Happy, Damn It.

"Happiness is not about what happens to you, but how you choose to respond to what happens. That's why it's called happiness not happenness."

Inspire.

Return.

Mary Jean Iron : Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.

Gracefully.

Creative.

Mike Ray : Make your life itself a creative work of art.

Love It.

Live.

I love this. It is totally my journal page, now!

{Pure} Miracles.

Ok, so I've made my first national magazine! What a grant feeling! An article has been published about me as a teacher. It is currently the September issue of Edutopia, a George Lucas Educational Foundation.

The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) was founded in 1991 as a nonprofit operating foundation to celebrate and encourage innovation in schools. Since that time, we have been documenting, disseminating, and advocating for exemplary programs in K-12 public schools to help these practices spread nationwide.

They publish the stories of innovative teaching and learning through a variety of media -- a magazine, e-newsletters, DVDs, books, and this Web site. They have detailed articles, in-depth case studies, research summaries, short documentary segments, expert interviews, and links to hundreds of relevant resources. You'll also be able to participate as a member of an online community of people actively working to reinvent schools for the twenty-first century.

To understand more about why they are passionate about their work, you need to see our Big Ideas for Better Schools and what our founder and chairman, George Lucas, has to say about education.

The Advantage of Disadvantage: Teachers with Disabilities Not a Handicap; Disabled teachers bring a unique perspective to the classroom. Want to read more about me, enjoy!

Inspire Me.

Be inspired

to reflect + to journal + to connect + to explore + to create

{Balance}.

[Balance]

Robert Fulgham: Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Learning Curve.

Wishing you unlimited creativity this week!

peace+joy

Bigger.

This has been the summer of adventures and surprises, (and emotional ups and downs). When I look back on it in the future I think I will see it as one of the biggest transitions I have ever had. Today I write almost bursting with energy, which has been lacking for the last few weeks, (soon you will understand why).

I am not one for keeping secrets. If I cannot share something then I would rather keep quiet. It feels dishonest somehow, especially with friends. So I am ready to share something with you now and let my body let go of the weight of holding back. I am ready to share myself with a special someone. Yes, it's true.

My life is about to change in a big way.

But I'm feeling so excited and ready for it in so many ways. The timing really couldn't be better; already my team of gal pals has jumped in to be my support network, how lucky I am to have them in my life. I already feel taken care of, while I take some time to enjoy the process and feel the changes.

I find myself fascinated and scared.

Kind of like everyday life really.

But bigger.

I {Heart} Happiness.

I love life and happiness is my state of mind.

A Little Easier.

Life art is about attitude—ideas that tend to make my life a little easier and richer and simply better. I repeat these messages to myself so often during the day: when I’m scrapping, when I’m picking up a kiddo off the floor, when I’m feeling run down or frustrated or just yuck. These are the tapes I want to be repeating over and over in my head.

These are messages for life and art:
• Go with the flow.
• Celebrate something every day.
• Cherish little stuff.
• Tell your story.
• Find your voice.
• Don’t make things more complicated than they need to be.
• Know that it’s going to be okay.

Simply Put.

art 1 |ärt| noun 1. The expression
or application of human creative
skill and imagination, typically
in a visual form such as painting
or sculpture, producing works to
be appreciated primarily for their
beauty or emotional power.

{ME}

Wit.
Wisdom.
Winning.
That's {ME}.
ALL {ME}.

Change is Good.

I am an artist
a designer
a photographer
a writer
a painter
a teacher
and a regular happy girl!

Observe.

Today
Anna Quindlen : ...but the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three on them sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4, and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in a hurry to get on to the next things: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.

Happy Tuesday.

Happy Tuesday (and happy September as well).
That's all...SMILES to you!

Be {ME}.

We all know those online dating profile questions...the ones where you pick from a preset list of choices. These questions are usually along the lines of marital status, height, body type, religion, income, job, etc. With a list to choose from, you'd think it would be pretty tough to mess it up, right? Wrong. I find that most of the people I meet from online dating fudge their information a little bit.

Take my profile, for example: I always try to be completely honest, because I want someone to like the real me, and I don't want anybody to have to deal with any little surprises later. That being said, I have a great body and a killer rack, in case you wondered ;) Okay, in all seriousness, the one area in which I'm not completely honest is that I use a wheelchair. I'm a "live and let live" kind of girl. So in the end, I just leave it blank. I mean, if you are my friend you know me and I am totally comfortable with using a wheelchair and I honestly do forget. That is who I am and I'm not about making someone believe that they are 'comfortable.' I love me!

Pick Of The Day.