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Frog and Toad Are Friends
I remember reading these books as a young student in Mrs. Eisenbach's 1st grade class. Memories of the classroom- how it looked, where my desk was placed, and the teacher- all come to mind when I think of these books. The thought of reading aloud was terrifying to me. Over time, this fear faded. -
Songs and Stories with Christy B.
In 4th grade, my friend Christy and I had a lot in common. We both loved gymnastics, cheerleading, singing, and being creative. One of our favorite things to do, aside from cartwheels and cheer routines, was write songs and stories. Once the works had been edited and rehearsed, we would perform them for our parents and siblings. I am sure it was torture for them, but we loved putting shows together and reciting our #1 hits. -
Speech Club
My freshman year at Lee Jr. High, I was in the Speech Club and took Speech as a class. I remember reading prose and monologue pieces thinking how impressive it was to read something so short yet so powerful. The messages, whether funny or serious, were meant to leave an impression. My purpose for reading the piece was to later perform as if I were the writer. As an awkward teenager, in front of your peers, this can be a pretty intimidating experience, but have a long-lasting impact. -
Dream Journaling
As a young adult, I was introduced to a series of books written by Carlos Castaneda. One of his books, "The Art of Dreaming", had me fascinated with the dream state, so I began to journal my dreams. Every morning, I would wake up and record as many details as possible: each dream, who was in it, and how I felt during and after the dream. Some days, I drew a blank and others, it seemed as if the dream wasn't a dream at all. This was first time a book had encouraged me to do my own writing. -
The McGahan's
While living in Austin, I had a job as a nanny working for a family with 3 small children. The rules were simple: No TV during the week. Normally, I tried to bring a project or activity for the day but when that was done, we would snuggle on an oversized chair in the living room and read. On average, we would make it through a few pages before the words on the page led to questions, and the questions led to other conversations. A few paragraphs and their imaginations would run wild. -
Discovering Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The reason behind my love for this author could possibly be because of my age at the time I read "100 Years of Solitude" and my own personal experiences during that year. I read the book cover to cover in about 2 days. The book was confusing, colorful, and I felt like family reading it. Later that year, I also read "Love in the Time of Cholera" and I remember imagining the setting, even down to the colors of the houses and the stones on the streets. Mr. Marquez is a beautiful storyteller. -
Letters from Kevin
This was the year my dear friend did his first deployment in Afghanistan. He would start a letter on one day, write small entries throughout the week, sometimes two weeks, and then mail them all at once. More often than not, he did not write about his time there but would write about memories of us. The letters would bring smiles and tears each week. I would usually write back about my week, tell him how proud I was of him, and to keep safe. These letters have a new meaning now that he's gone. -
The Shack
This was the primary assignment in my Intro to Business course: Creating a business plan. We designed the building, explained our concept, planned a menu, created a budget and calculated our target breakeven point over a 5 year projection. At the end of the semester, we had to present our plan to the class as if we were requesting a small business loan from a bank, PowerPoint and commercial included. I was so proud of this project, especially because this was first semester back in college. -
Giving the Gift of Literary Escape
During my senior year at Angelo State, I was working full-time, a full-time student, and rooming with a single mom and her 3 year old son. As much as I loved my busy life, sometimes an escape was necessary. A good friend of mine, who loves reading, gave me a few books over the course of a couple of years and I never seemed to find time to read them. My senior year, these books became my escape. After a long day, I loved staying up late to complete the next chapter. -
Bankruptcy
My first job out of college was working for a bankruptcy attorney. Reading and explaining a 60-page contract to people in financial crisis became second nature to me. There were many components to the job- preparing a bankruptcy petition, filing it with the federal court system, and preparing the attorney for court. Although the subject matter was not ideal, I really enjoyed this job. I am a lover of processes and steps. I speak this language and therefore, felt I excelled in this position. -
Dual Credit at ASU
Although I had been working at ASU for 4 years prior, this position was my greatest professional challenge yet. Creating a program from the ground up meant creating documents, handbooks, webpages, processes, and training documents for those processes. I worked harder than ever to ensure my work was accurate, professional, and helpful, seeing as this content was being looked at across the state. I do not consider myself a strong professional writer but had great leaders to help guide me through. -
Becoming a Mother
All I can say is I have never read so much in my life! Trying to prepare for motherhood with the vast amount of information available was extremely overwhelming to me. I thought I needed to read EVERY blog, article, and book I could find and have never been more exhausted because of it. How did mothers do it before the internet?! Lesson learned: There is something to be said for finding a few trusted sources and listening to your heart. -
Reading with Sullivan
We started reading stories as part of Sully's bedtime routine when he was 6 weeks old. Even if we only have the time (or patience) for one book, we still try to make it a priority. Today, he loves to turn the pages, pull the flaps, and stare at the colors and pictures on each page. He is even beginning to react to certain books, and we can definitely tell he has a favorite: DADA by Jimmy Fallon. He laughs at the animal sounds. I am so excited to be a part of his literacy journey!
