Commitment Issues

Crap! I think I may be suffering from a serious condition of buyer's remorse. And I won't know for a week & 1/2!

I bought new glasses today...and of course my frames are not sold anymore...so that means I'm committed to a new look for...ev...er! Shoot. I hope it wasn't just an in-the-store falling-in-love. Glasses are a [relatively] significant chunk o' change these days (when you like the ones I like, I suppose) and a semi-long-term commitment. It's highly possible they're going to come in and I'm going to really not like them after all.

(For this same lack-of-commitment issue, I have not yet cut my hair.)

Funny: Last year I went snowboarding with some friends (and loved it) and after their patient attempts at teaching me to stay on my feet longer than on my behind, I relieved them of any obligation they may have been feeling to remain on the bunny slopes, so they could cruise down the K2 slopes. By myself, I was attempting the s-curve thingy that my snowboarding instructor friend had shown me. All I could do was keep switching back and forth but staying facing the slope because of some inexplicable aversion to turning my back to it. A guy was going down near me (with much more style, I might add) and in passing conversation I mentioned my thighs were killing me, and he suggested the s-curve-thingy to use different muscles. Noticing my attempts he said, "You have it, you just have to commit!" and cruised on by. "I have commitment issues." I called after him. I heard his laugh from somewhere down among the trees and he yelled back, "Doon't we aall!"

Rocket Science

I found this add on the back of my sister's National Geographic magazine. I thought it was a joke at first, then realized the date on the magazine was March 2007...hahaha. I mean, that's not funny. hehem.

(It's elementary, my dear dummy. Of course we'll be around. For the next year and a half...)

You've gotta read the fine print. Click on the picture to enlarge.

Aimee's Reputation

She has a history. These are pics of my brother Brad by the same artist. She has a unique way of capturing the best in people =o) Thought they'd make you laugh (who didn't already see this on Whistlebeak's blog!)

Christmas with My Great Family

Christmas at my sister's:
Dad
JaNel & Paul--kids: Jackson, Elise, Aimee, Leo
bro J.D. & Colleen--kids (who came): Jessica, Kiya, Jaron, Adam
bro Aaron & Donna--kids (who came): Racheal, Marlana, Bradley
VoNique & Jared
nephew Ryan & his wife Ashley
Carole

It's a decent size crowd. Never a dull moment, that's fer sher!

Light and Hope of the World

I love today. Christmas is magical. I don't care that it's technically not the real day of Christ's birth, and am of course not a fan of the immense commercialism. I love that this season turns this world--in sin and error pining--to Christ, our perfect Hope! I love that it brings families together. I love that people are drawn to serve each other. I love the peacefulness of the blanket of white over the town with the glimmer of lights outlining homes in which families are baking and laughing and singing and just loving. I even love the stormy weather right now, for "trapping" me indoors with my cute sister's family, Christmas carols, and my new cozy scarf! =o)

I'm grateful for the time of personal reflection today on the things God has blessed me with in my life. (I didn't feel like watching a movie, so I've had 2 hours to myself.) I've read the words of Christ, reflected in my journal, and read the words of the prophets about Christ. As this year draws to a close, I wonder how God sees that I've used it. It's felt like a year of healing for me, and I'm grateful for that, and for the people in my life who have helped make it so. I feel it in my bones that 2009 is a year of progression. 2007=hell (excuse my French. It's true.), 2008=healing, 2009=progression. I believe there are blessings in store. I believe God is with us through every trial.

I felt that again today as I read in Ether: Jared and his brother's families are traveling to the promised land. The storms raged and they were tossed upon the waves of the sea...in a wind which served a purpose...here, read for yourself:

"And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind.

And it came to pass that they were many times buried in the depths of the sea...and there was no water that could hurt them...therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.

And it came to pass that the wind did never cease to blow towards the promised land while they were upon the waters...and they did sing praises unto the Lord...and [they] did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord."

I believe that the storms in my life serve a purpose. I believe that when the winds rage, they are ultimately blowing me toward a promised land. I know God is with us. I know He lives! I know He was born, lived and died...and most importantly, rose again!...for the salvation of all mankind. I believe if I give my will to Him and live in accordance with the truths He reveals to me, I will one day return to Him. I want more than anything to live a life pleasing unto Him, to handle my challenges with grace, to be merciful and generous and forgiving of others, and to give and live my life to its fullest!

In remembrance of the most important life ever lived, and in gratitude for the hope and light He is to the world, I wish you and your families a memorable and peaceful holiday season.
Merry Christmas!

Love to Read!

This is my EESL Reflection #2, on the topic of reading. It's more important for you cute moms than it is for me as a teacher! We believe in this profession that the most important thing you can do for your child (...other than love him or her, I suppose...and feed them. And keep 'em warm...) is to take the time to READ! Pull them on your lap and read. Why? My thoughts: the bonding you will foster in your relationship goes down in the annals of their memory for life. Your modeling of the love of reading, and therefore learning, I believe, shapes their attitudes toward life. You will open up opportunities for conversation and discussion of life's most important lessons, which might not be brought up otherwise. Talk about the things you read. Talk about morals. Talk about your child's thoughts and reflections. Let them see you slow down and take time to learn, to spend time with them, to teach them, to listen to them. Your work as a mom is the most important work of this life! Don't ever forget it! (Or I will find you! I know where you live! =o) )

Here it is:
“Reading is important in all aspects of our lives…As teachers…we need to be able to assess students’ reading skills so that we can make reading an important and joyful practice their whole life through.”

Our ‘enduring understanding’ is interesting to me. It is a unique challenge that we have as educators--to not only teach children the skills of reading, but to teach them to hopefully love to read. Why? Other professions may have a purpose of teaching another person the skills necessary to complete their responsibilities within their trade, and yet whether the learner loves it or not can be irrelevant (though arguably makes the person more valuable to the trade in the case that they do happen to love it). As we teach these children to read, however, the affective associations they make with the skills we are teaching them are almost as important as the skills themselves. The feelings a child has toward reading and the attitudes they develop toward learning have powerful influence upon their lives, through adulthood. This has many implications, I believe, as to the environment we create within our classrooms.

Stephen Krashen’s fifth hypothesis supports this concept in second language learners: “People acquire second languages when they obtain comprehensible input and when their affective filters are low enough to allow the input in [to the language acquisition device]” (Krashen, 1981, p. 62). Socio-emotional variables, such as low-anxiety learning environments, greatly affect a student’s self-confidence and self-esteem. We as educators must model a love of learning, children, and enjoy our career, not just show up to work. Our attitudes toward these things change children’s lives in more ways than we sometimes recognize!

Who You Are

by Hillary Weeks (my heroine...who I recently got to meet! I had my camera but was felt too silly asking for a picture. Lame.)

There is something so beautiful in who she is that radiates through her music. I have listened to her every Sunday since I first heard "He Hears Me" performed at a fireside in high school. There are many weeks (haha, weeks) I listen to her between Sundays, too, because her sweet voice and beautiful messages bring me peace. I don't think I've heard this song, actually, but I love the lyrics, which I just found. This is typical of us daughters of God, I believe.

President Monson's message at Women's Conference at BYU in May has stayed with me. The feeling, mostly, that God loves us, that we focus on what we have yet to accomplish and let ourselves get down about it, but He sees our progress, and so should we take the time to recognize it, too. And LIVE TODAY! I'm trying my best to love each day of my life...for the goodness, or...growth...it brings. Sometimes it seems like there are more days of stretching than goodness. But I know in the end, it's all good[ness]. =o) cheesy. It's late. I should go to bed.

Here you go:

I know you wonder
If you'll ever have a day
Where the kids stay calm
The laundry's done
And the dishes are put away
And sometimes you feel like
Your days are spent and gone
And the question running through your mind
Is "What have I gotten done?"
And when you finally have a moment to slow down
At the end of your day I know Father would say
"Believe in what you're doing
Believe in who you are
And hold tight to the truth that you're a daughter of God
Believe in who you're becoming
Believe in who you are"

It may seem simple all the little things you do
But the lives you touch matter so much
And there's no one else like you
And Father needs you to stand tall and faithful
To be all you can be
If you could see what He sees

You'd believe in what you're doing
And you'd believe in who you are
So hold tight to the truth that you're a daughter of God
Believe in who you are becoming
Believe in who you are.

When it's hard to believe in yourself
And you feel like you're beginning to doubt
Remember...

He believes in what you're doing
And He believes in who you are
So don't lost sight of the truth
That you're a daughter of God
That He believes in who you're becoming
He believes in who you are