Expressing Myself

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I’m finally owning up to it! IT IS ALL ABOUT ME! At conference I had a breakthrough moment. I’ve been fearful of my ideas and taking them out into the world. I was always wondering what the negatives would be. I was scared of being who I was “CODA” and running with it. This year’s conference helped me to see that I want to be a speaker. “Hearing” people tell me that I have great stories that are also inspiring!

Basically you have to love yourself before you can love others. If I don’t think about my healthy needs and focus on ME - then I can’t focus on others. It’s true, there are studies. You know like when you get on a commercial airplane and they tell you…secure your own mask before assisting others. Same concept!

Photo credit - another fabulous Coda - Sean he also talks about the conference here!

Sometimes I Google myself, and I found this blog post almost 2 years ago from Xanga. Pretty funny now.

Trying out the new laptop while I make and post this video. Got some bugs to work out, it cut me off in the end, but the jist is I’M EXCITED!!!

The countdown is the toughest part, when others arrive before I do, I hear about it on our groups, FB and IMs. It starts to get me itchy. Can’t wait til Thursday when the road trip begins.

When I go to conference it feels like just a really comfortable setting. To be myself without that extra element of having to explain about my parents being Deaf. Some people really call it home. My parents are still living, but for those that parents have passed, I’ve been told conference gives them that part of them back. Several Codas are not in Deaf-related work fields and this conference allows us to celebrate our heritage along with Deaf heritage. We are a sub-culture of the Deaf community.

I enjoy no explain explain at conference! It allows me to just building friendships based on me, not first let me tell you all about the Deaf world. Oh and yes I like drama, cooking and gardening.

I’m excited to see my family!

Do you know Sean? I really want you to meet him! He is a Coda too. I’m in such a grateful mood these day and must share how Codas can be the most accepting and supportive people in my life, mostly at very unexpected times.

First, I must give you some history. I met Sean at a Coda conference, I don’t quite know which one, but I remember re-connecting with him at the Buffalo Conference in 2003. I was 7 months pregnant so I remember it well. I sat at his table on during the first night’s dinner. He was so wonderful, taking care of me and making sure I had sugar for my coffee. When you are 7 months pregnant it’s the little things that move you. Since that time, he has been a favorite to me. He was the first blogger I knew on Xanga, and I even had an account there. However our paths didn’t really cross much until this year.

Somehow I was asked to participate in the International Coda website committee, headed up by Sean. I said yes right away. In working with Sean on the team we have become closer, he knows so much about tech and online stuff that we clicked. I was very impressed with his willingness to help me in some of the areas of this blog via video. We’ve chatted via Skype and Oovoo having a wonderful time. He turned me on to Twitter - which I’m still trying to understand and utilize.

I had a conference online last month to launch my new ebook - Benefits of ASL with Hearing Children. I tweeted (posted on the Twitter page) about my presentation. During my time, there were several visual malfunctions. I had planned to show my book via my website. So when things didn’t resolve, I just talked about it. I opened the floor up for questions and there was SEAN!!! He got the discussion going on the topic of signing and my eyes were welling up with tears! The support from another Coda that very moment was priceless to me. He knew the benefits and he helped to illustrate it for me. He is also a strong supporter of cultivating sign language interpreters now for future careers due to the shortage.

I want you to meet Sean, not only because he is a kind and generous person, but also because I have invited him to post on my blog. So please post some encouragement for him and check out his blog too. He has some really interesting posts! Like this one in ASL talking about Mac web cams.

And Sean…THANK YOU!

I’m still under-construction.

I’ve been working on the new website and the new layout of the blog. I gave myself some time (June) because I wanted it all to be perfect. I have changed theme three times. Since I am no code monkey, I have been altering the templates on my own. WHEW - it’s a good thing I’m able to figure out patterns and codes, otherwise I couldn’t have inserted my own logo, changed colors and edited the comments section. Still working on that. Any volunteers would be greatly appreciated! The site is still a work in progress and I hope it won’t detour you from coming back. So hang in there because we are gonna have a fantastic plan for the coming year!

So what made me just post a blog without launching the site first? The buzz of all those bloggers talking about the SOBCon08. I was nearly going to go, but my daughter had a dance recital, and as a mom, there is no way I could justify missing out on her dances. However, next year, I’m planning on it. I know I would have had fun!

Since the attendees of the conference have been back, the blogs are a buzzin’ with all the fun they had, tips and pointers, food, sights and an all around great conference. I know I would have been welcomed by Karen Putz and Stephen Hopson. So I’ll be looking forward to next year’s event.

While I couldn’t make it to the conference, I enjoyed my daughter’s recital. She is 4 and she had two dances.

Her ballet song was Magic Tutu and I can’t remember her tap song title, but it went something like ~ I must practice everyday, if I don’t my tap shoes will run away.

She was so adorable. The girls would sing along to the song as they did their steps. She couldn’t see me in the back due to the lights. In one part of the song it said “STOP”. Since she had memorized the song, she knew this word was coming up. It was almost it’s own word in the song. My daughter brings up her hands to her waist and just about to… forming her arms and bringing her hands together… just about to sign.. but realizes she isn’t signing, she is singing. Her brain was telling her to sign the word STOP. It was so clear to me that she caught herself at the end.

After the recital, a bouquet of flowers was given to her and she felt like a star. Her face beamed with delight.

So until next year my blogger buddies, because these times are too precious to forfeit.