I love beautiful music, don’t you? I love learning about new artists (maybe new to me) and sharing with others. Here’s a wonderful example. Enjoy and please feel free to share songs/artists you love?

Who are new artists you’ve fallen in love with?

Today was a day of wonderful occurrences….traffic was light, work was slower, no lunch plans, was very productive, didn’t rush, the sun is out, it’s warm outside, and time spent with an old friend (she’s not old, just have known her for sometime). I wish everyday could be like this. Well….just think for a second if it was. What would life be like if it was perfect all of the time. Would we take for granted so much more than we do now? Would we enjoy the sun and 40 degrees as much as we do? Would we treasure our time in the same ways? Most likely, not and that is the key to being grateful for this wonderful life. We are forced to take the good AND the bad.

What was good in your day today?

HAPPY 23rd BIRTHDAY to one very special, funny, giving, loving, and lively young man! I am so proud of you and who you have become. You bring me great joy, I’m grateful for you, and are the apple of my eye! Love you more than words.

Spring break is going incredibly well. Love, love, love time off fro any and all responsibilities. Ok, not all of them. I am filled with gratitude and am enjoying every second of time off from school. I love my program, but with the level of rigor keeping up the pace is nothing less than challenging. May the next 2.5 weeks pass with extremely slowly.

In what ways do you enjoy your time off?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! Am grateful for being Irish.

Day 2 of Spring break and I am loving the downtime. Using this time allows me to connect with friends, spend quality time with family, sleep, be lazy, catch up on errands, and most important renew my spirit. Once each quarter begins it’s full speed ahead and so much is put on the way side so that I can concentrate and be the best student I can be.

They say….’if it was easy, everyone would do it.’ Well, it is pretty darn challenging, but those that know me, know taking on big challenges is just who I am. This doctoral journey might be the biggest yet and not sure I can top this one. What I know for sure is what it has done for me. It has cemented my purpose, challenged me like none other, driven me to strive for anything I want, disciplined me, and motivated me to work harder, longer, and faster than I have ever done before. I am grateful for the break and will take care of myself which will allow me to start fresh again in a few weeks.

What cyclical happenings are you grateful for?

Yesterday, I completed the 19th grade. My first year of my doctoral program is complete. After many long nights, more sacrifices than I could have counted, yet exponential growth has occurred. I am so proud of myself for taking this full time program on and succeeding at the level I have.

What has helped me reach my success is the support of my family and friends and this weekend is a chance to reconnect and share lot of wonderful time resting and enjoying down time with many of those individuals I cherish so. I am grateful for their role in my life and for giving so much to me so that I can reach the lofty goals I set for myself.

Who has been your rock during your challenging times?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN!

I’m grateful for you and for having you in my life. Love you!

The end is near….the hard work almost over for this session. Man, this was the most challenging yet but I’m still on fire, still driven, still motivated to keep going. I am pleased that there were incorporations of many new technical skills this quarter as well as much internal development. My view of myself and my universe continue to evolve and I’m grateful for that.

How are you different than you were 3 months ago

I finally got it.! Have you ever been working on something for so long that once you get it-it feels marvelous? Yesterday I was tasked with creating a presentation and for me this was quite THE challenge. I am not technically savvy so projects like this do not come easy for me. I fiddled a lot, watched tutorials, called IT, and read a many instruction guides. It all came together last night and was grateful to be able to sleep soundly after knowing I got it!

What challenge have recently overcome?