11 years...really?

October 22, 1997. Eleven years ago I entered the MTC to leave on my mission to Taiwan!!! Below is a picture of me at the MTC a few weeks after beginning my mission. Anniversaries somehow have a way of making you really think about your life-where you've come from and what roads have led you to where you are. Eleven years ago in the MTC I was afraid of speaking chinese-fearing that my inabilities would prevent me from sharing the gospel with everyone.

Below is the last night before I returned home in May 1999. I attended the baptism of the sweetest lady, Gui Fu. She was genuine, and she had a testimony. It was that night I realized that the fears of my inabilities had subsided since that night in the MTC, and I had had the opportunity to teach this sweet lady the gospel.

Eleven years have passed, today, since I left to Taiwan. And now I sit here with insecurities about my inabilities to do many other things. I think that my mission really taught me about enduring, and trusting in God that all would work out. And it did. And today I reflect upon the best decision I ever made in my life-to serve a mission.

A reminder

I've been blogless for a while now. Just busy, and feeling like my life is no more interesting than it was a day ago, a month ago, a year ago. Today in relief society we talked about weathering the storms of life. And one single phrase stuck to me...."No trial or heartache we suffer is wasted". I look back at the many times I have said, "Ok., if I can just make it through this next hour, or this moment...", or "Tomorrow at this time, it will all be over", and I really think I understand that phrase. Nothing I have been through in my life has been wasted. Trials I've suffered truly have in some way benefited who I am today. They've made me ME. But gosh it's hard to understand that and see things in perspective when you are plunging through them. I'm so glad I went to church today. I needed a reminder that I have pulled through hard things, and many of them, and will continue to plunge through them as long as I live.

Photo shoot with family

My good friend Shannon did a photo shoot of my sister Shari's family and I. It was a blast! Shannon is really great at capturing perfect moments, and waiting for perfect pictures. I adore family...I need pictures with all of them! I can't believe how cute these kids are....thanks, Shannon--you are amazing with the camera :)

Law & Order Marathon!!!!

Well, the pneumonia is almost over...at least, I feel better. Thanks for the get well wishes! Now if I could just get rid of this dang cough! So, yesterday at the end of a full day of being back to work after 4 days straight of subs, I thought I would just rest and watch t.v. the whole rest of the night. And so...out came the mattress...in front of the t.v. I have become seriously addicted to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. I absolutely love Mariska Hargita from the show---she is an amazing actress!! Ever since I got my DVR, I have been in heaven!! I can record all of my favorite shows and skip all the commercials!!!! Anyways, to make a long marathon short...I watched 6 episodes of Law & Order, and 4 of King of Queens. Man! That was awesome! I think I'm going to head into the living room again for another night of it :)

Who knew?

Pneumonia? Who knew. That's what I was thinking when the doctor wanted to do an xray of my chest yesterday. I've never had pneumonia...and I hate it...badly. So, today I got a sub...and of course, spent 2 1/2 hours planning it last night at midnight. Gotta love this job-you can never just "call in" sick...you've got to have gone through the whole day emotionally, mentally, and almost physically until you are able to call in. At times like these, I wish I worked somewhere else!! But then I just feel so glad that I have an almost perfect class of only 26 this year-and I remember why I've chosen to teach. Such sweethearts. So-I'm going to rest, watch t.v., and blog surf today! :)

Kids have taken over my time and my health!!!

I feel like I completely have forsaken blogging...but honestly I haven't. The first few weeks of teaching school always seem to take over, and not just my time, but my health! I forget how my voice hasn't talked that long, and that loud for a whole summer...and how I haven't been around sick little kids for that long as well. So, with my time monopolized by room and lesson preparations, my 'immunity' to sickness ended a week ago when 26 little kids walked into the room. So, I've forsaken blogging because of...bronchitis. And for a week! When will this end? Luckily over the long weekend I was able to hang out at Swiss Days with my family, and laughed-and laughed-and laughed..which helped curb the sadness from being sick. So....after a bunch of ramblings...I'm still alive...and wanting to blog again :)

The Sunday Pit

In 7 years of teaching, I've never felt this way. I actually don't have the "Sunday pit", as my friend Molly described. The deep pit in your stomach on Sunday night, knowing that school is tomorrow. As a student, the pit was always "I tried hard not to do my homework on Sunday but now I'm in for it and will probably fail that test tomorrow!!!" (Or project, or paper, etc..). Now as a teacher, it's the pit that is always, "I tried hard not to work over the weekend and now I'm not ready to teach for the week!". And then the woes of wishing the weekend would have been more eventful, fun, or exciting. But it's crazy, I don't have the pit today. I started back at work this past Thursday and the students come on Wednesday and I am actually...excited. The summer has been long, and at times boring. Weird. I had a good summer though...I moved, I worked a bit on my thesis, and spent quality time with family and friends. I'm ready for a schedule now, though...ready to hit some goals of weight loss and working hard once more. I think I do much better when I am busy. Yeah for school! Sure hope I have a good bunch this year...here's praying.

Thoughts of Grandma

This weekend my Grandma (84) found out she has breast cancer-however we're not too sure how serious it is until she visits the surgeon on Monday. I spoke with her yesterday and just thought I'd share some thoughts. When asking Grandma how she was doing, she said to me, "Well, life's kinda given me a little challenge, but I'll just need to learn to deal with it!" She proceeded to tell me that she had felt a prompting to go and get checked, and she followed that. She said how grateful she was to have listened to the Spirit because the doctor said that it may be in the early stages enough to have it removed. She said, "I just don't feel my time is done here on the earth Karen,...like I still have things to accomplish". Well, I'm glad Grandma, because I feel you still have time left here too...we need you here. I love my Grandma--she is an inspiration to me. The best thing about my Grandma is that I know she loves me...and that is the most comforting thing in the world to me--because I'm sure of that...there's no doubting of that...ever. Love, love, love you, Grandma

Grandma & Grandpa's engagement picture

Picture perfect memory of these two

Grandma as I know her now...(only a lot thinner!!!)

Remember me?

I stole this from my long time friend Heather's blog--a trip down memory lane... Directions: Leave a comment on my blog about a memory of you and I together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, just whatever you remember.Then repost this on your blog to see who leaves comments for you! Could be fun, right?

A first for me!

Responding to a "tag" on the blogging is actually a first for me

So, here goes...Once you've read mine, grab your camera and have some fun. Hey, maybe even add something to the tag :)

Toilet/bathroom

I actually have two bathrooms now--one that I take a shower in, and one that I take my ritual 'calgon take me away from my thesis' baths in. If you know me really well, this actually is the best thing in the world because I have a major obsessive compulsive disorder of getting hair on my feet in the shower, on the carpet-or worse...hair floating in the bathtub!!! So, this is perfect for me....shower in one--take relaxing baths minus hair in the tub in the other :)

Closet

I'm in the process of getting used to the fact that ALL of my clothes now fit in my closet...even the 99% of the clothes that do NOT fit me at the moment.

Favorite room

This is the coolest thing about my new home...a piano room. I've wanted to keep this old piano in the family, and since my parents didn't want it nor any of my siblings, I took it on. My parents bought this piano about 38 years ago--for $600! My brothers have hated me for the many moves I have made and told me that if I moved one more time-they would NOT move the piano. So, on my 11th move---here, I had the piano movers move it. It's that important to me...and it's been fun for me to play again!! Plus, this room dubs as a piano room AND my chinese room...where I can keep all my mission trinkets :)

What your children are doing right now

They flew the coop...wow...now I'm an 'empty nester'...sad! Guess I'm going to have to wait for those kiddies in heaven....

Laundry

Lucky...now that I think about it...I have my own washer/dryer now and don't have to share with people living downstairs...that is a HUGE plus! What's nice about being single...not a ton of laundry--which means not a ton of sorting and folding!! Kudos to my mother who laundered, sorted, and folded 9 kids' clothes! Which, by the way, I remember she had a sorting basket shelf---each kid had a basket with their name on it to put our clothes in, and we were in charge of emptying it out. Smart mother!

Kitchen sink

One other HUGE plus from my move...I have a dishwasher now. Looks like I haven't quite gotten used to it yet :)

Refrigerator One additional plus from going from an apartment with a roommate to living on my own is the large amount of space in the fridge/freezer...and all the food that is mine :)

Favorite pair of shoes

I would definitely say...these pairs of shoes. The ones that are in my closet, I never wear...I especially like the fact that my little niece's flip flops are among my favorite....must be because my favorite thing about living here is that they frequently visit enough to keep a pair of shoes here!

One last thing... Need I mention more? :)

Flew the coop?

It's been a while since I have posted--I've been unpacking since my move and have just now gotten my internet up and working. I always have a love/hate feeling of moving---I love fresh starts, however, I hate feeling out of place in a ward, in a neighborhood, in a home. However, this was a welcome site to my new abode...I have been watching these little birds grow from little eggs to tiny fuzzy heads to being able to see their eyes, and now, watching them take their first flight out of the nest! I have never had this experience before--but it's like they are my little family because I'm here all by myself. They are right out on my porch and I wake up to their chirping every morning. I instantly walk out to see if they flew the coop-or are still up teetering on the lamp--daring each other to "just do it!!!" All day I can hear the mommy and daddy chirping like crazy as if to say, "C'mon, you can do it!!!". It honestly has been the most warming welcome to my new place. Life is good--and this move has been great! I'll post the updates of my little birdee family!

The "little" things

The other night I was sitting at the Orem Summerfest parade with my family and was thinking-"I wish I knew what were good picture moments...I wish I knew more about photography so that I could capture some good ones...I should take some pictures tonight" So I picked up my camera and just turned it on, looking through the viewfinder at the people passing by in the parade. When all of a sudden, I saw through my camera my little nephew Clark trying to put on Grandpa's hat. It had to be the cutest thing ever, and I was thinking...gosh I'm glad I have my camera! I started shooting pictures like crazy to try to capture this moment...it was so funny because he would NOT wear the hat forwards, he HAD to have it on backwards. He kept it on for about 20 minutes or so, just walking around the blanket, stealing sips of people's drinks, finding little treats to eat that were stuck to the blanket, and clapping as people walked by. I couldn't help but think...times like these come and go...and I miss them so frequently because my mind is occupied with so many other things...so many dumb-not-worth-worrying-over-things...I need to stop more often with a life "viewfinder" and just pay attention to the "little things" in life.