tinytexan17

[tinytexan17]

I have found a recent love of traveling. Well, I guess it isn’t that recent... but recently I have realized just how important it is to me that I travel often throughout my life. I love the feeling of being in a new place, seeing new things, people watching, trying out restaurants I’ve never heard of, seeing different scenery. Sometimes I wish I had a job where I was able to travel more or where traveling was part of my job. Although, that is one huge perk of teaching, is that I have three months in summer with little to no obligations, making it realistic to travel. Financially though, not as easy to attain.

Traveling alone was one of the scariest but most empowering things I have been able to do in the past few years. I encourage all young people, especially women, to try it out at least once.

[tinytexan17]

Hi, I’m Jordan, and I am not a professional model by any means, but I have sure enjoyed pretending and posing for my friends’ shoots.

[tinytexan17]

My little cousin is moving to Bozeman in just a few days! I have not lived near family for almost 10 years! We will be in the same apartment complex and working at the same bar. Needless to say, we will be spending a lot of time together and I just hope it is all positive for her!

When I moved up here, I kinda threw myself in the deep end. I had no ties to Bozeman, and no one to really learn from or lean on. (I moved up here with someone, but we had to only new experiences, so I didn’t have grounded support in Bozeman.) I am so thrilled that I can be little arm floaties for her, so that she doesn’t have to work as hard to stay afloat and can just thrive.

[tinytexan17]

gross! I seriously dislike water parks for fear of this exact thing! 

[tinytexan17]

restaurants to try

Midtown tavern

cafe fresco

feast bistro

sashimi bar

thai basil

finks delicatessen

[tinytexan17]

Gimme some skin man

See black man, call him brother?

Some people really change their whole demeanor and language depending on who they encounter. Mind boggling.

[tinytexan17]

I don’t want people to be jealous of me, I want them to be inspired by me.

[tinytexan17]

BUCKET LIST:

- ride in a parade at Mardi Gras

- rescue a dog (all the dogs) 

- TRAVEL: Greece

- get my Masters degree

- own a house

- Scarborough Fair 

- Siam Park in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

[tinytexan17]

All I want is a little more communication. And tacos.

[tinytexan17]

[tinytexan17]

Been there, done that. Never again. #MaybeHeDoesntHitYou 

[tinytexan17]

Mental Health

“As many people have said and I will repeat, gun violence is not a mental health problem. The majority of people with mental illnesses do not commit mass murder, and not everyone who commits mass murder is mentally ill. Mass shootings don't correlate with the rate of mental illness. There are mentally ill people all over the world, but this only regularly happens here. It's a gun problem.Mental healthcare is important, but we should care about that every day of the year, not just after a massacre.“ - Cienna Breen, an old friend from middle school

I hate that many don’t want to discuss mental health or validate that it is a real concern... but as soon as something serious happens, those same people are quick to blame it on mental health. So it is only validated when it can become the scape-goat for a bigger problem? And some still see no benefit in being proactive and increasing mental health support around the United States... My personal counseling appointments are around $150 per hour session, yet my insurance - as a teacher - only covers about $4 of that... not even enough to cover my gas. I find so much benefit from it, not only for myself directly but for all those that I associate with or influence indirectly, such as students and customers and loved ones, that I sacrifice other things I enjoy, so that I can financially afford it biweekly. Although it would truly serve me best to go every week. Unfortunately, I know that so many more would benefit from mental health services, yet they cannot afford it or are hesitant because of the stigma that is attached. 

I have made it a personal goal of mine to ensure that all my students have opportunities to discuss how they are feeling and to learn some anti-stress techniques. School to me isn’t just a place where students need to grow and thrive academically, but also socially, physically and mentally as well. We serve our students best when we focus on their overall well-being, not just their test scores and punishing bad behavior. Nurture. Nurture. Nurture. Be open. Be supportive. Be compassionate. That is how we can make a huge change by making small adjustments to how we interact with our youth. Hopefully, that impacts the future a bit, but I fear the world is going to wait until it’s too late to try and make any changes. It angers me that our society doesn’t see the value in investing in the peoples’ health - both physical and mental - from the start of their lives. Instead they just try to mask it or medicate it or simply disregard the issue. I could go on and on about that but I need to get back to being present in my classroom before students arrive. 

[tinytexan17]

Been spending less time looking in the mirror lately and more time looking in my soul.

[tinytexan17]

#MaybeHeDoesntHitYou

[tinytexan17]

I think the difficult part for me is getting to know myself and admitting that these struggles are real. Only recently have I acknowledged and accepted my anxiety. But not so much that I have really shared with others, which I think is part of why I don't feel I have that support. I'm excited to start that process and work on overcoming these issues.

[tinytexan17]

I hate when you can't explain how you feel, but you know you feel some type of way.