Build Your Impossible

Aunt Judy Made Me Better Aunt Judy was extraordinary.  She was a worker. She made serving others her mission and she had a way of making you feel like you were extraordinary in her eyes! Aunt Judy taught me how to be an aunt, the most important things about being a teacher, and reminded me that the simple moments turn out to make the biggest impact. We all need an Aunt Judy in our lives. Early this morning, Aunt Judy went to Heaven.  The World Looks Different Without Her Aunt Judy had the biggest heart and was one of the most hospitable people I have ever met. Growing up, our family often spent the weekend at her house. When I made my way to the kitchen for breakfast, there was Aunt Judy sitting with a cup of coffee and the warmest smile.  It was always clear she had been up for a while because she had already made breakfast and the kitchen was clean. Aunt Judy always took care of us. No matter how many people were crammed around the breakfast table, she always found an open spot for

  A Letter To My Students Good evening: Tomorrow you will take the SAT. Before you begin you need to know that you are amazing with or without your test score! It's a fantastic opportunity to show what you know, but never let a number limit what you want to do. Always remember to do your best, because you are smarter than you think. Be stubborn about your goals, but flexible about your methods. There are so many ways to achieve your dreams!! Never let anyone tell you that you can't do something. If you have a dream- protect it. Find a way to make it happen. If you are eyeing a job or a school- it's possible. If the SAT is not your thing, find something that is and crush that! There are a lot of things you can submit in place of it.  This year, my 11th grade classes are more advanced and seem capable of more than I thought possible. I am truly excited about this! Never for a second allow your worth to be determined by your performance on one day. You are better than that and

  Three Rules Show up.  Respect it.  Finish it.  Before cross country, swim and track events, I tell my kids to show up, respect the event and finish it.   Des Linden , one of my favorite professional runners lives by the motto, "Show UP.” She says, "If you show up some days will feel like you are trudging through hell, and other days you will feel like you were born to do something.” The Good thing is that when preparation meets opportunity, you will be ready.   RESPECT IT When you have been a part of something for a long time, it is easy to get lazy and a little sloppy.  I remember my 14th marathon in Ann Arbor Michigan. I was overconfident about the challenge in front of me. I remember thinking, ¨It is a marathon, and I have done that before. It is honestly no big deal¨. By not respecting the event and treating it like it did not really matter, I hit a tough wall in the race. I have never felt more underprepared. I failed to respect the marathon distance and see the chal

The Barely Visible Mountain One day, the mountain that is in front of you will be so far behind you, it will barely be visible in the distance. But, the person you become in learning to get over it? This person will stay with you forever. -Brianna West I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13) Life is filled with many mountains. The view is always worth the climb. Get busy climbing.  _____________________________________ The Previous writing comes from 4:00 AM Faith . I remember when my husband and I climbed our first 14,000 foot mountain in Colorado last summer. As we got closer to the base of the mountain, I kept asking my husband questions like ¨Which mountain, what? Hugh, a rock scramble, what? How is that going to be possible?¨ One step turned into a 1,000 and before I knew it, we were at the top. The View was incredible! Once we got to the top of the mountain, and then gradually began our descent, I realized that I had become a different person in th