Reasons why I love my job :)

There were so many things that happened this week that helped me remember why I love my job so much. There's never been a day this year when I dreaded going into work, but there have been days when I left and wondered why do I love this so much?!

Well, this week was SPIRIT week at Fox Hill Elementary. We kicked it off with an assembly on Monday and everyone wore Fox Hill colors (green and white). I always think it is so neat to see the entire school community together singing the Fox Hill Song! Tuesday was "Colors of the rainbow" day and each grade wore a color of the rainbow. We also had field day (now, it was 98 degrees that day and no breeze, but fortunately only one girl passed out! She was ok in the end, but I will never understand why we didn't postpone it. Fox Hill doesn't have ANY AC. It was brutally HOT when we arrived at 8 am and it's the first time I've ever seen kids stop running or wanting to do the relays, even the water relay, after only one try... because it was SO DARN HOT!) But, we survived and fortunately for me, I was at the water relay :) That was also the day that I literally never stopped sweating. It was beyond gross.

Wednesday was dress up day and there was a special "elegant" breakfast for the teachers! It was fun to get dressed up and see little Kindergarteners walking around with little ties on! Thursday was Red, White and Blue day because it was also Flag Day. We had a very ncie assembly in the morning and had reminders all day long of why we love our flag and our country!

Finally, Friday was amazing!!! We had our spring celebration. I think the music teacher started working on this with the kids back in September. We had an hour long performance by groups of kids, whole grades, individuals, etc and there was lots of singing and revelry! Then, we ended it by all going outside and they had a Maypole... and more songs, awards, etc. Parents were invited to come and it was awesome. It brought tears to my eyes!

Also, this week was filled with classroom performances for the parents. Whether it be an author's breakfast, Kindergarten graduation, or some other creative way to celebrate the work each class did this year, the kids were excited to perform as a class for their parents. I can't really describe the powerful feeling I had watching these precious students perform throughout the week in different capacities. Also, the feeling of community that was there with teachers, students and parents coming together as one. I felt so much pride and joy to be a small part of this community.

And, thinking back to my tedious and sometimes torturous job search last year... when it seemed like NOTHING would work out, at the last minute (two days before I started) I was offered this job. HF knew what was best for me and I learned a lot about myself along the way. It is a gentle reminder to me that the Lord really is mindful of me... and things do work out for the best IN HIS TIME - NOT MINE. But, looking back on this year, I am glad it was HIS time and not mine!

The next generation of Slip'N Slide's!

This is a picture of the new generation Slip'N Slides!

You would never believe that Boston was in the 50's yesterday and that I wore a long sleeve shirt and fleece all day.

(On a side note... it was raining and yet we still went on our field trip to the Farm! Yes, the Kindergarten class at Fox Hill still went to Drumlin Farms yesterday... ponchos and all! Fortunately, it was only misty when we were walking around. But hey, at least the Farm didn't stink like it would if it was HOT!)

Anyway - one of the things about Boston that I have just grown to accept is the crazy weather changes we have from one day to the next. Yesterday was cold and 50... today is HOT and 92!! My wardrobe is now shorts and a t-shirt and AC is on full-time!

What better way to celebrate the start of summer by using a Slip'n Slide!!! My family had one when I was a kid... but it was pretty basic. The water didn't shoot very high and there weren't pegs to hold it into the grass, so we were asking to hurt ourselves in one way or another.

But, today, I go to Slip'N Slide and it was AWESOME! (same one as the picture above) I quickly learned I am not as agile as I was when I was seven... but the fun factor is still there. :)

Ahhh.... summer is here!!!

Love my Friday night temple shift!!!

Elder Russell M. Nelson

There are a number of reasons why I love my Friday night temple shift twice a month. Of course I LOVE just having the opportunity to be in the temple and to work with such amazing men and women. But on Fridays I also usually see many of my friends as well.

It also happens that Friday nights are popular nights for VERY special guests to come to the temple once they land in Boston. I've had the opportunity to meet Ann and Truman Madsen, Elder Oaks' wife, Sheri Dew and a few other church leaders.

However, yesterday was an exceptionally fantastic temple shift! I got to meet Elder Russell M Nelson! He's in the area for a stake conference and he is also giving a special Boston Temple worker's fireside tomorrow afternoon (which I am also fortunate to attend!) It was so awesome to be standing outside one of the rooms in the temple and see him walk by with the Temple President and his wife! AND, to have the chance to greet him (Silly me for ever complaining about my assignment sometimes to just greet people in the temple.... I'll do it anytime :)

Just for today...

I ran across this poem in a book I was reading. It sums up what I would like to be more like :) I do try and do some of these things each and every day, but I think if I could really have this perspective everyday my life would be a LOT calmer and I would feel more at peace. I've printed a copy and posted it on my wall at school. Maybe if I read it everyday it will start to seep in. Did I spell seep right? I don't think I have ever written that word before!

JUST FOR TODAY

Just for today I will be happy. This assumes what Abraham Lincoln said is true: 'Most folks are about as happy as they make their mind up to be.' Happiness comes from within; it is not a matter of externals.

Just for today I will try to adjust myself to what is; not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my family, my business, and my luck as they come and fit myself to them.

Just for today I will take care of my body. I will exercise it, care for it, nourish it, not abuse or neglect it, so that it will be a perfect machine for my bidding.

Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought, and concentration.

Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways: I will do someone a good turn and not get found out. I will do at least two chores I don't want to do, as William James suggests, just for exercise.

Just for today I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, speak diplomatically, act courteously, be liberal with praise, criticize not at all, nor find fault with anything, and not try to regulate or improve anyone.

Just for today I will try to live through this day only, not tackle my whole life problem at once. I can do things for twelve hours that would appall me if I had to keep them up for a lifetime.

Just for today I will have a program. I will write down what I expect to do every hour. I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. It will eliminate two pests: hurrying and indecision.

Just for today I will have a quiet half hour by myself and relax. In this half hour sometimes I will think of God, so as to get a little more perspective into my life.

--- Copyright © Sybil Partridge

Got this from a friend's blog... kind of fun.

Alter Ego's

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Fudge Saab

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Oreo pumpkin

3. YOUR 'FLY GIRL' NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) C-Fit

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Pink Dog

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Christie Westerly

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) FitCa

7. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The" + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Blue DC

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Warren Joe

9. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names) Louise Arthur

10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Lasky Las Vegas

11. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Spring Tulips

12. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing your wearing right now + 'ie' or 'y') Apple Shirty

13. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Oatmeal Palm

14. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: ("the" + Your fave hobby/cract, fave weather element + 'tour") The Running Snow Tour

A memorable Memorial Day! And, Mr. Potato Head takes on a new occupation!

I am so fortunate to have my mom and little brother in town.

A three day weekend and beautiful weather in Boston (finally!) was the perfect combination for a trip to the North Shore (Cape Ann, specifically). The North Shore is the name given to an area north of Boston... and suprisingly right on the water :)

I'm sad to say that, yet again, in my four years here I have never been there. Little did I know what beautiful sites I was missing out on. We went to the farthest point on Cape Ann (Gloucester... pronounced Gloster... and Rockport... pronounced Rockport :)

For any movie buffs reading this, do you remember what movie was filmed in Gloucester. Here's a hint - Gloucester is famous for being a huge fishing town. Any guesses?

THE PERFECT STORM: (this is a combination of reports from Wikipedia and some of the official movie sites)
"A RECAP OF THE MOVIE - In October of 1991 a storm stronger than any in recorded history hit the coast off of Gloucester, Massachusetts. This "Perfect Storm" — so called because it was three storms combined into one — created an almost apocalyptic situation in the Atlantic ocean, where boats encountered waves of 100 feet (30 meters) — the equivalent of a ten-story building. These storms are some of the strongest and most terrifying manifestations of nature's strength."

"The ship, Andrea Gail, began her voyage on October 26, 1991. The last reported transmission from Andrea Gail was at about 6:00 p.m. on the evening of October 28, 1991. The Captain's final recorded words were, "She's comin' on, boys, and she's comin' on strong!" The storm created waves reported to exceed 100 feet in height, and these waves doomed the Andrea Gail and her crew of six somewhere along the continental shelf near Sable Island.

No further messages were heard from the vessel and no other ships reported hearing a distress call. On October 30, 1991, the vessel was reported overdue. An extensive air and sea search was launched.

On November 8, 1991, Andrea Gail's emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) was discovered washed up on the shore of Sable Island. The EPIRB was designed to automatically send out a distress signal upon contact with sea water, but the Canadian Coast Guard personnel who found the beacon indicated that it had not been properly armed, rendering it useless. That same day, authorities called off the search for the missing vessel."

Back to my blog: I remember watching this movie with my dad when it first came out because one of his patients had a family member die on the ship. It's a good movie if anyone hasn't seen it!

So, as part of our tour of Gloucester, we wanted to do the "Perfect Storm" tour as well and see some of the famous sites in the movie, etc. There's a cool statue of "the wives and children" saying good-bye to their husbands/fathers as they leave on fishing expeditions and there's another cool statue dedicated to all the fishermen who have lost their lives at sea. Very touching.

Gloucester itself is beautiful once you get away from the fishing boats :) Their are gorgeous houses and beaches. Just a cute town.

We then moved on to Rockport which is smaller than Gloucester, but just as beautiful... if not more so! When we got there it was CROWDED and no parking, but my mom had a brilliant idea to pull off on this tiny side street and see if we could fins a spot. And, we did in front of this nice old man's home. We chatted with him a bit and walked into town.

But, wait... what is this I see?


Mr. Potato Head is in control. Watch out! Evan and I couldn't figure it out if he was there just for a joke on memorial Day weekend... or if he was a permanent fixture... but it didn't matter. he made us all smile :)

Then on to town. And, yet again, what do I see?
It's hard to tell but this is "TOAD HALL" Bookstore!

For those of you who have read Wind and the Willows "Toad Hall" is the residence of Toad who is "rich, jovial and friendly, but conceited, and tends to become obsessed about things, only to dismiss them later. A bunch of events happen and in the end Toad makes up for his earlier wrongdoings by seeking out those he wronged and compensating them. Toad and his friends live out their lives happily ever after."

I remember my mom reading us this book a few times and I loved it :) Seeing this bookstore brought back fond memories!
Then, we walked down main street and just in time for the parade! Although, it was bizarre. All the bands and musicians left the parade on a side street a block behind this and all the people marching, kept on marching down main street. We couldn't figure it out.

We continued our walk along the main street and then ate lunch on the beach and walked along the rocks. It was a perfect day!

A New room... a new chair! (kind of...)

I have been meaning to rearrange my room for a while now and Saturday morning was the perfect day to do so. My mom was in town and I wanted to take advantage of the extra help as well as her suggestions on where things should go.

I have an incredibly small room. Smaller than some of the rooms I had when I was at BYU, but it works for me. You would think that with such a small room it wouldn't take very long to rearrange it. But, no. It took over three hours! This was for two reasons: 1. I have an incredible amount of stuff located in my incredibly small space; 2. Things moved from point A to point B and then back to A and then to point C and back to B before they finally ended up in point D!

I am very happy with the way it turned out and I took a one hour Sat afternoon nap as soon as the room was all in place :)

However, one of the reasons why I wanted to rearrange was because I have been checking everywhere for an arm chair to replace the papasan chair in my room. I never sat in the papsan chair. It's only purpose was a place for me to throw some pillows and my jacket in the winter time.

This is the time of year in Boston when you can find true gems on craigs list. All the students are moving out and they wait till the last minute to post their items for sale. And, because it's last minute they are usually pretty cheap.

On Friday, I found the chair I had been waiting for. And, for only $20!!!! (It's not new, but it's NEW to me)
Look at this gem! I love the color. It swivels around and it reclines. It's comfy and it only cost $20!!!! People name their cars... I am thinking of naming this chair because it's been a long time coming. I've been looking for one for about a year now. (My other problem in looking for a chair was its size. It's an incredibly small space it has to go through on two staircases. This chair BARELY fit. We SQUEEZED it through and even took off one of the doors to make it fit.

The most hilarious part was getting it home. I wish I had my camera. I only have a four-door car (sedan). My brother and I opened the trunk and put down the back seats. We put the top of the chair in first, so the bottom and last 12 inches of the chair were hanging off the end of my car. I ALSO didn't have any rope to tie down the trunk and the chair :)

So, Evan, being the nice brother that he is, rode in the back of my car holding in to the fabric at the top of the chair to keep the chair from falling out! We only had about 20 blocks to go... but it was quite a site. We had to go at a crawl pace because any sudden acceleration and the chair inched more and more out the back of the trunk. It arrived safely. Home, home at last.

Any suggestions for a name for it?! :)