technology

Argh.  Learning curve is on the low side today!  funny when something is right in front of your eyes and you don't even know it!  We have smart phones since we have been back in the states and my kids and other people keep teaching me new things from it.  We have taken a lot of pictures with them, amazing the shots you can get off of a phone, but it is a little bit of a pain to upload them.  I didn't know till my daughter explained to me though this week that the same plug I use to charge it with I can use to plug it into the computer and download pictures.  I am just getting smarter all the time!  Makes me a very happy girl.  That said  I have been trying for about the last half hour to put the pictures from my husband's phone onto my blog.  Okay so uploading  didn't work by any easy way. I even tried uploading them to facebook, then tagging me and getting them that way.  I will leave to the imagination then for today that the Eagle's next hike at the park was lovely!  Positive there is an easier way!!!! 
Here are NOT the pictures we took on the Eagle's Nest hike at Sequoyah State Park last weekend on the way back from the airport in Tulsa Ok.  One of the exciting things about Tahlequah is how many parks and trails there are on every side, this one is only about 20 minutes out from us and lots of fun.

#didyouthinktopray

crossing the generations

They say pictures are worth a thousand words, in this case I will definitely agree.  Aunt JoAn was so thrilled to have the baby next to her, baby kisses seem to be one of the best things in the world.  Here we have though her at the end of this earthly journey, Sammy at his beginning both linked through my daughter between.

When the New Wears Off

I started my new blog so excitedly, everything around me made me want to write more, then life became a little complicated and time began to pass.  Almost, but not quite killing the ecstatic urge of creating a blog.
A two week hiatus probably won't count for a great lapse, perhaps just give more perspective to the things I write.
 One of my weaknesses is this quest for knowledge and understanding that keeps me looking for something different.  One of my current goals is to become a healthy individual, but I don't want to really give up all of those wonderful things, like food.  It is not that I eat a lot of things that are bad for me, but ice cream, chocolate, cookies do tend to entice me on a very regular basis.  The good news is that I am also addicted to fruits and vegetables, so maybe a good balance will help maintain sanity.  I started therefore this week to do research to find the easiest changes I could try that will perhaps help me reach my goals and have decided to incorporate a few in, just to see if I will find an improvement. 
1. Oil pulling. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqAubp84Uvs
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIMm_LI_U7A

The other one now is almost humorous, but so easy I cannot resist an attempt!
Brain Yoga
http://www.dailypaul.com/299643/super-brain-yoga-5-minute-exercise-to-help-revitalize-the-brain
http://www.examiner.com/article/the-so-called-super-brain-yoga-an-ancient-hindu-practice

Tenkiller Lake

Sun shining and a light wind blowing made it a perfect day to begin discovering 10 Killer Lake.  It is only about 20 minutes south of us in Tahlequah, so when I made it home from work it was a very easy fast discussion to try out a hike, or at least a walk!

This part of the lakeshore has gravely rocky beach.

 Learning how to use my new walking sticks Harold gave me for our Anniversary.

Still kind of brown out, but you can feel the Spring right around the corner.

Happy Heart Day

It is a good day, probably a great day to be happy.  One of those peaceful joys that fill you up from your toes to the tip top of your head.  Some days are good for the giddy joys, the excited overwhelming ones, then others just make you feel complete.Sunlight reflecting, the birds starting to warn us that Spring really will come awake a sense of hope and expectation that brightens the day..
 A tulip plant and a baby rose bush definitely add to my state of joy along with the chocolates sitting on the table.  The fact that our Anniversary (number 24 today) and Valentine´s Day fall together gives a multitude of sweet surprises.  I did do my part, first with a Happy Heart Cake.  Healthy and yummy to boot, before I rushed off to work.

Happy Heart Cake

1 3-4 c. whole wheat flour
1-4 c. ground oat flour
1-2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder.

1  1-4 c. milk
2 eggs
1-4 c. oil
1-4 c. molasses

1 1-4 c. pecans.
brown sugar

Mix dry ingrediants together. Mix liquids seperately.  Stir together.  Blend in half of pecans, crushed.  Pour in 8x8 pan.  Decorate with remaining pecans, sprinkle with brown sugar.  Bake 375 for about 25 minutes. .

Page Views

 I wonder why I am doing my blog.....  I checked the stats and I have a regular audience of 1, oh wait, that must be talking about me!  The good news is that I am viewing and observing my life as it progresses.  I am seeing the humor, experiencing the pain, correcting the grammatical errors and hopefully learning from the mistakes of this human journey. The question of how to build a following excited to read my meanderings still remains a mystery.  If you, out there in cyberspace, are now reading this it signifies that my audience has doubled, which is pretty good statistics for the day!
  I am definitely not a technology guru, but I am learning how to function in a technological world.  The plan is to make it at least a few steps past the functioning level, of course technological advancements happen so quickly that those few steps have a difficulty in advancing my capability past the beginner stage.  One of the problems is that there are so many things available through technology that it is difficult for me to focus in on anything specific, so something that should be giving me more time in my existence sometimes saps or perhaps better said Zaps my time before I even realize it is gone.  I shall blog away though living in my little bubble where the sun is allowed to shine even though the day may be cloudy, that way maybe I won´t have to buy the fancy lightbulbs that can replace the sunlight!!

quiet mornings

I love quiet mornings when I am the first one up and have the world to myself, before interruptions and responsibilities burst in and shatter my contemplations.  There are mornings when you wake up full of excitement for the things to come, but then there are days like today when I get to slowly creep into the day letting my thoughts wander and enjoy the possibilities of existence.
It is a gray day outside, no sign of sun yet, but it is amazing how in our little insulated boxes, heated and cooled, that we don't even realize the birds are singing - until we choose to open a breach in our bubble of man made security, whether a window or a door, and allow the outside to enter and become a part of our world.
Like I said, sure love my quiet mornings when I can contemplate and allow my thoughts to roam, to soar and take flight along with the birds.  It was a nice journey this morning, and didn't cost me a thing except for to disengage my body from the bed.

Torn Rotator cuff

So shoulder has been achy hurting for a while and finally got to the point that I wanted to take some Ibuprofen for it.  Decided it was time to go to the Doctor and figure out what was going on and how to fix it.  He did this lovely little test where you hold your arm out to the side at shoulder height, and then he pushes down.  I guess if you scream or yelp it proves that you might have a problem, yes I kind of did that!  That quick blast of pain surprised me.  Dear me!  Referred now on to an Orthopedic specialist to see what step comes next.  From what I have now read it is common for  a "degenerative tear in the rotator cuff of the dominant side"  translated meaning: the arm I do pretty much everything with, is the one that is having a problem.  Will be doing some creative teaching in order not to be writing on the board so much!  Thank goodness for technology, nothing like something to inspire me to use it more.

Don't Jiggle

When I first started teaching my children, some of whom were in their teens, sought to give me good advice.  It definitely wasn't the kind I learned in my teaching courses.  They told me to make sure that when erasing the blackboard to make sure not to jiggle.  They explained that if you go from side to side with the eraser it helps avoid such unknown embarrassments. 
When teaching I always try to think of our complaints when studying and avoid requiring the same frustrations of my students.  One major task I despise is group projects.  If they are ones that students do in class that works fine, but as soon as they require outside time inequality sets in, with one or two students doing the lion's share of the work and a couple going along for the ride.
  Anything that involves learning and  fun at the same time should be high on your list of things to include!  This is easy as a language instructor with all the resources available.  I love showing students Disney songs in Spanish and the surprise on their faces when they recognize the music and find out they can look up something on their own.The realization that learning can be fun is a great start to a life long pursuit.  I am always in class before it is time, so having a Disney song on before we start works out perfect, doesn't take up class time but gets everyone in the mood.  Two of the favorites for today.

Mulan in Spanish!!! 

MULAN

ALADDIN

PERFECTION....Are we there yet???

NO, Nope, Nada, No way, but sometimes we sure wish!  If I were not the first person to tell you I am far from perfect, then my children would probably be happy to explain it to you.  It is like the road trip, all the kids in the car wanting to know, "Are we there yet?"   In this instance we are the ones quite often asking, because we want to arrive finally!  So easy to make mistakes, then those feelings of less than perfection make us struggle with our own peace of mind and sense of self.  Maybe just like those road trips -when you are passing amazing scenery, spending  time laughing and talking together or just chilling as the miles go by, maybe the same needs to be said to us that we say to our children:  We need to enjoy the trip, quit stressing so very much about what we have yet to accomplish.
Thus I come to the name of my BLOG.  I left out the D (on the and) on purpose an that's a fact.

SNOW transformations

It snowed today, big fluffy flakes, about four inches and for here that is a lot. I looked at it during the day and thought how I didn't want to go out and get cold and wet. Tonight I decided to go out, because I wanted a picture of it, discovering that the more I walked the more enchanted I became. I remembered so many years ago when with a thrill we would walk through the snow and kick it up in the air to watch it fly. The feeling of accomplishment of having my footsteps be the first ones on the fresh clean sheet of snow. Creating a snow angel and laughing as we barraged each other with snowballs. The excitement and challenge of sliding with the possibility of falling into it's cold embrace. I considered and questioned myself as I walked through the silent drifts over what I have allowed to happen to me. What pushed me into being a spectator instead of actively participating in this fluffy substance we call snow? My nose now still tingles from the cold and my toes may never thaw, but I took part, I participated, I remember and I remember it well.

 

 A world transformed by the magic of snow and the 

subtlety of night

Seminary Hall, Northeastern State University

Nighttime transformation in the solitude of snow

Dementia

  This is one of the harder topics so many of us face.  It is not death that causes me fear but the process of dying.  My aunt is one of the dearest kindest people I have ever known.  She has always taken care of others and reached out to help anyone in need but now she can no longer care for herself.  Still she tries to care for those around her, wanting to make sure I have a bed to sleep in and something to eat whenever I walk into her home.  This past week her dementia worsened to the point that for her safety we have to have someone stay with her at all times. Gratefully one of the ladies who normally comes in a couple of hours a day has agreed to move in with her.  My aunt is still very cognizant of her surroundings most of the time, so when we told her that her helper needed a place to live she was quite happy to help her by opening again her home to someone in need. 

  We were able to take her out to meet one of her dearest old friends for lunch today and it was pure joy seeing them smile together.  We arrived at the restaurant with my aunt in plenty of time before they got there though so I had time  to help her eat - because her fingers, that earlier in life rebuilt houses and cared for me and my children, were not able to hold the fork  long enough without cramping for her to eat.  It was a Mexican restaurant that we have always enjoyed with her, yet her comments so many times about how wonderful it was to find pure Mexican food in town were a delight to hear, knowing she was happy with the moment.

 She has a small dog that sits continually by her side, or in her lap, loving her and helping keep her warm -but also barking like crazy in warning, protecting her from the world, whenever anyone comes to her door.  This constant companion is amazing in the strength he gives her.  It was hard to leave this wonderful woman, who says thank-you and shows gratitude for the smallest things around her to take the three hour return drive home, thinking and hoping for a next time when I can wrap my arms around her and let her know how much I love her.  I will rely on my calls when I can hear her wish me blessings,  "God Bless, and have a good life."  

Nice is Nice

The one thing I have learned about Tahlequah, Oklahoma is that some of the people here are just plain nice! There is a Love's Country Store that has good gas prices and makes these great sandwiches PLUS the employees are some of the friendliest people I have ever met.  The girl  that made our sandwiches today and loaded them full, then before she closed it, smiled and asked if it looked good to me.  She had put what I wanted on it and acted like she cared that I was happy - and willing to add more if I wanted.  We have been in there several times in the last two months and every time they have been helpful, kind and friendly.  I like that!  It speaks very highly of the whole community.  Same sort of thing we keep seeing at Wal Mart where the guys taking in the shopping cart wish you a nice evening and ask how you are. 

A friendly smile and hello can make a huge difference in the lives of so many people around us.  Glad to see them being passed around in so many locations in my new hometown.

Baby Nursing Miracles!

My daughter gave birth to her baby the 7th of November and he couldn't get it together to latch on to nurse.  His muscles in his tongue wouldn't work right, you might call it a lazy tongue...  Many tears and several frustrating days later after working with a lactation specialist my daughter switched to using the bottle.  With the bottle we could convince him to put his tongue down and figure out how to suck.  Eleven weeks she has been faithfully pumping all of his milk and using the bottle, but yesterday her pump wasn't functioning right and she tried one more time to see if he would nurse - and he did!  She called me as he was happily sleeping after having his first good meal that wasn't from a bottle. That means after weeks of super hard work she just got  several hours a day given back to her life.  Happy baby, Happy mommy and Very happy Grandma.

Color Coding the World

I accidentally used the wrong lesson plan for one of my classes yesterday, or at least part of it.  We will just say that the second year students  got a lovely review- up to the point when I told them to open their books to a page that did not exist in their texts.  Flustered, we laughed and I proved my less than perfection to the world once more.  I have now set about to put things in order by color-coding my world!  Each level has their own color of sticky notes, lesson plans and the marker that I use when I have completed an assignment, or to highlight something I want to make sure I cover in class.  Our amazing Administrative Assistant is also going to get me some colored gel pens that aren't red for grading my papers, hoping for purple or green just to liven up the world!  I figure if you get a paper back with green corrections you will see it as a positive color and showing you can "grow" and improve.  Purple is kind of a happy color to me, so maybe it will make the corrections something seen as a positive, not so much negative that they want to throw in the towel!

 

Feeling Fat Day

I hate mornings when I wake up and just "feel fat".  I know it is a mental thing, but then when I step on the scales and it reconfirms my first opinion- doesn't make me a happy camper.  I have now set all of these goals for today, started off saying, "well I am just not going to eat", that turned to a  more realistic approach, "only liquids today"  I think I have now switched it to "I will eat smarter today and concentrate on vegetables"
This reality of days when you want to be good, but oh my it can be super difficult!  It was easier thirty minutes ago when I was not hungry at all!  By the time I get to the end of the day we shall hope that I am no longer feeling quite as fat.  I did do my workout this morning, but I think that is actually more my stress relief than anything else.  Thought about posting a picture with this BUT it is a fat day and I would much rather post one later when I am in a SKINNY day.  Right now choosing to post something extremely fattening or extremely healthy is just too rough of a choice. Wonder if I can get a Skinny day to really happen????

Saturday Wanderings ' J T Nickel Preserve

Nickel Preserve is a short drive out of Tahlequah and they have a 3 mile fairly easy hike.  They have released Elk into the area, although we didn´t see any of them we did see four large deer run across our path.  Of course they ran before I had a chance to catch them with my camera.
It amazes me when hiking this time of year how nature appears dead or hibernating, either resting or perhaps holding it´s breath.  It is like a promise just waiting to come forth, knowing that soon Spring will come and everything will change and blossom.  I think we as humans sometime go through the same phases, appearing dull and lifeless to some, but when you look deeper there is a huge potential just waiting to come out into the open.

The Challenge of Starting

The difficulty in starting a blog is all of those CHOICES!  DECISIONS!  I have been working for the last month trying to come up with a name for my blog - so I could even get started.  I could call this so many things like, Steps into the Real World,  Reaching toward Perfection (really isn't that a lifelong impossible journey???)  After much pondering and frustration I have decided to jump in, therefore the title became Choices - which lead to decisions and are sometimes very hard for me.  Changes - because life is full of changes and it is important how we deal with them.  Chapters - because I feel I/we are entering into another Chapter of life, one that appears pretty amazing from here.

Quick Update:  After finishing our mission in Guatemala where we served for the last two years we returned to the USA in October.  I quickly flew to England for the birth of my lovely new grandson where I was able to stay and play for three weeks.  Next stop flying from there to Idaho to meet up again with Harold and be there for the birth of Natalie's new baby boy the beginning of November.  The joy is more intense with the birth of these two new little ones because both of these daughters lost their first baby at about one week before birth, both for different reasons.  The births of those first little ones was so full of tears of pain, and with these we wept for joy.  Now the sleepless nights - although difficult are still moments of joy.

We returned to Arkansas the end of November and I continued to pursue the job hunt.  The end of December I was hired by Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.  We quickly popped over then and found an apartment and met members from the Church.  Right after Christmas we made the move in time to be here for work on the 6th of January.   The miracle was that we got completely moved in between snow and ice storms in DRY weather, the snow hit again the afternoon after we got into our new apartment.

It is exciting to be back at the University level.  I sympathize greatly for anyone teaching in the Public High School system, it was continually stressful with the requirements and continual paperwork.  The University here is small and I really enjoy the people I work with in the department, it seems like we are all focused on the same goals and there is a shared camaraderie that makes going to work a pleasure.  So far I am STARTING to get the hang of the technology involved, getting the rhythm back into my teaching and  feeling comfortable in my work.  The goal is to survive plus enjoy the first semester!

The community of Tahlequah is a gem that seems like it will fit us well, big enough that there is adequate shopping and interesting things to do.  It is the Capitol of the Cherokee nation so there are lots of historical and cultural things available, plus the University offers concerts, lectures and plays.  I am very excited  because thanks to the heritage of my mother  I have my CDIB -registered Choctaw, I am eligible for free health care through the Cherokee health system.  What a relief to know I can, hopefully, get a few things worked out - like my teethe!  They even said there is a new program for training your eyes that may help me fix my lazy eye,  something I had given up on years ago.  Nothing like having a wondering eye!  I always tell my students it is so they can never tell who I am looking at, although it really does bother me on the inside.

There are the Ten-Killer lakes 10 minutes to the South of us and the Illinois river 10 minutes to the North, can't beat that, plus we have already discovered at least one hiking trail, Sparrowhawk, very close to home.  It is a little strange living in an apartment but it does have two bathrooms (yes, that is very important at our ages!!) and is only about a five minute walk to my classes. We disposed of so many things before our mission that it and the small storage we rent fits us for right now.