Friday, April 28, 2017

Just Wiggle Your Toes (Kevin Brooks)

 Have you ever heard of Kevin Brooks? If not, check out this link:
http://www.kevinbrooks.ca/kevins-story/

Kevin visited our school this past March and made the biggest impact on the students that he spoke too. I have taught now for 26 years and I was amazed at the conversations I was hearing from our high school kids. I have a senior. She told me that this was the best assembly she had ever gone too and was very thankful to have heard it before we sent her off to college in the fall. 

 Kevin Brooks is a leading youth speaker on suicide prevention, overcoming obstacles and impaired driving. He is living proof that one poor choice can change one’s life forever, or even end it. From his wheelchair, Kevin tells the story of the night that changed his life forever… Kevin left a party, driving at excessive speeds after a night of drinking. He was not alone. Beside him sat his passenger and childhood friend Brendan. The result — a horrific crash. Brendan didn’t walk away from the crash. Neither did Kevin.

Today, Kevin shares his life-changing story with audiences of all ages and sizes across North America and has reached over half a million people in thousands of high schools and community-sponsored events.

His honest and straightforward presentation reaches students like none other. Kevin’s unique style of motivation inspires people to appreciate life in profound new ways, and audiences leave his presentation with real-life strategies for making better, smarter moment-to-moment decisions.
Kaitlyn Dressel was very kind and shared her Smugmug link with me from his talk at Maclay:
You can just tell by the photos and art project that the students and faculty were highly engaged and wanted to help make a statement as a follow up to the assembly. Kaitlyn Dressel did an awesome job of gathering the art students to help even more of spreading the word about just wiggle your toes. 
 Yes, faculty and staff joined in on the fun of painting feet for our banner.
 
From Maclay School's Facebook: Maclay Guidance Week of Awareness. Guests from SADD, MADD, and Teen Traffic Safety Fair are on campus making presentations to our students. Please engage with your students and ask questions about the topics they heard about. The flyer below is what the Guidance Department used to inform our students about the weeks events.
 The following photos are from Kevin's talk with our Upper School.
His Topics Include:
Impaired, distracted and dangerous driving
Suicide prevention, self-harm and depression
Bullying, relationships and forgiveness
Decision making and peer pressure
Overcoming obstacles
Coping with guilt, tragedy and stress
Leadership and creating positive change
His Topics are Perfect for:
High schools and middle schools
Provincial, state and national conferences
Colleges and universities
Military organizations
Athletic teams
Prom, homecoming and graduation season
Community forums and events
Kevin's Mission is to Kevin’s mission is to impact, motivate and inspire, and he does just that in his programs for middle, high school and college students, community events, athletes, military members and other organizations.
You can find Kevin on Social Media:
Instagram: @justwiggleyourtoes
Twitter: @WiggleYourToes
Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/radkevinbrooks
In just over a decade Kevin has spoken to over half a million people across North America. His story has impacted, motivated and inspired countless people, ultimately changing attitudes and saving lives.
From Maclay School's Facebook Page: Maclay's Guidance Office is holding a Week of Awareness and the programs today included an inspiring assembly with Kevin Brooks and a Teen Traffic Safety Fair. Thank you to MADD and SADD for participating with us on these important topics. #weekofawareness
Kevin's post on Instagram: Want to give another shout out to everyone from Maclay School today. Such an all around awesome experience for myself and I hope all of you too. Props to Kaitlyn Dresser for these awesome pictures. I am digging the "Just Wiggle Your Toes" mural!! Can't wait to leave my mark on it. And HUGE THANKS to Danielle from Florida SADD & The Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition and everyine else involved in making this trip and tour possible. Please check out Pixhug and post pictures from today and spread the word #JustWiggleYourToes #JWYT #DriveToSaveLives #FloridaTeenSafeDrivingCoalition #FloridaSADD #TallahasseFlorida #MaclaySchool #LifeWorthLiving #SemicolonProject #Pixhug #PayItForward #PictureABetterWorld #SelflessSelfie #PurposeApparel #IMAlive
Kevin Brooks is the fastest growing high school prevention and motivational speaker in the county! His presentations are highly informative on the dangers of drinking and driving and the troubles of youth today. Kevin Brooks address's topics such as: distracted driving, drunk driving, suicide prevention, traffic safety, bullying, youth motivation, and overcoming adversity!

If you are interested in booking Kevin Brooks, please contact the Drive to Save Lives Tour. Email: info@drivetosavelives.com
http://j.whyville.net/smmk/whytimes/article?id=12211

***I read this on Kevin's website and wanted to share the whole story...very powerful!

Imagine waking up one morning, and finding out you no longer have the use of your legs. Motivational speaker, Kevin Brooks, knows this all too well. 

On a Monday morning, some odd months ago, we were informed in homeroom that a motivational speaker would be coming to talk to us about drinking and driving. Let me tell you, no one in our school cared to hear some dude come in and lecture us about the consequences of drinking and driving. None the less; we all filed into the gym to hear the presentation. When we looked to the center of the gym, there was this guy in a wheelchair in about his twenties. Slightly shocked at seeing his appearance, everyone shut up and listened to what he had to say. This man sitting in front of us was Kevin Brooks. Kevin told us his story . . . 

Kevin was always a partier, he was actually known as "The Creature". When coming home from parties he would be drunk, yet still driving. He knew the road to his home well and he thought that there was no danger in drunk driving to get home. Up until that point, he had been lucky and nothing unfortunate had happened while he drove home. That all changed one night. Kevin was at the wheel and his friend Brandon was in the passengers seat . . . they crashed. The crash killed Brendon, and rendered Kevin paralyzed. Kevin had to go to court where he was on trial for manslaughter. He would have gone to jail, but two people stopped that from happening. Brendon's parents. Brendon's parents didn't blame Kevin for Brendon's death. They knew that that whole group of kids drunk and drove on a regular basis, their son included. They decided to fight in court on Kevin's behalf, because of them Kevin was saved from having to spend time in jail. 

After Kevin was done speaking, we all sat in silence. His presentation was just amazing, one minute he would have you smiling, the next crying. And I'm not exaggerating, looking around the gym I saw a ton of people just bawling their eyes out. Sometime during his presentation, Kevin said the line "Just wiggle your toes, it's something so easy, yet I can't do it." And it had everyone in the school wiggling their toes without even realizing it.
Kevin has spoken at over 700 high schools and events. He has even appeared on "The Tyra Show"! 

I decided to email Kevin and ask him if he wouldn't mind being interviewed so I could share his story with teens and hopefully discourage them from drinking and driving when they're old enough. So Whyvillians, here is Kevin Brooks! 

ocean10kv: How fast were you driving before you crashed, and do you remember how many drinks you had? 

Kevin: I was driving between 130 - 140kms and I was well into double digit drinks. 

ocean10kv: Do you remember anything from the crash? 

Kevin: I remember nothing leading up to, during or after the crash . . . my first memories are waking up in a hospital weeks later. 

ocean10kv: How long were you unconscious for? 

Kevin: I was out of it for the better part of 3 weeks. 

ocean10kv: How long were you in the hospital for? 

Kevin: I was in the hospital for 2 months and in rehabilitation at GF Strong in Vancouver for 4 months. I crashed my car June 24th and was not home again until December 21st.

ocean10kv: What was your hospital experience like? 

Kevin: Initially the hospital was hell. I was on so many meds I was seeing things and thinking staff were out to get me. I ended up strapped down to the bed. I was in and out of it for almost a month . . . out of it mostly. But my hallucinations and dreams were so vivid. I remember them to this day. It was like a revolving nightmare . . . 

ocean10kv: What injuries did you have? 

Kevin: Multiple lacerations (I needed two blood transfusions) dislocated shoulder, partially separated shoulder, 2 broke collar bones, a collapsed lung and a fractured C6 - C7 vertebrae in my neck that rendered me paralyzed from the chest down. 

ocean10kv: When and how did you find out that you could no longer work your legs? 

Kevin: I think it was about a month in . . . I asked why they didn't work and my mom broke the news to me. It was an awful day. 

ocean10kv: You talked about wanting to die while in the hospital, but you couldn't give up on life. What made you want to pull out the tube? What made you leave it in? 

Kevin: I thought I didn't deserve to live after killing my friend in the car. I thought I wouldn't be able to live being paralyzed. But something inside wouldn't let me quit. I don't have a name or explanation for it . . . maybe it was the will to live. 

ocean10kv: What was your first response when you were told that Brendon was dead? 

Kevin: Total shock and disbelief. There is no way anyone could ever be prepared to hear such a thing . . . I was devastated. 

ocean10kv: Did you blame yourself for his death? 

Kevin: I did blame myself at first. But I was very lucky to have many around me, including Brendon's parents supporting me and not blaming me. They taught me how to forgive myself by forgiving me. 

ocean10kv: In court, Brendon's parents fought for you, not against you. Were you surprised by this? 

Kevin: I was shocked when his mom called me the night before and told me what they had done. I mean who does that?? Amazing people for sure. 

ocean10kv: Did your friends stop drinking and driving after your injuries and Brendon's death? 

Kevin: Many did . . . or at least smartened up. Some didn't. Those who didn't I had to separate myself from. It definitely had an impact on those closest to me and still does for many. 

ocean10kv: What was your dream job, did you have a plan for your future before the accident? 

Kevin: I really wanted to be an electrician at the gravel pit where my dad has worked his entire employable life. I also worked there all growing up. The money was going to be great. I really liked the people at work. And I especially enjoyed going to work every day and getting dirty. There was nobody to impress. No need to look presentable . . . I liked that. 

ocean10kv: You were a hockey player, and a skateboarder. You still go to the skate park with your wheelchair, but it's not the same is it. Can you talk to me a little bit about having difficulties doing the things you love? 

Kevin: In time (11 years just this Friday) since the crash I have learned to both let go and also to find a way. I have done a lot of stuff in a wheelchair most likely don't or wouldn't. I still try to find new adventures too. I called a surf shop in Oregon just this morning because I was to take up surfing on my stomach. But for sure there are days where I would do anything to be shredding on my skate, out on the ice or on the hills with my board. I had to make the choice whether I would let missing these things keep keeping me down or if I was just going to accept it wasn't happening today, while being grateful for my past experiences doing what I loved and never ever giving up on tomorrow. 

ocean10kv: Why do you tell people to "just wiggle your toes"? 

Kevin: My presentation has just evolved over the years. Nothing was ever really written down. Some things I have said have had a noticeable affect on others more than other things I have said or shown . . . my video, the three chairs, Hayley b'day wish to name a few . . . the wiggle your toes thing just came out one day years ago and I could tell people in the audience were wiggling there toes. So I called them on it and there was this awkward laugh like 'How'd he know??'. It hit me that something so simple that the majority of my audiences can do and do do can encompass to much of my point of my story. Wiggle your toes . . . remember to be grateful for what you have. Wiggle your toes . . . don't throw it away. Wiggle your toes . . . it goes on and on . . . 

ocean10kv: Do you have anything else you'd like to add? 

Kevin: I have learned that the best way to heal from a traumatic experience is to turn it into something positive. This story could have been the end of me, but rather it became a new beginning. The future wasn't clear for years and I can't say it was easy but today I have found my greatest passion through the worst mistake and experience I ever went through. Life is very unpredictable, and when it gets bumpy as long as we just keep hanging on it all eventually comes together and makes sense. Life is not so much about what happened. It is more about what happens next! 

I would like to thank Kevin so much for answering my questions, especially since I realize some may have been difficult. 

So Whyvillians . . . remember, if you're going through a tough time, just wiggle your toes.
-ocean10kv 

Author's Note: Check out Kevin's website at http://www.kevinbrooks.ca/ where you can learn more about Kevin, send him an email, or book an event.







Our kids are still talking about this speaker at school! Check it out...you will be glad you did! I know I am blessed that he was brought to our school to help educate our students! 1969


Thursday, April 27, 2017

Zentangle Eyes and Sad Tomatoes

Zentangle Eyes 👀👀👀 is a great sub lesson.  The 6th graders finished the project in a day.  Have a look! 👀👀👀👀👀
Directions:
The paper is approximately 6" x 24"
The kids draw wavy lines down the paper with sharpies and markers.
The kids draw curved lines and eyes.
Easy, peasy. 😊

I love R.E.M.  Here's a song that is kind of about eyes. 👀👀👀👀👀
I know you
I know you've seen her
She's a sad tomato
She's three miles of bad road
🍅sad tomatoes sad tomatoes sad tomatoes sad tomatoes 🍅
😢
Y'all watch out for those sad tomatoes! 
🍅🍅🍅🍅🍅
1965

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Maracas for Cinco de Mayo (What do you know about Cinco de Mayo?)


We wanted to get in the spirit of Cinco de Mayo, so we chose to do this lesson on this 9 weeks wheel session. Information below are links to Cinco de Mayo webpages:
http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/cinco-de-mayo
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/cinco-de-mayo
http://www.mexonline.com/cinco-de-mayo.htm
http://www.mnn.com/family/family-activities/blogs/5-facts-about-cinco-de-mayo
What's the big deal about Cinco de Mayo, literally translated as the fifth of May? Here's what you need to know :
1. Cinco de Mayo IS NOT Mexico’s Independence Day. Most Americans confuse this holiday with Mexico's Independence Day, but that date is Sept. 16.
2. Cinco de Mayo IS a celebration of the Battle of Puebla. The holiday commemorates the Mexican Army's 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867).
3. Cinco de Mayo IS a celebrations of underdogs. Why make such a big deal over one victory? The win at Puebla was a huge deal for Mexico because the Mexican Army went into the battle as underdogs. They had no training and no equipment and were vastly outnumbered against the well-armed, well-disciplined and well-funded French, who up until that point had defeated them at every turn. Yet, they prevailed.
4. Cinco de Mayo IS NOT really a big deal in Mexico. With all of the fuss around May 5 here in the U.S., you would think it was the biggest holiday in Mexico — but that's not the case. That honor goes to Mexican Independence Day. Still, Mexicans do celebrate the day with family gatherings, fireworks, dancing and lots of yummy food.
5. Cinco de Mayo IS a holiday for everyone to celebrate. Many towns around the U.S. have festivals, fiestas, dances, fireworks, food and music in honor of the holiday. It's a great time to teach your kids about the culture, people and history of Mexico — or even learn a little yourself.
http://www.ajc.com/news/national/five-facts-about-cinco-mayo/JbADiPnh0xPWw4gXA5SJNL/
Cinco de Mayo is here. Many will be celebrating the holiday with margaritas and Mexican food. Here are five facts about the Mexican holiday that you can use to impress your friends.
1) Despite a common misconception, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day. The holiday celebrates the Battle of Puebla, where, against all odds, the Mexicans made a stand against an invading French army in 1862.
2) Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States than it is in Mexico, with the exception of the city of Puebla. Mexico holds more of a celebration on its Independence Day, September 16, than it does on Cinco de Mayo. 
3) The holiday means big business for the avocado industry. The California Avocado Commission says that Americans consume around 81 million avocados during Cinco de Mayo.
4) Chandler, Ariz., has a unique way of celebrating Cinco de Mayo. It hosts a Chihuahua race every year. The event has been cancelled for 2016.
5) The 2010 U.S. Census estimates that about 31.8 million U.S. residents are of Mexican origin. The largest concentration of Mexican-Americans is in Los Angeles, the city that holds the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the U.S.
May 5th is just around the corner!
We are ready here...1969












Tuesday, April 25, 2017

2 Soul Sisters and A Sidekick in NYC at NAEA

The NAEA National Convention was amazing.  
How did the process begin?  I got this bee in my bonnet and I wanted to go.  I talked to Laura Harrison, sidekick, that teaches high school art at The Westfield School, in Perry, GA.  Then, I text my sister in Tallahassee, FL, and asked her would she be interested in attending the conference.  After both the friend art teacher and the sister art teacher said, yes, I began planning the trip.  The Westfield School said, "Yes!" Maclay School said, "Yes!"
Here is how it all went down.
We left Perry on an early flight on Wednesday morning.  We parked at Park 'N Go that is 4 miles from the airport ($7.50/day).  Then, we shuttled over to airport with our carry on.  Once we got to the airport, we went through international check-in with our carry on luggage.  A breeze, I tell you.

Luckily, I had a window seat on Delta.  Hey, I planned the trip.  I put the RayBans on and crashed.  My sister, Kim (1969), and Laura, decided they would be Chatty Cathys the entire way to New York.   They were so LOUD.  I could here everything they said because they were only 1 row behind me.  I was sitting next to a very friendly couple. (like smoochy friendly with each other 😚💋💗❤💋)  Of course, Kim and Laura discussed the couple, volleyball, teenagers, me, and more volleyball.  Oh boy.   Below find some of Kim and Laura's activities as I was trying to rest. 
When our flight landed, we got a taxi.  I think we should have grabbed a  Lyft or Uber.  The taxi was $55 from Laguardia Airport to the New York Hilton.  For some reason, my sis decided to chat it up with Mr. Taxi driver.  He was not Chatty Cathy.

We arrive at the hotel and there were art teachers everywhere.  At last, I felt relatively normal in life.  There was a photo booth at the Hilton lobby and we got this cool pic.  As we checked in, I saw a blogger friend, Phyl.  She has a blog named There's a Dragon in my Art Room.  I yelled, "Phyl" about 10 times.  Heck, I thought maybe Phyl had a hearing problem.  Nope, no hearing problem.  She had a "southern accent" understanding problem.  Finally, I saw a wave from her.  We continued the check-in process.  We got the keys.  So far, so good!

I know that I do not look like a planner, but I do plan trips.  I go in to Google Maps, I type in locations and plan each stop.  Also, I spend a week or so researching best restaurants and cool finds.  I figure if you are going to go somewhere, do it and do it right.  You should make the most of the trip and squeeze as much as you can into a day.  

Below, you see our schedule.  In my head, it was not flexible.  Now, I told Kim and Laura it was flexible because I did not want them making fun of me.  I did not want to be called names like Detail Debbie.  Did we stay on schedule?  No.  Did it upset me?  No, I just like having a plan so that everyone can be on the same page, so to speak.
We walked around our hotel and found these 2 cool sculptures.  Of course, we all wanted pictures in front of Robert Indiana's cool art.
On Thursday morning, Jeff Koons was the keynote speaker.  We arrived about 15 minutes early.  Well, Laura decided to go to the restroom.  While she was gone, I slid over and talked to my sis.  Laura came back and sat down.  She attempted to pick her coffee up, but I had unknowingly knocked it over.  Oh boy.  I am so clumsy.  Laura was furious.  If you ever trip with her, just know that she is not a morning person.  I went downstairs to get her more coffee.  Unfortunately, I did not take my phone.  They were texting me telling me to get artificial sweetener.  Well, I did not have my phone so all she got was cream.  Laura did not need that fake stuff anyway.  I was only looking out for her well being and health. 😡
I was only a few minutes late getting back to see Jeff Koons.  He was very smart man (probably still is smart😁) and talked a long time.  When Koons finished speaking, I had a crick in my neck because I thought it would be a good idea to sit on the front row on the right side.  I always like sitting on the front row.  I sit on the front row so I can pay attention.  My sis and Laura did not want to sit on the front row.  They were not happy about the cricks in their necks at all.  I was kind of getting on their nerves and it was only the first day.  Actually, it was the first hour.😔
Here is Laura and me in front of one of Jeff Koons' sculptures out on the city streets.  Yeah, I had marked it on google maps.  Look at Laura.  Does she look like she has a crick in her neck?  Nope.
How did we get around?  Well, I usually use Uber.  So, I pulled the app up on my phone, and reserved the Uber.  Uber was headed my way and dude wants us to meet him at the corner of this street and that street.  I was from Georgia.  Do I know what street I am on?  No!  I was on a street in New York, bro!  When we finally found our Uber driver, he told me only 2 passengers.  I said well we got 3.  He said, "Sorry."  We hopped out of the Uber car.  I probably received a bad rating from him.
After that fiasco, we stuck to Lyft.  Lyft was great.  Also, it was about $20 cheaper than the cab back to the airport.  I'll have more on the return to airport trip later.
The opening night party was lots of fun.  There was a life-sized Magic Screen Lite-Brite, some photo ops, and art teacher dancing.  I must say that there is no dancing like art teacher dancing.  I guess you could say it was a mixture of John Travolta, D.J. Casper Cha-Cha Slide, Josie and the Pussycats, and JJ Walker from Good Times.  


Conferences are usually boring to me.  I mean, like I need a nap boring.  The "I need a long nap with snoring" kind of boring.  Art Teacher conferences are not boring.  The teachers were fun.  The material was interesting.  I learned so much and got inspired hearing their stories.  It was information overload.  Good information, though.
Yes, we tried to get in The Tonight Show.  We signed up for tickets a month in advance.  We followed all the rules, but we did not get in.  Jimmy likes the arts.  I really think he would have liked us.
The food was not too shabby.  

Ray's Pizza-We ate at Ray's as soon as we arrived to NYC.  A great local place with friendly pizza guys!  They liked our southern accents.
Lindy's-Great stop for some cheesecake!
Brooklyn Diner-The Brooklyn Diner was in Midtown and had some seriously yummy breakfast.
Da Marino-We did not have reservations, but Da Marino was able to seat and feed us. When we walked in, there did not appear to be 3 seats.  The host asked a couple sitting at a table with 4 seats, to move.  They already had food on the table.  Oh boy.  They moved.  We sat down.  Can you say awkward?  Well, they were moved to a corner.  I understand why.  They were in a major fight.  Can you say even more awkward?  I have never heard a couple fight in this manner in public.  The food was great.  The atmosphere was better once the unhappy couple departed for divorce court. 
Patsy's Italian Restaurant-I found this place on Yelp.  It sounded great.  An old family-style Italian establishment was a must, before we departed.  We arrived at the restaurant and we were all freezing.  The host demanded for us to take off our coats and check them.  Laura and Kim wanted to keep their coats.  Mr. Italian host said, "You must take check your coats."  Oh my.  We got de-coated and seated.  Patsy's was some serious, old-school, New York folks.  These people had their own tables that they sat at every Saturday night.  I think we stuck out like a sore thumbs.  We could not understand the waiter because of his thick Italian accent.  He was a funny guy, but we really had no idea if he understood us.  We just laughed, smiled, and ate.  We had good food, but we were a little chilly during our meal.  We felt like The Godfather was sitting back in the corner with the mafia going in and out the back of the restaurant.  We are the imaginative type, though.
The Halal Guys-This was some great classic street vendor food.  A must try for the visitor to NYC.

We were so lucky to meet some of our art teacher blogger friends.  They were super cool.  
Crazy enough, I had seen the movie Woman in Gold on Netflix in early February.  I researched to find that it was in the Neue Galerie in New York City!  The Neue Gallerie is owed by, get this, Ronald Lauder.  Who is Ronald Lauder?  He is Estee Lauder's son.  
The museum were very strict.  There were guards in all the rooms.  There was no picture taking at this museum.  I was glad there was no picture taking.  I had to stop and stare.  I had to take it all in with my eyes.  Seriously, pretty cool for the art lover.  Like Laura said, "The Nazis touched this art."  All I could think was, "Dang, make-up paid for this AMAZING ART and museum."
The Museum of Modern Art was a great stop.  We did not have a lot of time, but we went in for a quickie.  We did buy our tickets online and that saved us time.  Also, we went to the top floors first and made our way back down to the lover level.  I like touring a museum from top-down.  It is kind of backwards viewing, but less crowds.  At the MoMA, you can pretty much take photos anywhere.  Warning:  If you see a black line, do not accidentally back across it when you take a picture.  The guard does not like that at all.  I got Laura to dance a little jig with me to make the guard giggle.  

 😓😱😭 Also, on Friday nights after 4, you get in free.  Do not even attempt to do this.  I have never seen a line this long.  Honestly, I wondered if Picasso himself was in the MoMA signing prints.  I tell you, pay the $20 online.  Go as soon as the museum opens and you will be cooking with gas!  I took many pictures and descriptions of some of my favorite pieces.
Also, we decided to tour the Times Square one night.  It was a nice "cold" walk down to the square.  Laura and Kim, once again, gang up on me and make a video and would not let me participate.  
After they filmed a video and left me out, we were all very cold.  Kim decided she would hail a taxi.  She was practically in the middle of the road with her arm up.  All of the sudden, a rickshaw driver pulled up, I hopped in.  They hopped in.  He zips us up in the contraption and says, "Ride of a lifetime!"
Once we were good and zipped in, I saw a sign that says $4.65 a minute.  Oh boy!  I tell you, it was one crazy ride.  Rickshaw dude ran a red light.  A fire engine blew past us on my side and it was so close that I saw the fireman wink at me on back of the truck.😉😍🚒  Honestly, I do not know how that guy pulled our big boodies on that rickshaw.  He had to stand up to "gas it" on the uphill.  Finally, we arrived at our hotel.  Rickshaw dude said, "That will be $75.00."  Wha? 😲😱😳😵  So, we pay up💲💲💲💰💰💰 and know he earned every penny dragging us for 15 minutes.  We head toward the hotel and I checked for my phone.  No phone.  Laura heads on into the hotel.  I think Laura had had enough of the 2 Soul Sisters for the day.  Kim and I take off running chasing the Rickshaw dude down the street.  He was so sweet and took the bike apart to find my phone.  My phone was nowhere to be found.  I decided to ring my phone with my Apple watch.  I heard a "ding, ding, ding" sound coming from my POCKET.  Oops.  Sorry, Mr. Rickshaw dude.  My bad.
My phone played hide-and-go-seek the entire trip.  Kim and I went to see the Fabulous, Fun Folk Art workshop.  The presenters were Ginger Pacer from Paintbrush Rocket Blog, Laura Lohmann from Painted Paper Art, Cassie Stephens from Cassie Stephens Blog, and Jennifer Alvardo.  These presenters are rock stars in the art blogging world.  As you can imagine, the workshop quickly filled up.  People were outside in the hall.  It was a crowded mess.  Then, we hear an announcement that the workshop would be held in the room next door.  Everyone jumps up!  People were trampling each other to get a seat in the other room.  I found myself pushed and shoved into the other room.  Then, I wondered, hmmmmm, where's my phone?  Once again, I used my watch to call my phone.  No noise=No phone.  I went to look in the other room.  I had to interrupt another workshop.  No phone.  I headed back into the new workshop room to see my sis heading up to the stage.  Cassie was holding up my phone saying, "This phone has 2 cute kids on it."
On Sunday morning, we had to depart NYC.  We took Lyft out to Laguardia Airport.  I was not sure what Terminal, but I had briefly seen Terminal A somewhere.  When Lyft dude asks what terminal, I said, "A."  He looked a little puzzled, but he went to Terminal A.  Later, I learned that Terminal A was the Marine Air Terminal.😂  
We were early, but there was no one there.  When we arrived, we saw only one check-in desk.  We headed to a lobby and sat down and talked.  The lobby was cool.  It had a cool mural.  Of course, the three art teachers decided to google the artist.  
 James Brooks’ 235-foot circular mural, “Flight.”
This was the last and largest mural produced under the Work Projects Administration. The WPA, a key component of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, was the nation’s largest employer in the years leading up to World War II. Brooks painted several projects for the WPA in the 1930s.
Finally, the restaurant opened.  We still were wondering where all the people were hiding.  We headed into the coolest little restaurant.  The Yankee Clipper Deli and Restaurant was a classic diner. 😋  We could see planes landing on the water.  I am not sure why this would not clue us in that we could possibly be at the wrong terminal.😨
Eventually, we decided to ask someone that worked in the airport about our flight.  Unfortunately, she could not speak English and we could not speak Spanish.  We did read her sign language that said go out.  So we went out and began walking with our carry on roller luggage.  It was cold.  I am talking Minnesota wind-blowing on a frozen lake cold.  No signs were anywhere to help the lost.  Laura decided she would go in an airplane hanger to ask for directions.  Now that I think of it, she was probably just trying to get warm.  Thank goodness, the door was locked.  I was not in the mood to be chatting it up with airplane mechanics.  We had a plane to catch.  I turn around and see Kim hailing a taxi.  Then, I notice that it is not a taxi.  It was a bus.  A people moving bus that is considered mass transportation.🚌🚌🚌  The bus driver stops, he yells, "I cannot stop right here."  Kim yelled, "Come on, yáll, hop on!" We hopped on and told the bus driver our sad story.  He drove us to our real terminal and dropped us off.  At this point, we were pushing to make our flight.  The security line was backed up.  I had Delta's fast pass, so I was chilling  on the other side as Kim and Laura were getting searched for weapons.  It was a satisfying moment since they had taken the snore video of me on the flight to New York and they had left me out of the Times Square video.  At last, we arrive to our gate.  
We boarded.  We flew out of  New York City.  When we returned to Atlanta, we were tired, but very happy to have been a part of such a fun conference in New York City.  I was thrilled to arrive home safe and unharmed with my cell phone in my pocket.
I just love this fun video about New York.
1965

P.S.  Please do not tell our husbands about our $75 Rickshaw ride.  They are not the art teacher types and would not understand.😜