The Things That Make Me Smile

Today I came to a conclusion:  if you aren't happy with where you are in life, it's your own dag-gum fault!  Thus I'm finding things that happened to me today - or recently - that make me happy.

• Fruit snacks: I absolutely LOVE fruit snacks.  Maybe that is the real reason I've gone into Elementary Education... okay, probably not but sometimes I think the commonality with my students makes a difference.
• Spell check:  There are several words in the English language I can NEVER spell correctly.  One is 'definitely' and the other is 'absolutely'.  Slightly embarrassing, but it's so true.  I love the spell check feature.  It saves me from a lot of frustration.
• Sassy flip flops:  You see, I probably should have been born Mexican (although I am incredibly grateful that I wasn't) because I thrive in the heat.  Someday I desire to live where it snows maybe once or twice... all year.  I can come home to get my fill of the freezing, fluffy, white stuff.  Oh, I love the heat because I can wear my sassy flip flops.  (Yes, today it is approximately 46 degrees and I am wearing them with a skirt.  I'm boycotting winter.)
• Waking up to an empty house:  Okay so maybe I wouldn't love this everyday, but it was nice this morning.  No one told me to get out of bed, I was just awake when my body was ready for it.  Ahh...  Love that!
• Delicious food:  I may or may not be eating lunch and enjoying left overs that my mom made several days ago.  :)  There isn't a whole love better in my mind that food that makes your taste buds "dance and sing!" 
• A Known Future:  No, I have no idea what I'll be doing in a year... okay so I have SOME sort of idea, but my plans are still fluid.  However the though of a known future is still something that makes me smile.  Someday...
• MISSIONARIES:  Oh gosh!  How come this is so far down on my list?  Why did I not think of this sooner???  Regardless, missionaries are one of my all time favorite things.  Since my little brother and best friend are serving missions for my Church it makes me all the more excited to talk about them and what they are doing.  AGH!  I love missionaries!!!
• Being a student:  As goofy as it sounds, I'm kinda sad to be graduating.  I sort love being a student - in a sick sort of way.  I love going to class and even doing awful homework assignments.  It's be strange to not have that anymore.  This is one of the parts of having a career that I'm not necessarily looking forward to. (Oh, 'necessarily' is another word I struggle to spell, although I did it correctly this time. :) )  Maybe THAT is why I'm really going into teaching... then I can still sorta be a student and go to school.  Who knows...
• Traveling!!:  Oh my goodness!  I can't even effectively express my love for going to and seeing new places.  There is something so exhilarating about gallivanting off to a relatively unknown place.   Someday I'll be able to more of it, but for now I'll relish in my past adventures.
• CHICK FLICKS!:  No explanation needed.

Well my friends,  I'm sure you're done reading about all the strange and wonderful things that I love.  I encourage you to look for the things in your life that make you happy - even the small things like fruit snacks. :)  Have a great day and thanks for reading!

Brittish Knees

When the Teacher Becomes the Pupil

Today I was working on my resume (yeah, I know... she has an active resume!  It's weird to me too.) and I decided to take a break and read some of my friend's blogs.  Okay, so mostly I only read the ones with very clever blog titles.  Today the only ones I read were girlfriends who are on missions.  I'm pretty much the worst letter writer but I'm grateful they faithfully write home and that their families post them, because I find a whole bunch of strength in them... always.  It's amazing.

Today I learned a couple of things.  First, if you are doing what the Lord needs you to be doing, then everything will turn out okay.  This has brought so much comfort and peace to my heart as I've been rightfully stressing about a zillion things in my life right now; my current job, a future job, dating, housing for the summer and the rest of my life, school, graduation, post-graduation, my spiritual standing, what I should be doing with my life and possibly what I'm doing wrong, and I'm sure other things but can't think of them.  It's been kind of a crazy last few months, to say the least.  It was comforting to read Marci's email and be reminded of the truly important things:  the Lord's will.  She has always been such a strength and inspiration to me in just about everything.  I sure do love that girl!

Second thing I learned, humor is the best way to deal with just about anything.  I'm not talking humor like hurtful humor, but sincerely funny humor.  Look for the little things in your life that are worth laughing about.  I'm convinced they are everywhere.  Merritt's emils/blogs are just about the funniest thing I've ever read.  Don't get me wrong, she also includes the spiritual things too (at which I don't laugh about), but she has an amazing talent in taking the unfavorable (like cramming 11 sister missionaries in one small apartment for the night) and finding the silver lining of it.  She's such an example to me of... well about a million-zillion personality traits  I wish I had, but specifically finding the good in every situation.  She was like that even while we were in Mexico, even when she was sick.  Boy oh boy!  I have great examples. 

#3 Cool thing I learned this week:  sometimes life doesn't turn out the way you want to so that you'll do things that should be of a higher priority.  Now, let me expound:  my brother is serving a mission for our church.  He's been gone... uhh... about 5 weeks??... I think.  (Don't judge me.)  Since he left I think I've wrote him a total of an embarrassingly few times, and this last week he finally wrote me a letter, which is kinda what I was waiting for.  In it he pretty much chastized me for being a poor writer and asked if I was dead.  (Don't worry, the answer to that is clearly 'no.')  During the time that I'd originally planned on spending otherwise (with a friend in SLC), I went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple (as I was already up in the SLC valley) and started reading my scriptures and ended up writing my brother.  I'd put his letter in my notebook - which I always keep in my purse and it was so amazing to re-read it again.  He is such a strength in my life - he always has been.  I wish I could be more like him. I may have cried a little.  I think student teaching the last few weeks prior to his leaving and for several weeks afterwards has been a bit bittersweet for me.  Bitter because I wasn't able to spend as much time as I would have liked to with Shaunie, but also sweet because I know that the pain of having him gone doesn't hurt as badly because I've been enthralled in something else.  Ugh!  I miss that kid like crazy!  He is one of my best friends and is the person I took just about everything to.  Gosh! It's funny how quickly the flood gates can turn on.

Moral of the story:  I am one lucky girl.  I've been incredibly blessed and have so much to be thankful for.  Life is stressful and crazy and sometimes it just flat out bites; but it's all gonna be okay if I'm doing my best to do what the Lord wants me to do.  (Make sense?  Good!)  He really is in control - through the good, bad, and ugly.  I know that putting faith in Him makes the ugly somehow seem beautiful.

-Brittish Knees

One of the Many Priceless First Grade One Line-ers

Today when I went to go pick up my class of first graders from lunch one of my girls said something that a) took me off guard and b) made me laugh.  She said,

"Miss Christian, you need a husband!"  

At first I was shocked and a little taken back, so I asked her why.  She proceeded to tell me that it was from a TV show and ... haha... she heard one of my other... haha!!... kids who I would never picture quoting such a line, but did.  It was hilarious.  I proceeded to tell the two of them that they were goofy girls and kinda chuckled.

Bahaha!  The honesty, irony and love of first graders is priceless. :)

Sick in Bed

As a kid we had a book that for some reason I loved.  It was called "Sick in Bed."  It was yellow and the pictures were... well... not amazing but I really liked the book.  It was about a little boy who was sick and it walked through all the things he got and did while sick.  He went to the doctor, was poked a prodded, and given a shot in the... eh hem.  Afterward his mommy got him a soda to calm his tummy and then he just chilled at home - in bed watching tv and took naps.  Today I've felt very much like that little boy. 

After feeling awful for about two weeks I went to the doctor.  He told me that whatever I have is viral so pretty much there's not a whole lot that he could do until it got worse. To help deal with my symptoms he gave me one of those prescriptions you squirt up your nose.  It's a lovely experience.  Luckily I didn't get the full doctor's treatment like my childhood friend from above did.  

When I came home and I kinda lounged around the house and watched some old tv shows/part of a movie with my dad and brother and decided that I should be an adult and get my lessons written for Monday.  It was then that my mom informed me that I shouldn't go to church tomorrow.  It's been months since I've missed my meetings and just about as long since I've had to have someone fill in and teach Sunday School for me.  Sad day.  I enjoy it teaching - especially the Gospel.

Another downside to all of this sickliness is that I'm contagious.  I'd thought that my sickness was due to the lack of sleep and stress from school and work.  Wrong-o!  I had a friend over on Thursday and I got a text today letting me know that I'd kindly shared with him.  (I know, brilliant.)  Some friend I am.  How does one (me) recover from sharing such a ghastly bug?  Ugh.  Good thing I have forgiving friends eh?

The upside to all of this is that I get lots of time to recover.  The whole weekend in fact.  I fell asleep on the couch at about 8 last night and slept for nearly 12 hours.  I plan on doing something similar tonight.  I sorta love not having plans for Saturday night.  (Sorta looserish, I know.  Back off.)  I'm looking forward to a quite night watching an ultra chick flick with my mom and daddy and going to bed early.  Tomorrow's day will consist of lots of sleep, studying the scriptures, writing long overdue letters to my two best friends on missions and studying the assigned Gospel Doctrine lesson that I am supposed to teach. 

I guess the overall moral of the story is that being sick in bed isn't all that bad - aside of sharing germ bugs (which is what I refer to them as when I teach about them - always a teacher...).

Well, until next time (when I hopefully feel better), this is Brittish Knees signing out.

Good News!

For those of you who follow me on facebook... which is probably 0 but whatever... know that for whatever reason, yesterday was kinda crappy.  The morning at school was a bit rough day and it just progressed (down hill mind you) as the day went on.  Luckily I had amazing people at the school to help back me up when the going got too tough.  

So now that I have you all feeling sorry for me.  Hehe...  

I have good news!  Today has been about 80 ka-thousand times better!  

And yes, I do know that a ka-thousand is actually not a number, but if it was it would be a lot.  Trust me.  I'm a pre-teacher.

Yesterday when I thought the day couldn't get much better (this is after I burst into tears to my mom, who was totally blind sided with my outburst) I kept thinking:  "Ugh!  If I could just get a text from one of my particular good friends, the day would be so much better."  So, I did all I could to keep busy before I went running - which is my favorite way to relieve stress :) - and started grading papers.  And voila!  Guess what came???  A text from an inspired friend.  Talk about tender mercies!!  I don't know if I've ever said this, but I don't buy 'coincidence.'  I'm convinced that everything good that happens is from God and if it's an action it's done through inspiration.  Call it what you want, but yeah. :)

Long story short.  Today's been a good day.  It's had it's rough bits, but I'm glad I opted to get out of bed this morning and will probably even do it again tomorrow. ;)  

Until next time I have something totally awesome to blog about.  Haha!  This is Brittish Knees signing out.