Thursday, February 26, 2009

Attitude Adjustment

I'm sure we all have our own personal trials to deal with. And, although the last two weeks have been emotional for me, these videos, from talks I have pondered the last few weeks, have uplifted and inspired me to hope, as I was recently reminded, for better things to come.





This one's a bit blurry, but, Elder Holland is my favorite apostle, and while his talks have always comforted my heart, this one has been especially poignant lately.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

A Perfect Valentine's Day

Ahh, the joys of modern technology! I post something fun on my facebook status and the world needs an explanation! So, here it is... my definition of a perfect Valentine's Day.

So, my roommate and I were reading in Schooled Magazine last week, and as a joke read their section on Valentine's Day - and how to spend a date-less one. It rambled a lot about not getting down, and then it gave lots of pretty good advice about pampering yourself, giving to others, and celebrating dessert.

At that point, I pretty much already had most of my plans for Valentine's Day laid out, and was impressed with my own ability to follow the advice of "the experts" without having read it first. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this single and thriving thing!

So here's how it went down:
Thursday, I had a Valentine's party with my students. That was fun! Then we went ice skating on Friday which was also quite enjoyable!

Spent Friday evening hanging out with some friends, then went out to a nice restaurant with my roommate. We joked about leaving notes to our cute waiter, but then my roommate actually did! We came home quite giggly and watched You've Got Mail, one of our all-time favorite chick flicks! And of course, being me, I promptly fell asleep (I didn't even make it through the opening sequence)!

Saturday morning I was woken up quite early, which actually ended up being a very good thing, because I had to take my car in for some repairs. My roommate and I went out and got breakfast at Kneaders, our all-time favorite breakfast spot. Then we splurged on ourselves and others at a flower shop, bringing home beautiful bouquets to brighten our apartment. After all that, we went out to lunch, which we brought home so we could enjoy it while watching P.S. I Love You, and the snow falling outside. About the time we finished that my best friends showed up with my adopted nieces and nephews. We played while their parents went to the temple. I love those kids, and it was a total blast, although we didn't do a single one of the Valentine's activities I had thought of. Their parents came back bearing gifts of pizza and cookies, so, we were quite excited! After pizza we made books, which is a new favorite pastime of mine! It was great! It was a long, exhausting day - but the good kind of exhausted, the kind that makes you go to sleep completely content with the world. And I was.

Probably the best part of the day was that I never once thought about the fact that I didn't have a significant other, or that I haven't been on a date in awhile - and I stayed away from the situations and people that would dwell on those facts. First of all, neither of those things bother me, because I'm happy and I know that will happen for me eventually. Secondly, I was surrounded by lots of wonderful things yesterday - beautiful flowers, quality entertainment, good food, and most importantly, people I love! That, dear reader, is what Valentine's Day is about - spending time with those you love, whether they be friend, significant other, spouse, parent, or child. It's just about being together! That is why my Valentine's Day was absolutely perfect!

Friday, February 06, 2009

Something to be Proud of...

My mom turns 50 today!!!

So, my mom is about the coolest person I know! She is strong, kind, loving, and patient. I will be forever grateful for all of the things that she and my dad have taught me over the years. It is one of the greatest blessings of my life to develop a friendship and sisterhood with her as I have grown older.

So Mom, happy birthday! And here is my tribute to you:


To be continued...

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

"A day without laughter is a day wasted." ~Charlie Chaplin

This morning, living on very little sleep, I managed to remember the sizeable list of things I needed to take with me to school. I must admit I was rather pleased with myself, and my pleasure was increased with an early morning visit from my friend’s daughter, coming to tell me they had parked by me this morning – which she was very excited about!

Teaching went quite well today. I think we even managed to enjoy learning about geometry and writing today! Never mind the fact that we had 3 office referrals this morning, and not one of the kids could figure out why they had done the thing that got them in trouble! At lunch I finally finished a project I’ve been working on this week in my “spare” time. I was positively giddy at the prospect of finishing it! And, on another note, may I just say I should maybe leave work at school a little more often? It felt good to feel like a whole person – with talents, goals, and relationships that exist even outside of the microcosm that is HVE.

After school, I went to the post office at the last possible second – and managed to get myself locked in and nearly forgotten. Don’t worry, I’m clearly not writing this from a little bed on the floor of the Heber City Post Office – I was able to get someone’s attention, have my package sent, and be escorted out after they had turned off the music, but before they had turned off the lights! On my way out of town I “needed” to go by Dairy Keen and Walker’s, and due to both my impatience, and the lack of traffic lights on Main Street, I had to back track several times, traveling in circles to make it out of town.

I needed to buy gas when I got back to town, and, as a testament to the fact that I am directionally challenged in every way, I got lost on the way to Costco!!! I mean, really, who gets lost on the way to Costco?! In an attempt to correct my absent-minded mistake, I quite literally drove circles around Orem until I finally made it back to Costco and got gas!

After my Costco and other adventures, I headed to Barnes and Noble, which, due to my affinity for bookstores, brings joy all on its own. I went to Barnes and Noble with the intent to buy Nicholas Nickleby, the book and the movie. As I was searching the shelves, I quite randomly recalled the phrase from Little Women spoken by Laurie, “Jo, I’m not taking all of Dickens to college.” I giggled to myself, finally realizing where that phrase originated – at first it literally meant a collection of works by Dickens, which is quite sizeable! And then, of course, thinking of Christian Bale can’t help but bring a smile. ::swoon:: I found everything I was looking for and more, and was walking out, when I passed a young gentleman in a suit, a drink in his hand, scouring the back of a book. ::swoon:: Once again, a side note. What is it exactly about young men in suits – then with the added bonus of not being afraid to look intellectual instead of ultra macho. Again, I say ::swoon:: Now, please do not take that the wrong way, I’m merely stating, there is something quite attractive about such a sight. The last bonus being that said gentleman parked next to me, and followed me out.  Which, of course reminded me of Whitney, and a scene from the movie I just purchased: “Hilda! I’m engaged!" "To who?" "The new school teacher!" "What’s he said?!" "We don’t need language…" "Did he look at you like this? If he did, you’re engaged, that’s how John looked at me." "When’s the day?" "Well, we just need a final declaration, but he’s shy in the way of words…” Hee hee!

Then, I got home and was attempting to carry everything in all at once – we’re talking 4 bags, a giant binder, and a melted milkshake. Please imagine for me, if you will, me, with my arms full, trying to navigate a parking lot of solid ice in shoes with no tread, while attempting not to spill a milkshake or get it on me, while being unwilling to trash such a delicacy. I made it to the door, and then realized my keys were in my pocket. So, I rang the doorbell, and after a few seconds of waiting, began shifting my various parcels to the other hand, at which time, my roommate arrived at the door! I walked in, put my bags down, and after my roommate had locked and bolted the door, I had to unlock and unbolt the door and get the milkshake, which I had left on the ground while attempting to move the parcels.

So, after such a laughable day, I decided that I should proclaim the hilarity for all to enjoy. As any self-respecting facebook-er would do, I grabbed my computer and started writing a note. After writing quite wittily for 20 minutes, I forgot I was typing on facebook, hit the “back” button, and lost the whole thing, and had to retype it all!

So, today, I tip my hat to things to laugh at, and good friends to laugh with!