First I say I’m taking a step back on the personal posts, then I come across these fun questions on Rebecca Jo’s blog and want to join in. I don’t have rhyme or reason for who I am. 😆

I believe these originated from Leslie at Once Upon A Time & Happily Ever After.

How old were you when you started school?  Did you attend pre-kinder and/or kinder or go straight into first grade? | I did a year of preschool(maybe 2?), a year of kindergarten, and started 1st grade in 1997. I would’ve been 6 going on 7.

Were you a good student? What was your favorite subject? | Grade-wise, I was a great student. I could be a little talkative, though. And I got a little lazy in high school. But I still maintained my grades.

My favorite subject was history/social studies. It still is. Closely followed by reading. (Remember when that was a subject and we complained about the homework? Geez… Didn’t know how good we had it.)

As a child, did you take music lessons? Or play a sport? Do you still play an instrument now? | I did not take music lessons, but I joined band in 5th grade and stuck with it through high school. I started on saxophone. Switched to percussion in 9th grade.

I played t-ball, then baseball, then softball for roughly 8 years. I took tennis lessons for a while. I did a year of cheerleading in middle school. I ran track for a year or two. Tried out for (and did not make) volleyball and basketball. Young Audrey did not realize how un-athletic she was. LOL

Did you attend any kind of training or classes beyond high school? If so, what did you study?  Did you wind up working in a profession or job for which those classes or training prepared you? | I went to college and got my bachelor’s degree in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication. I minored in business & English. Technically, yes- I am using my degree/education in my career.

Have you taken any personal growth or adult education classes for fun? During the year that was Covid, did you home school, learn a new app to work from home, teach yourself to do something you might have paid someone else to do for you? | No, not yet. I’d like to take a business-level Quickbooks course for work development. I’d also like to take a sign language course.

What would you like to learn how to do that you don’t know how to do already? | I wish I was fluent in another language. I also wish I knew how to write grants.

Name something that you learned easily. Then name something that was a struggle for you to learn to do. | Hmm. Honestly, I think I learned how to be a mom easily. It wasn’t/isn’t EASY, per se… but something clicked and taking care of M became second nature. I don’t question our relationship or how I should react to her. The same can be said about dogs. I understand how to interact with them, even the salty ones.

I don’t understand most math things. I also really struggle to understand audio wiring, which is embarrassing because it’s a huge part of my job. I try to study/learn and immediately forget.

What’s the last thing you remember learning? What kind of learner are you: visual, auditory, hands-on/kinesthetic, verbal, logical/mathematical? | I listened to the podcast Noble Blood yesterday so the last things I learned were details about the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and her cousin Mary Stuart. Lol

I typically learn in a hands-on fashion. I can listen to directions or watch someone do it, but I until I try it or write it down or experience it, I’m likely to forget it. (Podcasts are tough for me, lol.)

Hard to teach an old dog new tricks, school of hard knocks, pass with flying colors, learn by heart, burn the midnight oil, pull an all-nighter, play hooky – which of these expression best fits your life lately? Why? | I guess burning the midnight oil. I’m not up all night (because I would be a worthless sack of human if I was), but I stretch myself as thin as possible. Between being a mom, wife, homeowner, writer, and employee……. it’s very long hours at the moment.

What is something you’ve learned from past mistakes? | Everything does not require my opinion, nor my participation. I’ve never had FOMO, but at one time I’d felt an obligation to attend or participate in every invitations or conversations. Turns out, I don’t need to. And I’m a LOT happier when I reserve myself for things I care about.

Bonus: Share your favorite learning/education quote.

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” 

Benjamin Franklin

Benji has a bunch of good ones, actually.

-Audrey