For those of us in education, New Year's is really the start of the school year. Seriously! If someone asks how long I have been in the area or at my current institution of higher education, I usually answer with the number of school years.
This also means that I usually set new resolutions and goals that begin in the middle of August. Maybe it takes some of the pressure off, but I can usually stick to them pretty well. With the end of the summer and a return to my "off-season activity," as the camp boss likes to call it, the timing is great. At "regular" New Year's, I usually revamp for the start of the second semester.
I've decided to post a few of my goals/to dos for each month as a way to give myself more accountability and perhaps remind myself to blog a little more frequently.
On the list for January 2012...
1. One Culinary Adventure: Making homemade pasta. On Saturday, two of my friends and I will be making ravioli from scratch. I've always wanted to do this, and you can be sure that I will blog about it (or link to my friend the professional photographer's blog...let's be honest.)
2. Organize my spice shelf. Must avoid the almost disaster from last week when I grabbed the cumin, not the cinnamon, for my oatmeal.
3. Get my living room mirror hung. I've owned it for nearly two years.
4. Turn my hangers around to see what I actually wear. I am reorganizing my closet by type and season. I am not a clothes-horse by any means. My friends can attest to this. Even so, I have really focused on trying to make sure my wardrobe is versatile and well-fitting. It makes it so much easier to get dressed and feel good!
5. Write 5 blog entries. It's the 9th so I need to get cracking.
6. Get rid of the give-away items piled near my door. I always picture my apartment getting lighter when I give stuff away.
7. One Crafty Adventure: Still working on just what it will be...
Let's see how it all goes!
Showing posts with label Random Me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Random Me. Show all posts
Monday, January 9, 2012
Thursday, December 22, 2011
College Men Will Talk Values!
There are definitely moments when I stop, look around, and think, "How in the world is the awesome experience part of my life?" Earlier this month, I had such a moment while facilitating an officer transition for six fraternity men.
I advise a fraternity chapter at the higher education institution where I work. I used to work with the men below the required GPA. This fall, I decided to move into a different role and was asked to organize and facilitate a leadership retreat.
It was an amazing 24 hours! The men were so enthusiastic, and we covered teambuilding, leadership, goal setting for individual offices and the board as a whole, mission creation, etc. Talking about values with college men is pretty amazing.
We sat around the campfire talking about our fraternal experiences, challenges, and successes and eating marshmallows. Yes, that is right! I spent almost three hours on a Saturday night talking with college men about how they have grown and changed in college.
As I sat there listening, I could not help but think how random my career has been. No one enters college planning a career in higher education. It something that we all fall into due to our involvement on campus and mentoring from amazing advisors. As an introverted, science major, I could never have imagined that I would talk with students about study skills, goals, career planning, respect for self and others, and smart decision-making in and out of the classroom. How I ever learned to do this is still a bit of a mystery!
I advise a fraternity chapter at the higher education institution where I work. I used to work with the men below the required GPA. This fall, I decided to move into a different role and was asked to organize and facilitate a leadership retreat.
It was an amazing 24 hours! The men were so enthusiastic, and we covered teambuilding, leadership, goal setting for individual offices and the board as a whole, mission creation, etc. Talking about values with college men is pretty amazing.
What do they want to gain from this experience?
A little game that sneakily leads to a discussion on values.
Incoming and Outgoing Officers
The outgoing officers joined in for the fun...reviewing responsibilities, discuss successes and challenges of the last year, and a little flag football. I really appreciate their positive attitude about giving up about 7 hours of a Saturday. They had some great conversations with the new officers.
Me with the incoming board. I only look their height because Ms. GreenKeen is standing on a rock!
We sat around the campfire talking about our fraternal experiences, challenges, and successes and eating marshmallows. Yes, that is right! I spent almost three hours on a Saturday night talking with college men about how they have grown and changed in college.
As I sat there listening, I could not help but think how random my career has been. No one enters college planning a career in higher education. It something that we all fall into due to our involvement on campus and mentoring from amazing advisors. As an introverted, science major, I could never have imagined that I would talk with students about study skills, goals, career planning, respect for self and others, and smart decision-making in and out of the classroom. How I ever learned to do this is still a bit of a mystery!
Big thanks to my co-facilitator from the fraternity's traveling staff!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Hello to New Readers!
I know I have a few new readers to blog so I thought I would add a little better intro. Here we go...
1. I'm 30, and I think it is an awesome number. It has been a really great year thus far. I hope it keeps going. Picture to come of my awesome birthday brunch! I just can't remember where my friends' pictures are posted online.
2. I'm pretty crunchy. Honestly, I'm really crunchy. I recycle like it is my job, carry my own bags and use them, and avoid power vampires all of the time. Yes, my family and friends know that if I am not using my microwave or lights, they are unplugged. My farmers are my friends, and I love buying local. I try to live a smaller footprint.
3. I love to cook, and you could probably consider me a foodie. Best gift from my mom...teaching my brothers and I how to cook. I inherited her crazy cookbook collection, and I read them for fun. Just to get ideas! My love of cooking has definitely connected with my love of all things local and sustainable. I gave up store bought bread this fall and cook nearly all of my meals. I am even known at work for bringing my own lunch almost all of the time. A little sample of my craziness from this past weekend:
In this picture, you will see the following homemade items: 1) loaf of wheat bread, 2) hummus made with reconstituted chickpeas, 3) lentils from dry that are ready for soup, 4) lentil cooking water to use as soup broth, 5) flour waiting to be turned into pumpkin lavender bread, 6) leftover from-scratch pie from Thanksgivings, and 7) tin of cookies from my friend Julia's Cookie Day.
It is not always this crazy, but pretty close.
5. I live in two places each year: 1) NC during the school year and 2) the Best Place Ever (aka my summer camp in a different state.) Sometimes, I laugh when I really think about this, but I love my crazy life in two places. Add in the Great Lakes tour while growing up, undergrad, work, and grad school...I'm a girl on the move. It has given me so many opportunities to see different parts of the country and build amazing relationships with friends all over. I feel so blessed and lucky!
I think this is it for today, and I should probably get back to work!
1. I'm 30, and I think it is an awesome number. It has been a really great year thus far. I hope it keeps going. Picture to come of my awesome birthday brunch! I just can't remember where my friends' pictures are posted online.
2. I'm pretty crunchy. Honestly, I'm really crunchy. I recycle like it is my job, carry my own bags and use them, and avoid power vampires all of the time. Yes, my family and friends know that if I am not using my microwave or lights, they are unplugged. My farmers are my friends, and I love buying local. I try to live a smaller footprint.
3. I love to cook, and you could probably consider me a foodie. Best gift from my mom...teaching my brothers and I how to cook. I inherited her crazy cookbook collection, and I read them for fun. Just to get ideas! My love of cooking has definitely connected with my love of all things local and sustainable. I gave up store bought bread this fall and cook nearly all of my meals. I am even known at work for bringing my own lunch almost all of the time. A little sample of my craziness from this past weekend:
It is not always this crazy, but pretty close.
5. I live in two places each year: 1) NC during the school year and 2) the Best Place Ever (aka my summer camp in a different state.) Sometimes, I laugh when I really think about this, but I love my crazy life in two places. Add in the Great Lakes tour while growing up, undergrad, work, and grad school...I'm a girl on the move. It has given me so many opportunities to see different parts of the country and build amazing relationships with friends all over. I feel so blessed and lucky!
I think this is it for today, and I should probably get back to work!
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