Sisters?

So, a girl came up to Jennifer and I after ward prayer, and started chatting with us. As we were talking, she asked if we were sisters! This was the first time this has happened with Jennifer! It was quite exciting! It goes to show that you do start to look like those you spend time with. Just thought you should know!

Festival of Colors!

On Saturday, 3 of my roommates and I went to the Hare Krishna Temple for the Festival of colors. It is a celebration where people throw colored...chalk, basically, to celebrate the holiday. They also have a bonfire where they symbolically burn this lady who used to burn children. It really is an interesting story, you should look it up! Anyway, when we went, we ran into some old friends, and it was great fun! We ended up not buying any of the powder, but that was NOT a problem. We stood in the middle of the crowd of hundreds, if not thousands of people and were BATHED in the dust.

The beginning was cool, but then we couldn't see anything other than each other, the air was filled with pink dust, yellow dust, green dust, etc. We couldn't really breathe either, and ended up choking a bit. We had to spit a lot, close our eyes to the dust, and try to breathe through it all. I wondered if that is what it would be like to suffocate. I wasn't such a fan of the not breathing, but the colors were a blast!


This is a group shot of the lovely colors.


Here is a chance to see more of the colors.


Here is the top of my head...dusty!

Afterwards, we took turns showering, and washed our clothes together. They said it didn't stain, but some of our clothing ended up PINK! My thermal that was white with blue flowers is now pink with blue flowers. The best thing I can say is that it is an even dye job. We ended up vacuuming Heather's car to get rid of the dust, and all in all had a BLAST!

The Sweetest Brother!

Bryan called me the other day and asked if I would like to go to dinner...just the two of us! Dani had dinner plans with an old friend, and so they thought it would be fun for the siblings to get together for dinner, so we went! Brick Oven is a lovely place! It was so great to be with him, to talk about things, to deepen our relationship. I really like loving my brother not only because we are siblings, but because we are friends. It makes life that much better!

A downside to this wonderful night? Our server kept calling me ma'am! Yes...MA'AM! Jibbely, jibbely!

Bryan rocks my socks!

Oh, what songs of my heart!

You know how there are some sounds or smells or other sense things that can transport you to another place and time so easily? This happens to me at times, and it makes my heart so happy. There is one that speaks to my soul so much, and I had to share it! There is an apartment in my complex, and my ward, that has wind chimes and those wooden looking chime like things hanging on their balcony. The first time I heard them, (and saw in the case of the wooden thing) I was immediately transported back to my Grandma Winans house on Carlisle Drive in California from ages ago. She had about a bazillion wind chimes outside her house, and when the wind picked up, it was a symphony of chimes, ranging in tones from deep and soulful to light and airy. I loved listening to those chimes, as well as spending time with my grandma, and those chimes make my heart so happy and take me back to those precious memories I have of my grandma. The music speaks to my heart!

I appreciate how our senses are intertwined with our memories and how we are connected to our pasts and presents through those intricate, specific memories, and how they shape who we are, how we see the world, and our attitudes towards life.

A few of my favorite people!

I am PSYCHED!!!! You want to know why??? I get to see some of my favorite people today!!! That's right! The Andersons are coming in to Provo to take Blake to the MTC tomorrow, and we are going to get together today! It makes my heart so happy. They are the family I have chosen (and thankfully they have chosen me back), in addition to the family I was born into. They are my big family when I go back to Woodland; if I am not with my sister, I am with the Andersons. It feeds my soul to be with them, and I will get to feast today! I am so grateful for them and soooooo happy to see them!

Oh, the joys of Spring!

The last few days have been those of absolutely GORGEOUS weather, and it makes my heart so happy! I can wear flip flops and my toes don't freeze. The warmth of the sun radiates over my body as I walk to and from work. There is a slight breeze that keeps it from getting too warm too soon, and blows the lightness of the air all over. I really love the spring weather and the renewal of life that comes through on the trees, plants, flowers, and the grass! I am grateful every day for the beauty of the earth and the simple joys in provides in my life. I know every day that Heavenly Father loves me, has provided an amazing world for me to enjoy and shows me that love in the little details of the world. Man, are we lucky!

Teacher Fair Roller Coaster

So, I am currently attempting to find a teaching position for the Fall. I am looking all over the United States, not too picky on where I ended up. My main requirement is that I move out of the area. If I end up here, I would be okay with that, but I really want to have a new adventure in my life. I had my heart set on going to Virginia, but I found out that to teach health, you have to be certified to also teach Physical Education, which I am not. So, Virginia is out, and the other states are all in. Some people gave me a look of pity when I told them my subject area...sad! I went around the fair and talked with several places, but not one that particulary stood out. I was freaking out about the whole thing, but I am now calmer and more trusting in the Lord for my future. I know it will work out, there is a specific place for me to be in the Fall, and I will find that place when the time is right. I need to put more of my trust in Him, not doubting that there is a bigger plan for me than I have even imagined! This is a time to figure out where I really want and need to be, and finding the best way to get me there. I will keep you posted on the happenings of my adventures in finding the next step of my life! Please keep me in your prayers, and if you hear of anything, please let me know!

Pi(e) Day

Today is 3/14, also known as Pi(e) Day. We had pumpkin, chocolate mint, apple, and cheesecake pie made by our roommates. We also had people bring peach, pink lemonade ice cream, banana cream, brought by others. We had a BUNCH of friends come over and enjoy the joys of pie. GOOD TIMES!!!

Ironic, don't you think???

I had a substituting job today (that is not the ironic part). They called me in to sub in a math class. Luckily, I thought at the time that because the teacher had called in sick, it would end up being easy, and there would be a prep period, and life would be grand. Oh no...of course not!

I went the class, and the tracker was there. He told me that he couldn't find the notes that were supposed to be used by the students, so they had basically been sitting for a while doing nothing. I took over and ENDED UP TEACHING. I found the notebook the teacher used, and verbally gave the instructions to the class. This was towards the end of the period that I actually got there, so we did a little bit, and then class was done and done.

The next period, I had it planned out and the kids were great and it went off without a hitch! Life was good, even if I was TEACHING MATH!!!! Who knew!?!?! The next period was chaos, to say the least. The class was a different one, so I had to do the new lesson outline (which had all the notes, pages, etc, thankfully) and try to get the students on task. Just as this was happening, the fire alarm went off and we had to evacuate the building. I had trouble finding all my students, but eventually we got to go back into the class and I tried again to get them focused and on track. It worked to an extent, but there were some students that were pains in my neck and I wanted them out! Luckily, lunch came, and I had 45 glorious minutes to myself.

My last class was a pain, for several reasons. The worksheets were messed up, and so I had to go question by question and the student complained about having to actually write the assignments and do it. My goodnes! Students have changed so much, even in the few years that have been since I was in school.

The most ironic part of the day was that I spent it on my feet, TEACHING MATH!!!!

I then spent an hour and a half doing driving range too. My legs and body are TIRED!!!

KILL the Wii!!!

Last night I went over to visit with Clark for a bit, and I walked on a scene that greatly disturbed me. No, there were no animal sacrifices or indoor fires burning...it was much more worrisome to me. I saw Kendel and Neil playing Super Smash Brothers extraordinaire part 17. Well, it is really the newest Smash Brothers game. This was not the most disturbing part, oh no. It is fine that they are playing, increasing their finger dexterity, working on teamwork, and building a kindred spirit with each other...this I am fine with. HOWEVER, when you play a game for 5 HOURS, I get a little worried and even more disturbed at the thought. ALSO, Kendel was only about 58% of the way through the game, meaning that they will be glued to the television for the next few days, beating the game, working the game, and finding all the little tricks and nuances of the game. I worry for the fate and state of the guys in apartment 207. Maybe there is a way to get rid of the wii...hmmm...

Stupidest Injury...EVER!

So, part of my lower back was hurting during church yesterday. I thought maybe I had slept on it wrong, or the time change had done something weird, I am just not sure. I made it through church, but the pain got worse and worse. After church, Jessica worked on my back for a bit, which relieved the pain for a while, but it came back. I still was not sure why I was hurting, and we went through what I had done that might hurt my back. We were hanging out with our friend Jacob, who is a massage therapist, and he also helped with the quest of figuring out the pain. We figured it out, and here comes the stupid part. I tweaked my back from....BOWLING! How embarrassing is that!??! Luckily, Jacob is kind enough to work on my back for a bit, and it is feeling much better. I hope that it will completely better soon! Thanks to all who helped, and didn't laugh too much when we figured out the issue!

Bowling Adventure

So, I went on a triple date, and we went bowling. I ended up being first, so I had the pressure to make it good, and to set the standard. Well, the first game I did pretty well. I ended up with a score of 120, beating everyone else. I got a few strikes and pretty well rocked that game. The second game, we had 1 frame of left handed bowling, and another of spinning it while you bowl. These two frames did nothing for my already dismal score. (Whenever I go bowling I rock at one and stink at the other.) I ended up getting the lowest score of the bunch, and even less than half of my other score, with a score of 58. It was a humbling experience, but it was so much fun! I forgot how much I liked bowling until I went again today! I heart bowling!

Stupid strange dreams!

Have you ever had a dream that causes you to wake up thinking "what?!?!?!?!". I sure have, and it seems to happen in clusters of strange dreams. I have a few friends that are currently running for college leadership positions, and while I have NO say in either decision (I am no longer a student, so I can't vote), I had STRANGE dreams about the election process for these individuals. I can't recount exact events of the dreams, I just know that it was not a typical voting process, and hula hoops were involved. Other strange kiddie toys and games were also a part of the dream, I am just not sure how they all fit together. I woke up feeling stressed for them, and with a clenched jaw. I also had a headache...but that had been around for a few days. Anyway, this is definitely not the first time this has happened, but it is the most recent, and I just had to type it out! Strange dreams are stupid! Well, the dreams themselves may be kooky fun, but the results are STUPID!!!! and that is all.

Movie Frustrations

Have I ever told you how much I HATE movies that bring things up and then never address them, or leave endings too open, not giving the viewer enough closure on the film. For example, in The Bourne Ultimatum, Julia Stiles' and Matt Damon's characters are talking while they were on the run, and she brought up the fact that with him it was always difficult for her. THEY NEVER GO BACK TO THIS PART OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP...I looked, and they said they made it ambiguous, but important ON PURPOSE!! It kills me when they do that. Also, I know that some endings are to be left open to interpretation, but sometimes you want some closure as a viewer. I am okay with most movies, but every once in a while, they end just too soon for enough closure. I can't think of any right at this moment, but I know it happens!! Oh well....