Transformative Learning Environments

I started my second to last class in the classwork portion of my doctoral program on January 7th. The class is "Transformative Learning Environments" and teaches us the theories and practices of creating transformative learning experiences. I like it because it's significantly less busy than the doctoral research and writing class. I am doing a beast of a PowerPoint this unit though. I am getting closer to the dissertation!

Las Vegas Trip

Wesley and I had a great couple trip to Las Vegas last week. We dropped William off with my dad on Wednesday night. On Thursday, we drove to Las Vegas. We stayed in a pyramid room at the Luxor. We did the sea turtle feed at Shark Reef Aquarium in Mandalay Bay. We fed them vegetables and lettuce with a picker in the water. We also got to see some backstage areas. It was one of my favorite animal encounters. We also went to the Discovering King Tut exhibit at the Luxor and saw Tournament of Kings at Excalibur. We also stopped by the Hershey store at New York, New York. On Friday, we did Meow Wolf, a hot air balloon ride, and Universal Horror Unleashed at Area 15. I loved it all except Universal Horror. I only walked through Universal Monsters and I had to leave out the emergency exit. Never again will I do a haunted house-like event. Haha! We also saw Cirque du Soleil's O and the Lunar New Year conservatory exhibit at the Bellagio in addition to watching the fountain show. On Saturday, we went to the Coca Cola and M&M stores and drove home. We also ate at a ton of unique restaurants: White Castle, Gordon Ramsay Burger, Salt and Straw, Gordon Ramsay Fish and Chips, and Whataburger. As for the toothache, my dentist prescribed me some antibiotics and I got a root canal. I am also getting a crown.

Toothache 2026

I started the new year off with a horrible toothache. I am worried it's a tooth infection which will need a root canal. Wesley and I are also on our Las Vegas trip. Why do these things always happen to me on vacation? I have a dentist appointment on Monday and I will update.

Thanksgiving Point Community Volunteer

After realizing I was not in the season of life to have a regular volunteer position at the aquarium, I became a community volunteer at Thanksgiving Point. I am just going to volunteer at special events a few times throughout the year. I was going to volunteer at Luminaria but sickness prevented that. I am hoping to volunteer at the Tulip Festival in the spring. I loved working in the Education department back in 2015 and I am happy to be volunteering in the wildlife/science field again!