New Hobby...

Last summer, my roommate (and bestie) Olivia made these really cute letters to put up in her classroom. Of course I wanted some for my classroom too! So, Olivia and Kerri helped me paint, etc. letters spelling out all the 7 army values. 

I thought it was going to be SO HARD to do these, but found that it wasn't too tricky. About 2-3 months ago, I went back to The Wood Connection, to see if they had any quick and easy decorations for my house. I didn't want to spend a lot, but wanted a little "seasonal" something to put up. I found lots of CUTE wood decorations that took a little effort, but didn't cost much (oh wait, until I added all the paint, and paper, and ribbon, etc.) And then I was hooked!

Made Valentines decorations, St. Patty's decorations, and recently did an "Easter" project. This next week I'll be doing a "SPRING" block, and yes, I LOVE IT.  Who knew I would love "crafting"... Well, not me - and yet, I DO. It's so "relaxing" and I really get excited when it's all done and I have something to put up in my house. :) 

IF we only all believed in each other...

I was folding some laundry tonight (yes, I know I shouldn't do this on the Sabbath...) and turned on a BYU Hawaii devotional given by Douglass Brinley from May 2011. In it, he told the following story...

"A few years ago there was an unusual high school football game played in Grapevine, Texas (close to our mission).The game was between Grapevine Faith Academy, a Christian school and Gainesville State School which was located within a maximum security correction facility—a prison. (You have to understand that high school football in Texas is a religion. They put a football in the crib of each boy so he can get the feel of leather.)

The Gainesville State School of Correction had 14 players who played every game -- on the road (obviously).Their record was 0-8.They had only scored twice.Their 14 players were teenagers who had been convicted of crimes ranging from drugs to assault to robbery.Most had families who had disowned them.They wore outdated, used shoulder pads and helmets.On the other side, Faith Academy’s record was 7-2.They had 70 players, 11 coaches, and the latest equipment.

Chris Hogan, the head coach at Faith Academy, knew the Gainesville team would have no fans, and it would be no contest.He thought, “What if half of our fans and half of our cheerleaders, for one night only, cheered for the other team?”He sent out an email to faithful fans asking them to do just that.“Here’s the message I want you to send to these young men,” Hogan wrote.“You’re just as valuable as any other person on the planet.”

Some folks were confused about the coach's efforts.One player said, “Coach, why are we doing this?” The coach said, “Imagine you don’t have a home life, no one to love you, no one pulling for you.Imagine that everyone pretty much had given up on you.Now, imagine what it would feel like and mean to you for hundreds of people to suddenly believe in you.”

The idea took root.On the night of the game, imagine the surprise of those 14 players from the prison when they took the field and there was a banner the cheerleaders made for them to crash through.The visitors’ stands had people sitting in them.The cheerleaders were leading cheers for them.The fans were calling them by their names.Isaiah, the quarterback—also played middle linebacker said, “I never in my life thought I would hear parents cheering me to tackle and hit their kid.Most of the time, when we come out, people are afraid of us. You can see it in their eyes, but these people were yelling for us.They knew our names." (Read the whole article on ESPN http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3789373.)

This story brought tears to my eyes, because what is said here is so TRUE. What would (and will) the world be like if/when we were/are to all truly LOVE and BELIEVE in one another. This is what it really means to be Christlike - and it changes lives. Charity for our fellow brothers and sisters is an amazing thing. I have a LONG way to go, but what a good reminder and motivation to start... how many people can you "believe in" today? I bet it's more than you think.

Thoughts on life...

Suppose that today were your last day on earth,
the last mile of your journey you've trod.
When you've counted it up, how much are you worth?
How much can you take home to God?
Don't count as possessions your silver and gold,
for tomorrow you leave them behind.
But all that is yours to have and to hold,
Are the blessings you've given mankind.

Found this poem in my email from a fellow service missionary, when I worked at the conference center a few years back. I really enjoyed my time there, and every so often wonder what happened to those wonderful people I got to serve with. LOVED my once a week mission, even though it seemed like it took a lot of time out of my already busy life, I know I was extremely blessed for my service. That's the way life is. We think we're giving, when really we are the ones getting blessed. :) Gotta love it.

Bucket List - Winter Style

I realize that nobody's reading this because, well, I didn't blog for like 900 years. However, I'm going to post none-the-less. This past week hasn't been all that exciting but there are two things I'm going to post about.

First - Kerri and Olivia and I have created Bucket List - Winter (Jan to end of March). On this list are a variety of exciting possibilities that we (either individually or collectively) will hope to accomplish in the near future (by April General Conference weekend). Can't wait to see what we'll get done this time!

Winter Bucket List...

Second - Near Christmas time, Paige and Adam had us over for an FHE. We each chose to give a "gift to the Savior" that we'll look at next Christmas. My "gift" was was to spend at least 15 -30 min each day reading from the scriptures. So far I have worked really hard to make sure that I do this daily, and I have REALLY loved it. This week as I have read, I have thought about my testimony. I've been reading about Ammon's mission to the Lamanites and King Lamoni's conversion. It's really made me think about my desire to gain a testimony. Why am I not more like him? He was so willing to give away all he had to come to know the Savior. I also read today about the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's who literally gave their lives, because they didn't want to sin and risk loosing eternal salvation.

I love how reading from the Book of Mormon helps me to desire to be more like those righteous examples who have such solid testimonies and relationships of/with the Savior. So grateful that Heavenly Father knows us so well, and that he gave me the amazing gift of scriptures.

Birthday Trip 2011

The gorgeous gals, waiting for the adventure to begin...

I'm turning over a new leaf, and have set a goal to blog on Sunday mornings, since my church starts so late...

Recap of the best "birthday vaca" ever! Well, this one was "FUN", last years trip to NYC was just plain cool. Both were enjoyable for different reasons... anyway.

For the big B-day celebration this year (and yes, it looks like we would like to make an annual B-Day vaca trip... at least until one of the 3 of us get married) we decided to go to DISNEYLAND!!! Luckily Kerri has an Aunt and Uncle that live near Disneyland, and were kind enough to let the 5 of us come crash at their place for the 5 days. Here's what we did.

Flew in Friday night, got to Claire and Jim's and I basically passed out, while everyone else chatted (don't really know why, but I was WASTED!)

Saturday we got up, Kerri made me run up and down the hills of Cali at 6:00 - which kicked my behind, but was good for me - and then we headed home to get ready to go to the temple in Long Beach.

Quade, Tricia, Olivia, & Kerri at the temple

We did a session, and then picked up Preston from the airport, had lunch with the Cosby's

and headed to the Santa Monica Pier.

We played on the beach for an hour or so, and then headed to Hollywood to see WICKED! Love, love, love it! Following this wonderful experience we headed home and hit the sack at a very late hour.

Sunday morning we got ready for church (yep, K-dawg and I had to run to Kohls, because she left her skirt in her parents car... and though she could have pulled it off, the shirt pulled down to the knees wasn't going to quite cut it), headed to meet up with Olivia's mission president, and then Preston and I went over to the beach, while Kerri, Quade, and Olivia had dinner with the pres. Ended the night with a little Disney Trivial Pursuit (which we weren't too hot at, ironically) and a game of picture emotions.

Monday meant another grueling run up and down the wet hills of Cali, and then we prepared ourselves for a day of DISNEY in the rain! Had poncho's and all of our warm layers on, and despite getting SOAKED, had a blast, running from ride to ride and basically walking onto anything we wanted! Oh, and Preston and I got birthday badges because well, it was our birthday week! By mid afternoon I'd finally dried out some, and was finally comfortable. The only bad thing about the day is that we found out (too late) that the park had closed early. NOOOOO! So we found a place to eat dinner and headed home.

Tuesday we got up, packed up and went back for another day of running around the park. We were happy to find that the sun was out to stay, and yet the park was still EMPTY compared to any other trip I've been on. Ran to any ride we wanted and never waited more than 7 min to get on it!

(So this is the awesome "Squatch" statue in front of Claire and Jim's = we've recently become interested in the idea of squatches due to a great television program on the Animal Planet Channel)

BEST DISNEY TRIP EVER!!!!!!!!!!

(This is us being really sad that it's all over!)

Pushed it to the limit, and still made it to the airport in time to make our 7:30 flight home. Wednesday was a blur, but it was sure a vacation to remember!!! LOVE MY TRAVEL BUDDIES!!! See ya'll next year! (Olivia, Quade, Kerri, and Preston - you guys are the best!)

Seriously So BLESSED

Today I was blessed to go with my roommate Kerri and new BFF Raegan to Ashton Idaho to attend my roommate Olivia's fathers funeral. It was a cold day, and an early start, but I'm very grateful that we could go and be there with her, and the rest of her family. The whole service was beautiful, and Olivia did a beautiful job expressing her love and appreciation for her father, and her testimony of the gospel and the opportunity she'll have to be reunited with him on the other side of the veil. With that said, there were a few things I thought about today that I wanted to jot down...

1 - It's amazing how much we can learn about someone by listening to their family talk about their parents. I learned so much about Olivia today just by listening to her tell stories about her father. It's amazing to me how much we are a product of our upbringing, and family experiences.

2 - Olivia's father died in a car accident, which means, they were not expecting him to go. I thought a lot this afternoon about whether or not I'm ready to return home to my Father in Heaven - and how I could prepare myself to be ready to do so. I don't know that you ever feel "ready", but I know that there is much more I could be doing to make sure that the meeting I have with my maker is one where I can report that I was in the process of reaching the potential that I have.

3 - I've been extremely blessed to have wonderful roommates over the past few years. In talking with Reagan and Kerri in the car, I realized that Heavenly Father has always provided me with the roommates I need at the exact times that I have needed them. Olivia has been a huge blessing in my life - it's been wonderful to have someone to talk about school with (since Paige up and got married!) and has been there for me during those times of trial in my life. I have also been blessed to have K-dawg here over the past few months, and am extremely grateful that I have not only 1 but 2 rock solid examples in my home.

4 - I've decided that I need to try harder to take the time to tell those around me how much they mean to me more often.

5 - I need to start keeping a journal... and write in it more than once every 5 years. :)

I'm feeling grateful for the opportunity that I have had to ponder on these things and hope that someday I'll be spoken of in a positive way when I pass on...

The small and simple things...

This past weekend I was listening to a talk from our most recent general conference. There was a story told that got me thinking about my life and how I so often forget to focus on the little things in my gospel life. As I was pondering this idea, I realized that perhaps I'm not actively seeking for the righteous things in my life with the zest that I could be. Not that I'm doing wrong, but that perhaps I'm not doing as much GOOD as I could be.

So, today I decided that I would like to re-commit to making scriptures a priority EVERY DAY. To re-commit to making daily prayer something that I really put my heart and soul into. And to attempt to find a real purpose in everything I do. (Sidebar) I think I spend too much time in my life doing things, but not really thinking about the purpose behind them - this includes both spiritual and worldly activities... What is my purpose in reading the scriptures. What is the purpose in teaching my kids how to add and subtract decimals... What would my life be like if I asked myself the purpose of all my activities? Maybe it won't make a difference... but I'm going to try it out!

And, though I'm horrible at it, a few things I'm grateful for right now are:

1. My awesome family, who love me even when I continually choose the "Y"... (inside family joke going on here...)

2. Wonderful roommates who really and truly set an example for me - it's amazing!

3. Being able to enjoy my job because I have a very uniquely FUN group, and am not spending all my time stressing about completing my homework! YEA!

4. The gospel - particularly the atonement - it' allows me to CHANGE who I am, in order to become who I WANT to be, and not who I "naturally" am. It's the power to BECOME and without it, I'd be a pretty lame person.

5. Revelation - what an amazing gift

6. Having a steady income.

7. My "healthy" body. (yeah, I could cut back on the sweets...)

8. Being an aunt. It's pretty much the coolest thing in the world.

9. Repentance.

10. Vacations - yes. I need one, and will have a short one this weekend!

Here's to a "fresh start" and choosing to focus on the little things - to see and seek for a purpose in ALL that I do, and remember that it's the little things that make life so much better!

Still grateful, and becoming something...?

So I realize I am not too great at any type of journaling, and blogging is kinda like an "online" journal, or report on what's up with life, so naturally I'm not great at being on top of it - but for my grandma, who reminded me that it's been a while since I last blogged, I'm going to share some things that I've been grateful for over the past 2 months.

Gratitude...

1. I'm grateful for the ability to finish my ELS endorsement within 6 months. It's all over now! YIPEEEEEEEEEEE!

2. My roommate Haley got married - happy she found "the one", sad that I lost a great roommate! - and SUPER grateful that my good friend Kerri decided to take her place. We are going to have some GOOD TIMES!!!

3. I'm lucky (and have realized how lucky I am) to be surrounded with awesome family members. Not just my immediate family (though they are truly the best!) but my extended family are great examples, and wonderful people. I'm pretty darn lucky to have them, and to know that they care about me and are there to support me in all that I do.

4. To have the priesthood available to me when I need it.

5. To be able to work 4 hours a day with kids who are cute, and like school... makes it so much easier!

6. To be blessed with the Holy Ghost to guide me, to be with me as I repent and try to become better, to help reveal truth to me, and to comfort when necessary.

7. I was able to run and yes, even finish Ragnar, for the second year in a row...(Hoping there isn't a 3rd year, but I've decided to never say never...)

8. Grateful for employment these days. It's not an easy time to be looking for work, and I'm grateful to have been blessed with employment so I can attempt to help others who are not so fortunate...

9. I have recently been grateful for the words of general conference. It's such a huge blessing to be able to listen to the council given through the prophet and apostles in these latter days. What comfort those words are. What great guidance they are in my life!

10. The reminder that change is necessary if I am to become who I want to become... Through the atonement it's possible, but it's my choice to start making the changes.

As a side note to the list above, I wanted to share a thought I've had recently. I have listened to some talks from our recent general conference addresses, and was reminded of the great blessing it is to be able "TO BE" something. I have recently decided that sometimes I "do" things, because I'm supposed to, but doing them doesn't mean that I'm "BECOMING" the person I want to be. For example: I try to read my scriptures each day, but if I don't let the word of God sink it, then reading is great, but it's not really helping me max out my potential as a child of God. In a talk give by the member of the 70 - he mentioned the idea that we create "to do" lists, but we often don't create "to be" lists, because they are a result of a process over a very long period of time... it's my goal in the upcoming weeks, to really ponder on, pray about, and come up with my own, "To BE" list... I may not share it publicly, because I most likely will be a personal thing, but wanted to share my thoughts about doing it. What if we all started working on "BEING" something... "To be, or not to be?" Isn't that what life is really all about? What do you think?

Gratitude...

Well, I've been HORRIBLE about writing down the things I'm grateful for, and even WORSE about taking any pictures of those things... but I have to post about the most recent huge blessing in my life...

This last week was fast Sunday for most people (who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Saints), however because of the great changes in the world of singledom my ward had "stake conference". HOWEVER, my family was fasting for my two sisters, who have some major changes to take place in their lives... So, as a family, we all fasted. I don't know why, but as we fasted this time, I had great faith that all would work out the way the Lord would want, and that those things that would bless my family would follow in due time...

On Monday, I got an email from my older sister Jamie, which informed me (and the rest of the family), that they had a showing for their house scheduled for this week... though I don't know that this was the family to purchase their house, so they can move this summer, I belive it was the Lord saying I am listening, and I will take care of your family. Along with this, my other sister Paige, has set up 3 interviews for jobs down in Alpine School District, so that (when that time comes) she'll be able to work close to home, and be a Mommy. Up to this point, Paige had called and emailed principals, but had not even had a return phone call on any of her applications. Jamie and Steve also have had few showings with their home, and have been worried that nobody has really even looked at it.

I don't know WHY, or what is to come, but lately I have felt so very blessed in my life. I don't know if my attitude has changed, or if the Lord is blessing me for reasons that I don't understand, but life has been full of unexpected blessings. Weekly I'm blessed with time to complete homework, help at school, unexpected financial blessings, professors willing to add me to classes, health, and more. It's been amazing...

Now that doesn't mean that there are not "hard" things, (I've never been more stressed out!) but along with the struggles, and stress, have come great blessings, where I know that the Lord is aware of me, and is blessing me to be able to cope, and have good things in life.

I'm SO grateful...

One can dream, can't they? :)

So, this is lame, but I've been nominated for an award at school. If I win, I get a 2 year lease on a car - which would be great, since my car is getting close to 200, 000 miles on it right now. If you feel inclined to vote, click on the link below...

Vote for me here:http://www.burtbrothers.com/nominee/ and look for "Patricia Ellison"

Gratitude in a nutshell...

(Kerri, Brett & Me... we are cool)

So, this week was very busy! I had parent teacher conferences, had my last day with my student teacher, and therefore had little sleep, and little room in my brain to remember to write down the things I was grateful for... SO, I'm posting a "master" list that covers the week of gratitude and what little service I found time to do.

Grateful for...

1. I'm grateful for people who really are doing everything they can to fulfill their responsibilities. With parent teacher conferences, I tend to have parents who keep saying that they will do this, or that to help their child, but fail to follow through. Though I realize that people aren't perfect, I appreciate people who actually DO follow through - even when it's not completely consistent. It sure makes my life so much easier!

2. Fresh starts. New trimester, new beginning, with a blank and perfect slate. It's nice to have that once in a while.

3. Help. 'nuff said.

4. People with a happy and positive attitude. I've lacked that recently. I'm grateful when people tend to look on the bright side of life, so that I can be reminded to do the same.

5. People who LISTEN. Not just tell me what to do to make it better, but who really listen to what I'm saying - cause sometimes it's important to hear what I'm NOT saying as much as it is to listen to the words coming out of my mouth.

6. Reminders that I can do better... cause I can.

7. Good Friends. Particularly friends who take me snowshoeing with them, and bring me treats, and help me when I fall on my face and who are patient when i'm 20 min late and have forgotten my snowshoes. :) Those friends are pretty great.

8. Finding money I forgot I had.

9. Opportunities to serve.

10. To live in place that is safe, and blessed to be fairly free of problems that tend to plague the rest of the world.

11. Warm and sunny weather.

12. People who are NICE. People who are NOT nice, make me grumpy and that makes me feel bad, which basically ruins my whole day/weekend!

13. Being prepared... or at least trying to be.

14. Taking the time to go OUT and do something fun. I need time away from "life".

15. The Atonement.

Service...

1. Helped create a "get well" package for a friend in need.

2. Cleaned most of the house!

3. Created an opportunity for friends to get out of the house and try something new for this coming weekend.

4. Tried to comfort a friend who has been having a hard time.

5. Wrote a thank you note.

6. Took flowers to my sister at work - so she could give flowers to someone else.

7. Went to the temple.

Sometimes life knocks ya down and you just have to laugh about it and get back up... :)

Sunday's...

March 6, 2011

I'm Grateful For...

1. Fast Sunday's because I don't have to be to church early! SO, I can sleep in as long as I want, and only have to go to 3 hours of church!

2. "open mic Sunday's" where anyone can get up and bare their testimony. In our ward we had some very good thoughts shared, and even had a quote from High School Musical. :)

3. Sunday Dinner with the Fam'. The food is always great, and the conversations are never dull.

4. CES Firesides. Yes, I'm almost too old to be involved in the intended audience, but the message is always a good reminder of what is important in this life.

5. Seeing people at church who haven't been there in a long time. It's so awesome to see my fellow brothers and sisters in the gospel, and know we are all working on being the best we can be...

Service:

1. Brought rolls for dinner.

I'm way to old for this...

(Us pretending we are young and can stay up until way late, watching television... we got kinda tired!)

Saturday March 5, 2011

1. Today I woke up feeling VERY sick. I took some medication, but in the past few times I've felt like this, no matter what med's I took (and I took more pain pills that it says to take on the bottle...) the pain wouldn't go away. I had lots to do today, so I thought about saying a little prayer. I've been listening to President Monson's biography, and on Friday night had heard a story about Pres. Monson telling someone to pray for a clear sky, and in faith, the brother did so - and it WAS so. So, I decided to pray in faith that I'd feel better, and with Faith I felt better within the hour. I love when my Faith is strong enough, and the will of the Lord matches my will...

2. So, after my soccer game, I went to Costco. I took Preston with me (cause he likes the free samples) and when we went back to my car, I had a flat tire. It was basically the straw that was about to break this camel's back! Preston, being the great friend that he is, made a quick call to a family friend who works for Goodyear on Redwood and 45th south. He told us to bring it over, and they'd take care of it. When we got there, I was just hoping for a discount on getting it fixed - but after taking care of the flat, they said, you're free to go. They fixed it for FREE! What a blessing!

3. The atonement. My roommate Olivia and I have talked in depth about what the atonement means in our lives, and in the lives of others. I think sometimes people think that taking our sins, and shortcomings to the Lord, means that He'll disown us, and make us "pay for our mistakes" in a way that is horrible. I, from personal experience, know that when we come to the Lord, and are truly ready to turn ourselves, and our mistakes over to him, He will love us, and HELP us through the rough process of repentance. Am I saying that sin is pain free. NO! But am I saying that it's WORTH repenting? YES! And is the Love of the Lord more powerful than the pain we'll go through - YES! What an amazing gift we've been given... I wish the world could understand THAT!

4. Other people's happiness... I love to see other people HAPPY.

5. Every Saturday, I TRY to get all of the "essentials" done, that I don't seem to have time for during the week. Like vacuuming, grocery shopping, laundry, etc. Today, I got most of it done. YEA!

6. Tonight a few of us got together to go to dinner, and watch some television. We ended up staying up WAY to late (like I did when I was young and in college), but we had a good time. I'm grateful for good friends who are willing to pretend that we can still act like we're 19. :)

Service:

1. I helped make our home a place of cleanliness!

2. I helped Olivia bring in her groceries, and put them away.

3. Invited a friend to participate in the evening's festivities.

Report Card Friday!

Friday March 4, 2011

I'm Grateful For...

1. I worked hard all day long, and got all of my report cards DONE and printed! The only thing I have left is to do 5 S.E.P's!!! That's a record for me. :)

2. I met up with my friend Robyn, and some other people and went to a U of U gymnastic's meet. It was nice to "get out".

3. Twizzlers. :) Need I say more.

4. A reminder that I can be MORE than I am.

5. I got to the temple at 7:10 and was in my car by 7:50 and was to work "on time". WHAT A BLESSING!

Service:

1. Another early morning at the temple :)

2. I helped all the other 5th grade teachers with their report cards. :)

World Troubles

Wednesday March 2, 2011

I'm Grateful For...

1. Today in my night class, we were discussing the issues that are going on in Libya. We also discussed the Rawanda genocide as well as issues of Viet Nam. The point of the discussion was to reflect on the issues that arise when people from these countries come to our schools, and what I can do as an educator to teach them English and help them learn. The thought that came to me tonight, is that I'm grateful that I've not had to live through such great tragedy and that I'm not living in a country that would allow (at least I don't think we would) such crazy wars go on between to peoples, just because we don't like each other - due to history and genealogy. What a blessing it is to be here on "free soil".

2. I'm grateful for Fiber 1 bars (the 90 calorie ones). Such a great treat.

3. The 30 min I get at the gym on Wednesday's before class.

4. A professor who helps me make my OWN decisions as to what I'd like to learn in his class, instead of forcing HIS ideas on me. Love when you present the material, and then let me think for myself!

5. Coming home from a long day of work, the gym, and class, and knowing that tomorrow is a SHORT DAY at work! :)

The Gospel ROCKS! (and so do clean socks...)

Monday, February 28, 2011

I'm Grateful for... Today I'm grateful for a few serious things, and a few "silly" things.

1. Today I got home from the grocery store at 8:30 and was feeling rather down. I opened up my email to find a link my Mom sent me with a UTube video of a temple celebration in the Ukraine. It was the BEST reminder I could have received of what this life is all about. The Lord knows who we ALL ARE as individuals. He is spreading the gospel to as many as will receive it world wide, and those who prepare themselves are able to take upon themselves sacred covenants, that will bless their lives for eternity. How inspiring it is, to KNOW that I'm a daughter of a God who has given his listening children SO MUCH joy in this life. Amazing!

2. Clean laundry. Olivia folded my laundry (hence the clean socks... yeah, cheezy, but I AM my mother's daughter) today and left it for me to find on top of the dryer. What a GREAT act of service my friend! Thanks!

3. The ability to think clearly. Sometimes I come home from work and my mind WON'T WORK... this is a problem, when I have HOURS of homework to do. Tonight, I got home, and after some inspirational reminders, I had a clear mind and was able to accomplish MUCH.

4. Showers. I don't wake up so well without them... I'm so glad that I have this morning "jolt" to help me get started with my day! (Plus, I'd stink without them - so you all should be grateful for them too!)

5. Weight Watchers. Yes, I'm a lifetime member of WW, and I'm grateful for the things it's taught me about being healthy, and living healthy, so I FEEL good. Yep, I'm making better habits. (And NO, they didn't pay me to say that... but maybe they SHOULD!)

Service:

1. Spent time helping a fellow co-worker who is not doing as well as she'd like!

2. Helped my sis with her homework (well kinda... bit of a stretch, but I tried) :)

3. Shared some recipes with Brett & Kerri. :)

more Gratitude/Service ...

So... no surprise, but I've been busy and didn't blog last Sunday... and I'm not so sure that I did a great job writing down my "Grateful Service" for the past two weeks, but here's what's been going on...

Feb 27, 2011

Grateful for...

1. The spirit. I sure do miss it when I'm not listening for it! It testifies of all things that are TRUE and is a Valuable part of my life.

2. Chances that help me learn humility. I seem to have had a few weeks of opportunities to learn humility. Though I don't love eating humble pie, it is good for me and helps me to grow - and I'm grateful for those opportunities to GROW.

3. Olivia making dinner and inviting good friends over to share it with us! Love good friends!

4. That I found carrots growing in my "backyard" garden from last year! Those seeds just started growing I guess. :) What a fun surprise!

5. That today I'll finish the Book of Mormon once again. Can say enough how grateful I am for this beautiful gift! What a lucky person I am to have the word of God so readily available to me whenever I'd choose to partake of it. I feel SO BLESSED!

Service:

1. "ushered" at stake conference.

2. Saved seats and gave a seat to friends at stake conference, so they could sit in the "soft seats"

3. Did a "puppy" drive by again today for my friend who's lost her dogs.

Feb 26, 2011

Grateful for...

1. Watching people do things they didn't think they could! We have to potential to do MUCH MORE than we think we can - it's pretty darn amazing when we realize we CAN DO just about ANYTHING!

2. Playing Soccer (even though I feel like I got beat up by this SUPER out of control team) I sure do enjoy it 99% of the time!

3. Stake Conference - having the spirit remind me that just because I'm not where I'd LIKE to be, it doesn't mean that I can't GET to where I'd like to be with the power of the atonement.

4. Being able to serve.

5. Order in all things. Sometimes life get's so busy, and crazy, and I get so caught up in it all that I forget that there's an "order" for all things. And if I will take a step back, and let things have "order" and create "order" in all things - then miracles will happen, and I'll see the bigger picture in what my life SHOULD be - EVEN when it's super crazy.

Service:

1. Helped a friend watch for her missing dogs.

2. Invited 2 gals to Stake Conference, who didn't know that it was happening.

3. Bought dinner for a friend.

Feb 25, 2011

Grateful for...

1. The opportunity to have a student teacher - I've gotten SO MUCH DONE!!! Every teacher should get one for a few weeks each year. It's been SUCH A GREAT, GREAT blessing in my life - and I'm grateful that the Lord knew I'd need her! (Don't know how I'm going to stay sane without her help!!! I believe in miracles - guess I better start praying for some!)

2. Seeing people make progress in their lives.

3. Good people who teach gospel principles in their lives, but just LIVING their lives and baring testimony of what they believe in their actions/general conversations - Had a temple worker remind me that I have the rite to receive revelation ALL the TIME today - it was a GREAT lesson for me to be reminded of...)

4. That the temple is open at 6am, so I can go before work and still have time to stay after work to get things done!

5. Seeing my friends have a good time in my home.

Service:

1. Temple service

2. Made cookies for Olivia 'cause she wanted some. (maybe not so great for ME though - I ate too many of them!)

(missed more days... not doing so great!)

Feb 21, 2011

Grateful for...

1. Sleeping in - needed it!

2. Getting things done! Marked off almost the WHOLE list!

3. Spending the day with FRIENDS!

4. Finishing my shredding (took me a week or two - it was built up!)

5. Had another Flower Order come in! Great!

Service:

1. Helped organize a night out with some gals in the ward that I'm just getting to know...

2. Helped clean our house! (that's service, right? or is it just selfish...)

(missed a few days - yeah, I know... I'm working on it!)

Feb 17, 2011

Grateful for...

1. To have the experience to be a mentor, both with my student teacher Cynthia Lloyd, and with the other teachers at my school. Has been a GREAT learning experience.

2. I got to sleep in (do you see a pattern?) because I had a meeting at Westminster this morning.

3. Found a cheap paper shredder! Yeah for saving $ (I could use more of it ya know!)

4. Made it to the gym AND the temple today!

5. Organization - it makes my life so much better!

Service

1. Temple attendance with the stake.

(missed a few days! OOPS!)

(has nothing to do with my post - but was our valentines day card to our friends - my roommates rock!)

Feb 14, 2011 (Day of LOVE!)

Grateful for...

1. The Scriptures - they sure make me feel great!

2. Learning from people who came before me. It's great when someone else can teach me what I need to know without me making the mistakes and learning purely on my own.

3. SLEEPING IN! I got "furlough-ed" today and was able to sleep in and take care of my business responsibilities (Trish Flowers). Sure was AWESOME!

4. Seeing old friends! - Got to see Liz and deliver her flowers...

5. Good times with two of my favorite people in the world - Olivia and P-dawg. Thanks for coming to FHE friends. :)

Service:

1. Ran errands for people

2. Took a card to my Grandparents

3. Supported my friend at our FHE activity tonight!

(this is us delivering our valentine - notice that you can't see the card - but you CAN see the "no soliciting sign in the background... nice)

Feb. 13, 2011

Grateful For...

1. The sacrament - I love being able to take it each Sunday and remember WHY I come to church.

2. Being able to have a change of attitude.

3. Having self control - Sometimes I don't know that I have any - but I always feel good about life when I DO!

4. My awesome family!

5. Olivia and I did some "valentine" deliveries, that were pretty awesome... even knocked on the door and hid!

6. Borrowed milk from my parents neighbors house. It was pretty awesome calling the McDaniel's and asking to borrow a cup of milk - reminded me of when I was a kid and would do that so we could make cookies with the family on a Sunday evening... good memories!

Service:

1. Made cookies to share with friends for Valentines day.

2. Sat by a new gal at church, so she wasn't all alone.

Grateful / Service...

So, as I posted before, I've been keeping a gratitude journal each day, and have been trying to do 3 acts of service each day too. I was supposed to be taking a picture each day to document these things, however... I've gotten progressively worse and worse at the picture thing - sooooooo, I'm going to attempt to do at least one a week, and call that good... If I'd been more on the ball, I'd have started posting these in January - BUT, I'm NOT on the ball - so I'll just start now, and attempt to post them each Sunday from now on... Or at least for 2 or 3 weeks, until I get progressively worse at that too. :) Just being honest here. But to be hopeful, here's grateful service blog 1...

Sunday Feb 6th

Grateful For:

1. The Holy Ghost. Feeling it testify of the truth is s GREAT blessing in my life.

2. Reminders of what I could be doing better in my life.

3. The scriptures.

4. My talents - the fact that my parents encouraged me to develop them when I was young.

5. The opportunity to fast. It's pretty much amazing.

Service:

1. Fasting for someone.

2. Playing the piano for a fireside.

3. Cleaning the kitchen - even though it wasn't my dishes in the sink. :)

Saturday Feb 5th

Grateful For:

1. Finding a new, closer Weight Watchers location

2. The chance to play soccer each week.

3. The cushion things that I put in my shoes, so my feet weren't screaming at me!

4. Moments when I realize that I need to just calm down, and life will be okay.

5. People who have patience with me when I'm NOT calm.

Service:

1. Purchased rolls for my roommates dinner.

2. Agreed to play the piano for a fireside.

Friday Feb 4th

Grateful For:

1. The end of the work week.

2. President Monson's biography... teaches me lessons!

3. The opportunity to learn patience.

4. Church activities - even when I don't want to go to them.

5. Good people that surround me and make me want to be better.

Service:

1. I went to the temple.

2. I helped an old lady at the grocery store.

3. Drove us all to the activity.

Thursday Feb 3rd

Grateful For:

1. The friendly bank lady who knows my name, even though I'm one of 100's customers that go to that bank.

2. A clean room/ house! I love clean!

3. Relaxation time. I don't have enough of it.

4. A good run!

5. Getting things done that are weighing me down! It's nice to be PRODUCTIVE!!!

6. Talking with old friends!

Service:

1. Put the weights back were they go at the gym.

2. Cleaned out the workroom at school! It was messy!

3. Cleaned my house - dishes, vacuum, etc.

Wednesday Feb 2nd

Grateful For:

1. Help from my classmates on our reading... cause I admit, I didn't do it! :( I'm not always a great student...

2. A gym that is close to work.

3. A garage that allows me to get into a warm car each morning.

4. Nalgene water bottles. They rock my face off!

5. The atonement. I make so many mistakes in my life!!! And want to be so many things that I'm not! I am grateful that I can become better with the Savior's help!

Service:

1. I held the door open for someone that was behind me.

2. I straightened my classroom for my student teacher.

3. I helped one of my co-workers with some planning.

Tuesday Feb 1st

Grateful For:

1. Modern Medicine. (I don't do well with pain)

2. My deep rooted testimony of the gospel.

3. Answers to prayer and the opportunity to pray.

4. Good conversations. I know that I talk a lot - probably too much - but I love to have a good conversation, especially after a long day...

5. Taking a class with my little sister. I don't know that I'd enjoy it nearly as much as if I was all alone...

Service:

Today after a long day of work, being sick, and then going to class, I met up with a few girls who have had a rough time lately for ice cream. We sat around and visited for a good hour and a half, and were able to get to know each other better, and hopefully forge a friendship that will help them to see that the gospel really is what this life is all about... I hope it was a good thing!

Monday Jan 31st

Grateful For:

1. Stress relieving gym experiences! Sometimes a good run makes ALL the difference!

2. An irreverent FHE... yes the back row of 30 year olds were giggling and laughing during the scripture chase games. Seriously, so immature!

3. Opportunities to make tomorrow an even better day.

4. Blessings from Heavenly Father - I met my budget for January! It wasn't easy - but it was possible.

5. Nachos. They are my new favorite treat.

6. My little sister Paige, who turned 28 today! I LOVE YOU LITTLE SISTER!!!

Service:

1. I made us all dinner.

2. I was able to take Kerri home from FHE.

3. I talked to a gal that I don't know so well at the grocery store... I think she's in need of some friends, and though it may have been more for my benefit, I felt like perhaps it was a service to her as well...

Sunday Jan 30th

Grateful For:

1. The Stake Missionary "conference" that I went to. The Salt Lake Area Mission President & councilors were there and encouraged us to be doing more missionary work. I was INSPIRED and will be praying for opportunities to share the gospel with people who are looking for it.

2. My awesome family! I only spent an hour with them, but they really lift me up and make my life pretty wonderful.

3. My friend joined me at church. He's not always there - but I sure am grateful when I'm there with people that I love and appreciate.

4. Repentance - I am FAR from where I wish I was in life, and through repentance I can change my bad habits into better ones. Change is sometimes so great.

5. The Amazing scriptures that teach of the atonement. What would I do without them!!!

Service:

1. I helped arrange for a pair of Elders to give a blessing to a friend who was in need.

2. I called a gal that I don't always see at church, but who I miss when she's NOT there...

3. Sat by some new gals at church.

A New Year

Well, as always, I'm a little late in getting my goals and life in order for the new year. I always have good intentions, and spend time thinking about what I want to do for the new year, but it isn't until the end of January that I actually take time to write them down (and well, let's be honest in saying that it's not unheard of to be doing this in March - yeah, I'm slow) I'm starting to wonder if this is why I often don't actually accomplish many of my goals...

This year, I've decided that I'm going to make some "GOALS" to work on, and then have another "30's" list - which will really be a list of things that I'd like to DO this year. Again, I'd like to open up the comments section to thing that you have done, or would like to do in this upcoming year so that I can get a good list going! I like a "list" because, well I'm a "list person", but also, I feel like by having them all written down, I actually remember that I want to do them - so send some ideas my way!

One of the things I'm trying to do - and I've been pretty awful at it so far - is to have a "picture" journal for the year of 2011 - (my super cool roommates idea). In 2010 she took a picture of herself EVERY DAY, and then wrote a little blurb about it as a "journaling" idea or whatever it was for - now she's using some picture program to put the pictures and her "blurbs" into a book that she'll print. Cool, huh!

Well, this year we're both (yeah, she's actually doing it, and I'm spotty at it) keeping a "gratitude" journal (and I'm doing a service journal) and are taking a picture of something that we're grateful for each day. Cool journaling idea - too bad I'm okay at the gratitude thing, but stink at remembering to take a picture! SOOOOOO, the plan is to (from here on out) do the writing and load the pictures onto my computer, so I can share them with all my readers (yeah, thanks for reading Mom!). I think it will be a good experience for me if I can actually get my buns in gear! So, wish me luck! Some "gratitude pictures" to follow soon... as well as a goal list, and a "to do in my 30's list" too! I'm going to be busy! :)

Finished? Well sort of...

So, for those of you who've been checking every day to see if I made it through, my "30 till 30" list, the post is finally here... and I have to say, that I didn't quite make it - but I got pretty CLOSE! I have to say that I'm inspired now to create a new "list" for this upcoming year to help keep me focused on doing those things that I "always wanted to do"... I have LOVED the "excuse" to go out and LIVE life, and not just "say" that I'll do things someday... I have to say that I'm excited to hear and read that some of YOU are also starting your own "lists". Hope they go as well for you as this one has for me!

1. Learn how to golf (this is obviously a process, but it's coming along...)
2. Build a piece of furniture!
3. Create a budget and actually keep to it (could be better, but I'm DOING IT!)
4. Run in 6 races
5. Do at least 1 hour of service Every Week
6. Make 2 new friends (or meet two new people) every month
7. Read 6 books
8. Overcome a weakness... (I can always work on this, but it's getting better!)
9. Hike Mt. Timp
10. See Wicked
11. Find a way to organize my business - particularly my business finances.
12. Teach Allie to be the best soccer player in all of Ohio
13. Go to a Demolition Derby
14. Run Ragnar
15. Go somewhere I’ve never been before
16. Try a new kind of food
17. Read Grandpa Ellison’s life history
18. Grow a garden
19. Go to a new restaurant
20. Cook a new recipe
21. Go to Antelope Island
22. Learn how to do Yoga
23. Make a pumpkin pie (not for thanksgiving)
24. Participate in a Water Station for a Race

(I kinda had started on the organ and doing family history, but didn't get too far, so I had to take them off this years list - but will put them back on for next year!...)

Here are a few pictures of my last trip to New York to see Wicked... was a GREAT trip, and the best birthday present I've ever given to myself :) Lucky me! Watch for my next "list" coming soon... feel free to post your own ideas of what I can do this coming year as I'm always up for new ideas!!!