Tag Archives: coloring outside the lines

My 2017.

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Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

January. Wind farm along Interstate 35, northern Iowa. Great goals and plans take great energy.

February. Hoover Dam Bridge, Clark County, Nevada. Bridges get us where we need to be.

March. In line to see Elton John in Spokane. Celebrating with the best team.

Also March. Ames. Solitary tree after spring storm. Stand tall.

April. Mini-Me and her best friend before senior prom. Taking on the world.

May. Mini-Me’s high school graduation. Accomplishments.

June. Road trip with my best guys for Hot Rod Power Tour. No a/c.

Power Tour continued. My guys at Iowa Speedway.

Also, June. McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. Pretty little violets all in a row.

July. Ames. They are weird, but they are mine.

August. Plymouth State University, New Hampshire. Best job visiting amazing friends, colleagues, students, and Robert Frost.

September. Madrid, Iowa. Labor Day. Love old trucks. Character.

October. Chicago. Council Meeting. Taking care of business.

October. North Shore, Oahu. Funky chicken. Err, rooster. Be bold.

October. Hilo, Hawaii. Welcome committee at the University of Hawaii-Hilo.

November. Halifax, Nova Scotia. Shine brightly.

December. So much good this year. Excited for what is ahead.

2016 Pocket Selfies.

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I began a collection of my 2016 in photos. And then I found these photos. They also tell a story.

It could be a selfie. Jung might call that my shadow archetype.

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A spoon covered in peanut butter. In my bathroom. Parenting.

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With all that pink and light, it looks like a happy place.

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On my laptop goofing around with my phone. Normal.

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Hot chocolate for a group. I don’t remember taking this pic.

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Lots of travel this year as demonstrated by this lovely seat back pocket.

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There is an analogy here about warning lights and stress.

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If you ignore warning lights, you have engine failure. Apparently while driving.

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And finally. Screenshot of an Oregon v. Oregon State flashback. No idea.

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My 2016.

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It’s the end of 2016 and by most accounts, many are ready to see it in the rearview mirror. As conflicting as this year has been, I had wonderful opportunities for travel and forging a new professional path. It was a year of challenges, sure, but it included great time with mentors, friends, and family.

And so onward… we rouse the chase, and wake the slumbering morn of 2017. See you there!

How I feel at the beginning and end of 2016.

Me at the beginning and end of 2016. Not really, but I love the meme.

January: Frosty sidewalk footsteps.

January: Frosty sidewalk footsteps.

February: Quiet morning at the State Capitol. #Iowa

February: Quiet morning at the State Capitol.

March: NSE Conference in Rhode Island.

March: NSE Conference in Rhode Island.

March: Ready for my MRI closeup.

March: Ready for my MRI closeup. Rotator Cuff surgery followed. Yeow.

April: With Delaney & Jonah before AHS Prom

April: With Delaney & Jonah before AHS Prom.

April: Deckard was my date for a friend's wedding.

April: Deckard was my wedding date.

May: Pano of Long Beach from the Queen Mary.

May: Panorama of Long Beach from the deck of the Queen Mary.

June: The Palouse in eastern Washington state.

June: Palouse in Washington state.

July: At Delaney's internship presentation. Also, my last day at my beloved university.

July: Delaney’s internship presentation on my last day at my beloved university.

August: Always happy with my feet in an ocean (Myrtle Beach).

August: Always happy with my toes in the sand (Myrtle Beach).

September: Constitution Hall.

September: Constitution Hall in Philadelphia.

October: Bow Falls, Banff, Alberta, Canada.

October: Bow Falls, Banff, Canada.

November: Thanksgiving with family, Basin Park Hotel, Eureka Springs, AR.

November: Thanksgiving at the Basin Park Hotel, Eureka Springs, AR.

December: Another visit to Narragansett, Rhode Island.

December: Another visit to Narragansett, RI.

Let It Snow

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Photo: Ken Libbrecht

Photo: Ken Libbrecht

Juno. Linus. Marcus. Our friends at The Weather Channel began naming winter storms in 2012 to aid communication during complex storm systems. And although I am not a fan of winter’s shorter days and wind chill, I appreciate the beauty and peacefulness of a snowfall despite the chaos major storms can wreak with travel, school, and safety.
Understanding the conditions and temperature that will produce certain snowflakes allows scientists to assist in the prediction of snowfall. Check out the latest snow science at SnowCrystals.com including beautiful photography and a primer on snowflake physics.  And yes, they can verify that no two snowflakes are alike.
Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else. ~Margaret Mead

One Word: DO

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My 2013 one word is DO. And to be precise, it is not Do. It is DO.

As I reflect on projects nearly completed and opportunities ahead, it makes sense.

Wisdom of YodaDaddyPlus.com

Outside the lines.

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It’s like you come onto this planet with a crayon box. Now you may get the 8-pack, you may get the 16-pack but it’s all in what you do with the crayons – the colors – that you’re given. Don’t worry about coloring within the lines or coloring outside the lines – I say color outside the lines, you know what I mean? Color all over the page; don’t box me in! We’re in motion to the ocean. We are not land locked, I’ll tell you that.  ~Boat Car Guy, Waking Life

Jesus. Ghandi. Mother Teresa. Martin Luther King, Jr. Amelia Earhart. Walt Disney. Harriet Tubman. John Lennon. Joan of Arc. George Washington. The greatest, most inspiring figures in the history of mankind have one thing in common: they were non-conformists. They colored WAY outside the lines.  ~Jason Kotecki