Beth's Blog~!

Reflections on Easter

2010-04-04T11:06:00.004-07:00

At the conclusion of a powerful talk on Jesus Christ by President Thomas S. Monson, I felt moved by what only seems as the Spirit of Easter. I love the words, I love the message, and I love the songs of Easter--especially Easter hymns sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It caused me to think back on other Easter holidays.

In childhood, Easter was always a day to look forward too. My childhood pictures are sprinkled with me in my new Easter dress, hand in hand with my cousin as we totted around gathering Easter eggs. No doubt we wondered what on earth had gotten into our parents, but loved the strange new game of picking up brightly colored eggs in the yard!

My first memory of Easter was at my Nona's house in San Antonio--I must have been 4 or 5. I remember so well how huge the basket of candy seemed, and specifically that I received a new toy that became a favorite in years to come--a My Little Pony Seahorse. Easter became a magical morning that kept me going until Christmas :)

As time passed, I'm sure I became more aware of the eternal significance of Easter--of the Atonement that was celebrated. I believe it took some time though, as I remember being a teenager, enquiring of my bishop what exactly the "Atonement" was. The piece began to fall into place as I continued to study in the Church's early morning seminary program. The Atonement was a beautiful concept that Christ died for my sins, and rose from the dead.

It wasn't until the ages of 19-21 that I truly began to understand the Atonement as a powerful eternal force that affected me personally. Experiences seemed to rush in all at once, within a 6 month period, that seared the meaning of the Atonement into my soul.

At age 19, I took a semester off of "normal" school to "study abroad" at BYU's Nauvoo Joseph Smith Academy. I became fully immersed in the history of the church, the faith of the pioneers, and reading the teachings of Joseph Smith. My heart was touched, and the sins of my past began to way heavy on my conscious and my soul. I remember reaching a point where I felt I could not breathe any longer in such a Spirit-infused place with such dirt on my hands. So, as my roommate slept one night, I quietly slipped out of bed, knelt on my knees, and humbly began to pray, pleading with the Lord for forgiveness of all I felt ashamed of. I told him of the Spirit I felt at the place I was in, and asked to be a part of it some how.

I will never forget the feeling the enveloped me. It was a stern rebuke from my Father--one I expected and knew I greatly deserved. However, what I did NOT expect was the complete outpouring of love that I felt accompanying that rebuke. It was a quiet scolding, and I felt as if someone who loved me dearly was holding me, and quietly saying "My daughter, never do that again, thank you for coming back. I love you. Let's move forward." I was so shocked by the quick forgiveness and outpouring of love that I felt, that I knelt there weeping tears of gratitude of awe. This was my first real experience with the Atonement that changed me.

A few days later, the disastrous events of 9-11 happened. I remember writing in my journal that I was grateful I had chosen to repent a few days before the tragedy, so that I had not been compelled, but that it had come from a true desire to change from within me. I also remember wondering what it would be like to know someone who had been in one of the planes that had been forced to smash into the towers.

I did not have to wonder this for long, for within a few hours we were informed that one of our classmates had family on the second plane--his grandmother and aunt. We were all in shock--and Andy, the young man affected, was given something to help him sleep the rest of the day clear into the next morning. We all whispered in worried tones, wondering if he would go home. What a horrible thing to happen--how would he handle it?

We were shocked, and pleasantly surprised to watch Andy over the next few weeks as he fielded questions about being the "boy whose grandma was in the plane" with smile and ease. He shrugged it off, saying they were wonderful people, but he was doing fine. I was amazed at how little it all seemed to affect him. Little did I know how wrong I was. And little did I know that Andy was about to teach me my second lesson about the Power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

I believe it was the November or December testimony meeting of that year--but Andy stood up to bear his testimony. A hush fell over the congregation as they realized who he was. We then listened to what--to me--has been the most powerful and heartfelt testimony I have ever heard. Andy shared with us the true struggle he had been going through since his grandmother & aunt's passing. He spoke of how he saw the terrorist's picture in the paper shortly thereafter--could even name him by name--and how perfect hatred had filled his soul for the man who had put his loved ones in such terrific fear and forced their deaths. He spoke of how the terror and anguish he imagined the felt in their last moments of life haunted him, only fueling the hatred he felt for that man. He spoke of the torture his soul was going through--a young returned missionary who knew full well that he was required to forgive the murderer, and yet he could not do it. He had struggled to forgive, desperately struggled, and could not.

He then spoke of the Atonement of Christ--of how it was helping him through it, of how he realized it was what enabled him to be with his family again. His tone then changed, his voice cracked a little, as he shared of the moment he realized that his Savior suffered in the garden for those men too--for the men that killed his family. He knew that though the Savior was just as saddened by what the man had done, he still loved him as a child of God and had died for him too. As he realized this, he pled for the lord to help him forgive--and the gift of forgiveness that he could not produce himself was granted.

Andy paused at this point, gathering his emotions--his courage--and with voice shaking, declared in the boldest and most firm voice I have ever heard from a pulpit, "I want you all to know that I FORGIVE THESE MEN."

That day, I learned the power the Atonement gives us to forgive.

The semester ended--a life changing semester whose lessons have become a rock for me to fall back on throughout my life to this point--and I returned to BYU. A regular semester started up and I enjoyed renewing acquaintances of the past. One such was a friend I ran into from my days in Young Womens back in Texas. A dear friend who had always been as much as an example to me as she was a good friend. As I was walking my bike up to campus one day, I had the impression to take a different route than my normal one. I questioned the decision as it meant going up a big hill, but went with the impulse. I soon found myself running into Stephanie Richards--the friend from my youth. We screamed as hugged as girls tend to do, and quickly caught up and promised a get together soon. I said a brief hello to her sister on the cell phone, thought about taking a picture with her, but not wanting to be annoying, gave her the hug good bye, and happily went on my way, thinking over memories of Stephanie.

The next morning, I received a phone call from my mom. Stephanie was dead. "No she's not", I remember arguing, "I just talked with her yesterday." But between tears, my mom confirmed it was true. Only a few hours after my run in with Stephanie, she had gone sledding with her friends, run into a tree, smacked her head and died instantly. She was gone.

The reality of death never becomes so clear until you have someone you know pass away. Things become surreal--the daily tasks of mortality become so mundane as you realize their insignificance. My mind and heart filled with questions--why was Steph taken so soon? What did it mean? Was she really done with her mission in life?

Almost as quick as I could ask the questions--answers filled my heart. Teachings from 9-11 came back to me. Our Heavenly Father was not shocked by her death as we were, he'd known this would happen all along. Somehow, it was part of the plan, and somehow, Steph was somewhere that needed her more. I remember being completely filled with comfort, joy, and peace as the full message of the Plan of Happiness hit me--we would all see Stephanie again. And it was because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I have never felt such peace as I did that sacred week that Stephanie Richards passed away. It would be a long time before I could keep tears from springing to my eyes everytime we sang the hymn "I know that My Redeemer Lives". For, I truly knew.

Stephanie's death taught me that the Atonement conquered death.

Why I had such closely related experiences that powerfully taught me the powers of the Atonement, I still do not know. But, I do know that it filled me with a testimony that became a powerful tool a year later when I went forward as an Ambassador and Representative of Jesus Christ. There was no doubt in my mind who I testified of, and of the power, peace, comfort, and joy his Atonement could bring into the lives of those I taught.

It is because of the mission that Easter became one of my favorite holidays. I spent my first mission Easter in the MTC. They had this place called the "Call Center", where people could call in requesting a free DVD, Book of Mormon, or other materials of the church that they had seen advertised. As wonderful conversations took place, and my love for people grew, I began to look forward to the call center. These feelings heightened around Easter. The Call Center was bombarded with calls of people requesting "Having Faith in Christ"--a relatively new presentation at the time following the life of Christ, his death, and resurrection.

As it happened to be, it was the same year that The Passion by Mel Gibson had appeared in theaters--a rated R depiction of the death of Christ. I personally had never seen the movie, and was thoroughly discouraged by all who called in reporting they had. THe message was clear from all of them--the movie left them feeling dark. Christ had died. It was a horrible thing. The END. They were all looking for something more--for hope. Wasn't the message of Jesus a message of hope? Did we have anything that offered that? It was my privilege to testify that Christ DID rise from the dead, and that we had a wonderful new video--appropriate for the entire family--that let you feel that feeling of hope.

I loved that Easter. My favorite Easter by far :)

My next Easter was spent in Uruguay--Rivera if I remember right, a large border town with Brazil. The people there were wonderful, and it is a place that is near and dear to my heart. I distinctly remember however, being thoroughly confused as to their celebration of Easter. They actually called it "La Pascua"--meaning "The Passover". Symbolically, the Passover was to teach Jews that death would pass over them if they were covered by the blood of the lamb. However, in America we celebrate this as a completely DIFFERENT holiday, and one that only Jewish people really acknowledge. It was interesting to me however that in the latin world, these holidays are one and the same.

What astounded me is how many people invited us in over La Pascua, simply to ask what the celebration was all about? Apparently, in the Catholic faith, they do not teach that Christ rose again with a body of flesh and blood. This...really surprised me, and we would share scriptures with the people of how he came and ate fish and honeycomb with his disciples after his resurrection. It became an eye-opening experience of just how lucky we are to have this knowledge.

Years have passed, and my Easters are once again filled with treats and precious memories made with family. I again enjoy Easter egg hunts with my little brother David, and celebrate fun Easter surprises with my husband.

I am grateful that today was an Easter Sunday during general conference. I'm grateful for the tender talks on Christ, and of what he did this day that broke the bands of death, and that gives us the power to feel peace, to forgive, to be forgiven, and to have an Eternal Hope.

I love my Savior. I love the songs that sing praise to all that he did. I send this long but humble testimony out to the world that I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that he died, the passed through the Garden of Gethsemane, and he rose from the dead. I hope to always be a witness of his name and help bring others to the same knowledge of the Atonement that I have experienced thus far in my life. I leave this testimony on this Easter day, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

~Beth Ann Alamo VanVliet~

Wedding Video!

2010-01-31T16:02:00.003-07:00

Our videographer just posted a sneak peak of what is to come....well if we hire him to make the rest :) We LOVED the video...though we're both quite embarrassed by all the kissing! Sorry folks! Enjoy the video though, especially my kid brother David at the end :) Copy and paste the link below :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e38DLEXfBSU&feature=player_embedded

PS our videographer was fantastic! Everyone loved him, and he did a great job. His website is www.hammervproductions.com

Proposal Story

2009-12-21T01:34:00.008-07:00

So, amidst the hustle and bustle of wedding planning--and who threw Christmas into the mix??!-- I have neglected my blog! Needless to say, I am marrying the most amazing man in the world on Jan 8, 2010. The last post was a link to engagement pics. But for now...I'm going to share "The Engagement Story".

Rob actually proposed twice. I was awaiting some amazing confirmation from the heavens, so I didn't say yes the first time. It was at a beautifully romantic setting (the Draper Temple at night), with a view of the city lights to my right, and an illuminated temple behind him as he kneeled on the ground. I was so shocked at what he was doing, I actually dropped my blanket! At first I thought he was joking and said, "Yeah right, you have to have a ring for that!!". My mouth fell open again as he pulled one from his pocket! I (embarrassingly enough) said

"Umm....I guess?". When I wasn't quite ready to set a date, Rob politely took the ring back and said he'd ask another time. He did take a few pictures of the ring however, to keep it fresh on my mind ;)

After receiving the amazing spiritual confirmation I had been praying for, I took off for Yellowstone for a week with a group of kids from my school. Rob and I wrote each other everyday....only without email or postal service, we had to keep our letters until we could get back and show each other what we had written! The week of reflection really helped me A) miss Rob! and B) adjust to the idea of leaving single life for married life. By the time I got back, I was completely brimming with excitement to my very own Prince Charming! We happily greeted each other, and Rob drove me home. I was EXHAUSTED from a week of treking around Yellowstone in blizzards, and caring for children.

But when I opened the door to my room....I Saw this!

With a ton of personal (and meaningful) touches, Rob had created the perfect Romantic atmosphere! He had my teddy bear proposing to a cat with a ring pop (note the cat's look of surprise! He got velcro to hold its hands up that way!). He also decorated the ceiling with stars (something I had mentioned I loved back in July!), with a message that said, "Beth and Rob 4 ever!". He also only put my favorite chocolate out for the picnic, and tracked down a scented candle I said I'd liked once.

In the midst of being amazed and surprised, Rob asked if we should listen to a little music, hit play on a hidden CD player, turned down the lights so that all we saw were the stars on the ceiling, and began dancing with me to a song I'd requested he listen to. The song was "The One" by Gary Alan, a song where a man promises the woman he won't rush her, just steadily be there until she knows that He's the One. That moment meant so much to me!

After dancing to quite a few other songs that fit our relationship, Rob put on "Our Song" (Brad Paisley's "Then"), and when he turned around from pressing play, he was already on one knee, with that ring box popped open!! This time, I was happily crying and gave a whopping "Yes! Or course!! Yes!!!" answer!! We hugged, took pictures, and celebrated with some glasses of Martanelli's!

I LOVED Rob's creativity, and persistence in "sealing the deal" with me. It's been a whirlwind of wedding plans since that night, but a decision I will never regret. I grow more in love with this man everyday, and am 100% sure at this point, that I have found my "one". :)

Engagement Pictures!!!

2009-12-01T02:21:00.002-07:00

Rob and I just got the CD of 206 engagement pictures back from last Saturday's shoot. SO fun to do, and look at! We feel like a bunch of goofs, but are happy how a lot turned out.

Please ignore the blinding blond hair--I went in for a few highlights the day before, and the girl must have thought I said I wanted to look like a HEADlight...sigh! Oh well, it's not as bright anymore, and--thanks to these ever so timely pictures--my posterity will always think of me as a platinum blond ;)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2304319&id=17822679&l=419271d4fa

Trip to Washington!

2009-10-18T09:21:00.016-07:00

I realize it's almost been a month since I last updated this! Oops! Time flies when you're having fun I guess :) I took a trip to the Vancouver, Washington/Portland, Oregon area at the end of September to see where Rob grew up. Beautiful place! It was just a short two day trip, but a lot of fun, and I had a field day trying to photograph it all! Rob also hooked me up with a Dentist friend of his who repaired a chipped filling. Sweet!

Multnomah FallsLook Closely! A lady offered to take a few pictures of us up on the bridge. Can you see us??
There we are!Lots of people offered to take our pictures--this is my favorite from the day :)And another awesome spot we found while troopsing around Oregon!
October has been my month of injuries! Rob and I went Mountain Biking at the Canyons one Saturday (Park City). A picture is worth a 1000 words so I'll summarize it this way:

Before Biking:

Me After Biking:Apparently you shouldn't use your hip as a brake! My 6 inch souveneir of the trip.
The day we got back Washington, my friend picked us up, then had me borrow her car so Rob and I could drive across the city to pick up MY car. As we were caravaning back to our houses, some random cones placed on a turn in the freeway forced Rob to merge into the other lane...where a group of oblivious and laughing teenagers were not paying a bit of attention to him. BOth of them came to a stop to avoid hitting each other, causing me to come to a complete stop behind them.

Unforunately, the lady whipping around the curve behind me didn't catch on to the change, allowing my car to stop her (instead of her breaks). Just a slight fender bender, but according to the chiropractic X-rays, It curved my spine a little. Yikes! Doesn't hurt too bad, but going in about twice a week to get it worked on.....still waiting for my free massage! My sessions have been canceled so far due to the woman being exposed to Swine Flu (!!!)
I've been recovering well from everything though, so no worries! The Bruises are gone, and scrapes nearly healed.

Other than that, we've been having a great time! Saturdays are our favorite, as we get the whole day to take some little adventure. Two of those adventures have been down to Provo, and it's been fun to show Rob my old college stomping grounds! We also have done some sessions in both the Portland & Draper temples--both of them AMAZINGLY gorgeous inside!!!

And what's a camera, without a few candid shots? :)

Brad Paisley & Mountain Splendor!

2009-09-20T17:49:00.009-07:00

All Summer, I'd heard about the Brad Paisley/Dierks Bentley concert tour. It was coming to Phoenix!.....but in October, after I'd moved. It was at the Delaware State Fair!......but the day AFTER I was there. When I moved to Utah, I saw it would soon be playing here! And guess who got us tickets to go? We had a great time singing along to the songs & hiding under blankets when it started to rain! It was fun to see Rob laugh at the funny Brad Paisley songs he'd never heard (if you're not familiar with the guy--you tube a few of his songs. He's got quite the sense of humor, poking fun at our society!). The music also gave Rob the itch to go Country Dancing, causing him to spontaneously twirl me a few times, and declare music like that gives him the desires to move clear out to the middle of no where, and bail hay! :)Earlier that day, we tried to catch a tour at the Mt. Timp caves, but opted out of waiting in line for 3 hours. Instead we drove a little further for some great pictures, and exploring-the-woods adventures! I LOVE being out in nature. A fellow teacher this week said Utah "feeds her soul"--and I'd have to agree. This place is beautiful!!

We crossed a fallen tree to get to the other side of a creek, only to find that there was about a 20 foot climb up a 75 degree angled mountain side. Rob opted to shimmy up another fallen tree, while I got on all fours and pulled myself up the side, using roots, and a random rock or two! After trompsing through the woods for a good 15 minutes, Rob had the great idea to just take our shoes off and cross the creek (instead of go wayyyyyyyyy back and slide down the mountain wall, then cross the tree). It was a great idea!! Well......until we stuck our feet in the water! I thought Bear Lake was 10x's colder, but Rob thought it was nearly ice water and couldn't get out of it fast enough! All in all, it was an awesome day--lots of beautiful scenery, great music, and fantstic company! :)

All Better!!

2009-09-13T10:52:00.002-07:00

I really have to start busting my camera out up here in Utah a little more often. I come on here to update, and have no visual aids!! Suffice it to say.....I AM HEALTHY again!!! (Yay! *clap*clap*clap*!). I was a little worried my "disease" (as Dr. Tx so kindly put it), would last months--but after getting quite bored this past week on bedrest, AND spending a whole day yesterday running around town and not getting tired, I've realized that the stinky Mono virus is gone!! May he never come back!!!

So now it seems the real adventure begins! I get to try out my new ward today (by myself--ack! Slight anxiety with that one, but I know it'll be fine once I give it a week or two......or three or four...:) AND I finally get to start my new job on Monday! I went to a parent orientation on Friday, where I was introduced to the parents of a bunch of children I have never met, then blankly tried to answer their random questions: "Tell me, Ms. Beth, what do those Greek symbols on the poster over there in the random corner say?" uh............sorry! It's all Greek to me!

I am thrilled however to finally have some energy back and get back to a normal life! It's been awesome to have some extra time on my hands and slow down a little bit. Got to work on some stuff I never take time for (we're talking busting out the old crochet skills & listening to Tennis Shoes Among the Nephite tapes...I'm sorry, but Harry Potter has nuthin on that adventure series! :)

I also have been enjoying the adventures of living with an engaged girl one month before her wedding! Sandra is awesome and has been one of my closest friends for 8 years. I love the long talks we have about relationships in general, what we're learning, what we love, what we're confused about, and just the general strength and peace we bring to each other. I was actually sitting in a temple session this past week, surrounded by women, and had this longing come over me to be with Sisters again (i.e. I miss Relief Society!!!!!). There is something sacred and awesome about the bond between girls!

OH--and I may have found a new fave restaurant! Rob and I went to some steak house last night....and wouldn't you know I can't remember the name! :( Anyway, it was kind of like the Texas Roadhouse, only fancier (you couldn't throw the peanut shells on the ground!). Really nice place, great service, and the food was a-MA-zing! They gave me this baked sweet potato, complete with cinnamon butter, marshmellows, and toasted pecans. HOLY HANNAH! It was like sweet potato pie for dinner...mmmm, mm :) Anyway, I highly recommend this place to any and all who can figured out the name of it! It was by Trolley Square....which means nothing to all of you outside of Utah! Oh well! :)

Happy Sunday everyone, and have a great week!

Lovin' Utah!

2009-09-08T01:37:00.004-07:00

It's officially been a week now that I've been calling Utah home again, and even though I've spent the majority of that lying around in a bed, I can honestly say....I LOVE UTAH!!! It just might have a little something to do with the fact that it's been in the mid 80's all week (compare this with seering 110 AZ heat I left last week). I love the fact that when I went outside the other night, I had to bring a jacket with me, just in case! (I was going to post pictures, but just realized I haven't taken any this week.....so enjoy sunset at Bear Lake!! It's only 2 weeks old, so recent enough :)

I am feeling worlds better in the health department. Thank you to everyone who has expressed concern and well wishes for getting better. I remember the moment I overheard the Doctor urgently order a "Mono Spot" and the words "94% positive.....Mono.....Alamo....Room #7...." came drifting back to me that interesting night I spent in the care of ER's oh-so-not-comfortable services. I was in complete denial and a feeling of devestation came over me with what Mono would mean for me as I moved states and was scheduled to start a new job--a dream job--in just 2 days. I had a good 2 hours to mull the idea over and accept the fact before Dr. TX (Yep, that was his name--Tex. He came complete with rattlesnake cowboy boots!!), before he came in and dropped the news. He said it so gravely......he kinda scared me. It was like he was telling me I had terminal cancer. Seriously, it's just Mono.

What I have come to discover however is that.....bedrest ain't so bad :) Actually, I've come to realize it's a matter of attitude. Sure, a few days have beeen mind-boggingly boring as I've itched to get outside and have a little fun. Sure, it's both frustrating and a major guilt trip that I've put my brand new school in the position of starting school without a teacher (or a replacement). However, I've also come to relish this rare occasion to have TIME. My room is nearly all put together and unpacked (wait....that might not technically be "bedrest" activities....so....shhhhh!), catch up on some books, email friends and family, and basically....just BREATHE! I've actually really loved the thinking time & non-rushed scripture study. I could still do better with that, but it's been a great time to reflect.

I've come to realize these past few months what is important and who is in control (hint: it's not me). I have been humbled (and then humbled again when I don't get it the first through third times), my patience tried, my faith tested. It's been an interesting journey--a whirlwind that has come so quickly, and yet moved so slowly at times. At this point, all I know is how extremely blessed I am, and how grateful I am to "the true and living God" (Moroni says it a lot in the last chapter of Mormon--I love the phrase. We're given this time on earth to come to know and serve the True and Living God.)

I am greatful that I even though I'm sick, I'm not in pain. I'm greatful at the huge improvements I've seen in my health--especially the signs that my Liver is doing better. I'm greatful to be eating solid foods again--even if it is just Hamburger Helper noodles, minus the hamburger! I'm greatful I have an excuse to buy & drink Naked Juice (that stuff is divine!! Way too expensive, but simply heavenly :). I'm greatful for loving family & friends who have been so supportive. And I am greatful for the feeling of peace and calm I have right now--even when everything that I think is so important to my life right now seems to be dangling on a cliff about to fall right out of my life. It's been interesting to see the important things to me threatened, and to feel a peace that even if I lose them, life will be okay. In fact, life will still thrive, and march forward. God is in control. There's a huge peace that comes with that knowledge. I keep thinking of President Gordon B. Hinckley's advice he constantly gave out--"All will work out. Stick with it, with time, all will work out."

Anyway, enough philosophizing :) Point is (here's the cliff notes version people can jump to for the udpate!) I am feeling better! I am happy, and life is good :) Rob and I discovered a Nickel Cade around the corner from my house today too (It's an archade with old games from the 80's, and everything's a nickel to play. We went in with 5 bucks worth of nickel's, played our hearts out, and still walked out with a cupfull of change.)---It was a good day :)

Sick Days & Moving Adventures

2009-09-02T11:32:00.006-07:00

Phew, what a weekend!

This past week just may have been one of the most stressful in my life, but also one filled with blessings. Throughout last week, I kept coming down with a Fever/headaches/sore throat-etc. Took a few days off of work, but just kept plugging along with the packing. Gave a teary-eyed announcement to the kids at work that it was my last day, only 10 minutes before they went home for the weekend. I didn't get to say good-bye individually to all that I wanted to, which kinda bummed me. They are fantastic kids though. Whoever gets them next...well, let's just say I'm jealous!! Thought I was doing pretty good till I took my Dad out for his Birthday Dinner on Friday night: I was sitting at dinner with my Dad and couldn't even get interested in my big bowl of spaghetti. I hadn't really eaten much in 3 days, and still....just wasn't interested in food. I was also FREEZING cold (in 115 Phoenix heat), so I told him I was going to head out to the car to get my jacket, and insisted he not get up, just enjoy his dinner, I'd be right back. Well, as soon as I was headed out to the car, my feet felt like lead, and all I wanted to do was climb into that car and sleep. I had to convince myself it would be rude to leave my dad in the restaurant by himself! So I came back and went into the bathroom. I sat down in a stall....and completely fell asleep. 15 minutes later I woke up, shook myself awake a bit, and came back out to a pretty worried father and apologized. I could barely keep my head up at dinner, wouldn't touch my food...and we eventually decided to forgo the rest of the evenings plans so that I could go home and go to bed. I put on sweats, and still with the chills, was asleep by 8:15, burning up with the hottest fever of my life, completely exhausted and feeling bad that I couldn't treat my Dad to more of a birthday evening, AND that I was missing Rob's birthday party as well.

Saturday I had the whole day to myself for packing, and did so. But...again, by 6:30, I just began to feel nautious and wiped out. I was forcing myself to eat throughout the day, but still not really even hungry. My 6:30 "nap" turned into a 13 hour nap.

Sunday, I got up early and went and picked up my Budget rental moving truck. Rob got back from Mexico and we got to visit both our Phoenix single's wards and say bye to people & introduce each other to friends and leaders. It was pretty fun, and there were some great talks! It was also officially Rob's birthday, so we celebrated with a frozen pizza, a cheesecake bday cake, and some presents.

Isn't he cute? I just love that picture :) I'm happy I got to celebrate his birthday with him, he is a fantastic guy that has enriched my life so much. It was a quick celebration, but fun :)

After that, we got to packing and some friends came over to help. As soon as I got up and started moving around again to pack....I just started feeling sick again. I was thinking, "sheesh Beth, you only get sick when you start to pack? C'mon!", so kept going and trying to get this stuff together. I had started to notice that day as well that both my skin and eyes were telling yellow, and that I kept getting bloody noses. I would also start feeling nautious when I smelled greasy foods (particularly fried chicked at the grocery store had about done me in the day before!) Part way through the packing, I walked into the kitchen, took one look at our leftover birthday pizza, spun around in disgust and for the first time in my life, began vomiting into the kitchen trashcan. I just stood there shocked! What on earth??? I took off for the bathroom, and felt it rising again, and to my horror, saw this stuff go flying through the air before I could even reach the toliet. Next thing I knew, there was Rob, patting my back, and lightly joking as I sat there crying and puking into the toliet. Definitely an embarressing experience, and one I will never forget. Rob became a superhero to me in the minute though, and I am grateful for his help and support in getting me through the rest of the evening.

Long story short, I ended up in the ER that night, hooked up to an IV and getting bloodwork done. Turns out I have a severe case of Mono that has begun to affect my Liver (the yellow skin, eyes, lack of appetite, inability to digest protein & grease, and bloody noses are all signs of liver problems...who knew!). I've been ordered on bed rest for this whole week, with a possible 3 more weeks of recovery. They were horrified to find out we had a moving van packed and were about to head across the country, and when I told them I was starting a new job that week, they said, "Mmm....bad timing. Too bad, you are not to enter schools."

As much as I was not planning for this, I am extremely grateful it was not my gal-bladder (which would require surgery), and am glad I don't have some weird Hepitits A thingy (the other yellow eyeball disease). I'm grateful my "treatment" is to sit around and read books and blog!! I really wish this had not fallen on the week I started a new job or the week I was moving. However, have been completely taken by surprise at the friends who have stepped in and taken care of everything I could not this weekend, without complaint or request of any return favor. A big thank you to my parents who have been a source of comfort, support, and information from afar. To Angela Cronnin for listening to some TMI abt me and offering her medical advice, to the Wolfgraham boys for moving my furniture like it was a bunch of toothpicks, and to Mandy Nielsen for giving of her time to move boxes, to Lynn for taking care of tying up loose strings with the apartment, and of course to Rob, who is quite possibly the most patient man on earth!

We spent 15+ hours driving up to Utah in the Budget truck (with the car attached, we couldn't go more than 55mph, and only about 35 mph up the hills!). Rob wouldn't let me drive, which was kind of him, and I'm impressed he took on such a big project. We had some good quality time together and enjoyed the adventure for what it was worth :) He finished all the packing, and has been taking care of things up here in Utah as well. Seroiusly, the man has superman genes in him, I'm amazed he's pulling this off! :)

This weekend was definitely an adventure I will never forget. Thank you to everyone!! Our driving pictures from yesterday:

Pharewell Phoenix!!!!

2009-08-30T08:13:00.003-07:00

So It's moving day!!! Or...tomorrow might be, but today is when everything gets officially packed up. I've had some kind of funky "Fever Virus" (no, it's not swine flu) this whole week, and am noticing a pattern of getting tired around 6, and a complete zombie by 8 every night. It's a little bit of a downer for parties, but great for recovering and getting an early start to packing each day!

This week was also the week my Dad stopped in for a surprise visit. It was a great visit, and I definitely appreciated all the help doing repairs on the apartment (SO nice to have a carpenter for a dad!). He came with me to my farewell dinner as well, and said he was so impressed with the friendship and comradery he saw there. I told him it would be a group full of women, so he was expecting to see cattiness, pettiness, and competition--he was completely blown away at seeing a bunch of young, successful women come together and truly enjoy each other's company. Sweet! :)

Mandy, Jessica, & Me. Jess was a mission companion and one of my original connections getting out here 3 years ago. SO good to see her and catch up!

Stephanie & Lynn--will miss them both terribly!! Steph is my co-worker and we traveled to DC this past year with the kids. Lynn & I have been roomies for 2 1/2 years!

Melissa, Courtney, Darien (all RS counselors) and Jessica...who isn't a counselor, but literally holds just about every other calling a girl could possibly hold :) Love these girls!I could not ask for finer friends to have made down here in Phoenix over the past three years. There are many, many more and I truly feel blessed for knowing all of them. I have learned so much down here my 3+ years in Phoenix, and it will always be a place near and dear to my heart. Farewell Phoenix!!!!!

The Beth & Rob video :)

2009-08-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

LOL--I have the best boyfriend in the world :) So here's the music video Rob made of us! Enjoy!! :)

Best Sunday Date Ever!

2009-07-20T01:57:00.014-07:00

Let me precursor this post with a little background (or else, you may just deem me completely crazy ;)

Growing up, my mom and I became super-sleuths when it came to finding old ancestors in graveyards. We spent many a summer--in both rain & shine, daylight & pitch blackness--combing through the graveyards of Delaware, searching for family members to further our genealogy efforts. We've come to know the thrill of actually finding a passed-on relative.

This must have worn off on me over the years, because I have come to love cemeteries. (Weird, I know! Just bare with me on this one :). I've found them to be places of peace & reflection, and I often find myself strolling through, looking at the names & wondering about the life stories. Who was this person? Who loved them? Who left the flowers?

I remember reading a quotation by Joseph Smith, found on a monument in the old Nauvoo Cemetery (I believe by the grave of Edward Partridge...but don't quote me on it!). Where he said a man's grave is a sacred place. Maybe it's that sacredness that I feel when visiting, but I often feel on hallowed ground, instead of being weirded out, depressed, or any other of the emotions hollywood often encourages us to have.

SO--imagine my delight today when Rob took me to the Salt Lake cemetery to search out the graves of Prophets. Now, I thought we would be driving up to a "Prophet Cemetery" (much like Brigham Young's--small, and clearly marked), but oh no! This place was HUGE! Probably the biggest cemetery I"ve ever been in. We ended up spending over an hour just driving/walking around, searching for familiar names and just exploring the area. Rob was the best at spotting cool people (he found 8, I only found 1--W.W. Phelps). AND, besides actually enjoying the search & find method, he also wanted to take pictures. I was thrilled! :)

So, without further ado, here are the graves of some of the greatest men who have walked the earth in these latter-days. It was a complete honor to visit each of their graves & pay my respects (especially President Hinckley's).

Our first find driving in--James E. Talmage (author of Jesus the Christ)

(John Taylor--3rd Prophet. You can see Rob walking around in the background, searching for the next find :)
J. Golden Kimball...the "Mark Twain" of Mormonism ;)

Heber J. Grant--7th Prophet
Pictures at President Gordon B. Hinckley's gravesite. He passed away recently, but was the Prophet, and great spiritual leader who led me through my teenage years, and most of my early adulthood. I love that man.

David O. McKay--the great educator (I went to the David O. McKay College of Education at BYU), he was also the 9th Prophet)

Joseph F. Smith--6th Prophet, and son of Hyrum Smith (brother of Joseph Smith). Probably some of my favorite life-stories come from this particular President of the church :)

Wilford Woodruff--4th President of the Church, and amazing missionary to Europe! He is also the Prophet who had a vision of the founding fathers & performed their temple work. Kept a journal everyday of his life! W.W. Phelps--great Mormon poet, wrote many of our most loved songs. Just learned this past Sunday that he left the church & played a key part in spreading lies about Joseph Smith & having the mobs attack the saints of Missouri. When he came back, he asked Joseph to forgive him, which he did. Phelps later when on to write "Praise to the Man"--a song honoring Joseph Smith, and one of my favorite hymns. Also, on the back of Phelp's grave, were the words to one of the most beautiful hymns we have--If You Could High to Kolob I've decided that next time we go (as we weren't able to find Porter Rockwell, quite a few other prophets, or Bruce R. McConkie), that we need to bring a Church History, or D&C Manual! There were so many names we saw, or huge monuments, where we knew the name was familiar, but couldn't place who they were. It'd be fun to learn the stories as we walked through!

She'll Be Comin' Down the Mountain... :)

2009-07-17T08:44:00.014-07:00

More fun times in Utah! I celebrated my birthday out here at the Mayan with some of my closest friends. I love how I'm clapping for myself during my own birthday cake and song--I'm such a dork :)

I also had the chance to meet up with Tiffany (childs) Farns, and catch up with her and her brood! (The Farns Family introduced us to Bachi Ball--Rob is working hard to win us the game here ;)
Then on Saturday, Rob used his special privledges pass to get us up the Gandala & Ski Lift at the Canyons in Park City. It was AWESOME!! (this our feet hanging from the ski-lift. The ground is about 30 feet below us....and note the footwear! That becomes important about half an hour into this adventure, when we decided to hike our way back down the mountain!)(note Rob has switched shoes with me in this pic. They were 4 sizes too small for him, causing his heals to hang off the back...and he still made it down not falling. Way to be Rob! :) (Love, love, LOVE the variety of flowers! Aren't they pretty?)

(This one below reminds me of a mission picture I took in Artigas, with Tiffany actually!) (We made it down in one piece, and smiles on our faces! Some Brittish girls stopped us for pictures--there was a big Wine Festival going on that day at the Canyons. We opted out on that one!)

So, that's what I've been up to in Utah! One more week, then I'm off to the grand adventure of family vacation in Delaware. I'm SO excited to see everyone again and go to one of my favorite places on earth! :) Hope everyone is doing well! :)

Happy Birthday to Me :)

2009-07-07T13:01:00.006-07:00

UTAH!

So usually I spend my days out here trying to get down to the family history library for a class or research, but today....I decided no stress on my birthday--just fun! :) What's funny is that my idea of fun has consisted of a early morning drive up to Park City to drop Rob off at work, then take his car to an outlet Mall, followed by facebookin', bloggin', and probably more shopping at Kohl's to use up a few gift certificates :) I AM super excited about dinner tonight at the Mayan--good friends that happen to be up here in Utah are joining me. I LOVE that birthdays have become an excuse to wine & dine with friends!! (Well, minus the wine. We are Mormon, y'know ;)

Utah State Capital (Capitol?!)

SO! Utah's been great! There seems to be a ton to do up here, an plenty of good company :) While flying into Salt Lake City, this new song called Say Hey (I Love You) was playing, and I completely fell in love with it! It's now the first song on the playlist below--enjoy!! I've toured the Conference Center, as well as seen an awesome Art Exhibit there, Gone to This is the Place park, hiked Ensign Peak, done the Hogle Zoo thing, seen a hilarious play making fun of Utah (Utahoma), and in general just enjoyed being in a place cooler than the 115 degree Arizona!

Conference Center Tour

Catchin' a little Mo-Tab Practice! (Mormon Tabernacle Choir)

Hogle Zoo Pics

Y'know it's funny, but I don't feel old today. Should I?? Twenty-Seven seems like such a cooler age to be than turning 26 did. I also feel extremely blessed. I have been thinking non-stop about the girls of the First Ward Relief Society back in Phoenix, and just feeling so blessed to know them, love them, and learn from them. Heart you guys!! For some reason, Utah has brought back a lot of memories of BYU & Mission stuff....just a reflective time right now, and I'm loving it :)

PS don't I keep cute company???? ;)

Summertime!

2009-06-28T17:27:00.006-07:00

It's here!! Summer officially started for me at 5:15 pm on Friday as I clocked out of Keystone for the last time of the 08/09 school year. My one month of summer school was great--I got to work with extremely talented individuals that taught me a lot & became friends. I even got paid to take tap dance lessons (I was actually being paid to be an assistant in the class, but the teacher was so talented, & he would give me extra steps to work on--just a fantastic experience!). So though it was a great way to earn an extra month's worth of pay, I am READY for summer vacation! :)

I think I kicked it off a little early last weekend with some really fun activities--hiking (in which I had flashbacks to my childhood as I "gracefully" fell 3 times. As my date so kindly put it, "The last time, we weren't even walking down a hill!" :) Though an awesome view, I did come off the mountain feeling like a 5 year old with my scraped-up knee and blood running down my hands.), some paddle-boating at Sunset (does anyone call it Peddle-boating? Apparently this is the more correct term), re-seeing the Joseph Smith movie at the visitor's center, and just enjoying some good company! It was an awesome weekend :)

I also had the chance to watch Rachael's kids yestreday so her and her hubby could do a temple session together. I have to say, I was a little nervous about having 3 kids under the age of 4 in my house...it's not exactly childproof. I was envisioning the 10 month old trying to pull himself up on our flimsy DVD shelves, and the potted plants on top coming crashing down on him. It ended up being a great experience for my roommate and I though--just such well behaved kids! And SO cute! They played nicely, watched a movie, looked out for each other, enjoyed our walk to the "park" (*cough*cough*--it was just a grassy hill in our apt complex, but we had to cross a bridge & fountain to get there. Very exciting for toddlers! :) We were having such a nice time with them, I was actually really surprised when Rachael called to say they were on their way to pick them up!

My favorite part of the day? Being outside with the kids....there's something magical about laying in the grass, tossing this laughing kid into the air, and seeing their blond hair framed by the blue sky. My 2nd fave was helping baby Will fall asleep--I forgot how much I love rocking baby's to sleep until I was bouncing/swinging him around, softly singing I am a Child of God, and watching his little eyes get droopier and droopier. Holding a sleeping baby in your arms is probably one of the best experiences in life :)

I also jumped into summer by buying a few plane tickets! I'll be spending my month of July in both Utah & the East Coast (D.C. & Delaware). I am SO excited to get my vaciation started. I was telling a good friend today (Ms. Wendy Woodfield, some of you will know her & may get an extra kick out of picturing her say this :), but I was telling her abt my vacation plans & how excited I am to not only get to visit with friends/family BUT also have so much time to do genealogy work (Both SLC & DC are record hotspots for genealogists). She just laughed and said, "Y'now Beth, most people go to the beach for summer vacation...." :) haha! So true! So in honor of Ms. Woodfield's reminder, I am going to make a point to throw in at least 2 days at the beach during my month of freedom :)

So, in case I am having just way too much fun to jump on here with an udpate, Happy Summer everyone!! (Pictures below of the last month):

Ramglings of a girl with no sleep, just tryna record a good week down :)

2009-05-30T01:31:00.004-07:00

It's funny how just one week can turn your life around. I won't go into details, but let's just say it's been a tough couple of weeks. I can truly say though that evry earnest prayer has been answered this week, in ways I would have never expected. I guess it was a week of tender mercies :)

I've got a few decisions I"m trying to make in life, which has caused a whole world of confusion. I am grateful for wise & worthy priesthood holders than can deliver blessings of comfort & direction.

I spent the end of my week off with an impromptu trip down to Tuscon to see one of my oldest & dearest friends, Rachael (Kuttler) Nielsen. It's funny cause she called and warned she wouldn't be wearing make-up when I got there...which honestly made me laugh! Our time together has consisted of childhood, days of braces, glasses, early-morning seminary, those awkward-teenage years, hideous halloween costumes (who's pictures we really should burn by the way), 6 years of Girls' Camp, a High Adventure marathon 3 day road trip to west Texas...where we learned how to pee on bushes...*shudder!* AND illegally waded across the Rio Grande into Mexico, one crazy service project in Houston swampland that turned into a mud bath, and countless numbers of sleepovers (complete with green facial masks). I realized in all our time together, we've spent about 90% of our friendship Al Natural!

It was such a good visit though. Rachael is Super Woman! She doesn't know it, but she just has things together, and I love the opportunities I have to spend with her. This trip was especially special for me because of the talk we had last night. Turns out we've both been struggling with the same feelings--even in our 2 completely different lifestyles (her a Homemaker with 3 kids under the age of 4, me workin' it up & trying to navigate the single's scene). I think it was a relief for the both of us to find we weren't the only one's who struggle, and that we could relate to each other. I honestly left that 6 hour marathon conversation so edified, I'm still getting warm fuzzies about it! We enjoyed it so much, we both only got 2 hours of sleep before the kids were up and pancakes were being served (by Super Woman :) Love that girl.

One of the best parts of the trip: I got to spoil her kids wrotten! Since I don't have nieces/nephews, I have to rain gifts upon the children of friends/former roommates/comps. It's so fun :) With this particular trip, there were a few kid-friendly items I was trying to get rid of. It's so fun to me to see kids like a gift! Below are the pictures of Rachael's super-cute little brude :) Hayley, Austin & Will (notice neither Rachael nor I are in any pictures...we'd reverted back to the no makeup/no sleep look of our youth, & made the good call to not document the occassion with any evidence!)

I can't believe how much they look like Rachael!

Showin' off her new clothes. She totally surprised me by grabbing the clothes out of her gift bag firt, leaving the barbie doll behind so that she could run and try 'em on!

Austin cracks me up, he's quiet...but with a slightly ornery sense of humor, and just so dang cute!

Will seriously had this grin on his face almost every moment hew as awake. Such a cute, laid-back kid :)

This kiddo's grandpa was my stake President...and he looks just like him! I think so anyway :)

I wanted to get back to Phoenix in time for a fireside from Elder Scott, so I left pretty early (which is good...cause the night before my 2 hour trip turned into 4 1/2 when I missed the exit & ended up half way to Mexico before I realized it). With a bit of extra time on my hands, I stopped by what might just be my favorite restaraunt: Cracker Barrell. Just something that feels like home about that place (probably the kajillion stops there in childhood during road trips). I always thought it'd be weird to eat in a restaraunt by myself, but it was actually pretty nice. I got quick service, didn't offend anybody by texting at the table, and honestly just enjoyed the thinking/relaxing time in a place that feels so familiar to me. Anyway, this is probably not an exciting enough topic to legally blog about....but there is something exhilerating to me STILL to be on a roadtrip by myself & stop when I want to stop, exactly where I want to stop. Some people go sky-diving for that thrilling feeling of freedom...but I just go to Cracker Barrel ;)

Anyway, it was perfect timing, I made it home in time for a quick shower & seat at Elder Richard G. Scott's fireside. I love him. Mainly because he loves us, and he seems to have made it his personal mission to help us feel the love of Christ. He started the "talk" by telling us to not write down what we heard, but what we felt. I came away from the night with 2 solid pages worth of notes, inspiration, new ideas, and insight...all from the feelings that came. He testified of the exact things I needed to be strengthened in, about things I've prayed about lately. My heart was full, just realizing how aware my Heavenly Father is aware of what's going on in my life. This week he sent me counsel, comfort, friendship, Rachael, and even one of his Apostles.

The number one lesson that I was reminded of this week: if you reach out to others, spreading service and joy, you'll find happiness. But I think even more than that...you'll find peace :)

The Awesomeness that is my life!

2009-05-21T17:11:00.004-07:00

I just got home from one of the most enjoyable works days I have ever had! My 15 minute "reflection time" drive home through the beautiful foothills of Ahwatukee--in this gorgeous 85 degree about-to-rain weather I might add!--has left me full of gratitude and love for what has become my life! I am amazingly lucky!

The kids I work with are some of the most amazing kids in the world. Granted, I may be a little biased about this topic, but I truly am in awe with the caliber of the people I work with! Not one of them shares my religious views, but I see in each of them the mark of a chosen, strong-willed, independant generation. It has intrigued me that even the young man who has been taught to be an atheist, is one of the kindest, most obedient, caring, giving members of the class, and thus a natural leader to others. It has really taught me that despite what we are taught by parents here, we come with the God-like qualities developed in pre-earth life. I want to be more like so many of them!

Now, to talk about how awesome my job is & convince you all to go be teachers ;) Today was Luau day!! While the 6th graders went out to lunch with my lead teacher, I took over the classroom for the 15 others. They cleaned. I mean--scrubbed the place down...with only minimal complaint :) We decorated t-shirts, had a school choir concert, signed year books, and had a LUAU!! For 3 hours, the whole school ran around to different booths--all free!--winning really cool prizes, getting snow cones, and sliding down inflatable slip-and-slides. It was like Disneyland was brought to Keystone! :)

My favorite part by far was when the fire truck pulled up. It took them half an hour to hook the hose up, but the kids didn't care. You would have thought firemen would be shooting ice cream at them, they way they screamed a carried on!! It was HILARIOUS to see what looked like a giant rain storm open up on 200 kids~! After drying off, I let 10 of them stay with me to play a few rounds of Mafia.....ha! Mafia with 4th graders...it went something like this:

Officiator: "OKay, everyone thinks Myles is the mafia. Myles, what do you have to say in your defense?"
Myles: (pretty oblivious to what's going on and the rules of this strange game, but knowing he's now the center of attention) "It wasn't me. Because...I farted."
Nicole: (amidst the squeals of laughter, and me rolling my eyes) "Awww! I'm really going to miss people in this class!!"

What touches me the most is the bond I have developed with these kids. I look forward to seeing them everyday. I had the world's most boring weekend last week--putting me in such a bad mood. 30 minutes into my work day on Monday, my spirits were revived, thanks to these kids & my co-teacher. It's just an amazing experience to work with young minds, eager to learn, and eager for love/acceptance/guidance/etc.

I've come to realize the most important part of my job--and my most favorite--is listening to the kids. While walking them in a line, or just sitting next to them in the classroom, I will constantly ask, "How is your day? How was your weekend? What did you do? What's your favorite movie?". And then I just sit, and listen, nodding appropriately, and validating their feedback with appropriate responses. I have watched shy, challenged, children absolutely blossom under this practice...to the point that many of them were looking for me today--amid the fun of their water wonderland--to tell me about the snow cone they chose, the face they just got painted, the song they just sang karoke to a whole crowd, or just to see if I wanted to come along to their next event! The moments where they approach me are the ones I treasure!

Today was yearbook signing day. Everyone just signs "HAGS" and their name. The first person gave their book to me with the request to "sign". I took it aside and wrote what must appear to be a novel--giving encouragement where needed, complimenting up a storm her insecurities, recalling a few memories, and dishing out advise about building character. It was so nice to be able to sign "Love, Ms. Beth" at the end--just to express that love I feel for them! The first girl looked down at what I wrote with surprise, and not yet reading it...looked me in the eye for one of the first time's in months. I saw the desperate hope for acceptance, respect, and love in her eyes. I held her gaze, and smiled genuine love & acceptance at her. Her eyes beamed, and she left to read what I had put. That was a treasured moment. Having the kids line up so that I would write a novel in each of their books too--was also a treasured moment. I was greatly satisfied to look up and see my co-teacher lost in novelish scribbling with someone's yearbook as well :) I love working with someone I'm on the same page with :)

In conclusion: I am blessed--greatly blessed--with my job. I took a $17,000 pay cut to work this job, and it was the best professional decision I have ever made. I have more in my savings account after 5 months in a low-paying job than I did after 2 years in a lucrative job. I know I have learned to be satisfied with what I have, but mainly I give full acknowledgement of the Lord's hand in taking care of my temporal needs. I remember my Stake President back at BYU--a lucrative Lawyer--advising all of us to never let $$ be a factor in whether to take a job or not. It is SO hard not to do that. The world would teach you we NEED to put money first...but honestly, if you follow the promptings the Lord sends (and pay your tithing), he'll guide you to where you are happiest, can affect the most people, and still put food on your table :) I truly feel as if the windows of heaven have been opened, and blessings have been poured out in abundance!

The quote below is from Thomas Jefferson, imprinted into the walls of his memorial. The Montessori philosophy follows this teaching, as does the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is my opinion that this eternal truth is what breeds the strength I see in these children, which inspires my soul :)

Let's All Go Down to Washington DC...

2009-05-09T13:30:00.005-07:00

Wow! What an amazing week! After months of planning, I accompanied my class of 4th-6th graders to a week long DC by foot. It was exhausting, and I loved it. Walking the streets of the city reminded me so much of the mission (as did the sore feet...and the rain :) I was presented with a lot of new challenging situations, that I was able to conquer & enjoy. I love it when people give me the chance to grow, and show the confidance in me that allows me to proove to myself what I'm capable of.

Stats:
23 kids split into
4 groups. Each accompanied by
1 Chaperone.
5 Days in Washington DC, staying at
4th & E St. N.W., the address of our hostel.

My favorite moment of the whole trip was at the steps of the Supreme Court. After a long boring morning of waiting to leave, and what seemed to the kids of miles and miles of walking (ahem, it was only half a mile), we started up the steps of the Supreme Court. It was their first building to see, and aboslutly...grand. I have no idea how to describe that moment, it was breathtaking to both me AND my 6 little companions. The grandeour of it all, and the awe seen on their faces, and heard in their "oooohhhhh"s will always be cherished memory for me. We even were directed to a side entrance by a police officer because court was in session.

Next we had only a few minutes in the Library of Congress (note to self: next time allow a few hours for this one!!), before walking underground to the Capital Building. They have an awesome intro video that leaves you with the sense that we are still involved in the great experiment of people governing themselves. After sharing a tour with a pretty rambunctious high school group from Indiana, we sat through a session at the House of Representatives. A rousing speech about identifying terrorists prompted enthusiastic clapping from both the house & the audience, when suddenly out of no where the Henry B. Eyering look-a-like Speaker of the House brought down one of the biggest gavel's I've ever seen--it must have been 3 feet long! He slammed it down so hard that our seats shook, and in shocked silence, we learned that clapping is NOT allowed in the House of Reps. I spent the rest of the time there listening to proposals that Cinco de Mayo be made a National Holiday, and trying to stop myself from laughing at the creative sleeping positions my kids were finding in their stiff seats. Later I reminded them that they COULD be at home doing their spelling instead (a much hated activity), they all assured me--they would rather have done spelling!! :) I actually found the whole process fascinating, and am keeping the Senate tickets we got for my next trip. They're good for 2 years, and I've got 6 of them.

After lunch, we went through an exhibit that went through the major American history events, by decade, over the past 100 years. Due to their age, and living in the age of knowledge being presented to them instead of them having to seek it out, they rarely if ever would actually stop to read anything. I was happy to see though that when I started walking them through the pictures, their attention was riveted on the pictures. Their questions and peaked interest made it again a rewarding moment. We ended that first day with a quick trip to the Postal Museum, and exploring Union Station. Their favorite part? Taking the 3 minute ride back to the hostel on the Metro. Figures :)

More to come later for Tuesday....!

Gearin' up for DC!

2009-05-03T00:43:00.006-07:00

So, it is 12:45, and as usual, I have not quite got it together yet with my packing. I have to be at the airport in 4 hours, have spent most of today trying to pack one tiny carry-on suitcase full of 5 days worth of clothes (for rainy, cold weather I might add), kids medications, first aid kits, AND my bedding. Still crossing my fingers it will all fit (it will, no worries...but if I'm going to bring back any suveneirs, I better give away a few things to the homeless first to clear some room! :)

Random pictures from Easter that I finally transfered from my camera to computer tonight:

All year these kids have been doing fund raisers to go to DC. During this past month, they were split into 4 groups of 6 kids each, and told to plan their trip to DC. Interestingly enough, all 4 groups planned similar iteneraries. And...I have to admit I pushed a little for the places I haven't been yet with the group I am cheproning! It has been a lot of hard work, both on their part & our part, putting this trip together. I've never been to DC where I had to do the research & planning...I don't think I was ever even given a map when I went there my sr. year. This is totally a different experience for these kids, as they have familiarized themselves with the map, picked the places they will go, and planned their own iteneraries.

One of the challenges is that we are staying in a hostel that will provide us a small mattress to sleep on, but no bedding. Everyone is only allowed to bring 1 carry on suitcase, due to the new $15 per bag policy airlines have now for actually checking in luggage. $15 is no big deal...unless you're flying 27 people across the country and paying the bill! So, everyone has figured out how to put a sleeping bag (or in my case, a very flat flannel blanket) into a small suitcase. The kids were also taught how to use a sewing machine, and sewed their own pillows for the trip! I think the boys got more into it than the girls (y'know, moving parts and all. It's their introduction to what I'm sure will later become a love of power tools and heavy machinary :). One girl was sick the day we made them, so I quickly sewed one up, putting her initial on it to distinguish it from the sea of other white pillows she will find on the plane. Let me tell you--alllll the kids were impressed and think I'm the best sewer ever!!! (K...how do you spell sew-er, without making it look like a public waste disposal?!). All I could think was "haha, if only my mom could hear this, she would laugh!" My mom has amazing talent with a sewing machine, and tried to pass the skill on to me. The only thing I successfully made as a kid was...well,a pillow case! Whoda thunk that would come in handy?

Anyway, I ended up making 4 pillows for kids that left early. The pink one is actually mine, the others are for Meaghan, Bradley, & Nichol:
The shoes! I broke down and finally bought new tennis shoes. I only have 2 pair (I say only two bcause neithe of them really do the job well. One is a pair I let an obsessed-with-jogging boyfrend talk me into 8 years ago (look massively huge, giving me look like Mrs. BigFoot, and somehow the tongue makes the top of my foot go numb by halfway through the day of wearing them.), and the other pair is a 10 year old pair from my Jr. year of high school walking class. very comfy, but too short, definitely dorky looking, and not actually good for things like sports. So, I broke down, grabbed a gift card, and went to to an outlet mall. After trying on dozens of shoes in a few stores, I found these babies after a desperate cry for help in prayer! They're even pink!!! It's totally me :) I wore them all day Friday at school (and when I say all day, I'm referring to a 12 hour work day, then 4 hours of shopping afterwards), and the feet felt pretty good, all things considered. My feet felt like mission feet after actually--hard day of steady walking/standing put on them, but a good tired feeling :)

SO, I've got my official DC by foot shoes, bag is ALMOST packed, pillows are sewn...I'm almost ready to go! We'll be updating our class webpage with pictures while there: hopefully that works. If not...I guess the world will just have to wait for pics when we come back!

Other fun stuff this week: Sometimes, it's just fun to be "single" :) I had a good week this week being able to talk to a lot of friends, old and new. Went "hot-tubbing" the begining of the week (I was fully clothed. I think it has officially become a tradition after Knox-ballfield-water-events to go jump in a pool with my normal clothes on! We didthis last year too. Deja vu...). But it was a great opportunity to talk to friends. Tuesday was Visiting Teaching, and Wed I had a really nice dinner-date with a friend who has a head full of stories to keep me entertained :) (Funny part of the evening: not 30 seconds afer my date slipped off to the bathroom in our very quiet and about to close restaraunt, a man came up to me and announced I had a really nice smile, and he liked it! Seriously, who does that? He was gone before I could even mutter a proper thank you, I guess before my actual date came back? Maybe he just gives a compliment a day away. Whatever his reasoning, it was a fun surprise to the evening!) An old friend I went to school with since age 4, Marcus Moore, also hit me up on facebook, and I had a nice time catching up with where life has taken him. Always a favorite personality with everyone, he's now a TV reporter out in Kansas City, even made it on CNN a few weeks ago when he survived diving into a ditch for cover when a tornado suddenly turned on them in filming! Sarah Su from high-school also got in touch, making plans to "bump-in" to me in DC this upcoming week...I guess it's been 10 years since we did our own little trip there! This week just helped me remember what a true treasure it is to have friends. How lucky we are to have the technology to keep in touch!

All in all,it's just been a busy week, but one that's been enjoyed. It's been hard o concentrate on anything besides this DC trip coming together. I'm SOOOOOoooo excited for it :)

See you all next week! :)

Beth

Thoughts on a sick Day

2009-04-21T23:26:00.005-07:00

I rarely get sick. I attribute this to my mom helping me build a strong immune system as a kid, or maybe just luck of the draw when blessings were handed out, but I honestly am always pretty healthy. Thus, when I actually come down with a fever for a day, once every other year, I take full advantage of the opportunity for down time!

Today was no exception. I actually woke up feeling terrible yesterday, but knew that if I called in sick, the kids would end up missing their fieldtrip. So I toughed it out, and sat there in the scorching 100 degree sun of AZ as they sang happy birthday down at Tempe Town Lakes. I came home and dived into bed, waking only 3 hours later to drag myself to the store for some meds & OJ.

I made an important decision last night in my delirious state-of-mind, standing in Basha's. I had a choice to make--Vitamin C drops, or OJ? Currently, as much as love OJ, I just won't buy it. Too expensive, disapears to quickly, and too much sugar. But when I'm sick? Oh yeah, the motherly instinct comes out and I pamper myself like crazy! I figured a glass of OJ has the same amount of Vita C as a drop does...costs about the same...and is MUCH more enjoyable! Thus I bought the most heavenly Orange Juice out there: Simply Orange with Mango. OH MY LANTA. I can testify that this drink alone has cured me! Not only for the amazing viatmins found within, but for the smile it puts on my face!! I sat there, relishing that mango in my mouth today, thinking back to the memories of becoming addicted to it in Brazil, and thought, 'Yep, God loves me! He sent me mangos :)"

As you can tell, days off are not that exciting (I'm contemplating the joys of Orange/Mango Juice all day...), but actually really enjoyed some other highlights. I finished reading this 11 page talk that my friend recommended. I bet the guy was a good missionary--after recommending it quite afew times, he finally got me to read it by saying we'd talk about it after tennis this week! I'm glad he convinced me though, it was a powerful talk that helped me more deeply understand, and appreciate, the Atonement. http://reperiendi.wordpress.com/2007/06/11/the-atonement-by-cleon-skousen/ . Big thanks to Rob for the article! I also heard a great talk from Sheri Dew, and listened to Gordon B. Hinckley's "Stand a Little Taller" (check it off the want to-do list :)

After that, a 3 hour nap, and half a bottle of Orange-Mango Heaven later, I found a few emails in my genealogy email (yes, I have a seperate email for this!). GREAT emails! Long story made short: For 5 years I have been working on a few families that frequently marry into my line from 200 years ago. A descendant of these families contacted me, offering further info & pictures. Today, I got the pictures. Putting a face with a name, and seeing them in a family unit, added a whole new level to the work. The love for genealogy work I've been given is truly one of the greatest blessings in my life, and days like today reminded me of that :)
Just so that I don't sound too relief-society presidentish with all of that (seriously--one guy thought I only listen to hymns all day. With blogs like this, I'd see why he'd think that. That's NOT the impression I'm going for here, those are just the bright points of my day. Funny how they all have to do with gospel principles huh? Gospel just makes people happy :), I'll have you know I also watched my fare share of mindless, though thoroughly entertaining, fashion-shows, sitcoms, and played a computer game. My laundry got done, blogs were read, news was checked, and a good amount of loafing happened :D

End result? Fever broken, cold is gone :)

Paisley & Parley P. Pratt: Life's Joys (at least this week :)

2009-04-14T22:39:00.005-07:00

Two things stuck out to me today:

--Brad Paisley's new song: Then The man has done it again with making his wife--and every other woman in America--melt with a tender love song. I know other singers come up with this gushy garble, but Brad writes his own stuff--and uses his own young bride for inspiration. Just makes it so much more genuine. Seriously--have a listen! In my effort to find it online, I looked up all my favorite Paisley songs...also found below :) My #1 fave of his is "When I get Where I'm Goin" with Dolly Parton...and "He Didn't Have to Be" has always been a favorite...even before Brad was Brad.

--Trader Joe's Pomegranate Limeaide....mmmm! It's like putting pure happiness into your mouth :)

Other great things in life lately: Trip to see the fam in College Station! Easter is becoming one of my favorite holidays to celebrate. I loved the activities I got to do with David (Easter Egg decorating & hunt, stories, etc). Bluebonnets....SIGH, it's been 9 years since seeing them, and it did my heart good :)

I've run out of interesting magazines to read at lunch, and have started to read The Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt. I've had reading the book on my to do list for the past 10 years, ever since hearing a friend's grandmother rave about the book (she was a descendent). So far, I'm loving it! It gets me thinking to the point of pondering, and is just a fun read! I like the look into that historical era too. Amazing the value system they had back then. How do we promote that in today's kids? How do we promote it with ourselves?

Alright...I can only put off doing taxes so long ;0) g'nite world!

Sunday Thoughts & Reflections

2009-03-22T22:14:00.004-07:00

Hey world! It's been a while, and I apologize to all you faithful readers (okay, to all 2 of you...wait, my mom makes 3 :). I didn't realize how long it'd been since checking my site, until tonight when I saw Chelsea's latest blog read's "Elijah's 28 days old!". Last time I checked in, I coulda sworn he was just born! (By the way Chels, I am majorly looking forward to your update! :) This morning, in an effort to quickly find something slightly more spiritual for a Sunday, I threw on my "Prince of Egypt" soundtrack. An hour later, I was once again hooked to the powerful lyrics & melody, my feelings entangled in the story of Moses and the people of Israel, their plight for freedom, and their Red-Sea splitting faith. So engrossed was I in this music,that I listened to it driving to each meeting today (yes, I was the crazy person you saw at the red-light, trying to belt out Hebrew lyrics I didn't understand, intermixed with a few heart-felt "Let My People Go!!!" refrains....I may need to invest in tinted windows if I continue this trend!). I arrived at my Sunday Sacrament meeting with a deep awe for the love Heavenly Father had for His people. The intricacy of the plan laid forth to take His people out of bondage, to answer their deepest prayers, took literally decades to bring to pass. I felt an awe for the story, for the history of it all, and a great admiration for the life of Moses.

Only a few half hours later, I sat there in a Stake Sacrament meeting, 10 feet from the pulpit, listening to the stories of modern-day faith that have brought my peers out of bondage. I listened as our Leaders laid forth a plan to increase MY faith, and extend that "freedom" to others. I pondered as a speaker shared story after story of miraculous, intricate Divine intervention that saved individuals from physical or spiritual death. My heart took note as she testified of the great, individual love our God has for each for us. I don't know when in the program, but I had one of those "moments"--a sort of spiritual epiphany--where I was struck with complete and utter hushed reverence for the day and time in which I live. It was as if someone were gently telling me, "Yes, Beth, the days of Moses were miraculous. But look around you, you live in no less a time of miracles." Of all the billions of places I could be in the world today, I am here, in Phoenix, AZ, involved with the work of a church who is "in the business of rescuing". I have been given an opportunity to play a small part in the grand design of THIS time, of THIS day, of THIS age and people. It was a humbling and profound moment.

I know the Lord has perfect timing. I know that when we are living right, praying with faith, and bringing about "much righteousness" with the "power that is in us", He will not withhold the blessings that are the righteous desires of our hearts. Sometimes we fail to realize that the very thing we are praying for is already in process of being granted, even if we cannot yet see it. It was a lesson I was reminded of this morning as I listened to the pleas of God's people--not knowing that He was already preparing a man in their midst who would be their deliverer. Few things come suddenly. If they did, we would miss the opportunity to serve one another and grow. I say this because I feel the topic of "trusting in the Lord's timing" has come up again and again with all those I talk with, and with myself. Those are thoughts in my mind this evening :) I am so grateful for the service I am receiving from those here in Phoenix. I feel it a privledge to be here among you. Thank you, love you all :)

Hugs, Beth

Class Hike!

2009-02-27T21:45:00.005-07:00

Great thing about living in AZ: 85 degree weather in February! Our class celebrated today with a hike up South Mountain. I took the younger half of the class (12 kids) up what was suppose to be a 45 minute hike (up & back), but turned into a 3 hour hike :) We stopped to check out petrogliphs (my 1st time to actually see some up close & in person--very cool! I've been wanting to see some since I taught about them 3 years ago in a 4th grade Utah class). It was a little....nervewracking...having the safety of 12 kids in my hands when they're stretched over a mile of rocky trail, BUT after a few talks about working as a group, it actually worked out pretty well. There were a few spills & one blister...but the same two girls who were crying halfway up the trail, were the two running around giggling by the end. It made me not feel so bad for telling them to suck it up and keep going! (Okay, I didn't say it just like that, but that was the idea...and they stopped crying! And kept going! And started enjoying it :) They're great kids and I had a great time! I wish every Friday was another fun hike up the mountain :) Pics:my two little princesses...before the crying :) I promise, they enjoyed the attention, and were fine by the end :)view of Ahwatukee & one very special kid :)

haha, me driving the school bus....I may never wear this hat again after seeing this picture! lol!

How many 1st warders does it take to change a light bulb?

2009-02-23T23:09:00.004-07:00

Tonight I had a Rite of Passage--I learned to change a light bulb ;) Heading out of an FHE, I got a call from the car in front of me that my headlight was out. Now to understand the utter horror I felt from such a call, imagine driving home from an Enrichment meeting one un-employed night a week before Christmas, and having 2 cops pull you over only a block from your house, slap you with a $200 ticket & court date for a missing headlight you were oblivious to, then going back to their car & humiliating you by watching you cry for a good 10 minutes on the side of a dark road as you felt helpless, wondering how on earth you would pay it and what on earth a "court date" was. This was the memory coming to mind when the news came that a new headlight was out! Needless to say, there was no way on earth I would be driving by my house again with those headlight-fining leeches lurking about!

My 2nd reaction was to laugh at the irony: This was the 3rd time in 8 months to have a light go out--and the 2nd time for it to go out in this particular apartment complex! Was I suppose to be learning something from this?! The caller didn't know how to change the bulb, the guy I was giving a ride to didn't either, and the FHE hoster wasn't answering their phone....so, I did what any single, independent woman should do: I got out and began to tap on different parts of what I assume was my engine. Honestly, I was completely lost! I'd seen 2 different people change my previous bulbs, so I had a general idea of where to stick my hand...but past that? Yep! Lost!

My savior came in the form of an older couple trying to pass my car. The nice man hopped out, and in broken English, took my bulb out, showed me it would be forever burnt-out, then gave me step by step instructions on how to put the new bulb in. It was like teaching me to actually fish! A quick trip down the road for a replacement, and I found my climatic moment in a Walmart parking lot, 10:30 at night as I followed my guide's instructions by memory and vuala! There was light!! Seriously silly, but it was like the BEST moment ever!! I finally felt the freedom and safety of knowing how to solve what seems to be a frequent prob with my car, and it was a fantastic moment!

Funniest moment of the day--Out of the Mouth of Babes!
There was some drama today when two little best friends got into a fight. One called the other a liar, and the "lying" boy had an absolute cow! We're talking, started throwing things, and yelling across the room that he was always being called a liar and was tired of it! We all walked away to give him space, which only made him yell louder. I gave him some time to cool down, then went on with his spelling like nothing had happened (trick I've learned from my mom, she uses it on everyone in the fam...kinda helps you not feel so stupid for whatever lame moment of life you just had!). When the boy was ready, he brought it back up...and seeing he was finally able to TALK about it--not just yell about it--I started asking him the questions that would lead him to a solution (Montessori practices coming into play here. Still trying to learn them, but I do like the coaching we give the kids in helping them work out problems).

Anyway, so this darling little boy is so distressed in complaining to me that his best friend is always calling him a liar. Knowing this boy pretty well, I asked, "Well...why does he think you might be lying? Do you ever tell lies?"

In total frustration, and in all seriousness came his classic response: "Well, yeah...but I only tell TWO lies a day!!"

It was one of those moments in life when all I could think was "Don't you dare laugh, Beth, don't you dare!!" haha! Kids are so innocent, seriously, he saw no problem with it...thus prompting a great discussion on the importance of developing trust with our friends thru honesty! I could tell half-way through this discussion that the kid just didn't get it. That's when inspiration popped in (as it always tends to do when I've exhausted all my own ideas--I consider divine intervention to be the ideas that acutally work :) I asked him if a stranger came up and offered him a ride if he'd take it....nooo...why not? You don't know him, you don't trust him. What if his grandma came up and offered a ride?....yeeessss...how come? Cause he trusts here, he's built that up over time. This explination seemed to work for him, he calmed down, and agreed to start being more honest with his friends. At least it's a start!

I do this thing where the kids have to look each other in the eye, and shake hands once they've worked through a prob and apologized (thanks Jon & Kate plus 8! They make their kids kiss after fights). It usually takes a few tries, but by the end of it, neither can stop giggling and run off together, best of friends again! It's the moment when both a sigh of relief, and a smile come out of me :) It's so cool how quick kids are to forgive and move on!

In conclusion: Learn to change your headlight--it's liberating! And be careful of those 2 little lies a day...ha! ;)

Flower Power & Scooby Dooby Doo!

2009-02-19T23:05:00.005-07:00

As you may have noticed, my blog is sportin a new look (just in time for spring!), and some different music...both of which may take you back a few 5 decades ago. Never really a fan of the 60's/70's era, I have grown a new appreciation for the songs below. The kids I work with have been practicing these songs daily for over a month as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration

30 minutes a day x 4 weeks x 7 hippie songs = A lot of Flower Power stuck in my head

Tonight, I celebrated my 5th week in a row of Institute (Institute is religious education classes put on by the LDS church). After a 2 year absence from taking institute seriously, I was bound and determined this year to make a go of it. I've gotta say, Thursday nights aren't the easiest to spend the evening away from resting at home, and the after party at institute...well, let's just say it's not my favorite part of the week, BUT the class? WOW, I get SO much out of it!

1st Favorite part of the class: The Subject. I always tried to get into a Book of Revelations class at BYU, but they were always full, hard to come by, or practically required doctorate work to pass. The very first class, it was made clear the emphasis of the whole book is the great love the Savior of the world has for us. Taking it from this perspective, and picking apart the meaning both scholarly and spiritual exploration) has been a huge highlight of my week

2nd Favorite part of the class: Sister Hardison. After years of studying and practicing methods in teaching, I can honestly say she is the epitome of the type of teacher I would like to be. I am a firm believer in the audience being participants in the learning process, and she is a pro of not only encouraging comments, but also in guiding them all towards the point of her lesson. She has an amazing amount of knowledge and research to back up the things she teaches, and somehow cheerfully and smoothly transitions between topics. I'm such a fan!!

Great message of tonight comes actually from Romans 8:28--"All things work together for good to them that love God." (quite the promise :). And I'll leave the blogging world tonight with a quote that I found pretty profound:

"Often doors have closed before us hat seemed to lead to the opportunities we thought we had to have. We may have assumed that thte closed door was a reflection of some inadequacy in ourselves; but perhaps the closed door had nothing to do with whether we were goodor bad or capable or incompetent. Rather, even now a loving Father shapes our path according to a prearranged, premortal covenant; the opening of the closing of these various doors is dependent on the Lord's perfect perception of our developmental needs. All the elements that we really need for our individual experience here, he puts on to our path. The most important things that will happen to us in this life will come to us often by no initiation of our own, but rather because He is piloting the plan...There is only one Keeper of the Gate." --Catherine Thomas

Something I have definitely learned in the past 3 years is that the above is 100% true. I am grateful for a loving God of the universe that is a loving parent so personally involved in the details of my life :)

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2009-02-14T22:39:00.003-07:00

Last night, we had a fantastically decorated, caterred dinner for about 300 single adults out here, a pretty cool way to start off V-day festivities! Spent the rest of the evening playing games with friends and chatting about life until pretty early in the morning. What a lucky gal I am to have such good friends!

Started my official Day of Love off with an 8:30 game of Ultimate Frisby. I can honestly say playing it with a bunch of 4th graders & a football yesterday was a little bit more in my comfort zone, but still a great way to start off my Saturday :) Then came home to a lil' bit of love! Great thing about having the same roommate for so long, we love giving each other gifts for holidays!

I gave Lynn the rosebush & Jamba. She gave me a new "America's Next Top Model" jacket!! Haha, I died laughing trying to take pictures modeling my new "model" jacket ;)

Rest of the day consisted of showin the Lord a little love by cleaning the church, showing the girls a little love by visiting teaching (REALLY fun visit, I love Nuvonna!!), then a good V-day themed movie, dinner with friends, and then bustin' out Top Gun for a friend who's never seen it! On my insistance of making him a true blue American, we had to watch it. LOVE that movie...thus wrapping up nicely my little day of love :)
PS! The above is what I made this past Tuesday at RS stake training. Thought it was a good quote to stick up in our classroom. It's not perfect, but it's my first fancy home-made quote for the wall :)

Saturday Evening Post

2009-02-07T17:38:00.010-07:00

Yes, that's right! This is (what at least feels like) the 3rd post this week! My cold has made things a little slow around here, giving me a bit more free time...to do things like update my blog :) Today was quite the busy day though, and one worthy of report!

I started the morning helping 1st ward celebrate the baptism of our newest member, Kindra. The first time Kindra visited us in Relief Society, I thought she was already a member. She was so attentive, and had such great insight during her comments, she just fit right in! She is truly a very special individual--always a smile, and someone who has truly sought out, and found the church on her own. She said her 2nd visit here, the missionaries were able to answer all the questions no one else ever had, and she knows it's all true. She's our little "blond bombshell" (as Brother Everetts put it Sunday morning at the podium!) that is taking the ward by storm! Welcome Kindra!

It's been a while since I've either had/made time for a temple visit, so I swung by afterwards. Beth Dibble gave me the great idea of using temple visits for photography practice too :) I loved the Saturday morning visit, mainly because of all the cute little kids running around on the temple grounds, dressed up for weddings. There's such a feeling of peace there, especially when you look around and see all the families. Beth is much better about choosing only 1 flower shot to go on her blog. One day, I will be able to be like her....for now though, I can't decide, and put all my favorites :)

Little & BIG Buzzing Bees!

This one above is my favorite for some reason! Just really like it! :)

The other night, Lynn and I visited the Deseret Book by the Chandler Mall. Besides being about the best store EVER, this particular one has a Lion's House bakery inside, and smells absolutely heavenly!! After half an hour in there, we walked out into the night, and our noses were accosted by the greasy smell of In-and-Out Burger. Now, I'm just as big a fan as the next person, but it was such a startling contrast to our senses after the light aroma of bread baking....well, it was honestly pretty disgusting! That analogy made me smile coming out of the temple today--it's the same feeling to our spirits to leave the temple, as it was to my nose to leave that bakery :)

Ended my afternoon in Mesa up with a little 1st ward Basketball. I am happy to report that we girls won by a landslide--74 to 20 something (I think,maybe it was 40-somethin'). I honestly haven't played an official basketball game in probably about 10 years, and it was a blast! I love the girls on the team--their encouragement, and coaching they offered. I'm also glad it's an all-girls team, as I completely squealed with delight the 2 or 3 times I actually made baskets! Haha, I'm thinking that wouldn't fly as well on a guy's team! It was fun to see some skills actually come back too....though I have to admit, it's really not that hard to have "skill" when the other team's tallest player is 5 foot 4! :) In all our sweaty glory, we followed the game up with a group lunch at Sweet Tomoto's (think Soup or Salad for those not out here), where I had the privilege of getting some great one-on-one time with Wendy, who is quickly becoming a favorite person :)

All-in-all, today was a thumbs up in my book!

Stayin' on the SUNSy side of life :)

2009-02-04T17:48:00.010-07:00

So, for the past month, I've been keeping a daily record of my daily blessings. It started with making a quick list of the ways I had seen the Lord's hand in my life that day....which soon turned into a "Tender Mercies" list, and then finally a daily gratitude list. It honestly has made such a huge difference on my outlook on life, and level of happiness. Not that I wasn't happy before...but now I feel "Joy in the Journey"--it's just a more refined feeling of sweetness :) I've started to see my day as many different moments where lessons are learned, triumph gained, or divine intervention recognized. Recognizing & remembering those moments has become the favorite part of my day--I literally get a huge grin on my face as I jump into bed with my little notebook at the end of the day :)

Take today for example! Due to an extended shift with after-school kids I don't know, Wednesdays are my most dreaded days. My only consolation is that most other assistants have to work the program 5 days a week, and I only have to do it once! (I don't think it'd be so bad if it were with my own kids, but they stick me with the youngest age group for 2 hours a week...meaning I can't remember any of their names, and they can't remember me well enough to know what they can and can't get away with. I guess it makes me miss my own kids though :)

Back to the story, so WED's are usually days of endurance...but today, it was pretty cool! I started with a 15 minute story on the US Constitution. My team-teacher is from Mexico, so she prefers me to teach the American History, and I love it!! It's interesting to see what parts of the story different kids remember, or what strikes their interest. And the highlight of any teacher's day: a few kids asked me to meet one-on-one with them to discuss the topics further! How cool is that?? In fact, during "reading time", 3 of them approached me with a question, and we ended up in this great history/world current events/politics discussion for about half an hour. They wanted to know what Impeachment means, and who's been impeached (talk about the liberal media's influence on these 11 year olds--they had no clue Bill Clinton had been impeached, nor for what, but figured George W. had, and of course, that Obama is the new God on earth. I had a few guiding words and questions to try and help objectify their minds a bit!!).

I ended my day with my kids (in after-school, my usual torture hour), showing me how to find square roots. I don't remember at all, so it was interesting to re-learn, but even more entertaining for me to see them get so excited about it.

I could go on and on about these kids, but I'll leave it for my gratitude journal & team teacher (another huge blessing: someone who loves talking about these kids with me eveyday!). They are amazing, and I am completely falling in love with them! I am so grateful I followed the feeling to quit the mundane job I had, take the financial sucker-punch that followed, and take this job. It has enriched my life 10-fold!

Scramblin' up some 7 AM eggs after the class sleepover. I look tired, but this is a genuine happy-to-be-here smile! :) Other exciting news: I went to my first Suns Basketball game!! Yep, after 2 years of waiting for a ticket to magically appear, the opportunity finally knocked! A text mid-Monday came asking if anyone wanted the spare ticket, and with the adrenalin rush of trying to be the winning caller of a radio station, I quickly staked my claim! It was funny, because just the night before, someone was asking me if I'd made it to game yet, and I happened to be carrying my phone when the text came in--something I never do. The game was good and the company great, making my first Suns game a memorable success!! Thanks Yale!
It's hump-day, I'm fighting a cold, and still absolutely loving my life :) How sweet is that? It just keeps making me smile!!

I Inherited the Goofy gene!

2009-02-01T22:02:00.006-07:00

A little less than a year ago, my good friend and former roommate, Crystal Leckie came for a much anticipated visit to Arizona. To keep her entertained, and show off AZ a bit, I took her hiking up the only mountain I have ever hiked here: Squaw Peak. I thought the name alone should elicit fond memories of giggles and shocked gasps from our Provo days when a trip up Squaw Peak did NOT mean a hiking trip! (Squaw Peak is a well known make-out spot in Provo. I never really knew anyone that went up there, but the name alone inspired all kind of scandalous gossip of any who even set foot, haha :)

Anyway, so we set out for this hike early morning. Now, I have grown in appreciation of hiking, and absolutely love being completely encompassed by nature. However...every time I go, I am at a complete loss for what to wear. My first hiking experience at age 17 was up Mt. Yale in Colorado--where snow glistened in the sunlight , while I froze my tail off. Since I have an even lower body temperature than I did then, I tend to over-plan for possible chilliness and throw on a jacket. Then I rethink my preparedness plan (we ARE in Arizona after all), and take the jacket off. Off and on it goes throughout the morning, until finally I reach a compromise by putting on layers. And of course, above all, I need to look like I'm wearing something Athletic.

The point is dear readers, this was the logic running through my head, unfortunately at an hour way to early for my brain to function properly. I DID end up over-dressing, requiring some compensation in the form of rolling up my sweats. In the end, what all hikers going up the mountain saw was this lovely creature:

Now of course, after hiking about 20 feet up this climb, I realized just how ridiculous I looked, because I saw that all the other hikers were wearing what I SHOULD have worn...normal hiking clothes. Not being one to shy away from a good laugh at myself, I put a grin on for the camera, and took my picture! It still gives me a good laugh though!

Now for the real reason I'm writing this story! Today, my uncle completed his project of scanning and posting all the old photos in the 13 old photo albums at my grandparent's house in DE. Among those photos were the old one's of my Poppop's days in the Air Force, and his time stationed in Alaska (1950's). Amongst that pile, was a very familiar pose:
Same rolled-up pants, same hands on hips, and same "Hyuck, hyuck, aren't I funny?" goofy grin on our faces. Yep, I think we're related! haha, what can I say? I can't help it--I inherited the goofiness!! :)

2009-01-17T00:20:00.004-07:00

Funny story of the day! I gave a bunch of spelling tests this morning, and one particular 4th grade boy was doing great on his! Didn't miss any of the words, until I got down to the word cow. He spelled it colw. Surprised, I pointed to it and said, "Uh-oh, looks like you accidentally messed up on one! How do we spell cow?". He looked at me funny and goes, "Um...well, what is that?". Slightly flabbergasted he didn't know what a cow was, I used it in a sentence, "There is a cow in the field...y'know, a bunch of cows are over there...Mooo?". I saw the light bulb go off on his head, "Ooooohhhh, COW. I thought you were saying cowwell. I didn't know what that was!". Haha, guess that month I spent back in Texas took it's toll on restoring my accent!! Apparently we Texans don't pronounce them 4-legged wildebeests right! :) Haha, it really gave me a good laugh today once we figured out the prob!

2009: Year of the Carrot

2009-01-11T02:53:00.003-07:00

Sitting here working on wrapping it up for bed, I'm reminded of my New Year's Resolutions. Why, you might ask? Because as my tummy grumbles, a huge bag of carrots sits next to me. Just purchased last week, this 2 lb bag of rabbit food is nearly gone. Part of my New Year Resoultion has been to eat healthier...starting with no food 4 hours before bedtime! This plan would work...if only I would actually go to bed when I planned! Instead, the "no eating" rule stretches on to 6-7 hour marathon mini-fasts. Finally giving in, I munch on...carrots. And you know what? They taste good! I reaized tonight though, I better get use to this, because 2009 is not the year of Sugar and Spice, and everything nice....no, this is the year of Veggies, and green, and everything lean! Tofu, here I come...!

This past week has been extremely busy for me. So busy...that I've really had no interest in watching TV. So busy, and so fulfilling, that I've been able to push past the woe's of the new year, and find a real satisfaction with what I'm doing. The key has been a fulfilling job, service to the girls of 1st ward RS, and daily gratitude.

You know all those quotes from general authorities about gratitude making us happier? Now prepare yourself for a shocker: It's really true! ;) Everynight this week, I've jotted down a few lines of how I've seen the Lord's hand in my life, or tender mercie's of the day. I've started looking forward to it, and today I realized that I was even looking for things throughout my day to report about! And...i'm happy. I feel a happy, content feeling with life. Confusion over the future is still there, the questions are still there--but so is the feeling that I'm okay with it all and enjoying the ride!

Today I divulged my family history obsession and bought picture frames. I'm making my next project creating a huge 4 foot by 3 foot framed colage of old family photos. It should keep me busy for a few months, but if I do it right, it'll at least give me a visual aid for prosperity to use with all those stories I like to tell! :) At least if I start to ramble, they'll then have something to look at 'till they can distract me ;)

It's a new year, and new songs have been chosen for the blog! At least, through Valentine's season that is. I chose just a few songs, but these are the songs that all make me smile right now. The music players are like a snapshot of life--what am I wanting to listen to right now? Apparently, all country, and most talk of Love in some form (yes, I planned that purposfully for V-day!) Enjoy! I recommend giving all the songs a chance, but if it's really gratin' on your nerves something awful, just go to the next one. If that's bad too...try "Crazy Like You" by Josh Grider. Haven't found a person yet that didn't like that one.

And a PS thought for all you ladies in Phoenix with me--Joann Fabrics is offering a one day class on Rag Quilting with an adorable star pattern. It doesn't look too dificult, but fun enough (and cute enough!) to put the energy into. The workshop it March 7, at the Dobson location. Anyone interested??? Let me know! :)

Miz Beth's First Day Adventures!

2009-01-05T18:58:00.006-07:00

So, it was the official first day! And at the end of the day,I can honestly say...that I'm very happy with the new job! It was simple, yet challenging. Demanding, but not quite taxing. Slow paced, but not dragging. Here's the pic of the outfit I wore for my "First Day of School" (this is especially for my mom's benefit, as the top was a Xmas present from her! Thanks Mom!! :)

Highlights of the day:

1) Memorizing 25 names by the 2nd hour (of the kids...of all the other teachers, I'm lost!) AND I've never seen a class with such "normal" name before. Besides two Indian girls with foreign (although very cool) names, I have Tommy, Alex, Daniel, Phillip, Julia, Nicole, Megan...the list goes on and on. But...in this day and age, most classes are filled with odd names and even odder spellings. Not a one in this class!!:)

2) Reccess time...usually a boring duty to stand there and watch them play, but 2 other teachers had duty with me. Everyone was so friendly! I have honestly never worked somewhere with co-workers so welcoming the 1st day!

3)Having the head teacher ask me to teach a lesson, and only giving me 20 minutes to prepare...and yet pulling it off successfully (and having fun!). [Gaby approached me saying, "You know about the French-Indian War don't you?" me: "Uh....I've head of it." Gaby: "Great! Here's some library books. You can teach it to the kids. Make it sound fun and exciting. We start in 20 minutes!" ahhhhhh! I went through the textbook and thought "How on earth is this going to be "fun". I could already picture the kid's eyes glazing over! But then I found some cool facts, and when 2 and 2 came together...even I was excited about the French-Indian War! The kids actually listned, commented, asked questions, and thought it was a "cool story". It made me think by to Mrs. Savel in 6th grade, who brought History alive for me. She use to tell history like a storytellr, completely captivating us. I wasn't quite THAT good (the woman was a story-telling genius!), but I looked at all their bright, interested eyes and thought, "Oh my gosh, I'm being a Mrs. Savel! I'm talking about a time period of history I love...and kids are actually listening, and liking it! Is this my dream job or what?!" And side note, the War reallyis pretty cool (and bless Lynn's heart for listening to me retell the tail when I got home!) More on that later..so that YOUR eyes don't glaze over :) ]

4)The Chocolate/peanut thing the lady from Spain made and shared. Divino!!

5)Being able to give tons of one-on-one attention to the kids who needed it in class.

6) Being asked to develop a 4 month long writing program...starting the 1st lesson tomorrow. (Okay, the tomorrow business is kinda stressfull, but it's still cool to be entrusted with some actual teaching the first day).

7) The fact that the KIDS cleaned up the classroom the end of the day, instead of me! :)

8) Driving home towards distant clouds, so billowing & huge, that I thought they were the mountains! (hmm...maybe this means more rain?

And that was my day! There's was always something I could find to do, but nothing that ever really stressed me out during the day (except for maybe 20 minutes of prep time). And a "boss" that was so easy-going, and yet thorough in her support. I think this is going to be something pretty fulfilling, challenging,and enjoyable! :)

******
Now, for all those that can take it...Why the French and Indian War is so cool:

-The French and Britians were racing to be the first to build a fort on common ground (moddern day Pittsburg)
-150 soldiers, led by a young Leuitenant named George Washington, raced to the Forks of the Ohio to secure the area. Once there, the Indians told them of a French Camp. Washington attacked, taking POW's with him...thus starting the war.
-The French Retaliated, capturing Washington. They let him go, telling him to go home, and leave them alone. Washington said, "Sure....:)"
-A Man named Benajamin Franklin wanted the colonies to unite, and have one president. They didn't feel ready for that, so...
-Red Coats came over to help colonists fight the war. They fought in strait line formations, thus being slaughtered by the Gorilla warfare tactics of the French & Indians. This, however, taught the Americans a useful tactic the milita would later use during the Revolutionary War.
--The British eventually won (with the help of the Iroquois), gaining American territory, as well as Canada & India. however they helped create some nice resentment from the French (which really helped us out later when the Colonies turned against the French. If not for the French help, we could not have won the Revolution).
-Londoners didn't like paying extra taxes to support troops protecting random colonists thousands of miles away, so King George III started taxing the Colonists instead. Which makes sense...except that they were already being taxed from their own legislators. AND they had no say.
--King George III forbid the colonists from colonizing the new land (Appalacian Mts. to the Mississippi River), so that the Indians could have more hunting ground..thus hoping to decrease tension. This only ticked the Colonists off.
--The aftermath of taxes & being told they couldn't spread their wings, really ticked the coloists off, thus leading to the Boston Tea Party...
--The French & Indian War trained made George Washington, while putting Ben Franklins "United States" idea into everyone's head.

And THUS, the War of Independance came about 20 years later...thus gaining us our freedoms, and creating the amazing Nation we call home today :) *Sigh*, isn't that cool? I was fascinated by the story! This is why I'm a history nerd :)

First Impressions of the New Job

2009-01-03T13:55:00.006-07:00

I spent a few hours this morning getting a tour of the classroom & my duties from my head Teacher. First off, let me say that I am SO excited to work with this woman! She is just nice. She introduced me to about 5 other teachers, adn all of them ran to give her hugs. She seems to be just a humble, discreet woman, that everybody adores! All the other ladies were good humored & with cool personalities. Very culturally diverse. My head teacher adn the teacher next door both are from Mexico, so they break out into Spanish with each other...and are quite relieved I can actually understand it so that they don't have to try and translate! Ha! :)

And apparently I've won a free trip to Washington DC!!!! First week of May they have a class "fieldtrip" there, and she told me today that I WILL be coming to that, so she wants me brushing up on my American History :) I think it'll be pretty fun going there with the kids, I'm guessing we'll visit a LOT of smithsonians. Maybe even tour the White House? Now THAT would be cool, I've never done that before. I thought if we visit Arlington National Cemetery, I could do some homework to find where my great-great grandfather is burried in there, maybe leave flowers or something. Just help connect us to the experience. Anyway, I met two of the girl students today in the classroom, and they were super sweet kids! One was 9, the other is turning 12. I felt like I was about to start working in Young Womens :) They were both so polite, eager to please, and just good kids. Apparently, it's mainly the boys that need the extra attention and help staying on task!

One of the girls was so cute, she was telling us she was going to get her haircut today, and dye her hair a darker brown. Ms. Gabby (and I'm "Ms. Beth"), asked why she would want to do that. And she goes, 'Well, I just hate it when people call me blond! (then she gets embarressed) I mean....it looks good on YOU (she points to me), but...I just don't want to be called a blond!!!" :) It was so funny, and really cute.

Anyway, I got a better idea of what I'll be doing today. Basically I interact with the head teacher before and after school, but during the day we don't really touch base TOO much. So...lots of freedom to kind of do my own thing with interacting with the kids (Yay!). I'm specifically in charge of teaching a writing workshop 3 days a week (to help prepare them for testing. She says due to english being her 2nd language, she's not very confident teaching it to them). And I'm in charge of "Deep Cleaning" hour on Friday afternoons...where I manage them cleaning up the classroom. :P She also said she really doesn't know much about the calligraphy and music sections she teaches...which I assured her I have backgrounds in both, so she seemed pretty happy about that :) We'll also be starting a garden this spring to make it prettier outside! Oh, and every two weeks, we cook in the kitchen (yes, there's a full blown kitchen in the classroom, complete with a huge fridge, sink, microwave, oven, stovetop, and coffee maker!! They're going to be in for a surprise the first time they ask me to teach a kid how to make coffee!!). A group of 4 kids is in charge of planning the meal, budgeting for it, going to the grocery store to buy the supplies, then cooking it for the class. I get to take them to the grocery store, and we ride a free bus that serves only Ahwatukee. Interstingly enough, the bus route begins practically at my apartment front door, and ends at the school! I guess good to know, in case I ever need an alternate way to get to work!

First day starts Monday, wish me luck!! :)

Reflections

2008-12-30T22:45:00.004-07:00

A pattern is starting to occur in my life, where I am back at home at the end of each year. Without fail, I come across a few old journals, begin to read, and soon begin a night of reflection that turns into a a few days :) Coupled with New Years goals, the thoughts and feelings usually produce enough umph to help me actually reach some of those goals!

This year, the following reflections came, mainly from reading old mission letters, and reading a talk from Pesident Henry B. Eyring, of the First Presidency of the LDS church, & Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quroum of 12 Apostles. I love this picture of them below (for a little visual :)

The talk is called “O Remember, Remember” from the Nov 2007 Ensign. In summary, he shares an experience as a kid when the thought came to him, “I’m not giving you these experiences for yourself. Write them down.” He began that night to write, and has kept the habit up. At the end of each day, he would ask himself, “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us, or our family today?”. As he thought about it, he began to recognize where the Lord had intervened throughout the day, and said, ‘I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.”

Gratitude began to grow. Testimony grew. He writes, ‘And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened.”

These statements have really caused me to reflect the past 3 days sense reading them. I’ve started an experiment, trying out his reflecting method to end my own days…and I have seen the blessings. Friday, the Lord intervened, placing an old friend in my path as my bank teller. She shaved 2 weeks off the process of getting a hold of money I needed that day to pay bills. What were the odds I would be assigned to the one teller I had been good friends with in 4th grade? That was no coincidence, it was a tender mercy  Yesterday, while cleaning, I came across the letters I had written home while a missionary. I read a few and had brought back to my mind experiences I’d had with some of the people I loved most in Uruguay. I had forgotten details…and I had forgotten the feelings, and the testimony gained from the experiences. All the feelings, love, yearning for their happiness, and affirmations of truth came rushing back as I read those letters. I don’t think I can adequately express here the power those letters had on me. Sometimes, the mission feels like a dream—no one else really experienced it, and it feels like a far-off memory. It’s so bittersweet to think back: it was the most profound, powerful impact of your life, and yet something you hardly ever get to talk about. You see pure miracles happen, honest to goodness things you’d think you’ll only read about in books or hear from others…and then you return home, and rarely have chance to share them. Or, find that all anyone asks about is what the food & weather were like. On the mission, you see heaven reach down and touch earth. You see mountains moved and prophecies fulfilled. In time, for me, I have started to forget. I honestly don’t remember some of the stuff that I read about in my mission journal, and it amazes me I saw such things in my own life, or that I boldly said some of the things I said. Last night, hearing myself speak so assuredly of the power of the Book of Mormon, in the moment in life when I was watching it change lives, was a powerful experience for me . It not only reminded me of my testimony, but also backed up Elder Eyring’s words that we should write down these things, for they will strengthen us later when we remember them. I felt the experience of finding these letters was the Lord intervening in my day. Yesterday, I also realized that a random, kind “I love you David.” Calms my little brother down, and causes him to sweetly say back, “I love you too.” Believe me, THAT was a tender mercy to discover!  Today, I touched base with so many people that I have not really seen or spoke with for 8 years, but who had big impacts on me during my youth. It felt good to hear of them, and strengthen them. It felt good to feel gratitude for their service to me, and to try and repay them with a kind smile and offer my friendship. It felt like a loving gift from a loving Father to make this day special. In the 3 days since trying Elder Eyring’s experiment, I have come to see the value each day has held in my eternal progression. Isn’t that amazing advice given to us? I definitely think so!

He also gave us a warning, that particularly stood out to me. He said, ‘Seeing such things takes the Holy Ghost. And it is not easy to be worthy of the Holy Ghost’s companions in a wicked world….’Take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from they heart all the days of thy life.” (Deuteronomy 4:9). This really caused me to think. Am I doing things in my daily life, that keep me from recognizing the hand of God? Yeah, actually. I’m not talking huge sins, but worldly distractions keep me from even glancing heavenward till the end of my day sometimes. What am I doing that is causing me to forget the profound lessons I’ve learned?

At church, they spoke of the people who partook of the tree of life, but then cast it away, ashamed, due to the pointing and laughing from the people at the great and spacious building. I thought back to Elder Eyring’s words, and wondered, “Did they forget? Did they forget all the tender mercies, and moments of divine intervention that got them through that mist, that kept them grasping the iron rod, to get to the fruit?” At some point, they stopped remembering those experiences, or maybe never even took the thought to recognize them, and then the voices of the world became louder and louder…until those voices became their reality, blinding them to the blessing of eternal life they held in their grasp. It gave me food for thought. How loud is the voice of the world to me right now?

Also at church, the RS lesson was on how to “fuel” the soul. Every answer and story shared, was a means to help us remember what the Lord has done. Remember our testimonies, and thus keep them strengthened: Profound prayer, taking the sacrament, searching the scriptures. Sister Painter, now serving as the Stake YW President, turned to me at the end and said, “you know, I was going to say “fulfilling our callings’, but sometimes, that completely tires you out! I mean, sometimes, this calling really kicks my butt. But then, I stop and think of all the miracles I’ve seen while serving, and I realize it’s all worth it.” That really made me think, too. Sometimes…oft times …serving in a calling can mean “Wasting and wearing out their lives” as it says in D&C. And yet…those are the times we reflect on to strengthen testimony. I read my mission letters to renew testimony. Elder John Groberg wrote a book that became an amazing movie (The Other Side of Heaven). President Eyring gave his kids his old journals, and they refer to them to help them through their own lives.

I love how when studying a topic, the Spirit custom-fits all the messages at church to what I am pondering. It’s almost as if he’s elbowing me a bit, reminding me to pay attention, this is important, and yes, there will be a life-test on it later 

In the talk that follwed that conference, new Apostle, Quentin L. Cook spoke on living by faith, and not by fear. He shared one of my favorite scriptures (it rhymes ), “Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants. Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you, and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ” (D&C 68:5-6).

His reminder, coupled with Elder Eyring’s encouragement to keep a tangible remembrance, has caused me to reflect a lot on the experiences in my life that I need to always remember. I guess it’s what prompted the 3-page essay on my experiences with an Apostle. It’s also making me think on my current situation in life. Isn’t it written somewhere, that some trials are given people, so that they may testify of the hand of God in their lives? This scripture makes me think of that—"Be of good cheer, I’ll be with you every step. Bear record of this to others.” Strengthen one another….haha, but that leads to another lengthy “reflection” that ended up turning into a talk :)

You Know You're in Texas when...

2008-12-22T01:44:00.007-07:00

Take one week road-tripping it through Texas, mix in a trigger-happy digital camera finger, sprinkle with my simple sense of humor, and that's right folks--ya'll all have the perfect recipe for Only in Texas Pictures. Enjoy! :)

Let's start with the obvious...
And to think people gave me a hard time for hanging a small TX flag up now and then my freshman year of college! I Took this outside the LBJ Ranch tour. Notice the lights are on. I think she saw me eyeballin' her pride and joy and checked the alarm system from afar :)

Texas Furniture--and no, Aggies have no qualms about using a longhorn to make furniture they can sit their tush on!

I am so popular!
Only in Texas do I find my name on everything! Hardware stores, restaraunts, streets, and apparently on restored stoves at an 1880's Living History Farm! :)

A cute TX botique
Considering the rest of the world considers Giraffe hide and hot pink to be the "in" item right now, cowhide and red doesn't seem like such an odd combo anymore!

One of my favorites!
That's right folks, for only $2 million smackers, you, yes you, can be the proud owner of a TX town who's motto is "Good songs, Cold beer". Dance hall and fancy restrooms included. Located only 20 miles from Lukenbach (of "with Waylin, and Willie, and the boys..." fame!), the town's 4 occupants live in a classic 1971 home. (and yes, this is ALL advertised on the above sign. :) It's honestly a charming area only a few miles from my Grandma's home in the Hill Country...I've just never seen a town for SALE before! :)

And I saved the best for last! Thirsty anyone?

I have LOVED my time in Texas this past week, reconnecting with family and the culture I grew up in. It is a good way of life, and a great background to have. Please don't take this as me poking fun of my home state--I love this place! We Texans aren't blind to finding a little humor in ourselves though. Hope you enjoyed! Ya'll come back now, ya'hear? ;)

A 75 Degree December!

2008-12-14T01:14:00.009-07:00

I'm back! I flew back into Phoenix on Wed, after a week-long extension to my Thanksgiving trip (SO fun!). Right before flying back, my mom shopped from about 8 AM-1 PM to find her perfect 1st Digital Camera. That's right--the Mamma Mia is entering the world of digital photography! She'll be a pro at it within an hour...though claims to be a little nervous about it right now! The shopping trip was something we both needed, and a lot of fun to hang out together! It's not something we've done often over the past 6 years, but now that David is in school, it sort of free'd up the morning for us :)

It was sad leaving David, though I showed him on his count-down to Christmas calender when I would be back. (Cutest side note in the world: how now calls daily to read me each little book from that christmas calender. If I miss the call, he leaves me a message, always ending with "I love you...we all love you...I love you Beth!". It's the favorite part of my day! :)

I came back this week thinking it would be jam packed...and I have not been disappointed! Here's a short recap of my life the past 4 days:

Wed--after no sleep the night before, and a 2 hour nap on the airplane, I flew into Phoenix during sunset & rush hour traffic. (translation: MAGNIFICENT AZ hot pink sunset behind purple mountains, while leaving enough light to see details of the land below, and rush hour red break lights lighting up each street, creating perfect rows. It was AWESOME! I've flown over a hundred times in my life...and have not had a window scene capture my attention so fully for quite some time!) Lynn picked me up and started rushing me home so I could get to ward visits, only....we got lost. Like LOST, lost! We didn't realize it until we hit 19th Ave...but we were in Glendale! We turned around, only to get lost again. Needless to say, a 10 minute trip home took us an hour and a half. We didn't really mind though, as it gave us time to catch up and giggle :)
I came home and now made a mad dash for ward visits. So embarrassing, but I was one of the last one's there. I am so grateful Melissa had the binder full of maps in her trunk! They had passed them out and were already splitting into groups. The visits were great! I have to say, it was one of my favorite nights yet. Usually no one's home for me, but we had a lot of luck this time! I ended up companioned up with one of the new guys in the ward, Tommy Hancock. He said he was new--so any ward members reading this, get to know him! He was fun to do the visits with, friendly with everyone, and patient enough to visit 5 different houses of sisters with me (including an apartment complex we searched for half an hour, only to find out the girl had moved! I actually don't know if he was willing to serve, or smartly figured out ward visits is a great way to meet a bunch of girls in one night! Whichever the reason, I'm greatful he was willing to cheerfully drive us around for over 3 hours! :). I had the chance to drop by some sisters I have not yet had the chance to get to know, so I loved it! We finished up about 10 pm.

Thursday--Caught up on sleep, laundry, & finishing the 3rd twighlight novel (so annoyingly addicting. I had to skip ahead, skimming, just to finish it & get things done, haha :) then headed to Enrichment (after getting lost of course...thus prompting me to ask for a GPS for Xmas!! :). It was "fabulous" as Courtney would say. Bere Flores & the Enrichment Committee did an amazing job getting it organized, decorating, and provided a tasty meal! Picture on facebook to come soon ;) Night ended with cops pulling me over for a headlight being out. It ended with being sent to court, and them watching me cry in the car for 5 minutes (I thought they had left at that point. My "what on earth has happened to chivalry" side was completely ticked off when I finally realized they'd been watching the whole time. Isn't there something wrong with a society that for whatever reason, leaves a girl crying on the side of a dark road at night?? Boo on that memory!)

Friday--Cleaned, cleaned, cleaned the house. I figure since it feels like Spring time outside, I might as well get a little spring cleaning done! (Really, I just want to have a clean & organized room to come back to in January when the new job starts!) Friday night we had the ward conversion dinner. Again, great food, great company, and touching stories shared of personal conversion. It was a night I'm glad I didn't miss! I was extremely touched by the testimonies & stories of McKenzie Daniels, Steven Emmons Catherine Cantwell, & Caley Meegan. Caley gave me a new favorite quote when she said, "I had one of those coincidences in life...what are those called? Oh right, Mormons call coincidences 'Tender Mercies'!" :) haha, that was great, and actually pretty true!

Afterwards, whoever stuck around till clean up was done went to Cold Stone at Tmpe Marketplace. I love this picture--it's in the 60's, and we're all huddled around the fire, eating ice cream, in December! Only in AZ :) Nate then saved the day by replacing my car headlight & restoring internet security, all in one two-hour swoop that kept him up till 1 am! Thanks Nate!

Saturday Today was fun! I went with a friend to a lunch hosted by Indian co-workers. I've only tried Indian food once, about 6 months ago, but found it good enough that I wasn't nervous about today's little adventure. And...the food was great! After being there for about a half hour, I realized I was in a strangers house, full of other strangers I didn't know--but who all knew each other--and eating food from a foreign land. Curiously enough though, I realized I felt at ease being the odd-ball-out, and fully enjoyed the company! It actually reminded me of having people let us into their homes during the mission. I had loved visiting with people in their family settings where they feel most relaxed, and this felt no different. I thought the wife was adorable and she had such a sweet niceness to her. I was actually a little bummed realizing I probably won't have an opportunity to see them again, but did chalk their eager hospitality up to their culture, giving me a good impression of Indian people. It also reminded me of friends I had from that region back in highschool...and how much I enjoy being around that culture and those people! Thanks for the experience Jon!

Funniest thing, the host couple told me they had been an arranged marriage! I've heard of such a thing, but never met a couple with that background. It fascinated me, especially learning that they did each have a chance to "veto" the match their parents had made. If only we had such an easy system here in America! Just as I was starting to entertain thoughts of moving to India, I learned that I passed their "almost too old to marry" standard for women about 2 1/2 years ago! Yipes! Well, maybe it's good I'm slugging it out in an American system after all... :)

The lunch was followed up by a christmas shopping trip to AZ Mills, on a day probably crazy enough to rival Black Friday! The lines were so long in each store that it discouraged any 70% off discount being advertised! Fun to be among the bustling crowds though, & lots of cute kids in Xmas outfits. (I did however see a 3-D Scooby Doo game David was absolutly love, so I might just have to go back!)

After coming home, I enjoyed a quick grocery store trip with Lynn, and then an awesome Home Teaching visit. Funny enough, it was just fun to have our friends over watching, and of course making fun of, the awful hair-do they gave a lady on what-not-to-wear, looking at potential cameras to buy, pulling out Samantha to play with...until she uh-oh'd on Pearce--sorry Pearce!--and eat candy cane ice cream! A great little Christmas message was shared. Honestly though, I think I enjoyed the quality friend time to spiritual message ratio (45 min: 10 min,) followed up with a prayer. All visits should be as genuine as that! Thanks Skyler & Pearce!

As soon as the guys were on their way, Lynn and I took off for Texas Roadhouse for her birthday dinner! Yes, I know she had her birthday 2 weeks ago..but I wasn't here! I'd bought a gift certificate there about 3 years ago meaning to give it away, and always forgetting. I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to spend it, and this was it! We had a coupon for a free apetizer & $30 to spend on steak & dessert. We had SOOOO much extra food to bring home, It was great!! By far the best thing there is their rolls & cinnamon butter. mmmm-mmm! I've gotta look up that recipe online. The steak was...I dunno, I'm a girl, I prefer fruit, cheese, and chocolate to anything fleshy. It was...a hunk of flavorless meet with onions on top. (Remind me to get the ribs next time, with extra sauce. I can't stand dry meat *crinckle nose*!) The sweet potatoe with marshmellows was awesome though! The atmosphere was a ton of fun too! Older less known country songs (though lynn and I both knew them well) played loudly, while we brushed our peanut shells onto the floor.

We made sure to take extremely flattering pictures of us kissing the Xmas fish before leaving. Isn't the world greatful Lynn and I don't drink? If these are the pictures we take purely sober...haha :) My only complaint is the place had a bit more red-neck feel to it than Texas to me...but the menu says it originated in Indiana. That explains everything! (haha, UOP joke...all our EXTREME redneck students seemed to come from Indianapolis area. Love 'em, but they were redneck! :) Follow this up with a chick flick & a new Xmas background for my blog, and it was a perfect girls night out! :)

Tomorrow starts the crazy, busy hustle of Sunday that I love so much. Monday an emissions test & a TB test for work. FHE at Temple lights. Tuesday hasn't been planned yet, except for a quick trip to Rawhide for a Cowboy Christmas (how can I skip it when it's just 5 minutes away and FREE?) And as always...I'm sure there will be more pictures to follow :) It's pouring rain outside right now. G'nite world!

Deep in the Heart of TX~!

2008-12-06T11:32:00.002-07:00

This Thanksgiving, I've discovered the joys of a rough economy! I didn't think it was possible, but I"ve found the silver lining to the raincloud!

After 2 years as an Academic Counselor, and much debate, prayer, & thought, I quit my job and set out, full of faith and confidence that teaching is where i needed to be. It took about 6 weeks to obtain a substitute teaching license and be hired. Due to the economy though, apparently eveyone and their mothers are trying to get sub teaching jobs now. Meaning...I only get a job 2-3 days a week. One week, I didn't even get one. That's a lot of days in a row waking up at 5:30 AM for a job that falls through! To frustrate problems further, the paycheck I finally recieved BOUNCED. The agency paying me didn't have enough funds for the work I had done! WHAT ON EARTH?! Holiday jobs were not hiring me either, mainly due to the fact that I wouldn't work Sundays.

Right about this time, I took off for a family vacation back East, and then back to Texas. Since the begining of the trip, I'd been anxious to get back to AZ and find a job before my January full-time one kicks in.

And that's when a sweet little deal was offered. My very generous mom offered to employ me if I'd get a few things organized for her. A few quick calls to American Airlines, and I had a changed day of departure! I've LOVED being back in Texas with the fam so far, and don't regret the decision to stay on a bit longer and work with them. It's such a quaint little town, especially since I am use to the "city-life" of Phoenix (ha--like Ahwatukee is "city life"!).

In Phoenix, I just expect anywhere I go will take 20 minutes to get there. Doesn't matter if it's 20 miles on the freeway, or 5 miles thru a zillion stoplights. It just takes time, expect it. Here...well, I remembered everything being farther apart! I keep missing exits because they sneak up on me so quick! I jumped on the highway yesterday (a little 2-lane thing in a field), realized I was about to miss my exit, and went across 2 lanes to get to the exit. THere was a semi probably about 4 car-lengths behind me. And he HONKED! I seriously had to laugh--I've been cut off much worse in the city, and no one would have even blinked if they'd seen me do that in Phoenix! I have to admit though, the drivers are a lot friendlier here. The friendly wave characteristic of Texas towns is seen at nearly every intersection I hit. It's a slower-paced, more patient way of driving and treating your neighbors. Kinda cool.

I love the radio stations here. THe mix station stinks. It really only plays 80's all the time. The country stations though....sigh! Heaven on earth! The songs are not the fast-paced party-gone-crazy country songs they so often play in Phoenix, but just classics I grew up with & regular hits. Actually...more classics, and modern "Texas Country" (a sort of mix between rock, texas swing, and country). I dunno, it rocks, I love listening to it! I think the best part about the radio though is that the scenary outside my window MATCHES the feel of the song. As I drive along "That bluebonnet highway", with a few barbedwire fences here or there, or just seeing the open planes of Texas with that amazingly vast blue sky....SIGH! It's the pure definition of a George Strait country song! The men seem to match the coutnry songs too. I've had an eye-full of country boys down here, and I have to admit, it makes my heart do a little pitter-patter!

The best part by far of my little "vacation" is my brother David. At 6 years old, he is a whole bundle of fun! He still has the laugh that has been so distinctly his since a baby--I LOVE his laugh! He only lets it out too when being tickled or teased :) He has a mischevous sense of humor, and calm, though playful nature. We're falling more into brother-sister roles these days with teasing and annoying each other....but we're both so deprived of this kind of attention, we just bask in it now! He's seriously the coolest little kid on the planet!

Needless to say, I am really enjoying this slow-paced vacation & time with family. I do miss my friends in Phoenix enough to go back though, so no worries Phoenix! :) For now though, I'm going to continue being Deep in the Heart!

"A Dream is a wish your heart makes"

2008-12-03T10:08:00.002-07:00

Dreams. Sometimes I have them, but usually don't remember them. They have played interesting roles in my life, even to the point of steering me down certain paths. More often than not however, my dreams are like a good movie--and I enjoy staying asleep to watch them!

Last night was no different. I had a missionary dream! In the dream, I was traveling with a YSA group to a foreign country. We were playing some kind of Secret Santa game, and my Secret Santa had a young local boy bring me a carved tree trunk they had made (yeah, only in my dreams!). It was somehow gospel related, and really cool. Everyone ooooh'd and ahhhh'd over it. I asked the boy if I could give him something in return for being so kind and brining it.

I ran back into my apartment and searched for the Joy to the World DVD. But somehow...the next part of my dream was me sitting in a hotel lobby with this little boy, showing him pictures from a book about the importance of families. As we were looking through the book, he excitedly pointed out pictures of his family members. Apparently, the church had used pictures taken in this area for the book. Two local women wanted to know what the fuss was about. I looked up at them, to see the familiar faces of women who were in the book! They came over and a discussion about what the book was, who the church was, and their interest in the book insued. (*sigh*, if only it was that easy in real life!). BY the time the dream was done, I had 3 referrals for the sisters in the area. OH, and the great part. The whole dream was in Spanish. I LOVE it when that happens!

Just a silly dream, I know, but I loved the feeling of sharing the Gospel again. I remembered as I woke up, that it gives me a slight adrenalin rush. I woke up smiling, it was great! :)

The night before that, I had a dream of trying to solve a murder mystery...or trying to prevent one? I dunno, it was detective work, and old friends were involved. I think the suspense and mystery came from the Twighlight books I've been reading lately, and the Sherlock Holmes detective work came from diving back into genealogy the last few days (complete detective work!). It was random to see old friends in the dream though, and it made me wonder how they're doing when I woke up. Thanks to the joys of email and facebook, I was able to find them all and send a quick note to see what's up in life.

Random, I know! But always interesting to me to see what we dream about in certain times of our lives. :) Now what do they mean? Psychoanalyze away! ;)

A peek into my nerdy side ;)

2008-11-25T00:17:00.003-07:00

I don't know why, but I can never sleep before plane trips! Roughly 8 hours from now, I need to head for a flight that will take me to the East Coast. I love the East Coast, and especially love spending time at my grandparents place in small Magnolia, Delaware. Their house has been the same my entire life, and the comfort of it all just excites me! I look forward to the smell of cantaloupe in the morning, liquid dial on my hands after playing with my grandfather's beagle puppies, counting all the scary faces in the "knotty-pine room", and eating Apple-Butter on every piece of breakfast toast :) This is my first trip to Delaware in the Fall/Winter, first Thanksgiving with my mom's family, and a rare chance to spend time with my 6 year old brother--I'm so pumped! :)

The adrenalin rush leaves me slightly antsy and bored, waiting here at home for the adventure to start! To kill time, I'm blogging a bit. The random thoughts today are a slight peek into my nerdy side :) I have a slight fascination with history--not war (since this is all the History Channel really shows during the day, SO created by boys, for boys), but the stories of people, understanding them, and what made them tick. I guess it's what made me choose Fam History as a minor and Psychology as a Grad student!

My latest interest has been in studying the lives of women leaders. I have simultaneously been reading 2 books: a book about 5 queens of Europe who were granddaughters of Queen Victoria; The other book is a collection of biographies of each of the LDS General Relief Society presidents, since the days of Emma Smith in Nauvoo (who, I've learned, was 5 ft. 9 in--my height!--and a year and a half older than Joseph. Yay for tall, older women everywhere! lol :). It's been interesting reading of such influential women living during similar periods of world history. The Queens of Russia, Romania, Norway, Greece, and Spain each struggled to nobly play their part in a world speeding towards the first World War. Many stumbled, and though some had great religious faith, the tragedies of life had harmful consequences on their personalities and choices. On the other hand, the biographies of the RS presidents are filled with individualized tragic events...all of which deepened their ability to care for and lead others. Interesting difference a Gospel perspective and its comfort can make.

For whatever reason, since 6th grade, I have been fascinated with the Romanov family of Russia. I vividly remember Mrs. S..something dramatically telling the story of this ruling family, and the creepy Rasputin that pretty much helped bring down their reign, and destroy their family. The movies of Anastasia (both the old Yule Bryner one, and the newer animated one), only fueled my curiosity to know more of the story. I've read the articles over the years, disproving that Anastasia actually made it out of her family's massacre alive. And yet...I'm still so interested in this story!

This interest has been peaked again with reading Born to Rule, as it follows the life of Alix, more well-known as Tsarina Alexandra, wife of Tsar Nicholas II, and mother of Anastasia. All I really knew of her is that she was the woman who brought Rasputin into history in a desperate attempt to help the health of her son. During my many hours of spare time substitute "teaching", I've read more of the depth of this woman, and can't help but pity the sad ending of her family, which was her highest priority. She had a deep faith, even refusing for years to marry her long-time love because she knew she would have to convert to a different religion (the Roman Orthodox Church). She finally did so, only feeling peace in feeling that her life was meant to help inspire her husband to rule Russia, and that God would approve of her conversion to do this, thus serving Him. Once committed to something, she threw her whole self into it.

The marriage she had with her husband is such an inspiration, and quite romantic! They were one of the few royals really dedicated and faithful to each other. They pulled together through everything, and joyfully raised a family together. She forever reminded her husband that in her eyes, his great accomplishment was being the type of husband and father he was, not being Tsar of Russia.

I've felt like I connect with this woman--we have similar personalities, depths, passion, reservations, priorities, etc. It's interesting to see her reaction to the people however, and their reaction to her. Some things, I almost feel I take as a warning not to become, while others I take comfort in relating to a woman who I can really understand. Some great quotes from her letters to family:

"We have so much to do in our short sojourn on this earth; such manifold tasks for all of us to accomplish. What joy if any small way we can help another wanderer bear his heavy cross or give him courage to battle bravely on! how many faults we have to try and master-the hours seem too scarce in which to fulfill all our tasks."--11 Jan 1903

"What sorrow this life does bring, what great trials and how difficult to bear them patiently...suffering always draws one nearer to God, does it not, and when we think what Jesus Christ had to bear for us, how little and small our sorrows seem in comparison, and yet we fret and grumble and are not as patient as He was." --26 April 1894

Well, this topic has made me tired enough to actually get some sleep :)

Adventures in Babysitting...uh, I mean Substitute Teaching!

2008-11-20T16:55:00.005-07:00

So, after my 2nd time of subbing at a high school that Dangerous Minds (or Coach Carter, Freedom Writers, o Stand & Deliver--take your pick!) could have been based off of, I've decided I need to write down a few of the "adventures" I have been having lately with my latest career choice!

I signed up to work with a company that promised daily jobs, and that they would even give me the choice of valley-wide schools to work for each day. I knew I was in trouble however when the over-chatty government worker handed me my substitute teaching certificate and said, "Boy! We've been getting a lot of you guys lately, more than usual! Must be the economy these days....". She was right! Jobs have been scarce, giving me only a few opportunities a week (if that) to work. So when a job actually comes along...you take it!

This level of desperation has led me to accept jobs across the valley...and when I say across, I mean ACROSS. NW Glendale, Laveen, Southwest Phoenix, you name it...I've driven the 45 minutes to get there BEFORE rush hour starts. At most of these schools, I have found myself to be the minority, both in race, religion, and sometimes even sexual-orientation. The teaching method of most schools I have been in, is to hand the children busy-work. I come in, all ready to read stories, lead lessons, and make learning fun (that's the educational background I have), only to hear a grumpy teacher bark out in broken English, "Get your books out 1st grade! Copy them, word for word, 5 times! No talking!". All fun is then zapped from my job, as I then have to become Miss Meany, the No-Noise Monitor. Boo!

Of course, not all experiences have been like this. For the most part, I have found children starved of positive attention & a kind word. In situations like the above, I suddenly feel like the Florence Nightingale of substitute teachers, as I quietly go from child to child, looking at their work, and complimenting them each for something specific. I LOVE seeing the smiles light up their faces from the encouragement. Some class personalities allow me to do this, others don't. Today's for instance, really didn't. In fact, with most of the kids bigger than me and already of a legal age, I was pretty sure at a few points they were just going to beat me up. They were already partly doing it on each other anyways. The language out of their mouths was....graphic, to say the least,both in words used and subject matter talked about, and the non-motivated attitudes epitomized what you would only expect to find in a made-up teenager on sit-com TV. Needless to say, after an attempt at conversation with the student counsel led to questions about if I'd ever #(*%&@?! been to *@(#*&% Chip N Dale's, like the girl turning 18 next week was doing, I stuck to reading the book I brought and counted down the hours for normalcy to return to my life!

A few days ago, I had a profound experience that, if for nothing else, can surely b used in a talk one day on the importance of not labeling others. I had a class of 6th graders who had not yet had a stable teacher (i.e. 4 months of subs!). All were actually pretty good kids, and I was left with an open day to fill with my own creativity (YES!) Pretty soon however, my creative genius was thwarted by a few ruffians in the back. Godfrey, Rammon (who also went by both Juan and RJ throughout the day), Jason, and Daniel...for some odd reason, some teacher, somewhere, had thought it a bright idea to stick all these little hooligans together at one table. They were rude, distracting, loud, disruptive, and even at times, physically harmful to both others & themselves. They refused to follow any instruction, and often just ht the floor and stated making baby sounds if I tried to address them one-on-one. Needless to say, was not amused and authoritative Ms. Alamo came out, yelling a few choice instructions.

Lunch time came, and to no one's surprise, this table of future-criminals were left, not yet dismissed due to unfollowed directions. I seized the opportunity to calmly go into a stern spiel about their behavior being unacceptable. Two sentences into my discipline however, the thought came that if I continued to treat the boys as outlaws, their behavior would remain that way throughout the day. So instead, I heard my voice change and the words come out, "Hey, I know you guys are good kids....you are GOOD KIDS. I know that. I can be the nicest teacher you've ever had, or one of the meanest. It's really up to how you choose to behave. Please don't make me be mean, I want to be nice today. Can you all help me with this?" heads nodded. "Good. Should we start over when you guys get back?" this time, I heard a few "Yeah"'s come from them. I took a deep breath of encouragement, and dismissed them.

I'm not going to say the rest of the day with these kids was easy...getting them to quietly read took about 20 minutes of patient (and sometimes stern) coaching to get away from each other. But the minute I saw even one of them actually LOOKING at a book page, I ran over and thanked them for the good job they were doing. I did this with each one of them (minus Daniel who was...MIA for some odd reason). Pretty soon, I was able to go back to this group of boys and tell them they were currently the most well-behaved group in the whole class. They were ALL on task and working hard. The boys looked at each other and laughed, saying, "Yeah, THAT'S never happened before! We usually only get yelled at." Daniel did eventually come back, and even annoyed the boys that he only wanted to play not work. He unfortunately was eventually sent to the office to spend the rest of the day (A first for me!), but it did solve the problem.

Godfrey, a little african-american boy, especially soaked up any little praise I gave him about the work he was doing. He went from the little boy that morning threatening to cut his wrists, to intently writing two paragraphs about his thoughts on school. The real reward came when he told me, "Ms. Alamo? You're nicest substitute I ever had. I ain't never liked a substitute, but I like you!" :) Pretty big compliment coming from a boy I'd been snarling at only that morning!

Alas, the day did not end happy. The permanent teacher appeared in the class during the last 5 minutes, along with a neighboring teacher. The neighboring teacher immediately said, 'Want to know who the angels and devils are? I'll tell you!" he then systematically went around the room, pointing to each child and labeling them as "Angel". He got to Godfrey--sweet Godfrey!, who looked hopefully up at the teacher's pointed finger--and said, "This one? This one is a devil! You better watch him! He's not like the others!" He then pointed to Rammon/RJ/Juan and said the same thing. I watched Godfrey's face just fall at the label given to him in front of his brand new teacher. I was standing next to Rammon at the time, who I heard say, "Man, that's messed up! I mean, i can be bad, but I can be real good too! I've got two sides of me! I'm not always bad, mannnn!!", Godfery too was mumbling in disgust and looked at me, 'But I was good today, right ms. Alamo?", to which I affirmed, and tried to high-five him a few times for the job well done before he left.

What on EARTH, gives a man the right to make someone else feel the way I saw Godfrey feel? Who on EARTH employed that man to shape young minds?! I was so mad that day as I left, feeling like with one loud, imposing label, this man had undermined all the progress I had made with the boys that day. Positive Reinforcement had actually worked on some pretty tough kids seeking any kind of attention they could get.

It made me think though--people really do tend to live up to the labels we give them (or, the expectations set for them). Or, as my roommate so poignantly put it, "it's easier to believe the bad stuff people tell us about ourselves. So, if they say that's who we are...we'll believe them. And we seldom disapoint." Is it any wonder then, that from an early, impressionable age, the church teaches us we are a "Child of God"? How wonderful is that? :) We are labeled the highest honor that can be given to a creation on this planet--His child. The expectations are set, the destination high, yet achievable. I'm so grateful for the kind encouragement we get from an all-knowing God, who knows our potential, and encourages us to that point, instead of punishing us for not yet being there.

So, with all this in mind, I have accepted a position at Keystone Montessori ( http://www.keystonemontessori.com/ ), a school that believes in quiet, patient encouragement of the child. After thinking about it, it seems more like the method our Heavenly Father uses in our spiritual upbringing..and one I would like to develop more myself. I start in January! I'm looking forward to the challenge of learning new methods. Honestly...I'm SO excited about this position! Reasons I'm excited:

--the diverse group of students have such an attitude that instead of being labeled a "minority school", it feels more like a "culturally diverse school" (meaning, they actually look me in the eye and don't try and make me feel guilty for being born how I was born.) Culture becomes a celebration that enhances the learning environment, instead of a label.

--They teach Spanish! Yay, I get to tutor in Spanish!

--I'll work with a teacher from Vera Cruz, Mexico...who already knows I'm Mormon that served as a missionary in south America, and she's asked a question or two :) Oh...and she hates having to run by a watch as much as I do :)

--My job will be to specifically work one-on-one with each child to monitor their progress...my forte.

--I am in charge of "Individual Fieldtrips"--meaning taking different kids to the public library, or to go get more "frog food" from the local petstore. How fun is that? Random breaks in the routine are fun to me :)

--We do art! And there's a heavier focus on Science than in most schools.

--And the ring-dinger of them all: Free trip to Washington DC! :) Apparently a "class field trip" in this school means taking 26 pre-teens to the US Capital! Or Pennsylvania...apparently the kids haven't decided yet :)

Until next time blog-readers! :)

Stake Conferance Talk

2008-11-03T04:56:00.013-07:00

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to speak at Stake Conferance (kind of a joint gathering of many LDS Single Adult congregations). My greatest fear was that I would not end by my 5:45 pm cut-off time limit, thus cutting into President Barney's talk. My time-allotment was extended to 15 minutes, and I ended right on time (phew!!!:) I loved the other talks given, and learned a lot in preparing one myself. Overall, I really loved the experience!

Two weeks ago during a stake Rodeo dance, our 2nd Counselor, President Skinner (who BTW is awesome--he dressed up as dwight from The Office for Halloween!) pulled me aside and asked if I would speak. He told me he felt impressed to let me pick my own topic, and wanted me to think it over. That's when I felt true intimidation from an assignment! I jotted down some ideas, but during sacrament meeting, one idea stood out clearly in my mind. I've learned to start trusting those clear first impressions, so I went with it! The thoughts that came to my mind after, and the scriptures that accompnied them have touched my heart. I wanted to share some of the insights here, in hopes that they might touch another heart as well. Because I didn't have time, I didn't go into as much detail at the pulpit as I had written down when the thoughts first came. Here I'm going to expand though... :) ***Note: I recommend either turning the sound off, or scrolling down to the bottom and choosing "Nearer, My God to Thee" by Lex de Azevedo to listen to...George Strait & Rob Thomas just don't seem like really approrpriate back-ground music for this! :)***

STRENGTHENING ONE ANOTHER THRU FRIENDSHIP & SERVICE
LUKE 22:32 "When Thou art converted, strengthen thy bretheren"
D&C 108:7 "Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversations, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings."

I have noticed the theme of many conferance talks lately have been pep talks about enduring trials and hard times. This theme strikes a chord with singles. During this time, our testimonies are being tested & tried--by the world, by peers, & even sometimes by family. We are in a stage of life where we have gained independance from parents, but not quite moved on to co-dependance with a companion. We can experience some of the toughest "trials" during this period because we are dealing with matters of the heart. We cannot hide from lonliness or the sadness this can sometimes bring in quiet hours. We often cannot escape the sorrows of broken hearts. During this time of choosing our Eternal Companion, it is a time of trial & error, learning & growth, highs & lows. These years though, are so vitally essential to our eternal development. We cannot escape them, nor should we.

However, the thought kept coming to me was not to speak about how to get ourselves through our own trials, but instead to focus on how we can help others through their trials. Why should we strengthen our brethren? And how do we do it?

Why do we have trials?
I had an experience in the temple over the summer. I had a simple desire to go, but no driving reason: I was at peace in my life and very happy. It seemed like just a normal temple visit. However, for a reason I did not understand at the time, my mind was opened during the temple session, and it was as if I had a teacher sitting beside me showing me each trial in my life, and what specific thing I had learned from that trial. I was filled with understanding, even to the point of complete gratitude as I began to see each "trial" as a true blessing in my life. They became blessings because I saw how they each brought me to the point of happiness I am at today.
At the end of this out-pouring of instruction, I realized that each sorrow in my life had carved out a hole in my heart, that (when I allowed) the Savior had been able to fill with his love. I began to understand that these trials had helped me grow in my capacity to feel compassion and the Savior's love towards others. I wondered why I had received such instruction right then?

A couple of weeks later, I was called to be Relief Society President. It was shared with me that while I was sharing my testimony of the above experience, both the Bishop and his 1st counselor knew I was to be called. I now found myself caring for the welfare of 120 young women, the majority of which were much younger than me...and all of which were going through the struggles of single's life. I have since thought back to that temple experience many times, and drawn upon the memories of my own "trials" as I have tried to offer compassion and comfort to sisters in the ward.

I remember having a discussion with a mission companion once, who felt she had had no major trials in life. (I personally think this was just her eternal optimism showing thru! :) As we heard story after sad story of the hard-times going on in investigator's lives, she often felt it was hard to relate, and felt she lacked the words of comfort to offer...to the point that she felt not having "trials" had been a trial in her life! I have found now that I am greatful to be able to remember past trials & the ways I wanted to be comforted, when approaching sisters now that are going through the same thing.

We often wonder what Heavenly Father wants us to learn & gain from a trial as we go through them. I have come to believe that we pass through some trials to prepare us to serve others who will pass through the same. The Savior experienced the greatest "trial" of His life in Gethsemane, so that he could know how to comfort each of us in our hour of need.

Two stories came to mind to illustrate this. I only had time to share 1 in conferance though. I think the other was just to help cement the concept in my mind :)

Story #1) My first week on the mission was a major culture-shock. Mainly with the amount (or lack of) food we ate. I went from eating 3 hearty meals a day in the MTC, to 1 cup of rice a day in the mission field. We walked all day with a bag over one shoulder. I understood nothing of the language. I was exhausted, bored, and constantly hungry. I questioned a million times why I had come out to a country clear on the bottom tip of the worldb where I knew NO ONE, just to smile at people all day and starve to death! I felt miserable, and one night while praying, just could not take it anymore. I remember the hunger pains cutting so deep that I began to cry...I think the exhaustion is what kept me crying. In this moment of complete dispair, forcably came into my mind the words, "I will not leave you comfortless!". My crying abrubptly stopped, and a peace of pure comfort spread through my body, like a warmth, and made my whole body tingle. I basked in it! I later found that the verse was from John 14:18. (I also discovered a grocery store within a few days and solved the lack of food problem :). The experience was a turning point for me--from that point on, I knew I was where the Lord needed me to be, and that He would not leave me alone to do His work. The Savior became a very personal friend to me in that moment. It made me wonder though, how was he able to comfort me so completely? How was he able to extend that loving hand of mercy in my hour of need?

Story #2) Fourteen months later, during my very LAST week of the mission, my question was answered. The elders had handed us an investigator who had already received a first lesson. We went in to teach her the second, and she was clearly not that interested. She had her own religion and felt satisfied, she said. She had invited us in to be open-minded, and because her father had just passed away and she wanted the comfort of prayers said in her house. She invited us back, so I went to leave her the typical reading assignment from the Book of Mormon. Into my mind came the thought, "leave her Alma chapter 7 to read". My face scrunched up in confusion--Alma 7 is a bold invitation to be baptized. This woman was not ready for that, it made no sense. I ignored the thought, and left her a light-and-fluffy neutral passage about faith instead.
My very last day--in fact my very last hour as a missionary with an assigned area, we stopped by her house for a follow-up visit. I had been invited to dine with a dear friend and neighbor to bid farewell, and was tempted to reschedule the appointment. Something though pulled at my heartstrings with this woman, and I had to go visit her. We followed-up with her regarding the passage, and she kind of blew it off, saying she had read it, but it was nothing new. After a while, she confessed to us with painful eyes and heartfelt words that she believed her father was in a better place, and that she believed she would see him again one day. That did not, however, change the hurt she was feeling right now at loosing him. She wanted comfort.
Again, even stronger this time, came into my mind Alma chapter 7. I flipped it open, and saw that the verses about baptism were indeed verses 13 & 14, but the verses the Spirit wanted me to share with her were verses 11 & 12 that speak of the Savior Jesus Christ:
"And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptaions of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
"And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities"

In Greek, the word for bowels means "the tender affections of the heart; compassion". So, if we substitute that in, the scripture says, "he will take upon him their infirmities, that the tender affections of his heart may be filled with mercy..." I love that!

I then testified to that dear woman that she had a personal Savior, who had not only died and been resurected so that she may one day see her father again, but he had also suffered through her present afflictions. He had taken them upon himself, so that he could now fully comfort her. A light came into her eyes as she grasped this concept, and she expressed deep gratitude in learning this new truth about the Atonement of Jesus christ. I realized in that moment, as the Spirit filled the room, that her savior loved her so much, he had sent his servents not to baptize her, but simply to help her understand that she had a Redeemer waiting to comfort her in her hour of need. 10 minutes later, I was in a taxi, and starting my journey back to America. I will never forget the lesson I learned that day, of feeling the intense love and compassion God has for each of his children. I knew in that moment that He knows us each individually, and what we are going through. He stands ready, waiting for us to turn to Him for the strength and comfort we need to pass through trials. [note: Mosiah 3:7-9 also illustrates this point: "And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer...And lo, he cometh unto his own that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name."]

I came to understand during those last tender moments as a missionary, that Christ suffered physical, mental, and spiritual trials in order to have the capacity for the kind of compassion that leads to mercy. He fulfilled the law of justice with his death, but he is able to extend the hand of mercy to us because of the deep compassion he has for each of us. I am forever greatful for that compassion!

The concept that really struck me while preparing this talk is that through baptism, we have covenanted to take upon us the Name of Christ, to become like him, and to "mourn with those that mourn, yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort" (Mosiah 18:9). If we are truly to become like the Savior, we must have the capacity to comfort & strengthen others in their time of need. How do we extend that comfort to others, when we have not yet gained the capacity to do so? Trials are a catalyst to developing that capacity!

[sidenote: today while watching a biography on the life of Spencer W. Kimball, the 12th prophet of the LDS church, I learned that he lost his mother at an early age, and the older sister who then raised him died early as well. He also went through multiple health problems that should have taken his life, including throat cancer, 2 brain surgeries, and open heart surgery. In the biography, they said that these experiences deepened his compassion for the thousands of people he conuseled during his lifetime of service. He continusly drew upon them.]

How do we strengthen our brethren?
Through service! Service is to trials what advil is to a headache: it dulls the pain and allows us to feel happiness in life again! I have gotten to the point where I absolutly crave a service project when going through a difficult time, because I know it will get my mind off my own sorrows, and get me through the ordeal quicker. It's like a little eraser that just takes away the pain for a bit.

How do we serve one another in a single's ward setting?
1) Magnify our callings! I cannot think of one single calling in the church that does not give us the opportunity to serve someone else. Every calling is designed to help us serve others, and build friendships. We can use our callings to creatively serve others, and get to know them. Our callings can be used as "excuses" to go outside our comfort zone and meet others. I used to feel funny doing this in meetings, but now have had to do it so often that i think it's odd we don't all do this more often. It's so easy to just go up to someone and say, "Hi, I work with the Relief Society and don't think I know you yet, I'm Beth. What's your name? What do you do?", or "Hi! I'm a district leader and your in my district! What was your name? Oh! Are you going to school?" etc.

2) Pray for one another. We love those we pray for and serve. It's a simple, yet profound truth. In the RS Presidency, every week we each pick out a girl to pray for that is going through a difficult time. We then will include that girl in our daily individual prayers. I have been completely amazed at the miracles I have seen happen with this simple approach! I wish I could go into more detail, but lives, hearts, and attitudes have changed the very week these individual prayers began. I have also seen a change in myself, as I have come to feel a deep love for the girl I am daily praying for. Prayer is a powerful tool we can use to strengthen one-another!

3)Practice friendshipping skills. A true friendship helps brings others to Christ. We can do that by helping others feel loved and cared for, inquiring after them and showing concern about what is going on in their lives. If we don't feel comfortable talking to people due to being shy, not knowing what to say, or simply just not really caring---practice!! Fake it till you make it. The more we practice "small talk" conversation skills, the easier it will come to us. In the church, we are to ask each other how we're doing: "And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls" (Moroni 6:5). Initiaing friendships is a way to strengthen one another. (also I have written down here Hymn #293...I'll have to find the words later, I think it talks about friendships that bring us closer to Christ).

4) Lonely? Find some someone lonelier and make a friend :) Get invovled! Friendships are usually made outside of the 3-hour block of church. Go to FHE, do your visiting teaching/home teaching, and go to, or host your own game nights! By building these friendships, we will find opportunities to serve, thus making both us and others happier! :)

5) Speak positive words, words of affirmation. We are surrounded by "put downs" in today's media and American humor. We should be builders, not wreckers of self-esteem. Complment others. When we notice the good in them, point it out to them. It's a sure-fire way to make friends, strengthen others...and probably even get a few extra dates out of the deal :)

In closing, I read my favorite scripture. It is regarding serving our fellowman (Docterine & Covenants 81:4-5)-
"And in doing these things thou wilt do the greatest good unto thy fellow beings, and wilt promote the glory of him who is your Lord.
Wherefore, be faithful: stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees."

I then bare my testimony that I know our burdens will ligthen as we serve others, and strengthen one another. I bear testimony that there is a Savior who knows and loves each of us, that these things are true. And close it in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Again, I apologize for my lack of brevity, but it's what has been on my mind for 2 weeks! If you've made it this far though, I would love to hear your own thoughts and insights. My understanding of the topic has increased as people have told me the thoughts they had while I was speaking. (like that it just makes you feel 10 times better when someone knows what you're going through, and can say that). I'd really love to hear your thoughts! And....on 2nd thought...that Rob Thomas song below actually goes pretty well with this whole theme. it says "Call on me, I'll be there for you, and you'll be there for me!". Haha, no wonder I like that song so much! :)

"What did Della where..."--where my foot (or car tires) have touched in the US!

2008-10-29T04:01:00.003-07:00

visited 33 states (66%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or determine the next president

I think my visits accross the U.S. have been a little bottom-heavy! One reason I chose to live in Arizona is because I get cold SO easily...and probably one of the subconscience reasons I've stayed out of all our northern states!

I would really love to visit New England though one day!

Speed typing...ready...set...go!

2008-10-05T02:03:00.003-07:00

87 words

Typingtest

A Recap of Summer

2008-08-24T22:41:00.010-07:00

I've decided to try this blog again. Life seems to be a rush of learning and growing right now...and it might be a good idea to write some of it down. I love the lessons and am just trying to keep up!

This summer was FUN-tastic!! The highlights were a trip to Mexico with friends and a trip to Delaware with the fam. For some reason, it was one of my most favorite vacations with my family! I loved both trips so much that I decorated my whole bathroom with a beach theme...especially anything that reminded me of the east coast shoreline. Imagine how excited I got when I came home and met a girl who had just moved here from....REHOBOTH BEACH!!

(Mexico!)

(and how would Mexico pictures be complete without a picture with this cute old woman selling hand-painted art on the beach? :)

~DELAWARE~

(David, Leslie & I enjoying some Delaware waves :)

(Leslie & Mom, Me & David, Mommom & Poppop)

Aww, we <3>

One of my favorite pictures of David during the trip--he's really learned to ham it up!

A highlight of the trip was learning more about my great-great-Grandfather, P.B. Elliott (the original Phillip Benjamin Elliott that both my great-g'father and grandfather are named after). He worked at the Indian River Life Saving Station ( a pre-curser to the Coast Guard at the turn of the century). I had visited the life station before and toured it....but this trip really hit home for me. I felt the connection with a man who spent his life in service to his fellow man....it's a trait that I see in my mom, in one that I hope I can continue to pass on to my kids one day. What really got me was watching the pictures flash by of 19th century CPR being performed on a stormy beach while Kathy Matea sang of the storms they overcame in this old Irish way. I HAVE to find that song, it was soul stirring enough to cement in my heart the awesome-ness of my g-g-grandfather's life :)

(David in front of the I.R. Life Saving Station that P.B. Elliott worked at)

(One of the pictures drawn in the 1800's showing how P.B. Elliott saved men from ships going down in the storm)

I've also had a lot of fun decorating my 1st leased apartment. They've been okay with any colors I splash onto the wall, or any holes I pound in as I constnatly rearrange all the works of art I seem to be obsessed with lately. I found a huge painting of The Creation finger-touch painting by Michaelangelo, and just love staring at it and contemplating the Eternities.....or gazing at a glowing sunset over a Tuscan field full of red poppies and feeling tranquilo :) Having a place feel so homey has let me finally host dinner parties and other gatherings...it's been soo fun!

The Delaware beach memories inspired bathroom :)

Showcasing some of my macro photography. Taking pictures of flowers was a sort of phase I went through earlier this year...it's on the backburner for now. All of these flowers were found right outside of my apartment!

My Tuscan inspired corner...or "The Red Wall" as it's affectionately called ;)

Decorating the top of the kitchen cabinets started as a big challenge! It's been fun finding things on huge discount at different stores and fitting pieces together.

By far, the best part of the summer has been the friendships! 6 months ago I was at a crossroads in my life, not quite knowing where to go. I was offered a job back in my homestate of Texas and seriously considered it for the chance to start something new. Instead, I chose to move to a new part of town...Ahwatukee. Funny how one decision can completely change the course of life! I have appreciated the friendships and loved the people I have met through the Tempe University 1st ward.

26th Birthday Bash!

Roomie & Me

I hope all who read this are doing well! Until next time,

Beth

~La Fotografia~

2008-02-22T01:08:00.000-07:00

To fulfill my 2007 New Years Resolution, I enrolled in a photography class January of 2008. :) The class has taught me a lot, but the most enjoyable part of it has been the actual practice. With the miracle of an invention we call the digital camera, I find myself taking over a 100 pictures in half an hour, just practicing and re-practicing different techniques. My favorite subjects so far have been half-willing friends for portrait shots and "macro" or close-up shots of nature. There is so much beauty out there!! I recently saw a quote that rang so true. It said, "The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." (Marcel Proust....whoever he is, he was wise!) Photography has given me those new eyes. And, metaphorically applied to my life, has helped me take new "snapshots" of old surroundings. Instead of running to something new, I am slowly learning to take a second look at that which has grown dull and faded around me. With new eyes, comes the re-birth of the beauty and blessings that surround me.

Conference Weekend

2007-10-07T19:52:00.001-07:00

What perfect timing for conference! I have been looking forward to October's conference more so than I had to previous conferences. I'm not sure why, but just greater desirer to hear the talks. It was a perfect time for me though due to some recent events that were a little more emotionally painful than I anticipated. I don't know what it is about the bretheren of the church--the Apostles especially--but they exude such confidence and optimism, that it always puts me at peace. Somehow, whenever I hear them speak, I know all will be well. Or as President Hinckley says, "Everything will work out."
I was thrilled to hear of Elder (President?!) Eyring's new calling! He's always been a favorite. I also loved hearing Sister Julie Beck's talk on motherhood. Her first talk in conference years ago was on motherhood, and it won me over. She told us in the MTC that she had prepared a different talk, but then 6 weeks before conference it came to her very strongly to write on motherhood. She scrambled to change her whole talk around. But then, when Elder Perry stood up that conference to talk about fatherhood, she knew why she'd been prompted to change. The speakers don't know what the others are going to talk about, or the order, so it was really neat to see how much they had been inspired. I also remember her in the MTC taking time out of her Easter Sunday and the family waiting for her at home to shake all of our hands afterwards and meet us. I just like her. She's quality!
This weekend I also remembered some of the joys of being single. I can apply for EFY again...for the entire Summer! I can take a tour to Jerusalem or South America like I've always wanted. I can really pursue my grad studies without distraction. I'm not quite ready to get out there and date, I just really have no interest in it for now. Maybe in a few months or the begining of next year. But for now...I'm just drained and need to heal. It makes me think of that George Strait song, "She let herself go...to New York city, spent a week at the spa, came back knocked out pretty. When he said he didn't love her no more, she let herself go...to Vegas once, Honolulu..."

So here's my crazy plan so far: Double up Grad classes and finish my degree by June. Quit UOP. Then take the trip to Jerusalem with Brother Mcklay's tour for two weeks. Spend the next 4-5 weeks EFY'ing. See the fam. Start....teaching?? Dallas pays really well and I could get certified. I wouldn't mind going into the counseling field actually. LDS services? A school? i'm not sure, but I wouldn't mind one bit. I just need the next big challenge to look forward too! I would like to be ready to switch to teaching by the next school year......hm....food for thought!

Alright, enough blogging for one night! Good night world! :)

Love,
Beth

Blogging???!

2007-09-10T02:40:00.000-07:00

Hello World!!

So, though the only blogs I have yet seen are made by mothers showcasing their adorably cute children, I've decided to give the world of online blogging a try. I've been publishing my pictures on facebook...but it has become so public that...well, let's just say that just because I knew a kid back in 4th grade does not mean I want him reading about my life or looking at pictures of it now. I wanted to give this a try and see if I can keep it just family and close friends based. Short little updates of my life, travels, work, romance, and whatever else strikes my fancy!

I'd love to see some other family and friends start their own blogs too!

Hope you are all doing well!

Love,
Beth