9/18/12
Teaching the Teacher
In one of my classes, we have a teacher that is new to the state. Today we taught him the correct way to say "mountain". Believe it or not, that word is said differently in different areas of the country.
That is one thing I find amusing about culture. How different simple things, like how words are said, change from different regions of the country.
I moved around a little growing up. One place I lived people would say "Oh my gosh*!" or "what the heck*?" (*God/Hell, depending on if we were still in elementary school or not)
Then I moved. People said "Oh my heck!" (never Hell... just heck)
One place, when a girl had some hair that wasn't down in her ponytail but had come up a little bit, we called is a "sharky". I moved. They called them "fins"
When you had pants that were to short. "High waters". "floods".
Communication in a funny thing to me.
So is teaching your teacher how to say "mountain" like a local... :)
4/9/12
Family
Despite how crazy they may drive us, at least we have them. Family is such an important part of life. It makes me sad how many people undervalue family life, family time and family ties.
I know family isn't a happy thought for everyone. Sometimes you and your family just don't get along. Sometimes you don't have a family. Sometimes your family is broken. Sometimes they are far away.
But family isn't just blood. It's the people who you create a life with. I have my blood family, whom I love dearly. I also have my family here at school.
I've been lucky enough to have both. My family lives in a different state than where I am attending school. Although I do have a grandma and some cousins close by.
But I also have made a family with a group of my friends. They have become home. I'm weird, people become home to me. I moved to much to have a place I call home. I am so grateful for the family I have. Blood or otherwise.
I know family isn't a happy thought for everyone. Sometimes you and your family just don't get along. Sometimes you don't have a family. Sometimes your family is broken. Sometimes they are far away.
But family isn't just blood. It's the people who you create a life with. I have my blood family, whom I love dearly. I also have my family here at school.
I've been lucky enough to have both. My family lives in a different state than where I am attending school. Although I do have a grandma and some cousins close by.
But I also have made a family with a group of my friends. They have become home. I'm weird, people become home to me. I moved to much to have a place I call home. I am so grateful for the family I have. Blood or otherwise.
2/28/12
Music
Music speaks when words fail. I love that I have so many friends that like different types of music. I can always find a song that fits my mood exactly.
Music has a way of stirring the soul. It is such an incredible thing. Sometimes the cure to winding down is putting on music and just sitting there with your eyes closed, letting the music flow through your body and mind.
I sometimes don't think people realize how much music is a part of our lives. When was the last day you had that had absolutely no music in it? I mean, you didn't hear a jingle on the radio, you didn't hum or whistle. You didn't turn on a CD, you didn't stop and play on a piano. Music fills our lives. I think we need it a lot more than any of us realize.
Maybe, we just need to listen to the music.
Music has a way of stirring the soul. It is such an incredible thing. Sometimes the cure to winding down is putting on music and just sitting there with your eyes closed, letting the music flow through your body and mind.
I sometimes don't think people realize how much music is a part of our lives. When was the last day you had that had absolutely no music in it? I mean, you didn't hear a jingle on the radio, you didn't hum or whistle. You didn't turn on a CD, you didn't stop and play on a piano. Music fills our lives. I think we need it a lot more than any of us realize.
Maybe, we just need to listen to the music.
2/10/12
Laughter
I love laughing. Last Friday, I had some friends over at my apartment. A few of us have started a "dinner group" where we all take turns making dinner for everyone else in the group. This last time around it was my friends turn, but he lacks a kitchen so we cooked at my place.
And it was great fun. We ate good food and joked and laughed during dinner. After dinner we had a "girls night" ...kind of. We invited the boys to stay, even though it was boys causing the problems. However, I have the best guy friends on the planet, they let us put mud masks on them and we watched a chick flick, at chocolate and junk food and stayed up laughing and talking and joking until 2 in the morning when I made them all leave so they didn't get parking tickets.
I don't remember the last time I laughed that long and that hard. It was so much fun. The same thing happened the next night when we had a real girls night, we had every intention of making a nice dinner; but we were so tired that we just bought a hot and ready pizza and watched youtube videos and laughed our heads off at some of the dumbest things i have ever witnessed.
I forgot the magic of laughter, how it just can make pain less painful. It's so hard to laugh through the tears sometimes, but when you can life just gets better. It's a little sunnier, brighter.
Sometimes just a good laugh will give you enough strength for one more day.
And it was great fun. We ate good food and joked and laughed during dinner. After dinner we had a "girls night" ...kind of. We invited the boys to stay, even though it was boys causing the problems. However, I have the best guy friends on the planet, they let us put mud masks on them and we watched a chick flick, at chocolate and junk food and stayed up laughing and talking and joking until 2 in the morning when I made them all leave so they didn't get parking tickets.
I don't remember the last time I laughed that long and that hard. It was so much fun. The same thing happened the next night when we had a real girls night, we had every intention of making a nice dinner; but we were so tired that we just bought a hot and ready pizza and watched youtube videos and laughed our heads off at some of the dumbest things i have ever witnessed.
I forgot the magic of laughter, how it just can make pain less painful. It's so hard to laugh through the tears sometimes, but when you can life just gets better. It's a little sunnier, brighter.
Sometimes just a good laugh will give you enough strength for one more day.
1/14/12
Birthday Parties
I didn't get birthday parties every year growing up, I only had about 2 or 3 actually. But when I went to college I decided I wanted to celebrate my birthdays with all of my friends.
Since i was 10 or 12, or maybe even younger, I've had fried rice on my birthday. It's my family's recipe so no one really knows how to make it, so I make it for everyone else.
Every year it's gotten a little bigger, and I love it. I invite everyone I know and I make fried rice for everyone, and usually get yelled at for making my own dinner.
This year was no different, I invited everyone and I had friends who live a few hours away even drive up, it made me so happy. Every year I can't believe how many amazing friends I have. And I think that's the greatest birthday present of all, a reminder of how loved I am.
We all need reminders like that, I think. We all have people that love us, and I don't care who you are, there is at least one person who loves you and cares about you.
I feel selfish, because I LOVE having my birthday, so I can be surrounded by people I love.
Since i was 10 or 12, or maybe even younger, I've had fried rice on my birthday. It's my family's recipe so no one really knows how to make it, so I make it for everyone else.
Every year it's gotten a little bigger, and I love it. I invite everyone I know and I make fried rice for everyone, and usually get yelled at for making my own dinner.
This year was no different, I invited everyone and I had friends who live a few hours away even drive up, it made me so happy. Every year I can't believe how many amazing friends I have. And I think that's the greatest birthday present of all, a reminder of how loved I am.
We all need reminders like that, I think. We all have people that love us, and I don't care who you are, there is at least one person who loves you and cares about you.
I feel selfish, because I LOVE having my birthday, so I can be surrounded by people I love.
1/12/12
Just Dance
I can't express the incomparable joy I fell when I am dancing. Every time I get back into a dance class I remember how much I love it.
Currently, I am taking a Big Band Swing class; we've had a grand total of 2 lessons and I want to go join the big band club. I know the very basics of triple step, but it's enough for me.
Maybe it has to do with a guy holding me in close proximity to him without being weird; but as soon as the music starts and we start to move, doesn't matter what kind of day I've been having, I am smiling.
The same thing happened when I took ballroom 2 years ago. I even still enjoy the fox trot, although given the option I would pick rumba or tango any day.
I also enjoy just the fun school dances, even when I spend most of the slow songs up against the wall. But with the lights dimmed and all your friends around, you can jump around like crazies and laugh at absolutely nothing, getting completely high on life.
Maybe that's just what I need to remember on my bad days, maybe Lady GaGa was onto something. "Just dance, gonna be okay...da da da doo in."
Currently, I am taking a Big Band Swing class; we've had a grand total of 2 lessons and I want to go join the big band club. I know the very basics of triple step, but it's enough for me.
Maybe it has to do with a guy holding me in close proximity to him without being weird; but as soon as the music starts and we start to move, doesn't matter what kind of day I've been having, I am smiling.
The same thing happened when I took ballroom 2 years ago. I even still enjoy the fox trot, although given the option I would pick rumba or tango any day.
I also enjoy just the fun school dances, even when I spend most of the slow songs up against the wall. But with the lights dimmed and all your friends around, you can jump around like crazies and laugh at absolutely nothing, getting completely high on life.
Maybe that's just what I need to remember on my bad days, maybe Lady GaGa was onto something. "Just dance, gonna be okay...da da da doo in."
1/9/12
Rocks
We all have our challenges, no one can get out of them, it's just part of being human. And I feel like my trials are like rocks.
I've finally gotten it through my head that I can't change what has happened, the past is written in stone. I have to keep going forward, there is no point to being stagnant. However, I can decide what I use these "rocks" for.
I can put them in my backpack and carry around the extra weight I really don't need then; or I can use them to make stepping stones. I can keep building a path.
You learn a lot about building things as you grow up. You learn a lot about building things when you start building things. And I don't think anyone will argue that experience is the best teacher.
You have got to learn as you go, imagine if we never had. Life is full of the mistakes we make. Although, is it really a mistake? Maybe it's only a mistake if we don't learn anything from it.
Picking up the rocks are never easy, and we usually do carry them for awhile. But why do we keep them in our backpacks for so long? Lets build a new path.
Life is hard enough without the added weight.
I've finally gotten it through my head that I can't change what has happened, the past is written in stone. I have to keep going forward, there is no point to being stagnant. However, I can decide what I use these "rocks" for.
I can put them in my backpack and carry around the extra weight I really don't need then; or I can use them to make stepping stones. I can keep building a path.
You learn a lot about building things as you grow up. You learn a lot about building things when you start building things. And I don't think anyone will argue that experience is the best teacher.
You have got to learn as you go, imagine if we never had. Life is full of the mistakes we make. Although, is it really a mistake? Maybe it's only a mistake if we don't learn anything from it.
Picking up the rocks are never easy, and we usually do carry them for awhile. But why do we keep them in our backpacks for so long? Lets build a new path.
Life is hard enough without the added weight.
1/2/12
Playing in the Rain
It doesn't matter what stage of life I am in, I absolutely LOVE playing in the rain. I love jumping in puddles. I love watching the rainbows afterwards.
There is something so refreshing about playing in the rain. Something that makes life seem okay again. Maybe it's because I've still not learned how to be good at this being an adult thing, and playing in the rain is something kids do.
When I was younger, my family lived in Minnesota, and if you've ever lived in the mid-west you know every summer is full of storms. As long as there was no lightening, mom would let us play in the rain all we wanted. We would run around for what seemed like hours. (Time moves much slower when you're young) We never got bored. We would "swim" in the gutters like mermaids; to "wash" our hair we would stand on the rock under the neighbors rain gutter, where a full stream of constant water ran off the roof.
Well after awhile we moved, and we moved to a dessert like climate, where it never rained as much. Besides I was an "oh so mature" middle schooler, playing the rain was not on the top of my priority list. (although it secretly was) The problem was it never rained hard enough or long enough to really be able to go out and play. Not enough for any lasting memories to stick in my head.
Then, once again, my family moved. And now I was a senior in high school. So really all I wanted was to be a kid again, this growing up thing is kinda stressful sometimes. One spring day, (we'd moved to a much warmer climate so spring was much warmer than every other place I'd lived) it started to completely down pour. It was like the heavens had opened up and decided to tip buckets and buckets of water everywhere. I was at my friends house, took one look outside and proceeded to take all electronic devices out of my pockets. (so sad, I sometimes hate carrying a phone around. you can't just go play in water spontaneously.) within five minutes every minor in the house was outside playing. Jumping in puddles, determined to splash everyone with anything water we could, spinning around playing games trying to see who could stay up right on the slippery grass the longest; it was like being 7 again.
Now here I am, high school in the past, learning all these things you learn as a young adult, and sometimes I feel like I'm even getting the hang of this being an adult thing. But then spring comes, and early summer, and with it comes rain. Which means any chance I have, I get to be 7 again.
There is something so refreshing about playing in the rain. Something that makes life seem okay again. Maybe it's because I've still not learned how to be good at this being an adult thing, and playing in the rain is something kids do.
When I was younger, my family lived in Minnesota, and if you've ever lived in the mid-west you know every summer is full of storms. As long as there was no lightening, mom would let us play in the rain all we wanted. We would run around for what seemed like hours. (Time moves much slower when you're young) We never got bored. We would "swim" in the gutters like mermaids; to "wash" our hair we would stand on the rock under the neighbors rain gutter, where a full stream of constant water ran off the roof.
Well after awhile we moved, and we moved to a dessert like climate, where it never rained as much. Besides I was an "oh so mature" middle schooler, playing the rain was not on the top of my priority list. (although it secretly was) The problem was it never rained hard enough or long enough to really be able to go out and play. Not enough for any lasting memories to stick in my head.
Then, once again, my family moved. And now I was a senior in high school. So really all I wanted was to be a kid again, this growing up thing is kinda stressful sometimes. One spring day, (we'd moved to a much warmer climate so spring was much warmer than every other place I'd lived) it started to completely down pour. It was like the heavens had opened up and decided to tip buckets and buckets of water everywhere. I was at my friends house, took one look outside and proceeded to take all electronic devices out of my pockets. (so sad, I sometimes hate carrying a phone around. you can't just go play in water spontaneously.) within five minutes every minor in the house was outside playing. Jumping in puddles, determined to splash everyone with anything water we could, spinning around playing games trying to see who could stay up right on the slippery grass the longest; it was like being 7 again.
Now here I am, high school in the past, learning all these things you learn as a young adult, and sometimes I feel like I'm even getting the hang of this being an adult thing. But then spring comes, and early summer, and with it comes rain. Which means any chance I have, I get to be 7 again.
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