Take a Look at Those Peepers

Check out those eyes! One of my students hammed it up with some giant googly eyes during a class at A.C.E.D. today. The photo was so funny, I just had to share! During this session I am teaching two classes and helping out with a third:

1) Baskets, Bags & Duct Tape - It's a class in which we are collecting canned goods to donate to the needy. The twist is that we are giving our donations a makeover. We are donating our canned goods in decorated boxes and bags. We are even going to decorate the cans!

2) Art From the Heart - I am assisting with this class during the first session, but I will be teaching it during our second session. It takes its subject from the vision of Joyce Hallmark, founder of Hallmark Cards. The students enjoy making cards for those they love, and it's an especially appropriate theme, since we are located in the Kansas City area.

3) On the Air - This one is out of my comfort zone. We are learning about the radio - the different positions at a radio station, call letters, dj names and voices, different formats, commercials, etc. It's been really fun so far. It's been a definite learning experience for me, too!

During the next session I will be teaching Art From the Heart, as I mentioned, as well as Hattitude Attitude, a class that's all about hats. I am having such a wonderful time! I really LOVE my students! They are amazing and always a thrill to work with!

I was supposed to go to a dinner party this evening, but after checking out the openings last night, getting up early for A.C.E.D. today, and and then following up class with a few errands, I am beat. I am spending the night in a state of uber-relaxation. How about you? How's your Saturday night shaping up?

Alison :)

Quote of the Moment, No. 5 - A Quick Note about Friends

I have been sick with a hellacious phlegmy cough, snotty sneeze and hoarse throat, with a fever thrown in just for fun, this weekend. It's been enough to send me crawling under the covers for escape at every possible moment. In a state of wooziness, I pulled off my jeans after I arrived home from the first day of A.C.E.D. classes (which were awesome, despite my pitiful state), leaving them and the cellphone I had tucked into my front pocket in a jumble on my bedroom floor. I quickly pulled on pajamas and spent the afternoon in a deep sleep. When I awoke several hours later, I could not find my phone. I searched for it in all the places I typically leave it. I checked once, and I checked again. No luck. I needed to leave, so I could get to my parents' house. No one can make you feel better like your mom can, but I did not want to leave my place without my phone. I requested help from a couple of friends on facebook - I said, "I can't find my phone. Please call me until I call you back." At least I hope I said please. They both called me immediately, and I found my phone in my jeans pocket shortly thereafter. Thank goodness for friends who will stop in the middle of whatever they are doing and call you when you need them to, even if you don't even plan on asking them how their day has been going. That's how friendship is - you give some and you take some and, with good friends, everything evens out in the end.

What have you done to help a friend out lately? What have your friends done for you?

Alison :)

Project Me: A Good Reminder

Gotta have friends - a set of sock puppets I made for a puppetry class at A.C.E.D. - frog, birdie, lady, alligator and snake.

Tonight my gym buddy Chalanna and I were sweating it out on the elliptical, when she said she was trying to get in touch with a mutual friend who recently moved out of the Kansas City area. While she really misses our friend and would converse with her about anything, tonight Chalanna specifically needed this friend for her mad skills. Chalanna described a project she was working on and how our friend would be a useful resource due to her knowledge and experience. "Yeah," I said, "it's always good to know people who know more than you do." 

Friends who have different skill sets and knowledge bases can add so much to our own abilities to do and to achieve. I love to make things and collect junk, but if I were ever to open a shop to display and sell these objects, I would need to draw upon someone who is business savvy. I love to sit around campfires roasting marshmallows on sticks, but if I were going camping and wanted a fire, I'd have to bring a firestarter (Drew? Are you available?). I love to sing, but if I wanted to start a psychobilly band, I'd have to find a drummer and a guitarist and someone who can play the upright bass.

I wish I always remembered this. There are so many times when I think I have to do it all, and I have to do it all myself. As you can imagine, a lot of things don't get done by me or anyone else. I have to remind myself, "You can't build an empire by yourself."

What special skills do your friends have? Do you rely on any of them to help you with your taxes, to change your oil, or to hem your pants? What talents do you offer in return?

***

Hope you're all having a great Thursday night! Mine's been full of planning lessons for my favorite Saturday morning educational program A.C.E.D. (Adult Continuing Education for Persons with Developmental Disabilities) and, obviously, the gym. It seems I've developed a bit of a cough (thanks, boss lady), and I am now relaxing after a long day helping students enroll in classes for the semester.

Cheers,

Alison :)