The Greatest Good..

"The greatest good you can do for another

is not just to share your riches

but to reveal to him his own."

~ Benjamin Disraeli

Organic Cotton Tees

I bought an Organic Cotton Tee a couple of weeks ago from a Cold Water Creek Clothing store in LAs Vegas, and to be honest I bought it because it was on clearance for a really good deal. So, I brought it home and tried it on... It is the best tee shirt that I own! It is so comfortable! I know I will buy more! It's crazy what they can make clothes out of these days! It's amazing that a tee shirt can now be made out of recycled plastic bags and recycled water bottles....

The Forecast...

Friday, partally cloudy and 68 degrees.. Spring!!! Nice!!! Where's my sandal's!!
Saturday, cloudy and 61 degrees.. Spring!! Still Nice!! Still nice enough to wear sandals!
Sunday, snowing and 38 degrees.. What!! We are going backwards Mother Nature... No!!

Sunday's forecast for Cheri... Staying in, closing the blinds, and waiting it out! I can't bare to look at any more snow! Humm.. I think it's a perfect day for a movie day! I'll let yea know!

That's Nevada for yea!

My Sanctuary...

As a teenager, you can only imagine what went through my small closed mind when we pulled into the small town of Elko, Nv. on a family vacation, and my parents informed me, that Elko would be my home someday, I remember thinking to myself.. "Over my dead body, will I EVER live in this small dessert place, with no mall!" Well, two years later, my world came crashing down on me when my husband and I made the difficult decision to travel across the unforgiven wilderness in search of a better life, and to learn the ways of this foreign land.

Well, it has been 13 years and we are still in Nevada. Opportunities knock on our door every so often and beckon us to leave. We allow these ideas to tease us for a short while before, we dismiss them and return to our life in this enchanting land. You have to be of a unique way of thinking to love the Silver State. No ordinary person passing by could ever see it's beauty, but it is here. The endless fields of undisturbed sagebrush rustling in the crisp breeze singing, "freedom," freedom from urban hustle and bustle, industrialization, and scarring from human hands. You can drive for miles and miles on these lonely roads and never encounter another human being. Heavily populated areas that dangle from the edges of the atlas are the only exception to this, and are only an exception.

People hear the name Nevada, and can only associate it with gambling and prostitution. They immediately think of "Sin City", Yucca Mountain, and mines that resemble dangerous landfills. If they could only look deeper they would see the inner beauty of a state rich in valuable resources, history and culture. Glacier water that flows from mountains, and crystal clear springs, gold pouring from hills, and soil that is home to all creatures that roam her lands; and wealth beyond comprehension.

Its precious gold runs thick through my veins. Nevada is my shelter from the world. It is here where I am the happiest. It is here where I have spread my wings, and can go after my dreams. It is here where I can raise my child in a safe environment. It is here where I can grow. It is here where I have found myself. It is here where my husband's career now makes it possible for us to live anywhere, but we choose Nevada, not only for its economical advantages, but it is here where we have the feeling of sanctuary.

I can remember a time when I would have given anything for a chance to leave this dry dessert place, but as life went on, I realized that there were great things in store for me here.. at home. Home... I am connected to this place, all of my memories are here; my future is here. Nevada means more than just home to me. It is where I am inspired to chase after my dreams.

There is no other midnight sky that shines as bright as the sky above the Rubies, millions of stars gather in the midnight sky. A breath of fresh air is just that, pure and clean graced with the aroma of sagebrush and dust. Sounds of crickets and other small creatures accompanied by the occasional mine blast, are all that a person hears. The atmosphere here is a delight to the senses. The one place I have seen majesty of purple mountains, and the beauty of a Great Basin sunset, that fills the sky with colors galore.

It is here where I call.... home! This is my sanctuary....

NevAEYC Conference in Vegas..

Last weekend I went to Las Vegas to attend the annual NevAEYC conference, with a couple of girls from work. We got some new and exciting ideas to implement in the classroom.
I got the privilege of meeting John Archambault, who is the author of many favorite children's books, including one of my favorites, Boom Chicka Boom. It was the neatest thing to listen to him tell a story using a Cd, and his own voice. You can't beat the experience of listening to an author tell his own story the way he in visioned it to be told. It was the best!
We also meet Kathy Birk, who is an early childhood music specialist who has taught music for over thirty years. Kathy was so fun and exciting! We learned some very cute songs to teach to the kids. She has a website if your interested.. and she told us pictures of our conference should be going up any day.. go take a look! www.kidzintune.com
My favorite presenter was Frank Leto, who is an early childhood educator, a Montessori teacher, a professional musician, Orff music teacher and steel band director. Frank's approach is multicultural, and all of his songs are set to musical forms such as calypso, soca, reggae, Hawaiian, jazz, blues, salsa, samba, rumba, zydeco, African and Native American, all of which are played on traditional instruments. My favorite is the Echo Song, we sung this song at our graduation last year.. it was so cute!! I was thrilled to learn more from Frank Leto, and I was so inspired I bought more of his Cd's, and have already used them at school. I love his soft voice, and simple melodies..
It was a fantastic time, and I can't wait until next year! The conference being in Las Vegas never hurts either, especially when it's on my birthday! Being in Las Vegas on my Birthday was exciting!