hey there!

Okay, so I've tried to do this before. I used to be a consistant journaler, a consistant writer for that matter, but like with anything, once out of the habit, it's hard to get back in. For that reason, I am happy to be pretty much forced back into the habit. And here it is: my very own blog.

But, before I really get rolling with the words and paragraphs and posts, let me introduce myself a little bit. I come from the Des Moines area and as much as a place can help define a person, Des Moines is a part of me. A small city with one skyscraper, the city is just friendly, plain and simple. I also come from a close-knit family. Like Russell Baker's essay in Inventing the Truth, I come from a fairly large, but close, family. I wouldn't have it any other way though; these are the people, my aunts, uncles, cousins, and of course, parents and brothers, that shape me in every way, including my writing. More on that later, I am sure.

As far as me as a writer: I dabble. I used to journal all the time, pages upon pages of words, the occasional picture. To look at the pages of those high school days, one really can know how I felt about life, about friends, family, school and every other facet of a teenager's life, by the font that I used. I have complete pages of two words or a sentence that resonated with me at the time in big, bold letters. Angst, I know, but I was so passionate about words. Somewhere in college, amongst the piles of books and assigned essays, I stopped writing for myself. (Seriously though, I love buying books at the beginning of the semester and unloading the stack in front of my business and nursing friends; they're always impressed by the sheer amount of books I am required to read.)

In another course I took within the College of Education, we learned about different forms of literacy. Blog-writing seems to be a relatively new one, something that teachers are starting to use in their classrooms. I didn't know how I felt about using the blog as a means for students to journal and express themselves when we discussed the matter in class. I see this assignment for this class as a way to test out the assignment for myself. I figure that if I enjoy it, if I can use it as a stress-reliever or a way to improve my own writing or get to know my fellow classmates, then maybe I would want to incorporate it into my classroom in the future. This is an experiment of sorts.

To end this very first post, I will explain the title of my blog: what we imagine ourselves to be. Over the last two years, I have had the great pleasure of getting to know an incredible professor in the English department. At some point in every one of these courses, no matter the subject matter, she quoted Kurt Vonnegut who said, "We are what we imagine ourselves to be." This sentence worked its way into my mind and thus, into my daily life and, ultimately, my teaching philosophy. It stuck. Now it is the title of my blog, the perfect summary of how I wish to live my life: with the understanding that I can be who I want to be. If I wish to be smart or funny or enthusiastic or happy, I can create that if I imagine myself that way.

Growing up, my dad used to say the same thing to my brothers and I when we left for school in the mornings, backpacks loaded, blury-eyed: "make it a good day." He could have said, "have a good day" but instead, he said "make it a good day." His sentiment echoes Vonnegut's, we have the ability to be all the good we want to be, it is in our power to change our attitude, our habits (writing included), our days, and our lives...but only if we choose to.

"We are what we imagine ourselves to be."