Laughing

Today I'm thankful that: #1 -I hated my job all day because that means I'll love being there the rest of the week! #2 -Tricia let me eat some of her dinner. She made very yummy soup and cabbage. I'm so glad I have a roommate who'll look after me and feed me every once and a while. #3 -Friends to laugh with. I needed a great laugh after today. Tricia, Haley, and I headed to home evening and while it wasn't an activity where we should have been doing so much laughing it is just what we needed. Once our activity was done Tricia and I headed to the store and took Kerri and Brian with us which of course made for more fun and great laughter. How is it that laughter is always the best medicine. I'm pretty lucky to have plenty of people who'll help a junky day get a whole lot better!!

Sunday

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - Testifying of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I enjoy the opportunity that I have to teach Sunday school. The thing I love most of all about it is it gives me the opportunity to testify to others about the things I know to be true. For example that I know Jesus is the Christ. That He loves each one of us and that because of Him we have the opportunity to return to live with Him and our Father in Heaven someday. I am so grateful that this gives my live a purpose and that I know that this live is so much more than the here and now. We really are on a journey to something more wonderful than I could ever imagine! #2 - The Prophet Joseph Smith. Today while I was busy updating this I put in The Joseph Smith movie that was made to be played at the Legacy theater in downtown Salt Lake City. I love this movie. It reminds me of the reality that the Lord restored His true gospel through an uneducated farm boy who grew into a great man. A man who endure many trials and hardships to ensure that the gospel was brought back to the earth in it's fullness never again to leave. I am in awe of the Prophet Joseph. Because of Him I have the precious gift of the gospel. I have the power of The Book of Mormon in my life which ultimately has brought me closer to my Savior and continues to bring me closer to my Savior. Great are my blessings because one man entered a grove of trees and knelt down to pray. #3 -A quiet Sunday evening that prepares me to deal with the storm that Monday will bring. I'm so thankful for the Sabbath day. For the quiet day that quiets my mind and soul so that I am prepared for the noise and routine of everyday life. I am grateful for this day of rest! I don't think I'd survive without it!

Fun

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -That even though I showed up to the temple today and it was closed it wasn't a big deal to drive to another one so I could still attend the temple this week. #2 -Dinner with friends. Tricia invited a few friends over and cooked a delicious dinner of chicken sybil. Everyone brought a few things to contribute and it was wonderful. Life is so much fun when you have great people to enjoy it with. #3 - Games with old and new friends. After dinner Brett stayed and we played a little Super Mario brothers. Then I needed to go over to another friend's party so he came along with me. We had a good time playing some games and a definite favorite was Disney Cranium. My friend Amber and my new friend Dan were on my team and we beat Brett, Kara, and Sean. It was more of who could roll the dice higher since the questions really weren't that hard. However, we did miss the one that asked what the letters in WALL-E stand for. Ya I didn't like that movie when I watched it. I like it even less now since we missed a question! A little Saturday night game fun is always enjoyable!

Kara

Today I'm thankful for: #1- Gifted Education. Today at this state conference I was reminded why it is that I feel so passionate about what I do. One of the phrases that the presenter kept saying was, "Giftedness isn't what these kids do, it's what they are." This is so true! They're gifted now and they'll be gifted when they're adults. They have such passion for learning and it is one of the things I love about my job. I get to facilitate that passion. #2 - A short nap. I wasn't feeling very well by late afternoon so I skipped the last session which didn't have a break out session I really wanted to attend and headed back to Kara's and took a nap until she got home. #3 -An evening with a friend. Kara and I enjoyed BYU's men's volleyball team home opener. Which they won in three straight. Then we headed to Red Robin for a delicious gourmet cheeseburger and bottomless steak fries. Both a favorite of Kara and I. Thank you Kara for being a wonderful friend! You'll never know how precious you are to me!

A Place to Sleep

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -The students I teach. I had recess duty today and four of my girls were visiting on our portable steps. I enjoyed listening to their conversation that centered on how much they love words, playing Scrabble, and dictionaries. They talked about how cool it'd be to spell "quizzical" on a triple word score. One student excitedly told everyone that her family got a new dictionary for Christmas and she got to open it. Then the conversation turned to how they each read the dictionary when they're bored. What's great is I'm sure they've each done this numerous times. Reading a dictionary has never tempted me - I can't imagine being that bored. So it's confirmed, I am not one of them but Oh! how I love them for being them! They are so fun to be around. I learn so much from them. #2 -Warmer weather. I enjoyed soaking in sunshine during recess and only had a light jacket on. The high of 20 that's projected for next week is NOT funny. I know earlier I said I was thankful for snow which I am I love a good snow but I do hate frigid snow. It can snow without it being SO cold. #3 -I stayed the night in Provo because the Utah Association for the Gifted and Talented held their annual conference there this year. I attended the parent session tonight and will attend the Friday session tomorrow. Kara was nice enough to let me stay with her. I'm thankful to have her as a dear friend, for enjoying the evening chatting with her, and for the warm bed for me to sleep in.

More Basketball

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -Kris the BEST librarian on the planet! Not only did she help me with a bunch of laminating but she also brought me a carton of eggs fresh from her chicken coop. I'm so excited to bake something with them! I need to get a picture with my friend Kris - I'll do that soon! #2 -Quade who bought tickets to the San Diego St. vs. BYU game for us weeks ago! Good thing too because it was sold out last week. He took me to dinner at The California Pizza Kitchen and then we headed to the game. Absolutely perfect! #3 - The craziest, most intense, basketball game I've ever attended. BYU is ranked 9th, San Diego St. 4th and unbeaten. The Marriott Center was packed, incredibly loud, and the energy was palpable! It was a very fun two hours as we watched Jimmer lead the Cougars to a 71 - 58 win. He scored 43 points. Crazy, fun, unbelievable and I'm so happy to be a Cougar fan!

Keeping in Touch

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -Snow. We got 3 inches of lovely crunchy snow - the kind that would have made for a great snowball fight or a snowman. Too bad I was busy teaching today so I didn't get to play in it. I love snow and really miss the piles of snow that accumulated each winter when I was growing up. #2 -That I've kept my room clean for two days in a row. I have a parent volunteer that comes in every Tuesday to help. She walked in today and said, "WOW! What happened in here!" Ya I'm a little embarrassed to say it really was that bad and I really do have a strengthened resolve to keep everything in it's place in the future.  #3-My phone. I'm so glad that even though I live far away from my family I can call them any time I'd like. Tonight as Liz and I were talking she said I think you should take a picture of your phone. And it's true my phone is something I could never live without because it keeps those I love dearly close to me. I also called Grandpa Clark to ask him how he liked the State of the Union speech. He quickly disgustedly said, "I didn't watch it." Grandpa is a staunch Republican. He asked if I'd watched it and I said, "Of course not, I watched basketball." He then told me he'd watched The Incredible Hulk instead. I loved that! Grandpa is 81 and I loved the thought of him watching such a ridiculous movie. We then visited for 30 min. I love my Grandpa and I'm so glad he's mine forever. Yep! A phone is a pretty great thing to have!

These Girls!

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -That when I'm out of sorts I work with people who love me and will ask me if I'm OK. Thanks Annette for asking even though there really was nothing wrong it's nice to know that people care and will ask. Blasted Mondays anyway! #2 -That even though I had lots to do I decided that it can all wait another day and I'm headed to sleep early. I don't know what my deal is but I'm exhausted tonight and just want to crawl in my bed. So that's exactly what I'm going to do. #3 -Roommates that make my life happy. Tricia and I didn't stay long at home evening but we did try on some grass skirts to get our picture taken for the day. Pretty funny!! Haley said, "You won't stay and do a skit but you'll dress up for a picture." I said, "Yep, I'm all show." Here's to another great day - even though it wasn't the best day everyday is great right? Just have to stop and count all the things I'm thankful for and there is no doubt about that!

Home Teachers

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -Ward conference and the chance to hear from my Bishop and Stake President in Sacrament meeting. I am thankful for my Savior Jesus Christ and for the His love that I feel through the leaders of His church. #2 -Friendship dinner after church that allowed me to visit with some of my friends for a few minutes. #3 -My home teachers, Brett and Josh. These guys are my and my roommates' home teachers. They're pretty great and I always appreciate the messages of the gospel that they share with us. I find it so comforting that if I was in need of anything I could call either of these men and they would be happy to help me. That is the miracle of home teaching that I know I'll always have someone to care for me.

Organized

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -Extra time to get organized. I have been needing to take time to unclutter my classroom for months. Each Friday I think I'll work on it every day after school during the next week. Well, that never happens - there is always a lot to do after school. So as much as I am a believer that weekends are meant to be a break I used mine to get organized. I left my room today feeling liberated and have a resolve to keep my room much tidier in the future. I'm going to start small and set a goal that it still be clean when I go off track. We'll see how that goes. #2 -Chocolate chip cookies. My favorite dessert is cookies. It used to vary but now a cookie sounds good most any day. I have two favorites one of which is chocolate chip. This evening I decided to make a batch to enjoy during the BYU game. (They won again improving to 19 and 1 for the season. I'm having so much fun watching them this season.) #3 -Watching a show with Preston and Tricia. Both of them have become such dear friends that I'm not sure what I'd do if we didn't get together and talk and laugh. Thanks guys for a wonderful evening.

Fridays

Today I'm thankful for... #1 -My Wicked soundtrack and the chance to listen to it with my class during Game Day Friday. The best thing about this is the fact that two of the girls in my class know every song from listening to it with their moms. I loved it when you could hear them belting out the music! So fun! #2 -A few minutes after my Middle School meeting to visit with the head of the math department. He is a great teacher and I'm SO thankful he takes time from his busy schedule to give me a little guidance and direction. He referred me to some software that I'm really excited to look into that would make generating worksheets for me so much easier. It also is great to talk to someone who is teaching the same concepts as me and hear their thoughts. #3 -Dinner with Raegan. Every time one of us goes off track we always say we need to do something fun. I was happy that it worked out that we could do something tonight. As always I had a lovely time visiting with her and I have decided that a big reason I was meant to teach in Riverton was so I could get to know her and be blessed to have her as my friend. #4 - (I know I've only been listing 3 but you really can't be too grateful.) Fridays that allow me to have a little fun with good friends. Tricia, Preston, and I watched a couple of shows and then Preston and I played the wii for entirely way too long! How is it that time passes by so quickly when you're trying to beat a level? We had a great time! And I was shocked when I looked over at the clock and it was 1 a.m. I was so glad that tomorrow is a sleep in a couple of hours day!

Grading...

Today I'm thankful for... #1 - New name tags on my student's desks. To begin my first ever teaching job I bought expensive name tags, had a friend write everyone's name in cute print, and had them laminated. They lasted about 2 months. I was not very happy. After that I made a decision. I would never spend my time, effort, and money on something so meaningless as name tags. However, kids do need name tags on their desks so I decided that my students could make their own. It is one of the first things we do on the first day of school. And I LOVE what the kids come up with. When we returned from Christmas I noticed that some name tags were missing and others were looking pretty ragged. So I had my class make new ones and all of them did a better job than they did at the start of the year. We got them on their desks today and as I left my classroom I scanned the room and the new, perfect looking name tags made me happy. So I'm thankful for them today. #2 -That Tricia made me dinner! It was so yummy and even better that I didn't have to eat the exact same thing for 5 meals in a row. It can't be said enough that I live with WONDERFUL girls. #3 -I finally got a stack of papers graded. I've had half of it graded for a few days but it's been a struggle to get the constructed response part graded. I'm thankful that I finally had a couple hours to sit down and get it done tonight!

J-E-L-L-O

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -that although I completely slept in I got to work only slightly late. As horrible as this is it's OK and it didn't ruin my day. #2 -One of my students who brought his own little constellation thing and had a group of my students studying during indoor recess. LOVE it!! It'll be fun when we talk about constellations in about a week. #3 -Dinner of homemade lasagna with Tricia and Kerri and a little Jello for dessert. I'm working on the beauty of my Jello presentation. The taste is great but I didn't let it set up near enough.

Passenger

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -The blessing it is to work in a safe environment where I don't just get to teach great things but personally I get to learn great things! #2 -The opportunity to use new programs that will ultimately simplify my life. At work I have begun to use a program that will help me to track what my students have mastered and I am really excited about it. Today I had a meeting with three computer engineers to discuss how I enter scores and they discussed their vision which makes me pretty excited about the future. #3 -Being a passenger instead of a driver. Jake offered to drive to the BYU basketball game against TCU. We met Maurianne and had a great time at the game. Not as good of a game as last weeks but enjoyable none-the-less. Can't complain with a win! I had a great time visiting with Jake and I was reminded of how lucky I am to have such wonderful friends! I'm blessed to be surrounded by so many people who make me a better person and who through their friendship help me accomplish great things. Thanks Jake for driving, for the great conversation to and from the game, and for loving BYU sports! I always have a great time watching them with you!

Orange Smoothie

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -A Monday off. I know this was one of the things I was already grateful for but I can't help being doubly grateful for it! Especially as I slept in this morning, I thought I'm so glad I don't have anywhere to be today. However, as I'm getting ready for bed tonight I think it's time that I get back to life because I'm much more productive when I'm busy. #2 -A tidy bedroom. My bedroom has a tendency to get a little cluttered and it was nice to take a few minutes today to get everything back in it's place. #3 - grocery shopping and a treat. As I walked past the freezer section I thought I better not buy any ice cream but then decided that I'd really like to make an orange smoothie. So I went ahead and got some frozen yogurt and orange sherbet. It was the perfect treat when I got home from our dating discussion at home evening. 

Straightener

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -My hair straightener and curling iron. And for the record the curling iron has been just fine since I broke it I even think I could buy a replacement part. My hair could never be worn straight without a little help. So I'm glad I have some tools that allow me to change my hair every so often. #2 -A lesson on sacrifice. We discussed sacrifice in Relief Society and I thought about how sometimes I can be very selfish with my time. I'm grateful for the reminder that sacrifice is all about giving up something you want for something you want even more. I'm thinking tonight about the things that I really want in life and am pondering whether or not I'm willing to make the sacrifice for them. Really the answer is YES of course but it is so much easier said then done! #3 -Having this gratitude journal completely up-to-date. I realize it's only two weeks into the year and there are many, many, days yet to come but I'm determined to keep it up! Life seems so much brighter when I'm busy focusing on all the good that I've been given!

Ward Activities

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - Yoga. Tricia and I have been saying that we need to try out a yoga class together. Every time we'd plan to go it would fall through. This morning we finally got there and despite the whole "yoga theory" we had to listen to we had a lot of fun! We decided we definitely need to do it more often. #2 - Time to read and clean laundry. This is sorta rolled into one because I read while I did laundry today. Pretty much the only really productive thing I did all day. Not that I don't have a REALLY long list of things I need to do but I choose not to do them - I've got Monday to do all that right? #3 - Fun friends that make ward activities SO much fun! We laughed the whole two hours as we moved from ward building to ward building eating a three course meal. During the main course Brett walked in with this awesome mask on. Becca and I thought it was pretty great!

A Good Friend and a Date

Today I am thankful for: #1 -A three day weekend. It is wonderful to know that I don't have to go back to work until Tuesday. Not because I don't love my job but for the reason that it is nice to have a day to breathe. To have an extra day to do some laundry, enter grades into the computer, and take a few minutes to do something fun. Also, I LOVE a Monday off! I love Sunday evening knowing I have one more day that I don't have to face the "real world." #2 -Brian who agreed to have dinner with me. I'm going to blog the entire story later so for now I'll just say I'm so thankful for good friends who always make my life better. #3 -Brother Horsely who is so sweet and cooked a delicious meal. He made the evening SO delightful and I'm pretty sure I haven't had that much fun eating a meal for a VERY long time! It's been a great day!

"We the people..."

Today I am thankful for: #1 -The Constitution of the United States of America. Today at school we had a series of assemblies that taught the students about citizenship of America. It started talking about immigrants coming to Ellis Island, then they rotated to ten stations and learned about how to be "true Americans", and ended with our principle leading them in the statement that immigrants repeat when they become a citizen. It was quite thought provoking and it made me think about how wonderful that I life in a country where I am free. Where there are so many opportunities. where I have the freedom to worship how and where I want, where I can speak freely. It is truly a great nation and I realized today that it's important to pray that God will continue to preserve this nation. #2 -Playing wii with Haley. We didn't play too long 25 min. but it was fun passing level one with her. #3 - Reading in bed. I love to read a few minutes before drifting off to sleep. It helps to quiet my mind.

Birthdays

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -The Cougar Fight song. Each morning we have announcements at 8:45 in the morning. They begin with a random song and then the student council representative comes on with the lunch choice and the pledge. My school is also located in a place that our student body is split 1/2 and 1/2 as BYU and Utah fans. This morning when I was in the office I suggested that we needed a little BYU fight to celebrate the win last night. The school secretary said she wasn't in charge and I told her to go ahead and pass it along to the principal. It doesn't hurt that he's a BYU fan himself. When 8:45 rolled around I wasn't disappointed and the majority of my class enjoyed rising and shouting with me. #2 -The Jordan River Temple. I love that the temple is on my way home from work. I love that it is not out of my way and that going to a session is easily planned into my week. I love the peace that I feel inside the temple and the chance that it gives me to refocus. I also love the feeling that when life is tough there is always a safe place I can go and receive refuge from the storm. #3 -My friend Tiffany had a little birthday party and it was fun to see her and catch up. I blew up a whole bag of balloons to help decorate. Tiffany tried to get Maurianne and I to sing a little karaoke. I politely declined - I'm not much of a singer you know especially around people I don't know even if the birthday girl is requesting it. Always fun to get together and celebrate someone on their big day!

Good Friends and Basketball

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -Oreo cookies and more particular a wonderful roommate who stopped at the store last night at 10:45 and picked three packages up for me to use in science class today. Thank you Tricia for being so wonderful from both me and my students. I had my students use Oreo cookies to demonstrate the phases of the moon today. They had to list all the phases and then I gave them each 4 cookies and the made the 8 phases. I told them if they did it correctly I'd let them eat the cookies. They quickly asked what if they didn't get it right. I told them I'd throw them away. (Of course I would have let them eat the cookies even if they made a mistake! But it's fun to get a reaction out of them.) They had fun, it was a good review, and we all enjoyed Oreos. I saved mine for this evening so I could eat them with some milk. #2 -A visit with a good friend. Thanks Raegan for being not only a great colleague but a wonderful personal friend. Enjoy your time off track but know I'll be happy when you're back at work with me. #3 - Food storage and friends to share it with. Tonight BYU played Utah so I invited Jake and Preston to come and watch it with me. It so happened that the game was right at dinner time. My invitation to watch the game was a little last minute and I was hungry so I looked on my silver shelves to see what my options were. I decided to toss some cans of beans in a pot and made a ridiculously big quantity of taco soup. It was perfect on this very cold winter day - I think the high today was 10 degrees. We enjoyed watching the game and being amazed once again by the shots that Jimmer throws up. What a fun season to be a Cougar fan!!

Enchiladas

Today I'm grateful for: #1 -Students who check their e-mail when I forget to tell them we have safety patrol. I had four students who were there early to get it taken care of. I rewarded them with hot chocolate and will let all the safety patrol members have hot chocolate to warm them up after standing outside in the cold. #2 -Parent volunteers that make my life easier. I had a mom who volunteered to come in and teach three classes the Virginia Reel. Then we needed volunteers for an assembly on Thursday and I send out an e-mail and have plenty of parents who are willing to help. They make my life so much easier and I appreciate all they do to help me be a good teacher. #3 -Yummy dinner. I made chicken enchiladas for dinner they took too long to make and I dirtied about 10 dishes in the process but I sure enjoyed them. I'm thankful that I can cook a few things and that I take the chance to cook at least once a week.

Technology

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -The gospel of Jesus Christ! I am thankful for Sundays and that they are a day of rest that I have the blessing of attending church and to listen and learn from others. Tricia gave a talk on service in Sacrament meeting and I'm grateful for her thoughts and her example. #2 -Sunday dinner. Tricia's parents came up to listen to her speak and brought Sunday dinner with them. They very kindly invited me to eat with them. There is something about Sunday dinner that always makes it taste so much more yummy than any other meal the rest of the week. I think it has a lot to do with being starving when I was little and how wonderful it was when we finally got to Grandma Clark's house and dinner was waiting for us. #3 -Technology. There was a C.E.S. fireside tonight and I was thankful we could sit and watch it on our couch. I'm grateful for the convenience that technology provides to my life. Elder Christofferson spoke and this evenings fireside on the topic of living day by day. I think I needed this gentle reminder that life is lived one day at a time. We need to do the best we can with each day and over time we will reach our potential and our goals. 

Maurianne and BYU Basketball

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -Maurianne. When I moved to Utah three and a half years ago I really knew no one besides a few college friends who were married and busy raising their own families. Maurianne used to work with my sister in law and by random chance we ended up in the same ward and quickly became good friends. So while I enjoy BYU sporting events with Maurianne I'm even more grateful that she is a dear friend. That she has been my friend and that because of her friendship I haven't felt alone as I've lived here in Utah. Thanks Maurianne for all the fun, good advice, and long talks. #2 -living close to Provo so I get to enjoy BYU sports live. Since it's basketball season I'm thankful for basketball but ask me during the fall and I'll be thankful for football. I love watching a game live and it's so fun to be there cheering! #3 -Time to do a little extra work. Saturdays are great days to get things done! Today I had time to get the floor mopped among other things. 

A Good laugh

Today I am thankful for: #1 -Fridays. The first week back on track can seem like months! I love that Friday gives me a time to take a deep breath and catch up on little things that I haven't had time for all week. I'm thankful that the kids leave early every Friday! #2 -A good laugh! Preston invited Tricia and I to go to the U of U gymnastics meet. All that I know about gymnastics is credited to watching them on T.V. during the Olympics. Which means I really know nothing. Even with this being the case I had a great time. Tricia and I had to laugh every time a gymnast completed her performance the whole team had to run up and give her a hug. I don't mind a high-five or even a hug by a teammate but a team of 12 running up and hugging every time seems a little over done and not sincere. So of course my picture for the day had to be a hug when the meet was over. I'm thankful for good friends that enrich my life with amusement and I really am thankful for hugs as well. # 3- Orange rolls. Or more specifically a yummy treat. After the meet we went back to Preston's to watch a couple of shows. He made us orange rolls and it was the perfect treat to end the day. 

Sweat Pants

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - The temple and the blessing it is in my life. I'm so thankful that I have the opportunity to attend the temple weekly. I'm thankful that it is a place that helps to keep me grounded throughout the storms of life.  #2 -Sweat pants. I love to come home and put on comfy pants. Today I was especially glad to get home and change. What is it about getting home, kicking off my shoes, and donning comfy clothes that takes a threatening headache away? I don't know the answer but I'm glad it does. #3 -Going to sleep early. I headed to bed at 9. I didn't get to actual sleep until a little after 10 but that's still early for me. 

Quade and BYU Basketball

Today I am thankful for: #1 -My friend/cousin Quade. He is one of my favorite people! I enjoy his company tremendously! I wanted to watch the BYU game against UNLV but it was on a station that I don't get. So I invited myself over to watch it at his place. I took my friend Kerri with me and we had a great time watching the Cougars play a great game and winning! #2 -Popcorn. Quade has a great little popcorn machine and he is always so sweet to pop me a bowl full anytime I'm over. #3 -Apple Cider. When we got to Quade's I was uncharacteristically cold. Usually I'm always warm or it takes me just a few minutes to warm up. With my popcorn Quade offered me hot chocolate and then pulled out carmel apple cider. I was a little skeptical but gave the cider a shot anyway and it was delicious. So basically this is a post dedicated to my dear friend who treats me better than I deserve and who I hope to be more like some day. Thanks Quade for the years past that have been so much fun and the years that are yet to come! Love Ya! 

Favorite Snack

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - An evening at home to just relax. Whenever I go back on track life seems a little overwhelming and a bit hectic. I was glad today to just get to be at home catching up on a few things. Even if I really wasn't all that productive. #2 -I LOVE ice cream in a mug with milk mixed in. I'm not a big fan of just a bowl of plain ice cream. You don't have to tell me I'm odd I already know. This is a perfect treat for me 9 times out of 10. And I'm loving my new Minnie mug that I get to eat it in! #3 -Getting to bed at a decent hour. Tonight I headed to bed early and it feels great to get a good rest. Why don't I do this more often?!? 

Warmth

Somethings I'm not grateful for today: #1 - I broke my curling iron. I lost my grip on it and instead of trying to grab it I let it fall to the floor. I didn't burn myself but the top broke off the top of the iron. I can still use it but I'm afraid it'll never be the same. #2 -Approximately 2 min after the curling iron incident I dropped my hand held mirror and of course it shattered. Good thing I'd gotten up early so there was plenty of time to clean it up.  I was worried this was a sign of how the rest of my day would go. Luckily it wasn't and there were plenty of things to be thankful for: #1 -My class. I love these kids and I'm so glad I get to be their teacher. I love hearing about all the fun things they've done while we've been off track and I love that they're excited to be back at school and in my class. #2 - Home evening. I rarely stay really long but I enjoy going to for the little time that I do go. And really there isn't many times that I don't have a good laugh while I'm there. #3 -Warm clothes on a COLD winter day. I fell in love with scarves and hats on my mission. I don't always wear hats but I always have a scarf on. I've got a great collection. I'm also thankful for several warm coats. This coat is my warmest and I know I'll stay nice and cozy until my car warms up on my way to work. 

Music

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - Music and the Spoken Word. I have lived in Utah for over 3 years but have only made it to the Sunday Morning Broadcast 3 times. I love the hymns and it's always a treat to listen to The Mormon Tabernacle Choir live. Preston had never been so he invited us all to join him on this fun first. It was their New Year's Broadcast and I enjoyed it very much! #2 - My ward. I love to go to church on Sunday in my own ward especially after I've been gone for a while. I love that people know that I've been gone and tell me they're glad I'm back. My ward is definitely my family away from family. #3 - A quiet Sunday afternoon that allowed me to sit and read for a few hours and then get to sleep early so I was ready to go back to work. 

Fresh Grapefruit

I'm thankful for: #1 - A New Year to reflect on the past and set goals for the future. This year I'm working on gratitude and am reading a page from the New Testament every night. #2 - A safe drive home from St. George after a fun trip visiting with family. I'm always so thankful that I arrive at my destination without car trouble or an accident. I was so glad to get home. #3 - Fresh grapefruit and friends to share them with. This is one of my very favorite fruit. My mom always buys a box and sections them out for breakfast of Christmas morning. I'm thankful that I get to eat them even if she isn't here to section them out for me. I'm getting better everyone I do.