today was marvelous. i got to give the lesson in gospel doctrine and i just love that. it's always nerve wracking but everything turns out thanks to the Spirit. i prayed really hard that He would be with me and the people in class and He was! i always feel so strong and yet so weak at the same time, teaching like that. i cry and yadda yadda. but several people came up afterwards and said how good it went, so i am glad. especially glad that it's over, ha!
next week i start teaching the ctr's. this will be interesting because apparently my class will be combined with the kids below in age. so i will have 6,7 and 8 year olds. a wide disparity in ages will make for some interesting times. the primary president said that this will change with the new year, that another teacher will be called. hallelujah!
speaking of, things are moving really fast and i'm so looking forward to the next year! so much could be different just half way through this next year, so i'm thrilled as i contemplate it. i am going to start studying for the GRE in the next week or so. i'd like to take it when i go home for christmas. i am waiting on a friends' advice as to how much time i should devote in preparation. the deadline to apply for the program at byu provo is february 1st......
but i'm also really looking forward to the upcoming vacations and going home to be with my mom. she's doing good, but work life is making her crazy. we will both welcome the break and each other's company.
this week are parent teacher conferences and i feel a deep sense of calm from the Spirit. i would love to freak out about it, but i won't. there's no need. i'm doing my best and i know that and that's all anyone can expect. so i do really feel good about the conferences. AND i have taken the day off right after. so this will be a 4 day work week for me, sweet!!!
there's a singles conference this weekend down in denver that i might go to. i already have to go to denver on friday to pick dawn up from the airport. but then i'm dropping her off to pick up her car in the shop and so she will have a ride home.....so we shall see.
other than these things, life is good. my body is strong and healthy and the chiropractor is a serious blessing. my neck pain is almost all gone and i know now how stress induced it is. key: refuse to be stressed!
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
it's november!
my favorite pic from halloween this year!
another favorite pic of this breathtaking world
i get to go home for a week for thanksgiving break. i'm so looking forward to it!
the sunday before last we had a really great lesson during sunday school and i don't think i mentioned it. it was pointed out that we live in the only time in the history of the earth when the most saints are living at one time. the teacher pointed out the membership, about 14 million members worldwide. and then we agreed upon the general number of people on the planet currently, around 7 billion (6.795 to be exact), and divided that number and the following came: for every 500 people, one is a member of the church.....it's a little off, but you get the idea. it was mind blowing, to look at the numbers that way....and then for him to point out how vastly different that is from what it ever has been was illuminating to think about! i loved it. it's something one does not often consider. we tend to see the world as growing more and more unrighteous, but fail to notice that simultaneously, righteousness is also growing.
it has changed my paradigm: made me more grateful to live in these latter days. (and more willing to suffer ;) and it will only keep growing, as the prophets have foretold. President Monson just announced at conference that 130 temples are in operation around the world, and that 83% of the members live within 200 miles of one. how spectacular is that?
anyway.....these are some of the things i think about.
work has been stress filled, but again, by the grace of God, i am getting through it. we have parent teacher conferences next week and i'm so looking forward to them being over! i am going to set it up so that the kids do 'student led conferences' thereby putting the responsibility on them and hopefully sending a message to the parents. we shall see. it's difficult since these kids just came out of the elementary school environment. difficult to get them to see that THEY are responsible for their learning, and not me. it's further compounded as we try and train the parents as well. i am really very much looking forward to that day when i won't need to worry that i am the odd woman out. the odd one who gets all this. -sigh- teaching. i love it and i hate it.
how i live for the weekend.
p.s. my diploma finally came in the mail. wow, just wow.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
one month down, 8 more to go!
it's been a great week. i'm really beginning to feel like i've got a handle on things in the classroom. of course, each new week throws more hurtles at me, so this may change! ;) for instance, this wed we have to stay after school for another 4 hours for what are called 'strategic conferences.' me and my grade level team will have to meet with the parents of children whom we have all identified as already failing. so this should be interesting.
last week we had open house and it was actually totally fine. i was grumpy about having to spend 3 hours after school, but it turned out to be actually nice. they fed us a chili dinner, and the parents of some of our kids came to meet us. i had a good time. so many sweet people and kids here.
also this week i have state testing to conduct, but that will actually be a break from teaching. two whole days of it for both of my main block classes. so yes, this should be actually relaxing. it better be!
tomorrow after work i meet with my new dentist. they've agreed to just see me for a few minutes since they couldn't give me an appointment until much later in the month. i think the water here is staining my teeth and yes, i am more than a little freaked out about it. i bought myself a water filter, so now at least i won't be worried about the water. i am sure the water here is full of lead and other junk. -sigh-
rad to have medical benefits again. so rad!
yesterday we had our big women's conference in preparation for the semi-annual conference. the relief society president had invited us down to her house, super close to the chapel, and food was provided. it was so nice to travel down there and have food and a comfortable seat! i was grateful. the message that i received from this conference was to endeavor to have more charity. elder eyring spoke about that so tenderly and i felt the Spirit so strong. i felt how grateful i am to have the gospel in it's fullness, to have everything we need, because of the work of those who have gone before us. i felt a renewed conviction to do my part to progress the work.
i also felt comforted from the single sister in the presidency who spoke. she is a dear woman and i felt how much the Lord loves me through her testimony.
nothing blinding or magnificent happened during this conference, but i did feel happiness and gratefulness in being a part of relief society. and that was enough. i left smiling and feeling sated.
i also smiled at the thought that we were sitting in a room with a bunch of real stuffed animals staring at us the whole time. an entire 9 foot grizzly bear, a bison head, a moose head, massive deer heads, several smaller heads, and let's not forget the entire mountain goat in the corner either. not a women's conference that will soon be forgotten!
p.s. i am back on my genealogy again. reading books, ordering more info, and glad to be starting back again. this is going to feel so good!
p.s.s. this last week i: finished fablehaven series (until the 5th and last comes out), cooked an artichoke for the first time ever, rode the mineral belt trail (first time again) on my bike, swam in the righteous community pool (first trip) AND went exploring frisco by myself. good times!
last week we had open house and it was actually totally fine. i was grumpy about having to spend 3 hours after school, but it turned out to be actually nice. they fed us a chili dinner, and the parents of some of our kids came to meet us. i had a good time. so many sweet people and kids here.
also this week i have state testing to conduct, but that will actually be a break from teaching. two whole days of it for both of my main block classes. so yes, this should be actually relaxing. it better be!
tomorrow after work i meet with my new dentist. they've agreed to just see me for a few minutes since they couldn't give me an appointment until much later in the month. i think the water here is staining my teeth and yes, i am more than a little freaked out about it. i bought myself a water filter, so now at least i won't be worried about the water. i am sure the water here is full of lead and other junk. -sigh-
rad to have medical benefits again. so rad!
yesterday we had our big women's conference in preparation for the semi-annual conference. the relief society president had invited us down to her house, super close to the chapel, and food was provided. it was so nice to travel down there and have food and a comfortable seat! i was grateful. the message that i received from this conference was to endeavor to have more charity. elder eyring spoke about that so tenderly and i felt the Spirit so strong. i felt how grateful i am to have the gospel in it's fullness, to have everything we need, because of the work of those who have gone before us. i felt a renewed conviction to do my part to progress the work.
i also felt comforted from the single sister in the presidency who spoke. she is a dear woman and i felt how much the Lord loves me through her testimony.
nothing blinding or magnificent happened during this conference, but i did feel happiness and gratefulness in being a part of relief society. and that was enough. i left smiling and feeling sated.
i also smiled at the thought that we were sitting in a room with a bunch of real stuffed animals staring at us the whole time. an entire 9 foot grizzly bear, a bison head, a moose head, massive deer heads, several smaller heads, and let's not forget the entire mountain goat in the corner either. not a women's conference that will soon be forgotten!
p.s. i am back on my genealogy again. reading books, ordering more info, and glad to be starting back again. this is going to feel so good!
p.s.s. this last week i: finished fablehaven series (until the 5th and last comes out), cooked an artichoke for the first time ever, rode the mineral belt trail (first time again) on my bike, swam in the righteous community pool (first trip) AND went exploring frisco by myself. good times!
Sunday, August 09, 2009
my favorite of all of 'em!
i especially love lane's little tooth....but his expression is classic....jude said it looked like he was up to something...lol....totally true....cheyenne said he looks like me here, and she's right! i have a pic somewhere of the same expression and i'm DEFINITELY up to something....now where is it?....
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
fireflys are my new favorite
okay so here's the not so random story (if you know me) about how i came to be moving to colorado.....
so there i was, 'having' to take a sweet road trip with my buddy dawn vazquez out to her second home in leadville, colorado. i should say 'baby' because she adores it that much. she's been working on restoring this 2 bedroom victorian, built around 1888, for the last few years. recently she passed inspection on it, so it's looking pretty sweet. and it's adorable! and i love old buildings! and small mountain towns! so the timing couldn't have been more perfect: temp teaching job ended, and no job in sight.
and so we went. and it was everything i'd hoped it would be. a beautiful, charming and eclectic little town with some fascinating history. (and her house is amazing too!) we walked everywhere, looked thru every nook and cranny, peed behind abandoned barns built in the 1800's, and picked flowers. i just loved it. the elevation was a new experience, over 10,000 feet up, so i had to watch for altitude sickness. none of which i felt, hallelujah. but i did feel my heart flutter so no bounding up steps, or skipping! for a few days at least.
so i got a paper one day. and i happened to be 'innocently' looking thru the employment ads....and what did i find? an ad for a bunch of teaching jobs....all at a middle school in leadville. and so i applied for them. i figured, why not? it's not like they are hiring in my district. i've learned that this past year. like beating my head against a wall! and for this next school year, it gets funner: they have pink slipped about 25% of the teachers in my district, AND other surrounding districts have been doing the same thing. palm springs, for example, let go of 179, called 100 back, and so 79 are left without jobs. and where do you think they'll be applying? (my district since it's close.)
so there it is. i feel like such a big girl. ;) no really, i'm just giddy inside. it's been so long and i feel like a face that has been clenched just waiting for the slaps that i know will come. ha ha. now i can smile and unclench and just open up. it will take some time. gimme 2 weeks. ;)
life is grand! i'm so grateful for the gift of the Spirit to help me figure this all out and i'm really going to miss my mom. i wish she knew how much.
mountains to board, here i freaking come!
so there i was, 'having' to take a sweet road trip with my buddy dawn vazquez out to her second home in leadville, colorado. i should say 'baby' because she adores it that much. she's been working on restoring this 2 bedroom victorian, built around 1888, for the last few years. recently she passed inspection on it, so it's looking pretty sweet. and it's adorable! and i love old buildings! and small mountain towns! so the timing couldn't have been more perfect: temp teaching job ended, and no job in sight.
and so we went. and it was everything i'd hoped it would be. a beautiful, charming and eclectic little town with some fascinating history. (and her house is amazing too!) we walked everywhere, looked thru every nook and cranny, peed behind abandoned barns built in the 1800's, and picked flowers. i just loved it. the elevation was a new experience, over 10,000 feet up, so i had to watch for altitude sickness. none of which i felt, hallelujah. but i did feel my heart flutter so no bounding up steps, or skipping! for a few days at least.
so i got a paper one day. and i happened to be 'innocently' looking thru the employment ads....and what did i find? an ad for a bunch of teaching jobs....all at a middle school in leadville. and so i applied for them. i figured, why not? it's not like they are hiring in my district. i've learned that this past year. like beating my head against a wall! and for this next school year, it gets funner: they have pink slipped about 25% of the teachers in my district, AND other surrounding districts have been doing the same thing. palm springs, for example, let go of 179, called 100 back, and so 79 are left without jobs. and where do you think they'll be applying? (my district since it's close.)
so there it is. i feel like such a big girl. ;) no really, i'm just giddy inside. it's been so long and i feel like a face that has been clenched just waiting for the slaps that i know will come. ha ha. now i can smile and unclench and just open up. it will take some time. gimme 2 weeks. ;)
life is grand! i'm so grateful for the gift of the Spirit to help me figure this all out and i'm really going to miss my mom. i wish she knew how much.
mountains to board, here i freaking come!
Monday, July 20, 2009
loved this little leadville colorado kitty. her name was angel and she belonged to stan and aaron (dawn's neighbors) and totally made my day every time she 'deigned' to come out and bear the lovin'. notice how bored she looks.
Independence Pass...AKA 'the Continental Divide'! It was GORGEOUS here. it's a bummer the pic is blurry but squint and it looks fine ;) the 360 degree view was from 12,095 feet and all i could hear was 'the hills are alive with the sound of music...' much to my dismay, said the hater (with a passion) of musicals. 
and me and my friend dawn on our way to eat some delicious and CHEAP prime rib. if you come, you will die at how much better the food tastes up here. it must be good if i'm eating red meat ;)
Sunday, June 14, 2009
it's done!
(that's little erick, reading to the class on the last day)finally on this end of things, looking back over the last 2.25 months and wow! and hooray it's over! i did it AND i didn't murder anyone!!! ha ha.
but the last day was crazy town. this last week was crazy town. it still hasn't sunk in. it really is over. how i will miss those sweet children!
the fact that i will miss them, is really the beautiful and unexpected part of all of this. jacob gave me a present. he was so excited. it was some delicious smelling candles with a glass flower to put them in and he was just so thrilled for me to open it. he even wrote a card, which i saved for later assuming his mom had written it. but no, he did. it said in red crayon, "you are a nice teacher." which totally melted my heart when i looked at it alone.
the second to the last day, and the last day, brice said in front of the class that he would miss me. in his little husky voice, "i'm gonna miss you, miss A."
it all happened so fast. the entire experience happened so fast. i look forward to remembering more as the summer unfolds. i hope i never forget how marvelous it was.
i saved all the pictures and notes they gave me. one of my favorites OF ALL TIME is from jayce. it reads in pencil, "I think you are the best teacher ever. I don't care about how much work we get i just care that you are my teacher."
isn't that awesome?!!! they made me crazy but i still love them and wow, just wow. i get it now.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
it's my last week as temp 1st grade teacher ms. avery!!!
and i have 3 goals: 1. don't send stink eye to my principal, 2. get it all done and know i rock even if nobody else does, and 3. enjoy the kids!
they have really been adorable, despite the daily drama, and i will miss them. and i have learned so much. SO MUCH. for example, when the kid walks in singing and continues to sing while everyone is working, don't say a thing. here's my story to illustrate:
there's this one little guy who loves to sing. i mean, REALLY loves to sing. he has a bit of a lisp too, so needless to say, it's adorable. however, he has a rather annoying? habit of singing outloud to himself while everyone else is quietly doing their work. i usually ask him to stop, so that he isn't bothering anyone else. i've even explained to him that his singing makes it hard for some people to concentrate and yadda yadda. and yeah, in one ear and out the other (like so many things!). usually he sings 'eye of the tiger' but the other day he came in with 'everybody dance now' by c & c music factory. it was pretty funny and i had to keep from laughing. this time i thought i would just sit back and let him continue on and we would let 'natural selection' do the job of pruning his habit.
and what happens? another kid picked up on the song, and started singing it too. and someone else picked up the rhythm and started in too! all while they are working away at their morning bell work. and then bam! someone concentrating hard noticed how distracting it was and loudly asked them to stop. which they promptly did. and order was restored once again.
it was hilarious. for one moment i wished for a video camera to be on. guess i'll just have to wait to rewind those tapes in heaven, eh, katina? ;)
they have really been adorable, despite the daily drama, and i will miss them. and i have learned so much. SO MUCH. for example, when the kid walks in singing and continues to sing while everyone is working, don't say a thing. here's my story to illustrate:
there's this one little guy who loves to sing. i mean, REALLY loves to sing. he has a bit of a lisp too, so needless to say, it's adorable. however, he has a rather annoying? habit of singing outloud to himself while everyone else is quietly doing their work. i usually ask him to stop, so that he isn't bothering anyone else. i've even explained to him that his singing makes it hard for some people to concentrate and yadda yadda. and yeah, in one ear and out the other (like so many things!). usually he sings 'eye of the tiger' but the other day he came in with 'everybody dance now' by c & c music factory. it was pretty funny and i had to keep from laughing. this time i thought i would just sit back and let him continue on and we would let 'natural selection' do the job of pruning his habit.
and what happens? another kid picked up on the song, and started singing it too. and someone else picked up the rhythm and started in too! all while they are working away at their morning bell work. and then bam! someone concentrating hard noticed how distracting it was and loudly asked them to stop. which they promptly did. and order was restored once again.
it was hilarious. for one moment i wished for a video camera to be on. guess i'll just have to wait to rewind those tapes in heaven, eh, katina? ;)
Sunday, May 31, 2009
ha ha
okay so here's some ha ha from this week.....there's this one little guy in my class that is super obnoxiously nosy. he has to know everything and i mean EVERYTHING that is going on with someone else. like, "ms. avery, why did so and so have his card turned?" and other such curiosity's about other people in the world around them that if i didn't have a classroom of other kids to deal with, i would offer the info. as such, my stock response is, "Jayce, it's not your business is it?"
well, the other day, i was working with him and some others at our writing center. he had his hand raised to ask a question, but i was helping someone else at the time. he put his hand down, and i figured that was because he noticed i was busy. after a moment, i turned to him to see what he needed. he shook his head and said simply, "it's not my business."
i had to swallow a giggle, but in hindsight, while it's still pretty funny, i do feel a tiny bit guilty. 6/7 year olds!
anyway, i have two weeks left and it's going to fly by and i'm really going to miss these kids. i'm not going to miss everything else, like all the hilarious kid drama that seems to perpetually mar each and every freaking day, BUT i will miss them. and i am learning a great deal about what it will be like to be a parent: drama will be a part of the number and i will just have to deal with it!!! laugh and take it in stride....maybe i should just count on it happening, that way, when it doesn't, it will be like a surprise vacation.....
well, the other day, i was working with him and some others at our writing center. he had his hand raised to ask a question, but i was helping someone else at the time. he put his hand down, and i figured that was because he noticed i was busy. after a moment, i turned to him to see what he needed. he shook his head and said simply, "it's not my business."
i had to swallow a giggle, but in hindsight, while it's still pretty funny, i do feel a tiny bit guilty. 6/7 year olds!
anyway, i have two weeks left and it's going to fly by and i'm really going to miss these kids. i'm not going to miss everything else, like all the hilarious kid drama that seems to perpetually mar each and every freaking day, BUT i will miss them. and i am learning a great deal about what it will be like to be a parent: drama will be a part of the number and i will just have to deal with it!!! laugh and take it in stride....maybe i should just count on it happening, that way, when it doesn't, it will be like a surprise vacation.....
Sunday, May 17, 2009
awesome
it's been a pretty awesome week. nothing truly spectacular happened, but i got thru it with my little 1st grade gremlins. getting to work again, and enjoy them, has really done much to lift my spirits. there's more love in my heart and i can feel it. :) and i only have four weeks left! ;)
i'm also running 15 minutes now and my body isn't complaining. and, i'm closer to finishing off the first half of my horrendous research paper. also, another trip for my summer was born! hoooray!!! dawn has been wanting me to go stay with her in her other house that she has been fixing up out in leadville, colorado. she's been working on it for i think about two years now, and it's almost done....i've been dying to go, some little old mining town above 10,000 feet about 2 hours outside of denver AND her house looks so charming. it's an old victorian she and her husband bought and i just can't wait. it'll be beautiful up there this summer. she just loves living there and is very tired of san diego....so dan and she and maybe their teenage boys will be picking me up as they drive thru yucca on their way to colorado on june 26th. so we will just road trip it all the way out. should be totally fun. and then dawn will stay there all summer and the rest of us will fly out on july 7th. i found a cheap ticket home to palm springs from there, so i'm stoked. woo-hoo for trips!
mom and i need to buy our tickets to go be baby relief this summer too. the dates are firm now, so we'll be going about july 25th and coming back on august 1st? they are planning rachel's c-section for july 26th.....it will be wonderful to help out with taking care of the kids. i need to get that video of lane singing spiderman again. and, it'll be great to see pennsylvania in the summer. can't wait!
p.s. the new star trek movie was EXCELLANT.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
um, so like a miracle just happened in my life
two weeks ago, in my one week vacation between terms, i felt like subbing. so i went online and got 3 days of work. how stoked i was to get some days! (these are hard to come by since there are so many people out of work). so two of those days i was in a kindy class on the marine base out in 29 palms. it was awesome too. the job was a shared room, so the other teacher was there and that made for a really easy assignment. plus the kids are little and little is my favorite. anyway, i found out that this other teacher was getting orders and would be moving sometime soon probably at the end of april. she urged me to go tell the principal i was available....and i did. it took several tries thru my last day, but i finally got in to see her. and to my surprise i learned that there are no long term subs available (some glitch in the district because I WAS AVAILABLE BUT WHATEVER), and that she totally has been looking because she has multiple assignments coming up. so i gave her my info and she was just so pleased! i left smiling and feeling good, like something would come of it.
and it did. a week later this same principal calls me. a teacher had left that very day and she wanted me to start tomorrow. that was last wednesday. !!!! yes, i got hired for the rest of the school year.
and yeah, it's a miracle. i haven't subbed since january and only after two days the Lord blesses me with this. hooray!!!!!
and it did. a week later this same principal calls me. a teacher had left that very day and she wanted me to start tomorrow. that was last wednesday. !!!! yes, i got hired for the rest of the school year.
and yeah, it's a miracle. i haven't subbed since january and only after two days the Lord blesses me with this. hooray!!!!!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
a random act
so i was just leaving the library here in yucca, yesterday afternoon, and about 50 feet from the building when i hear someone yell out, "excuse me!" i turn around and see this guy running towards me. i waited expectantly and when he reaches me he says in a spanish accent, "my friend and i were just commenting on your beauty." it was so totally random that i just reacted with a lightning fast grin on my face and a 'hey thanks!' right as he finished his cell phone rang and he took it and backed off. and i turned around and continued on my way feeling the smile linger on my face and then thinking 'i wonder if he was doing some sort of sociology project for school...' ha!
yeah, it was pretty great. i'm writing this down so i don't forget it. how sweet! how kind! he obviously wanted nothing more, just to pass on that information. when does that ever happen?
yeah, it was pretty great. i'm writing this down so i don't forget it. how sweet! how kind! he obviously wanted nothing more, just to pass on that information. when does that ever happen?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
the week in wrap
such a great week! totally got my butt kicked by school. spent ALL day and i mean ALL FREAKING saturday writing a paper. but i did it. yay. and don't feel sorry for me, since i partied pretty hard on two other days. yes, i finally went up snowboarding. was the grandest day in a long time. i tried to coax a couple of long distance friends up, but no luck. i really actually had a great time by myself, as sad as that may sound. with an ipod in my ear, and chatty people on the chair, it's all good! well, maybe not all good, but i did ride hard for almost 5 hours so you gotta know i had an awesome time.
my body was really happy too. spend most of my time on this one very long, very fast and perfectly steep run i love just whipping by people and diggin' my orthotics in my boots. makes a big difference. i had much more control.
at the end of the day, i singled out this old guy to take my picture. he worked there and i totally didn't think about how he might never have used a digital camera before. he kept turning it backwards and i had to help him twice with it. i hope he heard how grateful i was and didn't feel too embarrassed. man, i hate to embarrass people! the best part was that i never actually got a picture. yup. -sigh- note to self.
the other great thing about this week, besides the boring stuff like getting my final chunk of financial aid and having my teacher tell me how much i rock (blah blah lol but really she did and who does that?) was my valiant class. man, i'm really loving those kids. this week it was cassi and her bro dylan, and josiah and sara. we had two moments where they asked some rather RAD questions. cassi said, 'were the gold plates really real?' and i was like HELL YEAH, ha ha, no, i said that they were. and then i told them about the testimony of the 3 and then the 8 witnesses and i showed them where they signed their names in the b. of m. they were all into it. totally cool. and then another time, when i was sharing a personal experience about prayer, about getting a 'no' answer and following it, cassi asked again, "how did you hear the voice of the Lord when you prayed? like did you hear actual words and stuff?" what a great moment that was! so then i told them how i actually just felt a strong feeling in my heart. that when i thought of doing the thing He wanted me to do, i felt good and at peace. but when i thought of doing the opposite, i felt kinda sick to my stomach and bad about it.
yeah, it was so cool. they listened, the Spirit was strong, those 9 and 10 year olds rule.
and then sister dick came in and gave us valentines cookies. i love church!
my body was really happy too. spend most of my time on this one very long, very fast and perfectly steep run i love just whipping by people and diggin' my orthotics in my boots. makes a big difference. i had much more control.
at the end of the day, i singled out this old guy to take my picture. he worked there and i totally didn't think about how he might never have used a digital camera before. he kept turning it backwards and i had to help him twice with it. i hope he heard how grateful i was and didn't feel too embarrassed. man, i hate to embarrass people! the best part was that i never actually got a picture. yup. -sigh- note to self.
the other great thing about this week, besides the boring stuff like getting my final chunk of financial aid and having my teacher tell me how much i rock (blah blah lol but really she did and who does that?) was my valiant class. man, i'm really loving those kids. this week it was cassi and her bro dylan, and josiah and sara. we had two moments where they asked some rather RAD questions. cassi said, 'were the gold plates really real?' and i was like HELL YEAH, ha ha, no, i said that they were. and then i told them about the testimony of the 3 and then the 8 witnesses and i showed them where they signed their names in the b. of m. they were all into it. totally cool. and then another time, when i was sharing a personal experience about prayer, about getting a 'no' answer and following it, cassi asked again, "how did you hear the voice of the Lord when you prayed? like did you hear actual words and stuff?" what a great moment that was! so then i told them how i actually just felt a strong feeling in my heart. that when i thought of doing the thing He wanted me to do, i felt good and at peace. but when i thought of doing the opposite, i felt kinda sick to my stomach and bad about it.
yeah, it was so cool. they listened, the Spirit was strong, those 9 and 10 year olds rule.
and then sister dick came in and gave us valentines cookies. i love church!
Sunday, February 01, 2009
fast sunday
today's lesson with my valiants went really well. i had 5 of them and this new kid with an interesting name: 'pollacks.' he had a tendency to spout random stories but i caught on quick. he was a sweetie and did contribute some good things (and relevant) to the lesson. he talked about how he prayed and prayed for help on a test and then all day (i guess the test was really long) he remembered stuff. :) i felt the Spirit really strong the whole time but especially when (i teared up) we were talking about being obedient. the manual directed to bring up the story of Nephi and having to go back for the plates. we memorized 1 nephi 3:7.
so yay for having a calling again. callings are a serious blessing.
this fast sunday i also bore my testimony. haven't done that in awhile. and i'm very glad i did.
i'm looking forward to this week. i should finish up my application for an IRS job by tomorrow. so that will be a relief. i've been slowly thinking more and more about this possibility since my cousin-in-law Ryan brought it up with me. he's been doing the job he recommends for 6 months now and he thinks i'd do really well. bless his heart. he showed me the pay scale and it will compensate for education. meaning that even though I don't have direct experience with work as a 'Revenue Officer' I would still qualify with a Bachelor's. they will train me and i will get an even higher salary with a master's. and, after doing it for a year (everyone has too) then one can move around to a different job. there are lot's of options it's just a matter of putting in the 'grunt work.'
so, i've been warming up to the idea and just waiting for his word. at the initial time he was telling me the previous info, he had found out that they would be hiring for the san bernardino office. this was supposed to happen in feb/march and he would let me know.
so yesterday i went online looking for the IRS jobs website. i stumbled upon the job he had been talking about and to my happy surprise the job was already posted. the posting began in jan. and closes feb. 20th. amazing timing, eh?! i texted Ryan and he was just thrilled. he's up in oakland right now at another month long IRS training.
so this particular job starts on june 9th. i'll be done with the master's by may 31st. the timing couldn't be better. apparently, it's a long hiring process but time is certainly one thing i have in abundance. this one class, yes ONE CLASS, is really kicking my butt and i'm seriously grateful for having the school aid to complete it. i don't have to stress about working while doing school (which is rare in my life) so i'm grateful. so very grateful. who gets to work part time (i mean barely) and go to school? little kids! and the rich! ha ha.
anyway, life is good.
so yay for having a calling again. callings are a serious blessing.
this fast sunday i also bore my testimony. haven't done that in awhile. and i'm very glad i did.
i'm looking forward to this week. i should finish up my application for an IRS job by tomorrow. so that will be a relief. i've been slowly thinking more and more about this possibility since my cousin-in-law Ryan brought it up with me. he's been doing the job he recommends for 6 months now and he thinks i'd do really well. bless his heart. he showed me the pay scale and it will compensate for education. meaning that even though I don't have direct experience with work as a 'Revenue Officer' I would still qualify with a Bachelor's. they will train me and i will get an even higher salary with a master's. and, after doing it for a year (everyone has too) then one can move around to a different job. there are lot's of options it's just a matter of putting in the 'grunt work.'
so, i've been warming up to the idea and just waiting for his word. at the initial time he was telling me the previous info, he had found out that they would be hiring for the san bernardino office. this was supposed to happen in feb/march and he would let me know.
so yesterday i went online looking for the IRS jobs website. i stumbled upon the job he had been talking about and to my happy surprise the job was already posted. the posting began in jan. and closes feb. 20th. amazing timing, eh?! i texted Ryan and he was just thrilled. he's up in oakland right now at another month long IRS training.
so this particular job starts on june 9th. i'll be done with the master's by may 31st. the timing couldn't be better. apparently, it's a long hiring process but time is certainly one thing i have in abundance. this one class, yes ONE CLASS, is really kicking my butt and i'm seriously grateful for having the school aid to complete it. i don't have to stress about working while doing school (which is rare in my life) so i'm grateful. so very grateful. who gets to work part time (i mean barely) and go to school? little kids! and the rich! ha ha.
anyway, life is good.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
trip to philly and katina
katina, my friend, this is for you. thanks for reminding me to get on my blog and write. i vacillate between wanting it to be like my journal and then not. so i keep a digital journal on my laptop but then i also keep this. crazy. i should get over my privacy issues. nothing is really private anyway.....
so i hope you don't mind but i find my journal writing is WAY more fun for me if i'm writing to a friend instead of just a vague anyone... humor me. :)
so, what is up in my life? i've had a super fabulous last few weeks with visiting family! yeah i went to pennsylvania to see my bro and his happiness for an entire week! they've lived there now for about 6 months while he does his residency for pediatric dentistry. (he has 1.5 years more to go) and it was just awesome to see them all. i adore my bro. he makes me crack up all the time. and rachel is great too. we all get along rather well. and i got to hang out with the kids. lane is almost 3 and he's a thrill a minute. ivy is 6. i got to take lane the very first day and go to her school to be the 'mystery reader.' it was pretty exciting. i brought 'big bad bunny' and the kids loved it or maybe i loved it more! (i could read to kids for a day job)
so it was pretty great. and i totally fell in love with lane. last time i came, he was only a baby and i really could only understand a few words. now, he's like verbal extraordinaire and hilarious. he loves ACTION! i'll put up a video of him. or maybe no one else will find it exciting but me. anyway, one time we were in the living room, he and I and rachel while ivy was at school. (kinder is ALL DAY here, btw) and i had just picked him up. he said, 'auntie meenin, will you drop me?' i laughed. what the? rachel and i both laugh. so, i humor him but no way am i going to drop him from my 5'7.5"! so i get on my knees still holding him. and then we go thru a series of 'gentle drops' onto the carpet where he gets progressively more and more upset at my inability to deliver. he wants it done the RIGHT WAY. 'no, auntie meenin, no! not like that!' so finally, on the 4th try, i just go for it. totally drop him (from my knees) and he just squeals with delight. it was hysterical.
i love kids but i think more if they are related to me. it's true. i see the difference now. ha!
so i hope you don't mind but i find my journal writing is WAY more fun for me if i'm writing to a friend instead of just a vague anyone... humor me. :)
so, what is up in my life? i've had a super fabulous last few weeks with visiting family! yeah i went to pennsylvania to see my bro and his happiness for an entire week! they've lived there now for about 6 months while he does his residency for pediatric dentistry. (he has 1.5 years more to go) and it was just awesome to see them all. i adore my bro. he makes me crack up all the time. and rachel is great too. we all get along rather well. and i got to hang out with the kids. lane is almost 3 and he's a thrill a minute. ivy is 6. i got to take lane the very first day and go to her school to be the 'mystery reader.' it was pretty exciting. i brought 'big bad bunny' and the kids loved it or maybe i loved it more! (i could read to kids for a day job)
so it was pretty great. and i totally fell in love with lane. last time i came, he was only a baby and i really could only understand a few words. now, he's like verbal extraordinaire and hilarious. he loves ACTION! i'll put up a video of him. or maybe no one else will find it exciting but me. anyway, one time we were in the living room, he and I and rachel while ivy was at school. (kinder is ALL DAY here, btw) and i had just picked him up. he said, 'auntie meenin, will you drop me?' i laughed. what the? rachel and i both laugh. so, i humor him but no way am i going to drop him from my 5'7.5"! so i get on my knees still holding him. and then we go thru a series of 'gentle drops' onto the carpet where he gets progressively more and more upset at my inability to deliver. he wants it done the RIGHT WAY. 'no, auntie meenin, no! not like that!' so finally, on the 4th try, i just go for it. totally drop him (from my knees) and he just squeals with delight. it was hysterical.
i love kids but i think more if they are related to me. it's true. i see the difference now. ha!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)