What Does the Flag Mean to You?

This was the question I was asked to answer for the school flag ceremony on Monday. After a weekend of thinking about what I would say, I finally decided to be more personal than I typically am with my students (and entire school). I asked the kids if they knew anyone or had a family member in the military. Tons of hands shot up. I then projected this picture (and subsequently the following pictures):
I told the school that this was my sister, Melanie, and her family. Her husband is in the National Guard. He flies helicopters.
I told them that my nephew Mason is 4 and my niece Jade is almost 1.
I told them that Robbie flies helicopters about once a week and one weekend every month. He was going to be leaving for a whole year soon (although soon is now NEXT October...not in a few weeks).
I told them that when I see the flag, I think of Melanie, Mason, and Jade, and all they sacrifice by having their husband and dad serving in the military.
I told them that when I see the flag, I think about all the families who sacrifice family members to serving their country.
I managed to contain my tears while I spoke of these tender feelings, but I sure felt them coming. How grateful I am for those who serve our country so freely. And how grateful I am for the families who sacrifice so much in support of our freedoms.

Traveling Diva

I've decided traveling is my thing. So far this year, I've gone out of town at least once every month except for March (the worst month in the world...I should have made it a priority to go out of town then!). I've been to Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Ohio, Nevada, Florida, and southern Utah. Granted, nothing too extreme (and Arizona has been hit 4 times so far this year), but it is so fun to get away even if just for a weekend. Here are the highlights from the most recent extravaganza...St. George and Las Vegas!

On Friday I drove down to St. George with some friends from the ward to see "The Little Mermaid" at Tuacahn. It was quite the spectacle. Although we didn't LOVE the acting, the set was awesome and there were some really fun scenes. Here are the girls before the show:
And the boys...
Yes, they really did match. No, they didn't plan it. And yes, we did make fun of them the rest of the weekend. :)
We had really good seats and even felt some of the "wall of water" spray mist on us during the show, which definitely helped with the heat!
That night we stayed at Matt's parents house in St. George. The next morning we traveled down to Las Vegas to Deb's house! We rented a boat (that went about 2 miles an hour) and went out on Lake Las Vegas. Deb's mom had so kindly packed us lunch and we had lunch on the boat. Then we swam around the lake for awhile and enjoyed the sun!
After that adventure we went back to Deb's, cleaned up, and headed downtown. All we really did was hit the MAC store for some of the girls and have dinner. Oh, and we caught a Bellagio fountain show, of course!
On Sunday we went to a 9:00 Sacrament Meeting and came back to Deb's mom's brunch all set up for us. It was beautiful and I should have taken a picture! We ate and played some music at her house, visited with her parents, and then packed up and headed back for PG. Only after we took some pictures with the tortoises. :) (Mom and Dad, I still want you to get some desert tortoises for our backyard in AZ...)
All in all, it was a great weekend! I am so grateful for the ability to travel. I LOVE visiting different places, especially with family and friends. I am grateful to have good friends who will travel with me!

So Long, Summer...

Ok, I'll admit it...I'm kind of excited for a new school year! I'm excited for a new group of kids. I'm excited for new knowledge gained from my Masters I can apply in my classroom (even though it might not be much). I'm excited to be busy again. I'm excited to feel needed and important. I'm excited to work with the rest of the faculty at my school. I'm excited to do Zumba with my coworkers twice a week again. :)

While I'm excited for a lot, here are some things I'm not so excited about. I'm not excited about waking up at 6. I'm not excited about never having a free moment to myself. I'm not excited to train 32 (yikes...hopefully only 30) 7-year olds. I'm not excited for the weather to change.

K, count it up. I have more excitements than not excitements. That means I'm happy. :) I am grateful to be a teacher and have the opportunity to touch the lives of so many kids! Here's to the 2011-12 school year. It's going to be great!!

Parable of Pinocchio

I know my mind can sometimes be really strange. I find connections to things that don't always work out. But here is a thought I've had this past week...

While in AZ for 3 weeks, my nephew Mason was in love with Pinocchio. We read the book every day (sometimes several times) and even went to see it performed at a Children's Theater. With that on my mind, I was reading in the Doctrine and Covenants this week and came across a scripture about hearkening to the voice of the Spirit (D&C 84:46). Out of these things, I created the "Parable of Pinocchio."

Gepetto was the master creator. He created this beautiful wooden puppet, Pinocchio. He saw the potential of this little puppet and wanted it to become real. He wanted Pinocchio to be his son.
Heavenly Father is the master creator. He created each of us. He saw the potential in each of us and wanted us to be His children. He wants us to return home.

In order for Pinocchio to become a real boy, he had to lose his strings. He had to do good things and be a good boy in order to become a real boy.
In order for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father, we need to be good people. We need to serve and love and obey. We aren't puppets being told what to do and where to go. We lost our "strings." We have agency and can do as we choose.

Jiminy Cricket was given to Pinocchio to act as his conscience. He would help Pinocchio know right from wrong. When Pinocchio did not listen to Jiminy Cricket, he got into trouble.
We are given the Holy Ghost to help us know right from wrong. When we do not listen to the Holy Ghost, we get into trouble.

At times, Pinocchio got stuck. He was in a cage in Stromboli's puppet theater. He went to "Pleasure Island" and almost turned into a donkey. He got very close to not becoming a real boy. However, each time, he was able to fix his problems. With the help of the Blue Fairy and Jiminy Cricket, he could be made whole again.
We sometimes get ourselves stuck with decisions we make. We entangle ourselves in Satan's chains. We try to have fun with the world when we are actually turning ourselves into things we don't want to be. However, it is possible to repent and be made whole again. Through Jesus Christ and His atonement, we can be made clean.

In the end, Pinocchio helped save Gepetto. He was made a real boy. He lived with Gepetto happily ever after.
While we are not here to save Heavenly Father, we are here to serve those around us. As we do good deeds and draw closer to Heavenly Father, we will be able to return to live with Him. We will be made "real." And we will live with our Heavenly Father happily ever after.

I know, kind of a stretch, but I'm grateful for Walt Disney for coming up with such wholesome stories to share. :)

Mason and Jade

I have been lucky enough to spend lots of time with Mason and Jade this summer! I am so grateful to live close enough to be able to do that. (I wish Adeline and Xander were closer!!!) Here are some pictures to document a few of our activities:

Jade and I at a family party in June:
Mason and I at the same family party:
Mason and I at the Lehi Rodeo:
The kiddos and I at Mason's last soccer game:
Jade and I visiting Grandma and Grandpa's house:

Being and aunt is by far my favorite "title." I love being a teacher, daughter, sister, friend, etc. But being an aunt is the most fun. I love my 2 nephews and 2 nieces to pieces and am so grateful to be their aunt!

ZZZZumba!

I made a discovery in March. It's called Zumba. Maybe I joined the bandwagon a bit late, but I'm sure glad I did!
I'm not a dancer by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, I hate dancing. I do anything to avoid it. But going to Zumba, I have the time of my life! Plus, it's a great work out! I am moving and grooving for an hour straight and just loving it. So there you go. I'm grateful for Zumba. :)

Summertime...and the living's...

Not quite easy, but it's sure great!

I've had quite a bit of time to sit and reflect over the past year. Anyone who talked to me in the past 9 months knows that I was not having the greatest school year. I will admit I struggled more than I ever have with my morale in general. This summer so far has given me time to relax and think about it all.

In one of my classes for my masters program, we watched a movie called "The Emperor's Club." I watched it after having a particularly rough day. I was talking to a friend about how I felt like I failed the entire school year. I never felt good enough or had all the solutions. I felt like a failure. Then we watched this movie the next day in class. It goes through a teacher's school year with a particularly rough student. The teacher at the end of the movie joins the class for their 25th reunion. This student never quite straightened out. The teacher felt like he failed him all those years. However, he comes to learn this:

"The worth of a life is not determined by a single failure or a solitary success. My other students taught me that. However much we stumble it is a teacher's burden always to hope that, with learning, a boys character might be changed and so the destiny of a man."

I heard that and felt so much peace. Overall, I came to love my students this year just as much as any other year. Especially the little one I struggled with. While I never quite found the answers he needed for his life, I tried. And I will continue trying next year.

In the movie, the students at their 25th reunion give the teacher a plaque that reads:

"A great teacher has little external history to record. His life goes over into other lives. These men are pillars in the intimate structure of our schools. They are more essential than its stones or beams. They will continue to be a kindling force and a revealing power in our lives."

I hope that as I continue on in my teaching career that I can be that pillar, that kindling force.