Whisperings in my ear

So You Think I am Overpaid?

2012-02-10T08:01:00.000-08:00

Lately I have seeing a curious trend in the popular opinion about teachers. The idea that I keep seeing expressed is that teachers are actually overpaid. This doesn’t surprise me since I have seen my profession become less esteemed and more and more degraded every year since I became a teacher.

The theory about us being overpaid is that we are paid all year long for a part year job. So I decided to run the numbers to see if that is really true. Most jobs run on a 40 hour work week. Between holidays and vacation days I figure most people work 50 weeks a year. This means that most people work on average 2000 hours a year. Let’s see how teachers compare.

My contract is to work 187 days a year. My official work day is 8am-4pm which is an 8 hour day. Most teachers arrive to school at least ½ hour early and stay at least ½ hour late which brings it to a 9 hour day. Add to that a minimal 1 hour at home to grade papers, lesson plan or call parents and that means we typically work at least 10 hours a day. So 187 x 10= 1870 hours a year. However, I am also required to earn 150 Professional growth hours every 5 years so that breaks down to 30 hours a year. So now we are up to 1900 hours a year. I have to turn in progress reports every 3rd week and final grades every 6th week. Each time that adds about 2 hours of extra work as I work with students to make up work, make additional parent contacts and work with our annoying grading software that the district uses. This adds least another 12 hours. So now I am at 1912 hours a year.

If I sponsor a club, attend school sporting events, plays and concerts, volunteer for school improvement committees, keep up to date in new teaching practices, go to required open houses, an annual lighthouse event, department meetings, faculty meetings (which I do) I will easily spend at least a conservative 40 hours a year fulfilling additional duties.
That brings me to 1952 hours. Which means I work 48 hours less than my professional counterpart? But oh, wait, the state has changed the state standards for the subject that I teach so I need to rewrite my curriculum, or my principal asks me to teach a new class, or I decide to film each of my lectures at home so that absent students can watch them and not get behind. Plus, I decide to create a class website where they can get additional help for their homework and a class Facebook page so that I can keep them informed with due dates and upcoming tests. Then my school tried to save money by getting rid of two of our copiers so I either have to arrive super early to school, stay late or come in on the weekend to make my copies. So those 48 hours? They are gone and then some.

Ok, so maybe I work as many hours as a typical professional, but at least I have the luxury of a long summer, two weeks off for Christmas and an Easter break. I do not deny it, and I am grateful for those breaks. It would be hard to be a teacher without those times.

However, even with those perks please remember that I have a job that no matter how hard I work, no matter how much I care for and love my students, no matter how many extra trainings I attend to be a better teacher, I have no possibility of promotion or external recognition. The only “promotion” would be if I got my administrators credential and left the classroom. However, why is the reward for being a great teacher to take me out of the classroom? I became a teacher to teach and I love to do it.

I don’t expect a pay raise any time soon, but I do want people to stop demeaning the efforts I make every day by telling me that I am overpaid.

Graduation

2011-08-14T10:53:00.001-07:00

I have a few hours left of my summer vacation. I spent my last free weekend in Beaumont, TX at my graduation with my family. Sitting with the other master degree students, waiting for my name to be called, I realized that not being a student leaves a vacuum in my life.

Since finishing my last class I have been throwing myself into learning new things. I've even tried creating a few android apps.

I love learning new things and it took going back to school to remind me just how much.

Star Chart Presentation

2010-01-25T11:55:00.000-08:00

Concepts of Educational Technology Assignment

2010-01-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

Digital technologies are changing the world. If we are to prepare our students adequately to meet the global, technologically advanced workplace of tomorrow, we must change many of our antiquated teaching methods. The Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology is an ambitious plan to bring Texas schools, teachers and students into the digital future by 2020. While it is divided into four sections, it is the first, Teaching and Learning, that needs to be addressed.

Ideally by the year 2020, our classrooms will have undergone a significant shift. The teacher will be learning alongside his or her students, becoming a facilitator and a mentor to the students. This is an essential transition as we can no longer allow our students to merely consume information given to them. The vast amount of information on the internet, both true and untrue, means that our students must learn how to find, evaluate and apply information for themselves.

According to the Texas Star Chart, a tool for assessing the progress Texas Educators are making towards the four goals of the plan, Mesquite High School is among the 69% s Texas schools which are at the “developing tech” level in Teaching and Learning. This means that while we are using technology in some of our classrooms, instruction is still being directed by the teachers, rather than being student centered.

In order to reach our target goal, teachers must search for professional development opportunities to increase our understanding of ways to use technology in the classroom. We also must realize that the students themselves have much to teach us as well. If we are willing to learn, they can show uses for technology that we could never imagine.

Happy 4th of July... a few days late

2009-07-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

Now I see it

2009-06-24T20:07:00.000-07:00

People have been telling me for several months how much Maddie looks like me but I haven't been able to see it. Today, my Dad brought over some pictures of me and my sister Tracy as babies and I can definitely see it now. What do you think, does she look like Spencer or me or a combination?

Maddie

Spencer

Tracy

A Hot Day at the Dallas Arboretum

2009-06-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

We went to the Dallas Arboretum with some friends from work today. Man oh man, was it hot! I did get a few cute pictures of Maddie though.

2009-06-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

Some very baby wise friends let me know that Maddie is old enough to have a cracker now. This is a picture of her very first one. She took to it like a pro and knew exactly what to do with it.

Of course, this new skill has led to a whole new level of messiness!

We went to Houston to visit Spencer's brother and family last weekend. This is Jackson, he is about three months older than Maddie. I already know that they will be great friends.

Of course, friendship doesn't always go smoothly.

By popular demand

2009-06-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

I've been told to put up some more pictures of Maddie ASAP, so here you go Mom!

How to Be Adorable | eHow.com

2009-06-10T14:19:00.001-07:00

I wrote this just for fun. Enjoy!

How to Be Adorable | eHow.com

Shared via AddThis

Before and After

2009-05-26T08:38:00.000-07:00

The other day I was going through some of Maddie's old clothes and I cam across her preemie outfits. It is hard to remember that my chubby little baby was ever so tiny. To show the contrast I made up a short slideshow of pictures from her first few months and recent pictures.

Writing Update

2009-05-01T12:57:00.001-07:00

Somehow I think I missed April. It just flew by and I don't know where it went. I didn't get as much writing done, but I was able to write about 12 articles on Helium.com. I need to make sure that I don't slack off. My goal is to write a minimum of one article on Ehow and Helium every day.

This is a screenshot of my ehow.com earnings. So far I have 29 articles written and have earned about $35 on them. I made $19.86 in April, but the cool thing is that I didn't write any new articles in April. This is what I love about writing for the web. The articles I write now will make me money for months to come. I am constantly learning what kind of articles earn the best, and how to optimize them for the search engines. Eventually, I hope to have several hundred articles which are making me a few hundred dollars a month with little additional work.

This is a screenshot from my Helium account. I've only earned $5.63 in views, but I have earned $80.00 in upfront payments and marketplace sales. Basically, I earn $1.50 for each article I write, plus a share of the site revenue based on my page views. I have also sold four articles to the Marketplace for $10 each. The marketplace is where publishers request articles on specific titles and indicate how much they are willing to pay for them and how many they are willing to buy. I am getting a lot of experience writing for them and am building up my portfolio at the same time so I can start getting freelance work on my own. I have two other articles I wrote for Marketplace that I haven't heard back from. If they are selected, I'll earn another $50.

So far, my progress has been slow, but I kind of see it like a snowball. I really think that it will keep building until it will finally become large enough for me to stay home with Maddie.

Selling Out to the Man

2009-05-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed a few changes to my blog, especially the new ads for Amazon on the right hand side. This is another step in my SAHM quest. Basically, I get a small referral fee whenever anyone buys something after using one of my links to Amazon even if it is a different product from the one they originally clicked on. So, in other words, if you need to buy something from Amazon, use one of my links and help a sister out!

1st Annual Bluebonnet Pictures

2009-04-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know, I must inform you that the state flower in Texas is the Bluebonnet. Every year, in early April, the sides of the freeways, empty fields and such are filled with beautiful blue flowers that indicate that Spring is close at hand. It is kind of a tradition for many families to take a yearly picture of the kiddos with the bluebonnets. Well, I don't want to be accused of not being a true Texan, so I put Maddie in her Easter dress and took her to an empty field to take her first bluebonnet pictures. Of course, she fell asleep on the way there and I had to wake her up to take t he pictures, so she isn't smiling too much in any of them. I think she looks pretty cute anyway.

'Twilight' series pulled from Deseret Book shelves

2009-04-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

'Twilight' series pulled from Deseret Book shelves

I'm sorry, but this is just ridiculous. I am sure they made this decision after a few "well-meaning" busy bodies complained about the inappropriateness of a book about vampires being within a stones throw of books about prophets. But, seriously? Just don't read it if you don't think it is appropriate. I mean, the Bible has way more inappropriate sex and stuff going on than Twilight does.

What do you think?

Before and After

2009-04-07T08:03:00.000-07:00

Shots? Three of them? Cool... umm what are shots? Are they some kind of toy? I like toys!

What just happened? I trusted you Dad!

Maddie's Trick

2009-03-30T16:46:00.001-07:00

Pleas ignore the double chin and focus on the cutest baby in the world!

Maddie Laughing at Daddy

2009-03-30T16:44:00.001-07:00

Spencer really is the best Daddy in the whole world. Maddie just adores him. He can always make her laugh and she loves to fall asleep in his arms as he plays video games.

Keys to a Successful Relationship

2009-03-23T13:18:00.000-07:00

3 of 53

Keys to a Successful relationship

"I'm just no good at relationships!" It was after midnight and I was on the phone with Sarah who had just suffered a very nasty break up. To be honest, I was only half listening because this conversation was almost word for word the same as half a dozen late night phone calls over the years. I could almost mouth the phrase...

click here to read more

PS names have been changed to protect the innocent on this one.

Qualities to look for in a neighborhood

2009-03-23T13:15:00.000-07:00

This article was #1 for a while, but now it is #2 out of 85

Qualities to Look for in a Neighborhood

Choosing the right neighborhood to live in is not unlike choosing a future spouse. Of course you need to feel a physical attraction, but there is much more to living happily ever after than just good looks. Don't just rely on a few short visits with the Realtor in tow to know if a neighborhood is the right fit for you and your family. Instead, investigate it thoroughly. Here are some things you may want to look at before making one of the biggest commitments of your life.

Crime
You need to feel safe in your home, so it is important to know the crime rate of the neighborhood you are looking at. To read more click here.

My 4 Step Plan to Take Over the World!

2009-03-23T12:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted much on my blog in a while, but that doesn't mean I haven't been writing. As I mentioned before, I am really hoping to transition to freelance writing so that I can be at home with Maddie.

This is my four step plan

Step 1. Build an income stream, improve my writing and build up a portfolio by writing for several entry level writing websites.

Step 2. Once I have a portfolio built up, I will find freelance writing jobs on sites like elance.com. This is a site that lists writing projects that writers can bid on.

Step 3. Once I have several freelance jobs completed, I hope to get hired as a regular freelance writer for a company. That way I will have a regular income stream.

Step 4. Either quit teaching or move to a part time position.

I am having an great time getting back into writing. Right now I have about 23 articles written on ehow.com and 20 written on helium.com. I have a few on Bukisa, but I don't think I am going to continue with that site. I don't think it has as great potential as the first two.

My articles on ehow are pretty basic, but they tend to earn a steady amount of money and they are very easy to write. Oddly enough, my best earner is on how to program a Uverse remote control (thank you Spencer for the info).

My Helium articles are the ones I am the most proud of. Helium has a different model than ehow. On Helium, they have set titles to which anyone can write. Then you are ranked against the other articles in that title. In order to get your earnings, you have to spend a few minutes each day ranking other people's articles. It is all done anonymously so that you can't just choose your friends' articles. You earn a small upfront payment for each article you write as well as a portion of the revenue for the site based on your page views and ad clicks.

Since I am avery competitive person, I enjoy being ranked against other people and trying to improve my articles to be at the top of each title. I am doing really well right now. I have written 20 articles and I average at the top 95%. I really feel that my writing is getting better with each article that I write or revise.

I don't earn that much right now, but the cool thing is that the revenue stream is continuous. I may earn less than a dollar each month for an article, but I will earn that dollar each month for the next several years or more. I have written 20 articles this month. If I can keep that up for the next 10 months, I will have 200 articles and even if each one only earns a dollar, I will be making $200 without doing any additional work. Of course, this is just an estimate since some articles will earn more, and some will earn less. That article on that I wrote on Uverse has already earned me $10 this month. That is an exception, but if I can do that again, I can make some good money doing this.

If you are interested, or want some more info, let me know. Anyone can sign up for ehow, but I will need to send you an invite for you to get onto helium.com. I'll post some of my articles in a separate post so you can see what they are like.

Laughter is the best medicine

2009-03-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

One of our new favorite pastimes is trying to find ways to make Maddie laugh. Sometimes we can really get her going. Sometimes though, we won't be doing anything at all, and she will look over at us and start cracking up. It is really adorable. This video is of my brother-in-law, Scott, making Maddie laugh.

My Quest to be a SAHM

2009-02-15T15:26:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, I am still teaching High School Econ. I actually love my job, but I would rather be home with Maddie, so I am trying to find ways to bring in additional money that will allow me to transition to being a SAHM. If you've been to my blog lately, you may have noticed a listing of articles on the right sidebar. I am working on writing for a few websites to see if I can eventually bring in enough money to work from home. The writing I am doing right now isn't very lucrative, but I'm hoping to one day do some higher paying freelance work.

Anyway, if you ever want to click on any of my articles, link to some of them from your website or forward the link to any of your friends, I would very much appreciate it. On some of them I get paid per unique visitor, and on others I get paid on ad clicks.

Seriously... is this the cutest picture or what?

2009-02-15T15:25:00.000-08:00

Maddie's first trip

2009-02-15T15:07:00.000-08:00

Ok, I knew it had been awhile since I last posted, but I didn't realize it has been over a month and a half! Bad Tammy!

The funny thing is, I have had more things to blog about than ever, but less time. Go figure.

In January we took a quick trip to California so Maddie could meet her Grandpa. (To my California family and friends that I did not contact while I was there, I am very sorry but it really was a quick trip and the main reason was so Maddie could meet her Grandpa Brown who wasn't able to come out for her blessing. We should be coming back out in the next few months.)

"I can show you the world..."

"They're cousins! Identical cousin all the way.."

Maddie Loves California

Our first plane flight ended up pretty uneventful even though Maddie had her first cold at the same time. She loves vibration and movement, so she pretty much slept both ways. We made the obligatory trip to Disneyland while we were there. She loved it so much, she slept the entire day. It seemed the louder it got, the harder she slept.

Christmas 08

2008-12-30T10:54:00.001-08:00

Watching the Laker game with the guys

My Sleeping Beauties

2008-12-23T07:54:00.000-08:00

Tammy Brown and the terrible, horrible, no good very bad day

2008-12-22T13:41:00.000-08:00

or everything is harder as a mom.

A quick trip to the Dr.'s office turned into a visit to Sam's Club to fix a flat tire, and then a visit to discount tires to buy a new rim, and then a drive home on the spare tire because no one had the rim in stock. Add to that an overtired six week old who peed her way out of her only warm outfit, soaking her car seat in the process. Mix in some dirty looks from people at the tire store wondering what kind of mother would take her daughter out in this kind of weather only wearing a onsie Throw in a trip to Taco Bell that ended in me spilling my nachos all over myself and my car. What you end up with is an emotional beak down. Good thing Mom (that is my mom) is only a few blocks away. I need a nap.

Celebration!

2008-12-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

More pictures of Maddie

2008-12-15T11:53:00.000-08:00

We posted some new pictures of Maddie on Flicker. http://www.flickr.com/photos/25310191@N07/sets/72157608851609681/

Here are some of my favorites.

We call this her" E.T." neck. it mostly happens when she is not very happy and she makes her neck grow by about three inches.

Our first month

2008-12-15T10:51:00.000-08:00

Maddie Day One

Maddie Day 36

Actually, it has been five weeks, but I never got around to posting last week.

I'm tired to the n'th degree but, I love being a mom. Maddie is so beautiful and sweet. I can hardly believe that Spencer and I had a hand in creating her. Motherhood is both harder and easier than I thought it would be. We have a wonderful support system and so that makes taking breaks easier that it would be easier, but then again there are no real breaks to being a parent.

I don't really have any wise insight into this parenthood role. Right now I am just managing from day to day, enjoying my beautiful princess while I change her, feed her and rock her to sleep. She's growing so big already. She's out of preemie clothes and into newborn sizes. I know that to everyone else she is still tiny, but to me she is growing up too fast already. I look forward to the years ahead, but I am a little sad that each day is a day we won't have again.

Pictures of Maddie

2008-11-25T19:17:00.001-08:00

My favorite picture of my Princess

Me and my girl!

Isn't she adorable?

"After Jenny Craig"

Daddy and Maddie

"I'm ready to go home now!"

Madelyn Scout Brown's Birth Story

2008-11-15T15:47:00.000-08:00

Well, this has been a very long week, but we made it through, and now we are home, safe and sound with a brand new addition to our family.

Baby Madelyn was due on Nov 28th, but because of my preeclampsia, the Dr decided that it was too dangerous to wait longer than my 37 weeks point in my pregnancy.

On Thursday, Nov 6th at 9pm, we entered the hospital to begin the induction process. As you can see from the picture on the left, I began the night with high hopes and a positive attitude. Little did I know how long the road ahead of me would be.

At my last check up, my cervix was completely closed and long, and so I needed to start with a drug called Cervidil that would soften my cervix and hopefully begin my contractions. The drug did start some contractions, but by morning, my cervix hadn’t changed at all.

At that point, I was moved downstairs to the labor and delivery and started on another drug called Cervedex. That one didn’t do anything at all. It didn’t even give me a single contraction. Several hours later, we moved on to try number three and I was give the “Big Daddy” drug Pitocin. Stike number 3. Late that night they tried the Cervidil again, which again gave me some contractions, but didn’t progress labor at all.

So, by Saturday morning, more than 24 hours after we started the process, my Cervix had not changed one bit. I wasn’t feeling any contractions, and nothing was working at all. Since it was the weekend, the Dr on call, transferred me back upstairs until he could consult with my Dr., and they could decide the next step. In the meantime, he decided to test my protein levels to see how my Preeclampsia was doing.

At this point Spencer and I were very frustrated. We had been sure that by Sat at the latest, we would be holding our little girl in our arms. A c-section was seeming like a stronger possibility, but all the Dr’s and nurses I spoke too said that it would be best to avoid one, due to my previous abdominal surgeries and the possibility of scar tissue getting in the way.

Sunday evening, I was given Cervedex one last time, and again it had no effect on me. I was beginning to think that I would be pregnant for the rest of my life! However, on Monday morning, the plan quickly changed. My test had come back, and my protein levels were over 11,000. Since they consider a level of over 300 bad, you can see why my numbers had them worried. A c-section was planned for later that day.

Amazingly enough, while I had hoped for a natural birth, I wasn’t disappointed with the news. I really felt that I had given my best effort, and in the end, it just wasn’t meant to be.

At about 5:30 they wheeled me into the O.R.. The c-section itself wasn’t to. bad. I just felt a few pulls and tugs. I just had to stop my mind from guessing what the Dr was doing. I really didn’t want to imagine him slicing me open, etc. It was a little annoying that the Doctors doing the procedure kept talking about football, golf, etc. the entire time. Didn’t they know that this was our special moment? Oh well, it didn’t last long, because exactly at 6pm, they pulled Madelyn out and we heard her cry. The Dr. told Spencer to stand up and look, something he wasn’t sure he had the stomach to do, but in a moment he did, and had his first glimpse of our daughter.

There was a scary moment when I heard a nurse ask the Dr. if she should get NICU, and he said yes. I was terrified that something was wrong with my little girl. It turned out that she came out with the cord wrapped twice around her neck and a huge knot in her cord. Fortunately, NICU wasn’t needed at all. Despite her small size (4lbs 14 ounces), she was perfectly formed and healthy.

The only problem left, was that it took almost 20 minutes for them to show he

r to me. Spencer had to take pictures of her on our camera and let me see them on the view screen so I could see our precious Madelyn.

Finally, they brought her over, wrapped up tight like a little baby burrito. She was so adorable. She kept blowing little air bubbles with her mouth. It was love at first sight. Spencer and I couldn’t take out eyes off of her. They placed her in my arms and let me hold her as they wheeled me to recovery.

My entire body was shaking because of the surgery and anesthesia. All I could do was focus every bit of my energy towards holding my precious cargo as carefully as I could.

She'll be here soon!

2008-11-06T08:09:00.000-08:00

Tonight at 9m I am going to the hospital to begin the induction process. They'll give me something called Cervidil that is supposed to soften the cervix and hopefully start contractions. They may send me home for the night to labor there for a while or they may keep me. It depends on the speed of the labor and my blood pressure. From what friends and family have told me, the induction process could be super quick, like 4 hours or super long, like 48 hours. I'm obviously hoping for the former. There is a possibility of a c-section if I don't progress, or my blood pressure goes up significantly. I'm trying not to have any specific expectations, because I know that the birthing process rarely goes according to any sort of laid out plan.

No matter what, in a very short time, I'm going to be a Mommy, and Spencer is going to be a Daddy! Is it really possible that our lives are going to irrevocably change in a matter of hours from now? I've been watching the Baby shows on TLC all day to get myself mentally prepared, but I don't think it will seem real until little Madelyn is in my arms. I can't wait to meet her!

A new perspective

2008-11-06T08:02:00.000-08:00

I already posted this on facebook, but since I use this blog as my journal, I wanted to post it here. I wrote it yesterday morning, the day after the election.

A late night phone call...

Last night at around 10:10 pm our phone rang. Now as you imagine this conversation, I want you to imagine the thickest, most southern accent possible for the other woman in the conversation. As far as I can tell by her voice, she is an elderly black woman.

Me: Hello
Billy (name on caller ID): Martha?
Me: You have the wrong number
Billy: No I don't. Bomba won! Whoever you are! Bomba won! Bomba won!
Me: I know I just heard
Billy: I'm tryn' to call my Sister in Louisiana, cause Bomba won! i just need to tell someone! Bomba won!
Me: (Laughing) Congratulations
Billy: Were you already in bed?
Me: Yes
Billy: I'm sorry, but Bomba won!
Me: (Laughing some more.) That's Ok, Congratulations.
We then hang up.

Listen, Obama or as that sweet old black lady calls him , Bomba, was not my first choice to win last night. I don't agree with most of what he has planned for our country. However, I can't deny that I am excited by the fact that we now have our first minority president. Thee woman who called last night grew up in a time where a president who had the same color skin as her was an impossible dream. Maybe his accomplishment will inspire the minority children at my school to work a little harder, knowing that the ceiling they had always assumed existed, just isn't there anymore. So while I'm not happy for myself at the results, maybe I can at least be happy for Billie.

I wish McCain had won, but I am going to see in the bright side in Obama's victory. America is stronger than one man. We survived Clinton, we'll survive Obama. Either he'll prove me wrong, and do a good job, or in four years we'll get someone better in there. America is going to be just fine.

Lots of random stuff!

2008-10-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

I got a hair cut! What do you think? It is quite a bit shorter than I asked for, but I like how it turned out anyway.

Last Saturday was my baby shower. It was so much fun! I, well, actually Madelyn, got lots of adorable pink clothes and other various adorable baby stuff. She is going to be very stylish.

Last week we went to the Texas State Fair, twice! The first time we ate all of the prerequisite fried food, like fried snickers, corn dogs, and a funnel cake. We also went to the corniest show in the world, it was called "Dancing with the Dogs." It was literally people doing various dances with their dogs to songs like "Thriller" and "We will Rock You." Plus Spencer won Madelyn her very first stuffed animal! The second time we went was to see Michelle Branch perform. She is one of our favorite singers. She even sang some new stuff off her upcoming album.

This week was my birthday. I am now officially of "Advanced Maternal Age." Ugh. I hate when the doctor calls me that! It was a good birthday though, Spencer got me the best present ever, a Kindle! If you don't know what it is, look it up on Amazon. It is the most amazing device ever. I feel really spoiled!

The preggo returns

2008-09-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't written lately, but every time I try to compose something, it mostly feels like I am whining about the uncomfortableness that is pregnancy. But, then again, maybe I just need to get it all out, right?

I cannot believe how many ways being pregnant affects your body. I mean, I knew about the weight gain, the hormones, and the frequent peeing, but that is just the tip of the iceberg!

Who knew...

that my eyesight would be blurry

my feet and ankles would swell up like balloons

a sneeze could make me pee my pants

I would become a klutz

...and forgetful

Sleeping on my side could be so painful

My skin would grow weird bumps

That a 3 pound baby could pinch so many nerves

However, I do love to feel her moving inside me, even when it tickles, pinches, or downright hurts. She is a part of me in a way that she will never be again. It is pretty cool. Although, I'm hoping that selective amnesia that I have been told by Moms in the know will kick in after she comes, or she may just be an only child!

2008-08-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

Some of my favorite people in the whole wide world came to visit us this week, my Auntie Donna, My Cousin Diana, and her daughter, Gail.

I have literally been beaming for days now. They are so much fun. The five memories that I will take away from this visit are:

1. Going to First Monday Trade Days and seeing Diana go ga-ga for all the beautiful handmade furniture

2. Getting to know Gail for the first time, and having Diana say that she thinks Gail looks like me, which is an

awesome compliment, because Gail is gorgeous! She is also really funny and sweet.

3. Eating lots of fattening foods together.

4. Showing off our neighborhood.

5. Talking, talking, and more talking.

OK, we are ready for more visitors! Who's Next?

Three Years!

2008-07-31T05:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our three-year anniversary. We went to dinner down at the beautiful Rockwall Harbor.

I don't know, I feel like I should do some sappy posting about the last the three years, and how lucky I am to be married to a man like Spencer, but I feel like I have already said it so many times. Who wants to hear it again?

I will just say this. I have never been so happy. No. I have never been so full of joy as I have been since I met Spencer. More nights than not, I lay awake after Spencer has gone to sleep ( I can't fall asleep in five minutes like he can), and I literally feel so much joy, that I start giggling, right there in bed. Then he does something like the famous sleep kisses, and I have a hard time stopping smiling so I can actually go to sleep.

I love my husband. I love my baby. I am so grateful that we get to be an eternal family.

Oh look, I got sappy anyway.

Names?

2008-07-14T17:44:00.000-07:00

So, we have been trying to decide on our little Princess's name, but it is not easy! So far we have narrowed it down to six names that we like. I've put them on a poll to the right. Vote on the one you like best, although in the end, we will choose the one we like the best, of course. Feel free to explain why you like the name you chose in the comments, or suggest a new one that we haven't though of yet. You can say negative comments about the names too, but remember, we might choose the one you don't like, and ... well.. let's just say that it isn't a good idea to provoke a mama bear.

Go Team! (or Yea, Baseball)

2008-07-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

For FHE last night, Spencer and I decided to go to the Texas Rangers/ Angel's Game. Since we are actually Dodger's fans, we had the luxury of rooting for both teams, so no matter who won, we were happy. The ballpark has a restaurant behind second base that we like to go to about half way through the game. We can sit in air-conditioned luxury and watch the game from our table. It is a nice break from the loud, obnoxious fans.

Oh, and since Trena specifically asked for it, here is a picture of my pregnant belly in all its glory. The nice thing is that I have finally gotten myself to stop trying to suck in my stomach and have accepted my beautiful round figure.

Happy Independence Day!

2008-07-06T17:26:00.000-07:00

Whew... I am tired! We had a great Fourth of July, although we pretty much didn't stop moving all day.

We started with a Pancake Breakfast at the ward building (sorry, no pictures because I was too busy making sure it was running smoothly).

Then Spencer and I went to a bunch of Fourth of July sales, including the one at Fry's which turns out ended on the THIRD of July (alway

s read the small print on Fry's ads).

Then we went to Tracy's house for a barbeque, with lots of delicious Carne Asada. Yum

Next, we headed over to the block party a bunch of our neighbors organized. It was great. We probably had about sixty-seventy people show up. A bunch of the men got out their grills and smokers and made brisket, sausage, chicken and burgers. We blocked off the street and the kids rode their bikes and played basketball. It seriously felt like a slice of the '50s. It is so great to live in a neighborhood that has so many families and kids.

We even brought out the Bocce ball set (or as the French, and Spencer call it, Boules).

Finally, we headed back to Tracy's house and set off fireworks. We live in an unincorporated part of the city and so pretty much all types of fireworks are legal. Imagine the types that are normally set off by cities, or professional organizations, and then imagine all your neighbors setting them off all over your housing development. It sounded like a war zone, but it looked awesome. My camera has a fireworks mode, and I got some great pictures of the action.

Introducing Princess Peanut!

2008-06-30T13:55:00.001-07:00

Yep, that's right. My stubborn genes won out in the end. We are having a girl!

I ams so happy! It isn't just that we having a girl, I would have been just as happy with a boy, but now I can finally truly believe what is happening to us. I can picture our little family in my mind. I see a precious little girl wrapping Spencer around her little finger, I see her being Daddy's little girl, I see me teaching my daughter how to become a strong woman. I feel like I have waited for this for such a long time. It is so great that it is finally here.

That's my Dad! I love my Dad!

2008-06-15T12:15:00.001-07:00

The other day I met the new missionary in the ward. To help him place me in the ward family tree, I told him that I was the daughter of Brother Inman, the man who had picked him up from the mission home. “”Brother Inman?" He said. "You mean my favorite guy in the whole world!”

That’s my Dad. If you have met him, he is probably one of your favorite guys as well. He is kind, and sweet, and funny, and generous, and hard-working, and one of the coolest guys around.

I didn’t always know how cool he was. I remember when he used to drive me to school in his old carpet cleaning van. It was old, rusty and kind of smelly, and I hated being driven to school in it. I would ask to be dropped off a a few blocks away, and when he wouldn’t do that, I would scrunch down as small as possible and try to sneak out of the van without anyone seeing me. Until of course, he caught on and began honking his horn, pointing at me and shouting “That’s my girl! I love that girl!” when I got out of the van.

Many years later, I realize that is one of the reasons he is so cool. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, and he didn’t want me to either. He taught me that what other people think of you doesn’t matter, what you think of yourself does.

He is the most selfless and generous person I know. During my several hospitals stays over the past few years he made it his personal mission to take care of me. He would arrive early in the morning, and stay until Spencer arrived after work. When I got up to use the bathroom, or take a walk in the hall, I would return to find my bed remade. All this he did despite his own personal aches and pains.

He is a great missionary too. One time as I was driving to the East Coast, he drove with me as far as Arkansas and then took a bus home (see what I mean about being selfless). On the bus he met a gang member who had just been released from prison. He then proceeded to teach this man about the atonement, and when the man said that he could never be forgiven for the terrible things he had done, my Dad said “You’re wrong. Don’t you dare say that. Jesus’s atonement is for everyone.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I would have the nerve to tell a hardened ex-con he was wrong about anything.

I could go on for hours about my Dad and how wonderful he is, but for now, I will just honk my imaginary horn and shout at the top of my lungs, “That’s my Dad! I love my Dad!”

More about my Wii Fit

2008-06-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

This is my Mii on the Wii Fit. Notice the little belly pooch? If it wasn't mirrored almost exactly on the real me, I might be offended.

I have been having so much fun on this thing. I just unlocked the boxing mode and am learning to throw some serious punching combos.

This is my nephew, I'll call him Jak-X. He came over tonight to play the Wii Fit and racked up about 35 minutes of exercise. He is probably the biggest reason I am such a huge fan of this game. If he had his way, he would sit on the couch playing video games or watching TV for 18 hours a day (of course, my sister doesn't allow that to happen). At least on the Wii Fit, he gets to play some games and get some exercise as well.

BTW, this picture is of him doing the Hula Hoop exercise. Notice the tongue? I do the exact same thing when I am concentrating. He is such a fun kid. He calls my baby in utero "Princess Peanut."

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

2008-05-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

The house next door just put up a for sale sign! 2,824 Sq Feet, 4 bedrooms, a study, covered porch and upgraded cabinets. We live in a great neighborhood, with our own elementary school, a ten minute walk to the lake, a swimming pool and kids splash park. Plus, the best neighbors in all the world!

They are asking $196,000 for it, but with the market the way it is, I bet you could get it for less.

You know you want to. We are just 20 peaceful minutes from Dallas (well, 30-40 min during rush hour), where there are jobs, and shopping, and dining opportunities galore. This is the land of milk and honey people! A place where people say hi to you in the store, and wave at you as they drive down the street.

Come, Come to Dallas I say, be my neighbor and we will all live happily ever after!

Wii Fit Calls Me Fat!

2008-05-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

Just Kidding. Actually, it measured my BMI and did put me in the overweight category, but being that I am 3 months pregnant, I pretty much expected that. It has you set goals, of weight loss, maintenance or gain, and I set my goal to gain 15 lbs in the next 6 months (yes, I know I will gain more than that, but I just couldn't et myself to put a higher number). Too bad there isn't a pregnancy mode!

I spent half an hour on it this morning, which to be honest is more time than I spend exercising most days. I had so much fun! My favorite aerobic exercise is the Hula Hoop game. If My waist wasn't about to double in size, I think this would really help to tone it up.

The running mode is another good workout. The game puts a pacer Mii in front of you as motivation. Then you run all over Wii Fit Island. I was definitely sweating after I did that a few times.

It also has several balance games available, and more which are unlockable as you add minutes to your fit bank. In one, you have to shift your balance ever so slightly to tilt this table so that marbles will fall through certain holes. Another one has you skiing through a salom run.

In strength training, you have your own personal trainer (male or female) who guides you through exercises like lunges, push ups, leg extensions, etc. My trainer even stopped to let me know when I was doing certain exercises incorrectly.

For those of you who are marathon runners, I doubt you would be challenged by this game, but for a couch potato like me, it will add some much needed physical activity to my life.

P.S. If you are worried about other people seeing your BMI and making fun of you, you can lock your profile with a password so only you can see it.

Baby Peanut 10 weeks

2008-05-06T15:50:00.001-07:00

I know, I know... we are already the worst kinds of parents who insist on showing everyone picture after picture of their adorable child. This is the sonogram we had done yesterday, if you look closely, you can see Peanut waving at us later in the video.

If nothing else, at least they've learned to pray

2008-04-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken by a teacher at my school who was clearing out the memory of the calculators the students used yesterday for the Math section of the TAKS test. For those of you not from texas, TAKS is our version of the high stakes testing that has completely taken over our nation. There is much I could say on this subject, but really, I think this picture says it all.

It's a...

2008-04-16T15:53:00.000-07:00

peanut! Or at least that is what it kind of looks like right now. We got to see and hear the heartbeat. It was nice and strong. I think it has finally hit me that I really am pregnant! The due date is Dcc 5th. A few things did come back from my bloodwork that will make this a high risk pregnancy, so my OB has referred me to a specialist who will see me for the rest of my pregnancy It is nothing too worrying, but I am glad they are on top of things and will be prepared for any future problems. I'll deliver at Baylor Dallas, which is a great hospital.

Reason 132 Why Homeschooling isn't Such a Bad Idea

2008-04-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got into a debate with several of my students who were insisting that 9-11 was a government plot, Alkieda doesn't exist, and other such nonsense. When I asked them how they could possibly believe this, they said "Oh, Coach Williams taught us all about this in our National Security class." They then proceeded to let me know that the moon landing was faked as well, as per Coach Williams.

Yep, this is what your tax dollars pay for.

This is your brain on sugar

2008-04-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

So, read this story. Aren't you glad that such a hardened criminal is being properly dealt with? All I have to say is that I totally saw it coming. I wrote this short story about four years ago at the Clarion writing workshop in Michigan. It's called Sweet Stuff. Just to warn you, my fellow workshop participants saw it as a disguised argument for the legalization of drugs. I say it is just about candy (sorry about the formatting issues, it's a google docs thing).

I'm not dead, but the rabbit is!

2008-03-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

So, what could have possibly happened when I was miserable with the flu, throwing up, feeling achy all over, basically dying, that could be classified as amazing?

Well, my friends, sit back and let me tell you a story. On Sunday, I was feeling so poorly and couldn't stop vomiting and so I decided to go to the Urgent Care center to see if they could give me anything that would knock me out, put me out of my misery, etc. I also wanted to make sure that this was indeed the flu and not a precursor to my many intestinal issues. The doctor was pretty sure that, yes, it was the flu, but perhaps they should do an x-ray just to make sure it wasn't anything worse. I tell her that I think it is a great idea, but they better give me a pregnancy test first, since my husband and I have been trying to get preggo. "I'm most likely not," I said, but we better be on the safe side. So I do the peeing thing and wait in my room to be taken to get x-rayed.

In walks the Doctor, who says "We won't be doing an x-ray after all, because the pregnancy test just came back positive."

I was in shock, trying to remember if positive meant I was positively pregnant, or maybe just that I was positively not pregnant. But, within a moment, it all caught up to me and I started to cry (just a little). I asked for Spencer to be brought in the room-- he was getting checked out too-- and said "guess what honey, we're pregnant!"

"How did that happen?" was his reply.

It's still early, and a wiser more experienced Mom would wait to tell everyone, but I'm just too excited. I went to my to my Obgyn oday and she confirmed that I am definitely pregnant. She took a bunch of blood (15 tubes!), to do a few tests since I have had a blood clot in the past, and I am missing a bunch of my colon, but other than that, everything looks great. I'll have my first official visit in two weeks, and I'll get my real due date then, but it will probably be at the beginning of Dec.

PS- it really was the flu, my morning sickness hasn't started yet.

Back from the dead

2008-03-24T07:52:00.001-07:00

I guess it is appropriate to the season that yesterday I was dying and today I feel like I'm back from the dead. After feeling quite smug about the fact that I had missed the flu that hit just about everyone at school and in the ward, I got hit with a tsunami of a 24 hour flu that totally wiped me out. I have not felt that miserable in a very long time. However, despite my misery, it wasn't a completely horrid day, one pretty amazing thing did happen yesterday that I will share in a future post. Stay tuned for more details.

Monday Musings

2008-03-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

Sketch of The Laying on of Hands by Arnold Friberg depicting Moses bestowing his mantle and authority to Joshua.

Article of Faith #5

We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

I had one of those moments yesterday. The kind that are far too few and far apart lately. I felt the Spirit bare witness to me in a very strong way. After church yesterday, the Bishop had us all gather in the RS room so that everyone who had received a calling in the new ward could be set apart. He began with the new Relief Society president. When he set his hands upon her head and gave he the charge of watching over the ladies of the ward, I felt the spirit confirm that this calling was of God, and that she was not only the right person for the right job, but that she would have a great affect upon the women of Relief Society. I could almost see the heaviness of the mantle that was being placed on her shoulders, but at the same time, I could feel Heavenly Father saying that he would send his spirt and other angels to help her bear the weight.

As I sat there, feeling the spirit so strongly, it eventually became my turn to be set apart. As the first counselor spoke my name and of the responsibilities which the Lord was entrusting me, I felt the spirit once again speak to me, letting me know that I too was where I needed to be. Regarding being set apart, Spencer W Kimball said "The setting apart may be taken literally; it is a setting apart from sin, apart from the carnal; apart from everything which is crude, low, vicious, cheap, or vulgar; set apart from the world to a higher plane of thought and activity."

How grateful I am for the restoration of the Priesthood power upon the earth. While my calling may be considered frivolous by some, I know that I am needed here, and that if I can set myself apart from the world and listen to his will, I can make a difference in the Forney ward.

New Calling

2008-03-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

I'm been dying to announce this on my blog all week, and now I finally can. I have been called as the Activity Chairperson for the ward. I know that this is the calling that many people dread, but it is the exact one that I have been wanting. Out ward just split and we have a great chance to start fresh and really form some ward unity and togetherness. I am so excited that I get to be a part of that. I also think that ward activities are the best place for us to do missionary work.

My plan is to do about one activity a month. Some will be big events that take a lot of planning and some will be small, like watching a movie in someone's backyard. I would like 1-2 activities a year to be adult only. I also want at least one activity to be a service project.

I thought I'd share some of my ideas. These are a combination of things I have thought of, done before, or heard of another ward doing. We won't be able to do them all, but I like starting with lots of ideas and then whittling down to the best ideas later. Let me know which ideas you like best, or give me new ones.

Big Activity Ideas

Night on the Town- The night begins in Cooks Cantina featuring The Forney Follies (about ½ hour of entertainment provided by the auxiliaries), then moves on to The Bishop Boogie (featuring fun music, disco dance lessons, and the Bishop in a 70’s leisure suit), finally, we end at the Smith’s Sweet Shoppe where we enjoy chocolate fountains and dipping stuff. This is all done in different parts of the church.

King of the Hill- Takes place the day before Father’s Day. At this event we celebrate fathers, sons, brothers, etc. We have a chili dogs and nachos for food. Games include children “shaving” their fathers with whipped cream and popsicle sticks.

Ward Olympics- We could have this around the same time as the Beijing Olympics. Various indiviual and family events would be held. At the end we would have an awards ceremony with medals.

Pioneer Day Celebration: For several months before this event we will collectively walk (or bike ride) the 1280 miles from Nauvoo to Salt Lake Valley. On July 26th we will have a Welcome to the Valley Celebration

Halloween Carnival: Carnival booths for the kids, lots of Candy, and a trickster alley

Murder Mystery Dinner: Participants are put in group's of eight to solve a mystery. The twist at the end is that it is an actual event from the BOM.

FHE for Dummies: Workshops are held to give parents ideas for FHE. Children are in the primary room preparing their own lesson to give. (could be done as a fireside instead)

Un-birthday party: We celebrate everyone’s birthday at once with classic birthday game like musical chairs, piñatas, pin the tale on the donkey, as well as birthday cake and ice cream. Maybe have a white elephant gift exchange.

Cinco de Mayo: Everyone brings a Mexican dish. We have music, dancing and a piñata.

Bleed and Feed: Host a community blood drive and have dinner

Academy Awards: Auxiliaries and families film short movies (maybe scenes from the scriptures?). We have a red carpet, a viewing of the movies and an awards ceremony.

Reality Show Night: Fear Factor, Survivor, Iron Chef, Amazing Race

Christmas ideas:
A Night in Bethlehem: Families receive tax notices and come to Bethlehem. They bring the own blankets and wear robes and eat food that the Savior would have eaten. A nativity play is performed.
Christmas Around the World:
Christmas in Nauvoo

Mini Activity Ideas
Game Nights (whole family or adult only)
Back to school banana split social
Backyard Movie Night
Guess Who’s Coming to BBQ?- Families sign up to host a BBQ at their house. They do not know who will be coming. People are given an address, with no name, to go to on the night of the event. Each family brings own meat to BBQ and a side dish to share.
Picnic in the park
Attend one of Rockwall’s summer concerts by the water.

A Sweet Immigrant Tale

2008-03-14T17:05:00.000-07:00

Veil of Roses, by Laura Fitzgerald, is a sweet, if unsubstantial, story of Tamila Soroush, a 27 Iranian woman who is sent to America by her parents to “wake up” her luck, and more importantly, find an American man to marry so she can be saved from the repression of her country. The story pulls you in as she discovers the various freedoms that many Americans don’t even realize they have.

Of course, there is romance, not from the Iranian American suitors her sister finds, but from the completely unsuitable blond, blue-eyed Starbucks barista she meets early on in the novel. Yet, while the romance is sweet, it is the friendships that she creates at her English class that feel the most real. These were the people that I came to care about the most as I read. I even cared about Eva, her very foul-mouthed friend, who turned out to be a softie under her harden exterior of miniskirts and makeup.

The story is predictable, yet, in a comforting way, like when you used to ask your parents to tell you the story of how they met, even though you had heard it a million times before. And while you are never surprised, you care deeply about Tamila, and you wonder if you could make the hard decisions she and her family have had forced upon them. Marry the crazy, germ freak, or return to a country where you could be arrested at any moment, just for the crime of being a woman? Keep your children near you, or let them go far away in the hopes of a new life? Hold on to bitterness when another’s mistake has changed your life forever, or forgive and see that even the best intentions can lead to sorrow? And finally, when the only answer you have ever heard is no, do your wishes stop, or do you acknowledge that you do have dreams, and have hope that one day the world will answer yes?

*** disclaimer*** if you can not abide any swearing in your books, then this is not the book for you. It comes exclusively from one character, but there are several uses of the f word and other various swear words.

Take Flight with Eoin Colfer’s Airman

2008-03-14T16:59:00.002-07:00

As my friends all know, I read a lot. I thought that it would be fun to write reviews of the books I am reading. Most of them will probably be YA books because I get the majority of them from out school library. Here's my first review...

From page one, Eoin Colfer’s book Airman, is well written and an interesting read, but on page 111, it soars. Reminiscent of The Count of Monte Cristo, but not so melodramatic, Airman is a fast moving, exciting adventure of a tale. Young Connor Broekhart was born to fly, or to be specific, he was born flying. In a hot air balloon, above the Paris World Fair, his destiny as the Airman is sealed. As a boy, he lives a pleasant life, friend to a Princess and student of a gifted airman. Yet, it is all thrown into chaos when he is apparently abandoned by his friends and family and left to rot in a prison island as an accused traitor to the King. Surprisingly, it is in this hellish place, performing brutish and dangerous tasks, that he sets on the path that will make his dream of building an air machine a reality. What kind of brilliance allows a young boy to escape his prison by air? The answer is found in Airman.

I think that this book will especially appeal to boys ages 11-14, although since girls will usually read books with male protagonists, they would probably enjoy it too. It would also make a great read aloud book for younger ages.

Can I get a Napkin Please?

2008-03-14T16:59:00.001-07:00

Spencer forwarded this link to me this morning. It is pretty darn funny. I wonder what I would have thought if I had been in that food court when a full-blown musical number broke out? I hope that I would have found a way to join in.

Our Office

2008-03-14T15:09:00.000-07:00

Some people talk around the dinner table, Spencer and I have the Shower. I think that for the first year of our marriage, we didn’t take a single shower apart (we only do now when I am too tired to wake up). At the house in California, the space was small, the water pressure was weak, and we constantly had to switch places so neither of us would get too cold.

Now we have the Super Shower. This is the place where we conduct most of our family business. As you can see from the picture, we have two showerheads and eight body sprayers. This is where we talk about our schedule for the day, come up with family goals, and generally make our plans. This is where Spencer lets me have the majority of the hot water, is always the one to leave the warmth of the shower to get us towels, and always lets me pick the towel that I want.

What about you? Where so you and your spouse have the best talks? Where do you make plans for the future?

Is marriage giving me the sense of humor of a teenage boy?

2008-03-08T06:43:00.000-08:00

Network apologizes for mocking town name

By STEPHANIE REITZ
Associated Press Writer

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) -- A cable sports network says it no longer will make Athol the butt of its jokes.

Hee Hee Hee... or as the internetites say ROTFLMAO.

I'm sorry, but if you live in a town that is spelled "Athol", even if it supposed to be pronounced "ATH'-awl," you need to get a sense of humor and join in the fun. And if you are a cable sports network making a funny, albeit crude joke, you shouldn't apologize just because some people have no sense of humor.

Also, Susanah Whipps, the only town selectman to say that they shouldn't complain to the network would totally get my vote if I lived there. Her comment was that she was much more concerned about the vandals who added a r to the beginning and an e to to the end of the town signs to change the town name to rat hole.

Hee, Hee, "Athol"... such a funny name. It reminds me of a time when some friends and I went on a long driving trip and every time we saw a dam, someone would point and shout out "DAM!" as loudly as possible, jut because they could.

PS I have a feeling that before I was married I would not have found this nearly as funny, but being under the constant influence of boy humor does things to a girl.

Tag I'm it

2008-03-01T14:02:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Anne tagged me with a meme a while ago, and I am finally getting around to completing it (see bad habit #2)

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning. B. Each player answers the questions about themselves. C. At the end of the game the player tags 5 people, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

Ten Years Ago…
I was a first year teacher. I was the fifth teacher of the year for a group of seventh and eight graders who could have driven Satan himself out of hell. At lunch, I would close my classroom door, turn off the lights and cry. Fortunately, I found a high school job the next year, and things got progressively better from there.

Five things on my to-do-list today
1. Finish six weeks grades
2. Do some laundry
3. Clean the house
4. Prepare our lesson for primary
5. Finish the next level of Guitar Hero III

Snacks I enjoy
Pizzas made from tortillas, chocolate, Milky Way Easter Bunnies, fruit snacks

What I would do if I were suddenly a billionaire:
Start my own business that helped disadvantaged people learn new skills and get a better life. Buy a house with a huge game room and a home movie theater, and then buy all the houses around it and give one to each of our family members.

Three of my bad habits
1. Biting my nails
2. Procrastinating
3. Leaving stuff in the car

Five places I have lived
1. San Pedro, CA
2. Provo, UT
3. Duluth ,Mn
4. Fairfax, VA
5. Forney, TX

Five jobs I have had
1. Movie theater usher
2. Eddie Bauer Salesperson
3. Bombay Company Salesperson
4. English Teacher
5. Economics Teacher

Five things people don’t know about me:
1. I teach economics, but I have never actually taken a formal economics class. I am mostly self-taught through books and a few workshops.
2. Almost every month I convince myself that I am pregnant because I feel slightly nauseous, or my pants don’t fit, or my b**bs feel tender, or I have a symptom that could possibly be a symptom of preganancy, and I am sad when it turns out not to be true.
3. When I was eight, I was in a singing and dancing group and during the Christmas recital I felt sick, ran off the stage and threw up in Santa’s bag.
4. I think that if I weren’t Mormon I would be a heroin addict, because I absolutely love getting pain shots. It’s the best part of being in the hospital.
5. I’m working on starting a tutoring business so that when we finally have a baby I will be able to work from home.

I think most everyone I know has done this meme or one that is fairly similar. If you haven't done one yet, consider yourself tagged.

The one where Tammy rambles incessantly about her job

2008-02-21T14:16:00.000-08:00

I don't know if it is like this in other jobs, but it is exhausting to be the best teacher you can be. Most of you know that after years of teaching English, I started teaching Economics when I moved to Texas.

I didn't plan to teach Economics, it was just the only job I could find. Turns out, that was the luckiest break of my life (besides my cute husband, of course).

I love teaching Economics. I teach only seniors, it is a one semester class, it is not tested on any standardized test, it is required to graduate, and it is immediately applicable to the lives of every one of my students. Plus, NO ESSAYS!

Anyway, last year was my learning year. I had a steep learning curve, because I had to teach regular and AP Econ. Plus, I was super sick for a lot of that time. This year has been my time to really experiment and have fun with the subject. We started a new semester about four weeks ago and in that time we have:

Conducted a trading game to illustrate the point that through free trade everyone benefits.
Created link and smile factories to make our own PPF graphs
Simulated a small economy where business and households bought and sold resources in order to better understand the circular flow model. Businesses won if they had the most $, households won if they had the most stuff.
Held a donut auction to learn about Demand
Used Playdough to create various products and learn about Supply
Created a Candy Price Index to understand how the CPI is made
Used Playdough to learn about GDP
Plus a bunch of smaller, mini-activities

Before you go thinking that I am the Greenspan of HS economics, I should say that I didn't invent any of the above activities, I just spent many hours finding and implementing them. I've also been really focused on having a high energy level in class, which basically involves me putting on a song and dance show about half the time. ("Now class, which way does the demand line shift when demand decreases?" Off key singing "To the left, to the left, everything you own in the box to the left. No Junior, I'm not having a seizure, that's just my ultra cool dance moves")

The thing is, it is so easy to assign book work, definitions and worksheets, but trying to have at least one fun activity planned for every day of school is exhausting. I feel like I am running from 8:30-3:45 every day. Yet, even as I complain about feeling so tired, I love feeling like I am really doing my best and making an impact on my students.

Of course, I still have students who think that Economics is the most confusing and boring subject in the world, but I know that I have reached at least a few of them.

So this brings me to tonight. I am soooo tired. I just want to go to dinner at the Thompson's (thanks Camille!), watch LOST, and go to bed. My question is, since I've been such a good girl lately, would it be so bad to assign some bookwork and take a break tomorrow? Or do I need to do the right thing and conduct a simulated Silver Market so we can see how prices are set at equilibrium?

Three Wonderful Years

2008-02-14T18:31:00.000-08:00

1,577,846.3 minutes

94,670,777.9 seconds

Already a lifetime of memories

Yet just a moment of the eternities

Three years since

A first date

A first kiss

Two souls touched,

and knew

they belonged together.

Tommy Boy!

2008-02-04T17:01:00.001-08:00

The games we play

2008-02-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

Games anyone?

If you know anything about us, you probably know that we love games, board games, video games, mind games.. oh wait, scratch the last one. This is a picture of our game shelf in the garage.

Some of our favorite games are

Settlers of Catan

Apples to Apples

Scrabble (my favorite because I always win)

Risk (Spencer's favorite because he always wins)

Games we don't have but hope to eventually buy

Blockus

Uno Attack

Knights and Cities of Catan

What are your favorite games, and can we come to your house and play them?

No, seriously, invite us over to play games! We are really fun, I promise! And I promise that if I am totally kicking your trash in a game, I will get a few questions wrong on purpose, not so that you will actually win, but at least you won't be totally trounced by my superior game playing skills!

DATE NIGHT!

2008-02-03T17:21:00.000-08:00

Our special place!

Where price is no limit..

and entertainment abounds!

Seriously? Why do we always end up in Walmart on Saturday night? And why do we always spend too much money there? Is it an addiction? Or are we finally becoming true Texans?

My tribute to the prophet

2008-01-29T14:44:00.000-08:00

I would have posted this yesterday but I fell asleep at 7:30pm. I'm always super exhausted when I start a new semester.

Religion isn't something often talked about around the lunch table at my work, in my lunch group we have a southern baptist, a methodist (she's a preacher's wife), a catholic, and a jew. However, yesterday, I was trying to find a way to pay tribute to President Hinckley and the enormous impact he has had on my life. So, I decided that while I was at school I would find a way to bare my testimony of him as a prophet of God. It wouldn't be appropriate to do that to the students so I decided I would do it at lunch to some of the teachers I regularly eat with.

I felt a little nervous as I sat down and took out my lunch. What would I say? Could I express my feelings clearly without seeming "preachy?" For a moment I almost chickened out, but then I saw a picture in my mind of President Hinckley, smiling softly, holding his cane up in the air as if to encourage me on. I thought of the sacrifices he made his entire life to always share what he knew to be true and I knew that I couldn't let him down. So I sat down and said "did you hear that the Prophet of my church died last night?" Most of them had not, and one of them asked what his name was. "Gordon B Hinckley," I said.

One teacher expressed surprise that I called him our prophet. The news he had heard had said that the President of the LDS church had died. "He was our President," I said, "but he was our prophet too. Actually, he wasn't just our prophet, he was the prophet to the whole world. He was an amazing man, he was humble and wise and good." And that was it. The conversation went on to different things, but my heart felt soothed for the first time since I had heard that the prophet had died. It was because at that moment, I knew that while his life has ended, his contributions to the world will go on through the faithful members he has spent his life teaching and preparing. I truly hope that this will not be the last time that my words and deeds pay tribute to him.

Goodbye beloved prophet, you will be missed

2008-01-27T20:32:00.000-08:00

The tears have flown freely tonight as I have learned of our prophet's passing. Yet, while I already miss his sense of humor and the strength of his leadership, I can't begrudge him the companionship of his sweet wife.

Before I go to bed tonight, I need to bear my testimony of the gospel which President Hinckley dedicated his life to. I know that this gospel is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ upon the earth. I know even as our current prophet moves on, we will soon have a new prophet who will guide with the same wisdom and vision. I am ever grateful for the sacrifice of the Savior, Jesus Christ and I hope that my life will be a worthy testament to him.

Love,

Tammy

just call me the Happy Hypochondriac

2008-01-24T16:00:00.000-08:00

The hypochondriac part comes from the complete melt down I had yesterday when I was absolutely sure that I was getting sick again, would have to have surgery and basically have my world fall down around me. The happy part comes from taking a half day of work, going to the doctor, getting an xray and having him tell me that I definitely am not forming another blockage, and that the preventative measures I've been taking seem to be working. Whew! Good thing Spencer loves me even when I am being totally irrational.

3rd happiest place on earth

2008-01-23T13:51:00.000-08:00

You all had very good guesses, but there were no winners. The third happiest place is...

The Lincoln Memorial!

I know, I am the geekiest person you know. In August, 2000, I moved to Fairfax, Virginia. A few days after I moved there, I took the Metro into DC to see the sights. I didn't realize it at the time but I got off a few stops too early (Foggy Bottom) and had to walk several blocks to the Lincoln Memorial. I can still picture the walk in my mind, passing by at least one embassy, seeing the Kennedy Center off to the right. I just kept walking. Then the road curved a bit, and all of a sudden, like a mirage, I could see the Lincoln Memorial in front of me. A few more steps and as I looked to my left, I could see the Washington Memorial with the Capitol Building behind it. I lost my breath for a moment, and then I began to cry. Not with sadness, but with joy. I felt so proud of my heritage as a citizen of this country. I felt drawn to the Lincoln Memorial, and the closer I came, the tears fell more freely. I felt so grateful for this great man who held our union together, no matter what it cost. He knew the innate greatness of our country.

That is why this

is my favorite attraction at Disneyland, even though it is currently closed. The Gettysburg Address is so short, but has had such an impact on my life. Ironic really, when you consider his words "the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here." Yet, I remember; and I hope that we can finish the work "which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced." It has become fashionable to murmur about our losses in the current war on terror, but if you think about it, they are so much smaller than any generation before us has had to pay. Their sacrifices have given us such great freedoms, how can we deny them to others?

D-Land lesson #3 I love Spencer

2008-01-22T17:01:00.001-08:00

Did I ever tell you that the first time I knew that I loved Spencer was at Disneyland? We were at Rancho del Zocalo, the Mexican restaurant next to Thunder Mountain. I can even remember right where we were siting. We were in the middle of our meal when Spencer noticed my water glass was getting low, and without a word, he got up and refilled it for me. As I he walked back to me with the water, I looked at him and knew that I was in love with him. I had been fighting it, scared that I felt more than him, but at that moment, the fear left me. I know it sounds silly but that was it. That night, sitting on my couch on Fidler Ave, he told me he was in love with me and we have never looked back.

PS Spencer thinks I told him that I loved him first, but I say that while I thought it, he was the one who said it first

D-land Lesson #2 The Princess and the Sword

2008-01-21T08:08:00.001-08:00

Just because I'm a pretty pretty princess doesn't mean I have to leave the sword fighting to the boys.

Everything I need to know I learned from Disneyland... #1

2008-01-20T13:01:00.000-08:00

We are in California for the weekend, and so, of course, we spent all day yesterday at Disneyland (it is kind of a second religion for Spencer's family). I have always loved Disneyland, in fact, I've always called it the second happiest place on earth (after the temple of course). Anyway, I was thinking about all the great times I've had at Disneyland and I realized that I have learned many life lessons from there. So, I decided that I will post some of them over the next few weeks. These will be listed randomly in no order of importance.

Lesson #1 I can do it!

Several years ago, when she was six, I took my niece Taylor to Disneyland and we went on the canoe ride around Tom Sawyer island. I don't know if you have ever been on the canoe ride, but it isn't one of those rides that is on rails like the other d-land rides. You actually have to paddle the canoe with a group of other people, and it is actually quite a workout. So as we begin paddling, I look over at Taylor and see that she is very focused on the task, and seems to be whispering something softly to her self. I lean over a bit and hear her earnestly whispering "You can do it, you can do it, you can do it," over and over again.

I think it is appropriate that she said these words while in the Magic Kingdom because Disneyland itself came to be because a man told himself that he could do it, even when others said he was crazy.

Since then I have often used those words for myself when trying to overcome an illness, figure out a difficult problem or endure an bad day. "You can do it, you can do it, you can do it," I will whisper earnestly. It may seem silly, but those words give me the emotional boost I need to endure and to keep trying.

The truth is, I can do it. No matter what trial Heavenly Father decides to throw my way, I can make it through, I can succeed and I can prosper.

P.S. If the Temple is the first happiest place, and Disneyland is the second, can anyone guess what I think the third happiest place is?

Looking beyond the "now"

2008-01-15T21:04:00.000-08:00

Life as a high school teacher is full of urgency. Phones ringing in the middle of class that must be answered now, students who need to use the restroom now, bells are ringing now, and classes must be dealt with now. Unfortunately, I sometimes spend so much time dealing with urgent business, that I neglect those things which are every bit as necessary (sometimes even more), but are not urgent and so can be put off until later.
As an example, I am out of hall passes. I have been out of hall passes for at least two months. It is aggravating because every time a student asks to leave class I have to take the time to find a piece of paper and write one from scratch. Yet, getting new passes couldn’t be easier. All I need to do is go to the supply closet which is downstairs in the office. So why don’t I just do this? Well, it’s because when it is an urgent need, like when a student needs a pass, I remember that I don’t have any, but when I am leaving for the day and passing by the closet, I am concerned with the urgency of getting home to make dinner, or going grocery shopping, and I completely forget about my need for passes. I am so concerned with the “now” that I don’t remember to take two minutes to do something that would save me time and frustration later.
What I’ve realized is that this is more than just a problem with passes, it is a pattern that I have let take hold on my life. I have the worse kind of tunnel vision and because of that, important, needful things that would better my life and the life of those around me just don’t happen.
Like recycling, something I know is good and important, but never seems very urgent. How many time have I gathered bags of cans or newspapers to recycle only to throw them away a few months later because I never took the time to find a recycling center? Or keeping up with old friends. The ones who I love more than anything, but I always say I will call or write tomorrow.
I didn’t really make any New Year’s resolutions (not urgent enough), but I guess I am now. So here are three short term goals I am going to start with:
1. Pick up passes on the way into school in the morning.
2. Write an email or phone at least four out of town friends a month.
3. Unload my dishwasher when it finishes running instead of waiting until I have dirty dishes to put in it.

Not very earth shattering, I know, but it is a start in the right direction.

Richard Horton's Summary Reviews of Science Fiction/Fantasy Magazines

2008-01-10T04:57:00.000-08:00

Richard Horton, an anthologist and reviewer, recently posted is year-long summary review of Orson Scott Card's magazine, Intergalatic Medicine Show, where he said that my story, Original Audrey was his favorite short story from the magazine for the year. Yeah me!

A carnivore no more

2008-01-09T17:33:00.000-08:00

So, I've given up meat... I've decided that my body just doesn't process it right. I am absolutely terrified of ever having another surgery and so even though my mouth salivates for the precious flesh of animal meat, I am going to listen to my stomach instead.

Unfortunately, I don't really eat many vegetables either. So what do you call someone who is neither a carnivore, nor a herbivore? I'm not really sure. Maybe a starchivore? A pastavore? A soupavore?

If anyone has any recipes that cleverly disguise vegetables and are easy for the body to digest, I would be most grateful!

To be serious for a moment, I have to say that I am not exaggerating when I say that I am terrified of going into the hospital again. It's strange, I an honestly say that I have never really been afraid of anything in this way. It feels like it is always lurking under the surface. Any ache, any pain brings me into panic mode, imagining the worst. This is even when my doctor has told me repeatedly that I am "cured." I just wish I was as convinced. It isn't like me to be so negative, but then again, I haven't really gone through anything like this before.

Luckily, I have Spencer, who is very good at holding me in his arms, kissing me, and telling me everything will be OK; and for a while the fear does subside and I do feel safe.

Christmas at the Brown's home

2007-12-30T14:24:00.000-08:00

Every year just gets better and better. We had a great Christmas! Here we are, in front of the fireplace, getting ready to open our stockings on Christmas Eve.

Spencer loved all his presents, the car radio and the Nintendo DS Zelda edition, but his true inner child came out when he got his Nerf skeet shooter set.

I loved my presents too. I got lots of great Disney stuff, games and even a cute nightie from my hubby!

The next morning we went over to my sister's house for breakfast and to my parent's house for an early Christmas dinner. Then we went and saw National Treasure 2 with some good friends.

Later we went to Adam and Nikki's house and were introduced to a great new game called Blokus. I think we will definitely be adding it to our collection. Their daughter Maggie was already in bed, but we had come over a few days before and given her her present. She loved her barrel of monkeys!

Here they are playing their favorite game "Where's your armpit?"

I feel so immensely blessed in my life. We have wonderful family and friends that add to every season throughout the year.

Mr. Sub Commercial

2007-12-28T13:49:00.001-08:00

Oh... my.. gooodness.. this is hilarious! I guess it was an actual commercial in Canada. Those Canucks are funnier than people give them credit for!

A New Favorite Thing

2007-12-21T16:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas Carolers! These are the cute kids from the ward who came to serenade us on Wednesday. Watching them giggle and squirm as they tried to remember the words to the songs brought back many fond memories from when I was young.

mancold

2007-12-12T16:16:00.001-08:00

When I saw this video I couldn't stop laughing. It's funny because it's true! My man defies most male stereotypes, but when it comes to getting sick, he is just one of the guys.

My Favorite Things

2007-12-04T20:01:00.000-08:00

I adore Christmas. From the day after Thanksgiving until the new year begins, a spirit overtakes me, bringing grins, and songs and a general jubilant feeling to my life. Here are my ten favorite things about the merriest season of the year.

1. Twinkling lights: Sitting in a big comfy chair in front of my Christmas tree and its 1000+ lights brings me to a meditative, dare I say even an enlightened state. I can’t help but think of my blessings that outnumber even the lights on my tree as I reflect upon the last year and dream of the year to come
2. The smell of a Christmas tree: Tempted as I might be by the convenience, this girl doesn’t do fake. Everyday as I enter my home, my spirits lighten and I stop to take an even deeper whiff of Christmas. (and to my sister, I say- No, pine scented air freshener is not the same.
3. Buying presents: I know everyone doesn’t agree with this favorite, but I love buying gifts for other people. It takes me out of the me, me, me mentality I have the rest of the year and allows me to focus on others.
4. Christmas songs on the radio 24/7: For most of the year I listen to talk radio, but at Christmas time, I listen to Christmas music. I even sing along, albeit in my car, with the windows rolled up. I wouldn’t want to ruin anyone else’s Christmas spirit with my singing!
5. Nativity sets: We haven’t found the right one for our home yet, but I love seeing the different shapes, sizes and colors. It tells me that people of all sizes, shapes and colors have felt the Savior’s influence in their lives.
6. Baked goods: Or if I am too lazy or busy to bake, the smell of my sugar cookie candle.
7. Peppermint puffs: Spencer laughs at me every time I head to the mantle to snatch myself one, but these are too good to save just for company
8. Gingerbread houses: Since my fine art skills are lacking, I love to make these with a niece or nephew, so any imperfections can be blamed on them.
9. Christmas at Disneyland: Since I won’t get to see it this year, I will move on before I cry.
10. Family: Around the holidays, family becomes even more dear and precious.

My Tree

2007-12-04T16:23:00.000-08:00

Relief Society Lesson #22

2007-11-16T16:00:00.000-08:00

My lesson on Sunday is going to be pretty simple. As I was reading the chapter, one paragraph really stood out to me.

"Do you want guidance? Have you prayed to the Lord for inspiration? Do you want to do right or do you want to do what you want to do whether or not it is right? Do you want to do what is best for you in the long run or what seems more desirable for the moment? Have you prayed? How much have you prayed? How did you pray? Have you prayed as did the Savior of the world in Gethsemane or did you ask for what you want regardless of its being proper? Do you say in your prayers: “Thy will be done”? Did you say, “Heavenly Father, if you will inspire and impress me with the right, I will do that right”? Or, did you pray, “Give me what I want or I will take it anyway”? Did you say: “Father in Heaven, I love you, I believe in you, I know you are omniscient. I am honest. I am sincerely desirous of doing right. I know you can see the end from the beginning. You can see the future. You can discern if under this situation I present, I will have peace or turmoil, happiness or sorrow, success or failure. Tell me, please, loved Heavenly Father, and I promise to do what you tell me to do.” Have you prayed that way? Don’t you think it might be wise? Are you courageous enough to pray that prayer?"

It reminds me of Alma 5, which I have always considered as my way to have a PPI with a prophet. I plan on using these questions in the same way. They will basically guide our discussion.

"...all people, if they are worthy enough and close enough to the Lord, can have revelations." SWK

The following questions, given to us by Spencer W. Kimball can help us to receive the revelation that has been promised us.

1. Do you want guidance? This is a very important question to ask of ourselves. How many of you have ever had the pleasure of being lost with someone who absolutely refused to get directions? Or even worse, refused to listen to your directions which you know would get you there? There is an analogy here to our own life. I think that sometimes we are either so busy reacting to life, or we are so sure that we know the way, that we forget to look for the guidance that would help us

2. Have you prayed to the Lord for inspiration? Once we admit that we need guidance, who do we get it from? It is true that Martha Stewart can give guidance to my cooking, and HGTV can help me decorate my home, but only Heavenly Father can guide me to the path that will lead back to him.

3. Do you want to do right or do you want to do what you want to do whether or not it is right? I think this would be a great question to ask ourselves before we pray. How do you think the answer to this question might affect the outcome of your prayer?

4. Do you want to do what is best for you in the long run or what seems more desirable for the moment? Uhmm... both please? Well, that would be nice, but what about when they conflict?

5. Have you prayed? How much have you prayed? How did you pray? Here are two quotes from SWK that relate to these questions.

"Having given them their free agency, their Heavenly Father persuades and directs his children, but waits for their upreaching, their prayers, their sincere approach to him. …

The Lord is eager to see their first awakening desires and their beginning efforts to penetrate the darkness. Having granted freedom of decision, he must permit man to grope his way until he reaches for the light. But when man begins to hunger, when his arms begin to reach, when his knees begin to bend and his voice becomes articulate, then and not till then does our Lord push back the horizons, draw back the veil, and make it possible for men to emerge from dim uncertain stumbling to sureness, in heavenly light."

" If one rises from his knees having merely said words, he should fall back on his knees and remain there until he has established communication with the Lord who is very anxious to bless, but having given man his free agency, will not force himself upon that man"
Discuss

6. Have you prayed as did the Savior of the world in Gethsemane or did you ask for what you want regardless of its being proper? Do you say in your prayers: “Thy will be done”? Do you mean it?

7. Did you say, “Heavenly Father, if you will inspire and impress me with the right, I will do that right”? Or, did you pray, “Give me what I want or I will take it anyway”? Can someone tell of a time when the right thing you were inspired to was difficult, but you did it anyway and were blessed because of it?

8. Did you say: “Father in Heaven, I love you, I believe in you, I know you are omniscient. I am honest. I am sincerely desirous of doing right. I know you can see the end from the beginning. You can see the future. You can discern if under this situation I present, I will have peace or turmoil, happiness or sorrow, success or failure. Tell me, please, loved Heavenly Father, and I promise to do what you tell me to do.” Have you prayed that way? Have you? Could you?

9. Don’t you think it might be wise?

10. Are you courageous enough to pray that prayer? How does that kind of prayer take courage? Where can we get that courage?

This lesson might not work in a ward where the RS women refuse to talk or participate. However, I've noticed that these type of questions tend to some elicit amazing discussion in my relief society. However, I will be sure to be familiar enough with the lesson to refer to quotes from the manual when guided to do so by the spirit and by the discussion. I can't wait to see what we all learn!

some things just don't need to be said

2007-09-08T15:44:00.000-07:00

What was said...

"So when are you due?"
"I'm not pregnant"
"Oh, so did you just have a baby?"
"No."
Awkward silence.

What was heard..
"So you seem somewhat fat, do you have a good reason for that?"
"No."
"But, you are so fat there must be some good reason for it."
"I'm afraid there isn't."
Awkward silence.

Actually, I know I am not fat, but since my last surgery, most of the weight I gained back went straight to my stomach, so I have a little pooch. However, I do not need perfect strangers pointing this out to me. Ever.

RS Lesson 16 The Sabbath—A Delight

2007-08-19T07:11:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post my lesson for RS this week. We actually had a lesson on the Sabbath about two months ago and I noticed that there was a great amount of guilt among the women regarding their Sunday habits. Almost every woman who commented that day prefaced her words with "well, I'm not very good at helping my family keep the Sabbath, but some things we do are..." It seemed like everyone thought that somewhere out in the world there is a perfect mormon family where the kids get up peacefully for church each Sunday and then spend their day singing appropriate songs and reading the scriptures, and they felt incredibly guilty that it wasn't them. I'm hoping to avoid that feeling of guilt in my lesson.

Begin by reading:

Isaiah 58: 13 and 14

13 ¶ If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:

14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Is there a contradiction when Isaiah tells us to refrain "from doing thy pleasure" on Sunday and also tells us that the Sabbath should be a "delight?"

Read the following quote from the SWK manual:

The Sabbath day is given throughout the generations of man for a perpetual covenant [see Exodus 31:16]. It is a sign between the Lord and his children forever [see Exodus 31:17]. It is a day in which to worship and to express our gratitude and appreciation to the Lord. It is a day on which to surrender every worldly interest and to praise the Lord humbly, for humility is the beginning of exaltation. It is a day not for affliction and burden but for rest and righteous enjoyment. It is a day not for lavish banqueting, but a day of simple meals and spiritual feasting. … It is a day graciously given us by our Heavenly Father. It is a day when animals may be turned out to graze and rest; when the plow may be stored in the barn and other machinery cooled down; a day when employer and employee, master and servant may be free from plowing, digging, toiling. It is a day when the office may be locked and business postponed, and troubles forgotten; a day when man may be temporarily released from that first injunction, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until thou return unto the ground. …” [See Genesis 3:19.] It is a day when bodies may rest, minds relax, and spirits grow. It is a day when songs may be sung, prayers offered, sermons preached, and testimonies borne, and when man may climb high, almost annihilating time, space, and distance between himself and his Creator.

What does it mean that "It is a day not for affliction and burden but for rest and righteous enjoyment?"

Explain that today we are not going to wallow in guilt for what have or have not been doing to keep the Sabbath Day holy. Instead we are going to look to the future and come up with some concrete ideas for making our Sundays a delight.

Before we can make our Sunday s a delight unto us, we need to know what the purpose of Sunday is .

Have a class member read the following statement by Elder James E. Faust, who was at the time a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“Why has God asked us to honor the Sabbath day? The reasons I think are at least threefold. The first has to do with the physical need for rest and renewing. Obviously God, who created us, would know more than we do of the limits of our physical and nervous energy and strength.”

Write Physical renewal in the top left corner of the chalkboard. Then have a second class member continue with Elder Faust’s statement:

“The second reason is, in my opinion, of far greater significance. It has to do with the need for regeneration and the strengthening of our spiritual being. God knows that left completely to our own devices without regular reminders of our spiritual needs, many would degenerate into the preoccupation of satisfying earthly desires and appetites. This need for physical, mental, and spiritual regeneration is met in large measure by faithful observance of the Sabbath day.”

To the right of Physical renewal, write Spiritual strength.

• Why is the blessing of spiritual strength more important than the blessing of physical rest and renewal?

Have a third class member read the rest of Elder Faust’s statement:

“The third reason [for honoring the Sabbath day] may be the most important of the three. It has to do with obedience to commandments as an expression of our love for God. Blessed are those who need no reasons other than their love for the Savior to keep his commandments” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1991, 46–47; or Ensign, Nov. 1991, 35).

To the right of Spiritual strength, write Love for God.

• How is reverent observance of the Sabbath day “an expression of our love for God”? Why might this be the most important reason for honoring the Sabbath?

So basically, we need to make sure our Sunday activities fall under one of these three headings.

Read Quote by Pres Hinckley

The Lord wrote concerning the sanctity of the Sabbath when His finger touched the tablets of stone on Sinai: Keep the Sabbath day holy. And that commandment has been reiterated in modern times as set forth in the fifty-ninth section of the Doctrine and Covenants. Let us be a Sabbath-keeping people. Now I do not want to be prudish. I do not want you to lock your children in the house and read the Bible all afternoon to them. Be wise. Be careful. But make that day a day when you can sit down with your families and talk about sacred and good things. "Keep the Sabbath holy," saith the Lord to all people and particularly to this people. (Smithfield/Logan Utah Regional Conference, priesthood leadership session, April 20, 1996.)

Gordon B. Hinckley, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1997], 559 – 560.)

Divide women into three groups. Give each group a sheet of butcher paper or a poster. Assign one group to come up with specific ideas of activities that can be done with young children to help them keep the Sabbath Day holy.

Assign a second group to come up with ideas for teenagers.

Assign a third group to come up with ideas for how to make their own Sabbath days a delight.

Give the groups as long as they need to come up with substantial lists. Then bring the groups back together and have them share their ideas.

Sleep kisses

2007-07-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

In honor of two wonder years with the most amazing husband ever...

Five reasons I love Spencer more today than the day we were married.

5. His favorite movie right now is High School Musical and he is unafraid to admit it to the world. You got to love a guy that self confident.
4. He makes me laugh every single day.
3. He "gets" me in a way that surprises and amazes me every day.
2. When I was sick in the hospital, he slept every night for more than a month, on an uncomfortable cot so he wouldn't have to be away from me.
1. Sometimes, at night, he sleep kisses me.

Get thee hence!

2007-07-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

It's official. I have started to write my novel. I've been thinking a lot lately about why it has been so hard for me to start writing again despite the fact that I have copious amounts of time in which to do it. I finally came to the realization that my inner editor had become an iron fisted tyrant, keeping me from putting my wonderful ideas on paper.

Don't think I'm vain when I call my ideas wonderful, or I guess you can think I'm vain, but try not to judge me too harshly for it. Every writer must have a healthy amount of vanity, otherwise the rejection slips would be too depressing, and every writer gets rejection slips. Lots of them.

Anyway, every time I try to sit down and write one of my ideas, my inner editor elbows its way past my creative genius and silences every sentence. "That doesn't sound right. You need a better word there. Isn't that misspelled?" Eventually I get so bogged down with the minutiae, that I just give up.

So, for now, I have had to banish my tyrant editor to the outer edges of Mongolia. She'll be allowed back eventually, but not until I've made significant progress on my novel. As I write, I am not worrying about misspelled words, or an awkward sentence here or there. At this point, I am just trying to get down my ideas, my characters, my plot points. I'll go back later to clean up some of the language. It is making a world of difference already.

A thousand words down, only 149,000 to (give or take).

published!

2007-06-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

I just had my short story, Original Audrey, published in Orson Scott Card's online magazine, Intergalactic Medicine Show. Check out this link if you would like to read it. This story has been a labor of love for a long time now. I'm glad it has finally found a home.

Evil in Literature

2007-02-24T06:33:00.000-08:00

I need some ideas for books that can be read for a relief society book club. I've gotten in trouble before for suggesting "inappropriate" books. The last book I suggested was "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson. The books deals with the aftermath of a young girl's rape and how she finally finds her voice again.

I think the book does an amazing job of showing how painful high school can be for some teenagers. In fact, although, I've never gone through anything nearly as traumatic as what the protagonist experiences, her feelings of alienation in high school is one that I could relate to. I was hoping that maybe some of the women could read it and then pass it on to their daughters. I though that it could promote some discussions of some very important issues that may go undiscussed among church members.

I wouldn't have had a problem if it had been vetoed because someone had read it and thought it wasn't any good, but to say that it is inappropriate for a church sponsored group really bothers me. I completely disagree that we need to avoid all mention of evil in our reading. Evil exists in our world whether we like it or not. We need to confront it for what it is, and learn how to combat it, not close our eyes to its existence. In my opinion, as long as a book shows evil for what it is, and does not try to glorify it, excuse it, or portray it as good, it can be something we can learn from. After all, isn't that what the scriptures do?

Instead, the books chosen for the book club so far have been ones like "Little House on the Prairie" (an actual choice). I loved that book as a child, but for the book club, I want something with some meat to it. To me, the whole point of the home and family activities, is to allow the women in the ward to move beyond the superficial interaction we have when we meet on Sundays and find real connections with each other.

So, anyway, and book suggestions that won't be vetoed by the RS presidency would be greatly appreciated;

I pledge allegiance to Texas?

2007-02-24T06:20:00.000-08:00

Did you know that Texas has its own state pledge" Every morning my student turn to the US flag to say the national pledge of allegiance, and then they turn to the Texas state flag and say "Honor the Texas flag. I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one and indivisible."

For some reason, I find this funny, odd and a bit pretentious at the same time. I'm not sure why.

let's try this again...

2007-02-24T06:05:00.000-08:00

So, I move to Texas, and I immediately stop blogging. Not on purpose, but it does seem to follow my on and off again journal writing habits. But, many years ago I stopped beginning journal entries with apologies for not writing, so I think I'll keep that policy here as well. Instead, I'll just press forward and try again!

The anatomy of a breakup

2006-06-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

Spencer and I went to see "The Breakup" this weekend. Wow, talk about bad marketing. All of the ads for this movie have marketed it as a romantic comedy. It isn't! It is a drama with a few comedic elements.

I've read several reviews of the movie, most unfavorable. The problem I see with these reviews is that they are critical of what the movie isn't, rather than seeing what the movie truly is. People expected the Wedding Crashers 2 and were unable to see past that reaction.

This movie is uncomfortable. Often. It is the most honest, straight forward depiction of a break up that I have ever seen. My heart broke for each of the characters, when they did things (albeit to the extreme) that my friends and I have done over and over to posion our own happiness.

As the movie began, I feared it would be just another male bashing, men can do no right and women can do no wrong movie. Instead, it showed how each party can contribute to the misunderstandings, game playing and bad timing that can lead to the end of a once promising relationship.

The actors were engaging. Vince Vaughn showed an intensity that I wouldn't have thought possible. And, although most of the movie takes place when they are in the midst of their breakup, an early montage of pictures during the opening credits was enough to convince me of the chemistry between Jennifer and Vince.

I can't unconditionally recomend the movie because of an excess of cursing and partial nudity. Yet, I am glad that we went to see it.

A little coat

2006-06-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

1 Samuel 2:19 Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

So much depends
upon
a little
coat,
a tangible
proof
of a mother's
love.

"Thank you for the coat mother."
"I hope it fits." I spent all year measuring the other boys of the neighborhood, imagining how you must have grown. Are they feeding you enough? Can you grow to your full potential without a mother's care?"
"It always does." I know how much you care, what your sacrifice means.
"'Til next year my son."
"Til next year."

Oh No! Not a Family Ward!

2006-06-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

Only three weeks left until our big move to Texas! Am I excited, yes! Am I scared, yes! I mean, Texas, for goodness sake, I’m a California girl, what do I know about roping steers, high school football or the Alamo? However, this reminds me of the last time I was scared by a big change.

It was less than a year ago when Spencer and I were married. Wait- now you probably think I’m going to write about the fears I had going into marriage, but no, I’m talking about something even scarier. The family ward. This may not sound scary to you, but I had been in a singles ward for fifteen years, and since I had started when I was seventeen that was almost as long as I had been in a family ward.

I know that there are many who have problems with singles wards. They call them meat markets, marriage mills, complain about the high turnover or the difficulty in standing out. I never had these problems. From day one, I felt like I belonged. Well, that’s not exactly true. It did take about six weeks for anyone to remember my name, but I’m a pretty persistent individual and eventually they caught on. From that point, I did belong. I loved having the opportunity to hold positions of responsibility, making new friends almost weekly, and truth be told being able to party, party, party.

So, when I moved into a family ward, I was nervous to say the least. For the first time in many years, church felt new to me again. Here are the things that unnerved me:

1. There were old people there. I don’t mean people my parent’s age; I mean old people, the kind whose wrinkles look like a topographical map for death. Since I had been single for so long, I had become used to being one of the oldest people in the ward. I was the wise old sage that the young innocents turned to for advice. Now, in one Sunday, I had become a child again. That first Sunday, as I realized that the collective age of the women sitting next to me in Relief Society was greater than that of my entire Relief Society in the YSA ward, I felt very intimidated.

2. There were children there. Tons of children, jumping off their parents’ shoulders, taking nosedives into the pews, body surfing through the crowd, children of all sizes, shapes and degrees of stickiness. I was sure that I would never be able to focus on a sacrament meeeting talk again.

I had other, unnamed fears as well. It just felt so different.

Over time, my nervousness faded. I learned to treasure the valuable knowledge of the older women in the ward. Their stories of raising families, surviving trials, losing husbands and remaining faithful through it all, touched my heart. I learned to smile at the energy of the young ones, and that the extra effort required to focus on the talks, brings extra insight as well. Plus, with some talks, the distraction is a welcome one!

The transition wasn't always easy. Tasks and callings that should be simple and uncomplicated, are made difficult, tedious and time consuming. I think that some people treat their callings as jobs, and not as opportunities to bless others. I think that the spirit of the law is often lost in the letter of it.

Yet, the people are genuinely trying. They are imperfect, but loving, and I'm grateful for their efforts.

Starving for the word

2006-05-26T09:26:00.000-07:00

In the past few weeks, Gospel Doctrine has been difficult for me. I've sat in class each week, feeling my frustration mount. We have a very knowledgeable teacher, however, he seems more intent on getting through the lesson and explaining the historical background than discussing the doctrine in any depth or in discussing how this doctrine can apply to our lives. This may sound odd, but everytime we breeze past a point that I am dying to discuss, I have this feeling of being cheated.

This isn't the first unsatisfying Sunday School class I've ever attended, but it is the first time I've ever had these kinds of feelings about it. After pondering this for a while, I think I've finally come up with the reason why.

In the past, I've been fairly active with my personal scripture study. However, for the past year and a half, it has been almost nonexistent. I think that unsatisfying sunday school lessons didn't bother me before, because it wasn't my only source for gospel enrichment. What I didn't get from church, I got on my own. However, since I have let that study time slide, my only scriptual nourishment comes on Sunday. Basically, I am starving myself of the word all week, and when I come to church and find no meat for me, I feel teased and ultimately let down.

So the answer to my frustation is not better sunday school lessons. I am not the only person in the class, and perhaps other members have needs that are being satisfied by the way it is being taught. Instead, the answer is to rededicate myself to my personal study.

Moral Absolutes at School

2006-05-26T07:53:00.000-07:00

1. Writing graffitti in my classroom is evil.
2. Stealing the mouse ball from one of my computers is evil.
3. Making fun of a mentally challenged student is evil.
4. Putting your gum between the pages of a reading book is evil.
5. Stealing my emergency candy from the bottom drawer of my desk when I have a substitute is evil.

Who am I?

2006-05-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

No, this isn't some philosophical post about my role in this world. I just though it might be a good idea to introduce myself.

I am a 33 year old recently (almost one year!) married woman. I grew up in California, graduated from BYU, served a mission in Minnesota, and in one month will be moving to Forney, Texas. I teach high school English, and hope to eventually get my masters in teaching reading.

My husband and I are avid game players, including board games and video games. Right now we are addicted to playing Brain Age on our DS.

Do you hear the whispers?

2006-05-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

I hear them. Whispers have surrounded me as long as I can remember. They sound like my parents, my friends, my enemies and my fears. They tell me I am wonderful, and special and worthy of greatness. They tell me I am horrible and stupid and worthy of ridicule. I'm not sure what this blog will be about exactly, but I do know that it will be a part of my neverending goal, to block out the whisperings of the world, and focus on the one that comes from God and proclaims "glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!"