My Influences

November must be really special month. Not only is it Thanksgiving, but two of my biggest influences were born in November. The first is my great-grandma Aurea Riviello. This woman is absolutely amazing. She will be 101 on the twenty seventh of the month. She has raised three beautiful children, one of them being my very spunky, sassy grandma Judith Acosta Gilmore. Aurea was born in Puerto Rico on November 27, 1907. She has three children, Edna Coll, Judith Gilmore, and Al Acosta. GG Ma is an inspiring woman. She use to smoke all the time. One day a woman came to her home and gave her a filter to place on the end of her ciggy to see how much gunk was in one cig. She smoked one and afterwards looked at the filter. When she looked at the filter then tried to clean it she realized that all the gunk was going in her lungs and body and stopped smoking cold turkey. How many people do you know who would do that? She also was married to a man who served during WW II. I don't know what I would have done if my husband were in another country fighting. Communication back in those days was slow so it was a long time before you heard from your loved ones. She was able to make it through those times and still raise her children. That husband eventually passed away and she married another man. I don; know anything about him so no stories. Once that husband was out of the picture she lived with her oldest daughter, Edna, and her husband Luis Coll in Spain for many years. GG Ma was also a make-up counter manager and use to have to yell at her girls to get back to work all the time. One time while visiting her she thought I was one of her make-up counter girls and started yelling at me in Spanish to get back to work and stop being so lazy. Now Aurea lives in Tamp, FL in a retirement facility where she can receive round the clock care. She has just recently transitioned into the late stages of Alzheimer's Disease. I have had the opportunity to spend some time with her the past few years. I which I had been able to spend time with her when she could actually tell me stories about her life, but any time with her is wonderful. Every time I visit, Edna tells her that she has to speak in English to me because I don't understand Spanish. She looks at me, smiles her mischievous smile and speaks Spanish the entire time I am there. She is the biggest prankster I know too. She and another woman in the home would go behind the counter where some of the nurses kept their purses when no one was looking and take someones purse. She would then hide it behind a plant close by or under a table. Since people knew she liked to pull pranks they would ask her where she hid the purse. Since she is Alzheimered she would actually shrug her shoulders and say, "I don't know what you are talking about. I didn't take anything." before long another resident would find the purse and return it. She also gave me some great advice and showed her love for her family. I told her that when I have kids and if I have a daughter I want to name her Aurea. She then told me I could not name her Aurea unless I had my mother's name as part of the name. So we made a contract that I would name my daughter either Debra Aurea or Aurea Debra. I didn't think she remembered my mom's name, but she did and it gave me a whole new respect for her seeing that she had just met my mom. She also told me to remember who I am. The last day I was with her I was sitting with her by myself in the courtyard of the home and she began speaking to me in English for the first time in two visits and she told me to remember who I am and to continue to work to achieve my goals. She is a wise woman, and I love he dearly. I just pray that she will last one more Christmas with her family and that she knows how much we love her.

The second person is my dad, Scott Steven Gilmore. He was born in Great Falls, Montana on November 28, 1953. He is great example of everything I want to be. Great grandma calls him bologna, which he is full of, so she is correct when she calls him that. Even though she calls him bologna he is still a great person. Dad was raised in an Air Force family. My grandfather moved his family all over the world and I believe that is what has helped form my dad. My dad has so much love for those around him. he is comfortable with everyone and seems to make friends with all he meets. He is one of the biggest influences in many of his athletes lives. When I was in high school, his jv team would call him "Dad". Many of his athletes had dads in the Army and they were not around all the much so they found fatherly advice and a father figure in my dad. Today, he has many athletes that come back to him and thank him for the person they could go to when they could not go to their parents about something but still need advice. Like great-grandma he is a huge prankster. It would take way to long to go through his list of pranks. My dad is one of the most courageous people I know. He is a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the only member in his family. There was a lot of friction in the family when my dad joined the church, but that did not stop him. I am so grateful and happy that he was able to stay strong in the church. He lives his life in service. He has taught me a great deal about service by just doing the small and simple things he needs to do. He has always given me the support and encouragement I have needed and has knocked me back into place when I needed him to. He taught me how to be independent. That's why I am so independent today. He has shown me many things that I would have never learned anywhere else. He is truly an influence in my life. People even tell me I am just like my dad. The mannerisms, the drive and passion for things, and even the looks. The worst thing a girl can hear is that she looks like her dad. If you know my dad then you can know me a little better. Dad and I have a great bond that has only become stronger as I have found a new respect for him after visiting with old family friends. People love and deeply respect my dad. I just hope one day that I will be able to one day be more like my dad. I love my great-grandma Aurea and my dad. They will forever influence me.

November Begins

Only three more weeks until Thanksgiving break, yay! I love the holiday season. It gives me so much hope and I feel so much love. Today I was able to be a part of something that really has started my holiday season with a bang. I was able to run in the Inaugural Raul Jimenez Feast of the Heart 5K Run/Walk. All the proceeds go to help feed somewhere in the ballpark of 25,000 people in San Antonio on Thanksgiving Day. I felt great running it. I met up with some great friends who informed me of the run and had a wonderful time. I was talking to a few of my students and they asked me if I was going to go to a festival in Houston that a bunch of other teachers and students were going to this weekend. I told them I was going to run in this thing. As I was talking to them I was telling them that I was going to pay to run in it. "You are paying to run? You mean you don't get anything out of it? You're crazy! I would never do that." It is all about where the proceeds go. When I explained further that the money went to help give people a great Thanksgiving that they would not have otherwise, they were more understanding. It is great to be an example to those around me. Uh-oh, I just remembered it was G's bridal shower today. I feel so bad I missed it, especially since I RSVP'd that I would be there. Monday will be full of apologies and buying alot of food at the bake sale to make up for it.
I have also learned how to make homemade apple pie. So I made one today for "break the fast" tomorrow. I just hope it tastes okay. Wow, there is a little white cat in my apartment. It must have come in through my window and I am just now noticing. Sorry, ADD moment. The pie looks delicious but I won't know if it tastes delicious until tomorrow evening. The anticipation is building, just kidding. No anticipation necessary.
Whew, I am starting to feel really tired. I think I need a nap.

Tagged (Thanks Linda)

Thanks to Linda I have been tagged in her blog and now must write eight things about me then continue the process. Okay, here are the rules for this tag: 1: Each player starts with 8 random habits/facts about themselves. 2: People who are tagged need to write a post on their blog about their eight things and post these rules. 3: At the end of the post you need to choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names. Here go my eight things:

1. I love reality TV. Even though it's not really reality, it's still fun to laugh at the childishness and idiocy of the people that go on these shows. How many times does a conversation really need to bleeped out? C'mon, be smart and use real words. The pettiness is hilarious. People may graduate high school, but they don't necessarily leave it behind.

2. Contrary to popular beleif, I am not perfect and do not come from the perfect family.

3. I am totally scared of relationships. I have seen too many of my friends get hurt and be the one to pick up the pieces that I don't want that. I have also seen my parent's relationship fail. They are not divorced but I sometimes wonder if they would be happier that way. Not part of this but some advice, if you ever want to be married, become my best friend. Everyone that I become close friends with gets married. It's a no fail plan.

4. I don't trust anyone and I haven't since high school. I use to be a very trusting person until it all blew up in my face. If I trust anyone it's because I have known them for years (and I mean yeeeeears) before there was trust. As a part of this I don't like to get close to anyone because when I do, they leave, find someone else they would rather be friends with, or something else happens and they completely forget about me.

5. I love the outdoors. I love walking around a garden, hiking at a park or just sitting on a bench listening to the wind and watching the creatures around me. I am so grateful for al lthe beauty around me. The Lord has blessed us with all of this so we could find peace, comfort and joy. The world would be an ugly place if everything was the same color.

6. I love to laugh and smile. A kid in my class the other day got nailed in the forehead with a tennis ball. I tried to be serious and get mad at the person who threw the ball, but I had to turn around and laugh, because it was so darn funny. The kid that was hit was also one kid I was secretly hoping would get hit. Sad, I know, but funny as all else! It helps that the kid was okay.

7. Blues Brothers, Animal House, Caddyshack, Back to School - the greatest comedies of all time with the best comedians of all time. I said earlier I love to laugh and smile and all these movies do just that.

8. I am a very private person. I don't like airing my feelings out in the public. Why bother other people with my problems when they have enough of their own to deal with? Plus, my problems aren't as big as others so what's the point in telling others? So then why do I have a blog? It's a great way of keeping a personal history. I am usually on the computer so why not have a journal on the computer. Plus I only know of two people that read this anyway, so it's not like it's a big deal and the whole world reads it.

There you go, eight things about me. There are more things about me, but I will save those for another day. Now I have to tag eight other people? I don't know that many people that blog so I will write a few names and hopefully they read this and start a blog of their own: Janelle, Jenny W, Eric, Becky, Laura, Adrienne, Stephanie and John.

Best Weekend Ever! (At least at this time in my life)

This weekend has been full on wonderful things. First off was a relaxing Friday evening with no stress. Who wouldn't want that? Then came Saturday morning. It was early, but who cares? Habitat for Humanity is a wonderful thing to be a part of. I had a blast learning how to hang siding. It took all day to get about 1/4 of one side of the house done, but it was a great learning experience. It was also frustrating. Measuring then having to measure again because the measurement was off, then the siding breaking during cutting process, ahhh man! It was a great day. I was going to leave at lunch so that way I could have more time to clean my place, do laundry and all the other normal work I do on Saturday, but I couldn't leave. I couldn't leave my group and the rest of the building crew. I am really glad I stayed the whole time.

Saturday night was watching Trinity get creamed by Wheaton, but it was fun to be with friends. I even saw one of my students at the game. Crazy! This is the Saturday I have been needing for a long time. My weekends are usually trying to accomplish those things that I never have a chance to do during the week because of my schedule. I threw all of that out the window and just relaxed. It was nice.

Today, I had a great day at Stake Conference. I love seeing all the people in the stake. I don't know everyone or really anyone outside my ward, but to see all the members of the stake just renewed my strength. Listening to converts tell their stories of conversion was great. Then tonight going to a nice dinner group and lovely conversation with others was wonderful. Could you ask for a better weekend? I mean, what else is there? Service, friends, uplifting, enlightenment, realxation and fun are what weekend should be all about. I am now rested and ready for the week ahead and looking forward to next weekend. Oh, I almost forgot, I ran four miles this weekend. A continuous four miles. I have only done that one other time in my life and it was after a soccer practice as punishment. This time it was for my own enjoyment and fun. I don't know the next time I will do that, but I had fun doing it.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to fulfill my civic responsibility as a sitizen of the United States of America. Yes, I am talking about what you are thinking about----jury duty. Weren't thinking that? What were you thinking? It was a very stressful day. I love being able to serve my country any way I can right now. I just wish it had been over summer when I had time and didn't have to worry about the poor teacher that had to watch 50 kids for an hour and a half. So I get there really early in the morning and wait in line to be let in the central jury room. Then I sit there and wait. and wait, and wait some more. I had a great time catching up on some reading that I had been wanting to do for a while, so it was a winner of a situation. It's almost 11am and I keep thinking just a few more minutes and they will send us to lunch and then no one else will be in court so they will dismiss us. A few minutes later the girl goes to the microphone and says that the next court needs a panel of 75 jurors. So we are getting higher in the numbers and my name has not been called. Then it happens, number 48. We are escorted to the courytoom where we are told the case we may be on a jury for a murder case. The sent chills up my spine and made me a bit nervous. Maybe more than a bit nervous, I was shaking a little. What would I say about being a juror on a murder trial if I was picked? What games and activities would I need to prepare for my classes? Thoughts just kept entering my head. It took four hours to choose a final 12 jurors. It was a long process and some of the people that were in that room were really scary. How many times and in how many ways can a person describe the same thing for people to understand? There are some people that if I were on trial I would never want on my jury. Those people sitting in the room are not my peers. If I were the defendent I would have been really worried about some of the people there. I wasn't picked, so that was a relief. I don't know what I would do for a murder trial. It's a really scary thought that somene else's future is in your hands. It's a scary thought to put your future in someone else's hands.
The crazy thing is that I could not keep from looking at the defendent and now, every time I hear about shooting a gun, murder, killing or anything like that I see his face, the face of an indicted murderer. I just keep thinking the man looked like someone who would walk down the street and I would say hi to him. Many people like to think that murderers are crazed people with a scary look in their eye and some wierd hair-do or something else crazy (like Phil Specter, remember him?). I know the defense attorneys coach their client and tell them how to dress and how to look to look as innocent as possible. I get that. It was just a strange thing to look at someone who looks like every other person on the street and know that he has been indicted for such a serious crime and is facing 5-life in prison. I don't know, I just can't get that face out of my head. I hope it goes away soon, but I don't know. It's a sad situation really. Sad for the families involved. Sad for those that have to go through the trial, the hurt and the heartache.
I am grateful that I am not on that jury, but even more grateful to have been able to serve my country the best way I can right now.

Got to Have Faith

Tonight I was helping a great woman clean the kitchen after a great dinner and she said something that really caught my attention. She said, "We will be cooks at Adam-Ondi-Ahman." That really started me thinking. Will I be ready and have enough faith to drop what I am doing and travel to Adam-Ondi-Ahman when it is my time to go? I no doubt would have alot of fun cooking and serving others, but could I leave my life behind and go and do as the Lord would have me do? Do I have the strength and faith of Nephi to do so? Can I go and do as the Lord would have me do? I hope I am able to go when called upon. There are so many questions I have that can only be answered at the time. Of course, I say now that I would be able to do all that jazz, but when it comes down to it I don't know what I would do.
Faith, do we ever really know how much of it we have? The faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains, but I have never moved a mountain before. Maybe I have moved mountains of laundry or scarfed down mountains of food, but to really move a mountain, never. I know that the Lord will ptotect me when needed, and give those things I stand in need of, but does my faith go deeper than that? One of my Institute teachers, Elder Waldvogel, once said, "Faith is what we have before we have knowledge. Once we have experienced faith it becomes knowledge. For example, when paying tithing you have faith that if you pay that ten percent blessings will come. Once you have received and recognized those blessings that faith becomes knowledge." I love that because it helped me understand more about faith and knowledge and how testimonies grow.
I want to share my testimony tonight. I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the one and only true church on the face of the earth today. I know that Jesus Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, hung on the cross, and rose three days later so that all mankind may be saved. I know Heavenly Father knows me and my needs personally. I know He will lead and guide me if I first put my faith in Him. I know Joseph Smith Jr. was a true prophet and restored the gospel of Jesus Christ to its full glory in this last despensation. I know that Thomas S. Monson is the true and living prohet on the face of the earth today. I know the scriptures are true . I know the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and the words are true. I know that if I am endure to the end and do those things that I need to in order to continually progress that I will be blessed. I know families can be together forever. I know that I am a daughter of God. I know the Lord loves me and knows me personally. I love the gospel and the things that it has done for my life. I hope to be able to keep the things I know and continue to learn more. I am grateful for those missionaries that found my Grandpa and Grandma Smith as well as the missionaries that found my dad. I am grateful for their faith and courage to do those things that their families were not happy about but that they knew were right. I have always felt extremely blessed and am grateful for all the Lord has given me.

A Little Goes A Long Way

I was having a really stressful day today and just when I thought it couldn't get any better, it did. Thanks to friends I had a great pick me up today. I am grateful for the promptings others receive. A little note or a quick compliment really goes a long way. The Spirit is a strong companion and I love how people are so in tune with it.