Working...
Yesterday was a whirlwind of activity...we thought we'd drop by State College and try and see Barrack Obama but when we got there we were late. Apparently, the whole of PA was there and we could not find a single parking spot! With two little kids, walking would be way too much for them (we're talking having to walk 10 miles or so). We opted to just relax and spend the day together (which we already were doing).
On the way up to State College, the sky was blue and though it was still cold, it was warm in the car. We got to see horses, cows, and sheep. There was a sweet little farm with sheep’s baaing and newborns frisking about. Beautiful! Makes me wish I had a little farm of my own...maybe, some day. I know it's a lot of work and can be brutal but I'd do it primarily as an artists inspirational farm (protected animals, trying out environmentally sound ideas, etc).
As it was, we ended up going to a Vietnamese restaurant...I got my soup and the kids had fun watching the fish in the big aquarium. Then, we went to get some supplies for the art classes I'm teaching this week and we stopped at a pet store. There was a good price for a raincoat for Mr. Nelson ($10!) and I could not resist it. I always feel so bad he gets soaked...I probably should have made him one but this seemed like the more practical thing to do (I have a long list of to-do's...).
Anyway, things are moving along for my being the new director for the Children's Museum. I have to wait for some approvals, still but on the whole, it looks good. There's a few things I need to do once things get ironed out...one is get some business cards made, aggressively plow through grants and reach out to every school in the area. I want to see this succeed and grow.
When I lived in California, we moved around a lot. I've mentioned this before...about how we lost our home for various reasons. But one thing this made me very aware of was the need for stability in kids lives and activities they will feel value from as well as expand their thinking. My goal, before moving to Altoona, was to reach out to kids (I was planning to teach HS) and create a change with more aid, activities and a feeling of community. Oddly, this position I'm going to start seems to have all of this combined...only with more of a leadership role. I still can't believe it sometimes that I'm going to be doing this as it's very much what I have always wanted to do (and was doing on a small level from home).
When I was in high school, my school had very few programs and was so depressed economically, I didn't even think about going to college. Thankfully, a group of my friends encouraged me to go to Pasadena City College and enroll. I did this for a few years and it spurred a desire to want to do more and be more. When I was given a small scholarship to start going to a four year college, I jumped at it. I worked through out all of this, got some grants to help pave the way and finally made it to my 4 year degree in Fine Arts. It might not sound like much, but when you've worked for your schooling, gone in debt for it and worked hard to get your degree, you know you've truly earned it. I feel like I could have done it sooner but a lot of reasons (things I wasn't even conscious about) kept me from that. It doesn't matter now because I've learned from those experiences.
It's all good, as the saying goes. We all have different experiences and if we can learn from them, fine tuning ourselves into better people, this is what matters.
This week I'm starting art lessons at the Quaint Corner Children's Museum as well as hosting my daughter's birthday party. Lots of stuff happening but it's all well and good. Oh, I just remembered I have to pick up some art from the library and then, drop off a painting for the BCAF show. Hmmm...things to do. Deep breaths...
First things first, got to mail out some paintings that were sold. So, I'm off to do some morning chores...
On the way up to State College, the sky was blue and though it was still cold, it was warm in the car. We got to see horses, cows, and sheep. There was a sweet little farm with sheep’s baaing and newborns frisking about. Beautiful! Makes me wish I had a little farm of my own...maybe, some day. I know it's a lot of work and can be brutal but I'd do it primarily as an artists inspirational farm (protected animals, trying out environmentally sound ideas, etc).
As it was, we ended up going to a Vietnamese restaurant...I got my soup and the kids had fun watching the fish in the big aquarium. Then, we went to get some supplies for the art classes I'm teaching this week and we stopped at a pet store. There was a good price for a raincoat for Mr. Nelson ($10!) and I could not resist it. I always feel so bad he gets soaked...I probably should have made him one but this seemed like the more practical thing to do (I have a long list of to-do's...).
Anyway, things are moving along for my being the new director for the Children's Museum. I have to wait for some approvals, still but on the whole, it looks good. There's a few things I need to do once things get ironed out...one is get some business cards made, aggressively plow through grants and reach out to every school in the area. I want to see this succeed and grow.
When I lived in California, we moved around a lot. I've mentioned this before...about how we lost our home for various reasons. But one thing this made me very aware of was the need for stability in kids lives and activities they will feel value from as well as expand their thinking. My goal, before moving to Altoona, was to reach out to kids (I was planning to teach HS) and create a change with more aid, activities and a feeling of community. Oddly, this position I'm going to start seems to have all of this combined...only with more of a leadership role. I still can't believe it sometimes that I'm going to be doing this as it's very much what I have always wanted to do (and was doing on a small level from home).
When I was in high school, my school had very few programs and was so depressed economically, I didn't even think about going to college. Thankfully, a group of my friends encouraged me to go to Pasadena City College and enroll. I did this for a few years and it spurred a desire to want to do more and be more. When I was given a small scholarship to start going to a four year college, I jumped at it. I worked through out all of this, got some grants to help pave the way and finally made it to my 4 year degree in Fine Arts. It might not sound like much, but when you've worked for your schooling, gone in debt for it and worked hard to get your degree, you know you've truly earned it. I feel like I could have done it sooner but a lot of reasons (things I wasn't even conscious about) kept me from that. It doesn't matter now because I've learned from those experiences.
It's all good, as the saying goes. We all have different experiences and if we can learn from them, fine tuning ourselves into better people, this is what matters.
This week I'm starting art lessons at the Quaint Corner Children's Museum as well as hosting my daughter's birthday party. Lots of stuff happening but it's all well and good. Oh, I just remembered I have to pick up some art from the library and then, drop off a painting for the BCAF show. Hmmm...things to do. Deep breaths...
First things first, got to mail out some paintings that were sold. So, I'm off to do some morning chores...
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