Books in my Nightstand

So for my first official post, I will be sharing a small look into my reading selections that sit next to my bed.

Playing for Pizza- A great John Grisham book about a professional NFL player being let go and his journey of playing for a team in Europe. This book I am currently reading and I have started and stopped again for the past year. Looking forward to finishing this once school gets out.

The Five Languages of Love for Children- This book has been one that I have marked up a little bit and keep going back to when reflecting on parenting and teaching of children.

Basslines- This book tells many stories from the road of my favorite acappella group Take 6.

Einstein's Dreams- A very different book that was excerpted in a school training about 8 years ago. Very interesting book that has a lot of religious overtones that could be read into.

Boys Will Be Boys- An interesting read about the 90's Dallas Cowboys Dynasty and the partying, drugs, and night life that went along with these great teams. I now know a lot more about those teams then I amy have wanted to know.

Bible- The most used and loved book on the night stand. Keeps me grounded and brings peace to my mind.

The Choice- One of many motivational books by Og Mandino in my nightstand.

Crucial Conversations- I know, one that you may think would put you to sleep quickly but I refer back to this book often when I think about how to communicate with colleagues in all aspects of my work. Having it next to my bed, allows me to reflect on this in the early morning when I cannot sleep.

While those are only some of the books in my nightstand, these are the ones I am either currently reading or go back to for a read often.

Here We Go Again

Well so here we go again with this blogging thing. I have tried it a few times but now the more I get into reading blogs the more I want to share one of my own. So I think my first blog I will just share what the title of my blog refers to. I see my life in four categories that intermix with each other but also have their own identities most of the time. So here I am flying around in this plane called me and my life takes off and lands in four different runways. So I am going to talk about each runway in order of priority.

Runway #1- Family- My family means everything to me. My 3 year old daughter, my lovely wife of nearly 9 years, and my parents. Yes I have a brother and a myriad of sister in laws and those may be topics of future posts also but primarily you will see a focus on those three.

Runway #2- Friends- In my lifetime I have had great friends. I have the best friend in the world in Derek. I have a great group of friends that are also my colleagues and I live in a great neighborhood with people I have grown to care for. These will be where the crazy posts will come from.

Runway #3- Teaching- I teach 5th grade and honestly that is enough about that, it is the greatest job that is both tiring and rewarding beyond understanding.

Runway #4- El Presidente- The most difficult aspect of my life is being the president of the teacher's union. In my 5 years in this role, I have seen the best of times and the worst of times. From a complete mental crash to a group being honored as Educators of Year, this role has given me a confidence that I would not have otherwise found. In addition to this found confidence, I have had the honor of working with a leadership core at both the district and within my membership that cannot be matched. This will be the runway that the majority of my posts will land on.

So there is the history behind the title of my blog. I may get into this and I may not, we will have to see what happens.