Monday, December 28, 2009

Ramblings of Travelings

The holiday has been wonderful so far. Full of Christmas traditions and restfulness, both very important things.

At one point in the last two weeks, we went to see Fantastic Mr. Fox. And I have to say, I really enjoyed the movie. Jason Schwartzman as Ash was by far my favorite character and I thought Wes Anderson and the artists did an excellent job of capturing Roald Dahl's novel in a very beautiful, furry way.

Now, my parents and I are relaxing in the Cape Codder Resort in Hyannis, MA. We arrived around 4 pm and went to the Resort's restaurant for some eats. During my dinner, I mistakenly thought my father flicked me off only to look across the table to see my mother flicking me off (just to indicate which finger her middle one was apparently). Nevertheless, it was funny because as my mother mentioned, "it was my first time to ever do that." And good thing it was with family.

Monday, December 14, 2009

The Last Dickens



This weekend, I finished reading the book, "The Last Dickens" by Matthew Pearl.



I'm not one for mystery novels, but I enjoy them now and then. Matthew Pearl is a well-known author who entangles the historical lives of authors with a little ficitonal mystery. And he did it very well.



The book is based on the life of James Ripley Osgood, a co-publisher of Fields & Osgood in Boston. When Dickens passes away without finishing his last book, Osgood goes on a journey to figure out what Dickens intended for his mystery novel's ending. Osgood is met by mysterious characters, some dangerous alley ways and Dicken's close family and friends while on his quest. It was a very good book and I would recommend it!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Traveling


I arrived in Connecticut last night fairly late, around 10 pm. And prior to that my day was full of travelings. Now to my extensive knowledge of all things traveling (not really), I know that the word travel comes from travail.


Merriam Webster defines travail as: Work especially of a painful or laborious nature.

Thankfully my travels yesterday were not so much like this, they were actually quite pleasant. And I read something very amusing in the Cincinnati airport women's restroom. Over the automatic faucets it said:

Automatic Faucets:

Approach sink to turn on

Faucet will shut off automatically

Dark clothing may not activate sensor
Now, I don't know why I thought this was so funny, but I started laughing so hard! Unfortunately, I was the only one in the room so I could not share my musings with anyone. But just think about it: What would I have done if I were wearing dark clothing? How could I have EVER washed my hands in that restroom. I would probably die there, unable to move until I washed my hands, afraid of going out into the world and catching the H1N1 or another horrible disease. My life would have ended so differently... and that would have been me "travailing."
That's why you should always wear a lot of color when traveling.


Friday, December 11, 2009

Nose Rinse

I just coached a dear friend through the use of a homemade neti pot. Neti pots have saved the last year and a half of my life because I have not gotten sick since I started using one.

Maybe it's silly, but I feel like a true friend because I was able to coach someone through a fear they had. Oh this is the way we make memories.


Wednesday, December 09, 2009

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

I recently joined a 29 Day Giving Challenge. For 29 days, I give one gift to a random someone a day. The first night that I started, I gave the gift of a willing ear and a shoulder to cry on.
Day 2: A welcome gift of sorts
Day 3: Quality Time with friends
Day 4: I have not decided yet

It's an interesting challenge for me to begin because I have had a hard time thinking outside of the box on this one. It's really easy for me to consider material things gifts, but other things such as quality time, I'm not so apt to think of as a gift. But what I have realized in the beginning stages of this is that intangible things are sometimes the most important gifts. So, I'm not only going to challenge myself to give, but I'm also going to challenge myself to be creative. And to create opportunities for life-changing gifts. Because hey- anything is possible, even if it's only my life that's being changed. :)

Monday, December 07, 2009

A New Chapter

Last time I wrote in this blog, I was living in Denton, still in school and working at McConnell. Many things have changed since then. I have moved to Michigan, Connecticut and then back to Texas. I have experienced happiness and heartbreak. I have learned how to teach and how to learn. I have learned how to love and how to step away from hate. I have learned many different things.

Now:
I am living in Lindale with two wonderful roommates and working at Sky Ranch as an Outdoor Education Instructor. Everyday I wake up early to have some quiet and some coffee before I go to work. This time in the morning is what keeps me sane. In every place that I have been in life over the past two years, the one constant thing is my relationship with pops. He has loved me like no one else ever could and teaches me how to love others like that. Over the past year, he has affirmed that my passion is working with kids, even though the stress of the day can make me forget this. I have loved teaching kids about science every day, it is such a blessing.

There are times when I look over into another pasture and wish for my life to be different. With my schedule and the lack of time I have to invest in my family or meeting people out of my circle of friends, I start to feel claustrophobic and wish for more space, more time. But then I slow down for a bit and realize that I have everything that I need in life right now and I don't want to waste time wishing for something else.

I recently went to visit my family over Thanksgiving in Detroit and it was wonderful. I spent time laughing and crying with them. They remind me of pop's love so much. They know me the best and know how to love me in everything. I can't believe how blessed I am with them.

As December continues into the Holiday season, I want to make a promise. That I'm going to look for opportunities to give and to love well. I'm going to stop worrying about what's next and I'm going to focus on how to live in the present. I'm going to slow down and spend time loving those the pops has put into my life, but most of all, I'm going to let them love me.