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.