Howdy, I'm Tracey!
I'm a twenty-something, Texas girl living my dream! I was a middle school English teacher (brave, yes) for several years but love school so much and wanted to make more of a difference that I decided to return to the place I love most, Texas A&M University, for a Ph.D. in education. Now I work on research grants for universities, government agencies, and non-profit organizations and teach undergraduate education courses. I love my work! Every day I get to do the things I love - writing, reading, researching, running statistics (I'm weird, ok!) - while making a difference in the lives of kiddos. *Sigh*
After coming home from a long day of work and classes, I enjoy the simple things in life. I'm a writer, mostly dabbling in short stories and poetry, and a blogger. I hope that my blog is filled with inspiration and humor, which I believe are the fruit of life. I'm an avid reader with two or three current reads at one time (check out my reading lists in the tabs above or check me out on Goodreads for more). Teen fiction, chick lit, classics, best sellers, and a select few favorite authors stock my bookshelves. My life is an endless competition between wanting to own all my favorite books and not wanting a cluttered house. Somehow I manage.
As a twenty-something I feel there are skills I should acquire and what better time than now! One of those skills is cooking. I did not come from a long line of great chefs but love food. As a graduate student, money is a constant battle so planning ahead is a component of every part of my life. I cook meals at home five or six nights a week and am always looking for tasty, simple recipes. I don't have time to cook extravagant meals but if it can be done in less than an hour - perfection!
I am crazy about traveling. Growing up, my family took trips to New Mexico to visit family each summer, and I loved it. Now that I'm an adult and have job that requires me to travel to conferences to present research, I get to travel more. (I haven't traveled anywhere for 3 weeks and am about to go crazy!) Little road trips to the big Texas cities or hill country are great as are trips to other states. Since my traveling really began at age 24, I've made a few traveling goals, starting with trying to see all 50 states. I've only been to a few so far in the past two years (California, Arizona, Nevada) from my trips to San Diego, San Francisco, Vegas, and Scottsdale. This year, I will get to travel to Philadelphia and New Orleans and cannot wait! A group of friends of mine have also decided that we want to take a cruise in May to celebrate passing our comprehensive exams and proposal defenses. Woo hoo!
If inspiration and humor are the fruits of life, the foundation (what food analogy would that be?) of it is family. I am very close with my family and we share a special bond. Now that I'm grown up, I've enjoyed seeing the family dynamics switch from being a child in the family to being one of the adults. I'm thankful for their support and tolerance of my craziness each and every day. I'm equally blessed with several best friends who have married the loves of their lives and hope to start families some day. These friends are also family. The bonds we share truly make us sisters. Finally, I am a proud pet parent. I love my little companion, Jack. Taking care of a pet forces me to stop, smell the roses and take breaks from work every now and then.
Hopefully through the first few parts of this post, you've gotten to see my personality (I sound just like I write) but in case you haven't had enough, here are a few more of my quirks:
*I love winter more than summer (cold weather, hot beverages, sweaters, and boots)
*I'm a work-aholic
*Good wine can turn any bad day
*I should have been twenty-something the year I was born (hair bands, rock metal, crazy outfits)
*Journey is my all time favorite band - my other favorites are 80s or alternative
*I hate working out. Really, hate it. But I hate the thought of gaining weight more so I do it
*Titanic is the greatest movie ever, hands down
*Cleaning is a stress reliever
*I collect crosses, bears, books, and shoes
*Ice cream and chocolate are food groups
Happy Wednesday!
T
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