Christmas in Mind

The first graders at my school today had their Polar Express day today so they had a little parade through the hallway, complete with the music blaring over the intercom.  I always forget each year until I hear it, but this song is one of my favorites but it so easily gets stuck in my head and I will be humming and singing it all day.



I was singing the song all day, that is until my cousin posted this song on Facebook:



First off, I had no clue that David Bowie sang this song.  I love this song!  It was stuck in my head the rest of the day.

Warm the Soles 2011

It's that time of year again!  Our student council helped run a coin drive to raise funds for the Warm the Soles program put on by our local credit union to buy shoes for students in need in our area.  Last year I put up the picture of what we raised, here is this year's picture:

Leave a comment with your guess of how much we raised this year and I'll let you know who the winner is next week!

Do You Ever Feel...

Do you ever feel like you want to say something, but you don't know what?  That's kinda how I'm feeling right now.  I have something on the tip of my brain but I'm not quite sure how to say it or how to even completely form the thought.

Lately I've been observing friendships...current, past, long-lasting, acquaintances, etc.  How do some even start?  I look at some of the friendships I've had and have and some are just mind-boggling.  Like with  my friend Dirk and I, I've tried to figure out or pinpoint the beginning of when we really started hanging out and even when we started confiding in each other.  Then there's my cousin, Pam, we've been friends for forever.  Yeah, we're family but not all family are best friends.  Yet again, I can tell her anything and we understand each other.  We have a standing understanding that we can just call and vent and think nothing of the venting.  Then there are all of the friends that started as roommates.  We were stuck living together for periods of time, some were just there while others became lifelong friends.  I guess my best friends are the friends I feel I can talk to about anything and just feel comfortable talking to...that's not an easy thing for me to find or do.  I wish I knew the secret formula that makes a person someone I'm comfortable talking to.  If you know me and can think back to the first time we ever met, I'm sure you'd remember some awkward person, really quiet, somewhat intimidating to some degree (I don't know why, but I've heard that from quite a few people), etc. and you'd probably think the same thing...how did we ever get to be friends?  Not that I'm lacking in friends, but that I'd like it to be easier to have a relationship with others, not just for me to be more comfortable around new people but so that they're more comfortable around me.  What makes an acquaintance more of a friend?  And what makes a lasting friendship?  I've had some awesome friends, but not all of them have stuck around or really kept in contact while others I talk to on a regular basis.  I'm sure there's not a "secret" ingredient, but what is different about some relationships?

I guess that's kind of what I've been wanting to say, but, like I said, it's not fully formed and I feel it to be somewhat awkward in wording.  Again, I'm not lacking in the friend department, it's just been something I've observed and thought about lately.

Alone Time

Alone time is a necessity in my life and I don't think everyone understands that or its importance.  I need to be able to just be by myself for a chunk of time every day...like completely by myself.  It's not that I'm sad or angry or anything, I just need it as a sort of recharge or even reset for myself.  If I can be the first one home for fifteen to twenty minutes, I'm usually good for the rest of the day.  If I'm not the first one home, I usually have to lock myself in my room for about an hour.  In my old apartments, I would have to go sit in my car as I shared a room with someone.  I still do that on occasion if I really need to get away from everything, but now I usually end up going for a drive so I don't look like some crazy person sitting in the parking lot.  Don't get me wrong, I like to be around people, just not all of the time.  You could be my best friend and have tons of fun with me and talk the whole time, but eventually I will get cranky...just give me fifteen minutes to myself and all will be well.  Sundays are hard.  I love my ward and the people around me, but I feel as though I am in meetings non-stop and then there are small social gatherings and ward prayer and then game night, a lot of times I have to pick and choose what I go to so I don't burn out.

I'm glad my current roommates understand my "me time", others used to be so worried when I excused myself from the group for a period of time.  If my door is open, feel free to chat.  If the door is closed, try again later :)

The Christmas Season

I noted just the other day that it's starting to feel more like the Christmas season to me lately.  I was excited when I realized this but at the same time a little disappointed because I would've like to have had more Christmasy feelings earlier on.  The thing that started me going was the amount of lights I see up around my neighborhood and the one or two festive get-togethers I attended in the last two weeks.  I just realized the main thing missing from my holiday-feeling-ness...fog.  My hometown is foggy, like really foggy, this time of year.  We get a white Christmas, just not from snow.  I don't get to experience the fog we get at home here in Utah.  Yes, we get snow and it's white, but it's not the same.  Besides, it really hasn't snowed here yet.  It's been really cold, but it just doesn't look right just yet.

Late at Night

You never know what will happen late at night at my house.  Tonight was an interesting one...I'm not quite sure if I'm glad that no one else witnessed it to question our sanity or sad that you all missed out.  Either way, I really shouldn't still be awake...I have to work in the morning...like real work.

Tomorrow is my student teacher's last day.  She was very nice and did a pretty good job...I would hire her. It will be nice to get my class back and to be in control again.  I feel as though so much has happened with my students since I have been "away".  And what did I do during this time?  Well...I decorated the Christmas tree in the office, ran around Provo getting things ready for our faculty Christmas party, cooked tortillas, helped 5th grade make stained glass windows, tested many students in reading, fixed the computer in the little theater, hid and read a book or two, planned future lessons, helped write a portfolio piece, climbed on the roof, gave private math tutoring sessions, chased down small children, sang songs, danced dances, spent too much on eating out, and I'm sure so much more.  As much as I got done and as much as I have left to do, I really want to be back in my classroom.

Conundrum Solved!

The conundrum I mentioned about a month ago has been solved!  Not only did my friend take the time to figure out what it was, he also then granted my wish and took me to the event.  For those of you who didn't figure it out...I had always wanted to go to a production called Christmas Around the World put on by BYU's dance department.  It was an evening of folk dance and music from countries around the world.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself (even though I don't show my excitement on my sleeve) and loved every minute of it!  Thanks, Mr. T!