Life, Death, and Religion

Aunt Claudia

It is funny how the death of someone really makes you look at your own life.  This weekend, my aunt Claudia passed away.  She had cancer and she had no pain.  I think of my father's last week of life and thank heaven that Claudia went so easily.  She was a very funny lady and my cousin - her granddaughter asked Claudia what she wanted to be for Halloween.  Claudia replied, "Lady Gaga!"  She was much hipper than my mom, who wouldn't have a clue who Lady Gaga was.  Claudia, I'm going to miss your wide smile and your helpful heart!

Women's Conference

This weekend, I have been thinking a lot about religion and spirituality.  Not only was this reflection caused by my Aunt's passing, but also because this week was also Women's Conference.  Women's Conference is when the women leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints give talks about various religious topics.  These conferences always inspire me to be a better person and I really enjoy listening to them.  http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/archive/general-relief-society-meeting/2012/09?lang=eng 

Afterlife - Agree to Disagree

I also have a very good friend who is an atheist.  He does not believe in any type of afterlife.  It is mind boggling to me how we can both have such conviction in our beliefs and be at the polar opposite ends of the spectrum.  I cannot imagine a world in which death is the end.  It seems so obvious to me that the spirit leaves the body.  I have felt the presence of my dad, grandparents, and others who have passed away.  It is a very interesting debate, one leaving us both with our same beliefs, but with more respect for everyone's right to believe what they may.

Separation of Church and State

I teach future teachers at Grand Canyon University, which is a Christian college.  My students go on and on about how religion should be brought back into the classroom.  Although I am a very religious person, I am an even bigger advocate in religious equality.  I always ask my students which religion they want in the schools.  Should it be Christian, Buddhism, Hinduism, Muslim, Jewish, or some other religion?  What about parents who are atheists and don't want any religion?  I am great with people believing what they wish to believe.  I am not okay with teachers choosing for their students what to teach them about religion.  Let's leave that to parents.  Thank heaven for separation of church and state because that is the law, no matter how much the teachers I teach want religion to be a part of schools.  Be careful what you wish for!

Key Chains and Sand - My Travels Around the World

I saw a friend at church recently who said, "You have been everywhere!  I want to sit down and talk with you about your travels one day."  I found that quite ironic since she has been more places than I have.  I talked to her a little about this ironicness (not a word) a little later and she said that she was older and I had a great start.  She also told me that she collected sand from where ever she went, which is right up my alley since I LOVE beaches.  She even collected dirt from the Eiffel Tower in France because there is no sand there.  

I collect key chains.  I started on my first trip to Europe because I was poor and my luggage was full.  It turns out that I had key chains from the previous countries I went to before I became a big traveler. So, Diane, this blog is for you!

Aroha Nui! 

Can you believe the first place I ever went outside of the USA is New Zealand?  This was 1993.  What a lucky girl I am!  I lived there for 1 1/2 years as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Thanks to facebook I've recently re-established friendships!  I lived mostly in Hamilton and Auckland in the North Island.  It's one of the most beautiful places in the world!  My part of New Zealand had a lot of Polynesians.  I learned how to say, hello and good-bye in about 10 different languages.  I loved it there!  

I went to Canada next in 1994.  Actually, I went to Niagra Falls for a day, which hardly counts, but I count it anyway.  I don't have a key chain from there.

Because I knew a lot about Polynesia, when someone came into my BYU teaching methods class asking who wanted to student teach in Tonga, I jumped at the chance!  I was there for 3 months in 1996.  I loved it there.  There was nothing to do at all, but flirt with boys.  When I was there they thought all white women were beautiful, so for 3 glorious months in Tonga, I was beautiful.  The first Tongan word I learned was Foi Lole - which means you are as sweet as candy!  

In 2006, I went with my friend Bonnie to pick up her cousin Ang, who I have known for years, who was studying in France.  Bonnie, Ang, Ang's friend, and I had a whirlwind trip to London, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; and Paris, France.  We were there for 8 days I think.

On my first cruise in 2009, I went with my friend Bonnie for my birthday, who has been with me through most of my travels.  She had never been to New Orleans, so we started from there.  We went to Cozumel, Mexico.  It was a great trip and we had a lot of fun!

In 2011, I went to Italy for 3 weeks with my friend Sandy.  I loved Venice because it had some beautiful masks and trinkets.  These are not key chains, but they are small, cheap, and easy to carry.

Rome, Florence (Firenze), Pisa, and Venice! I love Italy!  In Rome, we stayed in a magical campground filled with music.  In Florence, we could've eaten dirt and it would have been the best food I have ever had in my life. Pisa gave us a nice sunny reprieve from the rain in Florence. In Venice, my friend Sandy and I had fun getting lost and following a cute gondolier.   

Did you know that Vatican City is another country within the walls of Italy?  The Sistine Chapel is there and the magnificent ceiling that Michelangelo Painted!  This trinket is actually an eraser.  It's my favorite part of the painting!

  

In October 2011, I went with the South Family to the Bahamas on another cruise to celebrate Bonnie, Jessica, and my 40th Birthday!  Bonnie's actual birthday was on Tuesday, Jessica's birthday is November so we celebrated on Wednesday, and my birthday is in December, so we celebrated on Thursday.  What a wonderful time with a wonderful family who adopted me into their family so long ago that we don't want to mention how long ago!  Love you all!!!!

In 2012 went with my friend Suzanne to Vigo, Spain where our friends Marcos and Beatriz live.  They took us to Porto, Portugal and we had a wonderful day with my Spanish, English, and American Friends!!!  Thanks to my Spanish friends, who made it possible!  We walked over the bottom of this bridge and came back on the top part of the bridge.  It was a perfect day!

In 2012, I went to La Alberca, Spain to teach English to some wonderful Spaniards!                         

Right and Wrong

Since I started my new job I have noticed that I have this black and white way of looking at things.  I have never really noticed it before, but at my new job, it comes up all the time.  Here are some examples:

1.  When my students started to come in my room, some of them went straight to google to search for their favorite website.  In my eyes that is completely wrong because #1 I had no idea where they were going or what they were doing.  #2 Google is not a child friendly website.  I teach from my website and they only go where I want them to go and do what I want them to do.  They only search on sites that are kid safe.

2.  During a PTA meeting, I went to take pictures, when I came back to the lab, there were students in there unsupervised on youtube and other websites.  I feel this was wrong because who knows what they will find on youtube and when kids are on school property, they should always be supervised.

3.  I introduced my students to a student friendly social networking site called Edmodo.   www.edmodo.com  They could add a picture and they wanted to search in google for images.  This was wrong because if you take google images it is breaking copyright law.

I am not so sure if I am right or I am going crazy trying to make sure they go to safe places when in reality everyone steals images from google images.  A co-worker suggested that it was our job to make sure they know how to search properly because they will do it anyway.  Plus, it is easier to find images on google than any other website.  This is oh so true!  But, if I don't teach them the rules and safety who will? 

I spend quite a bit of my time also with undergraduate students who are still stealing pictures from google images.  My university students don't know that copying and pasting without documention is wrong and it drives me up the wall!

I am not sure if I am wrong or right or a little of both, but thank heaven my co-worker Kathy has the patience of a saint for putting up with my rules!

Bucket List - 2009 and Today

I have heard of people who make visualization posters where everything they want, they put on a poster and expect it to happen. My friend Angela goes even farther than that.  She tries to create a situation where she is waiting for it to happen.  For example, if a single person wanted to be married, she would suggest that the single person only use half the closet, sleep on one side of the bed, and one side of the bathroom cabinet to make room for the future spouse.  I personally will not go to those lengths because I don't quite believe in that, but she believes and things happen for her.  

I had a friend post on facebook her Bucket List and it reminded me of the Bucket List I made in 2009.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that some of the things on my bucket list had already happened.  Here is what I wrote:

Things I want to do before I die:

1. Teach college in a face-to-face class.

2. Live in several different countries.

3. Travel for an extended period of time in Europe.

4. Go to the places that Jane Austen writes about and lived in.

5. Live in England (during the summer).

6. Go snorkeling in Australia.

7. Own my home.

8. Be a naturally spiritual person.

9. Think of others more than I do myself.

10. Have enough money and a job that lets me travel whenever I want. I don't mind if my job picks the place.

11. Write a novel, more like a Robert Fulgham (Author of Everything I Need to Learn, I Learned in Kindergarten) book of thoughts than a fictional novel.

12. Visit Prince Edward Island (In the summer).

13. Go on a cruise - doesn't matter where.

14. Go back to Tonga to teach for the summer.

So, I've crossed 3 things off my bucket list since then.  I plan on doing number 6 this summer in Australia.  

For number 3, I spent 3 weeks last year in Italy and I spent 3 1/2 weeks in Spain this past summer.  

Number 10 happened when Spencer got the job at American Airlines and I got his benefits!  

I have actually been on 2 cruises to cross off number 13, one to Mexico and one to the Bahamas.  

Maybe this blog checks off number 11, time will tell with that one.  I don't need an actual book really.  I've started on blogs before, but they haven't lasted, here's hoping I will be more consistent on this one!

My new updated Bucket List:

1.  Get another job where I teach adults. 

2.  Go on a trip where I go completely around the world.

3.  Visit every continent, except for Antarctica.  My friend Bonnie even wants to visit that one, but I HATE being cold!

4.  Get my doctorate.

5. Teach college in a face-to-face class.

6.  Live in several different countries.

7.  Visit Prince Edward Island during the summer.  I want to do this because Anne of Green Gables is one of my favorite books.

8.  Go to the places that Jane Austen writes about and lived in.

9.  Be a naturally spiritual person.

10.  Think of others more than I do myself.

11.  Make money off my writing.

12.  Swim in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

13.  Have a completely paid off house.

   

I had a recent conversation with someone saying that if you actually tell people about your hopes and dreams then they may be the person to actually help you do that.  For example, if someone needed a place to stay for a couple of months and they were mentioning this to someone who needed someone to watch their house for a couple of months while they were away, they both would know of the others' need and make a happy connection.

Work and more work

For the past few weeks that school has been in session, I have left almost right after the students left.  I really should realize that I need to stay longer so I can get things accomplished.  I stayed until 6 last night and I stayed a little longer than that one day last week. I got so much done!  The problem is that when I get home I have another job waiting for me.  I teach an online class at Grand Canyon University.
It is so hard to prioritize and make a schedule work!  I really like my European vacations and I like that I am getting experience at the university level, so I am keeping the GCU job.
My friend Suzanne raises butterflies.  She has a butterfly farm.  That is her passion and she's turned it into a business!  I wish that traveling could turn into a business for me!

Discovering Raleigh

It is so funny that I have lived in the Raleigh area for about 14 years and rarely go downtown.  With my friend Ola here visiting from London, I had the opportunity to re-discover what this wonderful city has to offer.  There are so many great places to visit, to eat, to see, and to listen to (in the matter of a couple of hours we heard 3 or 4 bands for free).  I have do a lot of things with friends, but I should take advantage of all the great, and free, things that Raleigh has to offer!

Some of the things I've never done in Raleigh that I did this week: 

1.  Bowled at North Hills Sparians Bowling alley
2. Walked from the Capital Building to Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
3. Rode on the R bus line - the free bus line that goes downtown
4. Eaten at a cupcake place downtown - I didn't know there was a cupcake place.  Ola needed cake!
5. Eaten at the Armadillo Grill, The Raleigh Times, Fresca Cafe and Gelato (Didn't know such places existed - we ate out a lot in 3 days!)
6. Gone to the new part of the Raleigh Science Museum

Ola's first day in Raleigh, Thursday, David and Suzanne Tilton and I took her to downtown Raleigh.  We went to this great restaurant called The Raleigh Times in downtown Raleigh.  David had to work, but Suzanne and I stayed and took Ola to see some of the sights of Raleigh.  We went and saw the outside of the Raleigh Science Museum and the Capital building.

 On Friday, Suzanne made us an incredible dinner with things she bought at the farmers market and I took Ola bowling with some of my friends.

Saturday, we had planned to go to the beach, but we decided to go to downtown Raleigh instead.  We went to Crabtree, the Science Museum - played with dead animals, the History Museum - ran through the Gone with the Wind exhibit the last 5 minutes the museum was open, walked the length of downtown, finally found Sir Walter Raleigh - who moved, by the way, to the convention center instead of the state capital.  We rode the free R bus line back to where we were parked, went to see Duke University, had torrential rain, had a wonderful dinner of crepes and hot chocolate, and finally made it back to Suzanne and David's house.  

Technology Job

Sometimes I can't sleep because I am thinking about everything I need to get finished and I didn't and still don't have time to finish it.  I chatted with a former co-worker who is still at McGee's.  She said that she never realized how many things I did for that school.  I told her that I knew that I did a lot of extra things for the school! 

Now, at my new school it seems that I can't catch up with the old stuff before new things are added to my list.  The poor website is sorely needing attention, there are so many computer websites that need me to add, delete, or replace old and new users.  Some teachers are having major problems with their printers and I don't have time to help them!  Did I mention that I teach 6 classes a day?

My wonderful new principal (my old principal was also wonderful) told me today that I may be getting a part-time TA!  Wow!  My dreams are coming true!  I am going to be teaching part-time and working with teachers part-time!  Yeah!!

I have got to go to sleep because I have to present an internet safety initiative to teachers tomorrow morning and then teach all day long!