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