Day 6 CHAIR!

Virginia, place of my birth. Virginia, where I went to grad school. Virginia, where our nation got her start in 1607. Virginia has four obvious seasons, unlike where I live now that has going to be hot, hot, hotter, still hot. I spent 25 years of my life in Virginia watching how to be a teacher, learning to be a teacher with five years of formal post high school education, and four and half years being a teacher (You have to count student teaching, as it was some of the hardest work I ever had).

I grew up in Fishersville, a very small town with two elementary schools and one high school. Most people went through all twelve years of school never transferring as is the norm now. Many of these people still live there or in a town/city close by. We all had our churches which we went to every Sunday. The public library was very small but we met our friends there generally every two weeks in the summer when the books were due. There were several spots everyone knew: Shopquik, Mitchell's Grocery, and the mini golf area with the in-ground trampolines. And no, no one ever broke their neck there even though there was no protective fencing, wire, or protective perimeter. (Correct me if I am wrong!). High school was fun with clubs, student government, sports, and community service events such as the March of Dimes walk in Gypsy Hill Park. What a hoot that was with the tallest guys talking the steps for each dime pledged. As far as getting around the park first I think we won the first year I participated, but in reality our recipients were the winners. No one expected a token trophy or medal because we didn't need something tangible to make us feel good,unlike today's kids, many of whom think they are owed something for helping others.

Off to college I went, LONGWOOD COLLEGE. First it was an all girls school, then the state put a stop to that. Sophomore year we went co-ed and it was weird at first, however we got used to it. Again there were clubs, frats and sororities, sports, music, drama, skipping classes to go to VMI, and classes we got to CHOOSE to attend, or not. We were adults and given so much freedom. For some this was a disaster and they left by Christmas, others lasted the whole year. For me I knew this was my ticket to a successful career so I needed to be somewhat serious. I did in fact get it done in four years, joining a social fraternity (yes females have fraternities!) and was inducted into an honorary one as well. Graduation brought mixed feelings, as some had jobs waiting others did not. Enter the University of Virginia, totally unexpected. No job except for the hotel one in Virginia Beach. I had no idea what I would do until I talked to a guy in the hotel bar about grad school. After I discovered scholarships might be able for UVA I quit my job, went to interview and in two weeks was enrolled in a graduate program, provisionally that is. I had no GRE scores so I needed to get some. November of that year I tested and was surprised at how well I had done. I could have never gotten in undergrad with my SAT scores (seriously way under the minimum required!). I finished all classes in one year, except one I got a C, same as an F for UVA. I had a job teaching adaptive PE in Norfolk as long as I passed that last class.

I did and spent two years teaching in three schools, writing IEPs, and creating a regional games for Cerebral Palsy. We took kids to national CP games in Rhode Island one summer and those kids came back to break their records the following year at our event. Norfolk, Virginia was also well represented at all Special Olympics events and I was so proud to be able to see growth in my students from one S.O. event to the next. While in Virginia I was trained by national trainers and received National Special Olympics coaching certification/training in at least three sports. I knew that would come in handy. (More on that later). Living in Virginia ended when I went to Munich, Germany to teach PE. From there I moved to Oklahoma in 1985. People tell me I'm an Okie now since I've lived here so long. WRONG! I'll always be a Virginian who lives somewhere else. And those Special Olympic coaching certifications I got? I was told my services were not needed where I live now. What a mistake they made! So Day 6 Chair- How my UVA chair would bring back memories for this blog entry, I wasn't sure. I am glad to have been brought up in Virginia, been educated in Virginia, been employed in Virginia...All of this was the foundation for the rich life I have experienced. I clearly have not spent much of it sitting in the chair.

Day 5 On the Floor

Wayne cannot believe all of my shoes. What he does not understand is they all have a different purpose. You don't wear flip flops to church, nor do you wear nice shoes on a hike. Granted, I do have about 10 pair of fake Crocs. Orange (regular and water shoes), blue (light/dark), green, rainbow, purple, white, pink, and black (currently living in China!). A person cannot wear purple fake-Crocs with a black and red Chinese outfit, now can I wear green ones with my blue dress. Athletic shoes- Last year I had to have two pair of black shoes for my job in Alaska. Since I wore them for work I couldn't use them for hiking in Denali, meaning I needed a pair for walking. I needed nice shoes for the train and if you wear them for other situations they cease to be nice. Rainwear footwear is a necessity, as when it rains it pours and you really need rubber shoes for that. LL Bean's duck shoes are great and now they are made as slip-ons. Does all of this justify my need for different shoes? Well of course it does. It's not like I have Jimmy Choos, nor do I want Jimmy Choos. I can make a house payment for the price of a pair of those! I digress... Shoes go on the floor, walk on the floor, and bring color to another wise drab piece of carpet- on the floor.

Day 4 Having Fun I thought I would be having fun making these little peach pies, however it was not as I had hoped. I have only done this once, with my friend Sandy in Nebraska, in June. She made it look way easier than I found it to be in my own kitchen.

The smell of peaches, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg- WOW! That mixture alone was amazingly aromatic. The crust, however, was a different story. It was my first time ever making pie crust by myself and I couldn't get it thin enough with a Tupperware rolling pin so I guess I need to buy a wooden one. Maybe I am just too hard on myself. Looks only matter if you're serving to others than the people in your house! Taste was great, smelled awesome...Next time will be better!

OK, I had to add this photo, even though this is supposed to be one idea per day.This is Cadie and she makes me happy to see her. She's Erika's dog and is a real hoot...so active and such a puppy! So I'm having fun!

Day 3: The Best Part of My Day The best parts of my day this summer are hours of reading and playing with Rosie, my Blue Heeler/Chihuahua. So far I have read 12 books, most of them taking only a day or so to finish. When you have nothing else you must get done then sitting for hours and hours reading will never be a waste of time.

Rosie has been with me since March 1999. She was either one or two when we got her at the animal shelter. To say I had ever seen a dog like her would have been a lie. And the comments people made before seeing her photos- Who was the dad? How did they do it? Seriously, did I look like I knew the mating habits of chihuahuas and blue heelers? It's not I was there when she was conceived! She has grayed over the years and her little brown face has turned white. The first summer I came back from eight weeks in China it was so obvious her age was showing.

Now she will follow me everywhere so I deliberately walk all over the house to give Rascal and her the exercise we no longer get on a daily basis. They will settle in for a short nap and I'll get up and go to the kitchen or the computer or to the garage, anywhere to get them moving. At first it was annoying to have my posse of two follow my every move, however it is all fun now to see how long they will keep it up. When I took these photos Rosie was not interested in being apart of them. I think she is positively sick of the camera. Her curiosity got the best of her and she had to find out what I put down on the floor. I took this opportunity to snap her photo. Two of my loves together for a VERY limited engagement!

DAY 2: BUSY! My dog Rascal is 14, has arthritis, and may have the beginnings of dementia. Often he seems unaware of what's going on, other times he is top of things. When he isn't busy he's resting on the floor taking a nap. As I have found with Border Collies many are afraid of loud noises. He is no exception and when you live near a field artillery army base there's going to be A LOT OF NOISE! I now busy myself with giving him back rubs, hip massages, and overall closeness to either calm him down or to reassure him we are still here loving him. It calms me down too. Didn't you know having a pet like a dog brings down blood pressure and soothes the human as well as the dog?

Day 1 ME

I've decided to make myself useful now that I am apparently stuck in Oklahoma for the remainder of my summer. Those of you who really know the traveling me know I need to be on the move during the summer. Since I'm not here's a photo which actually shows the traveler I am. I love Asia. Japan was my first foray into Asia in 2002, then again in 2004. I collected Kokeshi dolls from various regions of Japan, mostly northern in the Sendai area. These represent my love of the arts and simplicity Japan is known for. There are also two Terra Cotta Warriors in my photo. Xian, China is one of the most traveled historical spots in China now. Imagine having yourself buried with thousands of life sized warriors to protect you in the afterlife. Emperor Qin did just that in 210 B.C. They were found in 1974 and ever since the opening of China to the rest of the world Xian has been a city to visit on most people's agendas. See the church illustration? Pat Buckley Moss did that one of my childhood church. She has a remarkable insight on seeing the world with a unique style. I love her work. This church provided the foundation of my faith as a kid and I still enjoy going to it when I am in Virginia. It was founded in 1740! I have many pleasant memories of Sunday School, youth group, and other events close to my heart. It is one place that, when you go back after YEARS, people still are interested in seeing you. Crosstitching used to be my favorite thing to do. Because I am a Virginian I enjoy using things and places from it in my crosstitch. I have always loved Colonial Williamsburg and will always remember it as the last adventure my mom & I had in 1996. There is a simple design of Williamsburg's most famous and traveled street above my left shoulder. Seeing it and thinking of her makes me smile, knowing she enjoyed my company as much as I did hers. So I'm a traveler, lover of art and history, stitcher, avid reader,photographer, writer, and woman of faith. Let's see what else I can do this summer besides take photos and write about what pops into my head!

There is no blog from Alaska. I'm not there...waiting to go to China though so hopefully there will be news to tell in a few weeks.