One of the best things about being a teacher is WINTER BREAK...TWO full weeks off in the middle of the year...it's almost impossible to find words that explain how much this means to teachers. Winter break means you're half-way to summer...the only thing better than winter break is SUMMER BREAK. I was looking forward to THIS winter break more than I have any others, at least in the last few[...]

Snagged this from a friend on Facebook... 1. Are you named after someone? I went home from the hospital and "female Jones" but was named Tawnya after a character on General Hospital shortly after 2. When is the last time you cried? When I was talking to my Aunt Kamie on Facetime last Saturday...but only just a few tears 3. Do you like your handwriting? Only if I'm using a gel[...]

I'm excited to announce that my drawing, Slam Dunk, was accepted into a juried art show here in Colorado. Slam Dunk will be on display at the 51st Annual Own an Original Art Exhibition at the Littleton History Museum until January 8, 2017. The reference photo was taken by photographer Jamie Mink. Jamie took this photograph while on a humanitarian trip to Haiti. It was taken 6000 feet up in[...]

Evaluating My Progress and Staying on Track It has been A LONG TIME since I have posted a blog....like an entire month. Unacceptable I know... I feel terrible for neglecting you, truly I do, but there are several things that have gotten in the way of me staying current these last few weeks of the summer... I spent a ton of time working on finishing some big drawings and stocking up[...]

Last week I sat in court with my husband and listened to a judge deliver the final ruling in the murder case of my step-daughter. It was just over two-months ago that we sat in the same courtroom and listened to the her murderer plead guilty. At that time, I wrote  880 Days Until Justice Will Be Served? explaining some of the details and the conditions of his plea. It made sense[...]

Today is my birthday...it also happens to be Independence Day, the later of the two being MUCH more important although as a child I thought this day existed ONLY to celebrate me. I thought it appropriate to share a fantastic service I stumbled upon several weeks ago. You can find all kinds of extremely official, and customizable, forms at the Bureau of Communication . Whether you're filing a grievance, acknowledging a holiday[...]

Asanté and Korin...Taken Too Soon I've put off writing this post for over a month because I didn't know how I wanted to start. I still don't. I was hoping to find the perfect words. But rather than wait any longer, I decided to write, perfect words or not. I have mentioned in the past that I am a teacher at Smoky Hill High School. Several months before graduation, Smoky lost[...]

Goals of Summers Past At the beginning of summer I always have a list of goals I want to accomplish before the school year starts again the fall. Boring and predictable, the list usually looks something like this... Clean my car Plant flowers Spray weeds Make a doctor appointment Read Meet with friends Draw Organize my closets and drawers Take naps Clean the garage and have a yard sale Organize[...]

I could browse Pinterest for hours, pinning quote after quote, reposting on social media, sharing with friends and family, words of wisdom and motivational pictures. This post is a short list, in no particular order, of some of my favorite quotes. I'm also including my thoughts and how I interpret or make meaning of each one. I wonder how many people I’ve looked at all my life and never seen.--John Steinbeck[...]

I recently came across a poem I saved many years ago titled "Surviving Cancer" and thought it worthy of being shared.  The poem was written by Jill Warren and was included in a book my mom gave me, Chicken Soup for the Surviving Soul.  I used this poem when I was in college and had to give a presentation in a communications class. I thought it was a perfect way to summarize[...]

This year marks my 25 year high school reunion. For some reason, I have thought more about my high school experience this year than I have in previous years.  I appreciate how the choices I've made throughout my life have shaped me into the person I am today but as I think about the person I was in high school, I realize there are somethings I could have done differently. I didn't[...]

Good Grades Aren't Everything My 10th year of teaching is coming to a close and the 2015-2016 school year is almost over. This is an exciting time of year, especially the for seniors. The door to childhood closes as they graduate and we let them loose into the world as adults. There is a lot of celebrating and congratulating. AND, we're all very happy to see summer arrive. And there is a lot to[...]