friends!

I am so grateful for friends and family who see things that I don't. They give me a different perspective on the situation and make me realize that I need to carry on! I don't know what I would have done without you all this weekend. Probably given up on some amazing aspects of my life. You all helped me to realize that I can't jump to conclusions and that I need to have patience. I feel very good about the conclusions I have come to and I thank you all for putting me in the correct frame of mind to come to those conclusions.

Some things recently that make me smile

• Lace! It's so feminine and makes me feel like such a lady. I could use all the help I can get!
• It's starting to get warm enough to drive with the windows rolled down. I love playing what I call, "music that needs air." some songs just feel better if the wind is blowing through your hair as you listen to them.
• Making new friends. I've made a new group of friends through the play and I love them!
• My little brother on his mission! He is changing so much and I'm so proud of him
• Butterflies in my stomach accompanied by a smile on my face. That can only mean something good right?
• Wearing sandals is pretty awesome!
• Working out and feeling pain in your abs the next day. You know you've done some good if you can feel it in the morning

Milagros

So I had a miraculous day at work. I had a new student start on Wednesday last week. Because he is only three he only comes twice a week. He was sick on Monday so that means today was only his second day. This kid literally brought me to tears after I first met him because I thought I have no idea how to handle him. His first day he tantrumed for an hour and a half because I would not allow him to throw things around the room, dump everything on the floor or spray water on us from the sink. therefore he sat (I think thrashed is a better word) on the rug for an hour and a half until he fell asleep, exhausted from his screaming and physical exertion. later when he woke up he refused to walk in the halls simply throwing himself to the ground and screaming. All of that and the day actually turned out better than expected. Well today he came back. I was dreading it. Not because he doesn't have the most adorable face, but simply because I don't know if I have what it takes to help him. The day started out the same. Trying to destroy the room so I took him to the rug to wait out his episode. It only lasted 45 minutes! then he calmed down enough to actually play appropriately with two different toys! He only threw them once each! he then went to library with us and actually sat through story time like a perfect angel. I then was able to get him to walk back to class on his own. It may have taken us 45 minutes to walk 200 hundred feet, but we did it! I didn't even have to pick him up at all! then obviously he learned that that isn't ok, so he actually walked without a fuss to the bathroom when I had to change his diaper! Oh my goodness!!! while it was still a rough day, I can't complain one bit about cutting tantrums in half in just one class session. Maybe I am cut out for this job after all!

Oh and two of my students started talking today for THE FIRST TIME!!!!!!!!!! They said, fish, sunny, and stand!!!!

face off

So I've had a small problem from about the time I was 14 until recently. Acne. Yuck. It wasn't that bad when I was in junior high or high school. Nothing out of the ordinary for a teenager. Just slightly annoying for events such as prom or whatever the occasion may be when you wanted to look extra "cute." Then I got to college and I guess my face decided to make me pay for what I had missed out on during my adolescent years. But even that started to subside until I went on my mission. I don't know, maybe my face was not happy about me "leaving behind all personal affairs" including my appearance and it began to wage war against me. So I came home from my mission and dealt with it for a couple months and then decided to fight back. After myriads of pills and creams and doctors visits, the war has almost been won! Today as I was looking at myself in the mirror, realizing that I was wearing no makeup whatsoever, and that I felt comfortable with that, I smiled. I haven't just not worn any makeup outside of my house and camping in years! Not because I'm high maintenance. ( HA! by no means am I high maintenance and I will post a picture to prove it.) But simply because I was embarrassed. I love the feeling that I can show up to places now and people can tell me that I look so pretty, when I've done absolutely nothing to alter the face that God gave me. Overall, I'm just grateful that I am finally comfortable in my own skin!

Next stop...an answer to your prayers

I have been smiling all day. All day yesterday too as a matter of fact. Sometimes things don't go as planned, but then they turn out just as well or better. I have been amazed as I have seen so many things just fall into place in my life recently. More so than almost any other time in my life. I see the personal revelation that the Lord has so kindly given me since I've come home from my mission all unfolding before my eyes. I feel like my life is a line of dominoes, a chain reaction of events, and that everything is happening so quickly I can barely keep up. But I like it this way. Who knows where this particular trail of dominoes is headed, but I can see the general direction, and I like what I see.

short and sweet

I'm failing at updating my blog. so I'm writing something short here on my phone. so excuse the added typos and lack of punctuation. here are two things that make me smile. Someone told me at the play that I was their favorite character in the show and I don't even know them. I also love the tv show modern family. with all the quirkiness, it really makes me want my own family that much more

A clean bathroom

So we have visitors coming over tomorrow and I'm embarrassed to say how long it has been since I have seriously deep cleaned the bathroom. So tonight I scrubbed everything, rearranged the drawers threw out old makeup and shampoo bottles, bleached everything until my nose stung and voila! You have got yourself a clean bathroom. As much as I hate to clean, when it's over it always gives me a sunnier outlook on life!

Wow it's been a long time since I've posted! Not for lack of seeing amazing blessings in my life, but for a little something called the musical. Rehearsals started running later and later, and about 2 months back I decided I needed to cut back on my internet time so I put a timer on my computer that cuts off my internet at 10:30 at night. Therefore effectively impeding any blog posts. But tonight is a new beginning, because it's my very first night that I have at home since our show opened on Friday night. It's an amazing show by the way! Anyways so how can I make up for the lack of posts? I will just give a bullet point list of things that I should have mentioned but never did.

• Opening night was awesome! What a talented cast I have to work with!
• something feels so liberating about singing at the top of your lungs!
• I was desperately searching for a ball gown for the play. Found one that fits me like a glove! It makes me feel so pretty!
• I love the fact that I can whip things together in a pinch on the sewing machine. It may not turn out fantastic, but it works! Many a costume I have thrown together recently!
• Hair extensions. It's so fun to pretend that I have long hair when I'm on stage, but it sure feels good to take it out!
• I dropped a pants size! I gained a bit of weight on my mission. Not a lot but enough that I couldn't fit comfortably into my favorite pre-mission jeans. Well I'm sitting here wearing them as I type. YA HOO!
• I love how the mere mention of a good friend can make me so happy! I obviously have incredible friends!
• That's all I can think of for now, but I'm excited to get back to my project.

Laughing

There is nothing more pure and sweet than the laugh of a small child. While my personal favorite is the belly laugh where they can hardly breath, even the small giggles can brighten your day. A child's laugh shows their pure optimism and their untarnished views on life. Their laugh contains no sarcasm, no pretense, no restraint, no sign of hurt or pain. It is the expression of sheer joy in it's most undefiled form. I'm grateful for the many laughing voices I hear everyday. They remind me that life is good and that no matter what happens, there is always something to laugh about.

Many reasons to be grateful!

• Picky child once again ate something she has never tried before. And this time she took a big bite and swallowed it!
• Went in search of a basic white lace long sleeve shirt today that I was going to have to sew and fancy up to make it look right for my costume. Found the perfect blouse instead that was just the way I wanted it, no sewing required, AND it was twenty percent off because it had a makeup spot on it! AND I found it in the first store I went into
• My costume for the final scene of the show makes me feel like Miss Adler from Sherlock Holmes. IT IS GORGEOUS!

El Dia Domingo!

Many Reasons to smile today

• It's Sunday and I love Sunday
• My hair looked awesome today!
• Oscar party at the Walgamott's (one of the best parties I've been too in a long time)
• I got to sleep in! I feel like I haven't done that in a long time. Even on the days I've had off from work recently, I've gotten up early.

All the colors of the rainbow!

Brightly colored coats make me smile! This was at my friends birthday party last night. Love you HOLLY!

no soy Chilena

So yesterday at work I was working in the special needs evaluation center doing Spanish translation. I said a word that the mother didn't understand "matricularse" which means to enroll yourself, (in this case enroll in school) she corrected me by saying "registrarse" which means to register. Really they both work but I guess in mexico they don't ever use the word matricularse. When I mentioned that that must be a word that they use in Chile she said, "Oh! You are Chilean!" Can I just say that after being home for 9 months and not speaking Spanish constantly it did my heart good that she actually mistook me for a native Spanish speaker.

"If I could change the world"

So today I got one of those warm fuzzy feelings you get when you know that what you do actually has an impact for good on the people around you. Today I had parent teacher conferences. One family in particular stood out to me. I recently started teaching their child in January. He's a tough one but oh so adorable. I sat in awe as they told me that before I started teaching their child they were scared to take him to the grocery store with them because he would get lost, or knock things off the shelves or a myriad of other problems. "It's amazing!" they said. "Since he's started coming to your class, he is so much more obedient and we can take him grocery shopping with us now without being so nervous." Such a little thing that I think many parents take for granted. Something so small but something that brings so much normalcy to their lives. It just made me realize that what I do really does matter to these kids and their parents, and that they can lead more normal lives because of it.

A mi me gusta la musica!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiRNzIUkDuk

This makes me smile. 'Nuff said

a bailar! dia cuatro

DANCING! I love dancing. The part I'm playing in the musical right now is a huge dancing part. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to stretch my legs and twirl around. The last show I was in I hardly danced at all. While in my own opinion, I'm a far better singer than dancer, I still love the feeling of kicking high and leaping and twirling. Because "[dancing] gives you endorpines, endorphines make you happy! Happy people just don't shoot their husbands." Name that movie!

Dia tres

So I'm already failing on my goal. I didn't write yesterday, but I had some problems with my internet and figured, meh, it can wait until tomorrow. ANYWAYS, Yesterday what I wanted to write is that I have conquered the cranky child! Or at least I'm on my way to it! I have a student who after a lot of hard work is so compliant and so well behaved. One who has increased her attention span and begun talking while in my class. However, the child is going to give me gray hairs with one issue...EATING! She is the pickiest eater I've ever met and none, I mean none of the tricks I've used for any other kid work with her. Well we devised a new plan recently and yesterday SHE ATE CHOCOLATE PUDDING!!!! You may think that that's no big deal. I mean come on! It's chocolate pudding. To this child you might as well be asking her to eat food laced with arsenic. But she ate it! Maybe only two bites but she ate it! And she didn't throw up, or spit it on my face or cry or even whimper! And that my friends is a huge reason to smile!

Thank you Mr. President

So this lovely Presidents Day weekend I've been sick thanks to the darling children of the elementary school I teach at. This may sound like a negative thing but I would like to point out the positives. It was a holiday today which means I didn't have to find a substitute (huge blessing considering how hard it can be to find a sub.) Also my cold hasn't effected my singing voice which means tonight at play rehearsal I could still sing. And because it was Presidents Day, I could sit around and rest all day so that I would have enough energy to dance in tonight's rehearsal as well. So THANK YOU MR. PRESIDENT for making my sick day as inconvenient as possible!

DIA UNO

Here it goes! I would like to start out with a new app I discovered for my phone. It's called family search indexing. I think it may just become my new obsession. Even more than Dragon Fly. HA HA. Anyways, what indexing is, is they show you census records from all over the world from sometimes centuries ago and you have to decipher what the name is. Sounds simple enough right? WRONG! Reading the handwriting of these records from the early 1900's is crazy hard! But you know what? When you figure out what one is, you feel like a detective who has just solved a mystery. Once you get started it's hard to stop! I love it! Check it out for yourself. Just look up Family Search indexing on your iPhone or Android phone. Trust me, you'll feel just a little bit like Sherlock Holmes, and if that doesn't make you feel cooler, I don't know what will.

https://www.familysearch.org/volunteer/indexing

BIENVENIDOS!

Welcome everyone! Who knows if anyone will ever even read this, but it's something that came to my mind today and I'm going to see it through. I think I have a pretty amusing life. In fact everyday I have some reason to smile. I don't think I give those gratifying moments the attention they deserve. So it is my goal to write down something that made me smile, everyday, for the next 30 days. There is so much to be grateful for in life, so join me in seeing how amazing my life is, and who knows, maybe you'll realize how grand yours is along the way.