School's Back in Session

Hello out there! Apparently I went on an unplanned summer blog hiatus, as my last post was over two months ago. Like I'm guessing you had, I have had a very busy summer. Here's a bit of what I have been up to:

-It feels like every weekend had a birthday, party, or holiday, and I was finally able to visit my sister at her work in Disneyland. She is having a blast working in the happiest place on earth, and it wasn't too bad getting to spend a day in the park with her, either. My autumn weekends look like they will be just as busy, too. Good thing I have the work week to recover.

-I have been doing a lot of cooking lately (um, like always, actually). I have decided that I will be keeping a food diary of what I'm cooking with notes about what that food or recipe means to me. I will be sharing family memories, the special occasions at which we have this food, and anyone I cook with. This will be off the Internet, but I am thinking I will occasionally share the recipes as well as the notes here on the blog. Would you be interested in that?

-I have been taking some classes, including learning more about my faith at church, and I am about to start learning American Sign Language and taking another Bible study (super excited about both of these). And, this week Stephen and I finish up our introductory fencing lessons. That's right, fencing. Like with swords. I will have a larger post about what we have learned, and a bit of fencing humor for you guys in the next couple weeks, but I will tell you that it is just as fun as you expect it to be, and I highly recommend you make a "point" (eh? EH?) to try it for yourself! If you are in the Fresno-area, we went here, and recommend it very highly!

I plan to blog a bit more than I have been. I know you've heard this promise before, but I am ready (and really wanting to) get back into my writing routine. I miss writing and I miss the awesome feedback I get from anyone who reads about my crazy life.

See you very soon!

Wednesday Latest

So here's what's up with me lately:

I am currently researching some new career options. I am not yet going to elaborate on them on the blog, other than to say they seem like they use a lot of my writing and researching skills, and fit with my lifestyle. I will say that when I am comfortable and confident enough that they are the right fit for me that I will share more. Until then, you can pretend I'm doing something crazy, like underwater sea urchin hunting, synchronized sky diving. Whatever blows your skirt up.

With my increased amount of free time, I have been able to catch up more with friends and acquaintances. This is something I didn't make as much time for as I should have while I was working, and I hope I can continue to maintain this reconnecting after I figure the career stuff out.

Also while I figure out career stuff, I am embracing the holiday spirit by baking pretty much everything in my repertoire, and then some. Do you have a holiday party coming up? Want to give some yummy gifts out to friends? Need some sweetness in your life (like as a hidden midnight snack)? Give me a call or shoot me an e-mail and maybe I can make something for your holiday that will brighten your spirits and fill your tummy. Win-win.

I appreciate your patience as I figure out my life alongside figuring out when the heck I will get my blog to the spot that I want it.* I truly want to dedicate more time to the blog, both because I enjoy it and because it deserves more attention. I so appreciate when people tell me that they enjoy reading my blog, or let me know that they miss it when I don't post something new. It means more than you could know to hear that encouragement.

New things coming my way from all angles. I want to know: what is new with you? Are you going through any big career, education or life transitions?



*Art imitating life?

Adjusting My Gratitude

"Thank you."

It's a phrase that's becoming increasingly rare, both given and received.

I had planned for this post to talk about writing up thank you notes for the wedding gifts and cards that our family and friends had given us. I planned to complain about having to make plans to write up the notes, since making time for something like this seemed so stressful with the million other things I had to do. I planned to express my worry about not getting them out earlier. I planned to go a whole different direction with this post.

But then, I read something that changed my attitude.

I read one of Meredith's notes. Meredith, who is the writer we all aspire to be, wrote about her feelings on thank you notes in a recent Facebook Note (but because I didn't seek writer permission, I am not linking to it). But if you take my word for it, she brings up a pretty interesting point in a very amusing way.

In all, it made me think about gratitude in general, and how as a person I need to express a more grateful attitude. It certainly won't always need to be expressed by my sending a little note to others, but I think I need to make a better effort to express how truly thankful, and truly blessed, I am.

So, I'd like to say this: I apologize for the super lameness in not getting thank you notes out sooner. If you have given us anything, including a gift or card for our wedding, thank you. Please know that we appreciate everything that you have given to us. Really.

I hope to express it better from now on.

Convince Me, Lady

Yesterday I played teacher. I, of all of the people currently residing in the "real-world," was asked to speak in a summer school junior English class to actual students.

I was never one of those kids who, when considering what they wanted to do when they grew up, said, "I want to stay in school forever!" Teaching is a way-difficult profession, certainly not for the faint-of-heart. Kids that are not yours to parent and discipline are a whole different adventure. You have to have patience for the young kids, but a quick wit to defend against the older kids--all while teaching them! I haven't discovered any radioactive goop to give me all of those super powers yet, so I think I am going to leave the day-to-day teaching to the professionals.

Anyway, I was asked to speak at Selma High School* about persuasive essays and writing. I am certainly familiar with this writing style. I use persuasion daily in my job, and occasionally when I have to convince my husband that I need a new top. Us Americans are getting more dependent on reading 140-character snippets of information to tell us "all we need to know." Succinct, persuasive writing is a necessary skill.

I tried to relate my job to what these kids were about to attempt. Grant applications are real, grown-up essay prompts that say, "We might want to give you money; prove that you are worthy." Grants are persuasive essays, attempts to convince the reader that the client deserves every last cent the funder is willing to offer. No grades in this class, only success or failure.

However, to keep from imploding because of how daunting that sounds, you implement the writing strategies you learned in school. Writing things like grants and press releases at work is simplified because I follow a proven formula. Instead of being tempted to be uber-creative, deeply out-of-the-box, or "wow" people with my diction, they actually understand what I am trying to say. And, when you are dealing with potentially getting a client millions of dollars, clarity beats fanciness every time.

While I didn't get totally "addicted to teaching,"** like a few people suspected I might, I did thoroughly enjoy my opportunity to present. It was a lot of fun to share the real-world application of what these kids are learning. I wish there had been more of that for me when I was in school.


* Thanks, Amy! I had a great time, and look forward to hearing how the essays turned out!

** "Sorry" about all the "quotes" "today."