Travels with Jeep - Breakfast Picnic

Jeep and I went on another trip in search of the perfect cup of coffee. This time we went to Dutch Brother's Coffee. 

As a teacher, I get gifts from my students. My favorite is their drawings or other little sentimental gifts. I also get gift cards to lots and lots of places. At the beginning of this year, I got a gift card to Dutch Brother's Coffee from a young man. I was hanging onto the gift card hoping that there would be a Dutch Bros. built closer to me. There isn't one in Magna and no plans for one to be built that I know off. The nearest one is around 3200 W. and 3500 S. which is not really that far away. 

I made my plan for our coffee trip. First, I would drive to Dutch Bros. on 3500 S. and then stop by a McDonald's for a breakfast biscuit. After getting everything we would drive to a park.  A good plan if it had not been on a Saturday morning.

There was a line at Dutch Bros., that took about 10 minutes or so to get my order, and then when I got to McDonald's there was yet another long line. By the time we drove to the park next to the animal shelter it had been 45 minutes since leaving home. Here is another kicker. The road into the park was blocked off by two huge cement barriers. Why? I have no idea. Jeep and I ended up parking behind the animal shelter facing the baseball field. 

The only people there were the occasional dog walkers from the shelter. So we were alone. I opened my moon roof to let some sun in and began eating my breakfast and enjoying my coffee.

Oh no, not my Dutch Bros. coffee but my McDonald's coffee that came with my breakfast biscuit and hash browns meal. I poured my fancy coffee into my travel mug to keep it hot. The breakfast was really good and fresh. Even the coffee was good, but not the coffee I expected to be drinking. After eating I wrote and read and drank some of the Dutch Bros. coffee. 

I can only give the coffee a 3 cup out of a 5 cup rating, here is why. First, they did not have a white chocolate mocha. The closest coffee to that was the Double Torture. I did not get the whipped cream on top, I usually don't. The coffee was a bit bitter and I just did not like the combination of chocolate milk and coffee. To be honest, I enjoyed the McDonald's coffee more. Another reason for the lower rating which has nothing to do with the coffee is that they were out of stickers. I still have about $4 remaining on my gift card which means I have to go back for more coffee and a sticker. Or, I might just give the card to one of my sons and they can fetch me a sticker. 

Next week I have plans to drive quite a bit farther than I have so far in search of good coffee. Come back and check out next week's Travels with Jeep installment (Oh, and you can buy me a cup of coffee by clicking on the donate button at the top right of this blog. I would be ever so grateful.)

Travels With Jeep - The Beginning

My New Adventure

My new car is a 2021 Jeep Compass Trailhawk. I bought it over a year ago and only have 3,150 miles on it. That is it. I just do not go anywhere except to work and perhaps to a friend's house or the store. It took me 9 months to get 2000 miles on it. Some of the last 1,000 plus miles were put on by a son. 

I love driving it. It is a great car and has all the bells and whistles. So why have I not gone places in it?  I am afraid to go places. Up until I got my jeep the furthest I would go in my truck is to work and back home. It takes so much energy to walk out the door. To overcome the fear of what is on the outside of that door. I have had this fear since 2007. There have been so many times when going out the front door has brought on full-blown panic attacks. I just can't do it. I know that it is not rationale because there is not anything out that door in which to be afraid of, other than what most people fear. So why is my fear so debilitating? Not sure, but I have it done the less. This year once again I have to make myself face that fear and walk out the front door get into my Jeep and just go somewhere. 

I have decided to go on little adventures in my Jeep. What I plan to do is to search out some coffee shops that are not the typical ones such as Starbucks and the like. Along with going to the coffee shop to sample new coffees I have a journal and a book to write and read for a bit. 

My first adventure: January 15, 2022, I went to Bad Ass Coffee at about 3700 S. in Salt Lake. It was a place that I have been going to for quite some time but never got around to going. Turns out that it was an excellent first choice for the first trip in my little adventure. 

The coffee was really good. Very smooth and hot. I am going to try and buy the same flavor of coffee at the places I go so that I can review them through that flavor. My usual flavor is a very hot white chocolate mocha with no whip cream and whole milk. 

Bad Ass Coffee offered this flavor. It is probably the best white chocolate mocha that I have ever had. At least in a very long time. Sometimes the Brew Monkey in Magna offers up a good cup of it but it all really depends on who is making the coffee that day. I am sure that Bad Ass Coffee has those Baristas that knock the socks off of others when it comes to making an excellent cup. The Barista on this day was spot on.  

On a scale of 1 cup to 5 cups, 5 being the highest mark of excellence and 1 being the least, Bad Ass Coffee gets a solid 5 cups! Not only was the coffee smooth, hot, a mouth orgasmic pleasure the atmosphere was cozy with eclectic vibes. The only tiny complaint is that the music might have been a bit loud at times, but that could just be me. At least, it was good music that was not jarring to the ears and soul. 

If you get a chance to visit the Bad Ass Coffee Company go for it. I believe that it is sure to please your pallet. 

5 cups out of 5 cups!!!

Nope, the Philosophy Club Didn't Exist

     There was only one student that signed up for the club. So sad. I was so wanting to have a club where we could read and discuss books and great ideas (and not so great.) I am not even going to try this school year. Perhaps I will start an old fashion salon in my room and only let adults participate. They could come for coffee or tea and chat. I really would like to have some adults to discuss stuff with. To be philosophical with.
     I did sign up for a book discussion class online. It is called Scholar Moms located on Abigail Adams Academy's website. The first discussion starts Septemeber 12th and the book will be The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. I have less than a month to read it and I have not even started. With getting back to work and all, I have not had the chance to sit down and read a book. Yes, I have read at night, but the book before bed is one that does not require thinking. Mr. Hugo's book will require some thinking and note-taking because it is for a class. Therefore, it is not one that can be read before bed. I will put it in my work bag and read whenever I get a moment or two. I am looking forward to the online discussion group. It is my hope that it gives me what I am so hungry for, and that is the ability to discuss books with adults. I will let you know how it went. For now, I must go and do my lesson plans for the coming week, the first week of school. Yay! Ciao, and be well, my friends.

Teaching Philosophy to Children

I am so excited! Next year I will be starting a Philosophy Club at the school where I teach. It will probably be geared towards the older students. Our school grades go up to 8th. Not sure if I will have it towards the upper students, the lower 4th-6th or a mixture of all ages. Anyway, I have the summer to think about it and to do more research on all the nuts and bolts of running a club geared towards philosophy and the art of thinking. I will let y'all know what was discovered.

Be well, be happy, my friends!

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This is where I got the cat cartoon above. Check out the artist's website.

The Many Faces of Me! From then to 2013

35 years old

Have I changed? Yes, of course, I have gotten older and hopefully wiser. What have I changed, my hair? A bit, it is still long and dark (thanks to the miracle of chemicals my secret is safe.) My weight? Yes, it has gone up, down, up and now going down to stay at an ideal weight for me. My eye color for some reason has gone from brown to hazel. A ring of green surrounding a circle of brown. 

Other than physical features, what has really changed about me? Between the age of 35 and now I have received two BA degrees; Philosophy and Art (plus the many, many hours towards a computer science/technician degree), and now I am working on getting my graduate degree in elementary education (MAT K-6) at the same college I earned my BAs. The question is, do I feel smarter? Yes, compared to what I was and now there is a big difference. I read more and deeper. I write a lot more and deeper than before. When there is someone whom I can have deep conversations with I take advantage of that opportunity. There is a down side to being an educated individual. I have only been able to find a few good friends who can indulge in a great conversation with me without getting angry. Most of the time I am carrying on that conversation in my head. A bit one sided when the conversation is going on within. There are many times when I feel stupid and insecure. I do or say something that is taken the wrong way, and then I have a hard time getting out of the situation. I am only human and subject to many flaws (I apologize if I have ever offended you.) 

2009

This brings me to my spiritual growth. How has my relationship with God changed? A lot! I am now a very proud member of the Baha'i Faith, and feel closer to God than I have ever felt in the past. Before I was 26 there was no religion in my life, but I believed in God and His son. Then I became a Mormon (LDS) and was content with it, but did not ever feel connected as a member. I believe that God is everywhere and not just in a building. He is in every thing and everyone. When I am in nature; a park, forest, desert, etc., is where I feel closest to God. I see His beauty all around me. I cannot and do not believe that He can only hear me when I am in a church. He hears me when I call His name, and I listen with an open heart and soul for His reply.

December 30, 2012

What else has changed about me? Well, I am back to looking for the true me. She has been lost for awhile being only defined as what she did and not who she is.

Do not get me wrong. I love being a mom and nana. It is the highest calling, and I am proud of the people I have brought into this world. They are all unique and beautiful young people. I would never change this part of my life. Do things better? Yes, there are times that I wish I could have a "do over" and do things better the second time. I did/do the best that I knew/know how to do. I can only try to do better as I move forward. This is all any of us can do. Start today to do and be the best that we can. Go forward and try not to get stuck in our past. It is not good for us. It can ruin our health, and that makes our lives miserable. I know this from my own experience. The happier I am, the healthier I feel. Looking back on the bad only makes me upset, and that does not help my health. My eyes are forward. 

What will be in my future? Not sure, but I am moving forward one step at a time. I pray that y'all will be able to do the same. Here is to a Happy New Year and many more to come!

I Need a Philosophy Fix!

I started graduate school the first of May. Actually, my first class was on my birthday. The degree that I am working towards is an MAT K-6 w/SPED so that I can be a licensed teacher.  The classes so far have been exciting and I love my cohorts, they are a fantastic bunch of gifted people. I look forward to starting the next semester with them.
Back to my point of the title of this post~ "I need a philosophy fix!" One day back in June while I was getting a drink and a bite to eat before class, I saw my favorite philosophy professor. Yes, I am getting my masters at the same college that I received my undergraduate degrees from. Anyway, I went up to my favorite professor and said hi. After not seeing him for six years he still remembered me. We talked a bit and it felt good to be having a conversation with him again. I had missed those talks. 
What I would love to do is take a class from him while I am taking the graduate classes. The problem is, as always, I do not have the money to do so. I really do need a philosophy fix though and so, I will have to figure out a way to make it happen. 
It would be fun to be a philosophy teacher in a high school or jr. high, but the state of Utah does not offer such classes to students. Some of the students would really get into being philosophical.
What to do, what to do!? When I figure it out, I will let you know. For now I must go and be philosophical.

Being Free; A Study of the Constitution of the USA

To be free is to be educated and to be educated is to do the work that one needs to do to maintain that freedom. Our schooling should not stop when we finish high school or college. No, learning is a lifetime adventure, an exciting and to me a very pleasurable journey.
I was telling my son the other day that it would be nice if we could go around to all the colleges, universities and libraries and take classes that are interesting (and free or inexpensive). He of course agreed with me on this idea. The problem is the money, driving and so on. There is a bit of a solution though and that is the internet, the world wide web of opportunity.
In my search for educational opportunities I have found many websites that offer free access to great classes from some of the best schools in the world. From Yale to Stanford, iTunesU, YouTube and so on, the classes are out there for those who want to learn more.
Today I started a free 10 week course; the Constitution 101  offered by Hillsdale College. It is a beginning class, but so far very interesting. Have you read the Constitution or any of the other important documents of our country lately or at all? I have read some and bits and pieces of others, but not all the way through the Constitution and I should have. I will be reading it and many others over the next 10 weeks and writing about my thoughts.
Check out the site and remember to keep learning and having fun.