Personal Space

I live in the Campus Place Subdivision — though judging from the looks of my vehicle, many mistakenly think I live inside it instead. My husband offers the following disclaimer to anyone who needs a ride: “Don’t worry about the junk, it lives here. You, on the other hand, are the guest.”  (And honestly, that can also be said of our home.)

Occupation:

My youngest sister-in-love refers to me as a reporter because I’m always posting and sharing about my biological children, Writeous Poets and students’ successes on my social media pages. In reality, my current job is being the Arkansas Teacher of the Year. Yep, this is an actual paying gig! Prior to starting my year of service on July 1^st, I operated as the founder/co-sponsor of a youth spoken word collective entitled Writeous Poets, taught Communications and coordinated the A.V.I.D. (Advancement Via Individual Determination) college and career readiness program at Little Rock Central High School. But I must say being Norel and Jamee’s mom is the hands down my most important and rewarding job.

My favorite space is:

Growing up I never understood the purpose of a pretty “living room” where little living in the room occurred and vowed never to have a room like that. And, uh, I’ve honored that. Our house is very lived in – every space, nook, and cranny. In terms of my favorite space, it’s probably the den.

Why?

The den is where we host our bimonthly Mind Blazin get-togethers and it is the room that most shows the personality of our family. The walls house original Leron McAdoo artwork as well as lots of my running and cycling medals. The floor holds memories of impromptu dance battles, concerts and open mics with the children and company. The ceiling provides a cap to keep our serious conversations and secrets safe (except that one spot where Uncle James fell through from the attic). And the bookshelf stores our family keepsakes while curating our evolution of thought & interests as writers and artists. This is also the room where I ride my bike on the trainer when the weather isn’t favorable and where we watch documentaries and TV sitcoms (namely Black-ish) together as a family.

If I could make one change to improve this space, I would:

I still very much love the feel and smell of books. If I could make one change to improve this space, I would figure out more shelving options or creative ways to house all the other books that I have stacked everywhere.