Following Christ by Sustaining our Leaders

On this Easter Sunday, I have the opportunity to listen to General Conference.  I look forward to this time because I feel more relaxed as I listen to the words the Lord wants me to hear through His chosen servants.  Like many people, I was surprised by the opposition votes some voiced in the Saturday Afternoon session yesterday.  I was saddened by the fact that there are those out there who choose to not support those the Lord had chosen to represent His Church.

The past several years have shown us contention through various political groups and others who question the commandments and principles the Lord has given to us through our leaders.  There has been a great deal of accusation and excuse-making for these questionings.  When the news media focused on these groups and these groups were interviewed, I was upset.  I was angry that many of these people weren't using their common sense and actually following the commandments the Lord had laid out for them.  I couldn't understand why they felt that the Church leaders were to blame and didn't realize that these principles and commandments came from the Lord Himself.  It didn't make sense to me that they claimed to want to follow the Lord and His teachings, but were doing the total opposite!

I still don't understand why these groups feel the way they do.  Something has changed for me though.  Instead of feeling anger, I feel sadness.  As some of these people have chosen to continue in the path they have chosen, they have had consequences that are laid out by the Lord and are meant to help them return to the Lord.  However, many have made the result of their consequences public and accusatory.  The sadness I have comes from the fact that they are choosing to turn away from the path that can bring them back to the Lord.  The Lord still loves these brothers and sisters very much and I ache as I think of how the Lord and His leaders of the Church are feeling.  Everyone is a child of God and I'm sure the Lord will welcome everyone back into His arms.

I am not writing this to judge anyone.  I'm writing this because I have learned something for myself.  Even if I don't agree with everyone's beliefs, that doesn't mean they are loved less.  I need to be just as kind, caring, and loving despite what others think and do.  I already knew this, really.  I just needed to be reminded about it.  I am going to make more of an effort to understand and listen instead of becoming angry at what I believe to be unfair.  I am going to try to be more like the Savior is and forever will be:  LOVING!

For Easter, it is important to remember the Jesus Christ lives!  If you haven't seen the following video, please watch it now.  Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for us.  I can't think of a better gift! #becausehelives

A Spoonful of Sugar

I love the movie "Mary Poppins" so today I went to see "Saving Mr. Banks" which is about how the books by P.L. Travers was made into the Disney movie we know and love today.  It was a beautiful movie and I got a little teary-eyed at the end.  I recommend everyone to go see it.  To get you in the mood, I am including a clip of the "Feed the Birds" sequence from the actual movie.  What a good message for this time of year!

The Christmas Season

Thanksgiving is over.  As all of my family went back to their respective homes,  I prepared myself for the stress and depression of the Christmas season.  Stress, you might agree, happens every Christmas:  everyone trying to get the best deals on "Black Friday", panic attacks over who to buy gifts for, and the worry about enough money to buy these gifts.  But depression?  Maybe you think I get depressed around the holidays because I'm single.  In part, it is true.  I was waiting for my Chinese food to be prepared and was listening to the Christmas music being played in the restaurant when I started to tear up because I am once again without a significant other to spend time with this holiday season.  What I had forgotten is that Christmas isn't about all of that. 

It was the next day in Relief Society when our Relief Society gave a beautiful lesson on the gifts of Christ, that I became emotional once again.  This time, my tears came because I realized, with the help of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was my gift.  He always has and always will be the ultimate gift I could ever be given.  For some reason, just for a moment, I had lost sight of that.  I always have known that, but I actually felt the reality of it that Sunday morning.  As I was talking with my visiting teachers today, it became more apparent that this is truth.  It doesn't matter that I'm single.  I have a wonderful family who loves me and cares about me.  My friends have always been there for me.  I am not alone- and I never will be.

Craft Day!

When I get together with my high school friends, we usually end up doing some sort of craft. Now, I do NOT consider myself creative in the craft department.  When I find something to paint, I usually find something where I can paint a solid color.  We met up at Wood Connection where I picked out a Pilgrim and Indian set so that I can have some Thanksgiving decorations. I also brought the "SPOOKY" letters I had started at Jenny's house several weeks ago so I could get the paper cut out and Mod Podge it.  Here's how they turned out:

Becca cut out my letters for "Spooky" and Tara Mod Podged them.  Kym helped me bling up the Pilgrims and Indians.  Way cute, right?

Halloween Cupcakes

My sister, Amy, had a great idea last week that we should make cupcakes and decorate them for Halloween.  We had been to Target and saw some cute ways to decorate cupcakes with mummies and other monster-type things so we started buying some things for decorations including tons of sprinkles, licorice-type strings and other what-nots and during the first session of General Conference, we mixed the batter and made the actual cupcakes.  We used a white cake batter, then colored some of it green and orange and made a swirl.  The others were chocolate cupcakes.  When we made the chocolate ones, something bad happened:

This is the mix that came with the mummy decorations.  They were a complete failure!  The dripped right over the side of the pan.  I didn't even bother to let them finish cooking.  In between sessions, we ran to the store and grabbed a real chocolate cake mix and those ones were better!  During the second session of Conference, we started the decorating process:

 Amy, Shaun, and Kerry planning out their designs

 

Jonathan and Kerry mixing colors

 

 

It was messy, crazy, and FUN.  Enjoy our finished products:

 

 

By the way,  they tasted great!!!



New School Year-New Goals

So much for me trying to be a regular blogger.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I didn't blog much during the summer-my summer days are pretty much the same.  I really took advantage of the time I had off so that I could relax.  Like my last post stated, it had been too much this last year for me to deal with.  I feel like I have had a good rest and now that I'm a few weeks into the school year, I can take some time to do some catching up.

Like I said, nothing much happened in the summer.  Some of my family and I went to the Oregon Coast and rented a beach house located in Seal Rock.  It was soooo much fun!  We went as far south as Coos Bay and when my Dad met us on July 4th, we drove up to Longview, Washington, where he lives.  When we were there, we went to see Mount St. Helens.  I had a great time and it was truly a relaxing type of vacation.  Here are some pictures:

Beach house in Seal Rock

Amy and I

 Haedyn, Tylee, Jen, Dad, Me, Jennifer at Mount St. Helens

 

 

The only other trip I went on was to San Diego for the AVID Conference.  I love going to the AVID Conferences-I learn so much!  I didn't really take any pictures so that is it for that.

 

 

Once school started, it became busy again.  I have great classes this year and I actually feel good about what I'm teaching for the most part.  On September 8th, I ran my first 5k ever!  My sister started us on this 5k last year, but we didn't actually end up running it.  We finally went through with it and we didn't do too bad.  We got it done within about 40 minutes!  More pictures:

 

 

 Before the race: Jonathan, Kerry, Amy, Me 

 Amy, Kerry, and I dragging ourselves across the finish line!

 



 Shaun, Jonathan, Kerry, Amy, and I after the race

 

 

To end this very long blog, Toni Hull and I have decided that we are going to try to be healthier so we have what we call "The Sticker Games" going on.  We purchased a calendar and individual sticker packets (mine are pirate themed) and we get a sticker for every day we work out, every day we DON'T go out to eat, and another for not eating sweets.  I've been able to do it for a whole week although it has been very hard.  We didn't actually start the sticker for the sweets until Friday and let me just let you know that it's killing me! :)  Good news?  I've lost SEVEN pounds so far!!!!!

 

Signing out... for now!



I'm Back!

I have wanted to spend some time actually blogging in the past few months, but my schedule and work ethic were put on trial.  This past year of school has been a tough one and I am so glad that I finally have summer break to recuperate and plan things for next year that will make my life easier.  I think if I do that, I will be able to have a better year.

Don't get me wrong-I had some awesome students this year!  They made teaching really worthwhile.  What I have been sick of are the parents who think their child is entitled to something they don't qualify for or deserve.  Let's just say I had an issue with a parent which got taken all the way to our superintendent and he didn't back me up.  It's very hard to want to spend any effort on anything when the people who are supposed to back you up, don't.  I'm going to try to put it behind me and move on.  It's always about looking on the positive side, right?

Catch Up!

Holy cow! I have had some of the busiest months that I can ever remember! Ever since school started, I haven't had time to breathe let alone blog about anything. One of these days I will be able to get a set schedule, but until that time, I'll just fly by the seat of my pants. Okay, here's a little catch-up:

In July, I was able to go to Sacramento, California for the first time for an AVID conference. Two years ago, I went to my first AVID conference in San Diego. This time I was getting trained to be an AVID elective teacher instead of just for my subject area. I really love the AVID conferences because they involve you in things and I'm not just sitting there being bored to death. I met some awesome people there! Some of the ones I met work for the DOD and were teaching all over the world. Probably the funniest one was Axel. Axel is from Puerto Rico, but is teaching in Germany. He was a hoot!

Axel and I-he kept us all entertained!!

Karen Taylor and I were walking buddies. We went to Old Sacramento where it's a kind of old-style Western set-up. I have to say that Old Town in San Diego was much more fun for me, but I still liked this!

I'm an ol' school ma'rm!

On one of our walks, Karen and I went to the State Capitol of California. It was only about a block or two away from our hotel. We were there the last half hour it was open, but we tried to go to different places.

Congress meets here!

On our last day, Karen and I walked a VERY long way to Sutter's Fort. We were able to go to the different areas and rooms, and I even got to try the shuttle loom. It was way fun!

Pull it tight!

After I got back, I had the Bagley Family Reunion the last weekend of July, and then a few weeks later, school began. During that time, my leg developed a blood clot most likely due to the medication I was taking. No worries though folks! I am officially blood clot free as of about two weeks ago! I think I'll save that story for another time. Maybe I'll feel like writing about it in a few days. Maybe I'll let you, my readers, just wonder for a time. It's not a totally exciting story, but maybe worth telling. What do you think?

Quite An Absence!

I really have no excuses as to why I haven't blogged. I've had the whole summer and I think I've done what?- TWO whole blogs! Wow. I guess part of it is laziness, but another part is that I've been doing other things for work, church, etc. Summer can be just as crazy as the school year I've found out! I will come up with a more interesting post soon-I promise!!

Summer Checklist

I am stealing this idea from my friend, Katie Pugh Alexander (how does it feel to have TWO last names Katie?)! Every summer she makes a list of things she would like to accomplish during the months she has off. I am feeling inspired, especially since we're about 3 weeks into it. So here goes!

1. Read as many books that I want to read as I can. (So far, so good.)

2. Practice the violin every day (I just started lessons)!

3. Work out at the gym every day-except SUNDAY!

4. Watch all the episodes I have so far of "The Glades", "The Mentalist", and "Charmed".

5. Try to cut out the bad kinds of food like junk food and such from my diet.

6. Work on things for the next school year little by little every day.

7. Practice my French.

8. Get out of the house more.

9. Have lunch with some of my friends I don't see very much.

10. Clean my house a little more thoroughly.

I think I'd better keep it at 10 things because I don't know if I can actually accomplish this during the current summer. It's worth a shot though!

Purchase Crazy

Sometimes it's not always a great idea to get your taxes done early. It's sure nice to get the refund. When I got my refund this year, I decided I needed some things. It had been awhile since I had money so I made three major purchases.

A flat-screen T.V.:




An L-Shaped Desk:

Rosetta Stone-French:

Okay, maybe I went a little overboard. Only one of these was a need (can you guess which one?). I have learned that saving money is a good thing and I'm going to try to be very good so I don't squander all my savings. Besides, I have Homeowners and Car Insurances coming due, eye exam, and vehicle registration all in the month of June. Hmmm. I'd better be REALLY good from here on out!

"Beware the Ides of March!"

So says the soothsayer in William Shakespeare's tragedy "Julius Cæsar". Yep, that's right. Today, March 15th, is the "Ides of March". For those who aren't aware, the term "ides" just signifies the 15th of any month. In Shakespeare's play, the soothsayer is warning Julius Cæsar about his upcoming death (at the hands of his friends).

Supposedly, this is a day to be wary of people and not put your trust in them. It's almost as if it's a day of bad luck, like Friday the 13th or something. I didn't do anything dramatic or anything today, but I DID give my G.T. students a test! I also put up "Beware the Ides of March!" on the board. No one really questioned why except a few students who I told to research it. It was fun for me anyway!

Sacrifice

Today I gave a Relief Society lesson on the topic of Sacrifice. I admit that I didn't spend much time on the preparation of the lesson, but hearing the comments of the Relief Society, it made me appreciate the Lord's sacrifice for us even more than I usually do. I began my lesson by showing the above picture called "The Praying Hands" by Albrecht Dürer. He and a friend struggled together to achieve fame and fortune. At a time when they were really struggling, Dürer's friend chose other work to help them survive. As the years wore on, his hands became calloused and lost their ability to do craftsmen type work. He worked this way until Dürer became successful. Dürer became inspired by his friend's hands clasped in prayer and painted this picture. I have decided that I am going to frame the picture I showed the Relief Society to remind me how I need to be more willing to sacrifice to help others. Click on the following link to read a poem by Helen Steiner Rice inspired by this painting: http://mrmom.amaonline.com/prayinghands.htm

Halftime Entertainment

Last Saturday (January 28th), my friend Tara and I were chosen to be part of the enterainment at the Utah Grizzlies game. We were blindfolded and taken to the center of the ice. Once there, we were told to play the "Hot and Cold" game with the audience. We had to find a blue circle by asking the audience to give us directions. We had one minute in which to do this. I went first and found my blue circle in the fastest time. We were guaranteed prizes, but the people who were supposed to bring us the prizes never delivered. Oh well, I guess it was just a good experience! The picture aboves shows the Grizzlies mascot leading me to where I needed to start (so you can't see me). Tara is in the bright blue shirt.

Reasons To Like Your Job

You know, everyone complains about their job. There's always something about it that makes us all fall into despair. This is true even if your job is your chosen profession. It's hard to get up early and deal with the day-to-day feelings of possible drudgery. Maybe you don't like working with some of the people you are around. Maybe the money isn't the best and you just feel like you can't make it work. More than likely, you just wish there was an easier way to make ends meet. Then something like this happens:


Two of my 9th grade students had written these as part of their Teen Living class. I found them in my box about two weeks ago and they totally made my day! These remind me why I went into teaching and why it's worth all the stress and hours of extra time and no pay.

A New Year

Wow. A whole week of 2011. I'd like to say that it has been eventful, but it hasn't. That's not a bad thing, really! I've become a bit more organized so I have made sure that besides doing school things, I am focusing on doing something for myself. I have set aside time each night before I go to bed to read chapters out of books I enjoy instead of ones I have to read for work. So far, it's working pretty great! I'm reading the "Fablehaven" series right now. I started the first book on December 31st and I am now more than halfway through the 3rd book! After reading Little Dorrit, I needed to read something a little more light. I'm loving them!

This next week is the end of 2nd quarter at school which is also the end of the 1st semester. I only have to teach 4 out of the 5 days and I get to be at school for only half the day on Friday. I'm actually pretty happy it's coming to an end. It's time to start anew with my students. I'll be getting some new students due to the semester change, and I'll be losing some students as well. There are a few students I won't miss, I can tell you that. I don't know most of the ones coming in so I'm sure I'll have some challenges as well. It should be a nice change though!

Auld Lang Syne

As the year 2010 draws to a close, I thought it would be a good idea to post something. This has been an interesting year in many ways, but the funny thing is that I couldn't really tell you in what ways. Most of the excitement has come towards the end of the year with my sister getting engaged and my Dad getting married. It has been one of stress, one of relaxation, and one of new adventures.

I am hoping that as the year 2011 begins, I will be able to look forward at life with a positive attitude. One of the things I'm hoping to do is to be more organized both at home and at work. I want to be able to have a life outside of work and to manage my time more wisely. I am also hoping to re-lose the pounds I gained when I became weak and succumbed to my chocolate addiction.

Call these resolutions if you will. I will distinguish them as goals. I hope to be able to make my life and those of others a more positive experience. Have a wonderful end of 2010!

So It Begins...

Well, apparently I'm no good at blogging every day. It was worth a try. This has been one of the busiest months I've ever experienced! My leadership team at school survived Red Ribbon Week, I made a quick trip to Idaho to get a table and chairs, and my Dad got married last weekend. Thank goodness for Thanksgiving weekend. I get extra days off which makes for a nice long weekend, and I was able to spend time with family. Now I have the opportunity to start feeling stressed for the Christmas season like I do every year. I am going to go crazy. I just hope I can get everything all figured out. Otherwise, I may blow!

Thankfulness Catch-Up

Apparently I am no good at this blogging every day. I've had quite a week. I thought I would do a catch-up of things I'm thankful for so let's see if I can remember every day this past week:

• Monday: I am thankful for the job that I have. Even though my students drive me crazy, I have the opportunity to provide for myself. With these hard times, every little bit helps.
• Tuesday: I am thankful for my Personal Trainer, Danny. He not only helps me to become more healthy (with more success on some days), but he actually cares about what is going on in my life and helps me to set goals. HE IS AWESOME!
• Wednesday: I am thankful for the time I have to try to get everything done, both at school and home. It doesn't seem like I have a lot of extra time to get everything accomplished lately, but every little bit has helped.
• Thursday: I am thankful for my Leadership Team at school. These are some of the most responsible people at school and I could not get half the projects done without them. They work so hard and are so dedicated.
• Friday: I am thankful for automobiles that can take us to far places. I can't imagine what it would be like to have to travel to Idaho and not have a car. The pioneers really had it bad. Thank goodness I live in a society with faster transportation.
• Saturday: I am so thankful for the help my family was in getting things out of the U-Haul and into my condo and Kerry's room. They didn't have to, but they did it.

And finally, here is today's: I am so thankful for getting an extra hour to sleep this morning. As much as I don't like it getting dark earlier in the winter, I really needed a bit more sleep this morning. I only hope it will help me focus more in church today.

Okay-hopefully that takes care of it for the week. I will try to remember to get on this tomorrow and blog my thankfulness!

A Season of Thanks

Wow! I haven't posted a blog since the first week of school? What have I been doing with myself? I must be pretty lazy! Let me make a list of what has been going on:

• School started. That's obvious from my previous post, isn't it?
• My niece got baptized in October. She is so cute!
• My friend, Sommer, became engaged. She can't wait until December 11th!
• I played with my friends, Kym, Becca, and Tara. Becca now has a room that is green!
• My dad became engaged and moved to Washington State. A town called Longview. My sisters, brother-in-law, soon to be brother-in-law, and I are going to the wedding on November 20th. We're making a tiny vacation of it so we're arriving on the 18th.
• I started attending a Singles Branch for 31-45 year olds. After the first Sunday, I already love it and have met nice people so I'm waiting right now for my records to be sent over.

You'd think this would explain my lack of blogging, but really, it just comes down to laziness. Not to say I haven't been busy, but I could have blogged on the weekend. At least on Sunday. I am resolving to do better.

Even though this is getting posted on the last day of October (Ooh, spooky Halloween!), I think I will try to blog things I am thankful for during the month of November. I know people have done this before, but I thought I'd give it a try. Starting tomorrow, I hope to have my first post of Thanksgiving. Let's give it a whirl!