37 Questions with Cadence 

Featuring Erin Dixon- English teacher

     1. What’s the biggest learning experience you’ve had?

Life, growing up a military kid and moving so many times to so many places.  All of the different perspectives of people and cultural backgrounds enhanced the way  I understood things.  And being a mom teaches a level of love and sacrifice and humility, and grace I would never have known without my daughters.  

2. What’s a vice you wish you could give up?

Sugar and probably online Christmas shopping.

3. What are you most excited about these days?

Going home to spend time with my family.

4. What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?

That I make things easy to understand–and fun.  This was especially the best considering it came from a group of freshmen students concerning Shakespeare.  Whoo-hoo, class of 2020.

5. When are you the most inspired?

10 minutes before I fall asleep or have to leave a current location.  Hence inspiration often eludes me.  

6. Sweet or savory?

Sweet.  The root of my sweet tooth reaches my toes.  

7. What makes you smile the most?

My kids

8. What makes you feel the most like yourself?

Flip-flops, lemonade, and a good book by the ocean.

9. Window or aisle seat?

Aisle, I want my girls to have the window, and I want to “protect” them from the rest of the plane.  

10. What’s your current TV show obsession?

Ok, no laughing, Bluey.  I love this show-their relationship and their imaginations.  It is fantastic.  The gamut of the human experience but with puppies.  And let me just say Lucky’s Dad? Top-notch neighbor.  

11. What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done in your life?

It would have to be between Shark fishing and snorkeling the Lehua crater.  Beautiful experiences

12. What’s your current favorite piece of clothing that you own?

I don’t have one currently: my washing machine recently ate my favorite sweater.

13. What’s inspiring you in life right now?

The most inspiring thing in my life is my prayer and devotional time each day.  That is when I learn things about life, myself, and how to be gracious and loving to people.

14. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

“Don’t date someone you wouldn’t want to marry–because if you get married, you’re going to marry one of the people you date.”  –Pop-pop Hess

“You are a combination of the five you are closest with–choose wisely.”–Ryan Hunt

15. What’s something you notice about someone when you first meet them?

Their smile.  It is a great indication of their personality and sincerity. And of course, I like to know straight off the bat who is willing to be in cahoots with me and won’t rat me out.

16. What’s heavily played on your music playlist right now?

Whatever is on my daughter’s Spotify.  LOL

17. What’s your guilty pleasure?

Chocolate

18. What makes you feel the most accomplished? Why? 

Sometimes a student who has graduated comes back or sends a paper and I see how their voices have grown in maturity and sophistication.  Also, when my two-year-old says she won’t go to bed until she picks up her toys, very accomplished!! I am so proud of their accomplishments.  Which isn’t really my accomplishment, I just want to brag on them. 

19. How do you start your day?

Every morning I wake up to a quiet house and study my Bible and pray

20. If you could switch lives with one person for a day, who would it be? Why? 

I don’t know that I would.  Every person’s life has joys and hardships.  Mine leans pretty heavily towards joy.  I don’t think I want to switch–they might wreak havoc in my actual life. 

21. What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to try but you’ve been too scared to do? 

Full on, piton using, mountain climbing.  I’m rather afraid of heights- no short jokes here, please. 

22. If you were not living in Ohio, where would you be living? Why?

Hawaii.  It is where I grew up, the place of my happiest memories.  The weather and the people are wonderful and I never really got my heart back from the ocean. 

23. Where was the best vacation you’ve ever taken? Why? 

I’ve had some wonderful vacations, but I’m reserving this label for future use.  The list is still too long.

24. Favorite food?

Pad Thai

25. What’s a movie that made you cry? 

What isn’t? Most students and friends will tell you I’m a big softy.  I will cry pretty easily.

26. What’s the one talent you wish you had? Why? 

I cannot whistle.  I wish I could desperately; it is such a happy sound and seems to be way more socially acceptable than just bursting into song in public places.  This is a bigger problem for me than one might think.

27. What’s a superpower you wish you had? Why? 

Teleportation.  I really wish I could go anywhere in the world with the snap of my fingers.  

28. What’s the best thing that happened to you this year so far?

There have been so many good things, but the best has been the time spent laughing with my family.  I love to hear the people I love laughing.  

29. Which movie made you laugh the most?

Okay, this is a hard one.  I watch a lot of comedies, and I’m not sure which of them has made me laugh the most.  I really like films that mock themselves.

30. What’s one thing you had to learn the hard way?

Who to trust and who to maintain boundary lines with and how to tell the difference.

31. What’s your favorite color?

Turquoise Aqua

32. Favorite snack?

   Spinach artichoke dip and crackers

33. What was the most memorable experience from your childhood?

I have a few: 

   Walking the bridge across the Royal Gorge; shark fishing during a Sunday school class; being chased by a wild boar.

34. Who is your hero? Why?

My grandfather.  He faced quite a bit in his life-always with an amazing sense of humor, integrity, and grace.  And he could do calculus and trig in his head! Superhero!

35. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life? Why? 

I feel like all the greatest accomplishments are shared: my marriage, children, education-none of them would have been achieved without my husband, children, and teachers.  So the greatest accomplishment in my life is collaboration.

36. If you were a holiday, which one would you be? Why?

General consensus of my students is  Christmas because of my cheerfulness.  However, I specifically think of the Icelandic Christmas Eve tradition of Jolabokaflod in which cheer is spread through giving books and then hiding away in a cozy spot to read all Christmas Eve.   

37. What did you want to do with your life at age 12? 

Oh, hardcore run a ranch in Montana that supplied horses for the film industry to be outside training horses in the mountains and never have to be stuck inside all day again.  Oh, the irony!