Right Wisdom

 In just a few short weeks the kids will be heading back to school. I head back on Monday. I'm a teacher and with school just around the corner I want to reflect on those days of anticipation when we made that pilgrimage back to school. As a teacher heading back to school is excitement (at least for me). A chance to see a new batch of kids, teach a subject you love (math), and interact with colleagues. As parents it was great to get the kids back to a regular routine and done telling you they are bored. I'm sending one off to college so he won't even be around, it will be different being an empty nester.  Kids heading back to school was different. While it is possible we didn't mind connecting with friends, getting some new clothes, or learning something new it was that sense of rigidness that we didn't like. It was having to follow a routine. The summer was a time to be free, do what you want (within reason), play with friends, sleep in, and not eat school lunches....

  There aren't many words that rhyme with purple so I can understand why the University of Wisconsin Whitewater doesn't use any in their slogans. Here are a few of those words that are exact rhymes but there are others that you can twist or make work. Curple : A term referring to the hindquarters of a horse. Hirple : A Scottish term meaning to walk with a limp. Empurple : To make something purple. Interpel : To interrupt or question someone formally. You might wonder why am I mentioning UW Whitewater and the color purple? Last week we took our son to orientation at the campus and their colors are purple and white. It is a beautiful campus and Whitewater Wisconsin is a beautiful little town. Last summer we took a tour but this time was more about registering and learning more about the school and expectations. We did do some walking but we didn't have to hirple around the campus.  The school comes up with little slogans but none of them rhyme with purple. We got water bottle...

 This week I'm on vacation in northern Minnesota. I want to share some sights and sounds of where I went and what I did. Every summer we go to Wilderness Point Resort in Pequot Lakes. During this time, my son always plans another side trip that he and I take. This year our side trip consisted of a trip to Rainy River in Ontario, Canada, along with several stops along the way. My son collects city halls he takes pictures of them and posts them on a discord server. Our first stop was a visit to the Walker, MN city hall. Along the way to Canada we also stopped and got city hall photos for the following cities: Cass Lake, Black Duck, and Kelliher.  A big highlight was getting out in Shooks and taking a picture at the Royal Shooks Motel. Shooks is an unincorporated community, but at the intersection of highways 1 and 72 is the hotel, conveniently located in the middle of nowhere. In Minnesota and the upper Midwest, there is the legend of Paul Bunyan. We like to visit as many of the...

 I used to write a lot on this blog about leadership and you can still read all of those blog postings. I may still write about leadership but this blog and my other two will focus on things I enjoy. Not to say I don't enjoy leadership but I'll be mixing it up more. I have a bible verse for the week blog and a sport blog and those will focus on those things.  This Blog will focus on leadership, politics, trips, math and topics I find interesting. Today I want to mention that I started a YouTube channel on math topics. I posted my first one last week and it dealt with finding 10s when adding a lot of numbers together. Whether you like math or find it to be the worst thing in the world please know that math is everywhere and in everything you do. Math isn't about crunching numbers, it isn't made to torture you. Math is more about problem solving, understanding processes, and making things easier. Everyone can be successful in math; you just have to understand the language...

 In two days, America will be 250 years old. I remember celebrating the 200th birthday of America, they had special quarters to commemorate the occasion and there were parades and other events surrounding the celebration. It really brought everyone in America together with a sense of pride and love for the country, despite what the country had gone through.   Fast forward 50 years, and the climate of America isn't too different from that of 1976, when America was divided about the Vietnam War, Watergate, and the 60s civil rights movement. There are people out there today who hate America and they live in this country. To me America is still the greatest country on earth.  The freedoms we have in America are unmatched, and the ability to write your own destiny and be what you want to be is up to you. The government isn't going to tell you what career you need to go into. They aren't going to stop your creativity or your ingenuity. On the flip side however don't expect...

 This week I'm writing about upcoming festivals for this weekend. I'd love to hear from you about festivals you've attended and ones you would like to go to. There are always a lot more than I highlight here in my blog. Make sure if none of these pique your curiosity then do some research on ones you might like. MINNESOTA FESTIVALS: Afton Strawberry Festival (Afton, MN): June 27th to June 28th: Are you interested in visiting a historic small town on the beautiful St. Croix river? Then head to Afton this weekend. They are holding their annual Strawberry Festival. This free outdoor event features over 80 makers and artists, vintage vendors, and delicious strawberry-themed treats.  Afton Strawberry Festival Dan Patch Days (Savage, MN): June 25th to June 28th: First of all, the big question is: Who is Dan Patch? Dan Patch was a standardbred pacer from the early 1900s when harness racing was a huge sport. He was the fastest pacer at the time. If you want to stay closer to the ...