TV Dinners

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - A group of my girls who play in the school orchestra. We have been studying sound and we were talking about high and low pitch the other day. A couple of girls approached me and said, "Could we play our instruments for the class? We can show how you tune them by tightening and loosening the strings." Of course I said I'd love that. Have I ever mentioned that I love my kids? Well, I do and this is why - They play their instruments and the rest of the class is so into what they are doing. Then the recess bell rings and half the class stays in and the girls let them try out playing their violins and cellos. I just might have a couple of kids decide they want to be in orchestra next year. It makes me happy to see them share their love and interest for different topics with each other. I just feel lucky to be a part of it. #2 - Today was a BEAUTIFUL day! Brett and I went for a nice little run. Very enjoyable and I loved to feel the warm sun on my skin and to see the snow capped mountains. It was a perfect evening. #3 - Making a little April Fool's treat to share with friends tomorrow. I don't know why we celebrate this holiday. It's kinda dumb but I love these cupcakes and they're so much fun to share with others. Tricia was so sweet and helped me decorate them. I can't wait for tomorrow so that I can give them away!

Bed Time Story

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -Kris the librarian at the school. She is quite possibly the sweetest person I've ever met. She brings me farm fresh eggs, compliments me on my cute jackets, and best of all reads cute stories to me class of 12 year olds. Don't be fooled into thinking 12 year olds are too big for story time. They're not. They love it. Quite frankly, I love a good story and best of all love a good story teller. Today, Kris read a story about two girls, their great aunt who has a lot of hats, and crab cakes. The best part of this is Kris has gathered 8 different hats that match those in the story. They were all placed in cute boxes with ribbons. She gave the boxes to random kids and they got to open the box during the story and wear the hat the rest of the story. Again - don't be fooled into thinking my kids thought this was dumb. I had boys and girls both very proudly wearing hats. I ran and got my camera and took the kids pictures for our class slideshow at the end of the year. I'm thankful for Kris who makes library time not just enjoyable for me but a time my kids look forward to EVERY week. #2 Michelle who had me over for dinner. It was delicious and I must say I've missed seeing her the last few months. We've both been busy. It's time to make more time for each other! I love her and love her sweet family. #3 - Reading a bed time story to three sweet children. Michelle's kids love books and I love that they'll let me read them a bed time story. We cuddled up on the couch and enjoyed two great books. Our favorite "Pout Pout Fish" is always one they find for me to read. What a lovely day!!

I'd Forgotten

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - A principal who was willing to help me with a little hands on science. I've been teaching my unit on sound and I have to teach the Doppler Effect. So the kids and I trekked outside to the main road and I had the principal drive by honking his horn so they could hear how the pitch of an object changes as it passes. In physics my senior year of high school Mr. Foster had Jed do this for our class and it is a lesson I've never forgotten. I'm hoping it made an impression on my kids. #2 - A wonderful parent volunteer who comes in every Tuesday morning to help me out. It doesn't matter what I give her to do she does it with a smile and says, "Good give me the stuff you don't want to do." Today she's my hero and I want to be more like her. She graded a bunch of essay tests that I just can't get to. #3 - My rollerblades. I bought these beauties almost 5 years ago after my first year of teaching. I used them a ton that summer roller blading around the green belt with Tommy and Nikkie. I haven't used them much sense then. After our long run on Saturday I thought I should roller blade a couple of times a week. So tonight after I got home from the temple, I strapped them on and remembered how much I enjoy them. I had forgotten how much fun I have roller blading. I'll be using them more. I didn't go as long as I'd have liked it was later than I like to be out on the trail alone. I also forgot that roller blading definitely uses different muscles than running. I hope I don't suffer tomorrow.

A Project

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - Tomorrow being a brand new day. Today I'm having one of those - I'm not quite sure how to explain it days. It's not a bad day but nothing has really made it that great either it's just been a day. This is ok and reminds me of a couple of quotes I loved on my mission. First from President Boyd K. Packer, "It was meant to be that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal. Teach our members that if they have a good miserable day once in a while, or several in a row, to stand steady and face them. Things will straighten out. There is great purpose in our struggle in life." Today was a "good miserable day" but I like this quote because it reminds me that it's ok to experience one of these days every now and then. And it's true that the tomorrow after one of these days is always so much more enjoyable. The next quote from Jenkins Lloyd Jones is an all time favorite, "Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed. The fact is that most putts don't drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey... delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride." In part this is the purpose of this blog in 2011. It is to help me to thank the Lord for the beautiful ride I have been given. I guess I just feel that today had a lot of dust - I'm sure tomorrow I'll get a glimpse of the beauty out the window. #2 - The two parent volunteers that spent an hour in my classroom teaching "Art through the ages". It gave me a chance to get a few things done. It's never enough but all take an extra time I can get. #3 - This project that I've been working on for my grandpa. It is going to be so much fun to give to him. I've got to dedicate a whole evening to it because his birthday will be here before I know it and I still need to get it sent to the printers. I love technology because you can create some pretty cool stuff with it. I can't wait to give it to grandpa!!

The Book of Mormon

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - The chance I have everyday to read and ponder The Book of Mormon. Today as I was reading the scriptures I thought I'm so thankful for this book. I love it dearly and know it brings peace and comfort to me. #2 - The opportunity to take a friend to the airport. So many people have taken me to the airport that I get excited when I can return the favor to others. #3 - Enjoying dinner with Becca and Tricia. Tricia made us dinner and it was delicious.

Delicious Dinner

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - that I survived a 6 mile run. For our weekly Saturday morning run today we decided to run a different part of the trail. I felt like we ran FOREVER! When we got home and clocked it on the computer we discovered it was a little over 6 miles. No wonder it seemed like we'd ran for so long. My legs killed me the rest of the day. #2 - Graham Canyon ice cream. On Thursday Kerri introduced us all to Graham Canyon ice cream from the BYU creamery. It quite possibly is THE BEST thing in the world. Good thing you can only buy it at certain places or I might gain 100 pounds. Kerri said she was sure it'd change our lives and I'm now sure it has. Today we went to the Museum of Art at BYU to see the Carl Bloch exhibit. It was amazing. Nothing can quite replicate seeing an original painting. So incredible. When we left the museum we headed over to the creamery to pick up a couple 1/2 gallon's of ice cream. We were starting to get really hungry - a 6 mile run will do that to you. So we grabbed some plastic spoons and enjoyed spoonfuls of ice cream right from the carton on our ride home. It was a sight. #3 - Kerri, Brett, and I made a very yummy dinner - actually I only helped cut up a few things. Again, I have to say food is so much more enjoyable when you eat it with friends.

Graham Crackers and Milk

Today I'm thankful for: #1- Friday planning time. Today I got to spend a good 2 hours catching up on all the little things I didn't get done this week and start on the little things for the next week. #2- The opportunity to support a friend. Raegan and I had the opportunity to attend the viewing of a friend's husband. Not something you really enjoy but it feels good to let someone know that you are thinking of them in their time of loss. What a difficult time and I hope that her knowing we were thinking of her helped. #3 - More time with good friends. Tricia made us dinner and then we enjoyed the evening together. For a treat Preston and Tricia always eat graham crackers dipped in milk. Tonight I tried it for the first time and I'm a fan. A yummy treat I'll be eating again.

All Good Things...

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - My cute group of students. On Monday when I welcomed them all back on track I let them know that on Thursday I'd be wearing my BYU blue and they were all welcome to join me. I had a bunch of them dressed in either blue or some other shirt with a BYU logo. Love them all! I have such a great time with them! #2 - Brett who made pizza for dinner tonight. How lucky are Kerri, Tricia, and I that someone will come over and make us dinner while we watch the game? #3 - Jimmer and BYU basketball! Tonight the Cougar's amazing season came to an end. We all knew it had to come to an end but we were all hoping it wouldn't be for a couple of weeks. It's been a fun season to be a Cougar basketball fan. (I think I've said that 100 times on this blog in the last 3 months.) But it's true I've had a lot of fun! Kerri and I we full of spirit and did a whole lot of yelling at the t.v. The game went into overtime - which about killed us and then they lost which about did us in as well. Still today I'm thankful for the blessing of enjoying sports with good friends. I don't know I'd enjoy all the games if I didn't have friends to watch them with or friends to text while I'm watching games.

Having a little fun at Walmart as we recovered the shock of a sad lose. 

Science and Girls

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - The opportunity to head to the BYU campus to attend a regional science fair competition with the kids who won at the district level. My girls who won were so excited that I agreed to be a chaperon. It was a pretty good day - my favorite being the chocolate milk I bought at the Creamery but I was happy I'd come. One of my students said, "Miss Oldham! I'm just SO excited to be here and I'm so glad you could come with us!" This was also the student that ended up taking third in her division. What a smart kid and what fun it is to be her teacher! #2 - A quick 3 mile run. I hate to run - but I like the feeling after it's all over. So even though it was so hard to motivate myself to get going I'm very glad that I went. #3 - Good friends to spend the evening with. Tricia, Brett, and I headed over to Preston's and enjoyed each other's company. Good friends make me so happy! Thanks guys!

A little Jimmermania

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - For the Relief Society organization. Tonight we had our Relief Society birthday party. The Relief Society was organized on March 17, 1842. Each year in March ward Relief Society sisters get together and celebrate that this society is a part of our lives. I'm so thankful for what I've learned in Relief Society, for the chance to be uplifted so many times by the testimony of wonderful women who are striving to live righteous lives. #2 - All the wonderful sisters who participated in the cake decorating contest. This was the part of the enrichment meeting that I was in charge of. It went better than I expected and we had plenty of yummy cake to enjoy for dessert. #3 - It's true I've been caught up in the Jimmermania. It's been so much fun to watch him play this season. So many incredible shots and he's got my vote for player of the year! Of course I had to buy the Sport's Illustrated with him on the cover. Just wish I knew a way to run into him and have him sign it. - That'd definitely make my day!

Baking Cakes

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -That halfway through the day today I thought, "I love what I do and I don't mind one bit that I had to come back to work today." I can't imagine how horrible it'd be if I hated what I did. #2 - The delicious chef salad that Kerri and I made for dinner! Thanks Kerri for coming over and for enjoying it with me. I'm so much happier when I eat a yummy dinner with friends. Tricia got home just as we were starting dinner and I'm also thankful that she enjoyed it with us. #3 - The cake making party we had at our house. Five of us mixing and decorating. We're a pretty fun bunch of people! I'm pretty impressed with the creativity of my friends. Preston came over to and we enjoyed a little fitness Mario - every time we died we had to do push ups or sit ups. We did a lot because we die a lot!

Tapioca Pudding and Friends

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - My ward. I enjoy church every Sunday. I enjoy the people, the spirit, the lessons, the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm so thankful for my faith! #2 - Heather who invited me over for Sunday dinner. It is always so lovely to share Sunday dinner with friends. #3 - Good friends who I enjoy life with. Tonight Kerri, Brett, and I enjoyed Legacy and a little Tapioca pudding. It was even better when Tricia and Haley joined us. What was great was all of us quoting the movie and then Haley pulled out her computer and played a great game of Oregon trail. Luckily, even though we all experienced broken bones and exhaustion we made it to Oregon all alive. The favorite quote of the night was from Brett who said, "Well, girls we can't square dance every night!" Haley wanted to get to Oregon without doing much rest. Oh! Fun times!

THE SWEET SIXTEEN!!!

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - A nice four mile run to start the day. I'll admit I was super grumpy when I got out of bed this morning. Good thing Kerri and Brett were coming over or I wouldn't have made it today. #2 - A few hours to get all my planning for next week done. I go back to work on Monday and the year starts to wind down. Only 12 more weeks with this group of kids and there is SO much we still need to do! #3 - BYU beating Gonzaga 89 -67 to advance in the tournament to the Sweet Sixteen. On Thursday we watched a little bit of Gonzaga's game against St. John's. I'll be honest and say I didn't know how good our chances of beating them would be. Don't get me wrong I thought there was a chance but didn't want to get too hopeful. They played AMAZING and had a great 2nd half. Kerri and I yelled and cheered at the t.v. and it was great fun. We then went out to Chilli's to celebrate. We enjoyed chips and salsa and yummy dessert while we watched more of the NCAA tournament. Who knew I'd get this into college basketball? Again - I'm an emotional eater - brownie sundae to make me feel better when they loose and some paradise pie to celebrate a win. Great excuses to enjoy yummy treats! And great friends to enjoy it all with - I think that's the best part of all of it!

Lovely Evening Topped off with Dessert

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - Lilly's phone call. Lilly called to say hello today and can I just say how much I adore my nieces! I told Lilly that I heard she knew The Pledge of Allegiance. Annie then helped her say it for me. - Might be the cutest thing EVER! Then I told her how I say that everyday with my students and told her she needed to come and visit me so that she could draw a picture on my white boards with my markers. She then told her mom she wanted to come see me and to draw a really pretty picture on my board. Then she says to me - "If I was a bird I could fly around your room!" This was directly followed by "If I was a chicken I could poop on the ground!" This made me laugh - what a cutie! Where does she come up with something like that?? #2 - The Orchestra on Temple Square. Maurianne had tickets to the Orchestra concert and invited me to come along with her. The first number was odd to say the least but I really enjoyed everything after intermission. They played Romeo and Juliet by Tchaikovsky and West Side Story Suite by Leonard Bernstein. #3 - Dessert with Maurianne and some of her friends to end the evening. This delightful place is located on 3rd East in downtown and has so many desserts it's overwhelming! Maurianne and I both decided to get the white and chocolate cake. So delicious and the perfect way to end our evening.

Strawberries and pudding

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - Brett who came over after work and went for a run with me. I was struggling to get motivation to go and Brett agreed to come with me which helped because this meant that I actually went. I'm always much happier when my workout is over but getting that motivation to go is hard for me. #2 - Kerri who made dinner tonight while we watched the BYU vs. Wofford. It was a great game and we were delighted with their 74 -66 win to advance to the next round of the NCAA tournament. It's about the only game that I picked correctly. A lot of upsets today and I didn't predict to many of them. Good thing it's all for fun! #3 - Strawberries and pudding. I love the spring because it means fresh strawberries. I love them with vanilla pudding. Such a yummy treat!

Honey

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - The chance to substitute. Today found me in 4th grade. I really don't mind substituting as long as I'm at my own school. The students have seen me around and they behave and I never have a problem with them. This makes the day go by very fast. #2 - The temple. No matter the week the temple always brings focus to my life. #3 -Peanut butter and honey sandwich. At WinCo they sell fresh honey that you get from a spout. I decided to try some the last time I went grocery shopping and it was delightful. I do believe I'll be buying more.

Taco Tuesday and Enchiladas

Today I'm thankful for: #1 Brett who stopped by the store and picked up a few ingredients for the dish we were making for Taco Tuesday. I could have very easily gone to the store myself but it was nice not have to leave my house. - I'm not sure why I've felt like such a homebody so much lately. #2 - Yummy homemade mint Oreo cookies. #3 - Chicken enchiladas to take to Taco Tuesday. This week's food had to be green so Bret and I decided that we'd make our enchiladas with spinach tortilla shells. That's also why I made mint Oreo cookies so I could put a little green food coloring in the frosting, plus they sounded really good. We had a great time at Taco Tuesday at Josh's house and it was quite the array of delicious green food.

Pi

Today I'm thankful: #1 - that I was able to help out a friend. Raegan sent me a text this morning. She wasn't feeling well and even though it was short notice it felt good to quickly jump in the shower and get to my school so I could substitute for her. I enjoy my day and I already love her kids so I didn't mind going one bit. #2 - for Kara and a fun party to celebrate Pi. Today is March 13 or 3/14. If you're someone who likes math this is a fun day to celebrate. I met Kara at her place a few minutes early to visit before the party started. She was busy making lots of goodies. She had more than 48 cupcakes and then piped one digit of pi onto each one. I think she's pretty creative. We ate pizza for dinner and I enjoyed visiting with Maurianne and Jake about BYU basketball. #3 for more fun friends who gathered at my house to celebrate our friend Melissa's birthday. I'm thankful that our home is a nice place that people enjoy coming to - that is a good feeling and frankly a great place to call home.

Beautiful Nieces

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - These beautiful nieces! I'm pretty lucky to have adorable nieces. Not only are they so sweet and cute but they adore me which makes me adore them even more. Gracee and Emme were so excited to make sugar cookies. I wasn't so much but because they really wanted to Liz and I obliged. What a mess but a fun activity to do together plus it was great to watch Lucie suck the dough off whatever rolling pin she could get her hands on. #2 -  Ruffin who made delicious pizza for us to eat for dinner. YUMMY!! It made me very happy! #3 - A long two hour nap. I was exhausted plus I think everyone needs a nap when we spring forward with Daylight Savings Time. Especially when you have 9:00 church. Usually I have church at 12:30. I would pick the day that I loose an hour of sleep to be gone from my ward.

Little Emme Olivia

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - Clean laundry and nieces who think organizing a drawer is fun. We took all the clothes out of three drawers and made sure they were folded nice and separated so that Gracee's clothes and Emme's clothes were on different sides of the drawers. They were so excited about what we'd done and couldn't wait to show their mom. #2 - This cute little face. I love her to the MOON and back! Because the girls worked so hard I told them that I'd take them somewhere fun for lunch. We decided on Arctic Circle because they loved the thought of a corn dog. I took a picture of Gracee and Lucie and then had Gracee take this picture of Emme and I. When we were looking at it Emme giggled and said I was eating my corn dog. I'm pretty sure I may have taught her this pose in a picture. Guess it's a good thing she's named after me. Love her! I also love sweet little Gracee who really wanted a Happy Meal at McDonald's but settled for making her own kid's meal with the food I bought her. 

I think we all can take a lesson on being grateful for what we have and making the best out of what we've been given. She was as happy as can be that it looked like a kid's meal. What a sweetheart! I love her to the moon and back to! (For the record I love them all everyone of them in three different states to the moon and back.) #3 - One last time of cheering on the Cougars at a live game for the season. Even though they lost I had a wonderful time. I wasn't sad I'd gone and do believe I just might go to another tournament some day. Tonight I was seated by fans who were really not San Diego State fans nor BYU fans. I was thankful I wasn't surrounded by San Diego State fans. I had a good drive back to St. George and I now feel well traveled on I -15. 

McDonalds in Mesquite

Today I'm thankful for: #1- the fun morning and afternoon I had with Gracee, Emme, and Lucie. We watched a movie, did hair, got Gracee on and off the bus. These girls are so much fun and I love them SO much! #2 - A fun treat. Emme cleaned the front room and Gracee went and hopped on the bus happy to go to school. So I promised them I'd take them for a treat. We went to Del Taco and had nachos. Lucie had fallen asleep in her seat so I unbuckled her seat and took her into the restaurant in it. she slept the whole time the girls played and we ate our nachos. Then we stopped by Sonic and got slushies. By this time Lucie had woken up and was very excited to have her own as well. Just look at these girls! So CUTE! 

#3 Another trip to Vegas to watch the Cougs! It was one of the most intense games of the whole season. Jimmer had a record high 52 pts. only one of which was from a free throw. Spectacular to say the least! The final score was 87-76 as BYU finally beat New Mexico. It was so much fun to be there and I was happy I'd decided to buy tickets and go. As I drove back to St. George I ended up stopping in Mesquite to use the restroom. I decided to stop at McDonalds so I could get a yummy hot fudge sundae to get me through the rest of my drive. I even treated myself to extra fudge. 

Liz and Ruffin and BYU basketball

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - A brother - in - law who helps take care of me. My car started to make a horrible noise a couple of days ago. So Ruffin had his mechanic look at it for me and he replaced both sets of brakes and something else at a relatively low cost. So happy about that! #2 - BYU basketball and the chance to enjoy it with Liz and Ruffin. BYU played TCU in the first game of the day. It wasn't the prettiest game but they pulled out a win and a win is a win so I won't complain even if the score is 64 -58. We had a great time at the game. I love being at a live game and it was so much fun yelling for the Cougars with all the other fans. #3 - Watching a movie with my sister. Liz and I love to pop in a movie late at night when all the kids are asleep. We don't always make it through the whole thing but we love to start them anyway.

A Little Surprise

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - A safe drive to St. George. I decided on Sunday that I wanted to go to the Mountain West tournament in Las Vegas. I'm off track and had the free time so "Why not?" I asked myself. I convinced Ruffin to come with me on Thursday to the first game. We decided not to tell Liz or the girls and to surprise them. I drove up and Emme was so delighted. She had just got done telling her mom the next car that drives up will be here to visit us. When we walked over to get Gracee from the bus stop as soon as she saw me she ran so fast and leapt into my arms to give me a big hug. What a sweetheart! #2 - A nice evening to just enjoy each other's company. Sometime I just enjoy being with those I love without worrying about having "fun." Spending time with those I love is always fun but it's good to just enjoy each other sometimes without activities getting in the way. #3 - Liz who takes so many pictures at every family event. I've been working on a project and I can't wait until it's finished it is the perfect way to display such fun family memories.

A Sweet Roommate

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -The temple and a free afternoon so I can attend when it's not very busy. I love the temple and I love the darling sisters that serve in the temple and lovingly thank me for coming. #2 -All my laundry finally folded and put away. I've been a little lazy lately and my clean clothes have piled up. Everyday I think I should fold that. Today I forced myself to tackle the job. What's ridiculous is it just my laundry and only amounts to 2 baskets full. What would I do if I was responsible for 5 people's laundry? Guess I'll worry about that it I'm ever responsible for that. #3 - My sweet roommate Haley who brought me the most delicious cupcake home from The Sweet Tooth Fairy. If you haven't eaten one of these you need to experience it! I'm not a huge cake fan but these are something else and I LOVE them. Thanks Haley for thinking of me and for being a fantastic roommate!

Hard Drive

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -Another Monday to just be home and relax. Usually I busy myself with visiting others while I'm off track and it's been nice to just be home. Today I worked on a project for a while and then baked a couple of pies to take to a couple of friends. It was a fun afternoon. #2 -Dinner with Kerri and Tricia. We ate a very yummy dinner of stuffed feta burgers, asparagus, and broccoli.  Delicious and relatively healthy. #3 -My external hard-drive so that all my files are backed up. I've got so much on my computer and it's comforting to know that it's all backed up.

My Savior Jesus Christ

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -My testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that he lives, that he loves me, and that because of him I can repent of my sins and return to live with him and my Father in Heaven someday. I am so thankful for this knowledge. I'm thankful for the feelings of peace and love that the gospel brings into my heart. #2 -Others testimonies. I love fast and testimony meetings. I love to hear how the gospel blesses their lives it builds my faith and strengthens my resolve to be and do better. #3 -Dinner at Tricia's parent's house. I'm so thankful that Tricia's family welcomes me into their home. I enjoy it more than they will ever know. The food is always wonderful but more than that I enjoy the feel of home and family which I don't get too often with my family far away.

Comfy Couch

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -Brett and Kerri and another delightful Saturday morning run. I was a bit slow today -I'm always slower than them but today it was extra bad. Might have a little to do with the lack of sleep Tricia and I stayed at Preston's too late watching Burn Notice. I've got to set myself a curfew! But the run was still nice although I was feeling yesterdays so that could be another reason I struggled today. #2 -BYU basketball! So the regular season is now over. Which is a little sad. We headed down to Provo today to watch the last home game of the season. After Wednesday I really hoped the team I've loved watching all season would be back. I wasn't disappointed. The feel in the Marriott Center was so different than it was on Wednesday. It felt like the team was a team and I was happy to see Brandon Davies sitting on the bench. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is such an amazing thing. No doubt Davies has a hard road in front of him and that is something that is between him and the Lord. But it was so sweet to witness the love I felt from the fans for him. I don't think many BYU fans disagree with the actions that were taken. He violated the Honor Code he agreed to follow. In fact a lot of the articles that I've read and news reports I've listened to from people who aren't necessarily BYU fans have repeatedly commented on how refreshing it is that BYU stands for what they believe even when it is hard. With all of the nation watching they adhered to the standards we as members of the LDS faith believe so strongly in. This week I watched as a situation became more about a person's soul than winning basketball games. With Davies on the bench the student section cheered for him and when the team was cutting down the net they sent him up to participate as well. The students all chanted "We Love Davies". I think there is a great lesson here. We all make mistakes luckily all of us don't have to play our mistakes out on a national screen, but we all make them. The bottom line is that just because we make mistakes -no matter how big or small the Lord still loves us. He wants us back and that is why he blessed us with the Atonement so that when we fall short we can repent and the Savior of the world makes up the difference and we can become clean. Really that is what the Honor Code at BYU, and the "Standards" of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for that matter, are all about.  They are in place to keep us clean and to help us live a life filled with righteousness. I loved to see the players and coach of this team give Davies a hug and that the fans let him know that we support him as he makes the changes in his life that are necessary for him to become clean. I'm a big fan of BYU and I'm a fan of Brandon Davies and hope to see him play again next season. I enjoyed seeing that but I also enjoyed the Cougars come back from a devastating lost and play like the team we've all loved all season. The first half was pretty even and BYU wasn't up by very many going into the locker room. Kristi and Rob had brought their family to the game so I left my seats to go find them to say hi. Apparently they had four tickets to sit on the second row right behind the Wyoming players. They're Wyoming fans and their Bishop gave them these great seats because he couldn't use them. Kristi invited me to sit with them during the second half and I loved watching the game from this perspective. (That's me in the white shirt right behind Jimmer.) Maybe not the best thing because now I know what I'm missing not being up close. Like I said it was close at the half but then the Cougars came out and won 102-76. Great seats to watch a great 2nd half. So much fun and yes even with all the emotions of this week it's great to be a Cougar fan! #3-Dinner with friends and a comfy couch to watch shows on. We went out to dinner tonight and then came back to our house and watched a couple of shows. For my picture we were taking a little break between shows. When I was a kid it was always so funny to fake sleep. Why is it still so fun when I'm old. I think I might need to grow up.

Pie

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -A nice long run. The weather is getting warmer and I've got some time off of work so I'm trying to get back into the swing of jogging. I enjoy a nice jog but today I think I went a bit longer than I should have. I need to ease back into it a little bit each day. I did have a good time though. #2 -A no makeup day. Sometimes I enjoy skipping the whole beauty routine. Today I decided that it definitely could be one of those days. I did do my hair though so it wasn't completely skipped altogether. #3 -Lemon Meringue pie. This is my favorite pie to eat and favorite one to make. My mom brought me lemons a few weeks ago and I finally got around to making a pie. I was glad Preston and Tricia consented to each a slice. It's not much fun to make if there isn't people to share it with.

Tangled

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -A slow morning and the blessing of finishing The Book of Mormon. I know this book is true. That it is the word of God. I know that it continues to change my life as I read it each day. It draws me closer to my Savior and helps me to increase my faith. It is a dear friend that brings me great comfort as I live my life and strive to do my best. #2 -The movie Tangled. It's hard to see but in the picture I'm in the movie theater. One of my favorite things to do is to go to a Matinee by myself. For Christmas I received a give card to the movies and I've been so excited to use it. Today I decided would be the perfect day. I was not disappointed with my experience. I loved the movie, loved that there were only 15 people in the theater, that as the credits scrolled 5 little girls danced to the music right below the big screen, and I loved that while I was in the theater it had rained. All of it brought happiness to my soul. #3 -Dinner with Brett. Brett bought me dinner at Kneaders and it was very delicious. Thanks Brett for inviting me. #4 -Water Aerobics with Brett and Becca. We had a great time and as ridiculous as people might think it is we'll definitely be going again. (You shouldn't laugh at it until you've tried it.)

Kara and Maurianne

Today I'm thankful for: #1 - The opportunity to substitute. I don't love working while I'm off track but for a little extra cash it's worth it. Today I substituted for Gregg another 6th grade teacher at my school. It went better than I expected it would. It's nice to be at my own school because the kids already know me and behave - which is a very nice thing. #2 -Dinner with Kara and Maurianne. Maurianne took the picture and said, "I did my best." I liked it immediately. I kinda like that I'm half cut out. Not because I was having a bad hair day, which I really wasn't but because my two really good friends made it fully in. I love these two girls and am so happy I moved to Utah so we could become friends. Life is busy and we don't get to do a whole lot often but that only makes the time we do get to spend together all that more enjoyable. I always enjoy myself when we get together. #3 -A brownie hot fudge sundae. After dinner Maurianne and I headed over to the Marriott Center to watch a much anticipated basketball game. I won't repeat any particulars other than it was a pretty painful game to watch. In the end BYU lost by 18 points. The good news is basketball isn't what life is all about. No sport is. Don't get me wrong it's a lot of fun. I love going to the game and watching it with friends. It's fun and it's exciting but it's not what life is all about. Life is about the journey we're all enjoying here on Earth and most importantly life is about making it back to live with our Heavenly Father. All made possible because of our Savior Jesus Christ and His Atonement. This knowledge keeps everything in perspective. Even so- as we left the game in a state of disbelief. We decided that we'd drown our sorrows with ice cream. We had a great time at the Creamery on 9th visiting and a brownie sundae never tasted better. I realize that you shouldn't be an emotional eater but I tell you what that sundae did wonders. It really did make me feel a lot better and I drove home with a big smile on my face.

Conquered!!

Today I'm thankful for: #1 -The chance to sit and read from The Book of Mormon as long as I wanted to. I should get up earlier each day so that this is always the case. #2 -The beautiful temple where I enjoy such peace. I love that the temple brings focus to my life and I love going to a session in the middle of the day during the week. #3 -I was just headed up to bed when Preston and Tricia got back from the REAL game. I stayed up and we played a little Mario and conquered the game. I died right before the end so Preston got the "glory." I was only slightly annoyed. Really it's been a lot of fun playing with him. We'll have to find a new activity now.