Every one of these messages that I've watched has been meaningful and personally applicable. This new one caused me to tear up, count my blessings, and reminded me that we all have our 'hard things' -- they're just uniquely and very individually packaged.
Most of you probably already read the blog referenced, but if not you should check out the Nie Nie Dialogues.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Mad to the Max!
Passing along the family March Madness trophy has probably taken a little longer than it should have, but last night we finally made it official.
After a year on our mantle, the beloved 'Mad to the Max' trophy was passed on to Nate's dad, Dave. As you can see, he plans on holding on to that trophy quite happily for the next year.
In the end, it was a close race between Annie and Dave. By the time it got down to the Elite Eight Nate and I didn't have a chance.
Thanks a lot Kansas and Kentucky and any other number of teams who didn't exactly perform like we expected you to.
Awarding Dave with the trophy made for a great excuse for all of us that are here in town to get together for a little celebratory dinner. We all live ridiculously close to each other and never get enough time together. So it was great to just relax, catch up on each other's lives and, of course, eat.
Hopefully next year we'll be celebrating Max's return to our mantle!
After a year on our mantle, the beloved 'Mad to the Max' trophy was passed on to Nate's dad, Dave. As you can see, he plans on holding on to that trophy quite happily for the next year.
In the end, it was a close race between Annie and Dave. By the time it got down to the Elite Eight Nate and I didn't have a chance.Thanks a lot Kansas and Kentucky and any other number of teams who didn't exactly perform like we expected you to.
Awarding Dave with the trophy made for a great excuse for all of us that are here in town to get together for a little celebratory dinner. We all live ridiculously close to each other and never get enough time together. So it was great to just relax, catch up on each other's lives and, of course, eat.Hopefully next year we'll be celebrating Max's return to our mantle!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Called to Serve
What a great time we had acting as a 'mission president' for our Stake's Youth Conference last weekend!
These sweet girls spent the night at our house Friday night so we could prepare them for the assignment they had on Saturday morning. They were awesome in every way: smart, friendly, excited and spiritual. It was a lot of work, but all of us had a truly powerful, strengthening experience. So worth it and so memorable.
While the likelihood of us ever experiencing the real thing is pretty slim, I have to say, I've been humming 'I Hope They Call Me on a Mission' the past few days. Nate did make for a good mission president though, even if it was just overnight!
These sweet girls spent the night at our house Friday night so we could prepare them for the assignment they had on Saturday morning. They were awesome in every way: smart, friendly, excited and spiritual. It was a lot of work, but all of us had a truly powerful, strengthening experience. So worth it and so memorable.
While the likelihood of us ever experiencing the real thing is pretty slim, I have to say, I've been humming 'I Hope They Call Me on a Mission' the past few days. Nate did make for a good mission president though, even if it was just overnight!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Feelin' the Love
It seems that for kids Valentine's Day is like a second Halloween. In the Fall it's costumes and candy. In February it's cards and candy. Truth be told, the Valentine's Day party is probably my favorite one our class has. It's just fun to be a part of and observe the kids' excitement. I have no logical explanation for why kids get so excited to pick out, fill out and pass out silly cards, but they love it.
So today I received my own fill of the usual silliness:
But I was certainly not expecting this...
...especially since I've felt like lately my job description falls more under the description of correctional officer or prison warden instead of loving, highly qualified teacher. Good grief. It just kept coming. No complaints though, especially when it comes to that box there front and center. Eight Sheri's Berries is definitely one way to buy favoritism. :-)
Of course, there was one gift (or more) that fell into the special 'it's the thought that counts' category:
A one inch chunk of candy cane. A special thought indeed.
I have to say, it was a great, sugared-up day.
Have a Happy Valentine's Day!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
today's highlight
Mrs. Boyce, my mom couldn't sign my homework folder last night because she had to go get a tattoo.
Lovely.
Lovely.
Monday, January 25, 2010
The Circus
Pardon me, I meant to say, the 'Cirque'...
Not much going on the past few weeks, which has been just fine by me. But on Saturday we ventured back to San Francisco to take in a little show.
This was my third Cirque du Soleil show (does that make me a groupie? I kind of hope not...) and Nate's first. It's hard to describe these performances to someone who's never heard of them. Uh, it's a French-Canadian circus...no, there aren't any animals...no, there isn't a bearded lady...but there's lots of really cool acrobatics, great music and not a word of English.
See? That doesn't sound super special, does it? But the thing is that the show is amazing. I'm pretty impressed on a normal day at what a normal body can do. But these folks...they bend and balance and jump in a way that my 'normal' body will never know. Both Nate and I smiled through most of the show, just from the amazement of it all.
The Circus, combined with an oh, so delicious dinner at Houston's, and not a drop of rain in the city made for a perfect date!
Not much going on the past few weeks, which has been just fine by me. But on Saturday we ventured back to San Francisco to take in a little show.
This was my third Cirque du Soleil show (does that make me a groupie? I kind of hope not...) and Nate's first. It's hard to describe these performances to someone who's never heard of them. Uh, it's a French-Canadian circus...no, there aren't any animals...no, there isn't a bearded lady...but there's lots of really cool acrobatics, great music and not a word of English.See? That doesn't sound super special, does it? But the thing is that the show is amazing. I'm pretty impressed on a normal day at what a normal body can do. But these folks...they bend and balance and jump in a way that my 'normal' body will never know. Both Nate and I smiled through most of the show, just from the amazement of it all.
The Circus, combined with an oh, so delicious dinner at Houston's, and not a drop of rain in the city made for a perfect date!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Family & Fun
The holidays were crazy. Crazy FUN, but still a bit of a whirlwind. On Saturday, as we lazily watched a movie together, we realized it was the first time in 11 days that we had spent an evening at home. No complaints though. Having family in town is way too fun to miss out on!
We had the usual Christmas celebrations with both sides of the family. Nate and I are horrible about taking pictures on Christmas. We have exactly 2 from the four Christmases we've spent together. So, nothing to share there. Even after a day of being spoiled with presents, delicious food and lots of love the good times kept on rolling.
Dinner and a Kings game with some of Nate's siblings was fun...and the Kings won.
A day in San Francisco was filled with a lot of the usual tourist activities: Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli square, a cable car ride to Union Square and even a little boat cruise around the bay.
It was as close as we could get to Alcatraz, since tickets sold out way in advance. Sorry Becky.
Next time you're here, we promise.
As we stood in Union Square hoping for a cable car to come our way, Nader, the limo driver, pulled up and offered us a ride for $5 a person. Sure it seemed a little sketchy, but this cute Asian family was nervously getting in the limo too, so we figured we'd all be hostages together if it came to that.
Turns out that Nader was quite the gentleman (and savvy businessman -- he made $50 just by driving a bunch of us back to Ghirardelli Square!) and made sure our ride was completely enjoyable. We were just happy to be on our way back in the right direction without waiting for what was seeming like forever. One of those 'you had to be there moments,' but definitely memorable for us.
Big adventures aside, we played games, visited Costa Vida with the dearest of friends, watched some football and the ball drop, and just had a great time together. As exhausting as some days were, we wouldn't trade or change it. Thanks Family for so many good times!
We had the usual Christmas celebrations with both sides of the family. Nate and I are horrible about taking pictures on Christmas. We have exactly 2 from the four Christmases we've spent together. So, nothing to share there. Even after a day of being spoiled with presents, delicious food and lots of love the good times kept on rolling.
Dinner and a Kings game with some of Nate's siblings was fun...and the Kings won.A day in San Francisco was filled with a lot of the usual tourist activities: Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli square, a cable car ride to Union Square and even a little boat cruise around the bay.
It was as close as we could get to Alcatraz, since tickets sold out way in advance. Sorry Becky.
Next time you're here, we promise.
As we stood in Union Square hoping for a cable car to come our way, Nader, the limo driver, pulled up and offered us a ride for $5 a person. Sure it seemed a little sketchy, but this cute Asian family was nervously getting in the limo too, so we figured we'd all be hostages together if it came to that.Turns out that Nader was quite the gentleman (and savvy businessman -- he made $50 just by driving a bunch of us back to Ghirardelli Square!) and made sure our ride was completely enjoyable. We were just happy to be on our way back in the right direction without waiting for what was seeming like forever. One of those 'you had to be there moments,' but definitely memorable for us.
Big adventures aside, we played games, visited Costa Vida with the dearest of friends, watched some football and the ball drop, and just had a great time together. As exhausting as some days were, we wouldn't trade or change it. Thanks Family for so many good times!
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