Hosanna! Hosanna!

I taught Sunday School today (lesson 44, Ezekiel 43-44, 47) and loved it! I like teaching all the other times, but I really enjoyed today's lesson. I warned my class (which was everyone who came today--a lot were still out of town) that I would be on my soapbox a lot as the topic was about my old calling--temples! I really wasn't planning on taking the route I did with the lesson, but I just got on it and felt that's what I needed to say. The manual suggests relating the enthusiasm found at a sporting event to that found in some events in the scriptures, church, and/or gospel. We talked about lots of different things but focussed on the hosanna shout given at temple dedications and the excitement for when new temples are announced. Basically, I turned to my class and asked them where the enthusiasm goes since everyone is so excited and full of joy with each new temple, but when it comes time to attend, not so much.

I loved all three chapters focussed on in the lesson, but I think my favorite was chapter 47. In this chapter Ezekiel sees a vision of the temple in Jerusalem. A river of living water is running from the east doors of the temple towards the wilderness/desert and the Dead Sea. Everywhere the river flows, trees are growing and being fruitful, waters are healed, and animals are living. The things we learn in the temple are our living water which is used to help us grow and live and be fruitful. Ezekiel is told to cross the river several times and each time he does, it gets deeper, I love this! Every time we attend the temple, we learn and understand more, our knowledge increases and our understanding deepens! Reading these things, why wouldn't you want to go!

I used several quotes from conference talks and Ensigns, most came from President Monson. My favorite one was from the October 2010 Ensign (which was all about temples), "In the temple,the precious plan of God is taught. It is in the temple that eternal covenants are made. The temple lifts us, exalts us, stands as a beacon for all to see, and points us toward celestial glory. It is the house of God. All that occurs within the walls of the temple is uplifting and ennobling." How could you not want to go to the temple after hearing that!

I love the temple! You should go and you should go often!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Looking at my life there are several areas where I have been left wanting, but more importantly there are an infinite amount of things that I am so grateful for just like many other people, but I choose to look at the blessings rather than the wantings. Last year I posted a list of one hundred things I am grateful for as a challenge, but this year I think I will list just the top ten (but in no particular order).

* Family--This one is always on my top ten. I was raised learning the importance of family and I have found that everything I was taught is true. My family has always been there to support me in my endeavors and to tell me when I'm being stupid because they love me. I know I will always have someone to turn to for help, support, love, someone to talk to, someone to laugh with, a good time, etc. with my family.

* Good parents--Just like Nephi, I was born of goodly parents. My parents taught me (and still teach me) right from wrong, good and bad, how to work hard, how to be responsible and respectful. My parents are there to support me and love me. I appreciate all of the work they went through to make sure that I grew up right.

* Education--As much as I appreciate what I learned from school and the degrees I have received, education is much more than what you learn in a classroom, it's what you learn through life. I learned quite a bit that I use for my job and even in life with a formal education, but most importantly, I learned how to learn and I can now take those skills to continue learning. The biggest lessons and most important have come through experiences. I am grateful that I know how to deal with extreme behaviors from students, household issues, roommate problems, handling scary situations. Each of these were a bit difficult at the time, but now that I have experienced each of them, not only am I more confident in my abilities, but I can now take them further and extend what I have learned to be better.

* Friends--I have gone through many friends and roommates in the last 28 years, many I am still in a constant contact but others not as much if at all. Each person that has come into my life has taught me something new whether it be a new recipe, a better way to clean, something gospel related, or how to have fun. I feel so blessed when I think about all of the people I have in my life and have had. Friends very easily become family for me so it goes right back to what I've said before.

* The gospel--I know that our Heavenly Father and Christ love us and want us to be able to return to them. They have given us the gospel and the tools to learn and to improve ourselves. The scriptures are a blessing for us so that we can learn and grow and be more like our Savior. Knowing these things have shaped my life and given me the direction my life has taken and I feel so blessed because of it.

* Home--I love to go home. It is a safe haven and filled with love. I would go home more often if it was closer. Home is connected to family and all of the things I have learned throughout my life.

* A home--Now, this is slightly different. I am so grateful that I have A home as well as having home. Having my own house has been a great blessing. I was able to purchase my own place just over four years ago and have had several opportunities to make more life changing decisions that have helped me learn and grow. Financially, it has been beneficial bringing some income through renters.

* A job I enjoy--I love my job! The first few years, there were a few times where I questioned that statement, but I can truly say that I LOVE my job. My original plan was to only work for a few years then stop to have a family but still have something to go back and do as a fall back. that didn't happen and now I think I will be sad when I stop teaching. I have grown to love my students each year (granted, some are easier than others). My co-workers are AMAZING! Having a couple weeks "off" with student teachers could be very boring but I have two others to accomplish quite a bit and then some. We know how to have fun, we appreciate each other, and work VERY well together.

* Hard work--As I see some of the students at my school and some of the roommates I have had, I realize that not everyone has been taught the importance of hard work or even just work. Knowing how and being able to work have been a great blessing in my life. Rather than having other people do things for me not only do I save money, but I get the feeling of accomplishment. I know how to get things done whether it be cutting down a tree, working in the yard, cleaning my house, or doing a homework assignment.

* A sense of humor--Life would be so boring if I didn't know how to have fun. There are so many things that I could just sit down and cry about, but why do that when I can just laugh about it, get past it, and go on with life.

Up on the Roof!

I kept singing the "Up on the Roof" song today...guess where we went while at school today. One of the 6th graders accidentally threw his ball on the roof of the school so Adam and I volunteered to go get it. It was fun. There was a couple inches of snow in some places. While we were up there we knocked on Alece's skylight...too bad her class was so loud she didn't hear it. Other than that...we finished writing a grant for $50,000, played chess, and I looked at the new math core some more. We almost got to teach 2nd grade for the day, but someone else stepped in.

My House is Clean!

My house is clean, ready for guests to arrive, they're just not here yet. It's nice to be able to just sit and know that the house is clean, but at the same time, I keep looking for things to pick up or do. Two of my best friends are coming to stay the week with their two children and I am so excited! Sure they just came four months ago and I just went and saw them three months ago, but I used to see them every day so I'm excited. I worry about being a hostess, I don't think I'm very good at it...that's one thing that usually holds me back from inviting people over (funny thing is that I usually don't worry so much if you invite yourself over). I never know what to do to entertain those I am hosting. I'm usually content doing things that others probably see as boring, especially with more than one person like reading a book orworking on a small craft project. So, I apologize to all those people out there who wish to be invited over, I just am not creative enough to keep you entertained unless you are patient enough for the randomness to work itself out and create an adventure. Maybe that's why I'm so excited for my friends to come and visit...we were very entertaining as roommates mostly because we were so random. Yeah, that's it...or part of it anyways :)

My students have started a count down as to when I will start teaching again, at least my math class is. I had two students approach me last Thursday to ask for a little help with their math before the test on Friday. When I went to go get them for our little review session, they had invited two other classmates and when we were leaving, two more asked if they could come as well. I wasn't surprised, it happens every year. Dividing fractions can b

e difficult especially if you're used to a certain math teacher teaching a certain way. I had three more ask if they could meet with me Friday morning. I haven't seen their test scores yet, but hopefully our little review session helped.

We just finished our unit on Ancient Rome. To wrap everything up, we built a cross-section of a Roman road down the 6th grade hallway. On it, we placed busts

of famous Romans (emperors, philosophers, etc.), structures, and paragraphs about famous cities. It looks amazing! It was difficult to take a picture and get it all included as it is 52 feet long (we measured). Here are a few shots of the great work done! To top it all off, and since we had time, energy, and creativity, we made a bust of our principal as well. He was out of town last week so he hasn't seen it yet. I think he was a little worried about leaving Adam, Garrett and I at the school with "nothing" to do and him not around to supervise. I think he'll like it.

Forgiveness and Insight

So far, so good...I went to Institute again tonight. Hopefully next week doesn't throw me off having no class because of the holiday. Tonight's conversation was based around D&C 64 and forgiveness. Some of the questions asked were about how we felt when we know we are forgiven, from who do we need to ask forgiveness, and how we should be willing to forgive others. One thought that was mentioned tonight was about how some people have a gift of the spirit of forgiveness. Being able to forgive people just comes easier for some than others, so I had to ask myself am I one of those people? With the little things, yes, I think I can forgive easily...but what about larger things? A few years ago I was faced with a situation where I knew I had to forgive someone, but every time I thought of this person, I just felt anger. It took a lot of prayers and thought to get past the anger and to the point where I could say that I gave forgiveness. There are some occasions still that my mind wanders to this situation and I have to ask myself if I still feel the same...sometimes I have to think for awhile, but other times I can just brush it aside. To end the night, we read a quote from Elder Neal A. Maxwell: "We cannot repent for someone else. But we can forgive someone else, refusing to hold hostage those whom the Lord seeks to set free!"

Insight from tonight:

I realized tonight that a person in my ward that I look to in matters of being social and active with others has a hard time being social in similar ways as I do. I have thought over the last few months that I have really wanted to get to know this girl more so that I could have another friend but also so that I might be able to ride her coattails along the way and immerse myself in the ward. I realize now that she could be thinking the same thing about others.

Zion

I finally got myself up and out...I went to institute. Apparently quite a few people from my ward go...you'd think we'd learn to carpool or something. I was instantly reminded about how I don't like driving on campus especially when I want to find a parking spot let alone a spot somewhere near the building I need to be in.

We talked about the people of Zion. We listened to quite a bit of Elder Christofferson's October 2008 General Conference talk (very good--I think I'm going to go download it right after I'm done here). I think the main thing/message that hit me tonight was "what am I doing to help?" Moses 7:18 talks about how the people of Zion had unity, holiness, and charity, so how do I practice those? What am I doing in my daily life or what could I stop doing? As Elder Christofferson says, "We cannot wait until Zion comes for these things to happen--Zion will come only as they happen."

We used D&C 56-63 to answer the questions:

-What can we learn from the early Saints about how to "establish" Zion?

-What can we learn from the early Saints about how NOT to "establish" Zion?

These are a few of the things we talked about:

-Use it or lose it! (56:4)

-Don't counsel in your own ways (56:14)

-Be planted in the land of Zion (57:14)

-Ask specific questions about yourself to get specific answers (58:1)

-The spirit and commandments can't just be given to us, we must receive them and to receive is to make an action (58:5)

Why am I posting these thoughts/notes...because I felt like I should. That's the main reason, but also because my newest goal is that I will be attending institute from now on (I found my notes from the last time I went tucked in my scriptures, they're dated Sept 29, 2009) and I find this is a good way to review what I learned and to be held accountable.

The House That Julie Built

The area around my school has had a lot of construction in the last four years and still continues to grow. The last house on the block across from my school is being built. Today while on crossing guard duty after school, I watched as the floor of the second floor was being laid. I found myself thinking, "I want to build a house." Kinda surprised myself but not really. Not build a house so I have somewhere to live, I already have a house. For background noise around my house or when I'm doing something like baking or cleaning, the TV is usually turned on to DIY, TLC or the home improvement channel. On Saturdays, I like to watch This Old House. I feel like I've picked up a few things here and there and I like to do things with my hands. I'm not saying I'm a master carpenter or anything, I would just like to try out and learn new things. So, if I wasn't busy, it wasn't so cold outside, the construction workers were a little cuter, and it wasn't completely insane...maybe I would have asked if I could join in their work.