Wordle Project # 2

Who I am and where I've been

Well this is my first ever blog post so hopefully I don't disappoint or bore anyone too much and I promise I'll get better with time. I originally grew up in a small farm community in the town of Oregon, IL. I am twenty five years of age and also the eldest sibling out of five. I have a mom named Leanne and a dad named Casper (yes, like the ghost) and two brothers and two sisters whom all are still living up in Illinois. I ran cross country, track, and played basketball in high school and won all state honors multiple years in track. I still stay active in sports by playing softball, basketball, kickball, and I'm currently training for the "Mens Health Urbanathalon" in Chicago, IL in mid October. I’m also an outdoor activist and enjoy participating in activities such as hunting, fishing, and camping when I have the time to. However, as active as I can be I'm also very good at kicking back and operating a television remote and napping. Other things outside of sports that I do are "people watch" and I discovered this by accident. I would find myself complaining about something someone did, didn't do, what they wore or said, etc. I'm sure that makes me sound like a creep or a judgmental person but they are completely subconscious observations at the time. Most of the time it is funny stuff that people do. An example is when they sing with chorography involved while waiting at a red light. I also have a low tolerance for individuals with lack of common sense. I try to stay fairly patient because I know the frustration can go both ways I'm sure with certain things for me but after awhile I just cut my losses. 

In the spring of 2004 I graduated high school and enlisted into the United States Army and spent basic training at Ft. Jackson outside of Columbia, SC. Just a side note but contrary to what people may believe about basic training, it was one of the most fun experiences I've ever had. I was then sent to my first duty station in Wurzburg, Germany. I spent three years in Germany and was able to see multiple countries such as Italy, France, Czech Republic, Hungry, Spain, Ireland, Austria, and the Netherlands just to name a few that I was able to visit. My next duty station was at Ft. Riley in Manhattan, KS. I was deployed to Iraq shortly after arriving in KS where I spent 15 wonderful months. Yea right. Although as bad as Iraq was, we had to do about two weeks of training in Kuwait before we arrived in Iraq and that place is honestly the most miserable place on the planet. The sun seems like it is ten feet away from your head and is following you around like a lost puppy. As much as I may complain about the climate I did learn a lot about the culture and about myself and I'm glad I had the opportunity to be a part of it. 

The Army is actually why I chose to attend school at the University of South Alabama. I say that because my roommate in Iraq is from Baton Rouge, LA and his girlfriend at the time was in grad school at USA. She said we should come spend a week in Mobile to see what we thought of the campus and the area and to seriously consider going to school here. I fell in love with everything about the school, the city, and all the other nearby attractions such as the beaches, New Orleans, Pensacola, and of course Baton Rouge. Yes I have become a huge LSU tigers fan over the years! My original major when I began attending school at south was occupational therapy but after researching the type of work I would be doing I felt that career path was not for me. I chose to switch to health education because it offers a chance to help kids become more aware health and fitness. I enjoy helping someone learn something new whether it is through my knowledge or my advice through personal experiences. Becoming a teacher also allows the opportunity to be a coach one day which is something I have done in the past and very much enjoy doing.


Dr. Randy Pausch on Time Management


In the short video on Dr. Pausch's lecture on time management, he explains the importance of having a game plan from the moment you wake up. Dr. Pausch mentioned writing down goals or the tasks that need to be completed for the day, week, month, or even the year to eliminate failure. He gave advice on how to accomplish these objectives such as starting with the worst or most difficult task first. An additional tip was to break each task down into smaller steps so that the list won't feel as overwhelming. 


This is the first time I have seen or heard of Dr. Pausch but I will take away some helpful strategies that I will be able to apply to EDM 310 this semester. I was pretty stressed the first week trying to get a grasp on all the concepts that were introduced. Just remember to take a step back, a deep breath, and perform one task at a time will keep stress levels low and keep success rates high. 

Practice Post

Testing testing 1, 2, 5.....