From the Mouths of Babes

Day 25, Saturday: Something someone told you about yourself that you'll never forget (good or bad).

Just about this very time last year, I had just told my students that I wouldn't be back the next year because of our impending move to Australia.  It was surprising news for both me and them.  Because of the setting in which I teach, I have most of my students for multiple years.  So it was especially hard to think about not being their teacher the next year.  As a teacher, I place a lot of importance on what my students think about me.  Kids are extremely (and sometimes brutally) honest.  They speak their minds and have a certain way of "telling it like it is."  So when I received this letter from one of my students who had been with me for nearly three years, I was so flattered.  I will always remember sweet Kassandra.  Her words were some of the best compliments I've ever received. 

On an unrelated note... while I was looking for the above photo among the other photos of student work/letters that I've saved over the years, I came across this gem and just had to share.  Oh how I miss these amazing (and hilarious!) kiddos!

This was a journal entry responding to "tell me what you did this weekend."  Apparently this second grader was dancing in a club?  This student was very proud of the multi-colored disco ball. 

 

Catch up with my "Blog Every Day in May" challenge here:

Day 1

Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5 (Oops! :-/ I did blog on day 5, just not following the prompt...)
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Day 20 (I broke my streak- I missed this day...)

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Day 24

My Three Worst Traits/Faults

Day 24, Friday: Your top 3 worst traits

Not sure if these items are actually "traits" or not.  Maybe "faults" or "things I need to work on" would be better descriptors.

Exhibit A: Indecisive. Clearly choosing just one flavor was much too difficult of a task for me...

1.) I'm a procrastinator.  Always have been.  Every once in a blue moon, I will get in a super pro-active mood and get things done well in advance of when they need to be done.  And I love the feeling that I get when this happens.  But despite that, I still can't seem to make a habit of it.  I put assignments, chores, phone calls, and a multitude of other things off until the near last minute.  Maybe I work well under pressure?  Or maybe I'm just a master of distraction? 

2.) I'm indecisive.  I labor over decisions both big and small.  Where to eat dinner, job decisions, travel plans- you name it, I will most likely have a hard time making a decision about it. Sometimes I feel like I'd rather just roll a dice or have someone else make a decision for me.  I think this actually has quite a bit to do with my next "worst trait" in that I just over-think decisions and choices.  I have gotten better at this one over the years though, but I know I need to work on this even more.  I think one thing I do have going for me in this area is that once I actually do make a decision, I don't waiver from it.  My indecisiveness usually comes only during the decision-making process. 

3.) I'm an over-analyzer.  I think a lot of women do this.  I put way too much energy into worrying and thinking about things like: why someone did or didn't say or do something, figuring out the significance of an event totally out of my control, obsessing over various scenarios or reactions that are most likely completely unlikely.  It can be exhausting.  I envy people like my husband who are able to see things in a much more black/white fashion, while I just get caught up in all the gray areas, the "what if's, and the "what does it mean". 

In writing this post, I think I've realized that these three traits/faults all really have a lot in common and probably feed one another.  I procrastinate sometimes because I am indecisive.  I am indecisive because I over-analyze.  And on and on.  At least I can say that hopefully if I improve in even one of these areas, the others should also follow. 

 

Catch up with my "Blog Every Day in May" challenge here:

Day 1

Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5 (Oops! :-/ I did blog on day 5, just not following the prompt...)
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Day 20 (I broke my streak- I missed this day...)

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Day 23

Lessons I DIDN'T Learn In School

Day 23, Thursday: Things you've learned that school won't teach you

Left: At a senior graduation event in high school - Middle: College graduation with my siblings - Right: Grad school graduation

I am fortunate to have had amazing academic experiences during both my high school and college/grad school careers.  I learned and grew so much during those years and felt completely ready to take on the world when I graduated.  And I was... to a certain extent.  However, it's funny how once you really are out there in "real life," that you quickly realize how much you have yet to learn.  Here is a short list of the things I've learned that no one ever taught me in school. 

How (and when) to say no - I'm a people pleaser who avoids conflict like the plague- so it's always been difficult for me to say no (without feeling guilty, anyway).  When you're in school, to a certain extent, your responsibilities (courses, extra curriculars, etc.) are somewhat already prioritized for you, and there are built-in limitations as to how much you can take on.  However, once those guidelines are removed, it's easy to find yourself over-committed and in over your head because you've taken on too many responsibilities.  Knowing when and how (and that it's OK) to say no is a huge life skill.  You can't do it all, and that's OK.  The world will go on and people will still like you if you say no to them.  I'm definitely still learning this skill.

Love isn't a feeling, it's a commitment - It's hard when movies, books, TV, and your hormones are all telling you that love is all about a certain feeling.  And it is.  To a certain extent.  But one thing people don't really teach you is that love is a commitment.  Sometimes it is even a decision that you have to actively make each day.  Sometimes this commitment is easy and sometimes it is hard.  But just like anything else that you commit yourself to, it takes work and deliberate action.  It's definitely important to feel that "love feeling," but it's probably even more important to realize that you might not feel that feeling everyday, and that that is part of committing to love.

Sometimes you learn the most from your failures - I think many people learn this lesson pretty soon after they leave school and enter the "working world."  I know I did, anyway.  I wouldn't say that my first year as a teacher was a complete failure, but I can absolutely admit that I failed myself and my students on multiple occasions.  Many days I would drive home from work in tears feeling like I failed, like my lessons never went as planned, and being scared that my students weren't learning anything at all.  And this feeling was probably true many of those times.  Yes, I had failed.  It took me a while, but I did learn from those failures, and I didn't give up.  If you can't even recognize that yes, you did in fact fail at something, then you surely can't learn and improve from those failures. 

How to negotiate - I definitely think schools should offer courses on negotiating skills.  I am still really bad at this, but it is such a powerful and smart skill to have.  My husband is the ultimate negotiator (sometimes even to an embarrassing extent), and I've learned a lot about negotiating from him.  I think the most important thing I've learned about negotiating is that it doesn't hurt to ask.  Something as simple as, "what's your best price?" or "do you offer a cash discount?" can go a long way in negotiating. 

How to make friends - In high school and college, making friends and socializing are somewhat "built in."  You have group projects in your classes, multitudes of extracurricular activities and clubs  available, roommates, and regular activities like orientation and mixers.  You make some of your best friends during these times.  So it's kind of a rude wake up call when all of those "built in friend-making structures" are suddenly gone.  In my experience, it is hard to make friends as an adult.  You will likely be in a new city and be the new person at your job, and people won't automatically invite you to lunch or include you in their weekend plans.  You have to put yourself out on a limb and be proactive. 

Take It, Or Leave It

Day 22, Wednesday: Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel. (a pet peeve, a current event, a controversial topic, something your husband or roommate or neighbor or boss does that really ticks you off)

I almost never like to get political here... or really anywhere else for that matter.  I don't like to incite drama or controversy, especially around political or religious topics.  I'm also not very comfortable standing on a soapbox- not for me.  For the most part, I really do understand and respect the value of different opinions, perspectives, and beliefs.  Rather than get aggressive, accusatory, or argumentative, I try to remind myself that when it comes down to it, most people really do have good intentions in their actions and beliefs.  That being said, for the purpose of this post, I wanted to share a link to a video that addresses the controversial topic of same-sex marriage.  I always have difficulty formulating my thoughts on this issue into words.  However, this speech from a member of the New Zealand Parliament after the country voted to legalize same-sex marriage is pretty spot on with how I feel about the issue.  I love how he keeps things simple, light-hearted, and positive.  And that is all I have to say/show about that.  Take it, leave it, or click that little red x in the top right corner.  :-)

 

Catch up with my "Blog Every Day in May" challenge here:

Day 1

Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5 (Oops! :-/ I did blog on day 5, just not following the prompt...)
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Day 20 (I broke my streak- I missed this day...)

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Favorite Posts

Day 21, Tuesday: A list of links to your favorite posts in your archives

Seeing as how I only began blogging back in October, my archives really aren't all that... archaic.  But, that may have made this task a little easier on my part, since I had less than a year of posts to look back through.  It was still fun though to look back through my posts and select some favorites up to this point.  Enjoy!

 

Favorite Travel Posts:

-The day I got to cuddle a koala and pet kangaroos was probably one of the happiest days of my life.

-Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef was unreal and a huge item checked off the bucket list.   

-Even before coming to Australia, I had always wanted to see the Great Ocean Road. 

-The time I hurled myself off a bridge 

 

Favorite Posts Related to My Life As an Expat

-A post about my first Christmas away from home and how my family found a way for me to be in two places at once.

-On longing to be someplace else 

-Aussie-isms/Are we really both speaking the same language?!

-Some Reflections on "The Price"

 

Favorite Posts From the "Blog Everyday In May" Challenge:

-Story of My Life in 250 words

-A list of the top things that make me happy!

 

Catch up with my "Blog Every Day in May" challenge here:

Day 1

Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5 (Oops! :-/ I did blog on day 5, just not following the prompt...)
Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

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Day 20 (I broke my streak- I missed this day...)

5 Blog Faves

Day 19, Sunday: Five of your favorite blogs and what you love about them

I have quite a mix of types of blogs that I follow- cooking blogs, travel/expat blogs, mommy blogs, craft/DIY blogs, lifestyle blogs, among others.  The blogs I follow are also a diverse mix of small, up-and-coming blogs and larger, very well-known blogs.  Honestly, some of the smaller, less-popular blogs are usually my favorites.  But when I sat down to write this post, I had a hard time picking just five- especially since they are all so different.  So I decided to pick my top five favorite well-known/popular blogs.  Here they are!

Blog: Bower Power

 

Website: http://www.bowerpowerblog.com/

Blog Type: A mix of DIY, home improvement, photography, and mommy blogging

What I Love About It: Katie Bower is hilarious.  I love her writing style, honesty, and sense of humor.  Her house is beautiful and all of the DIY she has done is incredible- but not in the intimidating, "I could never pull that off" way that some DIY blogs can be.

Blog: Confessions of a Pioneer Woman

 

Website: http://thepioneerwoman.com/confessions/

Blog Type: Cooking/Lifestyle

What I Love About It: I have never cooked anything from the PW website that is not sinfully delicious!  I also love her photography- especially when she shares photos of her ranch.  PW is a really entertaining and humorous writer as well.  Despite how famous she has become, I love that she and her family still seem relatively unchanged by it all. 

Blog: Skinnytaste

Website: http://skinnytaste.com/
Blog Type: Healthy Cooking
What I Love About It: This blog has been my go-to blog for cooking for almost three years now.  I probably use a recipe from this blog at least three times a week.  Gina takes everyday favorite recipes and creates "skinny"/healthier versions that taste amazing- even my husband likes these recipes.  I feel like I've made most of the recipes on her blog, and I can probably count on one hand the ones I thought were just "eh."  If you need any suggestions of some of my favorites, feel free to ask!

Blog: Suri's Burn Book

 

Website: http://surisburnbook.tumblr.com/
Blog Type: Celebrity News/Humor
What I Love About It: This website is hilarious!  If you're not familiar with it, it's basically a blogger who writes as though she is Suri Cruise.  Her portrayal of Suri as hyper-critical and disapproving of most all other celebs (especially celebs' kids) is super entertaining.  She posts almost daily, and they posts are short and sweet, but always make me laugh.  Add it to your list!

Blog: Young House Love

Website: http://www.younghouselove.com/
Blog Type: DIY/Home Improvement
What I Love About It: John and Sherry are amazing at what they do.  Their house is incredible, but again not in an intimidating, "I could never do that myself" sort of way.  I love that this adorable couple has made this blog their full-time job, and that they've had so much success!  They don't take themselves too seriously, which I think makes their blog fun and entertaining to read. 

**Bonus**

Blog: Jen Frase... Stuff I Probably Shouldn't Say Out Loud

 

Website: http://jenfrase.blogspot.com

Blog Type: ???

What I Love About It: This blog is somewhat "seasonal," as she pretty much blogs only during the Bachelor/Bachelorette seasons.  Jen gives weekly recaps of the Bachelor/Bachelorette episodes, and her recaps and commentary are hilarious.  She is snarky, sarcastic, and sometimes vulgar (so if you're easily offended, beware), but her recaps are always so spot on and leave me laughing out loud sometimes hysterically.  Many weeks I honestly look forward to reading her recaps more than watching the episode itself.  If you are a Bachelor/Bachelorette fan, you must add this blog to your list! 

 

Catch up with my "Blog Every Day in May" challenge here:

Day 1

Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5 (Oops! :-/ I did blog on day 5, just not following the prompt...)
Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

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Day 18

Camp Mimi & Georgie

Day 18, Saturday: Tell a story from your childhood. Dig deep and try to be descriptive about what you remember and how you felt.

*This post makes me wish I had access to some of my mom's photo albums or my own photos that are packed away in a storage unit back in Texas so that I could include photos to go along with this story/memory.  Note to self: if we ever live abroad again, bring photo albums with you!

During the summer between first and second grade (which would make me about 7 years old I think), my sister (who was 10 years old at the time) and I got to spend a week at my grandma and grandpa's house with two of our other girl cousins who were our age.  Now, this wasn't as simple as going down the street or across town to our grandparents' house.  You see, my mom's parents lived in the small town of Marion, Indiana.  So that means that my parents were brave enough to let my sister and I fly from Phoenix to Indiana by ourselves.  Unfortunately, I don't remember much about the flight itself, but I do have very vivid memories of our very special week with Mimi and Georgie and or cousins that week. 

I always loved my grandparents' house that they lived in at the time, and I have so many vivid memories of it.  At the time, it was probably the only house I had ever been in that had stairs, and I thought that was so neat.  The house also had a pool room where my cousins and I spent a lot of time making up games with the pool balls and probably making a huge racket while doing so.  I also remember in the family/TV room, there were some cabinets where there were a ton of my mom's and aunt's/uncle's old toys.  Of course, my sister, cousins, and I were most excited about playing with all of the old Barbies.  I specifically remember a "stewardess" Barbie that was my favorite.  In the same room was a game table with a leather surface- which for some reason I remember really loving the feeling of.  We spent lots of time at that game table playing cards and Boggle.  In one of the upstairs rooms, there was a large closet/storage space with an inclined ceiling, that was the perfect place to play house/dolls/school, etc.  For some reason I remember this space having a very distinctive smell, which I still remember very clearly.  My favorite thing about that house though was that it had a laundry chute.  The idea of a laundry chute was completely novel to me, and I thought it was the coolest thing.  I remember launching toys and stuffed animals down the chute while my sister and/or cousins waited at the bottom to catch them.  Best game ever! 

Aside from the entertainment that the house itself provided, my grandparents did so many fun activities with their four granddaughters.  One day we each decorated our own shirts and white Keds with puffy paint and sequins.  There is a great picture somewhere of the four of us decked out in our gear/artwork (each with shirts stylishly tied at the hip, of course).  Someday I will have to go back and add that photo here.  We got to eat lunch at the 18th hole of the golf/country club that Mimi and Georgie belonged to, which we thought was pretty special.  I'm pretty sure we all ordered grilled cheese each time.  We spent a lot of time that week in their backyard pool.  Georgie loved to swim and was a good lifeguard (and entertainment) for the four of us.  Georgie was able to hold his breath for what seemed like an eternity to us, and we loved to count how long he could hold it.  I'm sure we exhausted him with this game!  Mimi loved to shop (still does!), and one of the days she took us to the little mall in town.  We were each allowed to pick out one toy at the toy store.  I picked out a small stuffed bear, which I named Mary (in honor of the town they lived in- Marion).  This is the only stuffed animal that I still have to this day.  Mary even came to college with me.  And yes, she also made the trip to Australia :-)  Another favorite memory from this trip was that Mimi had bought some sort of package/program where we each were able to write and illustrate our own book/story.  She then sent these off to whatever the company was, and later we each received a hardback, bound copy of our book.  I still have this book and love to read back through my oh-so-creative "Megan and the Three Bears" book. 

This is trip is one of my favorite memories from my childhood.  Now, it seems kind of crazy that my parents let my sister and I travel all that way by ourselves, but I am so glad they did.  I'm sure that contributed on some level to the beginning of my love for travel.  This was such a neat time for the four of us cousins to spend with our grandparents.  Now as we're older, the times we are all together are few and far between, but whenever we are together, memories from this trip always come up. 


 

Catch up with my "Blog Every Day in May" challenge here:

Day 1

Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5 (Oops! :-/ I did blog on day 5, just not following the prompt...)
Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14

Day 15

Day 16

Day 17