Fill in the Blank Friday!

NKOTB NOLA 2008

1. Somewhere someone is indulging in a guilty pleasure .

2. Writing is my muse.

3. It would suck if pumpkin spice lattes were no more because, I would have to find a new fall time hot beverage.

4. See my students learn and grown is my favorite thing about today.

5. Life is kind of like a carnival. There are all kinds of rides. Scary ones, fast ones, slow ones. There are some you love, some you are afraid to try, and others that you like a little more than you expected .

6. If I could have anything I wanted I would want a month long vacation to Australia .

7. A funny thing happened the other day... when someone asked me if I was a dancer after seeing my DMB Firedancer sticker on my car. I can barely walk two steps without tripping, much less dance….

Music Mondays...Living the Good Life!

College Colors Day

So, today is know to many college sports fans as "College Colors Day". It is an annual event held the first Friday before college football season kicks off. It is the day when sports fans, both crazy and sane, adorn the colors of THEIR team.

However, today, I was unable to wear my KY blue to work and had to wear my UL (University of Louisiana NOT the University of Louisville) red, which was perfectly fine because I got both my undergrad and graduate degrees from the Home of the Ragin' Cajuns! UL also holds some extremely fond memories for me. Late nights followed by early mornings, sorority meetings and parties, and forming friendships that will span a lifetime!



But days like today, always make me long for the Bluegrass State. The place where basketball is everything, and the rest is just the details. I say this a lot, but others just don't get it. In KY, the Wildcats are more than a just a team, they are a dynasty. Fans are not just fans, it's practically a subculture. I have seen grown me cry and little old ladies cuss out referees at games and no one bats an eye.

I think that most everyone has a team that they are die hard for. They don't miss a game, take a loss personally, know the history, and dream of the future. On days like today, I miss "my people". Sure, I have met a few random UK fans along the journey, but it's not the same. Sometimes, I long to be in a pub, drinking blue beer, and screaming C-A-T-S at the top of my lungs. But until then, I will just have to remember that on days like today, I'm wearing my Blue on my heart!

Fill in the Blank Friday!

1. One thing that is completely superfluous, but that I could never give up is Donnie Wahlberg. True, if he had never risen to fame, I would still have lived and breathed. But through the ups and downs, changes, and seasons of my life, my crush and fantasy world of him has been a constant. I think that no matter how old we get, we need something that allows us to retreat from reality in order to maintain sanity. I look forward to the watching "Blue Bloods", finding sexy YouTube clips, and the next New Kids concert tour!

2. Hugs from people I don't know make me feel awkward.

3. I can't imagine my life without my family to be there to support me. No matter where our differences my lie, I always look forward to our laughter and good times together!

4. Ice cream is my favorite snack.

5. Lately I've been thinking about going back to school (again). When I first embarked on my journey in to education, I never thought I would want to be an administrator. But now, the wheels are turning in my head!

6. If at first you don't succeed stop, calm down, and remind yourself that Rome wasn't built in a day!

7. Fall is my favorite time of year. But not the fall in the south. Every year when fall arrives, I get nostalgic for my home state of KY. I look back on fond memories of jumping in leaves, getting excited for "The Road to the Final Four", and reminisce about the Fall Festival at my elementary school.

Music Mondays! Rise and Grind!

On many blogs that I read and follow, I often see Music Mondays! So, I have decided to follow suite! My first Music Mondays is something by one of my favorites: Mr. Donnie Wahlberg of NKOTB fame. I love listening to his sexy voice! I also love the hidden sarcasm in this song! Time to Rise and Grind and get ready for the week!

Dream a Little Dream

"Keep your face in the sun and you will never see the shadows" -Helen Keller

After a recent conversation with my mom, I was reminded that it's OK to dream and that dreams are free. Following this little heart to heart that we had, I began thinking. And what I got to thinking about is that as a child I could dream the biggest dreams and live out the biggest fantasies that could come to mind. However, as the years came and went, something happened. I stopped dreaming. Perhaps it was because I got busy and forgot to keep dreaming. Or maybe it was because as I got older, I thought that maybe dreaming was silly and a waste of time. Maybe I was even afraid to dream out of fear of what others may think.

However, after that conversation the wheels started turning in my head. My mom was absolutely correct, dreams cost nothing. They are absolutely free. And they are perhaps the one thing that no one can ever take away from you.

I also began thinking of the dreams that I have had, the ones that have come true, the ones that are on their way, and the ones you just never know about. My dream of becoming a teacher and working with children with special needs is one that I had for a long time and something that I always knew would come true. I have seen my KY Wildcats play in the Final Four, but I'm hoping that the dream will be complete and they take the title in NOLA in 2012 (which in a way would make my life full circle seeing that I started out in KY and ended up in NOLA). I have yet to travel the country of Australia, but I know that one day I will be Down Under having my breath taken away. I still haven't woken up with Donnie Wahlberg (or as my Dad calls him, the guy from Blue Bloods and Band of Brothers) in my bed, but you just never know.

So I have decided that I'm going to keep on dreaming. I think that the day we stop dreaming, is the day we throw in the towel. I believe that humans always need to have something to look forward to...something to keep them going. Sometimes the biggest obstacle that we encounter is mind over matter...and if you focus on the mind part...you just never know what can come to matter.

Victoria, B.C., Canada

March 2011

Communication brings an entire world to a child

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