It has been awhile!

We find ourselves at the beginning of December, and now I think it might be a good time to get in here with an update on what has been going on lately. As you can see, the handyman half of us have not had a moment to spare! Mark loves to do home improvements, and especially loves being outdoors if it is a beautiful day. That has really been to the benefit of our circa 1985 home.

It was in dire need of some upgrades in the kitchen area before the holidays came, and so he worked really hard in November to get our kitchen appliances replaced and some new open shelving built and stained. He got it done, and so we have been enjoying our new stove/oven, a new microwave, fridge and dishwasher. He even replaced the kitchen sink and faucet! It is amazing. Later on, we will work on getting our cabinetry and our countertops replaced, but for now we are very happy with what we have.

It has been great to see this side of Mark, he has been happy every day. I only wish that he had a workshop, but he said he likes working outdoors when it is nice and cool in the sun during the fall.

I'm very happy with our new appliances: LG and Bosch. Our new dishwasher is so quiet that I can't hear it running at all! We were able to find the finish we wanted and the models we were looking for and it was something we had put off till retirement - now we have it done!

That has truly been the main focus during the day for Mark. I have been reading a lot and writing a little too, as well as learning a bit about guitar. So first, the question of why? Why guitar at this point in my life?

Let me explain...I think it is helping me to confront failure. To be honest, it has been quite a long time since I have not done reasonably well at something. I learn quickly, and usually can do things fairly easily. Not guitar! I really wanted to face this frustration and see how I deal with it. I have been a teacher for enough years to know about how I saw students facing their frustrating lack of ability to learn things quickly, and I think it helps me to understand it better. I wish that I could play, because it really is a skill I would like to possess. But believe me, I am not finding it easy at all.

The guitar is representative of "learning about learning". If I ever do post a video of me playing at all, it will be a huge victory for me. Confidence is currently lacking, but I do love the guitar, and it is pretty. A gift from a husband who believes in my journey to get better. He always encourages me to work at things, and if he didn't - I would never have been anyone's teacher. From the outset, he believed I would pass the teaching exams, he said I would be good at every single thing I ever was good at doing. I have had 40 years of a strength that provided me with the confidence I needed to have success. I know that he will prompt me to practice, get better, and gain confidence. More students need to see a person in their life that believes in them and in their abilities. Once they have that, they learn, they get better, and they fly.



Mentor someone you know.