Almost caught up. . . .

I have totally been neglectful of this fabulous blog that I am sure thousands of people are addicted to reading. . . oh wait, that would be a little bit of an exaggeration. . . I think my mom and sister read it, and I am not sure how faithful of followers even they are. I understand that I don't have any great pictures of "my" children, or family adventures to report, but thanks for reading anyway, and I am trying, slowly trying, to get caught up. Just remember I do have a full time job and at times I even try and sleep, and occasionally exercise, so if you are worried about my lack of new information don't assume it is because I have a boring life, just assume that I'll get around to it sooner than later. With that said.... I am almost caught up just a few more posts in the next few days and all of you will have more information about my life than you ever wished for! Keep reading!

Happy Birthday Daniel

Saturday was my little brother Daniel's birthday and we had a little celebration for him. 19 years old and ready to conquer the world. When I was 19 he was 9.....weird! No matter our age difference Daniel is the greatest little brother a girl could have! So, happy birthday Daniel!

All I need is a little time with the girls!

Tara, Emily, Kristy, Me
(what are 4 cute girls like us still doing single I ask you?)

Tonight I met a few of my former (not old really) roommates for dinner. There is nothing better than sitting down and talking with friends who know you almost as well, sometimes better than family. They can be sad for you when you are sad, happy when you are happy and help you to see when you are being totally illogical. I need to let my girlfriends be a part of my life more than I do. Honestly, I don't know how I made it through all the hard times that I did those years ago at "the BYU", but I know I wouldn't have made it without such good friends to pull me out of my shell, lend a shoulder to cry on, and give me more reasons to laugh then I could ever count. I would be lost without you, and I love how even after months and sometimes years of slim to none contact we get back together and it is like we were never apart. . . still our joys are each other joys and our sorrows are each others sorrows. . . .lets just hope for more joy than sorrow over the next little bit!

26 days of school....not left, finished

26 days into school and I am already trying to decide what I should do with my life next year! I think I have a problem with just being content doing what I am doing. I am either looking back or looking way to far into the future -- both times wondering. Anyway, we are 26 days into school (long days sometimes) and I am feeling more settled and unsettled at the same time. I have a cute little class, not easy, but I do have a couple of admirers who write me love notes and bring me presents. I think I can make it another 154 days but I am not going to make any promises just yet. On the 100th day, then I will start really thinking about what I want to do with the rest of my life and for now I will just be grateful that I have a steady job for the next 154 days.

Nights out with the Nephews

Sometimes I hate it when my mom says things like: "You are such a great Aunt." or "Your nephews are so lucky to you as an aunt!" Hooray, I have no children but I have these cute nephews. . . okay, and as cute as they are I can't imagine that being an Aunt is as great as being a mom. Still it is fun to go and do things with them when I can and I guess I need to have a good attitude about it or I might not ever get any of my own children.





Way back (like over a month ago) when Jim and Megan were here, Ethan and Jimmy came to my house for a little sleepover. We ate ice cream, watched movies, went to breakfast, played with puzzles and puppets and read lots of books. Then just a few nights ago Ethan and I went to see Seussical the Musical at the Scera theater and then he slept over. For just a small moment when I do things like this I can picture what it might be like to have my own children someday and I think I like it! :) And yes, for all of you moms out there I understand that I am not the one up with them at night, or taking care of them day after day or putting up with them being crazy 6 days out of 7, but truly I think I could handle it. . . . I do teach school and 21 all at once has got to count for something. Maybe that will be taken into consideration someday in the future when I start having my own children and multiples will be sent my way. Not sure if that is something I should wish for or not, but if we are being honest, really all I am wishing for is to have more than 1 child before I am 40. It may not seem like a lot to ask, but sometimes I wonder!

Reunions. . . .

I don't know if this is normal or not, but often I will go back and look in my journal and see "what was I doing last year at this time?" or at school I will check my plan books from years past to see if I am on track with my teaching of if I forgot some fun activity that I had planned in years previous. Sometimes, if I am feeling really bold I will pull out old journals and just reminisce. I think that this can be a positive things and a negative thing depending on my mood. This weekend I was thinking a lot about what I was going 10 years ago. . . yep, you got it 1998. In Fall of 1998 I was a student at the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near-Eastern Studies. 10 years ago! Crazy! We have a reunion coming up later this week. I am not sure how many people will be there that I even knew way back when, but it should be worth going to. I will be sure to post pictures when we actually have them.

Oh So Thankful

Today I took a nice long bike ride after I taught some lessons. I just needed to get out, and my escape lately has been bike rides. So, I put some veggies into the crockpot to turn into a delicious soup (I just ate it, and it was good) and took off. As I was riding up the street from my house over to the mouth of the canyon I kept just catching whiffs of grapes....grapes, in the backyard, falling off the vines grapes.....grapes that are ready to be cooked down and turned into quarts and quarts of grape juice grapes. I could picture my mom with her apron on just canning away. I only hope that someday I have a small percentage of her domesticity. I keep thinking that maybe it is because I don't have a yard but lets be honest, I do have a kitchen and I could go out and buy grapes or peaches or apples or whatever it is that I want to put away. I can do jam, but that is where my domestic side stops. Oh ya, and I did make a delicious batch of chocolate chip cookies. . . . not to mention that great soup that I just finished. Maybe I am a natural after all.

Back to the purpose of my post. As I was finishing my ride and was coming back down the canyon I was filled with gratitude for my senses. I am so grateful I can smell the grapes that are waiting to be harvested in other people's yards, and the smell of that crisp Utah fall air. I will never take for granted that I can hear sprinklers, and little kids laughing on their scooters out on their walk for Family Home Evening as they bolt away from their parents. My eyesight so that I could come to a screeching halt before the person whose eyesight is obviously not as keen as mine almost hit me. . . well that but more that I could see the sun making its descent behind the mountains and bridal veil falls and just the beginnings of the leaves changing color. My sense of touch so that I could feel my dads arms wrapped around me when he came over to visit last night and said goodbye and gave me a hug. My sense of taste that I can enjoy not only the company of others but share good food and laughter at the same time.

Honestly, I am so thankful and I just hummed this little primary song to myself along my descent back down 400 North to my little home. So, sing yourself this little song and think of all the things that you are grateful for that Heavenly Father has given you!

Whenever I hear the song of the bird or look at the blue, blue sky, whenever I feel the rain on my face or the wind as it rushes by, whenever I touch the velvet rose or walk by a lilac tree, I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world Heavenly Father created for me.

He gave me my eyes that I might see the color of butterfly wings. He gave me my ears that I might hear the magical sound of things. He gave me life, my mind, my heart: I thank Him reverently for all His creations, of which I'm apart. Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me.

Clorox Anywhere Hard Surface

Just one more post and then I am done for today. Just so I can feel like I am doing my duty to all of you out there with small children I have four words for you:

Clorox Anywhere Hard Surface

That is really all that there is to it. You can use it anywhere (as implied in the title) and anytime without worrying about what is left behind that might be harmful. As someone who loves to clean, this has been my joy and delight for quite some time now. No fumes, no residue, and still kills germs. Just try it. . . I promise you will never go back! Now, if only they made Clorox Wipes like this. I should buy stock in Clorox?!

PS -- this comes in blue or white. . . they are both the same! Pick your color. :)

Suffer the Little Children. . . .

So, given the desparate and somewhat pessimistic nature of my last two posts I thought that I had better give all of you who are beginning to wonder if my happy go lucky nature is disappearing a reason to hope!

1 -- The student teacher has arrived and she will do a great job. Unlike student teachers of years gone by she will actually look me in the eye, can hold a normal conversation, and can interact with six year olds at a level they understand. I think that it will be a good experience for both of us. Plus, her name is Amber (what is not to love about that). :)

2 -- Year 9 of teaching is off to a running start. . . while I have my fair share of struggles in this class that are already apparent, I also have a newfound goal to do everything in my power to make this year the best first grade year that these kids will ever have. (I know that is kind of already a given, since they will only be in first grade once, but it sounds good!) Honestly, this past week I just decided that it was up to me to be positive about the upcoming school year and to find joy in the opportunity that I have to be a part of these little children's lives. Some of them, may not be loved if not by me, and I would never want to know that I passed up an opportunity to love someone who needed me. In addition, it is fulfilling to know that someone is counting on you, and greets you each morning with a smile and some sort of kind comment about how beautiful you look or how they like you "almost as much" as their kindergarten teacher. I need these kids right now, maybe even more than they need me, and I am thankful that Heavenly Father blessed me with the ability to teach young children, and pray that he will continue to help me to learn from them and be a better person each day. I am coming to understand more and more why Jesus beckoned the little children to come unto Him. Words cannot express what children can do for an empty, aching heart or even a heart that is full can be overflowing when we are open to the love that children are so willing to share and the miraculous spirit that they carry.


3 -- Lastly, I loved our Regional Conference that I was able to participate in this morning. The messages shared with insightful, poignant, and meaningful. I think that my favorite message was the one shared by Elder Marlin K. Jenson.
He spoke about how in one way or another, each of our lives vary from the "ideal" and that in essence we are all lost sheep. Truly, none of our lives are ideal, yet we can still strive to help one another achieve the ideal and come unto Christ, by ourselves living in a Christlike manner. I love how our church leaders are so inspired and how when we listen, with ears to hear, the messages prepared truly are just for us!

Another Student Teacher

So, I showed up to school extra early this morning (honestly, like 7:00 am) to get ready for my new student teacher who is coming today. I don't know if it is just because I got here so early, or because I am already tired and we are only on day 10 of school or what, but I am NOT excited for a student teacher again. Honestly, anyone who remembers my experience last year will know that it was not my best. I had 2 student teachers last year, and it was a living nightmare. Lets hope that this works out better. I feel like I don't even know my kids enough yet to turn them over to a stranger. Maybe this is how mom's feel about sending their kids to school to be with me. . .

Oh well, ready or not she will be here in a few minutes. . . . keep your fingers crossed!