The story of Sadie and how I knew Luci would always be my friend.

An English professor had given out an assignment to make a lesson plan and teach the class for a day. I did some research and found the perfect experiment for my lesson that focused on empathy. After a few preparations were made, and many discussions with my professor were had, my time had come. I walked into the room with a scowl on my face and aggression in my step, and forcefully banged my books on the table. I glared at my fellow classmates for a moment, left the room only to reappear with a fish bowl, which I placed on the table. Inside was a little gold fish named Sadie. Giving them an indignant scan, I began talking to my class firmly, “ No one is to speak. No one is to get out of his or her seats. If anyone even moves in the slightest I will flunk you for this lesson and you will lose a letter grade. Do I make myself clear?” All eyes were on me and not a sound could be heard. I proceeded to take Sadie out of her bowl and plop her down on the table. I sat down in a chair and waited for what seemed like an eternity, watching my little fish flop around. Not one person stood up; no one blinked. This classroom full of a diverse group of grown adults sat there and watched my fish slowly die; then Luci stood up. Luci calmly got to her feet, walked over to Sadie and put her back in the bowl. She then looked me squarely in the eyes and said, “That is not cool.”

Though disappointed in my fellow classmates for their lack of compassion, I did realize it only takes one individual to take a stance against adversity. Education is one of my stepping-stones towards enhancing my ability to stand up and make changes, as well as to apply my knowledge in a relevant and innovative manner. My decisions about how to build or design can significantly impact the quality of life for individuals in that community. Making powerful, positive decisions on how to manage the land is a responsibility I will not take lightly. I want to help evolve the process of building our environments, by fostering connectable and influential designs, to do my part to create beautiful, functional, and artful spaces that help bring together the people that use it.

School Work

Minnesota Arboretum garden study.

The state of the garden.

Tomatoes.

Butterfly and bee- BFF!

Chimes with skateboard wheel!

Potted plants.

Grass plumes.


Snake gourd.

Clematis fuzzy wuzzy.


Lantern.


Blazing Star.


Humming Bird feeder.


Last blooms.


Just a part of our snake gourd collection we have been growing.


The fire pit patio.


It's a jungle!

I went on a five day workshop on site analysis in Itasca State Park last weekend and was particularly moved by the prairie we saw. The sounds of the wind, the movement of the grass and the shape of the landscape were sensational. I sat on a hill and watched the activity of the plants, as well as the cloud shadows roll across the land, and it reminded me of the ocean. I felt like I was flowing with prairie, moving along with it, being swept away..

When you need a smile..

This video always has me and the kids buckled over with laughter!

Balance

If I could reign in these elements to a nice even balance, life would be steadfast. But what fun is that?

A crazy storm rolled through and I snapped a few pictures of some super cool clouds!