last day of school

the last day of school is always a little bitter sweet. ive really loved this group and as much as I'm ready for a break i also hate to see them go. i was thinking the other day that as much as retirement sounds appealing i love knowing i have something meaningful each day. i know loving and teaching these kids is what I was born to do. 

so i may be teaching for 2 more years or 5 or 7 but it will all be good...it is my happy place because it's there that I get to serve, laugh, sing, discover, care, and grow.

and isn't that what life's all about.

 

let summer begin!

it was the first dinner outside to officially open the summer season! I love it! 

tonight jen and the kids and mom came up so theycould spend the night and go to the memorial day fun run. great talk, yummy food and wonderful weather!

dinner with tante mare and uncle ben

roadside treat

we were treated to this yummy eye candy as we walked this morning at 6:15. the picture doesn't even do it justice. the purples and greens were so intense and lush. makes me so grateful Heavenly Father loves colors and is not only the master painter, but shares so generously.

what they're up to

here's just a couple of pictures of what some of the kids are up to. on the left is the birthday invitation that jared made for sam's 5th birthday....yeah it's nice when your dad's a graphic artist! and josh just finished another tri-athelon in st. louis....looks like he had a good cheering section. tonight i spent the evening with jons and celeste and mc. they made me a wonderful book of pictures and quotes for mother's day and then jons made me a cd of songs to listen to on the way home. i spent part of saturday watching kyle and bekah's soccer games which was fun, and tonight mary and i are planning our trip to belize which will begin in 17 days! 

blessed am i to have such wonderful, talented and most important of all...

righteous children.

their very lives inspire me.

today our relief socieity lesson was on the witnesses of the Book of Mormon. i want to add my witness that i also know that this book is true. i have read it many times and have had witnessed to me that the things that are written inside are true. it is a second witness along side the bible that Jesus Christ was the son of God. He came and taught us through word and example how to live. He gave his life as a sacrifice that we may all repent, be forgiven and be resurrected. His atonement has made it possible to live with our Father in heaven. It also can heal us, cleanse us, and ultimately perfect us. I am grateful for the prophet Joseph Smith who translated gold plates that were anciently written so that we might know of this people and how Christ appeared to them also. I am grateful for my humble yet sincere testimony and know these things are true.

fun run

it was a great day for a fun run with the ward....and with some of my good good friends. (tanya was taking the picture.) kathy and carol had provided some 'motivating' signs along the way ....mortuary ahead, look alive, run like you stole something ( which was by the yard sale) and 'my mascara is running faster'.  what a fabulous way to start a saturday...

good friends

good weather

good exercise

good talking

and good food at the end!

a pocket of springtime

i went to the temple tonight and found this spot of happiness on the side. it was so serene and beautiful and i sat in the sunshine just soaking up it's peace. 

i love that the temple is beautiful inside and out. what symbolism there is with that thought. 

beauty comes from righteousness

so does peace. 

i'm grateful for a temple that is a beacon on the hill, that provides a place that lifts my spirit
and provides joy here

and on the other side.
 

a reason i teach

we took a field trip to davis high to learn about ocean animals. the kids got to hold different star fish, pet baby sharks and watch the shark be fed brine shrimp. they were mesmerized by it all. and to top it off they all got a shark's tooth. 

i got to see again why i teach. 

i got to see discovery.
 

 


i got to see such an excitement for learning that
it filled the room. they had questions and were
so eager to share. you could feel it.

i think as adults we often lose that hunger to learn. 
not that we don't learn. maybe  since we know so
much more about the world and how it works that we really don't really discover much any more. 

maybe we've become callused. 

maybe we've forgotten the magic of learning.

whatever the reason
i'm grateful that these 6 year olds help me feel the
energy that comes from 

pure

delightful

discovery.

mother's day

happy mother's day mom! thank you for all the sleepless nights, all the delicious meals you made, clean clothes that were always ready for me, school supplies you bought, trips you planned and happy childhood memories. 

thank you for it all. i'm so blessed to have you as my mom. 

and thank you to these precious women...daughters, daughter in laws, sister and sister in law who are all such nurturers....what great mothers you are....and will be. i love your great examples.

saturday morning

it's been a rainy cold week. and i've pretty much just worked at school. this morning i finally got to go to the gym which felt good. then i got to come home and have this great bowl of oatmeal that had golden raisins, pecans and apples cubes. mmm, it was sooo good. and then to have the whole day to work was such a gift.

my good hometeacher

it's been such a productive saturday...i cleaned the whole house, finally finished my class video then picked up literally a truck load of mulch and with the help of my sweet home teacher sam otto i got all the mulch spread around the yard. my body's quivering a bit and i'll probably be pretty sore tomorrow so it was nice to take a long bath tonight. 

sam and i had a good conversation about serving others without wanting any kind of return. that the joy comes from the service and i guess in some way maybe getting something for that service diminishes the joy of the service. Elder Rasband said in the last conference, 'focusing on serving our brothers and sisters can guide us to make divine decisions in our daily lives and prepares us to value and love what the Lord loves. In so doing, we witness by our very lives that we are His disciples. When we are engaged in His work, we feel His spirit with us.

today i was the receiver of service...

i look forward to when i can be the giver. 
 


 

yum

had this fabulous waffle with fruit for dinner...not exactly nutritious but D.A.N.G. good!

A good woman

shelley signed up as a volunteer for the red cross several months ago and today got deployed to alabama to help with the recent tornado disasters. i really admire her desire to 'do something more'. since she's been retired she's been looking for a way to serve and this fits her like a glove. she's always been really interested in emergency preparedness, she's leveled headed and compassionate. she doesn't know what she'll be doing for sure, and she'll be gone for 2 to 3 weeks, but she'll be doing a lot of good for people who've lost so much. once again i'm inspired and lifted by the good women in my life.

 

food for the soul

i bought this treat for myself yesterday....a splash of sunshine that now sits on my counter

i once read that one should never lose an opportunity to enjoy beauty

so i have this delicious snack each time i walk in the kitchen 

which is often.

saturday

i

i went to bekah's dance recital to day. she still has to watch the others but she's doing such a terric job....i'm soooo proud of her. 

then this afternoon i worked in the yard again...more dandelions, and still so fulfilling.

this evening i went to help out at the special mutual program putting on makeup. collen and blake are the ym & yw leaders and do such a terrific job. every time i watch one of these programs i end up in tears. 

and that happened again.

another good program. 

another good saturday.

work

this evening i spent 4 hours working in my yard. i've been so eager to clean out some flower and rock beds. and i must have dug up 200 dandelions...and i honestly don't think that is an exaggeration. it felt so good to work hard and although i am quite tired and sore...i loved it!

 there are such blessings that come from good old physical hard work.
  * i get to create order
  * i feel the satisfaction of a job done well
  * my yard looks so much better
  * i'm going to sleep so well tonight
  * hopefully i burned a few calories and if nothing else....i didn't eat while i was working!
  * i listened to great music while i worked
  * i feel happy!

person of interest

ok, i have to admit shelley got me hooked on this tv series. it's about a guy who built a machine that knows what everyone is doing in attempt to stop terrorists. but later he uses the machine to stop 'irrelevant people' from getting hurt. it's an interesting story line although has it's violent parts. i hate to watch violence and yet am drawn to this show. is it because they are trying to do the right thing? i'm not sure.