Best Student Email Ever

I just checked my work email just in case a student or co-worker needed help with anything and I saw this from one of my students:

It pretty much made my week.

New School Year

It's been two weeks since my last post so I figured I should at least check in.

School started again, I have to like wake up on time in the mornings again...it wasn't too bad at the beginning but it's gotten harder with each new day.  The first week of school is exhausting!  I usually don't take naps, but I pretty much fell asleep on my couch when I got home this last Wednesday.  I have a good class so far this year.  They all seem pretty happy and very active.  There are a few chatty ones, but that always happens, they just happen to be boys this year.  In fact, most of my students are boys: 17 boys to 11 girls...a little backwards compared to previous years, but not too bad.

I have a new co-worker this year.  He should be fun to work with.  I think we're still trying to get in the routine of everything so we're still figuring things out.

My home life hasn't been too bad either.  I haven't done all that much since school started, but I've been tired.  Nothing super exciting to report.

One Photo...

My principal just asked the staff to send him a photo of something fun we have done this summer.  My response: Just ONE?!?!  How do I wrap up my entire summer in one photo or pick just one to represent the awesomeness that it was?  I told him that I had narrowed it down to only twenty pictures to choose from, but wasn't sure if I could just pick one as my summer was so awesome that the only thing to make it better would be an engagement.  I told Sara that we needed to take a picture of me wearing/holding a hard hat, head lamp, snorkel mask, hiking boots, sunglasses, swimsuit, guitar, an ice cream cone, and a sewing needle while riding on  a roller coaster through a cave...that will work, right? I also made a collage, but I still need to pick just one in case he's doing something specific with it.

Dang it! I'm a Freakin' Mansion!

I've come to many realizations about myself and my life lately.  I've found that some of these realizations truly are new to me while others have been known for awhile just not fully formed or "vocalized" to myself.  One of my recent realizations is one that I've had at least an inkling towards, but maybe didn't quite want to admit it.  There have been several things in my life that I said I never wanted to do but ended up doing them (live in Utah, go to BYU, get a masters degree, etc.), my recent life has brought about another "not gonna happen" moment going down the drain.  I finally admitted to myself that I never wanted to be any sort of leader or do great/amazing/awe inspiring things.  I've told some people this and they think I'm crazy.  I've done some great things, but it's the great/amazing/awe inspiring things that lead to grand recognition that I never wanted to do, I just don't like the lime light.  I've finally come to grips that I do, have done, and will do some great/amazing/awe inspiring things in my life and I guess it's ok.

These thoughts made me think about a story that has been told in many YW and Sunday School lessons.  It's taken from C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity about how we should see our lives as a living house that God is rebuilding.  We see all of the necessary things like a roof and plumbing taking place and things are all fine and dandy until he comes in with a sledge hammer and starts knocking down walls.  While this is all happening, you're freaking out that you thought your life was just fine as this cute, little cottage with a quaint garden path and he's going at you like nothing else.  In the end, you realize that what you had in mind was not as grand as what He had in mind.  You thought you'd be happy as a little cottage, but He had greater plans for you as He knew you would make a great mansion.  So here I am, finally seeing that I'm not going to be a cottage (as cute as I am as a cottage and perfectly content with the whole cottage idea), instead I'm thinking, "Crap! I'm a freakin' mansion!  Do I have to? Oh, alright, fine!  But can I at least have a water slide or pick the color to paint the bathrooms?"

Free Time

My free time starting to reduce drastically as school approacheth, in fact I just got back from doing my school shopping.  All of the notebooks, pencils, markers, etc. have been purchased.  So, knowing that I only have two weeks left, what am I doing with my remaining days?

* I'm finally getting to all of those summer cleaning projects I've been neglecting as I traversed the nation.

* I talk to my family a bit more as we're all on summer break right now.

* I'm trying to get back on a regular sleep schedule which is a bit easier this year than in prior years because my body is still on the Eastern Time Zone.

* Some reading is happening, not as much as last year, but last year's summer wasn't as action packed.

* I'd say I'm hanging our with all of my friends, but they all seem to be at work or out of town this week...maybe next week.

* Baking...I made muffins yesterday.

* Sewing.  I stumbled across a program through Downy (the fabric softener) called Touch of Comfort and they partnered up with Quilts for Kids.  They are gathering up quilts to send to children that are hospitalized.  The quilts have certain specifications (including all machine stitching) but you can also request a kit to be sent to you where all the fabric is provided and cut for you, you just need to provide the batting, the time, and shipping back.  They also ask, if you can, to include another quilt or two from your own fabric to increase the number of quilts they can get to kids.  I requested a kit to check things out and I made the following quilt:

I think it's pretty cute and I had a fun time making it.  I then made the following quilt with my own fabric:

I really like how this one turned out, I'm almost somewhat tempted to keep it, but I can always make another one if and when needed.