Granny

One of my favorite books has always been Anne of Green Gables. In that book, Anne meets people that she calls kindred spirits.  Kindred spirits are people that you connect with on a deeper level. They are ones who you have a unique spiritual connection with. That feeling that somehow you must have known them in a previous life and you've finally reunited.  Granny was a kindred spirit to me.  I remember talking to her on the phone for the first time.  She was so kind, so accepting, and so easy to talk with.  She made me feel so welcomed into her family. 

Granny was the closest thing to a mother in law that I had.  I was so touched that she would make the trip from AZ to UT to be at our wedding at her age. I can still picture her sitting in the temple, looking so happy. It made our day that much more special that she was there. When Nathan was gone to Iraq, I would sometimes call and talk to her on the phone.   She loved to talk and she always seemed to be in tune with how I was feeling.  I remember her asking me how I was doing and when I said good, she asked, "No, how are you really doing?"  Her passing a few weeks ago was very difficult for me.  I feel that I have lost a dear friend and I am saddened that I did not get to spend more time with her.  This sorrow is softened a bit by knowledge in the gospel and the fact that I will get to see her again someday.  I like to think that she is in heaven with my Nana and Nathan's mom and that the three of them are watching down over us and cheering us on.

My Ruby Red Slippers

It was only a matter of time before I wrote about my brand new favorite shoes.  Nathan calls them my Ruby Red Slippers, which I guess is fitting since I love the Wizard of Oz and Wicked is probably my favorite musical!  Being a teacher and on my feet all day, I have always appreciated a good pair of shoes.  A few years ago, a friend of mine told me about Dansko shoes.  She was a hairdresser who swore by them.  I bought my first pair in 2007 and was in love.

My old pair were worn, scuffed and just plain ugly from wearing so often, that this year I went to go get me another pair.  When shopping, I was trying to decide between the more practical pair or the fun red ones.... It was a hard choice, and I couldn't really afford to buy both (they are kind of pricey, not in the Manolo Blahnik kind of way, but still) What to do, what to do??  Nathan said I should just get both, so that is exactly what I did! I know that I must be my mothers daughter because I remember her often wearing clogs when I was growing up. Being so in love with my shoes, I had to look up the brand and read about them.


Dansko clogs all began with a love story and continue to be a story of love. When Danish horse trainer Peter Kjelerup first saw his student Mandy Cabot, it was love at first sight. Later, as husband and wife, they made a visit to Denmark, Peter's hometown, where they saw the "perfect barn clogs."

Bringing some pieces home to give to friends, then later to sell at horse shows, they discovered a great need for clogs especially by nurses, doctors, chefs, stewards, and other professionals. Thus, they decided to open their own shoe company named Dansko, which means "Danish shoes."

Though it started only in 1990, Dansko clogs have readily become one of the leading clog companies with around 3,500 retail locations providing comfortable clogs of various styles. What is the secret behind Dansko's success? The company is stimulated by one overarching goal: to leave the world a better place.

My shoes make me happy!
 

The Joys and Sorrows of Teaching

This would be my 12th year teaching school, but technically with the half year I taught and moved etc.  I guess it is my 11th.  I can't believe that I have been teaching for that long.  To some of you, it may not sound long....but I remember student teaching with Elaine Hyatt, as a bright eyed and eager college student.  She had been teaching for 10 years, and that seemed like a very long time to me then.  I started teaching in Orem Utah at a little school called Sharon Elementary.  It was an amazing place to work.  I had the very best friends in my coworkers. Many were single and my age, so we would hang out outside of school and do lots of things.  Some days I really miss it. It is ironic that I was so eager for that time to pass, to get married and leave my little school.  But there are days when I miss it! Why is it that we never really appreciate something until it is gone?

This year has already been a challenge for me.  For the first time in my teaching career, I have felt helpless to know how to help a couple students.  All of a sudden I find myself with two students in my class that I just don't know how to reach.  Yesterday was a particularly hard day because one of these students refused to leave my classroom.  The principal has been called in on more than one occasion, but yesterday was particularly dramatic. We had to "evacuate" my classroom to another room and try to have a normal afternoon until the principal was able to eventually coax the student from my classroom.  I am exhausted...
I keep reminding myself that it is the beginning of the school year, and that things will get better..won't they??
It's odd, but I found great joy in the fact that today was the first day of September.  I have decided that I HATE August, especially in Arizona.  It's hot. It's muggy and sticky. And the first days of school are sooo long.  Here's to hoping that my September runs smoother than August.  Before I end this post, I must include a sentence about the BEAST aka Nathan, who has been wonderful supportive and patient through all of my recent crankiness. 

Starting a blog

I am finally joining in on the blog scene.  I have held out, mostly because I have had no clue as to what I would write about.  I am not planning a wedding, expecting a baby, or looking for love.....so I have often asked myself, what would I have to say??  I used to love writing in my journal, but have found this to be something I don't really do anymore. I hope that my blog will be a way for me keep track of those things that I might usually write about in a journal.

I have come to realize that I am happiest when I find joy in the simple things in my life.  Most recently these have included something silly that my dog and cat have done, the crazy antics of a sixth grade student, the joy a brand new pair of shoes brings to me, or something cute and romantic that Nathan has done.  Life also throws challenges and trials my way.  Currently, mine is longing to be a mother, to start a family, but not having that blessing in my life yet. It has been an emotional journey, and one that might be worth recording and sharing.