WEBVTT 00:00:11.179 --> 00:00:14.140 Hi, everybody. Welcome to the Messenger Mic'd 00:00:14.140 --> 00:00:17.000 Up. My name is Jennifer Smith, and I am a student 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:20.019 here at Johnson County Community College. Welcome 00:00:20.019 --> 00:00:23.620 to the Messenger Mic'd Up, our second student 00:00:23.620 --> 00:00:27.480 stories section. Today, I am joined by Carlyn 00:00:27.480 --> 00:00:31.699 Jones. Hi. Hi. Welcome, welcome to the show. 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:34.859 How are you? I'm doing well today. How are you? 00:00:34.979 --> 00:00:37.320 I am good. I am good. Did you guys get through 00:00:37.320 --> 00:00:39.159 the storm okay last night? Did you guys lose 00:00:39.159 --> 00:00:42.420 power or? No, we didn't lose power. We got really 00:00:42.420 --> 00:00:45.259 lucky, but we did have a couple branches fall 00:00:45.259 --> 00:00:48.820 down. Well, I'm ready for spring. I don't know 00:00:48.820 --> 00:00:52.539 about you, but I'm ready. Absolutely. I was telling 00:00:52.539 --> 00:00:55.200 Zach, our podcast editor, I will complain this 00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:57.759 summer when it's 104 degrees, but I would rather 00:00:57.759 --> 00:01:02.619 have that than this. Yeah. So, Karlyn, tell our 00:01:02.619 --> 00:01:05.340 listeners a little bit about you. Where are you 00:01:05.340 --> 00:01:08.379 from? What are you studying here at JCCC? That 00:01:08.379 --> 00:01:11.769 sort of thing. I was born and raised here in 00:01:11.769 --> 00:01:14.569 Overland Park, Kansas. I'm an accounting major. 00:01:15.469 --> 00:01:18.829 You know, I really just trying to figure it out 00:01:18.829 --> 00:01:21.810 along the way, explore my options. Perfect. What 00:01:21.810 --> 00:01:24.250 made you interested in accounting? I've always 00:01:24.250 --> 00:01:28.329 been really good at math. One of my big things 00:01:28.329 --> 00:01:31.510 is that I have a lot of hobbies. So for me personally, 00:01:31.650 --> 00:01:34.310 I really wanted to sit down and have something 00:01:34.310 --> 00:01:38.340 a little more stable. And then be able to, you 00:01:38.340 --> 00:01:41.459 know, make enough to afford my hobbies. Speaking 00:01:41.459 --> 00:01:43.500 of hobbies, we talked a little bit about that 00:01:43.500 --> 00:01:45.540 offline, just you and I. But can you share with 00:01:45.540 --> 00:01:47.799 our listeners some of your hobbies and the things 00:01:47.799 --> 00:01:51.760 that you like to do? Yeah, I'm really active 00:01:51.760 --> 00:01:55.099 for the most part. I weightlift. I did wrestling 00:01:55.099 --> 00:02:00.219 all throughout high school. I'm big on photography 00:02:00.219 --> 00:02:03.239 and culinary and all that sort of thing. Wow. 00:02:03.400 --> 00:02:05.239 Very, very cool. What do you like to cook or 00:02:05.239 --> 00:02:09.710 make? I really like pasta dishes. That was kind 00:02:09.710 --> 00:02:12.889 of like my staple with experimenting because 00:02:12.889 --> 00:02:16.050 it's just really versatile. Yeah. And everybody 00:02:16.050 --> 00:02:19.229 likes pasta. Oh, of course. How can you not like 00:02:19.229 --> 00:02:22.689 pasta? You mentioned being an accounting major 00:02:22.689 --> 00:02:25.469 and talked a little bit about how you want to 00:02:25.469 --> 00:02:27.789 work in a fashion where you can support your 00:02:27.789 --> 00:02:29.710 family, support your hobbies, that sort of thing. 00:02:29.830 --> 00:02:32.110 Is there something specific in accounting that 00:02:32.110 --> 00:02:34.349 you're interested in, like budgeting or finance 00:02:34.349 --> 00:02:40.219 or? I do like finance accounting. I feel like 00:02:40.219 --> 00:02:42.860 I'm leaning more towards the managerial accounting 00:02:42.860 --> 00:02:47.300 side of things. I'm not too big on tax. Okay. 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:52.560 Very cool. Very cool. What led you here to JCCC 00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:56.590 to continue your studies? Like I said, you know, 00:02:56.590 --> 00:02:58.870 really just exploring my options. And I felt 00:02:58.870 --> 00:03:00.650 like it was an affordable way for me to just 00:03:00.650 --> 00:03:03.310 test the waters with certain things. Absolutely. 00:03:03.490 --> 00:03:07.569 Absolutely. How do you think that JCCC and your 00:03:07.569 --> 00:03:10.389 studies and your time here will be of benefit 00:03:10.389 --> 00:03:13.729 to you in your accounting career? I think it's 00:03:13.729 --> 00:03:15.889 been a really great way for me to adjust out 00:03:15.889 --> 00:03:18.909 of high school. Just, you know, being able to, 00:03:19.030 --> 00:03:22.650 like I said, explore everything. But also it's 00:03:22.650 --> 00:03:28.439 been really... working with my schedule it works 00:03:28.439 --> 00:03:31.780 with my schedule very well and I think that it's 00:03:31.780 --> 00:03:35.280 been really helpful to just you know have have 00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:39.860 the finals the way the finals are set up is a 00:03:39.860 --> 00:03:42.699 major help with with stress and adjusting to 00:03:43.340 --> 00:03:45.740 to college life. Right. Do you, when you say 00:03:45.740 --> 00:03:48.639 finals, do you mean with like stop week and yeah. 00:03:49.460 --> 00:03:52.259 So with stop week and, and how they have it set 00:03:52.259 --> 00:03:54.979 up to where you really only should have one final 00:03:54.979 --> 00:03:58.900 a day. I think that's such a great thing that 00:03:58.900 --> 00:04:02.120 they did for, for the students. I think we can 00:04:02.120 --> 00:04:03.960 all remember a time where that was not the case 00:04:03.960 --> 00:04:06.120 where you might have three plus a paper, you 00:04:06.120 --> 00:04:10.259 know, it's like, I can't do this. When are you 00:04:10.259 --> 00:04:14.500 graduating or do you know yet? I should be in 00:04:14.500 --> 00:04:17.540 line to graduate at the end of the next school 00:04:17.540 --> 00:04:20.139 year. Awesome. Me too. Me too. Awesome. Awesome. 00:04:21.139 --> 00:04:23.379 So I'm going to get to the question I am most 00:04:23.379 --> 00:04:27.540 excited about. When we met, you shared some beautiful 00:04:27.540 --> 00:04:31.060 photos with me of a very pretty, amazing, special 00:04:31.060 --> 00:04:33.800 someone in your life. And I was wondering if 00:04:33.800 --> 00:04:36.480 you could tell our listeners about this wonderful 00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:41.939 person. right um so i am a new mom i have a two 00:04:41.939 --> 00:04:45.500 and a half week old her name is ainsley um and 00:04:45.500 --> 00:04:49.759 she's she's perfect uh she's been a lot to adjust 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:52.850 to for sure but i Couldn't really ask for anything 00:04:52.850 --> 00:04:55.949 better. No, being a mom is such an incredible 00:04:55.949 --> 00:04:59.870 experience. My baby is 23 and we were able to 00:04:59.870 --> 00:05:01.990 share some pictures of our babies together. And 00:05:01.990 --> 00:05:04.009 I'm so excited for you for this new journey. 00:05:04.490 --> 00:05:06.810 Give me a call if you ever need mom to mom help. 00:05:06.930 --> 00:05:08.829 I've been there. I've been there. I can help 00:05:08.829 --> 00:05:12.029 you out, Fred. Can you talk a little bit about 00:05:12.029 --> 00:05:14.470 the challenges of balancing your duties as a 00:05:14.470 --> 00:05:17.470 new mom and also your studies and your homework 00:05:17.470 --> 00:05:21.439 here at JCCC? Right. So like I said, I mean, 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:23.800 it's a huge adjustment. There's nothing really 00:05:23.800 --> 00:05:26.360 easy about bringing a new life to the world. 00:05:27.339 --> 00:05:29.420 You know, you really don't know what you're doing. 00:05:29.879 --> 00:05:33.459 But, you know, the hardest thing for me has been 00:05:33.459 --> 00:05:37.839 trying to get in some sleep. Yeah. On top of 00:05:37.839 --> 00:05:41.819 everything else is just really sleep. Right. 00:05:42.139 --> 00:05:44.500 And that's not going to change anytime soon, 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:50.759 friend. I'm sorry. How do you stay organized? 00:05:50.860 --> 00:05:53.860 I mean, you're juggling some pretty big responsibilities 00:05:53.860 --> 00:05:57.220 all at one time. Do you have any tips that you 00:05:57.220 --> 00:05:59.040 could maybe share with our listeners about how 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:01.819 to stay organized and not drop all the balls 00:06:01.819 --> 00:06:05.420 that you're juggling at one time? um so i mean 00:06:05.420 --> 00:06:08.060 obviously i anticipated you know having a kind 00:06:08.060 --> 00:06:12.160 of a rough semester this this semester and uh 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:15.779 so i kind of prepared i'm only taking a one online 00:06:15.779 --> 00:06:18.379 class right now okay that way so i'm able to 00:06:18.379 --> 00:06:21.480 be home with the baby and be able to access my 00:06:21.480 --> 00:06:25.430 studies without having any issues And then really 00:06:25.430 --> 00:06:29.149 just a light workload. The online classes are 00:06:29.149 --> 00:06:32.629 fantastic. And I work full time because I'm a 00:06:32.629 --> 00:06:34.170 non -traditional student. As you know, we talked 00:06:34.170 --> 00:06:37.670 about that. It is wonderful that JCCC makes learning 00:06:37.670 --> 00:06:41.230 available to all different kinds of students. 00:06:41.370 --> 00:06:43.500 You know, not everybody is able to come. You 00:06:43.500 --> 00:06:45.560 know, like you and I are not able to come to 00:06:45.560 --> 00:06:48.160 four every day, you know, and and of course, 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:49.879 there are some students who can. But how wonderful 00:06:49.879 --> 00:06:51.899 that this community is welcoming and accepting 00:06:51.899 --> 00:06:58.720 of all. Let me see what suggestions or advice 00:06:58.720 --> 00:07:02.560 would you have if another young person were a 00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:05.100 parent and they were to say to you, I can't I 00:07:05.100 --> 00:07:07.920 can't go to school. I can't do that. Or, hey, 00:07:07.980 --> 00:07:09.959 do you think I could do that? What would you 00:07:09.959 --> 00:07:14.730 say to them? Really just, you know, one of the 00:07:14.730 --> 00:07:18.430 biggest things is to know your resources. I mean. 00:07:19.000 --> 00:07:21.420 johnson county has a ton of resources and the 00:07:21.420 --> 00:07:24.339 staff is amazing i mean for me communication 00:07:24.339 --> 00:07:27.160 is also a huge thing i've been communicating 00:07:27.160 --> 00:07:29.660 with my online professor and really just trying 00:07:29.660 --> 00:07:33.519 to work out something that'll work um for my 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:36.920 class so that i can you know prioritize my degree 00:07:36.920 --> 00:07:40.420 and continuing my education while also being 00:07:40.420 --> 00:07:44.779 here and being able to focus on my baby I'm glad 00:07:44.779 --> 00:07:46.939 that you mentioned that about the resources on 00:07:46.939 --> 00:07:49.000 campus. I was going to ask if you were familiar 00:07:49.000 --> 00:07:51.079 with the Child Care Center on campus, but I'm 00:07:51.079 --> 00:07:52.879 going to kind of expand the question out a little 00:07:52.879 --> 00:07:55.560 bit. Can you talk to us about the resources that 00:07:55.560 --> 00:07:57.360 are available here on campus and that you've 00:07:57.360 --> 00:08:00.680 been utilizing? Right. So, like I said, you know, 00:08:00.699 --> 00:08:02.920 really just reaching out and communicating and 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:05.379 having that online class. But you also have, 00:08:05.540 --> 00:08:07.939 you know, the counselors that you can reach out 00:08:07.939 --> 00:08:12.920 to. and set up you know maybe an extended exam 00:08:12.920 --> 00:08:17.040 time or quiz time something that really you know 00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:20.579 can benefit you and your education there's like 00:08:20.579 --> 00:08:24.079 you said the child care center i've looked majorly 00:08:24.079 --> 00:08:27.290 into that And I think it's great. I think it's 00:08:27.290 --> 00:08:31.050 a wonderful resource. There's a discounted daycare 00:08:31.050 --> 00:08:35.590 for students. Wow, that's fantastic. Thank you 00:08:35.590 --> 00:08:37.950 for sharing that with us. I've seen it. It's 00:08:37.950 --> 00:08:40.610 over by the Police Academy on campus. But unfortunately, 00:08:40.710 --> 00:08:42.669 I don't get to that side of campus very often. 00:08:42.789 --> 00:08:46.190 So, yeah, I think it's fantastic that that's 00:08:46.190 --> 00:08:49.269 a resource here. There's so many times I think 00:08:49.269 --> 00:08:51.889 life events get in the way of people going back 00:08:51.889 --> 00:08:54.850 to school or finishing their degree. It's wonderful 00:08:54.850 --> 00:08:57.230 that our campus makes those resources available 00:08:57.230 --> 00:09:03.049 to make education accessible to everybody. Switching 00:09:03.049 --> 00:09:04.950 gears a little bit, you kind of talked about 00:09:04.950 --> 00:09:07.629 weightlifting and you talked about your sporting 00:09:07.629 --> 00:09:10.850 activities. Are there other hobbies that you 00:09:10.850 --> 00:09:13.769 like? Reading or you've talked about cooking 00:09:13.769 --> 00:09:15.629 as well. Can you share a little bit more with 00:09:15.629 --> 00:09:20.159 us? yeah i mean i'm really kind of just a jack 00:09:20.159 --> 00:09:23.240 of all trades i i dabble here and there once 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:26.539 in a while and uh one of my recent things was 00:09:26.539 --> 00:09:30.559 uh i picked up crocheting yay um so i started 00:09:30.559 --> 00:09:33.379 on a little blanket for the baby i haven't quite 00:09:33.379 --> 00:09:36.220 finished it yet but um that's been one of my 00:09:36.220 --> 00:09:40.029 recent projects Love it. I've also picked up, 00:09:40.029 --> 00:09:41.710 you know, some things here and there to help 00:09:41.710 --> 00:09:43.830 around the house. I live with my mom right now. 00:09:44.269 --> 00:09:48.330 And, you know, every once in a while she wants 00:09:48.330 --> 00:09:50.309 to change something up, like, you know, fix a 00:09:50.309 --> 00:09:54.070 light fixture, change a light fixture. So just 00:09:54.070 --> 00:09:57.960 kind of. picking up things as I go. Yeah. Like 00:09:57.960 --> 00:10:00.620 being a handy woman. Yeah. I mean, things like 00:10:00.620 --> 00:10:02.799 that will follow you, you know, the rest of your 00:10:02.799 --> 00:10:05.120 life. You'll be able to use those skills when 00:10:05.120 --> 00:10:07.200 you have your own home, your own apartment. Yeah. 00:10:07.279 --> 00:10:09.940 My husband and I joke all the time about, I don't 00:10:09.940 --> 00:10:12.320 want a house anymore because I have to fix everything. 00:10:12.539 --> 00:10:14.220 You know, I just want an apartment. Let them 00:10:14.220 --> 00:10:20.659 deal with it. But yeah. So I have to ask you 00:10:20.659 --> 00:10:23.460 with your crocheting. I started out as a crocheter 00:10:23.460 --> 00:10:27.379 and I became a knitter. Someone else that works 00:10:27.379 --> 00:10:29.759 on the podcast is also a crocheter. So we're 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:32.840 talking about getting a group of JCCC folks together 00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:35.179 to knit and crochet. Can we call on you to join 00:10:35.179 --> 00:10:41.120 our yarn ranks? Get me out and hopefully, I mean, 00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:43.639 if I can bring my own project from home, I can 00:10:43.639 --> 00:10:46.960 finish my blanket. Of course, of course. And 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:49.120 you can also bring your beautiful little baby. 00:10:50.379 --> 00:10:53.179 Mine is 23. So my days of getting to snuggle 00:10:53.179 --> 00:10:55.960 little ones are long gone. So thank you. Thank 00:10:55.960 --> 00:10:58.200 you for sharing her with us. That was just wonderful. 00:11:00.179 --> 00:11:03.899 Let me see. Talking about things that bring you 00:11:03.899 --> 00:11:07.360 joy, who inspires you in your life? And can you 00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:10.980 tell us why that person or those people are inspirations 00:11:10.980 --> 00:11:13.700 to you and what they've done for you that's been 00:11:13.700 --> 00:11:18.320 joy giving? I'd say that my mom is probably my 00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:22.480 biggest inspiration. She was also a fairly young 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:27.379 mom. She was older than I am. She was 25 when 00:11:27.379 --> 00:11:29.759 she had me, but she was still in college and 00:11:29.759 --> 00:11:32.340 she figured out how to get through it, how to 00:11:32.340 --> 00:11:35.899 work a career, build up, and she did that all 00:11:35.899 --> 00:11:39.659 single. So I have a lot of respect to her and 00:11:39.659 --> 00:11:42.919 her work ethic and just all of the support that 00:11:42.919 --> 00:11:45.779 she's been able to give me while balancing all 00:11:45.779 --> 00:11:49.000 of that. And that message passes forward with 00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:50.840 your daughter, you know, because someday she 00:11:50.840 --> 00:11:52.919 will be your age and she will be able to say, 00:11:52.960 --> 00:11:55.100 you know what, my mom did it. My mom's pretty 00:11:55.100 --> 00:11:57.679 cool. You know, and you're showing her as a young 00:11:57.679 --> 00:12:00.720 woman that education is available and it's accessible 00:12:00.720 --> 00:12:03.799 and, you know, there's nothing that should stand 00:12:03.799 --> 00:12:06.019 in your way from learning. So that's amazing. 00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:09.659 You think you'll play this podcast for your mom 00:12:09.659 --> 00:12:11.639 so she'll know that you said that about her? 00:12:11.899 --> 00:12:14.919 Oh, she knows. She asked before I came up here 00:12:14.919 --> 00:12:17.799 to join and she was like, are you going to say 00:12:17.799 --> 00:12:22.080 nice things about me? Yes, mom. We certify she 00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:24.679 said nice things about you. She's like the new 00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:29.779 podcast mom. Love it. Love it. What would you 00:12:29.779 --> 00:12:33.539 say is a good... something that resonated with 00:12:33.539 --> 00:12:36.559 you like a piece of advice or um something that 00:12:36.559 --> 00:12:38.320 someone shared with you once that you've carried 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:40.840 with you that you might like to share with us 00:12:40.840 --> 00:12:49.220 oh I know that's a big one I know that's that's 00:12:49.220 --> 00:12:51.980 a hard one I would have to say you know uh my 00:12:51.980 --> 00:12:58.240 coach for wrestling in uh in high school he um 00:12:59.370 --> 00:13:04.309 He kind of gave me this, not necessarily saying, 00:13:04.409 --> 00:13:10.970 but just more of a metaphor. He, you know, said 00:13:10.970 --> 00:13:17.429 that life is kind of like, you know, oh my gosh, 00:13:17.470 --> 00:13:23.169 what is the word for it? Scaffolding. Life is 00:13:23.169 --> 00:13:26.950 like scaffolding. Oh, okay. I feel. You know, 00:13:26.970 --> 00:13:29.149 you can either build it up and continue building 00:13:29.149 --> 00:13:31.929 upon it, or you can just sit there and you can 00:13:31.929 --> 00:13:34.590 just have that kind of shell. And that's really 00:13:34.590 --> 00:13:37.450 depending on what you do, what you go out to 00:13:37.450 --> 00:13:40.549 achieve and continue building upon. And I do 00:13:40.549 --> 00:13:42.750 kind of just sit here and realize, you know, 00:13:42.789 --> 00:13:45.870 I really do need to work in order to accomplish 00:13:45.870 --> 00:13:48.789 the things that I want. And that's huge. You 00:13:48.789 --> 00:13:50.990 know, I feel like sometimes a lot of people. 00:13:51.980 --> 00:13:54.360 I may not necessarily realize that you do have 00:13:54.360 --> 00:13:57.019 to put a ton of work in to really accomplish 00:13:57.019 --> 00:14:00.000 your dreams sometimes. Yeah. That it doesn't 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:03.559 come easy. You know, and I'm kicking myself now 00:14:03.559 --> 00:14:05.980 because I read a quote today on Instagram. On 00:14:05.980 --> 00:14:07.960 my Instagram, I follow like lots of motivational 00:14:07.960 --> 00:14:09.960 quotes and, you know, make you feel good kind 00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:12.220 of messages. And there was one that was very 00:14:12.220 --> 00:14:15.980 similar to that about how all the people who 00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:19.100 have things. by and large, you know, put in their 00:14:19.100 --> 00:14:21.740 heart and soul and they had to be afraid to fail. 00:14:21.940 --> 00:14:24.159 I mean, had to not be afraid to fail. You know, 00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:25.740 it's okay to fail because it's in that moment 00:14:25.740 --> 00:14:27.600 that you're growing and you're getting better 00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:30.720 and you're getting stronger. And again, I just 00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:32.200 think that that sends such a wonderful message 00:14:32.200 --> 00:14:34.159 to your little girl. You know, she doesn't know 00:14:34.159 --> 00:14:36.100 it now, but one day she will know how awesome 00:14:36.100 --> 00:14:39.879 her mama is. If it's okay to ask you some personal 00:14:39.879 --> 00:14:42.200 questions, what's on your Spotify playlist? What 00:14:42.200 --> 00:14:44.139 are you listening to right now? What do you love? 00:14:44.879 --> 00:14:48.360 oh man that's a fun question everybody loves 00:14:48.360 --> 00:14:52.740 music yeah so kind of surprising i am big into 00:14:52.740 --> 00:14:58.450 like rock and metal nice okay A lot of my like 00:14:58.450 --> 00:15:02.190 recent listens are of Korn and I actually was 00:15:02.190 --> 00:15:04.169 able to go to the concert when they were here 00:15:04.169 --> 00:15:07.710 in Kansas and it was amazing. No way. Wow. That's 00:15:07.710 --> 00:15:10.429 awesome. Well, I'll give a shout out to the music 00:15:10.429 --> 00:15:11.970 department because that's where I come from. 00:15:12.909 --> 00:15:15.870 Harvey Fitzer teaches a class here called the 00:15:15.870 --> 00:15:18.730 history of rock and roll. And if you get the 00:15:18.730 --> 00:15:20.970 opportunity to take it, take it. It's fantastic. 00:15:21.649 --> 00:15:23.809 I mean, I come from a different generation, you 00:15:23.809 --> 00:15:27.250 know, I'm, I'm 53, but a lot. of the old classic 00:15:27.250 --> 00:15:29.250 rock that my dad listened to, we talked about, 00:15:29.350 --> 00:15:31.250 and then all the way up through, you know, Korn 00:15:31.250 --> 00:15:33.870 and, you know, Kendrick Lamar, you know, like 00:15:33.870 --> 00:15:36.309 all the way coming into today's music. And so 00:15:36.309 --> 00:15:37.629 I think it's something that you would really 00:15:37.629 --> 00:15:40.690 enjoy. But yeah, I do like Korn. I like Freak 00:15:40.690 --> 00:15:42.409 on a Leash. I think that's a great song. And 00:15:42.409 --> 00:15:45.250 I saw them do it with, what's the girl's name 00:15:45.250 --> 00:15:49.710 that sang lead for Evanescence? Amy. You know 00:15:49.710 --> 00:15:52.129 who I'm talking about? I do. Really pretty voice. 00:15:52.669 --> 00:15:55.210 Blinking on her name. Yeah, me too. Doggone it. 00:15:55.309 --> 00:15:58.289 Yeah, that's a really good one. What about movies 00:15:58.289 --> 00:16:04.490 or books? I really like kind of more of the thriller 00:16:04.490 --> 00:16:08.789 horror style. Really? Okay. I feel like sometimes 00:16:08.789 --> 00:16:10.850 there are things that are way too predictable. 00:16:12.110 --> 00:16:14.929 Um, so for me, it's kind of hard to sit there 00:16:14.929 --> 00:16:17.970 and watch something and then pick out what the 00:16:17.970 --> 00:16:19.769 ending is going to be within the first like 10 00:16:19.769 --> 00:16:21.929 minutes of the movie. Yeah. So I really, I really 00:16:21.929 --> 00:16:24.590 tried to aim for something that, you know, has 00:16:24.590 --> 00:16:27.389 a lot of twists and turns and something that 00:16:27.389 --> 00:16:29.769 you, you know, may not be able to predict right 00:16:29.769 --> 00:16:32.190 off the bat. Right. That's the reason that I 00:16:32.190 --> 00:16:34.789 don't watch Hallmark Christmas movies. They all 00:16:34.789 --> 00:16:37.070 start, you know, boy meets girl, you know, Santa 00:16:37.070 --> 00:16:39.029 comes in, everything goes bad, then it snows 00:16:39.029 --> 00:16:40.269 and it's perfect. You know, like, it's like, 00:16:40.289 --> 00:16:42.389 I've seen this movie. million times you know 00:16:42.389 --> 00:16:45.990 um yeah um are you a reader at all do you like 00:16:45.990 --> 00:16:49.070 to read thriller books as well or yes yeah can 00:16:49.070 --> 00:16:51.370 you make a recommendation I just got a kindle 00:16:51.370 --> 00:16:55.070 so I'm like eager for book suggestions there 00:16:55.070 --> 00:16:58.909 is a book called the silent patient oh the silent 00:16:58.909 --> 00:17:02.429 patient okay that was amazing and I mean I probably 00:17:02.429 --> 00:17:05.990 knocked that book out in a couple days wow nice 00:17:05.990 --> 00:17:09.359 nice Well, is there anything else that you'd 00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:11.400 like to share with our listeners? Maybe about 00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:14.279 you personally, about your experience here at 00:17:14.279 --> 00:17:22.279 JCCC, about being a mom? Sure. I, you know, have 00:17:22.279 --> 00:17:25.839 never been too fabulous at school. I, you know, 00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:30.240 had to go to a alternative high school to make 00:17:30.240 --> 00:17:32.880 up some credits. Okay. Just because, you know, 00:17:32.900 --> 00:17:37.660 learning has never been too high on my... not 00:17:37.660 --> 00:17:40.180 necessarily on my to -do list but it's never 00:17:40.180 --> 00:17:43.000 been like one of my greatest accomplishments 00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:49.279 like a priority yeah but you know I feel like 00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:54.140 if you really do want to adjust your reach for 00:17:54.140 --> 00:17:57.140 your goals you have to do something that adjusts 00:17:57.140 --> 00:18:00.220 to your schedule um so if if that means you know 00:18:00.220 --> 00:18:02.700 taking one class at a time each semester then 00:18:02.700 --> 00:18:07.160 that's what it means um you know putting Even 00:18:07.160 --> 00:18:10.079 though if you think you can do a full workload, 00:18:10.299 --> 00:18:16.160 if you've previously not done so well in school, 00:18:16.359 --> 00:18:19.019 tone it down. Maybe do a couple of classes and 00:18:19.019 --> 00:18:22.200 explore. Make sure to incorporate some things 00:18:22.200 --> 00:18:25.299 that you like. Like I have done a couple of weights 00:18:25.299 --> 00:18:28.660 classes. I've done a couple of photography classes. 00:18:28.680 --> 00:18:32.500 Me too, actually. Yeah, those are fun. Yeah. 00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:37.220 And so really just balancing learning something 00:18:37.220 --> 00:18:40.089 for your career. and something you enjoy while 00:18:40.089 --> 00:18:43.009 also giving yourself enough time to really adjust 00:18:43.009 --> 00:18:46.690 to everything. It's super important. I love that 00:18:46.690 --> 00:18:49.069 you said that because I think people, I mean, 00:18:49.089 --> 00:18:50.549 at least when I was in high school, which again 00:18:50.549 --> 00:18:53.109 was 10 million years ago, I know, but I think 00:18:53.109 --> 00:18:54.809 I thought I had to go straight to college and 00:18:54.809 --> 00:18:56.650 I had to take a full load and I had to graduate 00:18:56.650 --> 00:18:59.809 in four years, you know, and as I got older and 00:18:59.809 --> 00:19:01.549 I mean, I'm living proof because here I am at 00:19:01.549 --> 00:19:05.390 53 at JCCC, but not everybody's journey is linear. 00:19:06.170 --> 00:19:08.230 You know, not everybody goes to school, gets 00:19:08.230 --> 00:19:09.890 married, has a baby, buys a house, you know, 00:19:09.890 --> 00:19:13.750 and that is okay. It's absolutely fine to have 00:19:13.750 --> 00:19:16.950 a different beat, you know, that you march to. 00:19:17.430 --> 00:19:20.769 And the good thing about JCCC, and more than 00:19:20.769 --> 00:19:22.910 once you've said this during our talk today, 00:19:23.089 --> 00:19:25.890 that you have wide opportunities to explore. 00:19:26.599 --> 00:19:28.779 you know, and dip your toe in the water. You're 00:19:28.779 --> 00:19:31.180 never going to know unless you try it. If you 00:19:31.180 --> 00:19:33.359 try it and you hate it, okay, well, you gave 00:19:33.359 --> 00:19:35.779 it a shot, right? If you try it and you love 00:19:35.779 --> 00:19:38.240 it, hey, I mean, you could take a brand new direction 00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:41.099 and find something that you love. And with having 00:19:41.099 --> 00:19:43.779 a new, beautiful little girl, photography is 00:19:43.779 --> 00:19:46.240 really going to benefit you. And as a mom of 00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:48.180 a 23 -year -old, believe me when I tell you, 00:19:48.220 --> 00:19:52.000 she will be 23 next week. You can read me. She 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:54.240 will be driving and there will be boys and yes. 00:19:54.599 --> 00:19:57.660 I don't doubt it. I mean, she's getting close 00:19:57.660 --> 00:20:00.460 to hitting that month mark and it does not feel 00:20:00.460 --> 00:20:04.559 like, like at all. No, no. What a joy that is 00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:07.519 to be a mom. Would you, if you don't mind me 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:09.660 asking, this is kind of personal, but what would 00:20:09.660 --> 00:20:11.599 you say you've learned? And I know that you're 00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:14.119 kind of new to your motherhood journey, but is 00:20:14.119 --> 00:20:16.759 there anything that maybe you weren't prepared 00:20:16.759 --> 00:20:21.200 for that surprised you or? Are you still waiting 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:24.700 to be surprised? I feel like I'm still waiting 00:20:24.700 --> 00:20:28.059 for a big surprise. I kind of anticipated the 00:20:28.059 --> 00:20:31.579 lack of sleep and the amount of eating that she 00:20:31.579 --> 00:20:35.160 does and whatnot. And the unpredictability of 00:20:35.160 --> 00:20:40.859 the scream. Oh, yeah. I guess one of my more 00:20:40.859 --> 00:20:44.130 unpredictable things was... more of like the 00:20:44.130 --> 00:20:48.309 labor process. Oh yeah. For me, it was a lot 00:20:48.309 --> 00:20:52.670 quicker than I was really anticipating. So I 00:20:52.670 --> 00:20:55.369 got lucky there, but it was, it was a lot all 00:20:55.369 --> 00:20:58.549 at once. Good. I remember long before I was married 00:20:58.549 --> 00:21:01.529 and long before I was a mom, my mother said to 00:21:01.529 --> 00:21:04.289 me, she said, you know, there's nothing I can 00:21:04.289 --> 00:21:06.509 tell you. There are no words I can give you to 00:21:06.509 --> 00:21:09.730 properly explain to you what it means to be a 00:21:09.730 --> 00:21:12.839 mom. The love and the fear and the panic and, 00:21:12.859 --> 00:21:15.460 you know, all of the emotions that bubble up 00:21:15.460 --> 00:21:18.039 in you. She's like, I can't impart that on you. 00:21:18.099 --> 00:21:19.859 That's just something that you have to experience 00:21:19.859 --> 00:21:22.819 for yourself. And I'm so excited for you to be 00:21:22.819 --> 00:21:25.519 on this new journey and that you get to share 00:21:25.519 --> 00:21:27.700 this with your mom, too. I just I just think 00:21:27.700 --> 00:21:29.400 that's wonderful. My mom lives in another state. 00:21:29.480 --> 00:21:32.000 So I just think that's wonderful that you get 00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:36.859 that opportunity. My gosh, I've so enjoyed meeting 00:21:36.859 --> 00:21:38.940 you and getting to know you. And thank you for 00:21:38.940 --> 00:21:41.740 sharing your beautiful girl with us. Is there 00:21:41.740 --> 00:21:44.180 anything else that you'd like to leave our listeners 00:21:44.180 --> 00:21:47.599 with? Maybe a favorite coffee shop to try or 00:21:47.599 --> 00:21:49.960 something that you really love that maybe we 00:21:49.960 --> 00:21:52.599 might not know about that we could go try? Shout 00:21:52.599 --> 00:21:54.539 out to Black Dog Coffee in Lenexa. That's my 00:21:54.539 --> 00:22:00.319 favorite. There is, so I love international food. 00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:03.240 I love trying a lot of things. Oh, yeah. There 00:22:03.240 --> 00:22:07.039 is a Vietnamese restaurant that is a small family 00:22:07.039 --> 00:22:13.920 owned right off of, I want to say, 129th and 00:22:13.920 --> 00:22:16.640 Antioch. Okay. Okay. So here in Johnson County. 00:22:16.819 --> 00:22:20.299 Okay. Yeah. It is called Pho Vietnam. It is amazing. 00:22:20.579 --> 00:22:24.500 Nice. Great atmosphere. Love the family on, you 00:22:24.500 --> 00:22:27.299 know, they're hard workers and they're so sweet. 00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:29.960 Love that. Love supporting small businesses. 00:22:30.019 --> 00:22:32.579 Love supporting family businesses. Love international 00:22:32.579 --> 00:22:34.940 food. Do you think you'd ever go to Vietnam one 00:22:34.940 --> 00:22:37.779 day if you had the opportunity? So I have. Oh, 00:22:37.819 --> 00:22:42.259 you have. Oh, do tell, do tell. So for my graduation 00:22:42.259 --> 00:22:46.579 trip from high school, we spent a month overseas 00:22:46.579 --> 00:22:49.480 traveling across Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand. 00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:54.380 Nice. what can you give us some of your memories 00:22:54.380 --> 00:22:56.359 from that time or something extraordinary that 00:22:56.359 --> 00:22:59.259 happened or you know because i would i would 00:22:59.259 --> 00:23:01.180 venture a guess that the majority of folks listening 00:23:01.180 --> 00:23:05.720 to us have never been there right um it was it 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:08.519 was a huge photography opportunity oh yeah yeah 00:23:08.519 --> 00:23:10.859 and i really took advantage of that i mean i 00:23:10.859 --> 00:23:17.980 filled an entire sd card it was amazing you know 00:23:17.980 --> 00:23:20.259 it's really hard to describe you know you can't 00:23:20.259 --> 00:23:26.049 really capture the beauty with pictures you know 00:23:26.049 --> 00:23:30.089 there's such a such a like rare beauty about 00:23:30.089 --> 00:23:34.650 just being there in the moment yeah but one thing 00:23:34.650 --> 00:23:38.230 that really stood out is just just all the different 00:23:38.230 --> 00:23:41.450 cultures and and how it was so different than 00:23:41.450 --> 00:23:44.569 you know what we're used to here and And they're 00:23:44.569 --> 00:23:47.829 just so accepting and willing to accept into 00:23:47.829 --> 00:23:52.049 their culture and show you what their traditions 00:23:52.049 --> 00:23:55.250 are, what some of their traditional dishes are. 00:23:55.369 --> 00:23:58.069 It's amazing. Yeah. Look at how much you grow 00:23:58.069 --> 00:24:00.710 as a person. You know what I mean? When you open 00:24:00.710 --> 00:24:04.690 yourself up to other worlds, there's so much 00:24:04.690 --> 00:24:09.099 world around us. I'm so thrilled that you got 00:24:09.099 --> 00:24:11.240 to have that opportunity. I have not been to 00:24:11.240 --> 00:24:13.420 Asia. My husband has been to Asia when he was 00:24:13.420 --> 00:24:15.539 in the military, but my father was stationed 00:24:15.539 --> 00:24:18.680 in Vietnam twice. That's how old I am. And he 00:24:18.680 --> 00:24:21.079 said he's never seen anything like it. He said 00:24:21.079 --> 00:24:24.220 the beauty of the landscape was only triumphed 00:24:24.220 --> 00:24:26.339 by the beauty of the people. He said they were 00:24:26.339 --> 00:24:29.579 just the most loving, welcoming, kind people. 00:24:29.839 --> 00:24:32.299 So that's definitely on my bucket list. Vietnam 00:24:32.299 --> 00:24:36.000 is on my bucket list. Have you published any 00:24:36.000 --> 00:24:38.640 of those photos? Or are they just something that 00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:42.779 you've kind of kept personal? No, I've been kind 00:24:42.779 --> 00:24:46.259 of debating if I wanted to. I'm not someone who 00:24:46.259 --> 00:24:48.599 really has any social media or whatnot. I've 00:24:48.599 --> 00:24:51.259 never been too high up on my list of things to 00:24:51.259 --> 00:24:54.400 have. But, you know, if I really wanted to get 00:24:54.400 --> 00:24:57.200 my photography work out there and try to monetize 00:24:57.200 --> 00:25:02.849 it. per se. I would love to. I've got a lot of 00:25:02.849 --> 00:25:05.089 great stuff that I'd love to share with people. 00:25:05.789 --> 00:25:08.690 Well, if you do, let us know so that we can share 00:25:08.690 --> 00:25:15.069 that with our listeners. Wow. So not taking into 00:25:15.069 --> 00:25:16.670 consideration the places you've always been, 00:25:16.789 --> 00:25:19.410 or have already been, excuse me, Thailand and 00:25:19.410 --> 00:25:21.529 Vietnam and such. Is there another place in the 00:25:21.529 --> 00:25:26.349 world that you'd like to go? Oh, that's... That's 00:25:26.349 --> 00:25:30.250 hard. There's so many places I feel like that 00:25:30.250 --> 00:25:32.829 I would love to just go and experience. I think 00:25:32.829 --> 00:25:38.369 one of the biggest ones would be probably just 00:25:38.369 --> 00:25:41.410 being able to experience Germany. Oh, I lived 00:25:41.410 --> 00:25:43.710 in Germany for three years. Oh, yeah. I'm so 00:25:43.710 --> 00:25:47.269 glad you said that. Keep talking. You know, I 00:25:47.269 --> 00:25:52.000 think it'd be beautiful. I've spent. a tiny bit 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:54.900 of time like two days in helsinki for a layover 00:25:54.900 --> 00:25:58.160 nice um and i didn't really feel like i got to 00:25:58.160 --> 00:26:00.720 experience much of the culture as what i would 00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:04.539 have liked to Yeah. I, my dad was in the military, 00:26:04.559 --> 00:26:06.740 as I mentioned, and we were stationed in Germany 00:26:06.740 --> 00:26:09.220 for three years and it was in the seventies. 00:26:09.279 --> 00:26:12.900 So again, I'm an old lady. So it was before the 00:26:12.900 --> 00:26:15.039 wall came down, you know, and things are so much 00:26:15.039 --> 00:26:18.039 different today. And I was very young, so I didn't 00:26:18.039 --> 00:26:20.980 get to have the adult ability to appreciate the 00:26:20.980 --> 00:26:22.779 culture and the food and the people like you 00:26:22.779 --> 00:26:25.019 did when you went to Asia. So I really hope you 00:26:25.019 --> 00:26:27.160 get the chance to go to Germany. Where in Germany 00:26:27.160 --> 00:26:31.309 would you like to go? Like Berlin or? I'm not 00:26:31.309 --> 00:26:36.109 exactly sure. I mean, just I'm more concerned 00:26:36.109 --> 00:26:38.430 about just finding somewhere and being able to 00:26:38.430 --> 00:26:41.380 experience things rather. A specific location. 00:26:41.819 --> 00:26:45.339 You grow again. You grow so much every time you 00:26:45.339 --> 00:26:48.039 open your heart to a new culture or a new food 00:26:48.039 --> 00:26:51.740 or a new music. And I'm so excited for you. What 00:26:51.740 --> 00:26:54.019 an incredible journey lies ahead of you, both 00:26:54.019 --> 00:26:56.980 as a mom, as a student, as a citizen of the world. 00:26:57.019 --> 00:26:59.380 That's pretty incredible. Do you speak any other 00:26:59.380 --> 00:27:04.140 languages or have you taken a Duolingo? Anything. 00:27:04.220 --> 00:27:06.660 Yeah. I have Duolingo on my phone. And if you 00:27:06.660 --> 00:27:09.019 don't do your lessons for like three days, that 00:27:09.019 --> 00:27:11.819 like harassment that you get, they blow up your 00:27:11.819 --> 00:27:14.380 phone. Are you coming back? We miss you. We miss 00:27:14.380 --> 00:27:20.750 you. I am not fluent in any other language, no, 00:27:20.890 --> 00:27:24.589 but I do partially understand, you know, some 00:27:24.589 --> 00:27:27.410 Spanish enough to get me by if I really need 00:27:27.410 --> 00:27:31.170 it. You need to, yeah. I really should do a better 00:27:31.170 --> 00:27:33.690 job at, you know, getting out there and learning, 00:27:34.009 --> 00:27:37.089 you know, more languages or at least some of 00:27:37.089 --> 00:27:39.369 the basics if I'm, you know, traveling in a different 00:27:39.369 --> 00:27:42.950 country that way so I can communicate and if 00:27:42.950 --> 00:27:45.650 I need to, you know, in case I get lost or whatever. 00:27:46.029 --> 00:27:49.759 Right. good news is you know youtube and tiktok 00:27:49.759 --> 00:27:52.599 and you know there's so many free resources out 00:27:52.599 --> 00:27:56.259 there um but you know i know like free time is 00:27:56.259 --> 00:27:58.240 not something that you have a lot of right now 00:27:58.240 --> 00:28:02.059 on that topic um if you were to have let's say 00:28:02.059 --> 00:28:05.259 unlimited funds you had a gajillion dollars you 00:28:05.259 --> 00:28:08.460 had a weekend of free time no baby no class no 00:28:08.460 --> 00:28:14.299 nothing how would you spend that weekend um Right 00:28:14.299 --> 00:28:19.180 now, I'd probably say sleeping. Yep, I can relate 00:28:19.180 --> 00:28:23.900 to that. But if she was a little bit older and 00:28:23.900 --> 00:28:25.819 getting a little bit more consistent sleep, I'd 00:28:25.819 --> 00:28:28.900 probably just go out and have a day for myself. 00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:35.549 What would you do? Go to the spa? uh maybe you 00:28:35.549 --> 00:28:39.650 know maybe get my hair trimmed or go get my nails 00:28:39.650 --> 00:28:44.609 done or have a special meal yeah good for you 00:28:44.609 --> 00:28:48.390 good for you well anything in closing to share 00:28:48.390 --> 00:28:51.329 with our listeners our friends out there on the 00:28:51.329 --> 00:28:55.079 internet all right well thank you so much for 00:28:55.079 --> 00:28:58.240 being a part of our um the messenger mic'd up 00:28:58.240 --> 00:29:00.480 our podcast here at johnson county community 00:29:00.480 --> 00:29:03.119 college all of you that are listening thank you 00:29:03.119 --> 00:29:06.259 so much for joining us today take care stay safe 00:29:06.259 --> 00:29:08.259 and we will see you next time bye