Booster-shot of Encouragement

After getting past my first two weeks confidence crisis, I dug in and found my niche at University. I found myself dealing with some of the worse case scenarios these past two weeks. The first was having my in-class, hand-written, and timed essay read aloud and graded in front of the whole class. Let me first say that I truly dislike writing in class. I prefer writing at home and on the computer. However, having my paper read and analyzed by the professor and by my classmates wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I was even surprised by a couple of positive student comments. They said they would be happy with the B I received. Fortunately, the professor doesn’t record this grade. We have until the end of the semester to rewrite the paper for a better grade.

The next event took place in my Education course. Last week we walked into class and had to sign up in groups of four. This impromptu assignment required each group to create a lesson in 30 minutes. The lesson had to include visual, auditory, and kinesthetic aides. Each member of the group had to participate and we had 8 minutes to present the lesson to the class. My group came together quickly when I signed up without hesitation for the Era of Education. One student even said she wanted to be in my group because she liked me and thought I was smart. The other two agreed and I was voted as the leader for our group. I don’t normally like group projects because someone always seems to be a dead weight and I, being the way I am about everything, end up doing that person’s work as well as my own. This situation wasn’t the case for my group. I discovered just how far I have come with delegating work and cracking a whip. Our group finished creating our history lesson by using every letter in the alphabet with a two-stanza rhyme that covered education during the Colonial Period. We had so much fun creating the lesson and the result of our corroboration set the precedent for the rest of the class. This experience gave me another example of how far I have come and grown in the area of confidence.

Topping off both events ended with this morning’s Leadership Conference at the community college I attended for my first two years. I submitted a paper titled, “Conforming to Individuality.” On Thursday of this week, the moderator notified me to let me know my paper was one of the top two winners. Mike and my brother went with me this morning to participate in the conference until I received the recognition and cash award. I did not think I would receive first place, my goal was to have my paper published. However, I did receive first place and it feels great to be acknowledged for my ability to write. I mention this about writing, because this is the initial reason that triggered my confidence crises a few weeks ago.

The lessons learned from all of these examples: Stand fast and don’t be moved, surround yourself with supporters who can offer encouragement when you need it the most, and believe in yourself especially when you are being tested.

Glamour Girl

Justin and Michelle asked if I would give Kayleigh her first real haircut, not just her bi-monthly bang trimming. I hesitated to cut her hair for fear that it would cut off her naturally wavy loose curls. After bathing her Friday night, I sat her on the counter in front of the big mirror to comb her hair and see what needed trimming. Justin thinks her hair looked like a mullet, but I couldn’t see what he was basing that on. I used a clip to hold the back of her hair before trimming her bangs. I decided to give her more bangs to help keep them out of her face when her hair isn’t pulled into pony-tails. Trimming bangs is routine and Kayleigh sat still as usual. However, as I combed the back of her hair and made the first cut, Kayleigh reacted with, “Ow.” I tried to explain, to a two year old, that cutting hair doesn’t hurt. She seemed unconvinced every time I made another cut. I finished the hair cut with a blow-dry, and added a few curling iron touch-ups. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she smiled and hugged herself as she proclaimed, “Kayleigh’s a princess.” Yes, Kayleigh is a little princess and she's all for allowing photo-opts.

Here she is after her “make-over” as she relaxes on the window seat in the study. Abba is at the other end as Kayleigh is reading to him about "Old McDonald." The pursed lips are the results of getting to the part about a cow, "with a moo-moo here and a moo-moo there."

Our Friday evening and Saturday's are so much fun. Mike and I love spending time contributing to the lives of our grandchildren.