<br />
Stunned, I sat quietly. Just 24 hours prior, I had spilled my guts, my innermost thoughts, and one of the most precious untold stories of my life to him and he failed to "archive" it. He neglected to commit it all to memory because, I suppose, it was not important.<br />
<br />
Desperation and loneliness opens us to vulnerabilities we might have better avoided when feeling more secure. It causes us to reach out to people who might not have our best interests in mind or who honestly just don't care. And I was desperate and feeling lonely, missing my dearest friends who weren't around. I was desperate for my friendship with him to be more than just seeing each other quarterly and joking over texts and phone calls once every other month when we talked as if we were besties but... it really wasn't that deep.<br />
<br />
Our relationship lived on the surface. After pondering for a while, I realized I didn't know what his favorite food was or if he ever had a dog or where he would travel if he could go anywhere in the world. I didn't know if he preferred Target or Walmart or how often he went grocery shopping. I didn't know if he could cook or why he really broke up with his last girlfriend because the stories were vague and full of his made up cliches that I, quite frankly, didn't even really understand.<br />
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There was a time when we were seemingly close, hanging out all of the time, and I thought, maybe we would be friends. Maybe we would eventually be more. Maybe not. But it was fun and stress free and no strings attached. Oh my God... <i><b>It was fun and stress free and no strings attached.</b></i><br />
<br />
We must be aware of what others have to offer and we have to decide if that is enough before we spill out the serious and stressful details of our life only to discover that it's not important enough to archive. Because if we don't, we might set the bar of expectations for everyone as high as we do for our best friend or our lover or even ourselves. And that leads to disappointment which is the last thing you need to pile onto a desperate, lonely day.<br />
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<br />Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-55967366903516990702017-06-13T16:22:00.001-05:002017-06-26T10:20:59.723-05:00All My BlogsSince 2005, I have been blogging. Finding a way to express my inner thoughts whether others found them appropriate or not was incredibly therapeutic but I think blogging also really helped me develop as a writer. Over the years, I have crafted many types of blogs and some of them existed only for a season. But there are four that I currently maintain so I thought I would post them here for my followers. If you are looking for a little something to read, there are a lot of options. Also, if you are trying to figure out who I really am, this is a great way to do so. :)<br />
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As I Sing It has been up and running since 2005. It is a little bit of everything.<br />
<a href="http://michelesingsit.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://michelesingsit.blogspot.com</a></div>
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My Parent's Roommate conveys the stories of life in my 40s and living with my parents.<br />
<a href="http://myparentsroommate.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://myparentsroommate.blogspot.com/</a></div>
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My main tumblr blog is probably updated the most. It's like snapchat that lasts forever. If you have no idea who I am as a human being, this might help<br />
<a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmichelesingsit.tumblr.com%2F&h=ATPae1J8qAwahA3r0hG2DRKgWScU0xBxs8UTNU4fA_v5B5KaX3HTkIfzE5Gdg8op_Z9wVWD2Ngwu0gU7bAJ813TTITextL0VDTWJH-HtFwc6xYA63lfOx53kV8o4xPcZKpRNnVQ5Ly_3rQG3PtMYIXlfJ-hX4wjb_eS6ZXQh&enc=AZNp1tQBm3ODqAkCEJPRG3In3F9fCEdYqDwaz9WE3y5dBCO9xKKJ5K5M2LRWUpbcVIM_arwnTO5bnZZr95E4jvCB55d9izsQqHrBYM4qtQN66XFpupnOrHmSL_iiDWsIdPTjCspqEZ2CR0z6-RFDx0UFzboAl2mmK-hdJp4Y9ymrwTzrHMOmM3T5J40bL52vGg4&s=1" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://michelesingsit.tumblr.com/</a></div>
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Finally, Thoughts Before Bed is not just the title for my Sunday Night FB posts, it is also a blog! It's kind of pretty and, someday soon, it will also be a book. :)<br />
<a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpillowwriter.tumblr.com%2F&h=ATOdKGzJ7XNjM-9DPKqT1GcjJ4tBxVhicjsXlANHbTHZrERZeHOCDOTKmhIvmlmFMpAIxKltKGmgxHYsK1fs47sxKof4fFoX8pxPmbrz8dN6Dzirm3Ct5BCa_san6zcLuXE9Wk8-i8FIgoB_rJLQ--KA53JPZFLKwXFyd3NI&enc=AZOP4EVKzBAsac56-h7ed-ZP0-XMPjs-zQ15pX_tsBDU6eBJp5ZPpc-zgYAeg99gLNVWBZOw75STmj-L_r24oN8kL7L2aV6APwlwnn4VH9w-WdIiXd1GgLS_aUZ33fA7W0KSMAYF4oyYi0E_bQ8oVJyQfX3eQqE1EIXZiGfTyspqZZPQUsGlXUjAB5z2V3A52-U&s=1" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://pillowwriter.tumblr.com/</a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times"; font-size: small; letter-spacing: normal;">Enjoy!</span></div>
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Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-24408450174882498142017-04-07T03:30:00.000-05:002017-06-26T10:21:37.853-05:00Thoughts on Leadership<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">You must be SELFLESS to lead.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">You must be able to make a decision and stick with it to lead.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">You must make decisions that are in the best interest of the whole and they must be steps toward accomplishing team goals.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">You must have common sense to lead.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">You must not create an environment of chaos and you must weed out the people who thrive on chaos.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">You must be ahead of the news, the gossip and your organization’s reputation. And therefore, you must stay connected to people, to news outlets, to social media. Nothing should surprise you.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">You must LOVE people and you must have a relationship with EACH of your people.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">You must KNOW so you do not have to listen to the word of others to know.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">You must be able to do the job yourself and you must be willing to do it at the drop of a hat if needed.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">You must be the employee that you want your employees to be.</span></div>
Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-63251146600424534192017-03-22T16:00:00.000-05:002017-06-26T10:22:19.509-05:00Education Philosophy<i><b>I am a teacher now. It still feels weird to say it. I started my career life as a sports writer, quickly transitioned to the advertising industry and, eventually, I became a teacher. In my short time educating others, I have developed my own philosophy of education. Here it is:</b></i><br />
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The number one goal of education should be to prepare young people to conquer the world. Educators must illuminate the possibilities for young people, expose them to open doors they are not yet able to see and encourage them to not only take life step by step but to leap toward dreams and goals that others might say are impossible.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">As an educator, I have three goals for my work. First, I strive to build relationships that will not only help me understand the personalities of students and parents and colleagues but will also reveal the strengths and weakness upon which or around which we can build a path to success. Relationships are paramount to successful education efforts. Building some semblance of trust and understanding and living as transparently as possible allows my students to fully engage in the process of learning.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Secondly, it is my charge to provide a safe place where students are allowed to engage in delicate conversation, express themselves intellectually and creatively, and dare to wonder about what life could be or would be like if obstacles such as poverty did not exist. It is a safe place where the worries of every day can be addressed as needed or where they can be set aside in order to just dream for a bit.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Finally, It is my hope to build the foundation of my classroom upon the Socratic notion that the educator’s job is to teach students how to think and not what to think. I want to empower them to not only come up with the answers but to decide what the questions are. I want to put learning in their hands and their hearts, not just in their heads.</span></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">By focusing on building relationships, providing a safe place, and empowering young people, I hope that I am giving students what they need to, indeed, conquer the world.</span></span></div>
Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-17755117233812595632017-02-27T13:41:00.000-06:002017-06-26T10:23:11.971-05:0046 Thoughts for My 46th YearIn honor of my 46th birthday and, in keeping with tradition, here is a list of the 46 thoughts that are top of mind right now:<br />
<ol>
<li> No matter how old you are, White Castle at 3AM is a terrible idea.</li>
<li>You can never have too many pillows.</li>
<li>If you teach your dog to bring you the leash every time she wants to go out, she will bring you her leash CONSTANTLY.</li>
<li>Socks with sandals defeats the purpose of sandals.</li>
<li>Some people thrive on their ability to make everything about them. Your auntie's best friend's, nephew's cousin might have gotten shot last night and these people are going to be wearing black, in mourning and posting about it all over social media.</li>
<li>Diet Dr. Pepper is apparently going to be the death of me. I don't know that I am ok with that but I just can't break up with my drink.</li>
<li>Speaking of breaking up... there are only two things more difficult that breaking up with your man: breaking up with your hairdresser and breaking up with your best friend of 30 years.</li>
<li>Best friends know more than your mom and your man.</li>
<li>I don't know what it is like to FEEL 46. I have to think about how old I am when people ask.</li>
<li>I do sometimes wish I could go back 20 years and do a few things differently but for the most part, I am looking forward to the future.</li>
<li>Greeting cards are such a rarity these days. Folks send wishes via Facebook and Instagram and Snapchat. This year, I am going to get back to sending cards with nice little notes written inside. I might even send some cards to people I don't like.</li>
<li>I'm not a player, I just crush a lot.</li>
<li>Speaking of crushing, there is this man right now who turns my head and ignites my brain. He is the total package.</li>
<li> I have a dear friend who uprooted her life and move to Los Angeles to follow her dream. It is inspiring. </li>
<li>On the cusp of having my first story published in 20 years, I am as excited as can be.</li>
<li>There are few things I cherish as much as just hanging out with my elderly parents on a Saturday night watching a Hallmark movie. (That might be a confession too.)</li>
<li>More than ever, we are living in a time when setting aside our own needs is integral to creating a better future for the next generation.</li>
<li>We must find reasons to love more often than we find reasons to be disgruntled or impatient or angry.</li>
<li>Acknowledging the NORMAL of others doesn't mean we understand it or even that we agree with it. Acknowledgment makes it real. AND THEN comes understanding.</li>
<li>Birthdays have become less significant in recent years but I hope I have at least 40 more in store because I have so much more to do.</li>
<li>While I admire people who stay in the same career for years, I could never do it. I am always thinking about what is next.</li>
<li>Brussel sprouts are more than just tiny cabbages.</li>
<li>If I could do one thing for the rest of my life, it would be to work as a public speaker in large venues, in front of lots of people, talking about MANY different things.</li>
<li>And if I could do two things, I would also have all of my books published and ranked on the popular market.</li>
<li>46 years is often unfathomable since, at one time, I thought I would have lived most of my life by the time I was 30.</li>
<li>Teaching has given me an unmatchable experience and tremendous insight into what a significant handicap insecurity is to change and success.</li>
<li>Remember when your days were jam packed with playing games you made up with your friends in the neighborhood? Me too.</li>
<li>Love comes in many forms and not always in the way, the package, or the time you expect it.</li>
<li>Nothing cures sadness like a trip on the open road.</li>
<li>It's ok to like mainstream music and movies and television shows. You don't have to be unlike everyone else to be cool.</li>
<li>Embracing change is scary, even to those who have no idea they are afraid.</li>
<li>Sometimes, I think we act out of some ancestral memory that's buried in our DNA.</li>
<li>Everyone should read more.</li>
<li>Everyone should also disconnect from the world more.</li>
<li>I would LOVE to have a man in my life who makes me laugh, gives me butterflies when he walks into the room, and who smells like a hard day's work.</li>
<li>I believe in balance in a relationship. </li>
<li>I am scared to death of truly putting myself out there when it comes to finding love.</li>
<li>When a ship has sailed, it's best not to stand in port waiting for it to return.</li>
<li>Volunteering and traveling are the two best ways to gain a firm understanding of the world.</li>
<li>Politics have never changed the world. That is your job and my job.</li>
<li>If your dog barks in the middle of the night, it's best to make sure nobody is stealing your car.</li>
<li>Failure is ok as long as you try again.</li>
<li>Pedicures and massages sustain me.</li>
<li>Do not call me in the middle of the night and expect to get a little booty. Do call me in the middle of the night if you have cake to share.</li>
<li>Napping totally messes up my day but my resolve to avoid them is fading as I get older.</li>
<li>This year will bring great things.</li>
</ol>
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Here's to 46!</div>
Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-10532304710731279332017-01-22T20:55:00.001-06:002017-01-22T20:55:40.326-06:00My Social Media Strategy: 2017We should ask ourselves why we are so angry, so bothered, so incensed by what others are doing, experiencing, believing and posting on social media. We should also consider our motivation for passing on information and our reason for being on social media altogether. I think, if we each took an honest look at ourselves, our own feelings, and our own actions, the face of social media as well as it's platform would change dramatically.<br />
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For my part, I have decided to commit to the following social media guidelines for the remainder of 2017. I promise you that:<br />
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1. I will revert to my original purpose for using Facebook which was to catch up and keep up with old friends and new, with family and with former coworkers.<br />
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2. I will only post original statuses on Facebook. In other words, I will not use the status of others or the words of others. When Facebook asks, "what's on your mind," I will share that and only that.<br />
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3. If I choose to repost something, I will only repost from a source I know personally and I will give full credit to the original author. I will limit those reposts to humor and encouragement.<br />
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4. If I choose to pass along information or news, I will only repost from reputable sources and I will research the information in depth before I share it with others. I will also add any additional sources that may be helpful to those who might choose to read it.<br />
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5. I will continue to share my life and, by "my life" I mean, my daily adventures, experiences, and conquests. I will keep talking about work and my kids and my family and my dog. I will still post pictures and links to my blogs but I will remember that my motivation behind it all should be to make someone smile or to provide an uplifting moment to others.<br />
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6. I will NOT comment or respond to anything on Facebook or Twitter out of anger, disgust, or a need to "RIGHT" someone else's opinion. I will first ask myself, "why does this bother me" and I will answer that question instead of responding. Then I will ask myself how I can truly bring about change because I know that responding in that moment is not the answer.<br />
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7. I will continue to share my volunteer efforts, the issues about which I feel passionate, and my efforts to bring about unity in the world but only with the intention of sharing and not in an effort to "change your mind."<br />
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8. I will not use social media as my first source of news.<br />
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9. I will continue to post rock star tweets on Twitter that garner the attention of famous people.<br />
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10. I will always use social media to make connections.<br />
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11. I will utilize my tumblr blog to post little bits of myself and inspirational quotes and the antics of my dog.<br />
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12. I will not allow the posts of others to get my blood pressure up because I will not take social media that seriously.<br />
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13. I will continue to be an activist in real life and online but only because it is what I feel like I should do and I believe it is a part of my purpose to work to make life better for the marginalized and to make sure that everyone is treated fairly and equally. But I will not set the expectation that everyone else must do the same.<br />
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14. I will keep playing candy crush and I will not apologize.<br />
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15. I will tweet about the bachelor one moment and indigenous issues the next and I will not allow my number of followers to change my method of operation.<br />
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16. I will not censor myself but I will put folks into categories, especially those who continue to think they know me but who I know really know nothing about me at all.<br />
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17. I will delete people but not because I disagree with them. I will delete them if they spew hate or promote an angry and separatist agenda. I will not stand by as witness to racism, sexism, anti- (insert the religion you hate here)-ism, etc.<br />
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18. I will follow people and add friends who make me feel good or who make me laugh or who push me to be a better person.<br />
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19. I will spend more time writing books and lesson plans than I will perusing Facebook or Twitter.<br />
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20. I will blog at least once every month.Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12797662.post-13982153435910413302017-01-01T12:05:00.000-06:002017-01-01T12:05:05.009-06:00Thoughts Before... 2017 Gets RollingThoughts before Bed, a weekly series (and sometimes a bi-weekly series) of Facebook posts came about as I struggled to shut my mind off long enough to fall asleep at night. Often enough, it is thought provoking, sometimes, silly and sometimes serious. So, I promised an edition of THOUGHTS BEFORE BED before the new year and I thought it would be great to actually kick off 2017 with it.<br />
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We have a tendency, as human beings, to do what is easy and rightfully so. Life is hectic and everyone has days when "busy" doesn't come close to defining our experience. But as we venture into 2017, I would like to challenge you, just as I challenge myself, to do the difficult things. You are here. You are in this space in time because you are needed at this very moment, whether you realize that or believe that or not. Your task may not be great. You may not walk a path of notoriety and fame. But you were created for such a time as this.<br />
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THOUGHTS BEFORE 2017<br />
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1. It's easy to be an asshole. This year, I hope we will pause, take a deep breath, and first, ponder how our thoughts or actions might affect others, not simply how they will be perceived. You are like a pebble skipping across a pond and your action creates a ripple that expands across your family, your community and your world. Think first.<br />
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2. It's easy to do nothing. Rather than rock the boat or send a ripple of consequence out in the world, it is easy to sit back and watch and remain silent or live a life of inaction. If you have the luxury of doing so, you should know that there are many who do not. There are those who fight every day to survive, to live, to have clean drinking water, to put food on the table, to say no to drugs, to keep a roof over their heads, to find a cure for cancer, to better relationships in our communities between racial groups and religious groups and people on the opposite sides of whatever issue, to save the oceans and the whales and the manatees. Not everyone has to be an activist but we should all contribute to a "fight" in some way. Or at the very least speak up when someone else could use some back up.<br />
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3. It's easy to just click SHARE on any piece of news or inspiring meme or the quote of the day. And there is really nothing wrong with that because sometimes you have to get the word out or encourage others and you can't find the words yourself. BUT... I would challenge you to dive deep. How do YOU feel? What do YOU think? The greatest barrier to my writing has always been the fear of what others will think. So as I challenge myself to be honest and transparent, I challenge you to do the same.<br />
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4. It's easy to think you don't matter or you can't make a difference or one person can't change the world. But that's also a lie we tell ourselves. I smile. A lot. Not at work, really. But in the rest of my life. And I say hello. And it matters. There are little things in our everyday that we can do to change the atmosphere or the environment in which we live. I challenge you to commit one SIMPLE act of kindness EVERY DAY in 2017. And keep track of it. Journal. Write it in a little homework notepad. Make it your Facebook status or your ONE tweet. "Today, I smiled at every stranger I passed." Some days it will not matter to you but, in all likelihood, it will matter to the person you acknowledged.<br />
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5. It is easy to complain. I LOVE TO COMPLAIN. It provides fodder for my humor. I enjoy examining the sheer lunacy of the actions of others. I have a good time with a little road rage now and then so I am not boycotting complaining because some days it's a part of survival mode. But I think we should challenge ourselves, in the midst of real, legitimate complaining, to also come forward with a solution. If you can't figure out how to make something better, then just keep it under wraps.<br />
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6. It is easy to forget that everyone around you has a million things going on too. It might not be about you. Whatever IT is. We spend some much time worrying and wondering why other people do things or being angry because they didn't do something. Circumstances. Period. Stuff happens. Life happens. Let's give each other the benefit of the doubt.<br />
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7. It's easy to be so focused on everybody else that we forget to take care of ourselves. This is a HUGE one for me. God willing, I will get back to a place of balance in 2017.<br />
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8. Why are teenage girls so controlling with their boyfriends? (I know I didn't start that one off right...) It's easy to lose sight of our goals. That's what I meant to say. What are your goals? Your dreams? Why are you so worried about where he is and what he is doing and why he is taking 10 minutes to text you back? What are YOU DOING? Get up. Do something with your life. BE GREAT. Then he will be chasing after you. :)<br />
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9. It is easy to blame others for our situations, circumstances, state of mind. But why does that other person have so much more power over your life than you do? Just asking.<br />
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10. And finally, it is easy to give up. But I would suggest that more than ever, now is the time for you to just go for it. You might not get another chance.<br />
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Know that, I love you dearly. I look forward to seeing all the good that comes from each of you and your endeavors in 2017. Thank you for your loyalty, your kindness, your humor, and your love. Many days, you truly sustain me. Happy New Year everyone.Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16653426145956334225noreply@blogger.com1