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80% Not too Shabby

Well, its been a year. This week I turn 31 :-( In the past year I've tried 24 new things. While my goal was to accomplish 30 things, I am very proud of myself for finishing 24. Those that I did not finish will just have to become the start of my future Bucket List. Lets recap. Since my last birthday I...

1. Learned a dance - the tango
2. Made a $30 donation to a charity - children's hospital
3. Made a list of 30 accomplishments done before 30 - make that 54 now!
4. Drove a Porsche
5. Did something meaningful for society - cancer fundraiser with my students
6. Volunteered for 30 hours - painting fences, picking up trash, handing out flyers, teaching CCD
7. Got a tattoo
8. Swam with a dolphin - and sting rays
9. Invented something - SGO calculator on Teachers Pay Teachers
10. Learned sign language - and communicated with a deaf person
11. Learned to cook 3 new meals - pork chops, homemade sauce, and risotto
12. Went on a professional baseball field - citizens bank park
13. Motorcycled to the shore - and back
14. Visited a castle - at Arcadia
15. Snowboarded
16. Went to a Union game- a Phillies game and an Eagles game
17. Learned AutoCAD- and remembered a hobby I enjoy
18. Saw a rocket launch - from a distance, next time up close
19. Traveled alone - to Florida
20. Paddle boarded
21. Trapezed
22. Visited the White House
23. Participated in a Flash Mob - in front of people 
24. Thanked a favorite teacher

My new Bucket List (to be accomplished whenever I can)

• write a book/ get an article published
• earn a shirt with my name on it
• visit my ancestors' town in Italy
• touch my toes
• learn the drums
• ? (something extra to round out the 30)
• and.... new goals to be added as the years go on....

Snowboarding

Today I went snowboarding. I was actually kind of nervous about it and excited at the same time. I went skiing once when I was in 4th grade and I haven't been since. A friend of mine was in the same boat so we went together. We got the beginner package and surprisingly most of the people in our group were about our age also. It was snowing the whole time which made it really pretty. We stayed on the bunny hills because they were challenging for us. Overall, I think we did pretty well. Even if my butt is extremely sore from falling on it so much.

Here I am trying to get my boots attached to the board. This was one of the hardest parts for me. Maybe I should have mastered touching my toes before attempting this.

 

Bundled up, having a fun Valentines day.

 

Goal accomplished: Snowboard- check! 24 down, 6 to go!

Teachers make a difference

With all of the new changes in education recently, some of the older teachers at work have been having a hard time “being reduced to a number”. They were talking about how students don’t remember the state tests but they do remember the how the teacher made them feel. I realized they are 100% right. I think it would be really meaningful if a student told me that they valued what I do. Since I can't make that happen, I decided to do it the other way around and thank some teachers that were helpful to me. I googled my two favorites and found what I am pretty sure are their current addresses. Since I couldn't find emails, I went back to old fashioned letters. I put two in the mailbox this week, one to my high school drafting teacher and one to my 6th grade teacher. Hopefully the letters brighten their days. Maybe in 20 years one of my students will find me and tell me I taught them something and I will have gone full circle.

Goal accomplished: Thank a favorite teacher- check! 23 down, 7 to go!

One month left!

1. Learn a dance
2. Make a $30 donation to a charity
3. Make a list of 30 accomplishments done before 30
4. Touch my toes
5. Write a book \ get an article published
6. Drive a Porsche
7. Do something meaningful for society
8. Volunteer 30 hours
9. Get a tattoo
10. Swim with dolphins
11. Invent something
12. Learn sign language
13. Lear to cook 3 new meals
14. Earn a shirt with my name on it
15. Go on the field at a professional baseball game
16. Motorcycle to the shore
17. Visit a castle
18. Go to my ancesters town in Italy
19. Skateboard/snowboard
20. Learn the drums
21. Go to a Union game- see every pro sport
22. Learn AutoCAD
23. See a rocket launch
24. Travel alone
25. Paddleboard
26. Trapeze
27. Visit the White House
28. Participate in a Flash Mob 
29. Thank a favorite teacher
30. ?

Is this an invention?

When I was little I used to invent things all the time. One time I even called one of those invention lawyers that have the commercials on tv. I was trying to pitch my idea of a Nintendo game where you were walking down the boardwalk trying to pick up food and avoid people and seagulls. No stealing it... I had this idea first :-) Then when I was in college I invented a lot of things when I was in engineering classes. My favorite one was the toothbrush that held the toothpaste right in the handle. Since then I have always wanted to have one of those so-easy-it's-genius ideas that are often found on "As Seen on TV" products. Every time I have what I think is a great new idea though, I google it and someone has already thought of it. This year alone I invented a hook so that women can zip their own dresses and a pen that is flat so it fits in a wallet or badge holder (but both already exist). I also think it would be cool to link coupons to credit cards so that the whole world would work kind of like a Disney fast pass. Im full of good ideas, I just need a way to get them going.
I love the story of GoldieBlox and wish I could think of something like that. I see myself in that inventor. The college guys who invented the date rape nail polish are a favorite as well. Both ideas were so simple, its amazing.
Long story short, my principal showed me an ad for a product she wanted to buy. Instead of buying it I told her I thought I could make it. I had an understanding of the need for the product and some ideas how to create it. Granted its not a tangible thing, it is a product that could potentially make me money. I'm not sure if it counts as an invention. But I made it! And I posted it on a teachers website. Today I sold my first one! Yay! Its a baby step in the invention world, but it is a step in the right direction. Here is my link... tell all your teacher friends.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/SGO-Student-Growth-Objective-Calculator-1594841

If you count this as an invention then...

Goal accomplished: Invent something-check! 22 down, 8 to go!

White House

I have been to Washington so many times but I have never been into the White House.

Here is a picture of me and my dad in DC in 1987

 

Turns out, to go on a tour of the White House you have to get permission from your Senator, send every piece of information about yourself to them, and then jump through flaming hoops. I did that a few months ago and then found out last weekend that me and my family could tour the White House this Saturday at 8:30 am. We followed all of the million rules they had set for us. We even stayed at a hotel so we could be there that early in the morning. The paper said the "self guided tour" was less than an hour. I'd say! We spend more time going though the security checks than we did in the White House. You basically only got to see 4-5 rooms. It took maybe 20 minutes tops. I was disappointed. I didn't see the president. I didn't see the president's family. I didn't see his office. I didn't see his kitchen. I did see the room where Princess Di danced with John Travolta in that famous picture. But it didn't have the same affect without anything in the room. Luckily since we were finished so early, we had plenty of time to see other things. We decided on the Museum of American History which was very interesting. So in the end I did learn some things about the presidents... even if it wasn't at the White House.

 

Here I am in front of the White House.

Did I mention it was about 3 degrees out.

 

Goal accomplished: Go in the White House-check! 21 down, 9 to go!