Christmas is magical!

This is my favorite time of year. And the older I get, the better it gets.

As a kid, it was all about being sneaky and hunting down the gifts. There are many fond memories of skipping the squeaky stairs to get to the Christmas tree, just to make sure Santa really came. Sometimes it was climbing up all of the shelves in the garage to see if the gifts were there. And don't forget the annual 'cutting down the christmas tree trip' that I just love!

Now we have the pleasure of enjoying Cristmas through the eyes of all the kids running around. They are so innocent and pure. They love everything! The bells, the lights, the ornaments, the Santa across the street, the snow, you name it and they love it. And I love watching their eyes light up.

Through all of that, what I love the most about Christmas is that the Spirit gets stronger and stronger. Tonight I went to our ward christmas party. The kids were wonderful, the music was beautiful and the best part is that it filled my heart with the Spirit. The best part for me was the ending. They showed the movie "The Nativity".

The first time I watched this particular movie was in Panama. I had never seen it, and we were supposed to give it out to investigators. Basically use it as a tool to enter homes and leave a message. We took it to one home, a referal, they were the Samaniegos, and they were so excited about a free movie. They went to great lengths to find a VCR to hook up to their TV. Only their TV wouldn't hook up to the VCR that we had to take, so they borrowed a TV. The funniest thing is that this all took about an hour. We finally got to watch the movie; it only last about five or seven minutes. They felt like we had tricked them and were so upset. However, it ended wonderfully, and they were baptized a few months later. These were some of my favorite people! I fell in love with them and they made my first six months in the mission bearable. And tonight, as I watched this movie, I thought of them. I remembered how comfortable I was in their home and how much they had done for me. And all this was during Christmas.

And that is what I love most about Christmas. The feelings of love that I have in my heart for the gospel and for the way that the Spirit brings peace to all. The memories that are warm and welcoming that bring tears to my eyes. And that is why I love Christmas.

these are a few of my favorite...people

Sami (fondly known as Denise after Dennis the Menace)

Gabi - brella

Erika...also Miss Marie

And if a day goes by that I don't spend time with my neices and nephews, I go through withdraw.

Noelle convinced Heather and I to hike Timp with her this summer. We had a lot of fun and were almost to the summit, when we were forced to turn around because of a storm. It was well worth it and we are even more grateful that we turned around and came home instead of trying to brave the storm while on the face of a 12,000 foot mountain. Well, it wasn't long after that, she decided that it would be lots of fun to hike Baldy.

So, she and I set out one saturday afternoon. We thought that it would be pretty easy, becuase after Timp, we can do anything. But, it was really long and hot and tiring. Before we were even halfway done, we were tired. There weren't any nice swithbacks like Timp has. This is just miles and miles and up hill climbing. No areas with a level trail. Absolutley no areas of downhill. It was just up. And I wasn't really having a lot of fun. I knew however, that if we made it to the summit, it would be well worth it.

We kept going, and I began to believe that we wouldn't make it to the summit. That we would just have to keep going so that we wouldn't be hiking in the dark. However, Noelle has more determination and stamina than I do, and we finally made it to the top. The view was spectacular and I will forever be happy knowing that I kept going and that we did make it to the top.

Sisters are all a girl needs in the world. Besides maybe sleep. I am so grateful to have sisters that are willing to do crazy things with me and are willing to help me "make it to the top". Thanks Noelle, for pushing me and for helping me to reach our goal.

And now, I look forward to doing this again someday. I think I would prefer Timp over Baldy any day, but maybe next time it won't be so bad. And plus it gives me the chance to take a few pictures to put on my blog, right?

Dedicated to "The Promised Land' Series

Who is Baruch? How about Ebed? And how in the world do they tie in with the Book of Mormon? What is Rosh Hashannah or Ha-Zikkaron? And what do they have to do with Lehi and his family? What does the date September 22nd have to do with anything we learn while we read our scriptures? What were Laman and Lemuel really like before leaving Jerusalem, to behave the way that they did in the scriptures? Where was the family located when Nephi had the same vision as his father?

Those of us who read the Book of Mormon, know all the same answers. We know what it was that lead the family into the wilderness. We know that they dwelt in a tent. We know that we don't really like Laman and Lemuel for the way they treated their family. We know that Lehi had a dream and that later Nephi had the same dream. We know that they were wealthy before they left Jerusalem.

But like most of you, that is where my thinking stops. I read what I read and I sometimes consider deeper things, but I don't really ponder on certain questions. Much like the ones that I asked in the first paragraph. And these are all questions that I found the answers to while reading the book "Day of Remembrance". Author David G. Woolley helped me to expand my imagination through his ideas and his research. I was able to see these people in my mind and really understand what they must have gone through in order to bring about the will of the Lord. I learned that there were far more historical people involved that I had never even thought about. Baruch was an actual scribe for the prophet Jeremiah. Ebed-Melech was an Ethiopian sailor and a jailer in the palace. Call me crazy, but when there is a list of names in the front of the book, I don't usually take the time to look at them. I ususally just delve right into the book and get caught up in the story. Well, that is what I did. I was surprised to learn later on that they were mentioned in the scriptures for all the world to see. But it took Mr. Woolley's talent and imagination to allow me to open my mind to that and see what was right there for me to see.

One of the ideas that I loved, was that maybe, just maybe, Lehi took others with him into the wilderness. I suppose that we will never really know what took place way back then, but it is really quite fun to ponder on what could have happened back then. One of the most intriguing to me was the idea that Hagoth went with Lehi into the wilderness. Hagoth is mentioned in the Book of Mormon as a shipbuilder. Well, in this story, he went with Lehi into the wilderness. Now, this may not have happened. No mention of this exists in the Book of Mormon. But it is fun to ponder on the idea and think of what may have happened.

Another point that I really liked was the way that Mr. Woolley connected the family of Lehi to Joseph Smith and his family and to others in Jerusalem at the time of Joseph Smith. The Lord works in ways that are mysterious to many of us. But when we really stop to think things through, we might realize that there is a connection between the 22nd of September when Joseph got the plates and the celebrations in the Jewish traditions of Rosh Hashanna and Ha-Zikkaron. Maybe I am just reading too much into what has been written thus far and when the new book comes out, I will see that I didn't understand a thing that he had written. (it's happened before) But I love that Mr. Woolley is making connections through his research that I never could have made just by reading my Book of Mormon every night.

I have never really liked Laman and Lemuel. I have always thought that they were just a little stupid. To see and angel and still complain seems pretty dumb to me. But once again, the author allowed me to see them a little differently. Don't get me wrong, I still don't like them, but I have more compassion for them. We are all like Laman and Lemuel. I think that if we had been raised the way they had been raised, we may have acted the same way. We can probably imagine that they were given whatever they wanted. They had money and lots of it. They lived very comfortably and never wanted for anything. Laman and Lemuel were so attached to their material items that they found it really hard to accept the fact that they had to leave it all behind and follow their father into the wilderness. And while I can be compassionate towards them, I do believe that from the beginning they were selfish. They wanted only what was good for them, not the family as a whole. They were not willing to live the way that the Lord asked them. And through the story that Mr. Woolley has created, it was easy for me to imagine what kind of hearts they really had.

Mr. Woolley has created a story that allows reality to mix with imagination in a way that gives permission to all who read it to see the Book of Mormon in a different light. It allows us to think outside the box. I have enjoyed reading these books and really delving into the ideas that have been presented. I love knowing that this is a story based on historical events and studying further to know which events are historical and which are not. I recommend this book to all who love the Book of Mormon. I recommend it to all who sometimes find the Boook of Mormon a tad boring, because it will open your eyes to a new world full of ideas. David Woolley has really done a marvelous job at showing us what we are missing when we read the Book of Mormon.

Sometimes when I need a good laugh, I like to watch this video just because. If you will just trust me and keep watching, you will find how surprisingly funny this is. I love it! It will even make you smile some two hours later when you think about it. Enjoy!

"Juan"

I have a student by the name of Juan(we'll call him that just in case he finds my blogspot one day). He is blond, tall, thin and extremely high maintenance! He is usually the most vocal of the kids in my eighth period class. I had a conversation with him today that made me laugh. It went something like this...

"Juan": Miss Platt, what are you doing by my desk?
Me: I'm just standing here talking.
"Juan": I don't want you to stand by my desk.
Me: Why "Juan", does it bother you?
"Juan": You intimidate me.
Me: (shock in my voice) ME...Intimidating?
"Juan": Miss Platt, can I move to a different seat?
Me: Sure, but you don't need to, I'll just stand by a different desk.

The greatest part of this conversation came 2 seconds later, when I hadn't moved, and he thought that I had, and he turned around and almost fell out of his chair, becuase he was so startled that I was still there.

There is such a strange sense of empowerment when you know that your students are intimidated by you! Today was a great day!

Exercise comes and goes in spurts for me. I go really strong for a while, then I get so tired physically, that I just can't do it anymore. I blame that on getting up at 5:00 am every day, dealing with teenagers all day long, and plain a simply, just a really weak body. But those times that I do exercise, I love! I especially love going to the gym. I am more of a gym person than I am an outdoors person. Don't get me wrong, I love the outdoors, I just feel like I push myself harder in the gym. Lately, I have been going through one of my not so strong times. It's all I can do to stay awake on the drive home. I have to munch on something the whole way home in order to not be a hazard to other drivers. It's ridiculous! But today, I decided that after all the peanut m&m's, I needed to get on the treadmill and work off a few calories.

Because of my college classes, I trained myself to read and run at the same time. It makes the time fly and I get something out of it at the same time. I am reading a new book called, "The Last Lecture". It's about this man who was diagnosed with cancer; and after a very hard fight, the cancer returned, this time stronger and he was given just a few months to live. So, he decided to write a book about his life. Mostly the lessons that he had learned during his life. I have decided that there is so much to be learned from other people. He jumps all over the place in this book. From childhood, to teaching, to marriage and family. He just seems to have great advice for all who read the book. One quote that I pulled from the book really stuck with me. Probably because I have a tendancy to do the exact opposite. He says "never make a decision until you have to."

I really like this, because sometimes I feel so rushed into making spurr of the moment decisions, that afterwards, I feel like was a mistake. I am happier knowing that we do have time in this life to think things through before we make decisions; especially the big ones. I would hate to make the wrong one...

Guatemala Sucks!

So, my fiance has been studying law in Guatemala for almost two years now. He finished with all of the courses, and has been preparing for the tests. Down there they have to take two big tests, before they can do their final thesis, and then comes graduation.

These tests are brutal! They put you in a room with three people in charge of testing you. These three people can ask you questions for three hours; any question they want concerning that area of law. They don't have to follow quidelines or rules, they just have to ask you questions. When the three hours are up, they send you out of the room and you wait for them to make their decision. After ten or fifteen minutes, they tell you whether or not you passed. This is the second time that he has taken the test, and he didn't pass, with a 5.9 out of 6.o.

They make you suffer through this awful process, and you really don't know why they didn't pass you. They may not have liked your clothes or your style of speech. Maybe you didn't smile enough or you smiled too much. They just tell you whether or not you passed. They sometimes treat you like a human being, but more often than not, they treat you terribly. And they expect you to just be okay with it and keep studying so you can take it again; or drop out. They don't want you to succeed, becuase they think that you will take their jobs. It's really unfair...

So, I worry about him. I hope that he is okay and that he will not be too disappointed in himself. I hope that he will have the spirit of the Lord with him so that he can make the right decisions for his life. He is such a good person and has worked so hard to succeed. And all I can do is pray for him.

So, really, Guatemala Sucks!!!

WHY?

So, yesterday was one of those days that I wish I could be more like my dad. He rarely loses his cool; he never swears, he is always rational and he thinks before he lets anything out. So, I wish that yesterday, I had been given his gifts.

I was in my eighth period class; they're the worst one I have. They aren't nice. Plain and simple! I like individuals in the class, but I really don't like them when they are together. So, yesterday, they were working really quietly for the first time this year. There was no talking and I was sooooo impressed. I felt like we were making progress. Alicia, a really good friend and fellow teacher, stopped by to introduce me to her new baby boy. I was so excited to see her! And her baby is adorable, by the way!

I stepped out of my classroom to talk with her for a minute. I was dumb and should have invited her in, cause it was cold and the baby didn't like it. But, I wanted the class to stay on task and not get disrupted by my talking. We visited for a few minutes and then the baby was really mad, so she figured she should go home. I knocked on the door....and nothing happened! (my door locks automatically) Dumb door!

I knocked again, and they didn't open it. I kicked it this time, and they kicked back. I kicked again, and they kicked back. By this time, baby is crying more and I really just need to be let in. They start being even more annoying, by telling me that I have to repeat after them to be let back in. I was mad! That is about all I can say about that. This went on for a few more minutes, and finally they opened the door. I just looked at them and told them there was a crying baby out there and what kind of people are they, anyway. I said goodbye to Alicia and began to be a teacher again.

Well, I handled things pretty well. I didn't yell or anything. I just told them that there would be a consequence to their actions, and I would let them know what that consequence was going to be before the bell rang. We went about our day and things were a little tense because they knew they had been really big jerks. But, it was okay.

About ten minutes before class ended, I explained to them what the consequence would be. Since I wasn't in the classroom to see who was actually doing it, I was going to dock participation points from all of them. This one kid, who has only been in my class for about a week, gets all smart and says "that is a bunch of crap". Well, I snapped.

I looked at him and said, 'no, I'll tell you what is crap', and I proceeded to explain to them that it was crap to come to this class. That they treated me like ...... insert swear word. I know, I am a bad teacher. I told them that they forgot sometimes that even though I am a teacher, I have feelings and that sometimes, they hurt those feelings. That sometimes I want to quit my job because of their class. That sometimes, I even go home and cry because of they way they treat me. It was very powerful, and I think I hit home with a lot of them. In the end of this speech, I apologized for swearing and told them that I shouldn't have done so, but that I felt really strongly about it.

Let's just say they were very subded for a the last few minutes of class. So, the question is WHY? Why do I teach? What was I thinking? What it all boils down to is that I really do love my job. I just hate the way that some of my students treat me. All in all, it was a very interesting day!

Moral of the story; it just isn't worth it to swear! :)

Teachers

Well, I have come to the conclusion that teachers are wierd. I am a teacher, so I can say that. Let me do the honors of explaining why we are wierd. Yesterday I attended an all day meeting for language teachers in Ogden. It gives us the chance to listen to what works for other langauge teachers in their classrooms to get their students excited about languages. Plus, they feed us really good food. Plus we don't have to be in class. So there are definate perks to going.

Well, I went to this session where this teacher, who teaches at the university, was talking about the importance of music in the classroom. She talked about traditional latin american songs to teach your students, like la cucaracha. Then she talked about popular songs in the world today, like music from Enrique Iglesias. Then she talked about traditional songs that our students learned in English, that we could translate and use in Spanish or another language. Songs like Itsy Bitsy Spider, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, etc.

So, to get to the point. There are about 40 of us adults in this classroom, all falling asleep becuase it was right after lunch. She, the teacher, decides that we need to wake up. So, we all have to stand up and sing songs in spanish that she has on the projector. One of those was Head shoulders knees and toes. And the part that I think makes us wierd, is that we did it. ALL of us stood up and went through all of the actions of the song and sang along with her.

I find that in a 'professional' meeting for teachers, the fact that we sing head shoulders knees and toes and songs like that, makes us wierd.

life's journey...

Do you ever just feel like you are going through life, without really knowing why? Sometimes I feel like I am in a world very similar to The Truman Show. I wake up every morning, knowing that during the day, I will probably do the same things I did the previous day. There might be some small changes here and there, but in the big scheme of things, I just do what I do, over and over. That isn't necesarily a bad thing; I do enjoy my life and the things that I do. I feel that I have accomplished many things and am grateful to my Heavenly Father for so many wonderful blessings. I just wonder if there is more that I am supposed to be getting or doing. Am I really all that I could be?

I have been engaged for over a year now, and there is no progress being made in our relationship. He is in Guatemala studying for the bar, and I am in Utah being a teacher. There is very little deep, meaningful communication between the two of us, and it causes me to wonder a lot about our decision to marry and the future. I have seen him for three weeks over this time period, and that just doesn't seem to be enough for me. And yet, we keep going. What more should I be doing in this relationship? What more could he be doing? So many times, I feel empty inside, like I have no more to offer. And that brings on so many other emotions and feelings that I don't even understand myself. Is this the right thing? How do you really know if he is the one? Oh, the decsions that we have to make...they seem so easy before you have to make them. And then one day, you're faced with a decision that will affect you the rest of your life, and you just can't seem to make it. So, you pray more and ask that you will know what to do...and then...you wait.

During that wait time, you think an awful lot. What is it you want in life? What are your personal goals, and are you reaching those goals? I worry that I have forgotten to live my life for me. To do those things that I have always wanted to do. To be alive and vivacious. To enjoy the little things that happen to me. I have focused so much on getting married and making him happy, that I forgot along the way to focus on the other aspects of my life at the same time, and make myself happy. I have yet to find that happy medium, but I think that I am getting there. The biggest step for me is to not worry. I'm not sure that is possible for me, but I remind myself an awful lot not to worry, and maybe that is going to be the first step. The next step is to not lose myself in the journey. To simply love myself and to just be me.

And so, as I begin my day, I hold a prayer in my heart for myself; that through all the drama and the difficulties, I can remember that life is good. That we are here for a reason and that we will find that reason; but we have to be true to ourselves in order to find it.

O meu segundo lar

Today has been quite the interesting day. I found some of the photos that I took while I lived in Brazil with my parents. They were there serving as mission presidents of the Goiania Mission. I was fortunate to be with them for three months, in between my two degrees. This first picture is of the city of Goiania, looking out of my parents apartment. I think that my time in Brazil was for healing and for moving on from a difficult time in my life. For three months I was given the chance to really focus on the important things; family, my testimony, sharing the gospel, and resting. The last one really is important. I found myself in Brazil. And I have so many fond memeories of my time there.

I remember that we were always traveling. There was rarely a time that we were in the apartment for more than a few days. We were able to see Brazil and all the beauty that it has to offer. Some of my favorite sights were the newly planted fields. They were so refreshing, as it always reminded me that we can start over doing the important things in our lives. Goiania was a farming area, and everywhere we went there were crops being planted or harvested. This was one view that amazed me! This field was planted right on the edge of the freeway (if you can call it that). It was just so perfectly planted.

Often times I found that I really struggled with all of the road trips. Sometimes I was not a very fun traveling companion. Amanda was with us in Brazil at the time, and she was the BEST traveling companion. All she did was read and listen to music. Well, I could only do that for so long, before I just couldn't take it anymore. There was one time that we had been gone quite some time and I couldn't take it anymore. Dad, being so great, knew that I needed to get out of the car. So he pulled over and told me to go take some picutres. I was a little grumpy about it and wondered what to take a picture of. He pointed out my least favorite tropical fruit to eat, but turns out to be one of the most photogenic of the fruits. To tell you the truth, I can't remember what they call this fruit in spanish, but this is the cashew fruit. If you will notice the little cashew nut on the bottom. This picture saved me from killing my poor family in the car. I really didn't think that it would turn out. But more than being a beautiful photo, this reminds me of the love that my dad has for me and that he knows how to get me out of my ornery moods.

Brazil, just like any other place in the world, has some stunning sunsets. I felt like I was able to enjoy many of them as we traveled so often. We were always able to enjoy them from the car or getting out and really watching the fantastic colors that show up. I think that when a person is really learning about themselves, they are more open to the beauties around them. It is a time of reflection and we are able to really learn about God and His plan for us when we are willing to stop and listen or look around us. This sunset was one that really struck me as beautiful. So, once again, dad stopped the car so that I could take a picture. I had to run about 100 yards down the freeway to get the tree that I did, but it was worth it. There are times when I look at all of the pictures that I took while there, and would give anything to be able to re-live that time in my life. It was so full of love and warmth and I fell in love with the country of Brazil.

One of the greatest opportunites that I had while there was to spend a week with members of the LDS church on a temple caravan. The closest temple was in Campinas, about a 12 hour bus ride. They were plannning this trip and fortunately for me, it was about the time that I was to leave Brazil. So, I spent close to my last week, the only white girl, traveling to the temple with these wonderful people. They were so good and patient with me, and my very much mixed with Spanish Portuguese. However, during that week, I realized for the first time the real sacrifice that some people have to make to go to the temple. They save all their money and do what they can to make it to the temple. Some of them only go once or twice in their lives. And I take for granted the fact that I have so many temples near my home. I was amazed at the beauty of the building and the surrounding gardens. I was able to spend much time alone really pondering life and what I wanted to accomplish, and for the that I will always be grateful. This time for me at the temple was the best way to end my stay in Brazil. It was hard for me to leave, especially knowing that I wouldn't be able to go back. I will always have a tender spot in my heart for Brazil and for the way that it changed my life. I am a different person now, and would never want to go back to who I was before.

Photos

Two posts in one day...who would have thought! I have been listening to silence for the last hour and a half as my students are diligently copying words out of the dictionary...as a punishment of course. Not something that I normally do. But, as I have been sitting here, I came upon a couple of different blogs. And I have to admit that they made me feel a little jealous. I love photography, and I don't do nearly enough with my talent. I really need to start increasing my photo taking opportunities. So, I have decided that I am going to post a new photo of the week, every week. And maybe when I start to get better at posting them, I will be able to have a whole spot dedicated to my photography. So, keep your eyes posted, haha, I think that was funny, and I didn't even mean to say posted. But, keep up on the blog and you might just see some fun photos....

This is the first one that I wanted to post. I took this some time ago while I was in Brazil with my parents. I will forever be grateful for my time in Brazil and the wonderful things I learned about myself.

Friends

I have been doing some inner soul searching, and have decided that I am not very good at being a friend. I really love talking with friends, and more often than not, I am thinking about what I can do for my friends. But I rarely follow through with those thoughts. This blog today is dedicated to a really great freind. I have always admired her and would one day like to be more like her. I met Melissa on my mission. I know her as Stearman. She came about three months before I was to go home, and she made those last three months amazing. Her first day, I gave her the chance to stay home and get rested and unpack and stuff, but she told me that she could do it later. She wanted to go out and work. We contacted into a home, and there she did her very best to communicate to the woman her testimony of the gospel. She was so powerful in her sweet testimony and she showed me what great strength she had. The very best thing about Melissa was that she made me laugh. All who know me, know that I am a very intense person, and it is not always easy for me to see the positive. Sometimes, I forget to laugh and just enjoy life as it passes me by. But, she did it. She made me laugh so hard sometimes, that I would cry. This picture below, is of me and two women who taught me how to dance, Panamanian style. Melissa was nice to let me do this. However, the funny thing is that the woman to the right, asked if she could borrow my white skirt that goes under the top skirt. Like a slip, but thicker and better. So, I was nice and said yes. However, after we danced and stuff, she took it home with her. We stopped by her house a number of times to get it, but she never would. The day that I was leaving for the city, to end my mission, we went again. We know that she was in the house, but they told us she wasn't home. So, we kind of just forced our way in and told her that she had to give me my slip back. She was sooo disappointed. But she did it. And the whole way back, Melissa and I laughed and laughed about this woman and how amazing she was...(not really a positive amazing.) One great memory I have was when I was pretty sick, and coughed all night long for a number of weeks. The elders started to complain that we weren't doing enough, and she got so feisty and wanted to yell at them. "You try hacking up a long all night and going out and working the next day. Or maybe you should come and listen to her at night and see what it is really like" Obviously, those aren't the exact words, but they were pretty similar. And we laughed and laughed becuase I tried everything to sleep and stop coughing and couldn't.

Another thing that Melissa taught me was to kick my leg back. Back when she was getting ready to be married, they wanted her friends to put together some scrabook pages of what we remember or love about Melissa and memories of our friendship. Well, being a slacker, I didn't do it. So, if I could do it now, I would add the picture of me on my bed, in scrubs, with my leg kicked back into the air. This picture to the right, is our visit to the Temple Bah'ai. And once again, she had me kick my leg back. Or maybe I did it to be funny...I don't really remeber. Any way, it was fun. I hope that she sees this and can remind me why we started to do this. Melissa is a great friend, and I am glad that we have some fun memories together. I hope you see this, Mo and that you can remind me of even more fun things that we did together. Thanks for being such a great friend!

la tormenta

So, I am certainly not the person that created this game, but I am a big fan. I think it was originally called 'fruit basket'. However, here are the rules of the game. You put enough desks in a circle for all of your students but one. There will be one student who is in the middle of the circle. You number each student one thru three. Ones are viento, twos are lluvia and threes are sol. So, the person in the middle then has to give a sentence in Spanish, describing the weather. For example, Hace sol. Then, they call out one of the groups of people described above. They can call lluvia, sol or viento. Then all those people have to get up and move around to find a different desk. Much like musical chairs. If they really want to shake things up, they call out, la tormenta, and all of the students in the class have to move around and find different seats. The purpose is to practice weather vocabulary. You can make it harder by changing the weather to future or to the past. So, ayer, hacia calor. Or manana va a hacer frio. They kids love it and they have lots of fun playing. But today, Miss Platt ( myself) got body slammed! I try really hard to have fun with them and such, but in 1st period, the purpose was to get me in the middle. What they don't remember is that I already speak spanish, so it isn't hard for me to be in the middle. So, we are all running around, trying to find a desk, and this kid, football player, I might add, rammed right into me and bumped me out of the way. I was amazed! And sore! From there on, I made the rule that you could NOT body slam the teacher. I can now act like a lady and play the game at the same time. It's great fun...you should try it sometime!

Halloween

Last year we had our annual pumpkin carving 'contest' so to speak. We don't really have a strict contest or specific rules we have to follow. But we all want to win! We put the kids to bed, and then we gather around and talk and laugh while we all carve our own pumkins. The funny thing about this is, that we have more than a month to go before halloween, and yet most of us have begun planning what we are going to do. Noelle wanted to buy a carving set the other day at the store, Becca wanted to get online ( I think it was Becca) to download some images she could carve, and I dreamed that they all forgot to invite me and I missed the whole thing. I think this year could be a lot of fun and I am looking forward to having the best pumkin ever. The picture above is of our family, gathered around the pumpkins that we carved last year. I have a better picture of the pumpkins all lit up...hopefully I can find it!

Good luck family!

Look - I found it... Enjoy!

The Farm

What you are looking at here is grandpa's barn (my dad). We have had some property up above kamas for the last 20 years, and just in the last five years or so dad has started to build this barn. He wanted a place where he could store is equipment and tools, so that he could begin working on a decent road, and eventually build a cabin. This was his pride and joy! He loved coming up here and working on this building. He built the forms and footings himself; he put up the walls himself, he even put in the trusses himself. This was his baby. And we all loved coming up here and spending time as a family.

About a month ago, we decided it was time for a new family tradition. We were planning the first Platt family campout at "The Farm". We were all really excited about it, especially dad. He began planning the weekend for all of us. Especially for the grandkids. They were going to participate in a little mini-olymics. He prepared games and activities for all of them. He even had Heather make some medals for each of the kids. It was going to be a blast. So, Friday afternoon, we all left for the farm and once there began the setup of the camp. We put up our tents, and started a fire, so we could cook our dinner. We were just so excited. That evening, we cooked our tinfoil dinners and sat around the fire just talking and laughing and enjoying mother nature. Jared and Rachel gave us the best news ever, and most of us were moved to tears of joy for them and their family. We were having the best time! We talked about everything and teased each other. The kids had to go to bed, and since us adults are more tired than they are, we weren't far behind. But we were already planning the next year.

The next day, dad had big plans for all of the grandkids. They participated in a race, and tumbling, and throwing and lifting and even a little archery. They had so much fun and laughed and we (the adults) laughed at them. They loved being at grandpa's farm and seeing his tractor and running down the new road that had just been created. In the end, even though Allie won most of the events, each of the kids were given a gold medal for their efforts and for participating in grandpa's olympics.

Well, all good things have to come to an end. So we packed up and came home. We were home about 4:00 that Saturday afternoon. Around midnight, dad recieved a call from a neighbor in Kamas saying that his barn was on fire. The fire chief called an hour or so later and said that they were not able to save anything. We were all shocked! None of us knew how to react. Especially dad. Sunday afternoon we went back up to the farm to meet with the fire chief. Someone had broken into the barn and used all of dad's fuel he had up there for his tractor and such to burn the building down. We couldn't understand why...what had we done? I couldn't stop crying as I saw what the destruction was. This was dad's happy place, and we were worried about how he was going to handle it.

It has now been a month, and we are just moving forward like most people have to when something tragic happens. Every saturday since then, I have gone up to the farm with dad to help clean up the mess of all that happened. It has been really hard on me, to know that someone did this on purpose and that we still have to come away covered in ash, knowing that the ash was once a beautiful haven for our family. We were surpised one saturday; when we got there, dads neighbors, Niels and Dorothy, were there helping. They had called the bishop and asked for help, and so he, and a group of people from the ward were there helping in the cleanup. It was healing to know that there are still really good people who live in the kamas area. I had almost given up on the town, when nothing was said or appeared to have been done to help. But I am grateful for those that were willing to give of their time to come and get dirty with us. It has been a difficult trial for our family, especially for dad. But is has brought us even closer and we will be always grateful for each other, and that none of us were hurt in the fire. I guess the hard times in life really do make a person stronger. I guess that is what life is all about. I am also really glad to know that I can always be clean after a long Saturday of working in the ash. I look like a coal miner in this picture, but it will always be a good reminder of what we are experiencing and learning.

So, today I went in for surgery. Once again it was for some skin cancer that I discoverd on my nose. I have done this before, the first time being much larger. But today, the nurse that was helping the doctor started talking about her marriage. She was married for three years, and is going through the process of a divorce. My heart hurt for her becuase of the hard times that she has ahead. She talked about the reasons for her divorce and why for her it was just the right thing to do. Her husband had become controlling; he started to tell her when to talk and when not to; when to leave the house and when not to; when to hang out with her friends and when not to, etc. It made me think a lot about the decision to marry, and made me realize how important it is to really know the one that you are to give your whole life to. I am engaged to be married to Murphy, and I am more determined to make sure that we will treat each other well, and that we are making the right decision. It is such a large decision and I hope that I will be able to do the Lord's will in all things. That is my prayer today...to just do the right thing.

the beginning -

So, here we go. I am new at this whole blogging thing, but I think it could be a lot of fun. I am really supposed to be teaching, but they are working so well on their project, that I thought I would do this instead. I have really good classes this year and I am excited to see what they are capable of. I am teaching three Spanish I classes and three Spanish II classes, with an ESL class in there somehow. It is a crazy schedule, but I think that I will make it. As long as I have days where they have a project and I can do something like this to forget the whole thing. So, I was telling my students that I have a small surgery tomorrow and I won't be here. One very kind kid said, don't worry, only 80% of all people actually loose their eyes over this. Such a punk! But, they are good kids. Anyhoo...I have to be a teacher now...