Things I felt today.

1. Nostalgic

We rode on one of these:

My family ventured to The Waterpark Capitol of the World and did this one activity. Memories of childhood trips to The Wisconsin Dells flooded back. This ride has always been one of my favorites. We once filled up a whole one with our family alone. So many great memories made on a duck. 

2. Happy to be on vacation with my little family: 

We are helping make memories for this little guy. As he sleeps at the foot of my bed, I love that I get to take him on his first adventures and that it wears him out to have such experiences. 

3. Inspired by words:

I would love to post this on my classroom wall. Too bad our politically correct or too sensitive society wouldn't support it. Seriously, sucky people...well suck. 

We need to give our youth more opportunities to be productive and active. Our world is saturated with too much negativity in social media, and media in general. 

And seriously, buckle up. Or not. It's a great population control or as I like to say "survival of the fittest tool!"

Sums it up, no?

4. Surrounded by love. I was not only surrounded by some of my favorite people on the planet today, but also by people who love me for me. 

5. So glad I get to spend forever with these two:

Reuben's face is priceless. I married a man who makes me laugh. Every. Single. Day. That is a true gem. And we made a cute pack of endless energy and joy!!! We are blessed. 

We plan on enjoying every last minute of our time in Wisconsin. It will fly by but we have memories to make! 

Friday Fun

Pictures are worth a thousand words. I'm a good shot...

Tips Thursday: Writing Tips.

I am having bitter-sweet emotions as my writing class comes to a close today.  Bitter because it is over and I will miss the connections I've made with the people who are now my friends, and the excuse to be writing each and every day.  Sweet because I have become a better writer and a teacher and I also now have some time to go play with my family in Wisconsin.  Before all these wonderful memories become more fuzzy in my head, I wanted to write down a few tips for writing.

1.  Write.
Make time for it.  Play with words.  Get creative.  It doesn't matter what you write but it does matter that you are writing. Just start with what comes to mind and go with it.  Maybe while writing about something you didn't think was significant will bring many ideas to you.  I know that while I was writing about a specific writing prompt in my class, I would often get ideas for other things to write about.  When you exercise and use your writing brain, it starts to work that creativity muscle.

2.  Figure out how you write best.
I am the sort of person who writes with pen and paper for my first draft.  I just get ideas better to paper than just to my fingertips on the keys of the keyboard.  But that could be different for you.  You may be a solely typer kind of writer.  If you are a paper kind of writer like me, you need to find your preferred writing utensil.  For me it is a gel pen.  I thought it was the G2 by Pilot, but now it is these fabulous Korean fine-tip pens.  They rock.  Sometimes it is pencil though and that pencil better be very sharp.  The paper also matters.  I gather ideas in a tiny notebook that I can carry in my pocket, but I like bigger notebooks to write my drafts.  Fancy journals don't work as well as just plain old composition notebooks.  But again, you need to fine what you like.

3.  Don't be afraid to fail.
Sometimes I really didn't like the subject I was writing about, but I just went with the idea. Sometimes it was horrible and boring writing but sometimes it blossomed into something more.  I do know that it is important to write about something you are interested in.  So if it isn't working, move on.

4.  Be willing to be vulnerable.
It is really hard to share your writing at first, but having the ideas of others really can help your writing and the whole process of writing. I loved my writing group in my class and I really hope the three of us continue to read each other's writing and help each other to write better.  The more you share, the easier it is and the better your writing will get.

I think those are the most important things I have learned about my own writing process.  What kind of things would you write about?  What are your writing preferences?

Writing Wednesday

Here is my polished poem that I published for my class anthology:

Cemetery Contemplation 

by Alice Ficklin

I sit feet away from a baby girl

Who died about three months before I was born.

I wonder what she would have been like today.

            Would we have been friends?

I sit yards away from an open tomb

Expecting its occupant’s arrival today.

Whose partner has waited nearly thirty-three years

To meet his sweetheart again.

I wonder what that reunion would be like today.

            Would seeing their glorious reunion bring comfort to the broken hearts of those who lost Mom, sister, or grandma?

I scan the hundreds of faded, weathered and worn headstones

Each of them representing a person,

Each a person who was important to somebody.

I wonder if the memories of those lost begin to also fade with time.

            Will I one day be forgotten?

I see flowers and trinkets

On or near many of the markers

Only the most recently erected have such tokens

I wonder about those who surrender these momentos.

            Will their giving hearts ever be mended?

I realize that this sanctuary is for us; the living

Here we come to remember and to reflect.

This spot is not for them; the dead are not present.

I wonder if they ever look down on their own graves.

            Would they find our gatherings and rituals strange and unnecessary?

I notice walls surrounding this memorial

A separation allowing us to leave our world behind for a moment

A holy site giving solace from problems, worries and cares

I wonder if everybody feels this peace within the walls.

            Are these bricks enough of a separation for all?

I feel the stillness

As I contemplate my purpose here on this planet,

The fact that I too will one day die

Leaving this world and all my earthly possessions behind

I wonder what I’ll see as most important on that last day.

            Will I be scared?

I reflect on what is truly significant

The flowers and trinkets mean nothing to the dead

But the people who visit matter

I wonder who will visit my future grave.

            Will they know I loved them enough?

Top Ten Things I Have Learned from My Writing Class

Not sure all of you know, but I have been in a writing class the past few weeks.  It is called The Central Utah Writing Project Summer Institute.  It is aimed at teachers to become better writers themselves and to also help those teachers use writing more effectively in their classrooms.  I will be honest, I came to this class for very selfish reasons.  I am a writer(it is one of my big passions) and I wanted to get myself to be a better writer and in turn get closer to being a published writer.  Well, that is definitely happening, but I think that this class is making me more passionate about teaching and about getting my students to write better.  I think it is making me a better teacher.  Crazy!

I thought I would use today's Top Ten Tuesday to tell you all about what I have learned in this class.

Top Ten Things I have Learned in My Writing Class:

1.  I am a WRITER.  
I knew this before, but I really am becoming more confident in my writing and the passion for doing it has been ignited within me.  I used to be very afraid of sharing my writing, but now I am actually wanting to share it.

2.  I learn more about teaching from other teachers.
Teaching is an amazing profession.  It is a very hard profession, but it has the potential to change the world because we, as teachers, touch the future everyday though our students and what they can become. In class, we have had the opportunity to present a problem we have faced with writing in our classroom.  In each of those presentations, I have learned something about my own teaching and my classroom.  I thought I would leave with the answer to my big question about one of my writing assignments that I had presented in my demo less, but I have come away with so many more answers and ideas to use in my classroom.

3.  You can make friends at any time of your life.
Two weeks ago, these eighteen people were strangers, but now I consider all of them my friend. Lately, I have felt like I don't have a whole lot of friends that I hang out with and that may be true, but friendship is morphing as I get older and as I have different things going on in my life.  I need to realize that I need to reach out more and find ways to have more friends and have opportunities to interact with people.  People are awesome!

4.  We are writers.
If you speak, you are a writer.  Writing really is just talking to paper or to a computer screen.

5.  I am doing a good job at teaching.
We are all guilty of second guessing ourselves and I do this all the time as a teacher.  I feel like I am not good and that I am not teaching my students anything.  The truth is that I am doing a good job and need to get over my thoughts about my inadequacy.  I think one of the most important things about anything we do is that we are trying to get better and I am getting better year after year!

6.  Mr. Brewer was wrong.  Dead wrong(no pun intended)!
Mr. Brewer was my poetry teacher in college.  He ripped apart my poetry.  Those little red lines were like the blood of my heart flowing as he broke it.  I told myself that I sucked at writing and that I didn't have a knack for poetry.  That was wrong and I am rising above.  In fact, one of the pieces I am working on for this class is a poem.  Take that Mr. Brewer! (And seriously, I never was really mad at the man, he was only trying to help me be better.  He has my complete respect.  May he rest in peace!)

7. I need to write everyday.
In order to be a writer, you have to do it everyday.  That means I need to make time for it.  Just like I exercise my body(or need to more) I also need to exercise my writing muscles in order to become better at it!

8.  Writing is a BIG part of who I am.
Writing is passion to me.  It is a big part of who I am.  I am so glad this class ignited the fire inside me to be creative and working on getting better at writing.  I am so thankful for this!

9.  Revision is important and doesn't have to be punishment.
I think I have been afraid of revision in the past.  It really has felt like punishment to go back and re-read what I have written.  The best part about this is that when I do go back, I see that I have talent and there are always things to add and change to make my writing better.  GO!!! REVISION!!! GO!!!

10. I need to be a part of a writing community.  Networking is key.
I need to find ways to be around other writers on occasion.  It has been so helpful to have my little writing group in this class to help me with my writing.  They see things in my writing that I don't see.  They have suggestions that I would have never thought of.  I am definitely going to keep many of these people around to help me be motivated to write and to become a better writer.  I LOVE THIS!!!

So there you have it.  The past few weeks have been so big in my life.  Maybe you should think about what your passions are today.  What things makes you happy when you do them?  Think about it and then do it.  And do it everyday!  Do it multiple times a day!  This life is much too short to miss out on the things that make you truly happy.  I expect some comments about what you plan on doing today and what you love to do!  If you write it, it becomes reality!