Flirting???

So I went to Wal-mart last night to buy a bunch of candy bars for a bridal shower game. This is what the guy in line behind me had to say:

Guy: "I admire your dedication to nutrition"

Me: "Well, what can I say."

Guy: "You didn't find Mr. Goodbar"

Me: "I looked and looked, but couldn't find him."

Guy: "Why don't they make women candy bars?"

Me: "They have Hot Tamales."

Guy: "It's ok, I like them better in person."

Hahaha!! I'm still laughing! I felt like a big fat fatty fat buying all those candy bars...even thought I had no intention of eating them!

Video of Joey Opening a Present From me on the Mission:)

5K Before Turkey Day

So this race was a week or so ago!! Natalie invited me to run and has me all sorts of running motivated now!! My mom raced too, she's a rockstar like that...she may be getting "old" but she can kick my trash in a race, haha! These pics are so flattering, don't ya think... tee hee... what can I say, big, baggie, brown shirts just do a lot for our figures and the bed hair is just plain sexy!! More pics to come from the Thanksgiving race this week!

Damn.

HaPpY, ConTEnT, GrAteFuL

Why is it that we are never happy with our bodies?? I just don't get it...my skinny friends and chubby friends alike, we're just never happy. Now that I've finally kicked my butt back into gear to loose some weight...I'm back to my college weight!! Woot! Woot! I feel so good and so happy and even content. In college I felt, chunky, or as my brother would say it "she's just a little bit chunky." It's funny to be the same weight but to have a completely different mindset about it. It sucks how the weight sneaks up on you.... Needless to say, I think I need to start looking at things from another perspective, instead of thinking "wow, I've got some weight to loose" I should really think, "wow, I'm so glad that I'm not 20 lbs heavier!"

As some of you know, I went 50 days without eating out, hooray. To celebrate making it 50 days, my friend Elissa took me out to dinner at Applebee's where I could still eat some healthy, good food! I ordered the 4 oz steak and salad. They have this amazing low-fat dressing! I want to steal the bottle or their recipe!! Elissa has been one of my biggest cheer leaders, I am so grateful for her!!!

I also treated myself to a pedicure for reaching 40 lbs of weight loss this year! Can you believe it? I'm actually a little embarrassed to post about it, but it's not like you couldn't tell that I had a little junk in my trunk, haha. I still have some work to do, but again, I'm happy at where I am. It feels so good!!! I never want to be ungrateful again!! When I get to my goal weight I am going Ski-diving, so if anyone else wants to join, I'll keep ya posted!!

Here's a pic Niki took just for kicks, we'll call this my "half-way to goal" pic:).

3 Miles

I ran 3 miles tonight at Sugar House Park!

I couldn't believe I ran and that I didn't run/walk!

I feel good!

I hope I can do it again tomorrow!

Any Man of Mine-- Favorite Songs!

I was driving home from work yesterday and this song came on the radio. This song (click on song!) makes me laugh every time I hear it. I love it's twangy, catchy beat! Oh how I loved Shania growing up; her and Billy Ray... that's it, let's look up Billy Ray (Click on Billy Ray!) while were at it!! Ah, the memories are flooding now... Kristy and I would put on our cowgirl boots, get out a spatula for a microphone and dance around the house! Well folks, I hope you enjoyed my little country post today as much I did!!

**Carolyn I know how you love country... plug your ears if you must, but you're really missin' out, haha! Maybe I should youtube my teenage favorite too... do you remember when I would blast the radio while washing my car?? Wray hated it! Okay, here it is Truly Madly Deeply!! Savage Garden... wow! This is kind of fun... I think everyone should youtube their favorite childhood, teenage, college and current song! EVERYONE STARTS THOSE TAG THINGS, HOW ABOUT I BE A TREND SETTER RIGHT NOW... I TAG YOU ALL! (Please, I'm beggin you...let me know if you do it!)

1. Favorite Childhood Song: Achy Breaky Heart
2. Favorite Teenage Song(s): Truly Madly Deeply and All-Star and one more Angels Among US
3. Favorite College Song(s): I'm in a Hurry and Secret
3. Favorite "Right Now" Song(s): Party in the USA (Thanks to Heather!) All the Single Ladies (Thanks to the media!) Life is a Highway. Okay, so there's more, but I don't have time to find them all...


Well we all know that I'm not a music junkie...I love music, I love how it makes me feel, the way it makes me think, the way it inspires me...I need to expand my collection however. I might even put itunes on my computer next week... I'm thinking that it might be helpful, since I have an ipod and all. Currently my ipod consists of my mom and sisters country and my brother Aarons rap/rock music... I hope you all DO this tag and I can start making a list of songs I can add to my very own itunes!!

Ensign Peak

I had the day off yesterday so Niki and I went and hiked Ensign Peak! What a great view of the Salt Lake Valley! I really want to go hiking more often and explore Utah!!

SoMEtHiNG BiG Is gOiNg DowN!

That’s right…SOMETHING BIG IS GOING DOWN! I’ve been wanting to kick my behind into gear for a while now…saying things like “next week I’ll start doing this” or “for sure I’ll do that tomorrow.” Well those little sayings are well slowly diminishing! Something has overcome me. I feel like that song “Live Like You are Dying.” Now for the evidence…

Evidence #1- Last week, I took all the vegetables in my fridge and made up a recipe for vegetable soup in my crock-pot! You might ask, what’s the big deal about making soup, whoopteedoo. The big deal is that I haven’t really been making meals for a while, just sandwiches and lean cuisines, etc. As of late, I’ve made fresh salads, soups, barbecued chicken and all sorts of yummy, healthy meals. Oh and I haven’t been out to eat in over a month! It’s a new record!

Evidence #2- I used to say someday I would learn to quilt. A few weeks ago I attended my first quilting class. It’s once a month. A square a month. I figure I can do that. Sounds like I’ve gone domestic doesn’t it… oh wow! Maybe this has something to do with turning a year older and being on the down hill slope to 30… teehee.

Evidence #3- I sat down and decided “What Matters Most?” This was inspired by a Relief Society/Enrichment lesson and a talk entitled “What Matters Most?” A few blogs ago I wrote about how I was inspired to change a few things. Well I’ve been working on some of those things. I wrote down all kinds of goals, sorta like new years resolutions. Yeah, it’s almost October, but what they hay…maybe I’ll just be that much more prepared, one can only hope. Here is just a glimpse into a few of my goals…
Spiritual- Read Book of Mormon, 6 pages minimum/day to finish by Christmas. Temple, weekly. Magnify callings.
Physical-Exercise 30 min/day. Continue my healthy eating kick.
Intellectual- Read 1book/month. (Finish The Persian Pickle Club and then Breaking Dawn). 20 minutes tops on the computer on weekdays. Take another ele. teaching math class.
Emotional- Journal 1/week (This one is a hard one, you all might have to help me out with this one) and Weekly service.
Financial- Stay within budget. Look for a part time job, so I can save more…turns out being salary isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Oh yeah, I work for the State…

Evidence #4- I go to the gym or go walking with Niki and/or my mom. I love the theater cinema at Gold’s Gym! I love when they play action films, I get walking or running with the music. It can be slightly embarrassing if I laugh out loud, I’m working on it okay…

Evidence #5- I make my bed every single day without fail. I’ve been doing this since school began. It’s a miracle. No more hit and miss!

Evidence #6- I’ve lost a few inches in my waist! That’s right, the junk in my trunk has shrunk…well not really my trunk but you get my drift.

Evidence #7- I feel good. I want to better myself. I wake up each day wanting to be a little better. I believe. I pray. I hope.

So yeah, when these times of motivation come, you just have to take them and run with them! I have so many things and goals I want to accomplish now and by doing the simple ones I listed I know I can accomplish all things I set forth to do!

This quote has helped me out a lot lately:

"You can have anything you want, if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, if you hold that desire with singleness of purpose."-Abraham Lincoln

So what matters most to me? What matters most is that I am being true to myself. That I’m making the most out of my life and accomplishing what the Lord has set for me to do. That I fill my days with things that are going to ultimately make me a better woman, a better friend, a better sister, a better daughter, a better teacher, a better citizen, a better mother (someday), a better wife (someday), and an all around better human being.

My first attempts at quilting...not bad eh? It took 5 hours...!

"I forgot how we mett, but I'm glad we did."--6th Grader

I came across a note that a 6th grade boy wrote to me at the end of last year. This kid was a Safety Patrol kid. I typically say hi to all the Safety Patrol kids in the hallway in the morning. This particular kid liked to make small talk. At the end of last school year I received this note from him. (I'll try to copy his exact spelling and punctuation for effect. PS I was never his teacher, so don't blame me for his mistakes!)

Front of Card: "Best Teacher Ever" Written in bubble letters and colored very nice.

Left Inside of Card: (There are lots of random messages written all over the page): "Good Bye," "Bye," "I hope I will see u ever again," "I forgot how we mett, but I'm glad we did," "Hope to See U." **As you can tell from the title of this post, "I forgot how we mett, but I'm glad we did" was my favorite line! He's going to be a little heart breaker as he begins to date! How sweet is he.

Right Inside of Card:

"Dear, Mrs. finlly,

I'm just saying thanks for being a cool teacher. I will have to say you and Mrs. Radman are the coolest teachers in the whole school. You guys are funny, and you guys are easy to talk to, for example all the other teachers I cant really talk to them, because they are all strict, but you guys are not even like that. I wish I was in 2nd grade, so I can't be in your class next year, or mrs. Radmans. This my last day of school so Bye.
By: Collin (Not Real Name)

P. S.-I hope I spelled your name rite. I will viset u one's in a while."

It's cute little notes like this that make my job to worth it! This kid came last week to visit and tell us about middle school. I feel so blessed to be working in the area I do. A lot of the kids we teach don't have the best home life and need adult role models to be supports and mentors. I count my lucky stars that my own parents were pretty darn amazing. It's so true that you don't know what you have when you have it. Working in a poverty stricken population has definitely given me more insight into the world. I love these kids with all my heart. I've learned that it's important to be firm and to teach the kids structure, but it's also important to show love and tender mercies to these poor children.

Another recent story. Last Friday, my little homeless student, let's call him Tony; Tony came in and told me that he had to give away his dog. I asked him why and he said because they couldn't afford to feed him. He seemed a little distraught about the whole thing. Another student, Callie, came up and asked what was wrong. He proceeded to tell her that his family didn't have money to feed his dog. Callie's response was priceless, "Oh Tony, you don't have to give your dog away. My family has food for it. We have wet food and dry food. We got it from the church." Wow. Wow. Wow. The irony... Callie was so gentle and showed Christlike empathy towards this kid. I may have even shed a little tiny tear (teachers aren't emotional, so of course I would never cry at school:)). I was so impressed by this little girls genuine concern. It made me want to be a little better, serve a little more, and really consider the needs of the people around me.

My class this year is very diverse. There are 7 different races in my class. 70% are on free or reduced lunch. One of my students barely knows his abc's and another student can read 245 words per minute with great comprehension. This class is more calm than previous classes, a little chatty at times, but what 9 year old isn't?!? They seem to be more generous and thoughtful than previous classes as well. However, they haven't quite picked up on all of my jokes and are not nearly as witty as last years class...but I'll take less wit over sassy kids when it comes to teaching and maintaining a respectful classroom environment. I think this is going to be a good year. I'm excited! Cheers to a good year!

Well if you've made this far in my little rant, I have a cookie for you...too bad most of you live to far away to come get it, hehe!

Attitude

"If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it. " ~Mary Engelbreit

"Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same." ~Francesca Reigler

"It isn't our position but our disposition which makes us happy." ~Author Unknown

What Matters Most

Today's Inspiration...

The DAY that EVERYTHING went WRONG!

Haha! I ran out of time and didn't write anything after I posted this title!! So here what happened on that terrible, no good, very bad day...

I woke up to a beautiful sunrise, brushed my teeth, showered, the whole works...it was just your ordinary day. I might have been slightly sad on the inside due to the fact that my car rolled into another car the day before... And yes it was the cars fault not mine. I may or may not have been in neutral, not drive, while exiting my inclined parking spot. Don't worry, just scratches no major damage was done. I'll proceed with my day now that we've got the background info figured out. So on the beautiful Saturday, I finished preparing games to play at Elissa's bridal shower, I cleaned my room and did a little laundry. I decided I should just buy the food for the shower on the way to the shower so I didn't have to find storage for it in my fridge. An hour before the shower, I headed to Kinko's to make copies of the super awesome games for the party. Turns out Kinko's closes early on Saturday, good thing the sweet lady who worked there had pity on me and helped me out. As soon as I'm finished I run to my car so I can get to the store to buy the food... I go to my car and GUESS WHAT! It won't start!! I just sat there and laughed and possibly started singing "The Damage is Done now!" I sang that song the previous day when I rolled into that car... So who do I call? Yes daddy...he's just Mr. Handy man (Just for the reccord, I try to be Miss Independent most the time, but when car trouble is involved and a time crunch...what can say...) . He came to my rescue. He jump started my car and let me take his suburban. :). I rushed to the store and made it to the shower in time! Yeah! It turned out well!

After the shower, I drove over to my parents house to find out my car still wasn't working... it needed a new battery. So we made it a family event. Both my parents, two of my brothers and I headed for Wal-mart. We found the much needed battery and headed for home. As we merily headed down State Street between 11400 S. and 12300 S. their CAR DIED...IT WAS OUT OF GAS!!!!!!!!!!!!! My two brothers pushed the car to the gas station... can you believe it. What a day!

So really it wasn't the worst day ever, it was quite humorous really...just the irony of it all. WOW!

My mom and brothers at the gas station! Lucky for us there was a camera on hand. Don't look to closely at Aaron...he's signing "I love you..."


Dad!!! Mom's in the background telling dad not to fill up all the way because it's cheaper down the street, she's so funny. I love her!

THE PUSH!

GETTING CLOSER!

My dad and brothers installing my battery! Aren't they the best!

Thanks!

And that my friends, is the story of THE DAY THAT EVERYTHING WENT WRONG!

Thank you awesome family!

My LITTLE BROTHER is Engaged!

December 18th is the day!!
I am sooo happy for him!! Congrats brother!

San Diego-- Elissa's Wedding-- Vacation!

eLiSsa'S BrIDaL SHoWeR!

She had to answer questions about Ev and if she got them wrong she had to chew another piece of bubble gum!! Hehe!

It was sooo much fun planning this shower with Elissa's sister! I'm usually in the wrong state and can't help out with wedding stuff, it was soo much fun to be around and help Elissa out!

Do's and Don'ts of Dating Tiffany

Do...
1. Make the first move.
2. Plan the date.
3. Open the door.
4. Make me laugh.
5. Hold intelligent conversations.
6. Tell me you like my perfume.
7. Talk about life and little things, even stupid things.
8. Walk me to the door.
9. Hug me.

Don't
1. Talk about other girls and/or refer to other girls as really beautiful on the date.
2. Talk about old relationships.
3. Talk about how you're excited about the division of labor for when you married. (I know it will inevitably happen and I'm sure I'll love it...but without the most eloquent of words I might not know where you're going with it and think you expect me to be your slave and not your wife, just saying...)
4. Talk about how it's hard to know if you're the one on the first date.
5. Talk about how you don't know what to do with your life and how you have no direction. (Once again, let me clarify. It's okay if you don't know exactly where your life is going...you just have to have some sort of game plan. I am after all finished with school, working full time... as much as I want to be your sugar mama...)
6. Tell me that I can pay next time. (I really don't mind paying/taking turns, but when you tell me I need to pay next time, it sends mixed signals.)


This is a work in progress... but all of these do's and don't are a result of my past few dates! Really, I'm not that easy to please... Can you believe some of those don'ts?? I promise I'm not picky... I just want to be respected, loved, appreciated...yada, yada, yada.

New Record... 5 Dates in a Week!

Haha!!! 2 different guys... still no boyfriend, dang! Life's a dance, you learn as you go...

I have learned so much about myself through dating these guys and I've learned a lot about the male species:). I was impressed with both guys...one more than the other. I have a lot of hope now; hope for myself in becoming the kind of woman I want to be in a relationship and a lot of hope in finding a guy that has lasting qualities... You know being single isn't that bad... it's the not knowing if you'll find someone you want to spend the rest of eternity with is the hard part... Right now I feel soooo blessed because I've discovered some things that I need to do in my life to make me feel more complete and more confident in dating. Tonight at FHE two guys got my number... it's amazing how when you do your part how the Lord helps you out... :). Oh and those guys I went out with I'm still friends with both of them and I love that we can be "grown-ups" about it...no playing games... it's awesome... I'm still learning how to date, don't get me wrong, sometimes I feel like a 7th grader trapped in a 26 year old body!! But alas, life is good. Oh and another thing, both guys were set ups, well kind of, long story...set ups aren't that bad after all :).

So there you have it! My dating update, lol...sorry married friends, I know this might be a lame post for you... :)

THE BAHAMAS! Post #2

Baywatch babes!

"I ride my bike with no Handle Bars!"

My tan line had just begun!

Rental Car! Driving on the left was sooooooooo FUN! Might have been my favorite part of the trip! Ha!

Niki kept saying "Don't be a Loser Tiffany, throw your trash away!"

They have to put that sticker in every car! Isn't that flower beautiful!?!?

THe POST YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR... THE BAHAMAS! Post #1

Landing!

Sleepy Heads!

I got this movie at a garage sale, it still rocks! We watched it on Niki's little DVD player at the airport! Fun!

Pillow in hand... ready to go!

Ready for the Red-EYE!