Fathers

Yesterday was Father's Day, and I was lucky enough to be able to spend it with my dad in Dallas. We also got to catch up with old friends, and I took a photograph that to me is a perfect illustration of fatherhood.

Jason with his son Dominic

Hike for Greens

My awesome pal Priya is hiking all 2,175 miles (Georgia to Maine) of the Appalacian Trail this year. Not only am I infinitely jealous, I'm also proud of her for for supporting a great cause along the way.

Priya and I both just completed the LBJ School graduate program in public affairs and also both taught with Teach For America in the Rio Grande Valley. There is a small family of charter schools in the Valley called IDEA, which was started by other former Teach For America teachers. IDEA schools have implemented Outdoor Classrooms in the Valley where children are raise and harvesting their own food. Priya is supporting this effort on her walkabout.

This is a cause that is dear to my heart as I also started an Outdoor Classroom of my own while teaching in the Valley. I received my Master Gardener certification, started a Gardening Club, and implemented the gardening process into the fifth grade science curriculum. While the actual food production process was definitely challenging, the program was a success. In the years that I taught at Trevino Elementary, the fifth grade science TAKS (state assessment) passing rate jumped from 33% when I started to 87% when I left. And of course, the students also gained a more valuable understanding of the connectedness of living things, importance of resource conservation and patience, and sheer enjoyment of harvesting something they contributed to the Earth. I am a firm believer in Outdoor Classrooms and know from experience that they work.

One of my former students with a new friend from the garden
(this is one of most favorite pictures ever)

So if you also share a love of outdoor education, take a look at Priya's Hike for Greens blog. She's got information about how to contribute to IDEA through her site. Hike on, lady!

Time to Brag on My Friends

I am such a lucky girl. Really. My Austin friends came together last weekend to throw me a Bridal Shower that was really just So Special. My friends Connie, Abbey, and Deana and future sister Megan are my Austin-based bridesmaids, and they threw me a Sunday brunch. My mom and future mom were both able to come to town as well as many of the lovely ladies I love so much in Austin. And man, the love was in the details. The girls know I love local stuff and particularly anything Austin, so they went out of their way to add the little touches. We had breakfast tacos from a nearby taqueria, fruit salad made from fruits from the local farmer's market, bagels from a neighborhood bakery, and all of the goodies below.

Homemade cupcakes

Connie made mimosa cups with everyone's names!

Megan and Chris cookies from Quack's in my neighborhood. The heart is in Austin!

Handcrafted soap for everyone...Connie never ceases to amaze me!

Megan Bingo!

The girls had also found old, embarrassing pictures of me doing wacko things (some of which I had never seen!). And they organized a Megan bingo game with trivia questions about myself. It was hilarious. There was also a game that involved everyone explaining how they met me or experiences we had shared together. It was so special and I can't stop thinking about how wonderful my friends and family are to me. Many a tear streamed down my face, which I've come to accept as a given Sembera trait (my dad cried when we told him about the shower afterward). I was just so touched by the things everyone shared.

As much as the mind numbing pace of life has been frustrating me the past few years, I was so nice to just be in the same room for a few hours with so many people that mean a great deal to me. It was so energizing and just so warm. I love you all so much.

Some of my wonderful bridesmaids :)

moms & Megans

the gang

Congrats LBJ Grads!

My apologies for my web absence and extreme tardiness with major life events. More to come and more often, I promise. :)

Myself and 145 of my colleagues can now call ourselves graduates of the LBJ School of Public Affairs! We graduated with our MPAffs on Saturday, May 23rd. Bill Bradley, former US Senator and star of some sport made for tall people, was our keynote. Sticking with the mission of our chosen program, he quoted:

"The tragedy is not to die. The tragedy is to die with commitments undefined, with convictions unexpressed, and with service unfulfilled. I hope you leave here with clearly defined commitments, with the courage to express your convictions, and recognize that what is ahead of you is a lifetime of public service. You simply have to find what is the right way to do it.”

He gave a great speech, but it was honestly overshadowed by Susan Peterson's speech to her fellow graduates. Susan talked about her reaction to hearing that a French foreign minister stated that the "magic is over" in terms of the US and our world relations. Here's what Susan said:

“I think we’ve been doing ‘magic’ for too long in the United States. ‘Magic’ is disguising sub-prime mortgages as sound investments and making 20 percent returns. ‘Magic’ is transforming chemicals and preservatives into substances resembling food and selling it cheap to Americans who need to eat more fruits and vegetables. ‘Magic’ is using multi-lane highways to string together far-flung suburbs and exurbs populated with McMansions and calling it the American dream. If Kouchner is right, and the magic really is over, I am relieved, because now we can stop doing magic and get on with the business of doing good. Doing good like working to increase equity in the world. Things LBJ students are trained to do and awesome at doing.”

I've earned a degree that I am very proud of. I'm part of an incredible group of world citizens who are dedicated to lives of public service. I'm amazed at what we have collectively accomplished and excited to hear about our impact in the future.

Abbey and I with, in my brother's words, "the most expensive piece of blank paper ever"

Ellen DeGeneres gave my personal favorite commencement speech this year. She shared many jokes and her private history of experiencing a very low point in life before becoming a successful comedienne and later, one of the first openly gay mainstream celebrities. Enjoy!

This Will Make Your Day (or Week)

I think this video could be a metaphor for life. It makes me so happy. Make sure you watch until the end.