Happy Valentine's Day!

Another Valentine's Day is upon us. As much as this "holiday" made me want to barf when I was young, immature and single, I kinda like it. Now the only reason it makes want to barf is because I have to watch as students bring in 3 ft tall teddy bears and give giant boxes of candy to other students. It is a little ridiculous to me, but that's kids, they specialize in the ridiculous. I don't like this day because I am married now and have a permanent Valentine. I started liking this "holiday" years ago when I realized it's not about loving one person and being given gifts. It's about showing everyone you care about how much you care. Yes, it's was originally designed as a day for lovers, but society has changed and now, to me, it's about reminding those around me whom I love that I love them. It's about friends and family. It's about letting others know that you think about them and their well-being. It's about making someone else's day better.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY !

Now go and make someone else's day better.

90's Music

I kinda feel like being random today. There are so many things I could talk about today, like having five teachers out again or kids in ISS, or the amazing cake I ate at lunch (layered white cake with lemon custard and chocolate ganache). Instead, I'm just gonna go with the flow, literally. I found this radio station on music.yahoo.com that plays only hits from the 90's. It's kinda fun listening to the songs and remembering my childhood. Right now, for example, "Insane in the Brain" by Cypress Hill is playing. I was in the sixth grade when I remember this coming out. Now i ma thinking about the movie Mrs. Doubtfire because that song was in that movie at the beginning when the son is having his birthday party that he wasn't suppose to have and Mom walks in with a birthday cake in shock as to what is going on. Great movie that Mrs. Doubtfire. It takes me back to finally sitting in the back of the bus, ruling the elementary school, being the only girl the boys really wanted on their teams, hitting kids because they would cuss, being the only kid in the sixth grade to complete the one-minute times tables test the first time given every time, and soccer trips with my club team. Oh, yeah and orchestra for the first year.


"No Diggity" by Blackstreet reminds me of freshman year of high school. Sitting in my mom's car on the way to K-town to visit my dad before the family moved out there. State soccer championship game against Norman High School, ankle surgery in October of '96, the only goalkeeper in the state with a 0.0 GAA (goals against average) and not getting any honors for my hard work, seniors sticking up for the freshman, first experiences in a predominately black high school, "Penny" Hardaway, apartment living for the first time, out Pekinese Brownie who was stolen from our vehicle by apartment workers because no dogs were allowed on the property (which a car is private property so they had no right to yell at us about it or take our dog), moving to TX from OK.

The music has really brought back more memories than I thought I remembered. I gotta do this more often. It really gets my creative juices flowing.

Just Say "No" To Crack

Last night Leland and I went to the rodeo and Reba McIntyre concert. We were able to see all the really pretty cows outside the AT&T center and watch some great rodeo action. One of the events of the night was the calf wrestling, round-up thing (can you tell I am not a rodeo aficionado?). Boy, was that a sight to see! The calves run all over the place and so do the kids. The funniest, and dare I say best, part of the event has to do with the title of my post today. There was a kid that had gone after at least calves and each calf had eluded his grip a couple of times and even stepped on him a couple of times. Third calf was not so lucky. This kid was a biggie too. I would not want to meet this kid in an alley, ever. As everyone is watching this go down the kid pins down a calf. The only thing you see on the big screen is a huge backside, crack and all. If i had to relate it to a moon, it would have been a half moon. The whole time the crowd is cheering, laughing, and watching as this kid gets the rope around the calf and tries to pull him in. It was an exciting event! Which leads me to, kiddos, just say "no" to crack, all kinds of it.

The rest of night was entertaining with the calf roping, barrel racing, bull riding, and most of all, Reba! She is an amazing singer. The best part is she sounds the same live as she does recorded. Now, that's a singer! I have also come to realize that the $10 tickets really aren't that bad of a seat and you get a good workout trying to get up to them. It's a win-win situation.

Oh, and before I forget, SA got snow! More about that later.

F-f-f-f-f-freezing!

WHAT THE HECK MOTHER NATURE! One of the reasons I live in the greatest state in the union is because of it's beautiful winter weather. It rarely gets this cold. It's 11 am and 20 degrees outside. The high is suppose to be 35. I don't think that will happen today. When I left my apartment this morning it was 17 degrees with a windchill of 8. Brrrrrrrrr! This is not the type of winter I signed up for when I moved here. I am not a fan of all this arctic air! It needs to go away so we can start enjoying our winters in the 60's and 70's again! I know all my friends up north would be in shorts and t-shirts outside right now and they are making fun of me, but I don't care. I admit, I am a wimp in cold weather. I am cold on a normal day, adding coldness outside doesn't help me any. It is so cold there are rolling brownouts all over the city, pipes are freezing, and peoples cars are seizing up. Hopefully, Dawson doesn't seize up. UIL has cancelled all outdoor events (soccer, softball, baseball, track, etc) which never happens. We are expecting winter moisture (may be snow, may be sleet, may be a mixture of things) Thursday night into Friday morning. I just received a text from Dad saying that in EP they have cancelled school for the day (he doesn't know why because there is nothing going on). He says they cancelled school today for no reason, but still made them play a soccer game when it was 22 degrees with 30 mph sustained winds. Ridiculousness, absolute ridiculousness. I don't think we will have to close school here, but if we do I will be very mad. I like my scheduled holidays that other places don't get, like Battle of Flowers Day. If we have to cancel school on Friday we have to make it up on Battle of Flowers. Anyway, it's sooooooooo cold here. It has not been this cold in the 14 yrs I have been in TX. I am not a cold weather person. Before I got married I told Leland that we could not move farther north than ATX. Thankfully he agreed and we will stay in south TX as long as possible and have beautiful winters. Too cold, definitely too cold.

Individual Worth

The next topic is Individual Worth. This one talks about future plans for family, education, and home. When I was younger this one was great because it was simple answers like, "I'm going to college and will graduate, then I will get married, have kids and create the most amazing home". A couple of those things have happened, but not all of them and there are some areas I want to improve upon.

#1 Education: I want to go back to school and earn another Master's. This time I want it to be in High School Counseling. It could be a good step for my future. Plus knowing the psyche of a kid is great when trying to decided how to handle delicate situations with kids. The only thing I need to do now is wait for Leland to graduate and find the money to go back to school.

#2 Family: I want to be a better wife for my husband, daughter to my parents, and sister to my brother. I sometimes have problems with feeling unsupportive in all areas. I tend to become a little more selfish when I am under a lot of stress. I forget about my family's needs and focus on my own. I have to remember that doing things for others takes my mind off me and brings those around me great blessings. I would love to have three kids, but right now, I can't take care of a dog. Maybe in the near future we will have a dog and can focus on that. I have to reach more outside of myself and open my eyes to what is going on in other's lives.

#3 Home: Right now I just want a place that isn't so small. Then I can start making it feel more like a home and not just a place to shower and sleep. I am not very handy and I definitely missed the feminine touch train when it passed by. I try to be better at decorating, but then I don't like what I do and start all over and never finish. I want a home that is comfortable and welcoming. Color and pictures on the walls. I want a home that is a refuge from the world. I actually gave a lesson on this in YW this past Sunday. I need to be more mindful of the movies and TV shows I watch and the music I listen to. My taste in music has changed a little since I was younger. It may be easier than I thought to change some of the things that need it.

Remembering my divine nature will help in seeing my individual worth. Things can only get better when I am improving upon the things that matter most.

Divine Nature

After writing everything about Divine Nature I will only have two more experiences to do and I will be finished with that value. Divine Nature, as well as Individual Worth, are tested on a daily basis. Many women forget where they come from and who they are. They do not understand the real meaning behind being a daughter of a kind, gracious, loving Heavenly Father. They also do not understand the divine role of being a woman and a wife and a mother. It has taken me a very long time to understand my divine role. I was always the girl who didn't care to get married or have children. I was the one that was going straight to the top and nothing was going to stop me or take me off course. I have very high expectations and goals for my career and my life. I was well on my way to doing that when a wonderful man came along and has put a kink in my plans. I have a loving, understanding husband who knows what my aspirations are and supports me in all my endeavors. Recently, especially since doing Personal Progress again, my aspirations have changed. Right now, I have to work to support us. But I am growing tired of my normal work. Probably because I have been thinking more and more of a family. When I got married I thought, "It's okay to not have children right away. We both want kids, but it's not like it has to happen now." As the past year has progressed I am wanting to start a family more and more and live up to my divine roles as a wife and a mother. At work I feel like I am a mother already to 400 kids. I see their ups and downs, I see them when they do something stupid, I see them when they do something good. I actually have a place in my heart for these kids. Some kids I am sad to see go home because I would love to have them in my home. I have learned to be loving and disciplined with the kiddos. I have had to learn a ton of patience and kindness. I have seen the effects of not having a mom in the picture. I see the importance of being a parent and teaching children to walk in the paths of righteousness. Whether or not I am ready is up to my Heavenly Father. He will bless me when he feels it is time. The closer it gets to Leland finishing school the more excited I am about the prospects of being a wife, mother, homemaker. I anxiously await the time when we will have a family and I can fulfill my divine roles.
This time around going through Personal Progress, I am able to understand and really see the importance of what is being taught. I have developed many qualities that are needed to fulfill my roles. I know it is not going to be easy, but it is going to be worth it. I know there will be many challenges along the way, but as I go through them I will come out a stronger person and will have learned something else from it.
What cold be better than being a wife and a mother? Nothing! I await the day when the mother part will be filled and I will be able to teach and rear my children on the paths righteousness. I am a daughter of Heavenly Father who loves me and love Him.

Tithing

The first area I will be writing about today is tithing. I am suppose to record in my journal how tithing has helped my faith grow and list the blessings in my life. I grew up paying tithing. I had incredible parents that made sure I understood the importance of paying tithing, even on a dime. If I found a dime on the floor I had to pay a penny. For every dollar my parents gave me because of chores, I had to pay a dime of tithing. I have always known the importance of tithing. Sometimes I pay tithing because I know I need to pay. Other times I pay because I know I will be blessed if I do, but I have never really thought of the blessings of tithing that i have received, until now. I worry, I worry about the economy. I worry if I am going to be able to pay all my bills this month. I worry if I will have enough money in case of an emergency. Recently, especially since getting married, my bills have increased, but my paycheck has not. In fact, this month my paycheck went down because of that stupid Obama "making work pay" tax credit. I am not going to go into that right now, but maybe a later time. Every month I try to figure out how much money I will have leftover for fun little things to do like going to a play, or a sporting event, or out to eat. The first thing I take into account is my tithing. There have been times when I thought about not paying tithing because I would not have the minimum amount of money in my checking account that I want in there. For example, November and December were very tight months financially because of the holidays and increased bill payments and other things going on. I was well below what I like to keep in my account for emergencies each month. I felt like I was never going to recover because I was so low. I decided that I was going to pay a full tithe and fast offering. Every month, I have been able to rebound and I am now back to where I should be. I am also hoping to be able to increase the minimum amount I keep in my account. It was also an amazing feeling to go into the Bishop for tithing settlement and declare that I am a full tithe payer. The Lord knows me and what I am capable of. He does not give me more than I can handle. He knows my financial threshold. With the economy not doing so great and not knowing if I will have a job next year due to education cuts more will have to be done on my part and tithing will still have to be the first thing I pay. I have always had a testimony of tithing, but the older I get the more I understand and really see the blessings that come from it.

Personal Progress

Since there is testing going on in the school this week and no one will be coming into my office for a couple of classes each day I decided to start going through my Personal Progress book to remind myself of what I am working on. As I read through the book I realized that I have completed many of the experiences that I need to. The only thing that I have not done is write in my journal (er, blog) about them. The next several entries that will be posted will have to do with those things. Some of them may be long and some of them may be short. While it looks like I am writing a ton and am skilled in the art of blogging, it's all a hoax. I just have a ton of stuff to catch up on. I hope you enjoy reading the next few posts over the next couple of days :)