That's Good! That's Bad! - The Adventures and Misadventures of Christmas Travel 2010-2011

My experiences the last ten days have reminded me of this book:

Two-and-a-half feet of snow the day before we're supposed to fly out... That's bad!

Friends and family that transport us to the airport anyway... That's good!

Flight from SLC to ORD cancelled due to snow... That's bad!

Arriving early enough to be rerouted onto Delta through Dallas instead... That's good!

Making it to Richmond at about the original time... That's good!

Our luggage is not on the carousel... That's bad!

Meeting a guy in Richmond who finds our bags and has them shipped to our house who happens to be a member of our church and super nice... That's good!

Having a blast in Virginia with family and friends... That's VERY good!

My puppy deciding to wander away from my wonderful friends who agreed to puppysit and getting picked up by a "friendly/helpful" neighbor and taken to the shelter while kids are in tears and adults are frantic looking for her... That's bad!

The shelter volunteer calling and playing mediator to the cop and my friend being able to pick her up with no fine or citation... That's good!

Hotel in Richmond so we don't have to wake up too early for our flights... That's good!

A stickler check-in agent who makes me get my bag to exactly 50 pounds, because 50.5 isn't good enough... That's bad!

No problems getting into Chicago... That's good!

Cinnabon for breakfast... That's good!

Flight from Chicago to Salt Lake cancelled due to lack of crew... That's VERY bad!

Knowing the flight was cancelled before they even announced it because I had text message updates... That's good!

Getting rerouted from Chicago to Arkansas to Dallas to Salt Lake... Well, the jury's still out on that one. At leat we're getting out. We'll see what adventures the rest of this trip holds.

2010 - ABUNDANCE Cherished

Being home for the first time in several months, the standard question is always: What's new with you? - And immediately, what comes to mind - nothing. Lame... Well, never fear friends, I have scoured facebook and blogs to determine the highlights of 2010, and it has been quite a miraculous and wonderful journey.

Firsts and Memorable Moments:
~ I got my first kiss... I know, for those of you who read, and remember last year's post, that was on the "NO, not yet, list"... No longer.
~ I participated in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Walk with friends in Salt Lake City.
~ I began and then discontinued a master's program through University of Phoenix in counseling.
~ My first trip to Cabella's. I truly love that store.
~ I got to pet a real live baby kangaroo
~ I attended the UCET conference - loved it!
~ Wrestling road trips with friends
~ My first snowshoeing experience - FUN!
~ I spent the summer at home taking and scanning pictures, making videos, and enjoying family history trips.
~ learned to crochet something besides a chain - baby booties, hats, and scarves for instance.
~ adopted a cute little shia tsu puppy
~ got a new roommate - her name is Kelsey and we are having a blast!
~ bought a digital slr camera, and I'm loving learning to take good pictures.
~ spent Thanksgiving in Heber with my sister and friends due to a snow storm - 'twas fun!
~ I hit the big 2-5... No quarter-life crisis yet - but it's only been 36 days. :)

Road Trips and other Fun:
~ Baliwood nights with Kellie, Alice, and Melisa - such good fun. I own a sari now. :)
~ Vancouver Olympics - watched them, and loved them. I want to go there someday.
~ Evanston day trip with Alice spur of the moment - fun times.
~ St. George two weekends in a row
~ Manti pageant road trip and an eclipse
~ summer drive from Virginia to Utah - introduced Dad to geocaching and avoided a tornado in Illinois
~ Second biannual trip to Colorado with Chris and my sister to visit Aubrey and go to the BYU v. Air Force game. Even watching us lose was fun! :)
~ YELLOWSTONE - a three-day camping-in-the-car trip with Zoe (my puppy) Alice and Kelsey, SO MUCH FUN! Highlights:
~~~ seeing Mammoth Hot Springs and the Roosevelt Arch
~~~ camping every night and seeing a wolf, and tons of other wildlife, especially 4 moose(n)
~~~ waking up to elk bugling, and then the herd's march through our campsite
~~~ photography lessons, and nighttime photography trips.

Books:
~ finished The Hunger Games series
~ The Short Second Life of Brie Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
~ The Guardians of Gahoole (began the series, want to finish)
~ The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

Games:
Ticket to Ride - the obsession continues
Hand and Foot - family game that everyone else should learn and enjoy
Bunco - never played until a ward activity - I LOVE THIS GAME!
The Farming Game
Frontierville on Facebook

Exciting things to come in 2011:
~ Richfield wrestling trip
~ UCET, again
~ Yellowstone - I'm thinking it needs to be an annual event, even if it means camping in the car.
~ driving across the country with friends ~~ are Kirtland and Nauvoo in my future? I doubt it, but one can always hope! :)~~
~ another summer at home with the family, scanning and taking more photos, making videos, and visiting family history sites.

At the beginning of the year, I chose a word to be my personal theme for the year, and to tell you the truth I didn't focus much on it. Looking back, however, I can honestly say that my life has truly been filled with ABUNDANCE.

My next new toy will be...

So, my latest new toy purchase (several months ago, just before Yellowstone) was a digital SLR camera. Huzzah! Well, while home for Christmas break, my uncle let me play with his latest toy, and I think I might need to get one for my own:

Ok, no joke, this lense is AMAZING! It can zoom from 18 mm to 250 mm in ONE LENSE!!! For those of you who don't understand camera-speak (like me), that means you can zoom way out or WAY close with one lense, and it's just awesome. I took some fabulous pictures (if I do say so myself) with my uncle's camera - the kind I've been wanting to take all along. In case you haven't noticed, when you get in people's face with a camera, they kind of get annoyed and don't make natural facial expressions. This camera allows you to capture those spontaneous moments, and no one is the wiser - which makes for awesome pictures! I'll post some pictures when my uncle gets back from his vacation and sends them to me.

Oh, and Alice - do you see the infinity setting?! - I forsee another trip to Yellowstone in our semi-near future. :D

Updates on what's actually going on in my life and pictures for the last several months uploaded on facebook coming soon! :D

Christmas, Christmas - time is Here!!!

Yay for Christmas! This is seriously my very favorite time of year.

I was itching to put all my decorations up. I've got so many projects going right now it's really not even funny. Finishing things up at school, making Christmas presents (very few bought this year, but I think they'll be good!), recital, visiting Ty, plus concerts and as much Christmas hullabulloo as possible.

But, I did get this e-mail recently, and although I don't have children, I thought it was a very worthwhile thought!


Have you noticed how much effort some folks put into finding just the right Christmas gifts for their child? I bet you know someone who doesn't think twice about spending endless hours - or even days - scouring store shelves for that awesome action figure, digital doodad, or doll their child has been wanting.

Let's think about it. Is there anything wrong with this? What's the problem with spending lots of time and energy looking for neat and nifty Christmas gifts for our kids?

Nothing. But…

What happens when we exert more energy on finding these gifts than showing our youngsters what a gift they are to us?

Ouch! I've done this. Yes, I've fallen into this trap! I've worn-out myself trying to make things perfect that I've forgotten the most perfect gift of all: the expression of never-ending, unconditional love.

We're all wired to need it. All of us yearn for a relationship with someone who will love us forever, regardless of how stinky we behave. Isn't this the greatest gift we can give our loved ones? Isn't this what Christmas is really about?

During this Christmas season, my hope is that you'll…
spend more time playing with your kids than you spend shopping for them;
remember that the gift they really yearn for is you;
hug them and smile into their eyes as often as possible; and
show them through your never-ending love what a precious gift they are.

Yellowstone October 2010

Life in the Fast Lane

So, somehow we didn't actually start school yesterday. In fact, it's been two months. Somehow September and October have basically just passed me by. It has been quite the whirlwind.

What's new with me?

Well, I'm no longer doing the Master of Counseling program through University of Phoenix. I realized there were other things I needed to focus on - namely my students. So, I'm not doing that anymore.

I refused to give up my summer when school started, so I spent most weekends traveling or visiting family. It's been a blast.

Last weekend was particularly awesome. I went to Yellowstone with my new roommate (oh, side bar: I finally found a new roommate - her name is Kelsey, she teaches kindergarten, and we get along great!), and my friend Alice, and my new puppy Zoe (side bar #2 - I got a cute little shia tsu puppy named Zoe). We had a blast the four days we were there. I got to see Mammoth Hot Springs for the first time. We saw moose, elk, bison, a coyote, a wolf, pronghorn, deer and various other birds.

Picture highlights coming soon!

Back to School!!! - Poll

Ok, so, I have a random question for all you teachers out there...

Am I the only one that has back to school nightmares? Seriously, I have about one or two per year, in the month before school starts.

My internship year, I dreamed that school was being held in what appeared to be an LDS cultural hall (huge gym) with funky fabric partitions, and I was completely unprepared. I particularly remember that I couldn't figure out where my desk was in the mayhem, and so hadn't put the all-important management plan on my desk for my instructor, Linda, to find. Oh, and did I mention there were no decorations, and I had no idea what to do with the kids and I dissolved into tears and quit on the spot...

The last two years, the dreams haven't been particularly remarkable, but I do remember having them. Generally, I just show up on the first day of school, either late or completely unprepared, and my principal usually stops in to do a formal observation... Yeah, weird.

This year, however, the dream was especially colorful - literally. So, I had spent tons of time over the summer reorganizing my classroom and putting up awesome displays and rearranging the room (which, I really have done, actually, minus the arranging part which happens next week). I walk in on the first day of school and unbeknownst to me my entire room has been covered in bright yellow paper by one of the instructional coaches, and I'm sharing a room with our team leader (whom I love but would not be able to share a room with). So, as my panic attack ensues, I notice that my name is no longer on the door - and someone else's is! As I dissolve into tears the principal walks by and when I ask what is going on, he informs me that since I am working on my masters in counseling that I didn't have a classroom anymore... And that's when I woke up! FREAKY!

I'm honestly surprised I didn't scream or cry and wake people up last night - I was NOT a happy camper in my dream!

But, I seriously have these back-to-school nightmare/dreams every year, and some disaster always occurs. During the dream I totally freak out, but when I wake up they always make me laugh. Actually, I always get excited after those dreams because it means that it is finally time for another year to start - new kids, new improvements, not to mention new school supplies which are my favorite part of school! Remarkably, I also find that I'm never as nervous as I think I should be on the first day of school. Perhaps that's because I've worked out all my nerves and hysterics in my dreams before the real day ever actually comes!

So, has anyone else experienced this phenomenon, or is it just me?

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!

I have been accepted in to the Master of Science in School Counseling Program at the University of Phoenix, Utah Campus.

I can only begin to describe how excited I am to commence this journey, which truly began years ago. I am thrilled to have finally found a program that is right for me, one that I am truly passionate about. I am blessed to be attending a university that is so flexible with my life style. I am assured that it is going to be an intense two year program, but I am ecstatic to begin this new chapter of my life!

Exhaustified...

So, this weekend I've been helping my good friends move. Now, I know of plenty of people and families that grew up ultra-mobile, moving every year or so, or even more. My family was never like that, we moved once while I was growing up (traumatic enough for an 11-year-old). Since being at college and graduating to being a "real adult" I've been slightly more mobile, living in 6 different places in my 7 years in Utah. Note, however that much of that was out of necessity and I was much less-mobile than most people my age.

Now, I was more than happy to help my friends move - this is an exceptionally wonderful opportunity for them! But moving is an exhausting business - emotionally and physically - for everyone involved! Now, I'm sure I won't live out the remainder of my life where I am - in a 3 bedroom condo in Heber - this weekend has reinforced to me how undesirable moving is to me - probably for the simple reason that I never did that much growing up, nor did several generations on either side of my family before me - we gave up our nomadic traditions ages ago! ;-) I've been reminded of muscles I had forgotten I had, and slept almost all day today.

That said, regardless of how exhausting this weekend has been, I'm excited, yes and even energized on behalf of my friends - their new house (which is essentially new) is beautiful and perfect for their family. I can't wait to see what it will look like arranged and unpacked! :)

The countdown...

There are officially 3 and 1/2 weeks left of school, for those who are wondering that is exactly 15 days!

Yay!

So, this is the point in the year when I start looking forward to summer, and making plans for next year... And when I say "look forward to summer", what I mean is, desperately long for school to be over so I can JUST play outside!!!

So, to calm my nerves, and let out some of my "need to get away from school and make plans for the future" vibes, I made my Summer to-do List page.

HUZZAH!

Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Walk

So, as mentioned in the previous post (which you should read because it's funny), on Saturday I woke up early and went with my friend, her daughter, her 3 sisters, mom, 2 aunts, 4 cousins and 2 nieces to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Walk. It's a 3 mile walk in Salt Lake City. I was honestly amazed at how many people there were there. There were literally thousands of people there.

This picture doesn't even do it justice. In real life, you there were people as far as we could see in all directions!

The girls (nieces) holding hands! Too cute!

Thankfully, to my knowledge, I don't have anyone in my family who has had breast cancer. But, Saturday, I did walk for my Grandma, who beat kidney cancer almost 15 years ago.

My grandma with my cousin, Crystal

And my uncle, who is leukemia-free for two years now.

My uncle with one of his granddaughters
Cancer is cancer, and I felt honored to be a part of such a huge good cause! Love you guys! :)

It's a little embarrassing when...

1) You go to a boutique with your friends after a Breast Cancer walk and their kids point out a stress balloon (the kind with sand in it), and your friends go, "Oh my gosh! That's a drug baloon!" A WHAT?!?! So, in case you didn't know, sometimes people sneak drugs through various body cavities by filling balloons with drugs. A) EWWW!!!, B) REALLY?!?! Don't worry, in case you ever forget, don't worry my friends won't EVER let ME forget!

2) You're talking (via conference call with the parents, siblings, and grandparents) with your missionary brother, who is adamantly scripturally chastizing your younger sister about marriage, suddenly says, "Hey, you should talk to my companion...Hey Elder!!!" Um, awkward. What, exactly, are you supposed to discuss with a guy you've never met, who is currently serving a mission?!?! Um, yeah... Besides talking about my cool brother, and correcting my brother's mistaken belief that I was getting married (which, by the way, was never the case, just wishful thinking on his part), we mostly listened to the remainder of my family giggle in the background for five minutes... Nice...

:-/

Dear weather,

As you can see, I have updated my blog background to be more spring appropriate. Would it be too much to ask for you to update my actual outdoor background to something more spring appropriate? No more snow, for instance.

Thanks,
Mallory

Spring Break means...

that I should have more time for blogging right?

Apparently not... I haven't been on the computer for longer than a few minutes every few days in the last few weeks. One day I'll get to it.

I'm finally on Spring Break, which means:
~my friends' oldest daughter (and my future 3rd grade student) got baptized
~the official advent of knee-length skirts and strappy sandals
~I got to unexpectedly spend nearly two full days in Provo tying quilts and hanging out with cherished friends - SO fun!
~visiting the BYU 35th Ward (finally)
~sleeping in
~finally having time to READ
~finally having time to clean instead of just tidy.
~House Season 5 marathon
~new light, spring sheets
~open windows
~SUNSHINE!!
~Kneader's breakfast in Provo with friends on Thursday
~learning to crochet my first baby booties, and working on my sweater (pictures coming soon)
and the possibility of:
~bookbinding
~bike riding
~a trip to the zoo
~a visit to Draper
~almost zero thought/concern for school-related business.

I LOVE SPRING BREAK! :)

Update!!!

Hello!

Things are beginning to go better. March just stinks for teachers in general (long stretch with no breaks), but after attending the Love and Logic conference last week, things are going better.

Also, I updated my bookbinding blog (finally!), and the link is just to the left, so, enjoy!! :)

Stay tuned for:
Wrestling Culture
Love and Logic Conference
and Spring Fever!

Really? REALLY?!

So, teachers often like to share funny little quips about their students, and usually I'm that teacher, but, lately, I've been amazed in a different sort of way. I love my job, and I love my students, but, does anyone out there know how to get 9 year-olds to care - about anything?

Just a couple examples...

Someone decided it would be fun to write f--- you (insert other student's name here) on a bingo sheet that is usually turned into the office... Class meeting and several talks with administrators and counselors didn't help, nor did the person who did it come forward.

A student decided that while their friend was dialing their parents (for which they had to dial 9 - 1- and then the area code and phone number from our school phone) they would hit an extra 1, dialing 911 and hanging up - and the laugh about it! That was a fun call with the district office in the middle of class, and then chat with administrators during lunch, resulting in the school officer coming to chat with the class. No one was mean or rude about it, and apparently it happens all the time, but, uh, WOW, really?!?!

I give an attention signal and they keep talking, completely ignoring me - AND if I call them out on it later, even privately, they act like there's nothing wrong, and get an attitude - "What did I DO?!?!"

Oh, and this would be day 2 in a row that we didn't get to math OR literacy because management and discipline things came first. Don't get me wrong, they should - but NCLB doesn't really care too much about teachable moments.

Now, I don't write all this to make it sound like my life stinks, or I hate my job, or teaching is awful - it's not. I still love those kids more than words can truly describe - and it is probably because I love them so much that they affect me so deeply - both positively and negatively. I want the best for them, I want them to be happy and successful - but, really, I want them to care - about themselves, and those around them. They've shown me they can, but right now, in the middle of March Madness (which, I'm learning refers to more than basketball), I'm just discouraged, and desperately needing a break that won't come for another 5 weeks. That's a good word to describe it - discouraged. I'm not really disappointed, or even frustrated. Just discouraged.

***** end of vent ****

2010 Olympic Medal Tracker

Coolest. Crafty Blog. EVER.

So, this evening I walked into my friends' house and was bombarded with the question, "Want to go to Young Women's tomorrow and bind books?!" Seriously, is that actually a question?!?! OF COURSE I DO! :D

Anyway, we're helping the girls bind a cute journal that my friend found at this blog, but my friend didn't have the link, so we had to explore. What a well-spent half hour! This blog is ROCKIN'! The link is to the month with the journals (should the need to bind adorable books strike you), but PLEASE explore it. You WILL NOT regret it! :-)

Thanks Becky Higgins!

Abundance

Last year, my adorable cousin blogged about a word that she wanted to have as a theme for the upcoming year. This year, I decided I wanted to do the same. I found the perfect word just before Christmas last year while reading Emily Freeman's new book, The Promise of Enough.

The book is all about abundance. She sites the miracle of the loaves and fishes found in John 6:5-13. The Savior blessed and broke the five loaves, and two fishes provided by a young boy, and sent his disciples around to feed the multitude of thousands. The multitude ate what they would, and still there were twelve baskets filled to overflowing with what remained. "Enough and to spare. Abundance." In the book there is a quote by Elder Wirthlin, "The abundant life isn't something we arrive at. Rather, it is a magnificent journey that began long, long ages ago and will never, never end." In Alma 1:29, it says the people had "abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need."

Emily Freeman mentions seven principles of abundance:
~abundance is turning our will over to God and allowing Him to do wonders in our life.
~abundance is recognizing our full potential as we give ourselves to the Lord.
~abundance is unmeasured blessings that come as a result of sacrifice and service.
~abundance is blessings predicated on obedience and belief.
~abundance is knowing that we cannot begin to understand what great blessings the Father has prepared for us, and learning to remember and express gratitude for those blessings.
~abundance is finding contentment because we remember to see the good things.
~abundance is understanding that the Savior loves us and is aware of our circumstances, and that He will send blessings above all we could ever ask for or imagine.

As it says in Doctrine and Covenants 71:6, "Unto him that receiveth it shall be given more abundantly."

In a relief society lesson that my friend Kelly was teaching, she asked us what we believe. I learned that my beliefs are not limited to the Articles of Faith. One of the things I wrote was, "I believe that there is abundance in this life." I believe that. I believe that the Lord is aware, I believe he has blessings in store, and I believe He keeps His promises. I believe that He does bless us abundantly. There is enough and to spare in this world - and often we have more blessings than we recognize.

So, my word for the year is abundance. I hope to be able to seek and recognize the abundance in my life - because it is there.

2009: Year in Review

Today is the last day of the year, and as is tradition, I will recap the year 2009. Thanks to facebook, here are two rather unique ways to recap the year:




Firsts in 2009:
*NO I did not get my first kiss - another first that will have to wait! :) There's bound to be some kind of monetary reward if I make it to 25 VL right?!?! ;-)
~moved into a condo alone in Heber
~my first pair of glasses
~geocaching milestones
~temporary single mother of 5 kids for a week - WOW! What an adventure that was!
~moved out of the BYU 35th Ward (for good)
~began teaching 3rd Grade
~house and pet sitting 12 baby hamsters
~adopted 2 hamsters, a fish, and 2 guinea pigs (1 hamster died, and 1 guinea pig was adopted out)

Road Trips and Fun Events:
~Ogden Road Trip for Ty's birthday
~Draper Temple dedication
~Mom turned 50
~Sand Dunes with the Carters and my first 4-wheeler ride.
~family beach trip
~Pioneer Day camping, caching and parade in Spanish Fork
~Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house and dedication
~Mom & Dad's 25th Wedding Anniversary
~Finally got to attend the Jon Schmidt concert at Thanksgiving Point's Waterfall Amphitheater
~Tyler got his mission call and reported to the MTC
~began teaching piano lessons
~Yellowstone! :)
~I turned 24... almost time for a quarter-life crisis. ;-)
~1st of 2 Christmas phone calls from Ty

Books I Read and Loved
Twilight Series by Stefanie Meyer
Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke
The Work and the Glory series by Gerald Lund
Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

New Games I Learned to Play and Became Addicted to:
Ticket to Ride
My Zoo on Facebook
Farkle (in real life and on Facebook)
Rail Baron
TransAmerica
Mille Bornes