Toastmasters Speech #1

the Ice Breaker
Presented August 27th
"Here Comes the Sun" (4-6 minutes)





My parents gave me a nickname when I was very small: they called me Sunshine. And they would sing to me:



[begin singing] "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray, you'll never know dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away." [end singing]



They called me Sunshine because of my sunny personality. I love to smile. I love to sing, and to dance, and to laugh. I love learning new things. My favorite color is bright yellow. I love sunny Colorado (where I was born and raised). I love nature. I love culture. I love words (reading and writing and speaking). I love music.



Although I was home schooled for much of my youth, I did manage to get into the Mesa Ridge High School marching band as a percussionist, AND I was the only girl in the Widefield School District to go to Allstate Choir in 2001. I also play a little piano and guitar.



Because I was home-schooled for so long and had a lack of high school credits, I did not graduate from high school, but I got my GED and enrolled at Pikes Peak Community College. Right now I am one dreaded math class away from getting an Associate of Arts degree in Humanities… but for now I am procrastinating taking that last math class and instead taking classes towards an online Bachelor's degree from American Public University.



When I finally do graduate with a BA in Middle Eastern Studies, I plan to travel to the Middle East to work as a writer or translator or teacher or something… I'm not quite sure yet. I still don't know exactly what I want to be when I grow up, but I DO know that I want to travel the world and visit other civilizations. I am learning Arabic right now, which is the most exotic and difficult language I have studied.



12 weeks ago I married my longtime sweetheart and traveled outside of the United States for the first time as my husband and I spent our honeymoon on the Yucatan Peninsula. We spent a lazy week soaking in the tropical sun, swimming in the clear Caribbean waters, combing white beaches for seashells, climbing tall Mayan pyramids, eating delicious food, and practicing our Spanish. For the whole week we were treated like royalty. We came away from Mexico a little disappointed that it was over but satisfied with the memories we came home with. '



Although I love to have fun, I've had a job since I was 13 years old, so I could buy my first car when I was 15. I am a firm believer in hard work, as my parents taught me it is satisfying and respectful to get a job done well.



I adore new experiences. Every so often, I get tired of the mundane and like to switch things up a bit. I grew up hiking and camping in the Rocky Mountains, and never really playing sports. But last month I fell in love with the sport of tennis, and now I can play all day long! I also just recently started attending Toastmasters meetings, and a few years ago I started practicing Yoga. I hope never to stop trying new things in my life.



Despite my optimistic disposition, and my worship of the sunshine, I have sacrificed life in the daytime for the graveyard shift. Currently I work as the Night Auditor at Days Inn. This gives me the opportunity to be on the same schedule as my husband, Dusty, who works as a night supervisor at Sam's Club. Working through the dead of night also gives me time on the job to work on my studies. I leave my shift to go home around the time of the sunrise. Those I share the road with are just beginning their work days. I never miss a sunrise!



Although sometimes I find it difficult to sleep during the day, and I don't have much of a social life due to my backwards schedule, and working by myself all night long can get pretty lonely, I remind myself every day what my goals are and I know that at the end of this dark tunnel there is light.

Poor Laptop...

This is our 2nd computer, the one I take to work with me, the one I play the Sims and do my homework on, the one we take to bed with us...

And it's no longer working.

This computer came with us to Mexico! It was used only once while we were there, and that was to empty the contents from the SD card after I took so many pictures of birds and reptiles and flowers...

Our apartment flooded AGAIN (like it does periodically) - leaving the laptop needing a new motherboard, and making us really anxious to move out of here.

...SOON!?


Okay... Dusty reminded me after reading this post that the laptop still "works" per say, but I don't count Safe Mode as "working normally" because I can't save any documents, play any games, view any pictures, or listen to any sounds. We ordered a motherboard off eBay and it should be arriving any day now... then it's surgery time for ye old laptop!