One of my goals for this year was to try to be more social. Meet new people, make new friends, and try to get out a little more.One giant step in the process was joining a small group at church. Ivan has been wanting to join one, but I've held back. One, I wanted to wait until the new campus we're going to started it's own groups and, two, I just wasn't ready to meet new people. I finally stopped being a baby about it and we went to a group meet-up. We found a group of people and have met 3 times now. I haven't had the chance to hang out with any of them outside of that, but I think we have a pretty awesome group. I already feel comfortable with everyone and we all seem to get along great. I can't wait to see where this will go and how we grow together, both personally and in our relationship with God.
I'm also starting to do more things with people at work. A group actually started a committee for it. They've already put together a Valentine's Day lunch (which I missed because Ivan took me to one of my favorite places - Mellow Mushroom) and a Mardi Gras cook-off. There will also be hiking, shopping, going to the movies, and many other things that I'm not even aware of yet. I think this is going to be a lot of fun and can't wait to see what the group has planned next. :-)
Here's to the meeting new people and a fun-filled future!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Being Published
No, I'm not published, BUT I was asked to write an article for a professional journal! I was so excited when I got the email last week. An editor saw a presentation I did last October on digitizing items and loved it! She said it would be perfect for her technology trends column and said that it would probably be published next January, but she would show it to other editors who might publish it earlier. Isn't that awesome?!?! I can't believe this goal is becoming a reality so soon. (^_^)
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Learning - Be creative, ask why
Not that I have any kind of formal education on the subject, but how people learn is a fascinating topic. In my opinion school systems, colleges, and many other educational avenues teach kids to memorize, not learn. The school system teaches kids to show up, memorize, do as they're told, and avoid creative thinking. Ivan and I talk about this a lot and still aren't sure what we'll do when Alexander starts school. Plenty of time to worry about that, so it seems.
Schools focus on scores too much, not the actual outcome. I know plenty of teachers who could help students learn the subject, but have restrictions on what they can and can't do and how they do it. I would rather have students who can intellectually talk about a subject than ones who cram to get good grades then forget the information not even a week later. Which do you prefer? Would you want your child to know and understand information or get good grades. Technically, you want both, but what if you could only choose one? I wonder how the school system will evolve over the next decade? I hope it gets better for everyone involved.
So how do we learn? We can learn a lot from children. Have you ever paid attention to a baby or toddler when they are learning something new? You can almost see the wheels turning in their head. They try something and if it doesn't work they try it again. They take risks and don't care if they do it wrong or look silly doing it. They are curious and ask why. When do they stop this? When adults make them stop. Parents, teachers, everyone. We teach them to be ashamed of making mistakes. We should be teaching them to learn from them. Be creative, take risks, and if you fail you need to learn from it. Everything in us wants to, but everything within our entire system says to just follow the path and don't think for yourself, don't be creative. Memorize and get good grades and you'll go far. I really don't think that's true.
For those of you who got good grades, how far did it get you? I had great grades throughout school and college, but it doesn't really have anything to do with where I'm at today. I came up with ideas, sometimes worked by myself, sometimes with others, used creative thinking, took risks, and asked why. Because of this I have presented multiple times, been asked to write columns, joined committees, helped others create classes, and taught and mentored other librarians. I have taken risks that haven't paid off and I've made mistakes, but I have learned from them and learned how to use them to benefit me. I have only been in my profession a little over 3 years and have achieved more than I ever thought I could. Now, to be honest, part of this is also because of the confidence Ivan has given me. He has always believed in me and supported me in my educational and professional decisions. What risks have you taken? What creative ideas have you put in place? Have you ever made a mistake, but learned from it to come out on top?
Maybe one day I'll have a better grasp of this topic. Maybe I'll get my PhD, write a thesis on this topic, then change the education system. It all depends on how I learn.
Schools focus on scores too much, not the actual outcome. I know plenty of teachers who could help students learn the subject, but have restrictions on what they can and can't do and how they do it. I would rather have students who can intellectually talk about a subject than ones who cram to get good grades then forget the information not even a week later. Which do you prefer? Would you want your child to know and understand information or get good grades. Technically, you want both, but what if you could only choose one? I wonder how the school system will evolve over the next decade? I hope it gets better for everyone involved.
So how do we learn? We can learn a lot from children. Have you ever paid attention to a baby or toddler when they are learning something new? You can almost see the wheels turning in their head. They try something and if it doesn't work they try it again. They take risks and don't care if they do it wrong or look silly doing it. They are curious and ask why. When do they stop this? When adults make them stop. Parents, teachers, everyone. We teach them to be ashamed of making mistakes. We should be teaching them to learn from them. Be creative, take risks, and if you fail you need to learn from it. Everything in us wants to, but everything within our entire system says to just follow the path and don't think for yourself, don't be creative. Memorize and get good grades and you'll go far. I really don't think that's true.
For those of you who got good grades, how far did it get you? I had great grades throughout school and college, but it doesn't really have anything to do with where I'm at today. I came up with ideas, sometimes worked by myself, sometimes with others, used creative thinking, took risks, and asked why. Because of this I have presented multiple times, been asked to write columns, joined committees, helped others create classes, and taught and mentored other librarians. I have taken risks that haven't paid off and I've made mistakes, but I have learned from them and learned how to use them to benefit me. I have only been in my profession a little over 3 years and have achieved more than I ever thought I could. Now, to be honest, part of this is also because of the confidence Ivan has given me. He has always believed in me and supported me in my educational and professional decisions. What risks have you taken? What creative ideas have you put in place? Have you ever made a mistake, but learned from it to come out on top?
Maybe one day I'll have a better grasp of this topic. Maybe I'll get my PhD, write a thesis on this topic, then change the education system. It all depends on how I learn.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Dreamed a Dream
Man! It has been a busy, crazy week. I want to keep to my goal of
posting, though, so I dug through my dream journal and found an interesting
dream from 2005. No clue what it means, but it's funny and odd all at the same
time.
May 27, 2005
I have the oddest dreams. Last night was a
particularly weird/funny one. The dream started out with me, Heather, and some
other people getting ready to go to a pool party or the lake to see friends. Next,
I'm just at some house (that looked really cool, by the way) and Ivan and I are
watching TV, although it may have been Heather. The dream is really fuzzy
there. Anyway, the new Willy Wonka movie came on a Hallmark Channel that shows
only new movies, but it wasn't Willy Wonka as we know it - it was him at his
house. The first thing that can be noticed is that there are scarves everywhere
(he apparently loves them) and that all toilet paper he has is black. Later
it's revealed that he never gets rid of anything, which is why a multitude of
scarves are in the home. A lot of bad stuff starts happening to him, though,
and no one can figure out who is behind it. A friend of his asks if he really
does keep everything and if there is anything he just discards after use. Mr. Wonka
replies that he keeps everything because he grows attached to any object that
he comes to own. For some reason he's working with some kind of press while
this conversation is going on. I don't know if he's pressing scarves or if it's
a press used to make lithographs. The only other thing I remember in the dream
is that later, when he mentions that he discards nothing, the
"camera" zooms in on two rolls of the black toilet paper. One's lying
on its side and the other is standing up, but both are partially gone. I guess
the whole time it was the toilet paper doing all the bad stuff because it felt
it meant nothing since it was just used and discarded. I don't know. It was
weird. I woke up laughing.
I probably had Oreos and milk before bed that night. I have weird dreams whenever I eat them too late, but that hasn't stopped me from eating them. They are delicious! Do you keep a dream journal? Had any odd dreams lately? Please share - I love a good story.
Friday, January 20, 2012
2012 Goals
 |
| Dream Board 2012 - By Skye Bickett |
Last year I had 11 goals, 2 of which were not completed. One would think that I'd decrease my goals or keep the same number, but what's the fun in that? When I made my goals a couple of weeks ago I ended up with 18. One thing is wrong with that number - it's an even number and I'm really not too find of those. I do have a few favorite numbers and I would have had to cut 5 or add 3 to get to the closest one, so I decided to add 3. I'm going to list them briefly here and go into more detail in later posts as needed.
1. Lose 25 pounds
2. Learn to use/apply makeup - mainly using Michelle Phan's videos as a guide
3. Blog at least once per week
4. Create final outlines for 2 stories and write at least 1 more chapter in each
5. Write an article for publication
6. Short write-up and photo shoot of most places for book
7. Continue to eat healthy, which includes starting a small garden
8. Try one new thing a week, big or small
9. Work on household finances
10. Study/research at least 20 different Bible stories/timelines as they relate to history or science
11. At least 2 family nights a week with no TV
12. More time to focus on mine and Ivan's relationship and each other
13. Be more social
14. Re-purpose an old coffee table
15. Photograph the night sky
16. Photograph the moon
17. Mini-vacation at the beach
18. Buy clothes for fun - maybe try Tim Gunn's 10 Essential Items
19. Work on relationships - clear the clutter and grow closer with those who value our friendship
20. Compete in the Warrior Dash
21. Start YouTubing
So that's the list. Have any of you made goals for the year? Are they fun, serious, tough, or a mix? No matter what, have fun and enjoy 2012!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Incomplete Goals
The 2 goals listed below were not completed. I'll give you my reasons, but they're just excuses - they could have been done if I would not procrastinated or spent money on going out to eat/buying presents for myself and others.
2. Go as Dr. Who #4 (Tom Baker) or Velma Dinkley for halloween
Why didn't this get completed. 1) I waited until last minute. 2) I would have just been wearing it around the house and we had no trick or treaters this year (which made me really sad). We didn't go to any parties or go out anywhere for Halloween. I actually am glad I didn't dress as Velma, though. Apparently it was the trendy thing to do this year. Dr. Who would have been awesome, though. :-)
5. Pay off at least 2 credit cards
Well, with medical bills, car repairs, and Ivan starting his own business this just wasn't going to get done. I was hoping it would, but too many other things were stacking up. :-( Next year will definitely still have a financial goal in the works. It is definitely needed. Definitely.
Were there any goals that you didn't complete. Or that you completed and it was a great achievement and a shock? I'd love to hear about it. Let me know!
2. Go as Dr. Who #4 (Tom Baker) or Velma Dinkley for halloween
Why didn't this get completed. 1) I waited until last minute. 2) I would have just been wearing it around the house and we had no trick or treaters this year (which made me really sad). We didn't go to any parties or go out anywhere for Halloween. I actually am glad I didn't dress as Velma, though. Apparently it was the trendy thing to do this year. Dr. Who would have been awesome, though. :-)
5. Pay off at least 2 credit cards
Well, with medical bills, car repairs, and Ivan starting his own business this just wasn't going to get done. I was hoping it would, but too many other things were stacking up. :-( Next year will definitely still have a financial goal in the works. It is definitely needed. Definitely.
Were there any goals that you didn't complete. Or that you completed and it was a great achievement and a shock? I'd love to hear about it. Let me know!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Fitness Finale - Week 12
The title says finale, but this is the end of my first round of Jet Set Body; not the end of my fitness goals. This has been a great process that was tough at times, but I know myself and that helped me know my limitations and strengths to get through things. Below is my chart. I am going through this program again and may see if they have any additional workout routines to change it up some. I'm also going to try a couple of other things, but I'm not sure what yet. This brings my total weight loss for 2011 to 29 lbs and 12 inches!! I have completed my 4th goal - Be at least 50% of the way to my goal size/weight. I couldn't have done this without the support of Ivan and Alexander. They have been there every step of the way and have actually enjoyed the healthy food I've planned or prepared for meals. I also owe a great deal to Kim and Rob Murgatroyd. Their program and encouragement has been wonderful. Yay!
I can't wait to see what this year brings and I know it is going to be as fantastic as 2011. I'll share my 2012 dreams and goals with you soon. Until then, here is my Round 1 completed chart for Jet Set Body. I wish I had measured at the beginning of the year instead of just doing weight. It would have been cool to see the loss in inches and weight since January 2011, instead of just from October 2011. I'll have it this year, though. :-)
I can't wait to see what this year brings and I know it is going to be as fantastic as 2011. I'll share my 2012 dreams and goals with you soon. Until then, here is my Round 1 completed chart for Jet Set Body. I wish I had measured at the beginning of the year instead of just doing weight. It would have been cool to see the loss in inches and weight since January 2011, instead of just from October 2011. I'll have it this year, though. :-)
10-16-11
|
11-6-11
|
11-27-11
|
12-18-11
|
1-8-12
|
|
Weight
|
195 lbs
|
188 lbs
|
186 lbs
|
180 lbs
|
176 lbs
|
Chest
|
42 ¾”
|
41 ¼”
|
41 ¼”
|
41”
|
40 ¼”
|
Waist
|
37”
|
36 ½”
|
36 ¼”
|
35 ½”
|
34 ⅝”
|
Abs
|
42”
|
40 ½”
|
40 ¾”
|
40 ⅝”
|
40”
|
Hips
|
45”
|
45”
|
44 ⅞”
|
44 ¼”
|
44”
|
Right Thigh
|
28”
|
28”
|
27 ¼”
|
26 ¾”
|
26 ¾”
|
Left Thigh
|
27 ¾”
|
27 ½”
|
27”
|
26 ½”
|
26 ½”
|
Right Arm
|
12 ¼”
|
12 ¼”
|
12”
|
12 ⅛”
|
12 ¼”
|
Left Arm
|
12 ¾”
|
12 ¾”
|
12 ⅜”
|
12 ½”
|
12 ⅜”
|
Right Calf
|
16 ¼”
|
16”
|
15 ⅞”
|
15 ½”
|
15 ¾”
|
Left Calf
|
16 ¼”
|
16”
|
15 ⅝”
|
15 ½”
|
15 ¾”
|
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Georgia Aquarium
I finally put together a slide show of our trip to the Georgia Aquarium. If some of the images look odd for aquarium decorations keep in mind that it was near Halloween. Enjoy!
Monday, January 2, 2012
The Story of Us
My wonderful husband knows me so well. I never imagined that I'd be lucky enough to find the guy of my dreams. The closest I could ever get to my perfect guy - the only thing missing is the singing and dancing abilities. ;-) For Christmas this year my favorite present was something he made me. Despite the fact that he thinks he isn't creative, he really is. I love it! It's a book titled The Story of Us. It has different events from when we first met until today with blank pages for my notes/additions and to add to the story as the years pass. Here are some pictures. Enjoy!
I love his sense of humor.
Secretly, I wanted it to be him, too.
True story. :-D
It's Awesome! We love our little Alexander. Love, love, love.
Have you done anything special for someone you love? Have they done anything for you. Please share your story. I'd love to read about it. Looking forward!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Little Drummer Boy
We finally got Awesome a drum set. He's always treated other items in the house like a drum (without us showing him how), so we decided we should get him a little drum set. Ivan really, really wanted to do this and has been talking about it for over a year now. Below are a few pictures from Christmas day. Alexander loves the drums. He goes between playing with those, his puzzles, and the many trucks he got for Christmas. It's lovely!
What is this?!
Ivan showing him bass drum techniques - or how to slam your foot down and make loud booms
Took to the drums instantly
Playing for mommy
His rockin' out face. It's so cute!
Did you or your kids get anything fun for Christmas? I hope you had a great Christmas. Happy New Year!
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