Tech Tip: Blogger Template

This week I decided to update my blog beyond the "simple" design.  I tried them all, but in the end I went with the "Picture Window" option that has raindrops in the background and a black backdrop for the words.

I chose this design for both its' personal aesthetic appeal and simplicity.  I did the "preview" option for all blogs, and this one appealed to me the most.

My Many Learning Challenges

I could not just come up with one or a few of these that most interest me, because I feel they are all crucial to the various aspects of relationships, work ethic, and self-growth.

Happiness/health

Happiness is my number one goal. To me, if you are not trying to be happy, then what more could your purpose be? I will point out though, the adorable movie “Inside Out” showed us you can’t just be happy all the time, or else you wouldn’t understand it (by having no opposite for comparison). In general, the healthier you are, the more life you will have to live.

Empathy

Empathy is most important in relationships. Being married, empathy (or lack of) can make or break your relationship. If you do not ever put yourself in your spouse’s shoes and see how they are feeling, a callous can form in your respect for the other. This same principle can be applied to all relationships, as you should be there for your friends/family when they are both hurting and happy.

Attention
Attention is crucial if you plan to ever get anything done. Personally, attention and time management go hand in hand. If you don’t have the time, you won’t be able to pay attention, and if you don’t focus your attention, then the time you set aside for a task is useless.

Reading

I include reading under both leisure and necessary. I think it’s important to keep up to date with current events. Someone else might find the newest Cosmo article important; either way, leisure reading is just as important as required to attaining a growth mindset.

Time Management

This has been one of my main focuses for the last five years. Without it, I wouldn’t be where I am at. Being a wife, mother, full time student, and working over 20 hours a week, I have no time to waste. This is an area I could always improve on. When I feel like I’m finally there enough for my daughter, my education suffers, or when I am working diligently at work and getting overtime, my marriage suffers. It is all about finding the balance.

(Photo concerning time management, found on the OULBH Blog)

Growth Mindset

I have never heard of Carol Dweck before tonight. In the various aspects of my life, I realize that I am in vastly different places on the growth-fixed mindset spectrum. In school, I am in the fixed mindset, because I often feel there is nothing more I can get out of these classes without live experience. Currently working in the field I am graduating in, I have a full growth mindset. Here, I learn every day, and I always have a plan for how I can improve efficiency, ability, and knowledge. 

(Photo taken from Growth Mindset Memes blog)

While at OU, I learned that my type of learning is hands-on. If I had not figured this out, I do not believe I could have made it this far. My biggest challenges in learning new things is when I become closed-minded. This often occurs because I hear teachers say things I know to be incorrect by personal experience, so I shut down. I need to alter this form of thinking, as I know the men and women hired to teach us were given careful consideration.

I am enjoying what I have seen about the growth mindset thus far. As a mother, I am always looking to improve how I teach and parent, and this seems to be one of the perfect opportunities to attempt that. I am currently worried about my production class, as the teacher is quite monotone, yet expects a great amount of work. I need to apply the growth mindset to this class in order to get out of it the most I can.

Storybook Favorites: Spring 2016

Looking through some of the past storybook’s for this class, I was blown away by the creativity. I know “LOL” is a common phrase, but I actually laughed out loud at some of them!

Post Secret Sanskrit

This storybook was by far my favorite. I am partial to postsecret.com, as I have been visiting the website every Sunday since I was 13. Though the layout and design are quite familiar (just like the post secret website), the characters are completely unfamiliar to me. This post was incredibly well put together, and the introduction had me hooked enough to read almost the whole thing. I now see why pictures are so important for the flow of the story.

(Screenshot of Post Secret Sanskrit page)

Sita: A Song of Valor

I don’t know why, but the snippets of Sita’s story I have seen stand out to me tremendously. This writer made a simple but easy to follow storybook. It is well written and easy to follow. I do wish the layout was more exciting; not busy with crazy colors everywhere, but more involved than just white and orange on everything. The introduction is very well written, and draws the reader in, but the font is so small that my eyes kept wanting to stop reading when I would lose the line I was on.

(Screenshot of Sita: A Song of Valor page)

Epic Women Tell All

The font and layout for this was simple, but pleasing to the eye. I really like the introduction for this one. It consisted of a game show where the three women involved would finally get a chance to tell their side of the story. I thought this to be incredibly creative, funny, and well put together. I really enjoyed the pictures shown with each page of the story. The font was very small, but that would be my only complaint. This was also one of my favorites.

(Screenshot of Epic Women Tell All page)

Reading/perusing these storybook's has given me a much better understanding of what is expected with the Storybook assignment. All of them had the similar gadget of an index, which made going to the desired page very simple. They also all had numerous pictures, which I now see is crucial to getting the reader more involved when imagining the scenes you’ve created.

Overview: The Beginning...

For week 2 and 3 readings, I decided to go with the PDE Ramayana. This was, in fact, not my original choice. When I saw that Narayan’s Ramayana was “modern style” I immediately wanted to choose this option, because I felt it would be easier. As I browsed through the online version, I decided that the best way to truly feel the author’s intentions would be to read the old-fashioned version.

You may be wondering why I included "The Beginning" in the title; well my knowledge of Indian history and culture is just that. I took this class, curious if I would be behind not knowing much of anything about India's culture, or what an epic even is. My initial thought was that it was somewhat of a tall-tale. I took this solely from my understanding of the word epic; greater than life.

I am not a fan of Game of Thrones, but that is because of the violence involved, as I do not know the story line. I took a mythology class about six years ago, and to be frank, I remember very little.

Sita Vanavasa: Sita in exile; Ravi Varma Press.

(L0021787 Credit: Wellcome Library, London)

I did not recognize any photos throughout the images available, so I selected the photo above because it stood out to me.  It is the most realistic looking painting, and emits a raw emotion.  The caption states (I assume she is Sita) "Sita in exile", and she looks lonely.  Bored even.  I am curious to find out her story, if that is an option.

Introduction of Spring 2016: My Last Semester!

Nice to Meet You!

Hello everyone!! My name is Whitney. This is my last semester at OU, and my major is Petroleum Engineering. I currently work as a reservoir engineer intern at an oil company (and I hope to stay there once I graduate).

I have been married for five years this May, and we have a 3-year-old little girl. These two make up my entire world; everything else in my life is just bonus. I decided to go back to school when she was born, and here I am almost done!

(Left: me, Right: my husband.  Photo taken by my niece, Christmas party, December 2015)

We have two dogs: Lily, a wire terrier, and Jewels, a Stafford shire terrier. They are both inside dogs, and are as spoiled as can be. Their butts never touch a cold floor, ever.

My favorite movie of all time is Pitch Perfect. I saw the second one as well, and it is great, but it’s got nothing on the first. My favorite book is “Someone Like You” by Sarah Dessen. My favorite TV show is Grey’s Anatomy by Shonda Rhimes.

I have so many hobbies! Both ones I currently attempt in my little free time, as well as those I want to start again or try for the first time. Currently I like to sew, crochet, and paint. I would like to dip my artistic side into quilting, quilling, pottery, writing short stories, and many more! I love all things arts-and-crafts style, and when I finally get out of school and stop doing homework, I hope to try them all.

My favorite food is Mexican. This is tragic, because my husband’s least favorite food is Mexican (*sigh). I just have to be creative when I go out with friends, and sometimes attempt to con them when it’s my turn to decide on a meal.

If I had to describe one of my favorite days, it would be the day we went to Disneyland last August. I’ve never seen anything as magical as this, and it was truly surreal.

(Left to right, me, my daughter, my husband.  Photo taken by my sister-in-law, Disneyland castle, August 2015)

One of my favorite quote's is

What others think of you is none of your business

-unknown

Once I finally discovered this truth, I was able to live how I wanted to, without trying to please or prove to everyone else who I should be. I answer to many names, but in the end I'm one in the same, and I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.

And now here is a HILARIOUS video.

Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan-Tatum on Lip Sync Battle

Week 1 Storytelling: Young Love

Curly locks! curly locks! wilt thou be mine?

Thou shalt not wash dishes, nor yet feed the swine,

But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam,

And feed upon strawberries, sugar, and cream!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

RIINNGGGGG!!!

The school bell yelled throughout the room. John stood up and gathered his belongings, anxious to get home to his pig, Rover.  As he passed the last desk, he caught wind of her magical perfume.  He knew.  He knew exactly where it came from: Mary Ann Higgins.  The most beautiful girl in the world. 

She glanced his way and he looked away hastily, as he realized he was staring.  Isn’t she used to it?  Someone as sweet and perfect as her must attract a crowd.

He walked over to her, palms sweating, “H-Hey Mary, I was wondering if you’d like to get an ice cream?” All his after school plans were long gone, because he was looking his future in the eyes.  He wouldn’t have believed the words came out of his own mouth if he hadn’t heard them too.

“Well Johny Boy, I could do that,” she said with a nod and a grin.  Her angelic golden curls bounced with the shake of her head.  He was shocked.  She was a woman of power and leisure, and with a father like Mayor Higgins, John knew he was walking a dangerous line.  He couldn’t picture must past this date, so he’d just have to savor every second.

A boy and girl featured in The Nursery Rhyme Book (1897) found on Project Gutenberg.

To his (and everyone else’s) surprise, they began courting just a few months later.  Mayor Higgins liked John Rollins, but he did NOT want his daughter feeding that infamous pig, or being his little maid, washing his dishes and such.  No, he would have to test him.  If he passed, he could have Mary; if not, he would be sure their courtship was shattered, by his own hand no less. 

One frigid night, Mayor Higgins dressed up as a beggar, roaming the streets of the very town he ran, Hamilton.

Knock! Knock! Knock! The mayor’s plan was in full swing.  John answered swiftly, with a wool blanket wrapped around him to combat the frozen air. 

“Sir, could you spare a crumb? Or a sock?” mayor muttered in his most unfamiliar voice, “it is dreadfully cold, and I don’t believe I’ll make it through the night!”

John stared blankly for a moment.  He remembered how warm he was; how he felt as though he was hugging a polar bear in a blizzard.  Not a moment later, he unwrapped the blanket and put it on the hunched frail man.  He needed it more. 

“Well don’t just stand there! Come in!  I’ve prepared stew for me and Rover, but I do believe split three ways is sparse different from two,” John exclaimed.  Mayor walked inside and let John close the door.  He suddenly threw off the blanket, along with his wig and rags, revealing his true persona: Mayor Higgins.

“Sir! I’m so sorry! I didn’t recognize you! I-I-I.....” —

—“Son, I have never been more impressed than I am right now.  You exhibited exactly what I want to see in the man who marries my precious Mary.  I not only approve of your pending engagement, but I’d like to offer you something extra special.  How would you like to be the Sherriff? It’s the second highest paying job in the town, second only to me, of course.” He said with a chuckle.

John stared at the mayor, in complete shock.  He thought he was just helping an innocent man in need of a helping hand. 

John rode to Mary’s house at first light, ecstatic to tell her the news.

“Mary! Mary! Before you say anything, just listen!  I have loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you.  Your heavenly curls and beautiful heart are all I want to enjoy for the rest of my life.  And I know you’ve been worried about money, and not wanting to live in poverty, but that won’t happen!  I have it all figured out!  You can do your sewing you like so much, and eat all the desserts your heart fancies! What I’m really asking here is, will you be mine?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Author's Note. The poem above is very short, and gives no reference to who is speaking or what they are talking about.  This was my favorite part, because it gave me full reigns on where to go with the story.  Also, just like the poem, I left my ending completely open to interpretation.  The story of John and Mary came to mind by picturing a man in the 1800's, and wondering why he would be saying the words in the poem.  I hope you enjoyed!

Bibliography. This story is based on the nursery rhyme "Curly lock! Curly Locks!" in The Nursery Rhyme Book, edited by Andrew Lang and illustrated by L. Leslie Brooke (1897).

Favorite Place: Cancun

The Perfect Vacation

One of the most perfect places I have ever been to is Cancun, Mexico.  It's located on the Eastern coast, near the Southern-most part of Mexico.  Below is a picture I found via Wikimedia showing the coastline with all of the resorts.

(Photo taken by Irving Huertas in Cancun, Mexico on February 15th, 2014. Source: Wikimedia Commons.)

We stayed in a villa for 8 days, and the photo below I took off of the balcony.  I still can't believe we were that close to the ocean!  It was paradise.

(Image Information: personal photo of ocean view in Cancun, Mexico; photo from June 2010.) 

Every meal was a buffet, and every day brought a new adventure.  Everything from snorkeling to exploring mountains to viewing ancient ruins!  The resort consisted of 3 large pools, with two outdoor drink stands between each.  The main pool even had a swim-up drink stand!  There was beach or pool volleyball, and we were never short on players (shown below on the left side).

(Image Information: personal photo of resort in Cancun, Mexico; photo from June 2010.) 

It was the perfect vacation, and I hope to be able to return one day.