Two months down in 2014 -behind in posting

Adriana is getting married in June. Many plans are underway. She will be leaving Virginia most likely and starting a new married life in a larger city where they both can find jobs, possibly Portland.

I wish them luck and happiness. A new adventure is exciting and scary at the same time. So many changes in our family.

Danielle is working in Erbil, Iraq and enjoying it. I was nervous at first but she gets in touch more often, which was a mom request, and the city is educated and full of expats. She is on a 6-3 rotation so was able to come for Christmas and will be in town for the wedding of course.

Spring Break March 2013 Mom and Dad

This year I have been lucky enough to spend more time with my parents. During spring break I met them in Hendersonville, North Carolina. It brought back many memories of spending summers there with my paternal grandparents. I was also around a bit this summer and fall in Florida. As we all age and our lives change these times become more precious. There are still so many stories to listen to so that memories can be shared with future  generations. My parents have been a rock of Gibraltar in my life and I cannot express enough gratitude for their continued support.

May - 1/2 Marathon Provo City Run 13.1

On a cold winter's day as I was sitting inside freezing feeling like a slug on the couch, I toyed with the idea of running a half marathon. No - I am not and never have been a runner. I sprinted (50 yd dash) in middle school. I abhorred running then walking to complete one lap around the track. In college, as I died run-walking the required mile, my PE teacher said I did not breathe correctly. End of conversation. What does that mean exactly? But my lovely daughter,, Adriana ran a full marathon a while back with no running experience and I wanted to step far out of my exercise comfort zone. I hike 6 to 10 fair weather miles often enough, so what are my limitations? Hmm. I had practiced running a little the previous spring in anticipation of a school fundraising run which never occurred, so I could painfully do a slow pace for about 3 to 6 miles. So as the day warmed up to a mere 20 degrees, my mandatory temperature for hanging around outside and the sun was full,     I put on my hiking shoes, ten layers of stuff, ear coverings, grabbed a water and started training on a snow packed road. Living in a hilly town my goal was to train on hilly terrain as much as possible. I spent time researching a possible race, looking for a lower elevation with almost no uphill parts, and signed up for the May Provo Utah Run 13.1, all down hill through a beautiful mountain valley along a river, with a city finish. In April, I was doing 8 to 10 mile runs twice a week. I still can't believe I finished or actually started. The race was awesome. I was so nervous the night before and contemplating why, but as I was trying to go to sleep at 7 pm since we had to be at the bus at 4 am, a knock at my hotel door brought me flowers and note of congratulations from Adriana on a finish. Wow. I had but one goal, finish it before they opened the road. No time mattered, just getting that medal.  I got in a rhythm of run one mile and walk for 15 to 30 seconds to change up the muscle use. I had fast start music to set a pace, then settled into a hilarious Dave Barry book on audio, (I was actually laughing as I was panting). Low and behold, I finished before even finishing Dave Barry. Probably a record time for me, 2:32, but I had never run all flat or downhill. All my friends say, ¨so now are you addicted? when will you run your next one?¨ Hmm - 6 months later I am still of the mindset "one and done". Definitely messed with my feet a little. I might stick to 5 or 10k for the right cause. But how cool that I can even do that. But I felt so incredibly healthy.

Personal Project Class for International Baccalaureate Winter 2013

Last winter, I became involved in co-piloting a personal project class for International Baccalaureate. The pilot class consisted of seniors who had previously been unsuccessful in completing this project and were deemed to miss graduation because of it. You might think, hey, you've been a teacher, no big deal. Well, for me, yes. I have a talent for working with serious students, those working ahead of the curve, you know the type. I talk fast and have high expectations. I work best with students who are self motivated and self disciplined. I just can't understand why one would not try. Needless to say this was not the M.O. of this class. To my surprise about 1/3 of the kids failed again. What I discovered about myself, as I worked with one student in particular, is that I can adapt my teaching skills to varied levels, I can and do have patience when a student needs it, I can slow down my pace and be a caring, supportive mentor to a struggling student. I also discovered that I can be inspired by a student especially one that is overcoming difficult obstacles in their desire to complete an education. It was a challenging and rewarding experience.

My 55 birthday September 2012

"55 and still alive."

Last year when friends were saying Happy Birthday, this was my response. And it was truly in appreciation for my life. Shortly thereafter I thought I should make my actions reflect my thoughts and words. I also believe you can't get too comfy with things or take things for granted. So my goal was to "do things that are out of my comfort zone" and try things I have not deemed possible for me. This past year I have lived up to that goal to the best of my ability. It has been so rewarding, I believe this will be an ongoing goal. As you read my yearly update, you will no doubt recognize some events that raised my personal bar.

Summer 2013 Indonesia, Florida, North Carolina - forgot to publish

Late spring - at the last minute Danielle said the magic words. ¨I need your help.¨ Can you come to Indonesia again this summer? I jumped at the chance.  After school was out, I flew alone into Singapore. Singapore was spectacular. It is a very metropolitan city - clean, beautiful, interesting and most people speak English. The mass transit is easy to understand. I toured the city and when Danielle arrived we went to some amazing gardens, then onward to Bali. I love using Bali as a stopover before Lombok as it has become very familiar to me. We ferried with her truck full of supplies to Lombok and her place looked wonderful and comfortable especially compared to last year's primitiveness. Running water, hot water, sinks, toilets, kitchen, terrazzo floors, window and doors. (Scorpion - just 1 big black one) Starry nights and a bed - wonderful each night after a long and hard day’s work. This summer we focused on landscaping, more plumbing, interior and finish work, specialty tile work, and a long punch list of small things. We shopped for furniture, fabrics, dishes, etc. 

We finished our summer work by taking a crazy trek up Mt. Rinjani 12500 feet. 31 hours of hard hiking in 60 hours of time. Two nights in a tent with a leaky pad, rats, monkeys, hot springs, high winds, rain, sun, fog, heat, cold, good food and exhaustion. It was a great finish to another summer adventure. Danielle has made this trek many times. I am not sure I would do it again. We finished our Indonesian travels with a one day luxury catamaran sailing to a private Island cove for fun water activities. 30 hours back to our first world country. Danielle was able to attend a wedding in Portland and met me in Florida for a few days to see all the family. Danielle and I drove to Hendersonville and spent a couple of days decorating Dad’s place. 
Adriana and Phil (Adriana is engaged as of May 29, 2013) came down and we went river tubing, hiking, and ziplining. So much fun. Adriana will be married in June of 2014. Plans are underway.

IB trip cultural sharing

We (Olivia and I ) are working on a fantastic opportunity for colleagues to enter a cultural exchange on the island of Lombok. We are on such a short time frame for planning in this simulated format. We have found an organization the CDC in Sembalun and they have blogged some of their needs for volunteer community engagement. Our teachers whether well traveled or not would experience the needs of a local international community. The village people do not speak any English, home stays would be arranged, and the food is very different. Our teachers would be out of their western comfort zone and this experience would help them in the classroom, especially with our transient Hispanic population. The understanding gained would enhance their teaching abilities. The learning for members of both cultures is enhanced by the comfort zone being left behind. Our teachers would have to exhibit some risk taking skills, perhaps making them more adaptable when school or district changes are places upon them.
Having traveled to this area, I feel pretty comfortable designing the logistics. Our team of volunteers would brainstorm and create the travel route and any extensions. We already have some contacts and connections at the CDC in Sembalun.
The AOI met is community and service which is a personal passion of mine. I enjoy promoting service among friends, adults and students. The limits of the group activities are only what we place upon ourselves. Team building strategies and ample planning and preparation will enhance our experience. Monthly meetings to discuss concerns, do some basic language phrase learning, and building excitement for the trip are a necessity. Our end product is to design this adventure. But our real end result is a valuable cultural exchange by reaching outside of our world to provide something for others.