Each year in July I like to celebrate the birthday of my blog (see 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th , and 6th birthday posts). I’m not sure why I didn’t write a post last year, but I imagine my mind was in other places since I was two weeks into a new job, learning lots! I love reading back through those posts and seeing how far I’ve come. Back in 2012-2013 I wrote about someday possibly writing a book about coaching teachers.  In October of 2019 my book, The Coach ADVenture, was published!

Rereading the list of all the places I traveled between 2012-2018 made me both happy and sad. Happy because I LOVE traveling and I have fond memories of all of those trips; sad because we are currently living in a global pandemic and I have no plans to get on an airplane for any major trip anytime soon.

Since July 2018 when I last capture some blog milestones, here is what’s been on the blog:

• My word of 2019 was shine (and it came through often, and when I needed it!)
• My word of 2020 is grace (and it made itself known me in 2019 and has been exactly what I needed this year!).
• I spent all of 2019 rereading and reflecting on Elena Aguilar’s Onward, focused on educator resiliency
• I read 89 books in 2019!
• I started a Green Schools blog series (and then paused it when COVID-19 hit!)
• I spent a lot of time on Instagram during quarantine, documenting my daily neighborhood walks
• I completed the ACSA Superintendent’s Academy
• I started a new job in a new district (and then learned how to lead by working from home during a global pandemic!)
• To continue the travel list, since July 2018, I have traveled to:
  • Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
  • Las Vegas, Nevada (multiple friend trips)
  • Oakland, CA (multiple family trips)
  • Sacramento, CA (ACSA work)
  • Grenada (annual Caribbean girls’ trip)
  • Lincoln, Nebraska (concert #3 of the summer of ’19)
  • Hawaii
  • Victoria, Canada
  • London, England
  • Iceland
  • Cupertino, CA (to visit Apple)

I love having this blog, knowing there is a place I can capture my monthly reading and my random reflections, keeping a history of where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing. As always, looking forward to more of this writing journey. Thanks for coming along!