Pip Pip Hurray!

Feedback is something that I took kind of a long time to learn and appreciate. I have always strived for perfection in my life, but growing up I hated receiving feedback and constructive criticism. I think this probably stems from immaturity, but now that I am older, I have learned the importance and goodness that comes with receiving feedback well and using it to your own advantage. At the camp in Arkansas I work at during the summers, the leadership team puts a large emphasis on adjusting and affirming feedback. Adjusting feedback is giving and receiving feedback that adjusts and suggests changes to what you are doing, and affirming feedback encourages what you are doing. I really appreciate feedback of both types because they both show how you can continue to improve and get closer to being the best version of yourself.  Feedback!  One of the articles I read, " 6 Hidden Downsides of Perfectionism ," was incredibly convicting to me because I often think of perfectioni...

Narrowing down my brainstorming to four potential topics was definitely difficult, but it was neat to get to do some research about things that I have either previously been interested in, or have always wanted to learn more about. Ruth and Boaz - I have always loved the story of Ruth and Boaz and the loyalty that is shown throughout this book of the Bible. While I was researching and reading a little more about this book, I thought it would be interesting to writing a storybook that is a series of diary entries by Ruth. The entries would be about her time with Boaz, as well as her relationship with her mother in law and the hardships they went through when Ruth's first husband died. Going forward with this topic, I would want to do more research on Ruth as a person and what her perspective was, if there is any information on that. Also, I would like to know more about the characteristics of Boaz so I could accurately retell their love story. Ruth and Boaz by Walter T. Crane...

The Lonely Lion's New Love One day, a lion named Androcles left his cave and his family in search of something more. He was tired of living the same life and doing the same, mundane things every single day. He needed change and excitement because, after all, he was middle-aged and still had not found his mate. After leaving his cave, he wandered for what felt like weeks. He came across no lionesses that seemed like a good fit for him, and he was beginning to become dejected. All of a sudden, he heard the most horrible, saddening cry. He was frightened by the noise, but was brave and so went to see what caused the awful shriek. As he got closer and closer to the cry, he was able to see that it was a beautiful gazelle. Androcles saw that the gazelle was trapped in a roped netting that was presumably set up by a hunter. The gazelle was so terrified that she did not even see Androcles approach the trap. He circled the netting, trying to find a way to save the gazelle, selfishly doin...

Character Charting Strategy: Greatest Strength: The Man in the Moon The main character is bold . He is willing to ask for what he wants even if it takes multiple tries.  Pygmalion He was very artistic and creative in that he sculpted a figure so real that he began to believe the piece of art was actually real.  The Tiger He shows grace and allows the Brahman to go try to get advice and not be eaten by the tiger.  The Brahman He is determined to try to find someone to help him so that he does not get eaten by the tiger.  The Jackal He is smart and very sneaky so that he can help the Brahman escape the tiger. Androcles and the Lion This was my favorite story I read...Androcles was caring and brave in that he helped a lion that could have hurt him.  The Lion was kind and grateful in that he spared Androcles' life because Androcles helped the lion early on in the story.  Greatest Weakness: The Man in the Moon Main ch...

Reading Overview: Choose from CLASSICAL and/or BIBLICAL units for Weeks 3 and 4. Week 3: Bible Women Week 4: Noah and the Ark Choose from MIDDLE EASTERN and/or INDIAN units for Weeks 5 and 6. Week 5: Arabian Nights Week 6: Bidpai Choose from ASIAN and/or AFRICAN units for Weeks 7 and 9. [Week 8 is review week.] Week 7: Nigerian Folk Stories Week 9: Filipino Popular Tales Choose from NATIVE AMERICAN units for Weeks 10 and 11. Week 10: Tejas Legends Week 11: American Indian Fairy Tales Choose from BRITISH and/or CELTIC units for Weeks 12 and 13. Week 12: Nursery Rhymes Week 13: Alice in Wonderland Choose from EUROPEAN units for Weeks 14 and 15. Week 14: Italian Popular Tales Week 15: Brothers Grimm (Crane) I chose all of the above stories because I remembered a lot of them from childhood, and I was drawn to the familiarity of them. I am really excited to get to read different versions of stories that I grew up hearing, and getting to dig deep...

There's no time like the present to strategize my time and prioritize the different aspects of my schedule. Something I have continuously learned over the past three years of my college career is time management. I was horrible at first...absolutely horrible. I could never find a balance between social life and schoolwork, and I struggled to figure out my priorities. Each semester, I have found myself improving my time management skills because I have figured out what is most important to me. Last year as a whole, I finally was able to find a really good balance between school and social life, and so I plan on continuing that this year. In order for me to be successful, I have to schedule my days meticulously. I allow myself the mornings to have "me time;" reading, working out, and finishing up little tasks that I did not complete the day before. After my morning time, I go to class, and then I make myself work on school and studying until after dinner (around 7pm). Afte...

I am not good at technology in the slightest, so I would be lying if I said I had no fears or hesitations for learning a lot of new websites and technological information. I am unfamiliar with many of these tools, but I am anxious to learn about them, and I am also really grateful to have the opportunity to branch out and not be stuck on Canvas. All of my other online classes have strictly used Canvas, and so this is all new to me. Yay technology! Technology by Nick Young 

If you are a Bachelor fan, you'll understand my reference when I say I am going to award one assignment the First Impression Rose. The assignment that caught my attention most, seems most intriguing and fun, and is what I am looking forward to most is Storytelling. After reading about the different types of assignments and extra credit opportunities we will have, I found myself drawn to the Storytelling because of its open-endedness. I like that we can be creative and come up with new types of storytelling, and I am excited to stretch myself in order to become more creative. I also want to try the Wikipedia Trails extra credit- this seems right up my alley! This class is very different from any class I've ever taken- it's more creative, more flexible, and seemingly more fun! I am really excited to see what this class is going to be like, and what I will learn over the next 15 weeks. First Impression Rose- by Liz West 

Growth Mindset! I think this is the neatest thing. In the past, I had never heard of the term "growth mindset" but I do know what it is and I have had teachers and older mentors in my life instill the growth mindset in me and encourage it in me, which I am really thankful for. I think my personality type is incredibly focused on growth (sometimes too much, I often find myself seeking perfection instead of healthy growth), and I have seen this in my schoolwork and other extracurriculars. Schoolwise, I haven't always had a healthy growth mindset perspective. It wasn't until this year that I learned to appreciate failure and challenges as opportunities for growth, and learned that one does not have to be perfect or perform perfectly in order to grow. Realizing this and going through this perspective shift really helped me to decrease my stress levels, enjoy life more, and actually perform better in school and extracurriculars. I also think the growth mindset can apply to...

Hi friends! Welcome to my blog :) My name is Piper, but most of my friends call me a slew of nicknames like Pipe, Pipey, Pipes, Pipeydoodle, Pip (hence Pip Pip Hurray)... you get the point! I am a student at the University of Oklahoma, and I am currently finishing up my last semester before I graduate (don't remind me, I'm getting emotional about it). I am from Tulsa, OK originally, and I would love to go back someday, but my future is pretty up in the air right now so I am not sure when that might be. I am studying Health and Exercise Science with an emphasis on Pre-Occupational Therapy, and the goal would be to start OT school in Summer 2020. I'm super passionate about people and forming relationships, which is what drew me to OT. I love the idea of working in a profession that allows me to make new friends, love others, and solve problems all at the same time. As well as my many nicknames, my friends call me an old lady at heart. I love to read (most recent book- Where...

I looked through many of the storybooks, but I was drawn to stories that I could best relate with. The stories I will be summarizing are BadAss Biblical Women, Sponge Stories, and Odysseus Goes Shopping. Reading the titles, it's hard to understand how I could relate to all three of these because they are so different, but this will become clear as I summarize them. Thanks for reading, friends! Yes please! Sticky buns   BadAss Biblical Women: I loved this storybook because I was able to relate it to my own religious background and because I think there are so many bad a** women in the Bible who are not spoken for or remembered! These women would not have been spoken about in the Bible if they did not have a purpose, and so I think it's super cool that the author of this storybook noticed that and did her part to represent and share their stories. The author did a great job of giving biblical details while also finding outside knowledge of these women, and weaving it tog...

Since the age of 3 years old, I have spent every weekend in the summer and most weekends throughout the rest of the year at Grand Lake in Oklahoma. This place is special to me in so many ways. From every Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, to countless family reunions and gals' weekends, Grand Lake has been home for me. Over the past 18 years I have spent at Grand Lake, I've learned so much about living a "lake life" on the water, as well as life skills that I use when I'm not even at the lake. My parents taught me all of the water sports imaginable, how to generously and lovingly host others by sharing things and places we love and know well, and encouraged me to not be afraid of the unknown or of new things that come with time on the lake. Not only is this lake absolutely beautiful and vast, but it carries sentimental value that is unmatchable in my book. Grand Lake Oklahoma- Photo by JDMcGreg  I come here with my fami...

hi all you new friends!  this is new to me too :)  I never pictured myself as a blogger, but here we are, so let's see what adventure this takes us on!