Moving Forward

Today I had the privilege of spending the entire day with  Eric Sheninger.  He encouraged us to consider who will tell our story if we don’t. What will they say? That was an important and scary question for me to consider right now. I am gun shy as my major professor stated. My story is an amazing story and I have been blessed to meet and work with some amazing educators. This is my perspective from past experiences. I have seen kids make a very large impact in the world . I have been so blessed to identify my passions early on and to have had a creator put special opportunities in my path along with some amazing kids, teachers, and leaders. Assisting the community of Dublin, Texas with   Dr. Shaun Barnett and his wife Keri Barnett with a 1:1 K12 technology  initiative in 2010, I became a leader. I am grateful to both of them for their leadership.  I believe this was the  2nd 1:1 K12 initiative  in the state of Texas. Serving ...

Around thirty minutes ago I hit a milestone, the BIG 40 .  How do I feel? I feel stronger, tougher, wiser, and so grateful to the people who have come across my path at some point during the last 40 years. I have had to learn to LET go during the last year. This is the first year I will celebrate without my lifelong birthday partner, my beautiful grandmother, who celebrated two days after mine on July 4th. We always had a special birthday together and her faith in her higher power and spirit motivated so many. She always thought of others and I realize she modeled LOVE for me. When you are limited with the time available to your kids, you learn to value that time. All we really have is this moment, and to celebrate my birthday I am going to attempt to spend this month deliberately engaging in 40 acts of kindness and hope that you join me. I came across this video tonight as I pondered where I am in life at the age of 40.  Hmmm..... I am a child from the 90's, Class of ...

Do any of you have problems with setting boundaries? My brother introduced me to the book Boundaries last year as I was facing three large life changes in the course of a month. Through counseling, I identified last year that I lacked the ability to set boundaries and as a result was surrounded by individuals who took my contributions, intelligence, and love for granted. I remember during the Spring of 2014 being introduced to the concepts of boundaries by my counselor and brother and realized that I failed to set boundaries. I had a fear of being alone and was surrounded by toxic circumstances. I don't claim to be an expert in this field. I often fail at training people who "love me" to treat me appropriately.  Sometimes I still fail at this and settle sometimes. I realize that I have a hard time setting boundaries out of fear of abandonment. I have not lived in truth in decades. I am writing this to help me process everything and hope that my experiences help so...

t was the fall of 2011, and I was learning how to become a connected educator. Growing up in rural Texas I have always been labeled a free spirit, dreamer, global thinker who preferred to wear rose colored glasses. I am the 17 year old who proudly stated that I was going to become an educator in my local county newspaper because I truly believed that I could assist others to change the world. I developed a strong interest in debate early in high school, which introduced me to a variety of perspectives and forced me to consider other opinions. My parents instilled a strong Christian belief system towards helping others and I have always truly attempted to give all of myself towards special causes. I found myself in 2011 connecting with other passionate educators around the world eager to use technology as a communication vehicle to promote true change. I had seen such a transformation occurring in my small community of Dublin, Texas and skill sets acquired during a 1:1 iOS initi...

MMS: Five Years, Four Spacecraft, Thousands of Inspired Students | NASA

Today I am so grateful and humbled by the level of support from complete strangers. The energy guiding a series of unbelievable events surrounding me is nearly impossible to describe. How did I end up here? All of the pain and lessons learned have taught me to the true meaning of faith, perseverance, and I now recognize the power of positive energy and connectivity to others.  All humans and people have a voice and can have a profound impact. A spiritual energy and presence can be so powerful. Life is so beautiful and I can't believe that my future has so many turns. I never dreamed any of my current realities was remotely possible a year ago. The power of an idea, thought, and connectivity via technology can PROFOUNDLY change your course in life. It is great to know that we can all shine and it is our duty to shine in areas that are dark and stagnant. It is wonderful to know that we are supported by a higher power when doing so and that everything happens for a reason. I...

I have always prided myself as a positive and forward-thinking intellectual and at one point even branded myself as a "change agent". How does a "change-agent" manage failures and change in their own life?  This was my challenge in 2014. I looked up last fall to find myself facing divorce after a 17 year relationship, new challenges as a "single mom", huge career changes, relocation, new job, and finding time to complete goals associated with completing a PhD. I found myself questioning my beliefs, self-worth, choices, and ideologies. How does a FT working single mom manage everything? Should I continue pursing a degree? Why did my marriage fail? Was I wrong regarding my approaches to education? How do you pick up when the people you counted on are no longer in your life? Can you trust others? Is everyone out for themselves? How does it feel to be alone? Will my kids understand that I love them so much and it was all for them? I was separated for ...