Resolution Update - April 2026

I started the first day of April with a not so fun medical procedure. But the hope is to find answers to questions and pains I've had for decades. Unfortunately there aren't any answers other than that my body responds in an "odd" way so I will just continue down the long road of medical mysteries. 

I feel like I've hit the wall. I'm breaking down, not sure if I want to do this work anymore for the first time in years, feeling like I have nothing more of myself to give and the place that says they care and we're family don't back that up. I am in a city 2000 miles away from family, very few friends and feeling very lonely. It's hard to not just cry every day. 

1. Save for my future - I've hit my savings goal for my Summer Vacation AND started spending that on accommodations. When I saw my bank statement I had to remind myself I'd saved and prepared for that and it was OKAY. 

2. Travel more I had ZERO intention of doing any major traveling for spring break, but unfortunately I had a funeral to attend in Minnesota and ended up going home for break. I booked a Memorial weekend get away to Southern WA and I could also start to plan some of my travel for the summer this month. 

But in starting to book summer travel I am brought right back to intensive grief. On my road trip planner is lunch with Barb. I was originally thinking I wouldn't go through Austin, but now, after the funeral I will try to schedule something with my cousin. It was good to reconnect with my mom's family. It had been nearly a decade since I'd seen some of them, unfortunately that was at another funeral. We need to do better. 

3. Don't cry over men - I did a lot of crying to kick off this month. And while the words my cousin said about his mom did make me cry, it's not the same as this goal. I am grateful for how my dad stepped up to be supportive of my mom, brother and her family this month even though they haven't been married for nearly 15 years. It made me sad for the non-existent condolences from my ex-husband. But no tears were shed for him, even if sad about it. 

Cried for other reasons this month, some attached to my personal life- so yes some because of or in spite of men, some attached to work, some- a lot because I'm exhausted. 

4. Find Joy in work April kicks off with Spring Break and the ends with the last unit before my big financial project. I actually do enjoy teaching this content and the kids typically like learning it. 

Unfortunately I really didn't enjoy my job this month. Not because of the kids. Honestly it's never the kids. But I didn't get the transfer I wanted, maybe next year. I have had 2 really crappy and heart breaking days in a row and felt completely defeated. 

I did end the month on a high. I gave a really good presentation Wednesday about preparing students with disabilities for college, and on Thursday, our district Superintendent came and hung out in my Math Models class for a bit and the hum of math conversations brought me joy. I wish I'd had more days like these last 2, but maybe it's a sign of what's to come for the rest of the year.  

5. Get rid of 500+ items Last month I cleared the 500 mark. I don't feel the need to do major purges at this point but will continue to keep track of what I do give away, throw away and use up. I can finally see the clothing I own and am keeping track of how much I reach for the same things and if there are things I'm not reaching for month after month I will give them away. 

Total out for April: 14

Give away

6 Piece of clothing

2 tech items

Used up

3 Skin Care products

1 Sample

2 Hair care products

6. Keep learning -

Lessons in April:   17                         Total Hours in April: 11.45

Current Running total prior to April: 174 Episodes and 89.15 hours

I didn't listen nearly as much in April as I had planned to because I ended up being with Family for a week and frankly exhausted and dealing with depression and anxiety the rest of the month. 

• America's State Parks- By National Geographic -  JAN: The man lecturing claims to be an expert but as someone whose been to a lot of these places, his pronunciation sounds like someone who has no idea what he's talking about as he is saying words phonetically that I promise you no local would every say that way.  They also don't include any MN state parks when talking about the Great lakes, which is nothing but a disappointment. Certainly good to learn about potential travel opportunities for my cross country drives, but has several short comings. Listened to 3 this month. FEB:8 more this month Made it through the ones that currently interest me- things along drives I will be doing this year. Got good ideas for trips I already have planned. I may circle back to the rest of them at some point, but for now I feel good about what I've learned and that I can actually use it in the next 12 months. March Update: Nothing April Update: Strong Desire to go back to the east coast and explore New England. 
• The Geography of the National Parks- By National Geographic New for February. I am not doing these in order I am doing them based on upcoming trips, So I started with Joshua Tree and Death Valley and moved on to summer trips though I find it all very interesting.  There are 36 lectures in this series and I have currently done 7. March Update: I watched 11 this month. I appreciate that they discuss geography of similar national parks in both Canada and Mexico, reminding me of just how special this country is and cementing my goals of seeing more of America without feeling so much pressure to see what else is out there globally as we have so much here. April Update: watched the episode on Big Bend. It's a pain to try to get to but I look forward to enjoying it on it's own at some point, looks like it has so much to offer. 
• World's Greatest Paintings New In March: There are 24 lectures in this series and I can already tell this will be a slow roll.  I have long been visiting and learning about the AP art curriculum thanks to my work bestie who teaches the class and in supporting her in creating rubrics and materials that are more accessible. Every year there is 1-2 AP scores that surprise me. This past year there was 1 in particular that got under my skin as it felt like a personal opinion and not an art critique. I want to better understand how people may be trained to explore great art and potentially by connection give meaningful thoughts when I talk to students about their work.  April Update: nothing to update
• Great American Musical: Broadway New in April A 200 year journey through the history of American Musical Theatre.  This series got me back into enjoying Great Courses this month. A history of a type of music I have loved most of my life and it's intersection with race, expectations and culture.