Texture Tuesday - Children's Books

The theme for Kim Klassen's texture challenge today is Gratitude. Just after I read the theme last Tuesday, I had a brief conversation (on facebook) with my husband's SIL about her local library. At the end, I stated how thankful I am that years ago, I started collecting children's books for my personal library. Going to college first for elementary education and then for literacy meant that I spent more on children's books than I did on textbooks or clothes. In my college dorm room, I had children's books strewn everywhere! They were stacked up in laundry baskets, interspersed with my YA and adult novels on my bookshelf, and usually scattered on my bed, as well.

With the price of print books going up, libraries charging membership fees, brick & mortar bookstores disappearing every day, and e-readers becoming the new fad, I'm always grateful for my personal collection of children's books. I am so excited about the days (WAY off in the future) when I'll be reading these books with my children. My parents, especially my mom, instilled me with a deep love for reading, and I hope I can do the same for my kids.

After adjusting sliders in ACR, I added a haze and a gentle vintage look. Here are my layers with KK's texture love:

EDIT: So, when I was reading Kim's blog just now to see next week's challenge, I realized that I didn't add 2 layers of texture to my photo, as instructed. I only have 1 layer. Oops. I was going to try to add another layer on top of my saved photo, but I kinda feel like it might ruin it. I am going to leave it. Just don't tell Kim!

Then and Now

Christy over at The colour 4 posted a "Looking Back" thing on her blog today, and I wanted to give it a try! She posted some specific points from the past, like 10 years ago and 5 years ago. We're supposed to think about what we were doing back then, and reflect on how much things have changed.

Sounds fun! And I even found some photos to supplement.


10 years ago: March 24, 2001
I was finishing up my sophomore year in high school. I was still discovering myself and who I was inside, and was quite uncomfortable in my own skin. I didn't have a boyfriend, although I had quite a few male friends, one of whom was Jon. I danced at the same studio where I had been attending classes since I was 3, and I was cheering on my high school's JV team, as well as an all-star team in the area.

Would you believe, my skin really WAS this clear!
I didn't do any retouching.

5 years ago: March 24, 2006
I was finishing up my 3rd year of college. I was dating a guy who I loved, but we didn't work well together. We knew it almost from the very start, yet we continued to date for almost 3 years, fighting each other and the truth until the bitter end. (This took an emotional toll on me and always left me feeling very empty and alone. Separating from him was like a breath of fresh air.) After living on campus for 2 years, I had moved back home and was cheering for a college-level team.




1 year ago: March 24, 2010
I was finishing up my Master's degree. I was dating Jon and we were so happy, even though I was anxiously awaiting his proposal. I knew it was coming, I just didn't know when. I was living on campus again, but I was miserable, and couldn't wait to move home. I was working part-time in the same job where I am now working full-time.




Yesterday: March 23, 2011
I worked most of the day, and was supposed to have class, but it was canceled because of snow. I was able to go home and have dinner with Jon, sloppy joe's over rice instead of buns and snap peas for a veggie.

Today: March 24, 2011
I am working all day. When I leave here, Jon and I have an appointment, and we'll be having dinner together again (which is a rarity). We're having mushroom barley stew in the crockpot. We are less than 5 months away from our wedding!

Tomorrow: March 25, 2011
I'll be working all day, as usual. When I come home, Jon will be out with his friends, so I plan to spend the night at home, writing a paper. Dinner will be pizza, because there is a place right by us that has great prices, tastes delicious, and delivers for free!

Getting to Know YOU... is BACK!!!

Remember the Getting to Know YOU meme? It was run by Keely over at MannLand5. She ended it a few months ago, and I was very sad.

But now she has decided to start it up again! YAY!

And with a new button, too.



Here are this week's questions:

1. if you won the title of miss america, what would your platform be? Public education. Our nation's teachers are underpaid and underappreciated. They should not have to take the blame for students who come from illiterate homes, and thus do not understand the importance of education.

2. outdoorsy or indoorsy? outdoorsy, even though I love my home comforts. I told a friend recently that if there were no bugs outside, I would live outside.

3. pajama's out in public..classy or tres tacky? I have to admit, I wore pj's to high school on dress-down days (aka no uniform days). Once I started college, however, I quickly realized how unprofessional and immature it looks to wear pj's out in public. The only exception is going to a pharmacy if you're sick and need medicine.

4. what's your favorite room in your house? When I lived at my parents' house, it was my bedroom. In my little condo with Jon, I honestly like each and every room!

5. nook, kindle, or book? Book. There is nothing that can replace the solid feeling of a book in my hands, the pages in my fingers, and the sound of the paper whispering its story to me.

6. would you rather wear the same outfit for a week or not brush your teeth for a week? Same outfit! I hate the feeling of gummy teeth.

7. what's your favorite blog at the moment? MannLand5, for bringing back GTKY!

8. lately i've been daydreaming about.........? Babies... Well, I've been daydreaming about babies since I was 15. Something else... My wedding!

And I'll end with a photo for Allie's Happy Monday challenge. This week's theme is Spring. My mom bought these pretty spring flowers to dress up her dining room.

Taken with my iPhone and edited with instagram.

i heart faces Challenge - Teens

What better place to photograph teens...
than a pre-prom party?!


I know, I know.
Prom was over a month ago.
But how could I NOT show off this cute couple?!


PS - That's sparkling cider in their cups. We all toasted their success in high school and the fact that they were finally being allowed to go to the senior prom. That's a story for another day.

Black and White Wednesday - Chaos

Black and White Wednesday is run by Lisa over at
The Long Road to China.



This chaotic mess of trees and leaves and branches can be found at Hurd State Park in East Hampton, CT. I have to admit, I know almost nothing about this park, besides the fact that it covers almost 1000 acres along the CT river. So it's a pretty big park. *understatement of the year* I don't remember it AT ALL. I have one photo from my time there, and it's not even a good one. I have no idea what I was thinking, or what I did there.




I am entering a giveaway run by Amy over at Coffee Lovin Mom. She is giving away a copy of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland on DVD & Blu-Ray!

I freakin' love this movie! The costumes were simply divine, and I was enthralled with Wonderland. I truly loved the casting choices, especially Alan Rickman for the voice of "Blue Caterpillar" or Absalom, Helen Bonham-Carter as Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as White Queen, and Johnny Depp as Mad Hatter. Those are just my favorites, but there was brilliant acting on everyone's part.

The most important thing to take away from this movie is the lesson that Alice learned: If you believe you can do, you can do it. Nothing is impossible. And, it's fun to use your imagination once in awhile.


Six Impossible Things I Believe Before Breakfast:

1. I will get a second Master's degree.
2. I can easily lose 20 pounds in 6 weeks.
3. There WILL be world peace.
4. I can write a novel in 30 days.
5. I have the whole rest of my life to do everything I want to do.
6. My younger brother will live to be a little old man.

Also known as optimism.

RAW(e) - This Week...

Last week, I graduated.

This week, I proudly carried my tassel everywhere.




RAW(e) is run by Sami.
The only photos allowed are those that are
COMPLETELY UNEDITED.


If you're wondering,
I earned my Master's degree in Education.

I am FEELIN' the love!

How am I feelin' the love on this blog? Well, first, I had a new record in comments - 18 on one post. It was my yellow post a few days ago, and all the sweet comments have given me more confidence in my photography and editing skills. Second, I gained a new follower - I am now up to 12 (according to my Blogger dashboard). Third, I've had over 6350 page views since I added the counter (2/15/2010). My newest country is Mexico (muchos gracias). And fourth, I've been given 3 more blog awards! All of them totally unexpected, and very much appreciated.

First up is the "I Love Your Blog" award from Cherees over at Our New Life. Cherees is so loyal and so supportive. Many thanks for her because in addition to reading and leaving comments, she has also been taking part in my Color Splash Sunday meme.

The rules for this award involve listing 10 things I love, and then passing this on to 10 bloggers. There is no way I can pass it on to 10 bloggers, but I will pass it on to Gail over at Delightfully Diva-ish, because I really love her blog! And I am going to list 10 people I love, vs things I love, because I already listed 10 things that make me happy.

1. Matty - my younger brother.
2. Mom
3. Dad
4. Dave - my older brother.
5. Jon - my boyfriend.
6. C - my best friend. We went to high school together, and grad school.
7. T - my other best friend.
8. K - our moms grew up together, so we are basically sisters.
9. L - ditto above.
10.Angelique - my twin at heart.

*Yes, I used initials for their names because I don't know how they feel about being on here.*

Next is the "Versatile Blogger" award from Bec over at iheartblog. Bec seems to be like me - full of hobbies and a crazy creative personality.

The rules for the award are:

1. Thank the person who gave you this award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic! (in no particular order...)

4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.

Thanks, Bec, for the award! And I love the new graphic you made - so pretty! I don't have 15 other bloggers to pass this on to, but I do have one very versatile blogger I recently found when she commented on my blog. It's Didee from Art Cupboard, and she is fantastic! She does photo editing and digiscrapping, and she has so many resources for textures and actions and kits.

Here are 7 random things about me:

I texted/tweeted during my graduation ceremony last weekend.
I never had perfect attendance in elementary or high school.
I am utterly addicted to computer games.
I can knot a cherry stem in my mouth.
I enjoy reading Shakespeare.
I can't eat crunchy cereal.
I hate to exercise.

And then there is the "Super Comments" award from Neel over at Being Zara & Zidan. I've already developed a super relationship with Neel, because she is the epitome of a supermom and superblogger. She has super cute kids, takes super photos, does super creative edits, and leaves super comments.

The rules for this award are to answer the ten questions, pass the award on to your favorite bloggers, and tell them to answer ten questions. Okay, I have to pass this award on to Cherees over at Our New Life. She leaves super comments; she is so nice.

1) Why do you blog? I needed another hobby, and a way to record my thoughts as I overcome my quarter-life crisis and move on to the next stage of my life.

2) What are the 3 best memories? My first kiss with Jon, walking across the stage to get my Master's degree, and laughing with friends.

3) If you had to change your real name, what would you change it to? When I was a kid, I wanted to change my name to Tiffany Dawn Crystal. Now, I like Amy. :)

4) What are the 5 things you can't live without? I'm not too materialistic, but there are a few. My cell phone, my laptop, my stuffed turtle, sneakers, and chocolate.

5) What are the 4 best books you have ever read? Ooh, tough one. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the HP series, Memoirs of a Geisha, and the Giver.

6) Tell me something unique & interesting about yourself? I am a very unique person. One interesting thing? I collected teaspoons when I was a kid. My family used to drive to South Carolina every year, and I got one everywhere we stopped.

7) What do you love about yourself? Basically everything!

8) What is the best movie ever made? Avatar.

9) If you had a freaky friday experience, who would you want to trade places with and why? An actress or celebrity, just for one day.

10) what's the best part about being a woman? It never fails to amaze me - women have this innate sense of creativity that is hidden deep within each of us. whether it is writing, blogging, photography, editing, drawing, baking, designing, painting, singing, dancing, or any other talent, we are each a creative genius in our own way. the moment a woman's creativity is recognized and allowed to grow, she shines. -me

Color Splash Sunday - Spring

For this week's theme, I wanted everyone to focus on SPRING, in some form other than flowers. I take hundreds of pictures of flowers, so I personally need to broaden my horizons. I had the perfect picture for this week, one that I had taken during my celebratory trip to the local dairy bar.

Then, late last night, my dad posted pictures from my graduation ceremony yesterday. Pictures of blacked-robed young adults, anxious to cross the threshold from student to graduate. Pictures of tassels and hoods, representing academic fields and future careers. Pictures of myself and my family and my friends, squinting against the sun and smiling giddily with excitement.

So I woke up this morning, looked at the pictures, and promptly opened up pse. The picture below just oozes spring to me - a cool sundress, blowing in the wind.



Copyright for the picture goes to my dad. He was great yesterday, taking well over 500 pictures to capture the day for me. I can't wait to look at the rest of them.

Next week, we'll see some photos featuring Inspiration. Inspiration comes in so many forms. What inspires you? Whether it's concrete or abstract, capture it somehow.

YouCapture - Spring, part 2

This will be quite a comprehensive post. I have several topics to cover!


I'll start with YouCapture, which is run by Beth over at I Should Be Folding Laundry. Our challenge this week was to capture Spring, differently than we did last week.

The thing that really means SPRING to me, around my town, is the first trip to the local dairy bar. It has new owners that keep the place open practically year-round, but when I was a kid, it was only open from April to September. The windows would be boarded up, the giant ice cream cone would be taken down, and the garbage cans would be stacked up in a corner of the lot. We all waited anxiously for it to open, and the day that we would drive past to see the windows thrown open and the umbrellas shading the tables, it was a celebration. The big opening was lost with the new owners, but we still have the celebration when we get the first milkshakes of the season. And who can resist the classic dairy bar meal - burger, fries, and chili?! (Although I stuck with a chocolate milkshake.)

I have several photos (count 119)
from this memorable occasion,
but I couldn't just pick one...
or several, for that matter.
So I made this cool little collage.

On to the next topic: Color Splash Sunday. This weekend's theme is colorful food, which should be fairly interesting. You may also post the recipe, if you'd like.




And the next topic: I've been following another mommy-blogger, Neel over at Being Zara & Zidan, who sweetly decided to pass on an award to me. It's the Happy 101 Award!

Rules:

1. Copy and paste the award on your blog.

2. List who gave the award to you and use a link to her blog.

3. List 10 things that make you happy.

4. Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know!


So, here is my list of 10 things that make me happy, 5 concrete and 5 abstract:

1. Free actions and textures for photo editing.
2. Sundresses and pretty skirts.
3. Cupcakes with whipped cream frosting.
4. DD iced coffee.
5. Messages from my best friends.
6. I officially had my last grad class yesterday!
7. Hugs from kids/babies/friends/anyone.
8. Helping high seniors decide where to go to college.
9. Rainbows in the sky.
10. Being surrounded by family.

I have 3 bloggers I'd like to pass this award on to:

1. Donna over at Double Happiness. She always posts such cute photos and stories of her near-twin daughters, and I LOVE her photo collages!

2. Jen over at Life... And All That Comes With It. She always has an inspirational message or a fun photo or a creative paper collage.

3. Natasha at 5 Minutes Just For Me. She does share a blog with her sisters, but this one is her own, and she always has some kind words and sweet photos.



Next topic: A Carbon Neutral update. I have now planted 4 trees, for myself and for 3 lovely ladies who have signed up to make their blogs carbon neutral. If you want more information, please click here. I'll be posting a tree planting tutorial one of these days.



And now for the last topic, the most important: Matty. My younger brother. His neurologist appointment yesterday. No news. More questions.

He has to get several more tests and see more doctors. That's it. That's all we know, for now. She was able to tell us that his reaction time and reflexes are getting better, and we also know that his vision hasn't worsened in years, which is a VERY good thing. We just have to get all the pieces of the puzzle.

Thoughts on a Friday night....

Thoughts in my head that I need to get out. Usually, this sort of post gets listed as a 'draft' and just moves further and further down my list of posts as I publish other posts. But my little group of followers is pretty dedicated. So I figured, it's time to be open and honest.

Well, I'll try.

I mean, I don't have much going for me, blog-wise.
I'm not a mother,
I'm not a brilliant photographer,
I don't own my own business,
I'm not an aspiring writer,
and I'm not a devout soul trying to spread the Word.
I'm just me, just Amy.
(not Harry.)
And yet, I have followers.
So, I guess they deserve to get a peek into my mind.

I'll start with something semi-trivial.
I was supposed to write a paper tonight.
I have 4 days to write 4 papers,
but I totally slacked today.
Now I have to make up for it
by writing 2 on either Sunday or Monday.
Luckily, I have 2 shorter papers
that I can easily write on the same day.

Unfortunately,
because I didn't write at all today,
I've lost my groove.
I've been writing a solid paper a day
since this past Monday.
Breaking my stride really threw me off.
It'll be hard to get back into it tomorrow.

How can I
pretend to be happy
for someone
when I
wholeheartedly disagree
with that person's choices?

The past 19 years with my little brother
have been God-sent.
(Yes, being open in general
includes being open about spirituality.)
This 18-year reprieve has been such a blessing,
and I need to be grateful that we were given this chance.
But these signs, these sudden little symptoms,
they're not cool!
I'm really trying hard to trust.
But I don't want to think about it.
I want to shut my eyes to the possibilities
and just keep him the way he is.

I think that part,
what I just wrote,
was the hardest part for me.
I started this blog for me,
to get to know myself,
and to connect with my inner creativity.
But I have this feeling that
things will happen along the way,
and I'll need to spill my guts
to people other than my boyfriend.


And I already accepted the fact that
this has turned into MY LIFE'S blog,
rather than a simple creative outlet.

Inner Monologue

This concept of a 'stream of consciousness' post seems to be a new trend in blogging.

According to Wikipedia (my source for all non-academic research), “[i]n literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode that seeks to portray an individual's point of view by giving the written equivalent of the character's thought processes, either in a loose interior monologue, or in connection to his or her actions.” (Since I’m not an English major anymore, this is not academia-related. It’s blog-related.)

The article gives examples of such, one of which is Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. I read that novel in my senior capstone course, Literary Criticism. (How ironic, although we never actually covered stream of consciousness in LitCrit.) We only read 3 novels, but we tore them apart by criticizing them from every angle and every theory. WSS was my favorite of the 3. Antoinette’s (Bertha) stream of consciousness occurs in Part 3 of the novel, as she is describing her destiny (her suicide and the ensuing fire).

I’m surprised that Hamlet is not listed in their long list of ‘notable’ examples. I had to memorize the To Be or Not to Be monologue 3 times throughout the course of my education (enough that by the 3^rd time, I just needed a refresher). If that speech is not a stream of consciousness, I don’t know what is.

I repeat the monologue to myself often. It helps to calm me, and keep me focused. It also keeps my brain busy if I am waiting on line or in traffic and start getting fidgety.

*coughGEEKcough*

That’s enough of that.

If you are participating in my Color Splash Sunday,
or want to but haven’t yet,
check out the list of upcoming themes.
Now that the deluge of color themes is coming to an end,
I’m adding other themes.
Some of them are fairly easy,
while others will be more challenging.
If I can get more interest and more bloggers to link in,
I’ll start offering prizes.

I also added an About Me page up above.
Please go read and let me know what you think.
Too long? Too detailed? I like to write,
so I frequently need to be reined in.

On that note, I’ve been thinking about my NaNoWriMo novel a lot lately. The goal was to write 50,000 words (175 pages) in 30 days. I LOVE to write and I have the words in my head, but I was never motivated enough to sit down and write daily. If I recall, I ended with 25 pages, more or less. My goal is to finish it by the end of June so I can partake in the festivities of NaNoWriMo again in November. I’m really hoping that without school and without traveling for work, I’ll be able to devote more time to writing.

And now it's time for bed. NO, I don't go to bed at 8:30pm. But I had this post drafted last night, and realized that I never posted it. But I am going to bed now. At 11:08pm.

Ultimate Blog Party 2010!

(Thanks to Cherees for bringing this to my attention!)



Welcome to my blog - Artistically Amy! This is all about me as a twenty-something grad student who is discovering herself through various artistic means. I am graduating with my Master's in just a few short weeks, but I manage to squeeze some time here and there to explore and expand upon my creative streak.

Some random things that might help you to get to know me:

--I like to go with the flow. I try not to let life's little (or big) mishaps bring me down. I spent too much time in high school and college on an emotional roller coaster. Not anymore! I am working on controlling my emotions so I can live life, enjoy it, and find joy in simple pleasures.

--I often complain about schoolwork and writing papers, but I really love it! I like researching new theories and strategies. I love taking my research and turning it into a well-developed paper. I have vague plans to get a second Master's, later on.

--I am very picky about little details, and I tend to miss the big picture. I will notice an ant on the ground before I see a bear standing in front of me. (Not that I've ever come across a bear besides in a zoo, but the situation seems likely.)

--I grew up in a small town where everyone knew everyone, and all the kids played in the street without ever having to worry about cars. That town is now quickly becoming overpopulated, and the kids have been banished to backgrounds. But my love for my town, and for small towns everywhere, is deeply instilled.



The lists below are my choices of all the prizes that are being offered. There are so many great prizes! I didn't list any of the prizes that included children's toys or clothing, because as much as I would love to start collecting stuff for my unborn babies, there are plenty of blogging moms who need that stuff much more than I do.

My top 3 prizes are as follows:

GRAND PRIZE at the Ultimate Blog Party 2010 is a Toshiba Satellite L505D-ES5025.

#4 - This beautiful pink bracelet from Star Bright Jewels. (Offered by Christine Leiser Schroeder.)

#94 - A bracelet of choice from Sydney Andrews; I really really REALLY like the Oval the Top bracelet that is on page 23! (Offered by Sydney Andrews herself.)

I also really like the following prizes: 11, 32, 44, 95, 102, 107, USC 3, USC 15, and USC 25. (Can you tell - I'm utterly in love with gift cards!)



I'm skipping some of my favorites memes today to post this party. No PSF, no YouCapture, and no FIF (i♥faces actually skipped it today because they have lots of other challenges going on right now.) But I'm hoping that sacrificing some photo posts to partake in the partying of UBP'10 will help me find new friends and boost my network. I linked in as the 1,122nd family-friendly blog!

YouCapture - Quiet

Quiet.



I get free campus housing as compensation from my job.
For my first year, I shared a quaint little house with 3 other girls.
For my second year, I shared a teeny tiny apartment with 1 other girl.
For this year, my third year, I've been thrown into a dorm with several other staff members.
It's not too bad - a brand new building, central AC, swipe card entry - except for one thing.
It's in the middle of the campus housing.
Smack dab in the middle.
So I have hundreds of underage, immature, overenthusiastic
young adults
living on every side of me.
It's the exact opposite of quiet.

It's spring break this week...

No students on campus.



A quick note:
I took these photos last night from my car;
I was rushing to get back to my temporarily quiet dorm
so I could enjoy the calmness.
Hence, the quality is extremely poor.
I just wasn't in the "photography" mood.

Saturday night

I've long since outgrown the phase of "I can't be stuck home on a Saturday night, that's just not cool!" I could care less. Sure, there are plenty of people my age who are out partying right now, or getting ready to party, but I'm so done with that. That stage of my life was relatively short and sweet, and I enjoyed it, but I am SO glad it's over.

What's bugging me now is that I had planned to write a paper today. It's a very easy paper: 2-3 pages of a literacy lesson observation. I could write it in my sleep. However, apparently my immune system decided it would be fun to let some germies take up residence in my sinuses. This is not the worst I've felt lately, as another sinus infection right before Christmas incapacitated me for 2 days. I'm well enough to totter around my house, build a fire in the fireplace, and curl up in an armchair with a good book. (Quick side-note: I get to meet Cassandra Clare in a week and a half.) But I am nowhere near well enough to concentrate on sitting down and writing a coherent, well thought out, organized paper. I already know this blog post isn't coherent, so this is proof enough right here.

Speaking of a lack of focus, I've been noticing a shift in my attention to tasks. I've always been able to multitask among larger scale tasks, such as class, work, cheerleading, etc. Heck, I had 5 part-time jobs in my senior year of college, I cheered on an Open team, I did my student teaching, and I made Dean's List. Even during my first 2 years of grad school, I haven't had any issues whatsoever with juggling classes, full-time job, and boyfriend. Suddenly, this semester, my LAST one, I'm really finding it hard to be able to do everything at once. When I'm at the office, I'm pressured and distracted by lessons and planning for my practicum. When I'm tutoring for my practicum, I'm pressured and distracted by my work tasks. This is an unusual feeling for me, so I'm having difficulties dealing. I long for graduation to come so I will be able to concentrate fully on my job, since I will never be able to just go to school without working, like I did freshman year of college. Oh, such a care-free life.

No picture today, I'm sorry, but I just don't have the energy to do any editing, or even to sort through all my folders to find something cute/meaningful/inspiring/etc. Here's to Nyquil and a box of tissues!

Thoughts on a cold February night.

Another entry, because Jon reminded me that I haven't updated since Sunday, and because I feel like writing. Also, today is Tuesday, which is Challenge Day over at i♥faces. This week's challenge is Kisses. I have 3 pictures that involve kisses - 2 of them are me and Jon, and the other one is me with 2 close friends. I really really REALLY wanted to use the one of me and my friends, but I didn't take it. And I couldn't decide what to do with the ones of me and Jon. So, no entry from me this week.

I should probably clarify my thoughts from my last entry. I had mentioned that I want to send my unborn babies to a coop preschool. I didn't even explain WHY or WHAT a coop preschool is. It's based on the theory that children learn from their community, including adults and children. Parents who send their children must commit to volunteering in the school once a week, and attend regular meetings with other parents to discuss anything going on in the school. Not only does this provide the parents with extra support (parenting advice, recipe sharing, play dates, etc), but it also lets parents have more direct involvement in their children's development and learning process. This is so important to a child's development in all areas, on all levels. Many children enter school lacking critical skills (both academic and psychological) because their parents don't have time or just don't care enough to spend time with them. It does a great disservice to a child to plop him/her in front of a television (for extended periods of time) or to avoid taking part of any part of the learning process (aka "let the teachers do it").

In order to avoid getting into a rant about people who don't deserve to have children, I should change the subject now. Graduation is 14 weeks away, and I cannot be more excited to be done with school. I've spent the past 19 years of my life being educated and I'm ready to educate other people, whether it's educating teachers as a literacy coach, educating students as a teacher, or educating my unborn babies as a mother. (I'm hoping more for the latter.)

My issue now is EXACTLY what to do after graduation. At this point, my options are pretty fuzzy - no specific offers, but lots of potential for several specific options. One of my major upcoming decisions is whether I stay in New York or move out of state. The weather up here is aggravating me - I spend most of winter defrosting myself, watching for the sun, and listening for robins. Summers seem to get shorter and shorter every year because I truly love warm weather and sunshine. But if I move, I'm leaving behind my family and friends - the most important things in my life. I couldn't possibly go months, or even weeks, without seeing them; as it is right now, I can hardly go a few days without going home. I want to get married here; I want my unborn babies to see my family as often as possible. But there are jobs out west. So I'm torn.

I should probably get ready for bed now. The forecast for tomorrow says snow, which is the complete opposite of what I want. But I need to be ready for it, so I need to get my books together, and clothes in case I end up going home. Spring, please come back! I miss you!

My Academic Career

The other day, I introduced the hippie side of me. Today, I wanted to introduce the student side of me.

I've always loved school. On the outside, I complained about homework and studying, but inside, I really loved it. And my hidden enthusiasm really showed in my grades. The creativity was there from the very start. Art and English were my favorite subjects. I had loved reading since I first learned, so I was always the kid who got caught reading a book hidden inside my textbook.

The love of reading was basically what helped me through the junior high years (1996-9). I went to a Catholic elementary school for 1st through 8th grades, and I wasn't the most social person around (I'm still not). Books were the only friends I needed. In high school, I made some great friends, some of whom I'm still very close with now. English and Art were still my favorite subjects - Honors English with Mrs. Soltis broadened my reading interests, and Advanced Art 3 with Mr. Sears showed me that any creativity is acceptable. Those teachers taught me so much, and awakened my own propensity for teaching. High school graduation (2003) was bittersweet; I had finally found my niche and developed an identity, only for it to be all over.

It was only natural for me to major in English in college and do the Dual Elementary/Special Education program. I had to do student-teaching in my senior year (2006); that was probably the best academic experience of my entire schooling. My first placement was with a self-contained K-3 classroom with 6 kids. I spent most of the time working with the 3 kindergarteners and one 1st grader. I cried, and they cried, on my last day. My other placement with in a 5th grade classroom. It was vastly different than my little kindergarten loves, but just as amazing. They threw me a brilliant party of my last day, and I cried. (The girls did, but the boys didn't want cry in front of their buddies.)

When student teaching was over, I still had another semester of classes before graduation, and it was such a letdown. I wanted to be teaching! I didn't want to be sitting in class, listening to teachers lecture, writing papers, etc. However, by the time graduation rolled around (2007), I had changed my mind. The economy was already starting to sink, and graduate tuition was going up. I saw an ad on campus for a graduate assistant - I could go to class for free, work on campus, and get free housing as well. I was sold.

I began work a month after graduation, and then started the Literacy program in Spring 2008. I could only go part-time because of work, but it's been a great experience. I learn so much every day, and I wish I could stay in school forever. My professors consider me on the same level as them - they say we are colleagues, and we have theory discussions that would have blown my mind just a few short years ago. But all good things must come to an end, as my entire education will in only 4.5 months. As of May 15th, 2010, I will have my Master's in Education. I can't believe it will all be over.

Until then, I'm taking 1 course, and I'm doing my practicum. I'm tutoring for both of those, trying to get as much experience as I can to build up my resume. I'd love to chat with some blogging teachers in the meantime. :)