Challenge

So I know that my blog has been seriously lacking in entertainment points lately.  Not that our lives are completely boring right now, but I figure you don't want to hear stories about my 13 year old friends every day and well, that about all I have to blog about.  In order to remedy by blogging problem, I have decided to take the 30 day blog challenge.  I will blog everyday (in theory) and you will all love it.  A couple of my friends have started a similar blog challenge and I have enjoyed learning more about them, so I am going to join in. 

Here is my tentative blogging schedule.  (I reserve the right to change any topics depending on my mood of the day.)

Blogging Challenge:

Day 01 - A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
Day 02 - The meaning behind your Blog name
Day 03 - A picture of you and your friends
Day 04 - A habit that you wish you didn’t have
Day 05 - A picture of somewhere you’ve been
Day 06 - Favorite super hero and why
Day 07 - A picture of someone/something that has had the biggest impact on you
Day 08 - Short term goals for this month and why
Day 09 - Something you’re proud of in the past few days
Day 10 - Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad
Day 11 - Another picture of you and your friends
Day 12 - How you found out about blogs and why you made one
Day 13 - A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 14 - A picture of you and your family
Day 15 - Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
Day 16 - Another picture of yourself
Day 17 - Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18 - Plans/dreams/goals you have
Day 19 - Nicknames you have; why do you have them
Day 20 - Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future
Day 21 - A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22 - What makes you different from everyone else
Day 23 - Something you crave a lot
Day 24 - A letter to your parents
Day 25 - What I would find in your purse
Day 26 - What you think about your friends
Day 27 - Why are you doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28 - A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?
Day 29 - In this past month, what have you learned
Day 30 - Who are you?



I start tomorrow - please stay tuned. 

Glued

For the past 24 hours I have been glued to the TV watching the rescue of the 33 miners in Chile. I have literally watched more TV in the last 24 hours than I have in the past two months (about 17 hours to be exact) stopping only to sleep. Yes, I even watched the live coverage in school, while I was teaching.  Lucky for me I teach Spanish and I can get away with stuff like that. I don't know why I have been so captivated by this story of survival, but watching those miners be reunited with their families was really very touching.  I could watch people who are that happy all day (and I did.) They reminded me that the strength of the human spirit is truly remarkable.  I admire the miners, their families, and the rescuers for their faith and endurance.  Thank you for teaching us about the power of hope and perserverance. 

No me gustan hombres femenine.

For those of you who don't know, I'm currently doing my student teaching for my Spanish teaching major in Spanish Fork Jr. High.  I gave my students the assignment of creating their own personal profiles.  In their profile they could include any information about themselves that they wanted.  I laughed out loud when I read one student's profile.  We will call her E.  It read:

"No me gustan hombres femenine." 

Despite the fact that her statement is not exactly grammatically correct, I loved it.  It made my day.  Middle school students are extremely entertaining.  I think everyone should know one. 

Gems

I recently stumbled upon these Gems.   Hope you enjoy them as much as I do. 

What I should have said

I have been blessed (cursed?) with the inability to say what I want to say when I want to say it. The following scenario has happened more than once in my lifetime, most recently this afternoon. 

Person A says something rude and ignorant. 

Person B (me) says nothing.  Simply turns the other cheek and ignores said ignorant comment, cringing at Person  A's bad manners.

THEN, after the fact, I can think of exactly what I wanted/should have said to Person A.  What I should have said to Person A, for example was....

Excuse me, but who are you to judge another person's situation and assume that your current condition/situation is better than the next?  I know it might be hard to come down from the pedestal that you have so humbly placed yourself on, but the truth is that you are NOT always right.  Your ways are NOT always the best ways, and NO ONE wants to hear your two cents about everything.  You mentioned the quality of selflessness.  If you weren't so close-minded, you would know that selflessness means sacrificing your own iterests for the greater good.  The tricky part of actually practicing selflessness is knowing what the greater good is. This requires looking past the here and now and understanding that what may be best for you is not what is best for another person.  Also, it is impossible for you to decide what is or isn't best for another person and his/her family.  The great thing about the Gospel is that Heavenly Father allows us to make our own decisions and choose our own paths.  If we prayerfully make these decisions and listen to the promptings of the Spirit, he will guide us in the right direction. YOU (Person A) are actually NOT part of that process, nor do you have the right to judge the decisions and sacrifices of another person. Usually, the best things require the greatest sacrifices and are therefore the hardest decisions we will ever make. Instead of making rude comments, you might consider supporting those around you in the decisions that they have made.  As far as I see it, the only difference between you are those students that you complain about (you know the ones without the filters between their brains and their mouths) is that you raise your hand before you talk. 

Maybe one day I will actually say what I want to say when I want to say it.  Maybe its a good thing that I never can.  Either way, I wish some people weren't so quick to judge another.  We would all be much better off... life is hard enough without the negative criticism of those around us.  Can't we just all love each other?

A Sunday Thought

“Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!”

- Dieter F. Uchtdorf

The Dunes.

Earlier this month we went to the sand dunes on the Oregon Coast with the whole Comcast crew.  We had a blast camping, riding the 4-wheelers, playing games, eating smores, and bbqing. 

Beautiful sunset

We all slept in this trailer.  Marty snored all night and Eric stole my covers. 

They are probably still picking the sand out of their teeth after this ride.

I was so cold.... I stuck by the fire most of the time.

Moments before Jason hurt his foot on our homemade zip line. 

Tim is the BBQ master

On our way home we stopped at the Tillamook cheese factory.  We tasted cheese and ate yummy ice cream. 

It was a great way to end our summer up in Portland. And even though there were a whole lot of boys up there, I had a great time this summer and I loved Portland.  I would go back anytime (but probably not as the wife of a summer salesman).