100 Things

Last year, about this time, I was challenged to make a list of things I was thankful for in my life. After listing what I thought was a fairly decent number, I was challenged to come up with at least 40 things for my list in a matter of minutes. I was somewhat surprised, but not entirely, that I was able to come up with 40 different things I was thankful for. After a brief thought/message, I was then challenged to come up with 100 things I was thankful for by the end of the week. I was thinking about this challenge earlier in the week and decided to challenge myself to think of 100 things I am thankful for this year. What a better way to use my 100th post?

So, in no particular order, I am sharing with you, my list:

1. My family
2. My friends
3. My job
4. My co-workers—I’ve worked with quite a few people, but have never gotten along with most as I do with my current co-workers
5. My home
6. My health
7. My car—It gives me problems from time to time, but it gets me to work and other places I want to go
8. My time
9. Food
10. Pam
11. Steven and Randi
12. Diane and Aaron
13. Michael
14. My nieces and nephews
15. Mom
16. Dad
17. Trials—they may be difficult in the moment, but they help me to learn and grow
18. Blessings
19. The Gospel
20. My testimony
21. Scents
22. Patterns in the wood grain
23. Blankets
24. Chocolate
25. Airborne
26. Airplanes
27. Holidays—Breaks from school and provides time to see my family
28. Bacteria—Weird, I know, but as I learn more about it and how they help in our world, I am thankful
29. My education--
30. Movies
31. Books
32. Being able to read
33. Math and numbers in general
34. Turkey—because it’s not chicken
35. Socks
36. Technology
37. My phone
38. Words—how else would we be able to communicate so easily?
39. Love
40. Opposition—without it, we wouldn’t be able to truly enjoy what we have
41. Rain
42. Sunshine
43. My bed
44. Hot water—imagine taking a shower without it
45. Flowers
46. Saturdays
47. The Book of Mormon
48. The Bible
49. General Conference
50. Friendship
51. Gravity
52. Mercy
53. The Atonement
54. Joseph Smith
55. The Holy Ghost
56. Prayer
57. Running
58. Laura and Dirk
59. Doctors
60. Teachers
61. A clean house
62. A house that smells clean
63. My students
64. Challenges
65. Root beer
66. Yellow—It’s such a happy color
67. Understanding
68. Hoodies
69. Home
70. Sounds
71. Ears that hear
72. Eyes that see
73. So many different flavors
74. Humor
75. Personalities
76. My toothbrush
77. Water
78. Fresh air
79. Refrigeration
80. Cobbler
81. The opportunity to help others
82. Rules and guidelines
83. Instructions
84. Pot holders
85. Bread and crackers
86. Honesty
87. Laughter
88. Vacations
89. Someone to go on vacation with
90. My grandparents
91. Paying off debt
92. Faith
93. The temple
94. The chance to get to know my co-workers better and them me
95. The chance to get to know myself better
96. Good choices
97. Learning new things
98. Hobbies
99. My choices—They’ve made me who I am
100.Someone to talk to

What are you thankful for?

It's Been Quite Awhile

I guess I have been somewhat busy, but not really, but that's the excuse I will give for not posting for awhile. Let's see, what has happened since my last post?

*I went to California for my birthday!
I took a few days off of work right before our Fall Break so I had just over a week to play in California. I started off by spending a couple of days in LA with my older brother. It had been awhile since I got to spend some time with him, so it was nice to just visit with him. While I was there, he set me up on a date with one of his friends, we had fun building a couch fort. We then met up with our sister and her family in Anaheim to spend two days at Disneyland. It was her kids' first time going so it was fun to see it through their eyes. I wish I had pictures to post, but my sister has them all. After Disneyland, I drove up north with my sister to spend a couple of days with my parents. Even though I had seen my family over the summer, I had not been home since Christmas, so it was nice to just be home for a couple of days.

*I have a student teacher.
The two other teachers in 6th grade and I decided to all have student teachers in our classes this year. They will spend a total of 6 weeks in our classes, 2 of which they do their solo teaching where we're not even supposed to be in the room. As of today, we are almost halfway through the solo teaching experience which means my co-workers and I have had nothing to do. We asked our principal for a list of things we could do for the school and so everyday we have had some kind of excursion including the following places: Home Depot, Sam's Club, the grocery store, and the junior high school. I have also taken it upon my self to help the 5th grade teachers at our school and wherever else. For the most part, it has been a good break from the norm, but also a slough of new experiences.

*I dressed up as a co-worker for Halloween.
Last year, as a 6th grade, we dressed up like the janitors and a lunch lady at the school so we had to have costumes that were just as hilarious this year. I ended up dressing up as our school's facilitator (she mostly helps with the new teachers and student teachers and cohorts from the local college) while Garrett was the principal (whose name is Dwight) and Adam was Dwight from The Office. It was good fun, too bad the one I was dressed up like was home sick with the swine flu. For Halloween night, I went to a barn dance with a group of friends, but I figured no one would understand my costume of my co-worker so I had to come up with another so I threw on my old winter formal dress and a tiara and...BAM, instant princess! I realized later I should have topped it off with my "Miss California" sash I made for a costume a few years ago.

*I watched the meteor shower last week.
So crazy me decided it would be a good idea to stay up way past my bedtime with some friends to watch the meteor shower last Monday. We did our normal Monday night movie/TV shows and then packed up the truck and headed up the canyon. By 1 am we were situated in the back of the truck covered in jackets, blankets, and sleeping bags while holding onto some hot chocolate and waited for things to zoom across the sky. It got pretty interesting as I got my second wind around 1:30. We told ourselves we would head back to town at 2 am so I got home and into bed around 3 am. Just enough time to fall asleep and wake up again at 6 am! I was not very lively at work the next day, it's a good thing I have a student teacher!