A Day in the Life of a Master(s) of Education

This has been one of the most challenging times I have faced. Everything just feels heavy and weighing and moments away from destruction. Spring is normally a time I thrive while being tremendously busy with new life, hope, renewal. This year though there's been a noted shift. Maybe it has to do with the move. Maybe it's because the US is one bad mood away from irreparable destruction. Maybe it's the pollen count.  Whatever it is, I pray for relief soon.  Until next post....laters 

This has been one of the most stressful months I've had in some years. Work is fine, it's the family life that's insane. The parents are downsizing and they are not making it the easiest thing. The only good thing that's come from it has been reflecting on my childhood. I had a pretty decent one. I'm what some refer to as a "third culture kid". A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is an individual raised outside their parents' culture for a significant part of their development, blending their birth culture with new ones. TCKs often develop high adaptability, multilingualism, and a global, "relational" identity, though they may face challenges with rootlessness and defining their sense of "home". I never really had issues defining home though, I had my family. Though sometimes my parents would tease me about my accent during visits back or the like I always had my grandma and cousins to root me.  I think because of my TCK lifestyle, I've b...

So the calendar that most Americans (like me) go by says it's a new year. Generally that also means folx make resolutions that they don't keep or changes that are superficial to themselves just to say "I did it". Welp, this post isn't that but I'd be lying if I didn't say it's in the same family 😉. This month I am reducing my alcohol intake. I don't really want to call it a "dry January" per se but more a decision to not consume alcohol. Several years ago after a very traumatic event,  I stopped drinking. I didn't tell anyone except VERY close friends why I wasn't drinking and I sometimes think about how I approached that. Instead of dealing with the event and how it affected me, I latched on to a superficial cause. In my mind, what happened to me, happened because of alcohol. Which wasn't the case. Was alcohol involved? Yes. Was it the sole reason this thing happened to me? ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOT. So with that in mind, not d...

 I feel as though I make a Valentine's related post every year. And maybe I do. I just really love love and I enjoy spreading it via small notes to people. This year, I got a lot of response from folx along the lines of "I really needed this" or "This came at the right time" or "Thank you for the love". You know living & life can be so heavy. I've found over the years that writing each card or text or note has helped me to take a moment to not only reflect on that person and what they mean but also on my relationship wit the world. Even if no one ever responded to a single card or message, taking the time to spread a little love really helps ME to manage in this oft times dark place. 💓😍💓 Until next post, laters

I told myself I wasn't going to make one of those "goals for next year" post but here I am making a goals for next year post 🤣. In my own defense, no one reads this blog and yet again it's for MY own reflections, experiences and memories.  So past Moe can shut it because present & future Moe WILL appreciate it. Without further ado: Take a boxing/kickboxing/self defense class Learn gun safety & how to use it Attend Dapper Day (any Disney Park) Go back to Disneyland California  Travel to the UK Travel internationally (yes, Canada, Mexico AND Jamaica count) & intentionally  Get back to therapy regularly (you've been slipping into some VERY unhealthy habits 🙃) Get ahold of your retirement finances & work with a financial advisor  Rollerskate & Cycle more...even if it's just a little bit more Randomly message/write/call friends (all relationships take WORK...so do it) Say yes every chance you get Say no to protect your peace 2023 is just over ...

For our anniversary & because I was already going to be out there for work, J & I went on a trip that included: Portland,OR + Olympia,WA + Seattle,WA + Port Angeles, WA + Victoria, BC + Vancouver, BC. We took every form of transportation (walking, driving, bicycles, plane, train & boat) and it was a delightful time. We hiked, drank beers 🍻, played trivia, read, shopped, sang karaoke, danced, ate so much good food, laughed, watched TV and just enjoyed time together with our puppers.  Memories were made and here are a few photos from that magical time. Until next post, laters

The year ahead has so much potential. I'm looking forward to seeing what will happen. Covid is STILL raging (there's another variant, Omicron) but I feel as though we've figured out how we (J&I) will and can navigate it.  We've got a few trips planned. Namely Tampa, Baton Rouge, Portland,  Seattle, DC, Jamaica (for me) and Vancouver. I found out that I will be receiving a raise and possibly an assistant. So just winding down the work year with plotting out what that could look like. I never really do a great job of plotting out my visions and wants for the future but I am hopeful and happy so that's got to count for something 🤷🏿‍♀️ Until next post....laters 

For a really long time I felt like I didn't have a hobby. I garden for a living, have zero creative talent (i.e. crafting,  painting, singing etc) and generally just like doing a variety of things, whenever folx would ask : What's your hobby? What do you like to do?...I'd draw a blank. I'd ask myself well...what do you like to do 🤣? In doing so I came to a couple important thoughts/stances. 1) I don't need to define a "hobby". I don't need outside validation that the things I enjoy doing qualify as "hobbies". I've never really been one to feel like I have to have validation in most other areas of my life...why should this be any different 🤷🏿‍♀️. 2) I DO have hobbies,  just ones that may not necessarily fall into one's mind initially when you hear the word hobby.  3) See 1) & 2).  Alright, so now that that's cleared up on to the reason for this post! One of my hobbies is traveling and exploring a new place. People are fascin...

 Well, it's October. Crazy to think we're in the 10th month of 2020 and it's been a rollercoaster of a year. Between the health crisis, the social justice upheaval and the political climate I am starting to feel older than my years. What started off as such a hopeful, expectant year has been a series of really high highs and low lows. I am not making jest of the serious issue that mental health is but this year has been personally very bipolar.  After not going since February and desperate for some normalcy and the ideal of maybe seeing my parents, I attempted my first out of state long trip to Disney World. Several things happened over the last few days. 1) J & I closed on our first home together. We bought property...so we're in this now, this being our relationship hahahaha. 2) I have gotten into a wonderful flow of working out and managing my workload after a tough transition in the beginning of the pandemic that allowed me to continue to work though not in the ...

2020 has been a wild one to say the least. But it's also been one of self discovery and growth.  In this year I've become more outspoken,  learned more about my thoughts and what forms my political and personal stances. I've also done better with money management and curating personal relationships.  The person I am now is nothing like the person I was this time last year or anything near what I thought at the start of this year. And that's ok. It's a whole new world.