birth(day)

The entirety of my 23rd birthday was spent with the sole woman on earth who gave me a day to celebrate: my mom. It was wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a more needed birthday experience. I could've been sad and disappointed that I didn't have any friends in San Antonio to celebrate my birthday with and I could've pouted all day that my birthday was all for ruin because I'm stuck "partying" with my mom, but I chose to view that day differently. It didn't need to be about celebrating my life and the fact that YAY! I was born 23 years ago. It was more about paying attention to the sacrifice and commitment my mom made for me 23 years and nine months ago. I know I didn't tell her this directly that day because she would have been the humble, gentle person she is and brought the attention back to me, but in the back of my mind as she excitingly watched the Jonas Brothers 3-D movie and putt-putted on the green with me, I was thanking her for everything, especially allowing me to spend my whole birthday with her. My mom made sure I felt loved on my birthday and I couldn't be more grateful that it was her love she was sharing with me. Thank you Mom.

first graders

For first graders, the little things are absolutely HUGE things. Someone stealing another person's eraser. Someone cutting in line. Someone making a face at someone else. And while all those acts are not nice to do in any situation at any age level (steal, cheat, make fun), once those acts are committed against a first grader it affects their entire world as if there's no hope in the end. It has been a tiring, interesting, and rewarding week of substituting in the first grade classroom I've come to know and love over the past couple of weeks. These children are precious, sweethearts but have baggage like everyone else that can hinder the day from flowing smoothly. They just need to be shown patience, care, and love as well as being given guidance, forgiveness, and encouragement. I'm thankful I could provide that for twenty-one little individuals this week. What they don't know is that they affected my heart just as much as I hope I affected theirs. My refrigerator is covered with pictures, drawings, and sweet notes the children gave me throughout the week. And like I've said to myself lately, hugs from first graders are the jam.

learning modalities

In my certification class tonight we covered the topic "learning modalities" which indicate the modes or means through whch people acquire information and demonstrate what they know. (Think: "what kind of learner am I?") While scrolling through the lists of charactertistics each type of learner possesses I was half-surprised, half-aware of what kind of learner I believe I am. While I can identify with all of the visual learner characteristics, I also found myself identifying with more than half of the auditory/verbal learner characteristics as well as more than half of the kinesthetic/tactile learners. Needless to say it was an encouraging moment to affirm how I learn best and to recall how those particular learning modalities have played out in my educational achievement and other personal growths.

Visual learners:
- are good with detail
- learn by seeing, watching demonstrations
- often remember whatever they have written down
- can recall the placement of words and pictures on a page
- like descriptive reading
- enjoy and learn from visual displays and colors
- recognize words by sight and people by face rather than name
- have a vivid imagination and think in pictures
- are deliberate problem solvers and plan solutions in advance
- facial expressions are a good indication of their emotions

Auditory/Verbal learners:
- enjoy listening but are always ready to talk
- like music, rap, poetry, rhyming words
- enjoy dialogues, skits and debates
- have auditory word attack skills and learn words phonetically
- talk to themselves, especially whem memorizing
- are distracted by sounds
- talk out problems and the pros and cons of a situation
- express emotion through changing in pitch, tone, and volume of voice
- are not detail persons, tend to be global thinkers
- learn through verbal instructions from others or themselves

Kinesthetic/Tactile learners:
- learn by hands-on experiences
- prefer direct involvement rather than being a spectator
- enjoy the performing arts and/or athletics
- like working with materials, machinery, and tools
- prefer actions/adventure stories and videos
- communicate feelings through body language
- experiment with ideas to see how they will work in the real world
- touch, feel, manipulate, and play with objects
- show emotions physically by jumping, hugging, applauding, etc.
- remember what they have done rather than what they have seen or read

So what kind of learner are you?

happy hour

a small watermelon slush from Sonic during Happy Hour: $0.64

two quarters, a dime, and four pennies.

chump change for a delicious treat.

oh, the little things.

bench

There is a bench in the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens that I've come to love. In the past I have found myself visiting this bench whenever I've needed to clear my head, be away from distractions, and just feel the wind's breeze. Every time I've frequented this bench I bring along a hummus, bell pepper, and avocado sandwich from Which-Wich as well as the most current book I'm reading. This past week while visiting friends in Fort Worth, I took advantage of visiting this bench again. It was one of the most calming afternoons I've had in a long time. The sun warmed my skin from the chill of the wind and the trickle of the water nearby was a soothing soundtrack. I rested on that bench for a few hours flipping page after page of my book losing all track of time. Every now and then I'd be startled by the rustle of leaves as a curious squirrel searched for his snack. But before looking back down to the book in my hands I reveled in that break to look around at my garden surroundings. I remembered being whisked away one afternoon in the month of September when I was treated to the most memorable scavenger hunt designed especially for me by my love. We ventured to the Rose Garden where a blanket, flowers, wine, and other delights were waiting for us. I could remember the feelings I had in those few hours and what that experience led to by the end of the night: saying "I love you" for the first time and committing ourselves to something incredible. Sitting on that bench I could look around me and see images of my past pass me by, and while it stung my heart knowing those times had ended, I was thankful I could be reminded of such a treasured moment. I plan on visiting that bench again in a few weeks when I venture back to Fort Worth for a weekend. That bench is my little piece of heaven.

the beginning ...

A few days ago I was waiting at a stoplight reflecting on life as usual when it dawned on me once again that I take the little things fore-granted. I focus on "me, myself, and I" way too much causing me to bypass all the beauty that exists around me. The little things that help each one of us seem to make it through one more day of hurt are just waiting for us to pay attention to them. Without asking for anything in return the little things offer themselves to us by providing that glimmer of hope and joy we need to take that next step and breathe that next breath. All we have to do is open our eyes. Open them wide enough to allow the most unexpected gifts entrance into our lives to shatter our pain and expand our hearts. So I've taken it upon myself to actively embrace the little things and celebrate them for touching me in ways I can't currently imagine. I'm not sure how often I'll write, but I'm excited to know that I now have a place to pour out words of admiration and appreciation for the little things.

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My driver side-view mirror is constantly a home for a spider or two. I'm not sure why but there often seems to be an intricate web forming from my windshield wipers to the mirror to my door handle. I'm not the biggest fan of spiders so I instinctively swat the web away each time it appears. Yet I wonder when I swat those webs away if I'm actually dismissing my own Charlotte.

I find it amazing how much a song can reflect everything you're feeling and/or wanting to say. When I stumble across one of those songs that speaks words straight from my own soul, I cling to it tightly and press the replay button until I fall asleep. Current song of my soul: "Fix You" by Coldplay

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What are the little things you've noticed lately?