tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76664736943354488582024-02-20T22:02:49.541-08:00Perpetual SummerErin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-31305280011899703082016-01-10T00:21:00.001-08:002016-01-10T00:21:41.696-08:00One big postI am trying to catch up before the next birthday list is to start. Instead of one small post for each of the following, I'm going to lump them together. This is what happens when I don't keep up with things. So I obviously didn't complete the "update the blog every month" goal.<br />
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Goal: Arctic circle<br />
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When H came to visit over Thanksgiving, we took a bus tour of the Arctic circle. It was a 19 hour bus ride, but totally worth it.<br />
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Goal: Bible study group<br />
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I'm going to count this one covered by the Life group meeting every Monday at the Covenant church. The whole point of this goal was to get to know more people in the church, as well as to grow spiritually, and that was duly accomplished.<br />
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Goal:Sunday school for at least one month<br />
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I am so glad this was on my list. My church offers a few classes on Sunday before the whole service. I went for a one month goal and have been attending ever since.<br />
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Goal: Women's group<br />
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Thursday nights are my favorite.<br />
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Goal: Finish two online classes<br />
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While sitting on my parent's couch watching all of "Parks and Rec."<br />
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Goal: Move up on the pay scale<br />
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I needed two more credit classes to be able to move up on the pay scale, so the goal above really was doubly helpful.<br />
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Goal: If:Equip bible study<br />
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After the If:Event, I looked into the bible studies that this site offers. I've completed a few ever since. You can go to the site everyday, or get the reminder sent to your email Monday-Friday. I like the format. There is a bible passage to read, a short clip of two women discussing the passage, an open ended question to consider, and a comment board to answer the question and respond to others.<br />
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Goal: Read the news everyday for a month<br />
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A friend told me about theskimm.com when I was discussing my birthday list. The Skimm sends you an email Monday-Friday. It summarizes the big events in the news that day, along with links to news sites to read more, and sometimes background stories to understand the context. I also checked the ADN daily during this month.<br />
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Goal: Underwater camera<br />
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I got it in time for Mexico snorkeling. I had been inspired by H's camera while we were traveling Australia.<br />
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Goal: Netflix<br />
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The goal was to work my way through some more classics and documentaries. While I did complete the goal of signing up for Netflix again, it didn't go well. I don't go to the post office often enough, and movies sit unwatched for weeks. After a few months, I deleted my account.<br />
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Goal:Overnight camp with the dog<br />
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Completed on my hike in Minnesota this summer. Yakko is a great hiker. Terrible camper. He could not calm down, even at night. He was on super alert mode. I was so glad for A's offer to take him for the rest of my trip, because after 3 nights camping with him, I was done.<br />
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Goal: 30 box for Kelly<br />
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My good friend A picked this up from a friend of hers, and I've adopted it for my sister's big 3-0. I collected 30 items that I thought she would like, enjoy, or need. I wrapped them up and sent them to her. On her birthday, she got to open 1 present, then 1 everyday afterwards. I had received my box from A when I was traveling Australia, and it was fantastic.<br />
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Goal: Two week hike<br />
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I hike the Superior Hiking Trail from the northern most point down to Silver Bay. It was much hotter than I expected, and the dog only made it for the first 3 days before I sent him with A for the remainder of the trip.<br />
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Goal: Life coach<br />
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The Covenant church offers Spiritual Direction. I had no idea what this was until I went to a women's retreat last fall. I attended a small session that was a Q and A about this subject. As it was described, I kept thinking, Is this like life coaching, only we get to pray together? I then even asked during the session is one could call this service "life coaching?" She said...."Well....I suppose so...." and I was hooked. We had our first meeting face to face in September and scheduling Skype session following.<br />
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Goal: Prayer board<br />
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I wanted a visual reminder in my house about the people I wanted to be praying for consistently. I set up a post-it area in my kitchen (because I live by post-its). I occasionally add a few notes around their names. But it's been good for at least catching my eye as I walk by as a reminder to take a moment in my day and pray.<br />
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<br />Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-7576447196770069572016-01-09T23:30:00.001-08:002016-01-09T23:30:50.719-08:00Postcrossing<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
Goal: Rejoin Postcrossing</div>
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<a href="http://postcrossing.com/" target="_blank">Postcrossing</a> is a site to send and receive postcards from around the world. Once you sign up, you request an address and one is randomly assigned to you, along with a ID code. When the recipient receives the postcard, they report the card as received using the ID code. Then your address is released as assigned to someone else. Then you start checking your mailbox!</div>
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I had been very active on the site a few years back and really enjoyed the postcards. This go around, I wasn't as into it and cancelled after only a few postcards. </div>
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Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-3639515166278728002016-01-09T23:22:00.001-08:002016-01-09T23:22:35.403-08:00Duolingo<div class="MsoNormal">
Goal: Complete Level 8 in Spanish on Duolingo<o:p></o:p></div>
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I discovered Duolingo when I was in Spain, gearing up to go
to Italy. I was able to work my way through enough Italian, that when I was
staying with my host who’s wife only spoke Italian, I was able to understand
the basics of what she was saying. I was also able to communicate with country
woodworker as my olive picking friends and I found shelter from a downpour
while we were on our way to the grove. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I started working on Spanish when I decided to go to Mexico for spring break. I don't remember how far I got before leaving for the trip, but I made it to Level 8 by the summer. </div>
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Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-92047704710223853632016-01-09T23:19:00.000-08:002016-01-09T23:19:05.079-08:00Kentucky Derby
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"A" hosted a Kentucky Derby party this past May, complete with
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Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-60697709051479460712016-01-09T23:16:00.000-08:002016-01-09T23:16:39.243-08:00Alphabet Collage Goal: To make an alphabet collage index.<br />
<br />
While in Mexico last spring break, I spent some time sitting in the sand, making the letters of the alphabet with seashells. Once they were all done, I noticed there was a smudge in the corner of all of them! I did not have the enthusiasm to do it all over again.<br />
<br />
Even though I didn't get a great database out of this activity, I did discover how meditative writing in the sand over and over can be. I was reading "The Circle Maker" by Mark Batterson at the time. I found myself praying for all the people I could think of who's name started with the letter I was working on. It makes me want to put "make a prayer sandbox" on next year's list.<br />
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I think I deleted all the sand pictures, because I can't find them. But I took a few pictures on my hike in Minnesota this summer. </div>
<br />Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-27738677071330859512015-12-19T03:43:00.001-08:002015-12-19T03:43:41.796-08:00BIG THOUGHTS<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Can I tell you the hardest things
about living alone? Small talk and conversations. When I had someone around all
the time, I was engaged in constant small talk; little ideas that pop into my
head, small but funny moments throughout the day. They are not in themselves
important or significant, but they were tiny threads of a relationship that was
built over time. I learned how this other person thought and processed the
world from this vast expanse of data collected over small talk. And it’s a way
of opening up and connecting. “Hey I had this private thought that I treasured
and I could have taken it to my grave greedily, but I trust you enough and care
for your input and perspective, that I decided to share it with you.” These
small everyday moments are like tiny sparks that just keep adding up to….something
(I lost the metaphor that I was going after, so I just don’t know what those
sparks add up to. Something on fire I’m assuming). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
But now that I live alone, there is
no sounding board. I sometimes talk to myself or the dog, but it’s not the same
as that interaction with another soul. My thought patterns have changed. I
stopped thinking, “I should remember to tell this to ____,” because there is no
one to tell. Yes, I can pick up the phone and call family and friends. But when
I normally would have just looked up from making dinner to say some small
thought (like “I saw a leaf shaped like a squirrel, and then I saw a
squirrel”), it doesn’t seem to merit a phone call. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Even if I did make that phone call
to share that random thought, I am now involved in a much longer conversation
than I was looking for. The thought was just to be shared, with maybe a
response of “huh,” or “funny,” and then back to that comfortable silence of
living life in a house with another person right there. Or I could make that
random though call and hang up, only to call again with the next random thought
(“then I saw a leaf shaped like Barrack Obama but this girl walking in front of
me stepped on it and it stuck to her shoe and I wanted to start humming “Hail
to the Chief””) but this would undoubtedly become annoying and disruptive to
others, as they are trying to tell the other soul that lives in their house
that they saw a man at a restaurant eating soup and now they’ve been wanting
soup all day. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>With
a real life sounding board soul in the room, who can read my tone and facial
expressions and gestures that go along with such stray thoughts, the responses
vary from non-committal grunts to eye-rolling to talky-talky word using. Then
it’s a <u>conversation!</u> It’s connection. Lots of big-idea-life-stuff-conversations
are spurred from sharing these simple random comments (“Do we have pepper?”)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
But now that I live alone, these
thoughts fizzle to nothing. I don’t ask if there is pepper, I just go look in
the spice drawer. It’s not interactive, not relational, just task completion (I
just did a thing robots can do). And my thoughts become robotic. I don’t think
in conversations, in questions, in relations. My default mode is task
completion (because I don’t have to ask anyone if they want chicken or beef
tonight, so I just do it). And if I am just talking to myself, not many of
these little thoughts are then spurred into those big-life-talks-ideas. And
even if they are, NOW WHAT?! I am alone. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Again, yes, I can pick up the phone
and now share this big deal with a friend, but now there is now of that
building up conversation, just MY BIG THOUGHTS AND FEELS with barely a hello.
And the other person can’t see that I’m standing in front of the stove making
stir-fry with a far away look (so I’m ok), or I’m on the bathroom floor staring
up at the ceiling in my underwear (usually not a good sign). Either way, here’s
a blast of a whole lot of me at 100 mph when they might still be at the squirrel-leaf
frame of mind because there was no build up to that conversation. And then do I
keep calling them every time I have these BIG IDEAS? It wouldn’t be happening
as much as the random thought calling, but it would be much more intensive in
energy to follow as respond (please the whole thing with picking up the phone
and pushing the buttons, so hard). It becomes habit to call expecting big
thoughts and high energy and that can be draining for both sides.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So
I don’t call, I hold off, muddle on the idea (maybe obsess), waiting until I <u>see</u>
them next. But most of the time, these thoughts are lost and forgotten before I
see again (if I even had a specific THEM in mind) so the thoughts are never
shared. My big thoughts and big ideas on life itself aren’t shared because
timing and proximity are such big deal in real life. These thoughts are never
shared, and a piece of me floats off into space, unclaimed. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The reverse side of that situation
is that I <u>DO</u> remember that big thought because I want to share it with
them soooo bad, that it’s all I think about until I see them next. But again, I
don’t want to lead with everything on full blast, because I’ve learned people
stop answering their phones because they are not ready for so much energy in a
conversation starter. So I try to start with the small talk, the warm ups. Only
I’ve forgotten how to do this thing! I’m a robot brain, remember?! So awkward
stumbling ensues. I’m trying to stage and recreate the precursor conversation
that would have happened at home(if only the dog spoke English). But even the
most graceful conversationalist would find it tricky to lead the conversation
in an “organic” way to open the door for this BIG IDEA to be shared, and since
I’m not that thing, I get no where fast. All the while that BIG IDEA is in my
brain and blaring into my conscious thoughts like gaudy casino lights, which is
very distracting. So my awkward conversation skills are punctuated by awkward
pauses as I try to push this THING away so I can speak those normal words that
people say (all while trying to PUSH the conversation to that THING). <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
And I’ve thought the same thought
that you are thinking, “Why all the pretense? Just be brave and say what you
want to say (Thank you Sarah Bareilles).” But think about that. Imagine if you
had a friend that started most conversations with BIG THINGS as soon as they
see you. Before you say, “I would welcome that conversation,” please also
imagine these conversations are happening before your coffee kicks in, or while
you are just trying to get in and out of the grocery ASAP, or “for the love of
God I just wanted to sit in quiet at lunch and read/stream/play Candy Crush on
my phone.” I get it. I would want those things too if I knew I was going home
to small talk and little thoughts that lead into big thoughts, so “I’ve already
had my share of BIG THINGS, thank you very much.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
It sounds all brave and real and
Top 40’s chart to just spew it all out there. But think of what that would
really look like, what that would mean if you were on the receiving end of someone’s
zero to Warp 9 BIG STUFF talk. And imagine they were coming to you often because
you were kind enough (maybe even willing and excited if they caught you in a
good mood) to listen the first time. But after while, it would be too much for
a relationship, because there would be foundation of all that small stuff that
supports and strings BIG STUFF moments together. It becomes an exhausting
ordeal, for both sides. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
And I understand that, from both
sides of that situation. So sharing becomes such an ordeal to get to (out of
practice small talk, pretense, manipulative conversation steering, anxiety of
finally just getting to it already!) that it seems not worth it sometimes. And
I hold on to less of those big thoughts to share, and only a small amount of
them are shared. Poof! More of my existence on earth evaporates into the
atmosphere without bumping into a single soul . Relating and conversations
become harder, so they become shallow. Sharing only comes when there are convenient
platforms, but even then I hesitate on how much to really share. Even when I do
find those friends I can see daily or weekly (those I feel comfortable with
sharing all those THOUGHTS), there is always that little voice in the back
thinking, “Is this too much? Maybe this conversation should just be light,
fluffy stuff. I’ll be funny for the next four conversations because that last
one was a little heavy and we don’t want to tip the scales too seriously.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Why are there even conversation
scales in my head?! And why does one “heavy” conversation weigh the same as
four “light” ones, besides the figuratively weighty words (so many puns). Why
do I feel like I have to make up for a conversation because I had big feels to
feel out loud? And I hear a part of my brain saying, “You shouldn’t have to,”
and “That’s a ridiculous notion.” But darn it Sarah, it’s just not that easy to
always tell people those BIG FEELS! I know I have this notion because, in my
less than graceful state, I would describe a person like this a drag, needy,
too much, over emotional, too serious, depressed (though now I know what that
word really means and it might not necessarily apply to this person, it still
can be a hurtful term to use against someone), depressing, disturbed, and
exhausting. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
We say we want to be open and
truthful and take off these masks, but the responsibility on the receiving end
can be harder to accept. We can’t say what we want to say until we’re ready to
hear what someone else wants to say. If I can’t practice the grace of receiving
someone else’s words, when I so desperately want a life where all the masks
come off, how could I trust anyone to listen to my words, or even deserve to
say them? I need to have the time and gentleness to listen to others if I ‘m
ever going to dare to speak out and take off this mask. There is a two fold
responsibility there, and one can’t happen without the other. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So there is what is so hard about
living alone….ie starting a random thought and ending with BIG DEAL LIFE
conclusions, but not having someone right there to hear it. But I got it down
on paper this time, and it was so helpful. And everything that was dark and
scary about all of that seems not so bad right now. And I think if I share this
out, it would shine that healing light that much more. <o:p></o:p></div>
Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-90170710997332350272015-09-09T08:10:00.001-07:002015-09-09T08:10:23.516-07:00Make SoapLast fall I attended a one evening soap making class. All participants walked away with one pound of homemade soap. The biggest hurdle overcome in that class was the lye handling. We didn't mix the lye ourselves in the class, but we did observe it, then used premixed lye solution to make our soap. It's one of those things that seems like mad scientist or voodoo witch doctor practices, but it wasn't as scary as I thought. Even so, I was glad to do the process at home with A who is well practiced in the art of chemistry.<br />
<br />
We started planning our "flavors" of soap we wanted to create and started to gather our materials. we were both interested in using items from the tundra, but A scored big when she brought back a big bushy chunk of tundra that looked just like a black loofah. We shall make scrubby soap! She had also gathered some fireweed for indoor decoration and we made use of that as well.<br />
<br />
I have to highly recommend Brambleberry.com as a great resource for soap making. There is a great lye calculator that creates a recipe and calculates the exact amount of lye needed. Based on our ingredients that we had handy, we ended up with three slightly different batches that consisted of olive oil pomace, olive oil, coconut oil, and palm kernel oil. We used tea tree and violet oil for two batches, and blended orange zest and aloe into the third.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUTxXIokr8g3iOPjWSrt9Fa0c2PtmtHT5xn3eB3rD1c2-Rb1gtSUsHapH8OL5tkmO7q5KRQTZKaNvmxa53wGgebBIdLwVsmqORy1arnrVAfvTx7a5ELILwJcv9qxGIJTNzoiXv1mCkBT4/s1600/IMG_1200_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUTxXIokr8g3iOPjWSrt9Fa0c2PtmtHT5xn3eB3rD1c2-Rb1gtSUsHapH8OL5tkmO7q5KRQTZKaNvmxa53wGgebBIdLwVsmqORy1arnrVAfvTx7a5ELILwJcv9qxGIJTNzoiXv1mCkBT4/s320/IMG_1200_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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They are sitting on a shelf in my kitchen curing for the next few weeks, but when I washed the molds we had used, the water turned sudsy. That was a great sign!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8VFyyJUqIu-buLbXYKU1aa18yQfSyYyUvtSmtDf-hHk11mJ20RH-Dg3oHltVefIkONiSdugeK8Qky3evsOid4PpHUKMOmEyScbJLZxmdhWJSTd9JRH-9EXWTypqNnyvOsRlAT-deppCc/s1600/IMG_1202_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv8VFyyJUqIu-buLbXYKU1aa18yQfSyYyUvtSmtDf-hHk11mJ20RH-Dg3oHltVefIkONiSdugeK8Qky3evsOid4PpHUKMOmEyScbJLZxmdhWJSTd9JRH-9EXWTypqNnyvOsRlAT-deppCc/s320/IMG_1202_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Scrubby soap cut and curing. </div>
<br />Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-46504608667360147712015-08-26T21:37:00.002-07:002015-08-26T21:40:57.948-07:00Listerine FootbathSince it's been a few months since the last update, I'd thought I'd start with something really exciting, like a footpath.<br />
<br />
I had seen a ton of Pinterest pins about Listerine foot soak recipes. They all included vinegar and hot water added to the Listerine. With soaking, it was supposed to eat away the dead skin on your feet which would then float up to the top of the tub like a disgusting head of beer, leaving your feet silky smooth with little effort. I'd been skeptical and wanted to try it myself. I shared this experience with my friend V, to have another witness. Since I run such a high class spa, I let her use a tote as her foot soak tub while I used my mop bucket. Look out Allure.<br />
<br />
I had some off brand mouthwash , because obviously that's how much I value my oral health (and also I am using it on my feet instead, so there's more compelling evidence), but at least it was blue. The vinegar didn't add anything special to the experience except for an overpowering smell of pickles. It was guesswork deciding how much hot water to add. I was preventing feet cavities, pickling myself, and nearing boiling them off as well.<br />
<br />
The mouthwash definitely gave everything a tingly feel, but there was also the unpleasant and initially frightening affect of dying dead skin blue. This spa treatment actually made it look like we both had a nasty food fungus. I didn't have any real scrubby brushes, so we both used washcloths to start rubbing away the azure dead skin, that was at least easy to see. The whole process was disgusting, yet satisfying. I did end up with some smooth feet, but it was not as effortless as advertised. I also ended up with minty feet and blue stained washcloths.Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-69319052425499440202015-02-23T22:19:00.001-08:002015-02-23T22:19:31.895-08:00Master Chef PartyThe very best party I have ever had because people brought so much dedication and enthusiasm with their dishes. I think the pictures speak for themselves...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTN69zbtWJMt0WIkUG3-_10DNG8ZM9MxJVmh_45IvyAf3TqOnrXXABjfkbh2hE2iFz_AU5po10X4PCqSNsgizMVbFeTE4X-9SyTrzOU14y7Xmok654q51F90ZUWxVKdrFpNDYk_Ku4EkM_/s1600/10997473_10100429168464986_4713140906525749754_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTN69zbtWJMt0WIkUG3-_10DNG8ZM9MxJVmh_45IvyAf3TqOnrXXABjfkbh2hE2iFz_AU5po10X4PCqSNsgizMVbFeTE4X-9SyTrzOU14y7Xmok654q51F90ZUWxVKdrFpNDYk_Ku4EkM_/s1600/10997473_10100429168464986_4713140906525749754_o.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
The middle photo is of the winning dish: The Gung Hay Fat Choy Lettuce wraps by B.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoSNpyyJNgRBY3AsanHoQTN-yvMVEV3aYonUnYi9dmyXFpB23DMx577HavjkWOM6gJ9_40rQ2H4QeNq9lQqLDI_kpJEpVMJwW7jOKadjhyzWmyrjUK4dy6BCcxoWpt7bQjnSclTFNPhPG/s1600/10984595_10100429168469976_7802645148688255455_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDoSNpyyJNgRBY3AsanHoQTN-yvMVEV3aYonUnYi9dmyXFpB23DMx577HavjkWOM6gJ9_40rQ2H4QeNq9lQqLDI_kpJEpVMJwW7jOKadjhyzWmyrjUK4dy6BCcxoWpt7bQjnSclTFNPhPG/s1600/10984595_10100429168469976_7802645148688255455_o.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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The menu included:</div>
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Turkey Meatballs with Hot and Spicy Sauce</div>
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Winter Vegetable Ruebens</div>
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Chicken Sausage Hash</div>
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Cocoa Pork Patties with Ginger, Squash, and Apple Chutney</div>
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Foot Pie</div>
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Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Pesto Turkey</div>
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Tuna Melt With a Sweet Potato Twist</div>
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That's a Gouda Pear-Cheesy Flatbread</div>
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Caribbean Curry</div>
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Crab Apple Bites</div>
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Pork Bahn Mi Crostini</div>
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Marinated Lamb Skewers</div>
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Meatball Sliders</div>
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Chicken Bites and Ham Delights with Pineapple Mustard Sauce</div>
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I ask the most outlandish things of my friends, and they deliver with flair!</div>
<br />Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-13728576094369037192015-02-23T22:08:00.000-08:002015-02-23T22:08:28.431-08:00Join post crossingWhile I was traveling, my favorite thing to send home to family and friends were personalized post cards. I had downloaded an App that took any picture from my iPad, let me type a message on the back, and send it to anyone in the US for 80 cents. It is quite a deal and so much more convenient than finding postage and mailboxes in other countries. It let me share some of my memories as well. I have always loved writing postcards, and I loved this even more. It also made me think about joining post crossing again when I got back home so I could send personalized cards.<br />
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I just signed up to send out three postcards. They will be going out to Germany, Russia, and Canada.Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-76823152031563102372015-02-23T21:47:00.000-08:002015-02-23T21:47:17.489-08:00Host an If:Gathering Event<br />
<a href="https://ifgathering.com/" target="_blank">If:gathering</a><br />
<br />
February 6-7<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
IF GOD IS REAL... THEN WHAT?</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
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<div style="text-align: right;">
This 2-day gathering will bring women together from around the world to wrestle with belief that God is real, the places in our lives where we are struggling with unbelief, how can we overcome unbelief and then what God can do with our belief.</div>
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I first heard about If:gathering from Jen Hatmaker's feed on Facebook. I'm a fan of her writing, blog, and humor. So when she said this cool thing was happening, I wanted to check it out right away. I didn't know any of the other seekers in the line up except her, but the purpose behind the event was just what I'd been looking for. One of my goals for coming back to Bethel was to restart a women's group at the church. I wanted to join the church before I tried anything official, and I became a member back around Thanksgiving. This year has been super packed and I just haven't gotten around to everything. If: came at the perfect time and was a perfect reason to get a conversation with some christian women about our lives here in Bethel. Three other women joined me all weekend in the school's library hearing amazing speakers and sharing what God was teaching us and planning for us. It was a very refreshing weekend to give focus on how I can be serving here in Bethel.Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-8208382258681753252015-02-14T21:35:00.000-08:002015-02-14T21:35:08.735-08:00Modern Book ListAn item on my list is "Read Year Four of Great Books List," which includes works from the Enlightenment to the Modern Era. The stars indicate that I've already read that title.<br />
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Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding: David Hume</div>
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Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant</div>
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Democracy in America – De Tocqueville</div>
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Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion by David Hume</div>
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Emma by Jane Austin</div>
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Essay Concerning Human Knowledge by John Locke</div>
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*Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift</div>
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*Hamlet – William Shakespeare</div>
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*King Lear – William Shakespeare</div>
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*Letter on Toleration by John Locke</div>
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*MacBeth – William Shakespeare</div>
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On the Origin of Inequality – Jean-Jacques Rousseau</div>
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*Othello – William Shakespeare</div>
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Phaedra by Racine</div>
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Representative Government by J.S, Mill</div>
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*Romeo & Juliet – William Shakespeare</div>
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Second Essay on Civil Government – John Locke</div>
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Tartuffe – Moliere</div>
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The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau</div>
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*The Tempest – William Shakespeare</div>
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Treatise of Human Nature by David Hume</div>
Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-72309805452612685552015-02-09T21:10:00.000-08:002015-02-19T21:49:28.175-08:00Thirty 3 by Thirty 2Here is the start of my next list. It's not complete, but it's some things that I would like to add to everything not completed on the last list.<br />
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-make an alphabet collage<br />
-start the Modern book list on the Great Books list<br />
-finish the Dicken's collection<br />
-Kentucky derby party<br />
-"triathlon day"<br />
-complete level three of Spanish on Duolingo<br />
-finish Algebra course on Khan<br />
-send a postcard every month<br />
-join post crossing<br />
-host a If:Gathering event<br />
-Bible study group<br />
-go to Sunday school for a month<br />
-start a women's group at church<br />
-finish two online classes<br />
-move up on the pay scale<br />
-do the If:Equip study for a month<br />
-compare three online masters program<br />
-Whole 30 challenge<br />
-get a summer job<br />
-try a listerine footbath<br />
-read the news every day for a month<br />
-update the blog at the end of every month<br />
-buy an under water camera<br />
-31 letters to people who have had an influence in my life<br />
-join Netflix again<br />
-make soap<br />
-marathon month<br />
-walk to Oscarville<br />
-overnight camp with the dog<br />
-Ironman month challenge<br />
-three books on tape<br />
-30 box for Kelly<br />
-2 week hike<br />
-finish Agatha Christi list<br />
-muzzle train Yakko<br />
-try a life coach<br />
-get under 175<br />
-segway tour<br />
-2014-2015 album<br />
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Rollovers...<br />
-teach Yakko 5 new tricks<br />
-new tattoo<br />
-boat share<br />
-make a podcast<br />
-volunteer at Winter House<br />
-create and complete classic movie list<br />
-libravox volunteer<br />
-arctic circle<br />
-exercise class<br />
-visit transition town<br />
-teachers pay teachers<br />
-volunteer with dogsleds<br />
-masterchef party<br />
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more to come....Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-44575080055935701922015-02-09T21:00:00.000-08:002015-02-09T21:00:14.456-08:00Community EventsIn an effort to be more involved, I put it on my Bethel list to attend a community even every month. So far so good.<br />
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I will try to come back and update later to what they all were, but now I am trying to finish my list. I do know the Steel Salmon Auction was one of them...Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-68250325946674758312015-02-09T20:55:00.002-08:002015-02-09T20:55:51.091-08:00Two Books on TapeI definitely got this one settled, but I was really trying to get the third out of the way before the 1st. I listened to the Count of Monte Cristo first. This took for.eve.er. It is a really good story that should have ended 50 chapters earlier. So much detail, which I didn't care about.<br />
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Next was The Land that Time Forgot. It moved much quicker but was a little confusing int he beginning because someone finds a message in a bottle and starts reading it and I didn't understand at first these were two different people. Also, the ending is wholly unsatisfying unless there is a sequel that I am unaware of. If there is none, I might have to write it. And the dog will be alive.<br />
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I am currently in the middle of Bleak House by Charles Dickens. I really do love Charles Dickens, and it's on my list for this next year to finish the collection, but this would have been a better novel to read. Because then I would have been able to skip over and speed read through sooooo much. There are a lot of good an interesting side and back stories that do come into play, but the main story is so much better and I could do without the rest and just read about Ester. I'm only a couple of dog walks away from being done.Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-6937202479422584902015-02-09T20:43:00.003-08:002015-02-09T20:43:58.059-08:00Exercise ClassSo I got this one under the wire. I went on Saturday, January 31, and dropped in on a spinning class at the fitness center. But I also then signed up for the next month of spinning classes. So again, check. My legs have been aching every since.Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-27997781995792999122015-02-09T20:41:00.000-08:002015-02-09T20:41:17.395-08:00Window Herb Garden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQC_AkbbsK0wi9885n1EcwU_QM_7gFCHl7v9h2N8Ogsc4-HAtGm73lMQuEtXwz9pim_rutPePH4UKBtodFm6-QC58jl4tP3jqTdahAKEeUorUlV2nIm1dXivg6RkzXvBygGT9EAsiuvdNs/s1600/IMG_1009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQC_AkbbsK0wi9885n1EcwU_QM_7gFCHl7v9h2N8Ogsc4-HAtGm73lMQuEtXwz9pim_rutPePH4UKBtodFm6-QC58jl4tP3jqTdahAKEeUorUlV2nIm1dXivg6RkzXvBygGT9EAsiuvdNs/s1600/IMG_1009.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
I bought it. There it sits on my cabinet. I think I will wait for the weather to get a little warmer before I wake those seeds up. Otherwise, I would have to keep the thermostat up a little higher during the day. But, I'm going to say check!<br />Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-47368047903200524012015-01-24T19:31:00.001-08:002015-02-09T20:41:52.058-08:00One Year Without Buying a BookI've said it before, I'm a nerd. And I love book lists, especially if the word "classical" is involved. So I've been working my way through some of these lists over the years. The best part about reading these old books is that they are all past copy right dates, so they are all free online! Also, I had a ton of books bought or salvaged from the free book shelves that I had never cracked. I knew there would be plenty to read without ever having to step inside a book store.<br />
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Before I left for my year of travels, I downloaded an app called Free Books and paid for the upgrade to include the audio books. I also used my kindle app. There were so many books on my "Want to read List," available for free, that I was never without material to read, or to listen. I got used to reading off my tablet, as it was so much more convenient and economical when traveling. I spent every night falling asleep to some adventure story.<br />
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Recently, I also have tired Oyster books in the last month. Oyster books sells itself as the Netflix of books. They were offering a free month trial, of which I took advantage. Not everything I could ever want is there (no Harry Potter?!), but enough. The entire Agatha Christi collect is available, which makes it all worst while. It will also make book club easier to attend if I can read the assigned books without buying them.<br />
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Now, of course there are some disadvantages. I will never be comfortable reading my iPad in the bath tub, and that's my favorite place to enjoy a good book. So I still took advantage of free book shelves to get my hands on actual paper every now and then. But I am sold on electronic books on the whole as the green way to go.Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-49782268281234633992015-01-24T19:00:00.000-08:002015-01-24T19:07:14.377-08:00Gut Sewing ClassThere was an unquantifiable goal in mind when I decided to come back to Bethel: Take advantage of everything! A few years ago A and I tried the age old suggestion of, "Say yes to everything," but that becomes exhausting. "Say yes to more," would be an easier maxiam to follow, but still a little harder to track. One item on my birthday list was "One community event a month," so I will check this as complete.<br />
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At the beginning of the month I saw an ad on Facebook that the Smithsonian was hosting an event in Bethel focusing on seal gut sewing. As excruciating as it is to give up the entire weekend, this seemed like a worthy reason.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidgHxbLtan_I04bQnShOoadT85anwfwuKPf5qFMKkgYjTDGUc5tMAgNIBn7DKoyMSrAVl4DMYqmea4J_xy8992aXhDQPgVYMKtXEYa7429FCSmcN1138vVT5WfOIeiMQMbF6pFg-fwBYi/s1600/IMG_1003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidgHxbLtan_I04bQnShOoadT85anwfwuKPf5qFMKkgYjTDGUc5tMAgNIBn7DKoyMSrAVl4DMYqmea4J_xy8992aXhDQPgVYMKtXEYa7429FCSmcN1138vVT5WfOIeiMQMbF6pFg-fwBYi/s1600/IMG_1003.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
This is Mary, our teacher. She has spent a lot of time in Anchorage recently working with the Anchorage Museum and Smithsonian collection as a resident artist. She had prepared all the seal gut that the native students in this class used. It is a pain staking-ly long process, including several days of soaking, cleaning, and scraping. For the rest of us, we are using hog casing or collagen. She is an excellent teacher and a wealth of information.<br />
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This are the hog casings we were blowing up and drying. It was a lot like making ballon animals, as long as you were ok with a snake or eel.<br />
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We tied them off and stung them out tight to dry. We will learn how to cut them tomorrow.<br />
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Then we got to the sewing. This is my two pieces of collagen sewn together. The sheets are folded over and sewn together with a piece of dried grass on either side. The grass acts as a backbone for the thread to wrap around so the thread won't pull through when you tighten each stitch. You keep the grass moistened as you go so that when you tighten the thread, it squeezes the grass to create as waterproof of a seal as you can. This is going to be a window hanging, so waterproofness isn't so important now, but if you were counting on a parka while on a kayak on the open ocean, it would be a higher priority.<br />
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I'll go back tomorrow to add another strip, and maybe experiment with decorating the gut with pigments.
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Now my real plan is to work at a campground in Wyoming this summer, but if that doesn't pan out, I'd like to complete at least two weeks of hiking. I would also like to bring the dog along. So I spent some time looking for a long trail that allows dogs and would not be too far from home base in Illinois. I found the Superior Hiking Trail that starts in Duluth, MN and follows Lake Superior north, just shy of the Canadian border. It's 225 miles long, plenty long for a two week hike with lots of exclusions. I was looking to maybe start in Gooseberry Falls Park. I've been there for a wedding party a few summer's ago and it was beautiful! If I could manage three weeks, I could make it up to the trail's end at 270 Overlook. Even if I can't do it this summer, I think I will have to put this on my life list to accomplish. <div>
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Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-54569322145495055102015-01-08T17:09:00.003-08:002015-01-08T17:09:47.366-08:00Go to a conferenceI knew coming back this year to teaching that I was going to be making lots of changes and covering new material. I also knew that I wanted some kind of conference early in the year to give that very inspiring feeling to what I was doing. Since I am mostly teaching math this year, I began to search for math conferences nationwide. I started to narrow down the possibilities by dates and location. I would have loved to go to Vegas for a conference, but it takes a whole day just to travel there and I wanted something as close as possible. The Northwest Math Conference was being held in Portland early in October. The information page even included a "convince your principal why you should go" page that you just had to forward (It worked!). And it meant I could go see my aunt and uncle as well, which is a huge bonus.<br />
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The conference was great, and it certainly gave me that oomph I wanted early in the year to focus my goals for the year. The two biggest take aways from that conference are both giving student feedback, which is an area that I know I am weak in and would like to address. The first was a clean and clear formula for giving a pre and post test that is used for teacher in put, but also for student reflection. The other is creating a math profile. Students take a quiz every two weeks and track their progress themselves. Each question covers one area of math. for example, the first question is always on place value, the second is always multiplication and division, question three is always about expression, etc. Students and teachers can then see the areas of math that are strong points and areas for improvement. It's been great for creating small instructional groups.<br />
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<a href="https://mathprofile.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Math profile </a>Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-25315450672933626412015-01-08T16:57:00.002-08:002015-01-08T16:57:44.558-08:00Update my transcripts and complete my recertificationBecause I have to. I hadn't updated my transcripts at work for awhile, which is stupid because I could have moved up on the pay scale at least a year ago, if not two, with the credits I have. I turned all the official papers and the new pay scale went into effect in December, with back pay since September. What a great holiday bonus.<br />
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And because I have to if I want to keep my job. The recertification process has become so ridiculously easy because it's all online. I was able to update my info, the site recognized my current employment so I didn't need to get fingerprinted again, and they now accept official electronic transcripts. So it took just under an hour of work and some credit card paying to submit everything.Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-51982666476912096662015-01-08T16:42:00.001-08:002015-01-08T16:42:52.706-08:00Be more productiveI had added this to my Emotional spectrum of goals because I do feel so much better when I'm working towards something, or just being productive and not wasting my time being a slug.<br />
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"Be less of a slug" is not quite positive and neither is it quantifiable. So I decided that the two biggest distractors that lead me down the path of sluggardness (I didn't expect that to be a word, but it don't get autocorrected, so I'm calling it good) is the internet and cable. I was moving back to Bethel and planned to live on my own for the first time and I LOVE making myself a little introverted nest inside my own little space and not moving or talking to anyone. But if there is no cable or internet to keep me there, after so many books and so much journaling, I need some outside stimulation. I knew that if I was testing out my new little nest, experiencing THIS IS ALL MINE!, and had those two little friends at my fingertips, I really wouldn't to anything but go to school then go home and dread any social interactions like an obligation kin to pulling my own teeth. I really an an introvert and being by myself is how I charge my batteries. I do love my friends, family, and social gatherings in general, but it takes energy and I can run out of cares without that down time.<br />
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But having a place to myself means all my time home is down time. I get some of that recharge every morning and every night. And since I didn't have cable or internet, this down time involved reading and journaling and cooking, the most recharging of all my chargeables (now I am making up a word). It also meant that I was ready to go when people called and wanted to do stuff (maybe I was already half way to their house anyways because I was REALLY ready for people time).<br />
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This was the perfect scenario for the first semester back in Bethel. But now it's becoming more evident that I can be more productive with internet at the house. I started ignoring or just not caring about things I wanted to get done because it required the internet and I just didn't want to walk to school or the library to use it (so I am still a slug in some ways). So now "be more productive" involves hooking up the internet again. Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-12741999679773220132015-01-08T16:25:00.004-08:002015-01-08T16:25:52.161-08:00Join the Church<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the things I missed the most while traveling last year was being connected to a community where I felt I belonged and could make a difference. This was very closely tied with going back and being involved with my church. There are a lot of great things that I learned about myself and my walk with God this last year. One of them is that I was going back to Bethel with a real purpose of being involved in the community. I wanted to join the church so I can have a standing on the decisions and directions that our church is taking to serve the community.<br />
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Joining was an easy process. There was a night to watch an informational video with the pastor and others interested in knowing more about the church and what it should for. The video covered the 6 affirmations of the Covenant church. If I had made a list of 6 things I believed in and were important to me, it would have almost have been the exact same list. It made it very easy and clear that joining the church was the right path now. I filled out a short application, and then shared my journey of faith with the boards members of the church. The next Sunday (November 30), Pastor Hugh presented me to the church. There were a couple "I will's" to say, the rest of the church to "We will" back, and done.Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7666473694335448858.post-24191096873125270592015-01-08T16:16:00.000-08:002015-01-08T16:16:05.125-08:00Monthly ClubThis was another item that didn't take too much effort on my side because I was invited to join Bunco night by my friend C. I had played bunco once with my teaching mentor back in Oklahoma and it was a hoot. Of course I love that I was able to check this off my list, and it's something fun to do every month, but the best and most unexpected perk was the group of ladies involved. I know several of them, but there were a large portion of people I had never met, and would never have met without this gathering. Bethel is a great social town, but all the activities happen (mostly) in people's houses, so if you're going to your friends' houses, generally they are filled with your friends whom you already know. It also tends to be a place where people run with their own kind. There are various teacher circles, hospital circles, court system circles, police and troopers, etc. You have to find the "keys," those people who are married to someone in a different circle and hope they have parties where they invite people from both sides. C is that key. Not only is she connected to the Trooper's wives circle, but she also used to work at the treatment center, so has pulled that group in too. I didn't even know there was a treatment circle, but there is and they're awesome.Erin Arnohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05938359616907704823noreply@blogger.com1