Birthdays, Hikes, and Speeches
A few weekends ago, our family made a trip out to Ice House Reservoir, a beautiful state park on the way to Tahoe. If you are looking for a weekend in the woods but don’t want to go all the way to Tahoe, this is a great area to go to. We hiked all around and saw some amazing views. It’s a great time of year, isn’t it? The trees start to change colors, the weather gets a little cooler, the kids head back to school, and we get closer to the holidays. I always enjoy the start of fall.
Of course, I might be a bit biased, because September is my birthday month. This year, I’m turning 45, and my sister is joining us for the celebration. We’ll all be heading to Tahoe to spend some quality time together, hiking and enjoying the great outdoors. I couldn’t ask for anything more, and I’m excited to turn 45! Life gets better and better with each year. I have an amazing family, I love what I do, and I get to work with amazing people every day. I feel so blessed, especially with the newest addition to our family – a half Maltese, half poodle pup named Happy. We named him that because he’s so happy! He loves getting his belly rubbed. We adopted him from a shelter, and we’ve been really enjoying the joy he brings to our home.
Fall also means back to school season, and while it’s a little challenging to get back into the routine, (especially returning to early bedtimes) we all adjust to the schedule — including parents! It’s great to see young learners come home with new assignments and build upon their skills from last year.
In my school days, my favorite subject was speech and debate. I know public speaking is a big fear for a lot of people, but I’ve always enjoyed it. We got to travel for different competitions, and I learned how to become a good speaker. That early experience has helped me so much in my career. It was great to have the opportunity to get better at it, because speaking and communicating well are some of the most important skills to have.
I remember one of the topics I chose to speak on was why people should be vegetarian. I’d read a couple books at the time, including “Diet for a New America,” and they made me a hardcore vegetarian. I put together a whole speech on the topic. Unfortunately, my audience wasn’t as excited about it as I was — I think there were too many meat lovers in the crowd!
These days, I’ve switched back to eating chicken and fish because I felt like I needed more protein. Still, I remember debating passionately about that topic. It’s pretty interesting to see how what we learn can change the way we think and behave.
I hope you and your family have a great fall season! To all the learners out there, keep it up! And if you get the chance, I recommend a stop to the Ice House area to get outside and enjoy this season.