Wednesday, July 15, 2026

It’s Hodgepodge with Joyce day, you all! It’s also my 26th wedding anniversary! I will share a favorite photo at the end of the post!

. “Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.” Sam Keen

1.Do you feel less guilty relaxing in July than you do in January? Elaborate. 

No, I never feel guilty about relaxing. I am energetic in the morning and get lots of stuff done before lunch. I am a naturally productive person, I think. My mom got shiz done and I get shiz done. One of my sisters is like me and one really has trouble and is hard on herself about it. So, when I do relax, I just don’t feel guilty. I have made the correlation that daytime tv is not great for me. I rarely turn the tv on during the day. I decided that in July, I can sit inside and watch tv a bit more, though. I also take a short nap each day and don’t feel bad at all about it.

2. What’s a telltale sign you’re upset? 

I say, “I’m upset”. I’m an open book. I speak my emotions and I get things off my chest. Tom has always been baffled by how I can be upset one minute and then be fine the next. I just want to feel heard.

I will say that as I have gotten older, I get less upset about the little things, but I’m still a pretty sensitive person. I “read into” things and then run them over in my brain. I am definitely trying to do more of the “let them” theory but sometimes it’s hard.

3. July 16th is National AI Day. What are your general thoughts and/or experiences with AI? Have you purposely used it? Does it excite you, scare you, or worry you? What do you see as a benefit? How about something relating to AI you see as a negative? 

I have the ChatGPT app, and I have used it to ask about trips and meal planning. I think it’s out there and it’s part of our life now. I’m a little bit scared and worried about it and its implications. My wheelhouse would be the use of AI in education. I am “old school” and firmly believe that kids need good old-fashioned teaching, note taking, reading, and writing. I was not a fan of everything on Chromebooks, and I never made them the focal point of my classroom.

I preached to my students to not let technology control them but to choose when technology could help them and when it would be best to do another way. I think sometimes a good face to face or phone conversation can save confusion. Texting is great sometimes, but not all times. I think going into your local stores and chatting is great so that you have that people connection, but I like the options I have available to get delivery or do pick up, too.

4. You’re invited to a summer pot luck and are asked to bring an appetizer, salad/side, or dessert. Which category do you go for and what are you bringing? 

I love an appetizer and have a lot that I guess you could say I am known for? I also love making sides and salads. I would say I would pick one of those two. I think desserts are an easy go to for the other people so I rarely pick them. I made broccoli salad for Michigan, and it was so good and kept for a few days, too! I also made a sun-dried tomato cheese ball.

5. It wouldn’t be summer without___________________. 

Water! Sun! Summer reading! Sunscreen!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

26 years ago today we were the first to use the “new” town trolley!

This is the sanctuary that recently caught on fire.

We went to Aruba for our honeymoon and did all the water activities!

I’m pretty sure Tom still has those swim trunks and this polo!

Currently is coming up before we know it! I will try to start announcing the prompts for the following month on Currently day per Laura’s suggestion. Thank you to Laura who helped me come up with August’s prompts, too! The next Currently will be Wednesday, August 5 and the prompts are: savoring, wrapping up, preparing, remembering, and organizing. I want them to fit the month as best I can! Let me know if you have September suggestions!

Amy

36 thoughts on “Hodgepodge”

  1. I agree with your answers and am glad you are getting some time for rest these days, but still are being productive. The people connection is something we all have to work harder at in this world of technology. I also mentioned I would bring a broccoli salad to a summer event. Hope your day goes well!

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  2. Happy anniversary! Isn’t that such a guy thing? I swear the last time we cleaned out my husband’s closet he had clothes from high school in there…

    I can’t really talk when I’m upset, I have to process it first and then I can talk about it. My go to emotion tends to be tears– angry, sad, hurt, really happy. It doesn’t matter what I’m feeling tears are there… but I don’t like to be so emotional so I first work to contain myself first then make it known how I feel.

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    1. It is! Tom is good at buying quality that lasts, too.
      It depends on my level of upset. As a teacher, I had to get the kid out of the room so I wouldn’t say anything I would regret. I would just calmly say, “Take your things to the hallway and I will be out there to talk to you”. I only had to do that probably 5 times in 31 years.

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  3. Happy Anniversary! I love the pictures. My hubs probably has polos from a few decades back too : ) I like the way you described rest. We are productive people too, and I think when you’re someone who is a do-er you have to sometimes give yourself the ok to take a break without feeling like you should be doing one more thing. There’s always one more thing, right, so take the break. I am also with you on the in-person people connections. We are definitely seeing the fallout from that already, just with our smart phones, and AI is no doubt going to amp it up. Will people use that voice as a friend? You can kind of forget it’s not an actual person if you go back and forth on a topic with it for too long. That part is scary for me. Enjoy celebrating 26 years!

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  4. Happy Anniversary! I wrote in May that it was our 26th and someone on Donnie’s side- his dad or uncle or someone said to me the next time I saw them that it was our 27th. Oops! Anyway, back to you- great pics from your wedding and honeymoon. I am so not a productive person… if I don’t have to be. I would read just about anything over “doing” something that didn’t need to be done. Now I have been productive- I used to train for marathons (and still would- the spirit is willing but the flesh is too weak), I passed the bars of two states, I’ve worked in spurts and got everything done for the house. But, I love to read more than anything- books, news articles, substance articles and that interferes with getting things done.

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    1. That’s so funny! We got married in 2000 so it’s hard to get it wrong to be honest! I am also a big reader but I usually wait until after lunch. My energy is in the am! After lunch I’m not very productive but I dig deep to do one more tidy up and make dinner.

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  5. Happy Happy Anniversary Amy and Tom! I hope you have a wonderful day together! Love how you said apps- those are my favorite things to make any time of the year

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  6. I have found that the older I’ve got the less I get upset about the little things that are not worth my energy. That is fantastic advice that you gave to your students about not letting technology control them. Happy Anniversary to you and Tom! Beautiful photos!

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  7. Congratulations on your Anniversary! It’s so good to see couples that have made marriage a priority and are still together. I read your blog every day. Keep it going.

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  8. Happy Anniversary, Amy and Tom! Beautiful pictures. I also really liked what you wrote about taking a break and connecting in person. In a world full of screens, those real, in-person connections mean everything. Thank you for always writing such thoughtful posts.

    Have a great day!

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      1. We do have a World Market (that I’ve never visited). Have to check it out (not a fan of American candy… what’s with the palm oil in everything!?).

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  9. I loved all of your answers! So far we all feel the same about AI; we use it some, but are a little scared of its implications and how students will use it in school. I love to use it for home improvement projects! Recently Chat GPT told us that the reason my grass was brown in a yard full of healthy green grass was because a large rock was under the surface. So, one afternoon, Jonah started digging; a few feet later, he found the culprit: a very large rock was indeed under the brown grass! I was blown away.

    Happy anniversary, cuties! The swim trunks and polo shirt comment made me laugh; you both look so tan and happy. I love that you went to Aruba for your honeymoon! Any big celebration plans for tonight?

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    1. Yes! I’m proud that our age group is embracing AI and that story about the rock is crazy! We had so much fun on our honeymoon and we were tan and happy. Tom’s hair was so long!

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  11. Happy Anniversary!! ❤️❤️❤️ Cute wedding pictures. I’m sure my husband has clothes from before we got married too 🤣

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  12. Happy Anniversary !!! We also just celebrated our 28th anniversary and I believe my husband still has the same clothes from then also

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  14. Happy Anniversary! I agree with your statements about old fashion learning. I like broccoli salad too. I enjoyed all your pictures and love sunsets.

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  15. Happy Anniversary!! Your dress was stunning and how fun you were the first to use the trolley! I had a long talk with my oldest granddaughter about AI today. Her experience was scary. She quickly became addicted to it. I didn’t know you can “talk” to it and have a conversation. Some of the conversations she told me about (not hers) were terrifying. I can see why people are against it. I use it occasionally to create an image. Can’t wait for Currently!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com

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  17. Definitely agree with your answer regarding AI use, especially in classrooms. It’s a valuable tool, but can’t replace some of the old school things like taking notes on paper!

    Belated anniversary congratulations! Loved the wedding and honeymoon photos you shared!

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