Tagged #2

1. If every job paid $50,000 a year, and you had no physical or mental limitations, what would you do?
I would be a college professor or a fashion designer.

2. What is your current church calling? What do you like about it? What have some of your other callings been?
I teach primary. I love the funny things they say and that sometimes they see things with amazing clarity. I love it when they perk right up at a Bible story. I've also taught Marriage and Family, been on the activities committee, and been a pianist a number of times.

3. Name a person you regularly encounter (outside your family) who brightens your day.
Amber (though I have to keep in touch with her through phone and internet these days) to get me laughing at this zany adventure called life. Ren, cause she just makes me feel so durn good. Helen, cause I have a feeling that she's as quirky as I am!

4. In twenty years, what do you think you will miss most about your life now?
How chill it is. How clean I am able to keep my house. That Mark and I can just take off and go somewhere pretty much whenever we want, without much prep time. I think kids will pretty much alter those things drastically...

5. What’s something you appreciate about your spouse?
I appreciate that he is always ready and willing to help with whatever anybody needs him to do. I appreciate that he is silly with me sometimes, and that he gets as much pleasure out of the simple things as I do.

6. What is your favorite routine, household chore?
I think doing the dishes. There's something relaxing about putting the dishes away and then loading up the dishwasher again.

7. What’s a book you return to occasionally (besides the scriptures)?
Harry Potter, Gone With the Wind, Tuesdays with Morrie, Anne of Green Gables

8. Favorite Small Pleasure?
Sitting by the pool with a good book or on the patio with Mark.

9. Favorite time of the day?
Evenings, when I can take a time out with Mark and talk about the day.

10. Name a person who performed what they thought was a small act of service, but ended up being a big deal to you:
Anytime someone calls me up to see how I'm doing or to invite me to do something, I really appreciate it. It makes me feel like they like me and want me to be their friend.

11. Name someone who somehow changed your life:
Wow, now that I really think about it, all of my friends and family have changed my life in some small way. But each small change has led to a big one. Thanks for making my life wonderful, guys!

12. Consider what you do each day. Think of one attribute or trait that you bring to your daily work that is a strength—what is something you do really well?
Hmm... well, I am a really efficient person. My mom tells me that all the time!

I tag: Amber, Cody, Sharon, Lacey, and Charlotte

The Breakthrough

I am a primary teacher. Each Sunday, I get to oversee the spiritual teaching of 3 - 6 seven-year-olds for one hour. I love teaching, and I've had a fun time with my little class. My experience has not been without challenges, however.

Coming from Utah, where almost every ward is comprised of families who have been members for generations and where children are not only spiritually taught at church but at home as well, moving into our Houston ward was a bit of an adjustment. These children are not necessarily taught about Jesus at home. Sometimes the only time they hear anything about Jesus or the bible is at church. Some of the children do not come from stable home environments.

One such child is Kayla, who in her short 7 years has had more to deal with than any child should. She has now been adopted by her grandparents, which was probably the best thing to happen to her, as it now gave her a stable environment. However, Kayla's previous experiences have taught her that most adults are not to be trusted, and that if she wants any justice in this world, she will need to fend for herself. You can imagine the behaviors that arise from such an attitude.

Thanks to previous primary teachers who were patient and loving, Kayla had come a long way before I took over the class. She was no longer hitting the teacher (thank goodness!), and would sit still through the lessons. However, each change of teachers brought a fresh wave of Kayla's desperate attempts to save herself. Each new teacher was an adult that could not be trusted, and she tested them thoroughly. Such it was with me. Each Sunday, Kayla would lean over in sharing time and talk to whomever was sitting next to her. If I moved to sit next to her in an attempt to keep her quiet, she would loudly say, "Don't sit next to me! I don't want you to sit next to me!" She would settle down until there was at least one chair between me and her at all times. If a handout was passed to the children during sharing time, she would play with it until I told her that if she didn't put it away and pay attention, I would have to take it from her. Then, when I carried out with my promise, she would shriek and cry, "It's mine! Give it to me!" And so this has been the situation for three months. Kayla didn't like me and I tried my best to show her that I could be trusted to love and care for her.

Recently, another teacher has been called to teach my primary class with me. We agreed to switch off lessons, and Sister Bassi taught once before the hurricane hit. Yesterday was her turn again with the class, and so I went to Sunday School with Mark, enjoying my time with adults in class. When the lesson was almost over, the Primary President came into class and beckoned to me. I went to her, and she quietly explained that Kayla was beside herself and kept asking where I was. She asked if I would go to Primary to see if I could settle her down. I agreed, and walked to the primary room.

As soon as Kayla saw me, she threw her arms around me, and asked me to sit by her. She sat relatively quietly all through sharing time, but was very wary of Sister Bassi. I asked Kayla if she remembered Sister Bassi, and she said, "No. Will you introduce her to us?" So, when we were in class, I introduced Sister Bassi to the kids once more. Kayla was so good during the lesson! Sister Bassi was very good with her.

Ever since I have been Kayla'a primary teacher, I have wondered if I have been getting through to her at all, if I was doing any good. I have come home many a Sunday discouraged that she was so unresponsive to my efforts. But yesterday made me feel so good! Kayla has finally learned to trust me, and she seemed to trust Sister Bassi more readily than I have ever seen her trust before. I know it's not all my doing, so I don't want to seem like I'm bragging at all. I am just so thankful that the Lord has helped all of the primary teachers in Kayla's life show her that she can be loved and that she can trust us. I'm so glad that Sister Bassi was called to be my teaching partner, because she has such a kind heart, and I know that Kayla could feel that yesterday. I think we've reached a break-through, and it can only go up from here!

The Change of Seasons

Take a step out of your front door. Now breath deeply through your nose. Do you smell it? The distinct aroma of cooler air, falling leaves, and warm grass. Yes, autumn is here, my friends! I love fall. I love the little nip of the weather that just appears one day, making an end to the hot summer days. I love the vivid reds, golds, and oranges of the leaves as they change color. I love walking along the sidewalk as a gust of wind swirls fallen leaves in a circle about my ankles.

I stepped out onto my patio today into just such a fall day, and suddenly I was craving caramel apples, corn mazes, hay rides, and argyle. I wanted to walk through a garden and run my hands through the dirt as I dug up vegetables ripe for the harvest. I wanted to have signs of fall all around me! So, I got out my fall wreath, my scarecrows, my pumpkin spice candles, and I decorated for fall.

Something about fall just makes me excited for things to happen. Maybe it's the anticipation of the holidays. Maybe it's leftover from the hustle and bustle of my school days. But whatever it is, I want to be out and doing - even more so than usual. Maybe I was destined for it. "Herbst", after all, means "autumn" in German.

This is sort of a random collection of thoughts on fall, but I wanted to share my joy in having fall here again. Isn't God good to give us different seasons? And isn't he good to give us a season so focused on abundance and Thanksgiving? Fall is a time to reap the fruits of our labors, and we have been blessed in so many ways.

Wordle

I thought this was kinda fun...  You can make your own at
www.wordle.net.

Eek @ Ike!!

After months of waiting for a "real" hurricane experience, Mark and I got our wish. Not that we exactly wanted to have a hurricane hit our house, we just wanted to experience one to see what it was really like. September 11 was marked by clear sunny skies, and a warning of a hurricane approaching Galveston island, about 45 minutes from where we live. We were headed up to Dallas for the weekend to visit Mark's sister, and we got caught in the evacuation traffic. That was our first clue that maybe we didn't want to experience a hurricane after all.

On Friday night, Mark and I watched the news as Hurricane Ike swooped into Houston in all its fury. Pieces of asphalt from the road floated past the news reporter on the screen, and I thought, "I don't think our apartment stands a chance..." When the storm was over Saturday morning, most of Houston was out of power, and some were without water. We extended our stay in Dallas until Tuesday morning. Then, deciding we couldn't delay our return any longer, we struck out to see what the damage was.

Half-way to Houston, we stopped to fill up. The line was long, and the closer we got to Houston, the more gianormous the lines got, sometimes stretching for 2 miles at any open gas station. Everywhere we looked, there was debris: ripped up billboards, split trees, tree limbs, shingles, power lines...

We pulled up to our apartment complex, and thankfully saw that there was no damage to our apartment. However, we had no power (obviously) and no running water. We had plenty of drinking water stored up, but not much to flush our toilets with. I reverted back to my mission days in Armenia and hauled buckets of water up from our pool to flush the toilet with. Thank goodness for missions! It was an adventure at first, but then the outlook started to look grim as we heard that we probably would not get power or water for another week. Yikes!

I have a testimony, however that the Lord answers prayers and that he enhances our efforts. Mark and I had taken measures in the past few months to be prepared, stocking up on food storage, batteries, 72 hour kits, etc. However, there were some things that we were not prepared for, and that could not be helped (like the running water). The Lord is merciful and helped us find ways to deal with our spotty preparation. Our food was ample, we had a pool full of water, and the utility men were able to repair our power lines and restore our water ahead of schedule. Hooray!

So, we have survived our hurricane. Let's hope that another one doesn't come for a loooong time. We are healthy and happy, the Lord is in control, He hears and answers prayers, and life is good!

You can click the title of this post to see pictures of Ike's aftermath.

The Broken Toe

We had somebody tell us that the average person will break about 20 toes in their lifetime, the reason being that even stubbed toes most likely have hairline fractures. Well, last night, Mark and I were watching a movie with his sister, Rachelle. We were just starting the movie, and Mark went into the kitchen for a drink of water. All of a sudden, Rachelle and I heard a huge crash, and looked up just in time to see Mark hit the ground, writhing in agony. He had missed a little footstool that was sitting by one of the kitchen counters and nailed it with his toe. This morning, we took a look at it, and the whole thing was black and blue. I think it is safe to say the Mark's poor little toe is broken. Do they have splints for that?

Jessica Has Guts!

Ross and I worked together at Del Sol. His wife, Jessica, was on "Deal or No Deal", and became the first million dollar winner of the show. She passed up a half million to open the million dollar case, which could have held $200,000 instead. I would have taken the half million and ran, but Jessica stuck to her guns, and won the million buckaroos. And to think that I know these guys!