First found on Life Lessons Around The Dinner Table.

Week #47: Opportunities You’ve Been Given.

I’m grateful that so many people have come into my life, helping me open doors that I didn’t think were possible.

It’s funny, I write this post as I’m reflecting on the going-away party that we attended on Friday night for Emily and Phil. Thanks to my mother, Emily came into my life in 2010 and helped give me one of the most important opportunities of my life – The internship I needed to graduate from Longwood!

Sadly, Emily and Phil are getting ready to officially move to Texas. But, I have a feeling there will be many opportunities to go visit them!

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Thinking back, I can list many opportunities that I’ve been given:

• Learning different instruments – Piano, then viola
• Traveling abroad – Two cruises in the 1990s, British Columbia (1998), Russia (2001), Europe (2005), Paris (2008)
• Participating in the IB program in high school
• Being a blood donor since 2005
• Going to Longwood for my college career
• Writing for and being on staff with Longwood’s student newspaper
• Holding a variety of jobs since college
• Gaining valuable experience through work and volunteering
• Being accepted into several different organizations – Alpha Sigma Tau, PEO, etc.
• Working toward a paralegal degree
• Becoming a Certified Professional Coder
• Participating in National Novel Writing Month three times, so far
• Improving this little blog of mine over the last several years

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For me, I think of every new day as a new opportunity to make a difference. It doesn’t have to be anything big. Think random acts of kindness. I’ve participated in a few drive-thru “pay it forward” chains before, as well as holding doors for people, thanking those in uniform for their service, and just being kind. I haven’t read the book or seen the movie yet, but I think of Wonder and I think “choose kind.”

I look forward to future opportunities, and I’m grateful for every one.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

First found on Life Lessons Around The Dinner Table.

Week #46: Technology.

I’m grateful for technology, for the most part. It’s changed my life in multiple ways.

When we first got Internet at my parents’ house, it was the mid-1990s. It was revolutionary! It’s amazing how far things have come in just the last 20 years.

However, I find myself looking to escape technology as well. Since I work on a computer all day for my job, there are many days where I come home and I don’t want to look at any screens! It’s a hard thing to balance.

What about you? Are you grateful for technology?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

First found on Life Lessons Around The Dinner Table.

Week #45: What You Do For Fun.

I could go on for a long time about what I like to do for fun.

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June 2017 – Al took this photo before we hopped on. We love riding around our neighborhood – Very safe and quiet. We certainly work up a good sweat! The only change we’ll make is better bike seats!

Image Credit: Nevada Preps

I’m grateful that I’m physically able to ride my bike and play softball. Al just bought lights for our bikes so we can ride them in the evenings – Yay! I would love to get back into softball – I played on a church team several years ago, and I miss it!

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Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia. Image Credit: Theme Park Review

Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. Image Credit: Kings Dominion

In the same vein, I love visiting different amusement parks. Roller coasters are the best! I’m glad that I’m able to ride them. They definitely make my heart race and my voice hoarse. I’ve been fortunate to have been to Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Kings Dominion multiple times, along with Water Country USA. As a kid, I went to several in California, Florida, and Pennsylvania.

One of my big goals is to visit Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. So many coasters! I also like the water rides. Plus, it’s a great way to spend time with friends and family.

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Gummy Drop is one of my favorites! Image Credit: Big Fish Games

Have you played any of the Roller Coaster Tycoon games? Image Credit: RCTgo

I had this! I wonder if my parents still have the game CDs! Image Credit: Amazon

I also enjoy playing games on my phone, iPad, and computer. Right now, I like several different match-3 games, but I also want to get all the Roller Coaster Tycoon and Carmen Sandiego games for my PC again. Those bring back so many childhood memories!

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Image Credit: YouTube

Traveling is another fun thing. We’re saving money for New York City right now!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

First found on Life Lessons Around The Dinner Table.

Week #44: Your Favorite Holiday.

I’ve always loved Christmas. As I’ve mentioned before, most of my childhood Christmases were spent in Florida with my grandparents. However, I have fond memories of my church’s Christmas Eve services – I sang in the children’s choir for several years during the 5:00 p.m. service. The traditional 7:30 p.m. service has Christmas carols, and the last song has almost always been “Silent Night,” sung by candlelight as the sanctuary lights are turned out. It gives me chills now just thinking about it.

I’m not a fan of the commercialization, however, especially in the last few years. We’re already seeing Christmas commercials on TV. We walked into Lowe’s in Norfolk over the weekend, and we were blasted with Christmas decorations when we walked in! I try to remember the true reason for the season.

As we kick off November, I’m excited for lower temperatures and Thanksgiving. But, in about a month, my Christmas spirit will begin to kick in. I can’t wait to decorate our Christmas tree with Al, play festive music, and enjoy several parties and holiday activities.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

First found on Life Lessons Around The Dinner Table.

Week #43: A Mentor / Teacher.

Thinking about this week’s post, I remembered writing a different blog post about the wonderful math teacher I had for three years in high school, Mrs. Zwemer.

Here’s the link to that post, from September 2016:

• Getting Personal #35: Back to School

I’ll let you read the original post, but I think of Mrs. Zwemer every single day. Sadly, the evil beast that is cancer took her from this world far too soon. I found the program from her funeral this past weekend at my parents’ house, and she’s been on my mind ever since. She made me appreciate math, and that’s a big feat in my eyes!

When I think of Buzz Lightyear, it reminds me of Mrs. Zwemer and her classroom. To infinity and beyond!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂