Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Tis the season for gratitude. My top 50!

Tis the Season. Not for Christmas songs just yet... although one station in DC thinks so and the stores thought so before Halloween... disgusting. Not Christmas... but just the idea that they're trying to maximize on the materialistic aspect of the holiday!

But, tis the season for gratitude. And I don't have enough of it. I get so caught up when things go wrong, but yet, when things go right it's like fleeting thoughts!

This week in school, I have been teaching the kids about expressing gratitude and how it makes the person feel when you express gratitude to another.
Makes you and them feel all GOOD inside :)
I even have a little visual I do with it (thanks to a lesson I found on lds.org!!) So, why don't I do more of it? Seems like a great thing for both involved... the giver and the receiver!

So, this post has been on my mind for a while and I am going to just start listing in no specific order because I realized I can't prioritize these... or it was agonizing to even try and do so:

1. Prayer
2. Temples
3. The Sacrament
4. Scriptures
5. A living prophet and church leaders
6. General Conference
7. Children
8. My ever patient, ever giving, ever loving angel mother
9. A trusting and loving father
10. Supportive and encouraging brothers
11. Friends of 32/Fab 5 (you know who you are!)
12. Camp Oneka/Red Team
13. BYU
14. A job (or a few jobs right now :)
15. Weddings
16. Holidays... when families gather
17. Peace and quiet
18. Sleep/rest
19. A strong and healthy body with the ability to run!
20. A curious mind that's capable of learning and growing
21. Good Books
22. Ability to talk and listen
23. Uplifting songs
24. Sunsets
25. Lights
26. Beaches
27. Treadmills and Gyms
28. Water! Warm showers included!
29. Warmth... esp. from the sun!
30. Winter Clothes. QUALITY winter clothes!
31. Space Heaters
32. Comfy Couches
33. Alarm clocks
34. Medicine
35. Cell Phones
36. Cars
37. Contacts/Glasses
38. Microwaves
39. Ipods
40. Internet & Blogs
41. Cameras
42. Hairbands
43. Changing leaf colors
44. Desserts! Cereal! Chips! Mexican Food! Ice Cream... mmm... food in general
45. Caffeine ... Diet Coke :)
46. 7/11's and Slurpees
47. Target
48. Panera Bread
49. The American Flag

50. MY LIFE!!!!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

"Borrowed" Random Thoughts

So, my friend had these random thoughts posted on her blog... but she had "borrowed" them from someone else. They made me laugh... and I figured that laughter needs to be shared. So, I am borrowing them too! I think the reason they made me laugh so much is that I could see myself saying them... but someone just decided to write them down first :)

* I wonder if cops ever get ticked off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit?

* Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

* I wish Google Maps had an 'Avoid Ghetto' routing option.

* More often than not, when someone is telling me a story, all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better- but also more directly involves me.

* The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

* Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Kids today are soft.

* I think that everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure that I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really really gets it.

* I would rather carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips from the car to bring my groceries in.

* LOL has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

* Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely terrifying.

* I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent someone from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

* MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my own neighborhood.

* Bad decisions make good stories.

* Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they're from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem...

* You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

*Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVD's? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

*I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I didn't make any changes to.

*I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. "I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?"

*I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

* When I meet a new boy, I'm terrified of mentioning something he hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

* I like all of the music on my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle- then I like about one in every fifteen songs on my iTunes.

* Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

* As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation- I always hate cyclists.

* Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

* I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Apple picking!

After moving from Boston, I naively thought I would never get to go apple picking and leaf peeping again... because New England is the only place where apples grow and leaves change color, right?!! Ha! And, that thought did make me a bit sad... but not enough to keep me there :) Something I can fly back for when I get the craving, right?

So, imagine my excitement when my good friend from
BYU who lives nearby said she was going apple picking on Columbus Day! Now, there aren't too many places within an hours driving distance, but Bekah found one! I would have to say it is the most "ghetto" apple picking place I have ever been to... not like "Phil's Apples" in MA! But hey, all you need are apple trees and a bag, right?

Well, we had fun and as you can see
Bekah was a little more adventurous in making sure she got the best apples off the tree!

I remain grounded... Bekah like to climb!
They also had these beautiful sunflowers to brighten any one's day!

So, not only was it fun to get away from the city and spend time with a good friend, it was also a GREAT way to satisfy my fleeing moment of sadness to not be apple picking in New England!

Sunday, November 8, 2009

I feel like my life recently is reflected in this quote:

With thoughtless and impatient hands
We tangle up the plans
The Lord hath wrought.
And when we cry in pain He saith,
“Be quiet, man, while I untie the knot.”

Author unknown, in Jack M. Lyon and others, eds.,
Best-Loved Poems of the LDS People
(1996), 304