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.