Official Music Video

It's here!  The official music video of "End of the Renaissance."  Go ahead and check it out on YouTube.  Share with your friends and family.  And be ready...the entire album of Last One Standing is released tomorrow.

Last One Standing

I have been fortunate enough to have known Aryn Michelle since college.  Throughout the years, her musical writing has evolved to such depths that it is a pleasure to listen to the profound messages within her vocal stylings.

This next week will be very exciting for Aryn Michelle.  On Monday, YouTube.com will premiere her first single music video-End of the Renaissance.  Subscribe to her channel so you can be one of the first to catch this world event.

The next day, October 4, is the official launch of The Last One Standing album.  You will want to get your hands on this album.  It is amazing!  I have been listening to each song repeatedly.  Just when I think I have finally found my favorite song, I fall in love with another track.  You can get your hands on her album through iTunes and some other sites.

Spread the word for this talented woman.  Share with family and friends.

Take some time...

A pleasure a day keeps stress away.
~Ethel Roskies

This school year has gotten off to a very rough start to say the least.  As a result, it has been one stressful moment followed by another equally frantic one.  There has barely been enough time in the day to catch one's breath.  I have felt the weight of the stress sitting on me and try as I might not to let it get to me, it has.

Deadline after deadline after another stinkin' deadline and the stress continues to pile on suffocating me.  I reached my breaking point this weekend (as fellow facebookers may have noticed).  In an attempt to regain some sanity back into my harried days, I rushed down to my school with a car full of soil, clearance flowers, and Basil.  We worked in the garden for an hour or so and I felt some semblance of peace returning.

This morning, I was determined to start the week of right.  Despite some emails that upset me, I took my first graders outside and introduced them to the garden (a slight deviation from the week's lesson plans).  We talked about the flowers and the parts of the plants.  We discussed what plants need and how these in the garden were going to get them.  They learned where the tools were kept and how to properly use them.  But most importantly, they got their hands dirty.

At 9 a.m. in the morning sunlight, 6 little first graders got their first experience planting life.  They probably even had their first experience being encouraged to get dirty during school hours.  Even I, in my ill-thought out ensemble (dress and heels), had dirty knees and hands by the time the endeavor was over.  I even found some dirt on the tip of my nose an hour later.

In that little moment of time, I saw true joy on their faces and felt peace in my soul.  My favorite photo of the morning captured their beaming faces perfectly and reminding me that this is why I teach.  Despite the politics, surmounting stress, daily grind, and constant hurdles-I teach to experience the rare moments of unbridled happiness in a child's eyes.

Now, if only I can remember that as the year continues its relentless march onward to the stressful tasks ahead.

Garden is coming along

It has been a very long and frustrating journey but there is finally something to see with the garden.  It makes it a tad easier to plug along raising funds and getting donations.  There is still a long way to go before it will be ready for use in my thesis though.  Until then, I'll continue looking for any possible donations that may come along.

Spamalot!

"Camelot!"
"Camelot!!"
"It's only a model."

As part of my indoctrination into the Stewart clan, I was raised on various staples including Army of Darkness, the Adventures of Baron von Munchausen, Major Payne, and...


Monty Python.

Needless to say, when TravelZoo offered a deep discount to see the Broadway production of the Holy Grail (Spamalot!) with its campy and lewd humor, I jumped on the chance to go.  "Dragging" along my best friend who shares and equal love for this humor also didn't hamper the impulse and last minute decision to go.

I was thoroughly impressed.  Loved the ad lib that occurred.  Sang loud at the very end with the entire audience.  And laughed at all the lewd gestures, references, and innuendos.  While, I probably won't see it again (there are too many other Broadway shows I want to see) I will recommend it to anyone who appreciates British humor and think back on those 2 1/2 hours fondly.

Although...I wish they hadn't discontinued the rabbit with big pointy teeth.

Dumbledore is 2

My big, fat, orange fur ball is 2 today.  Happy birthday, Dumbledore. 

Oh no!  I'm turning into a crazy cat lady.  Run away!

Fort Worth Zoo

Today, despite the 100+ degree weather, I went to the Fort Worth Zoo with dear friends.  I took along my DSLR and learned that I still have much to learn to get the shots I want.  As it is, I missed some amazing shots (cheetahs chasing each other get a squirrel one had killed) and had the wrong shutter speed for others (leaping lemurs).  I also ended up with a surprising number of robotic dinosaurs (but that was the entire reason for today's adventure).  I have selected a few of my favorites to share (without editing).