ABCs of Thanksgiving

A: Apostles and prophets- I love these men for the things they say, the things they do, the sacrifices they have made, the position they hold and just who they are.

B: BYU- I loved my time in college! I feel especially grateful to have gone to this particular college. I will never forget the friends I met, the things I learned, professors that changed my life, and just the overall amazing spirit that was always present on campus.

C: Christ- This may be an understatement of how I feel about Him just to add His name among this list, but I don't know how I could leave Him out. I'm so grateful to have a relationship with my Savior, to understand in a small way the sacrifice that has been made for me, and to have the knowledge to be able to apply it to my life.

D: Dreams- the ones I have when I'm asleep and even more importantly the ones I have when I'm awake

E: Experiences- the ones that have made great memories and even the ones I haven't wanted at the time.

F: Family- I love my family! Cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents, and especially my immediate family. I can't say enough. I can't be myself with anyone quite the way I can be with these people. I love how I laugh harder with them than I can with anyone. I love the way they love me.

G: Giggles and uncontrollable laughter

H: Home- I'm glad I grew up in the South. I love the people, the culture, the geography, and so much.

I: inspired ideas that this amazing Nation has been built on.

J: Just enough of everything I need. I've never had to do completely without, but I've had little enough to keep me humble.

K: Kids- I love my students that I teach every year. As much as I might complain about things, I can't imagine life without these little ones. I love them. Even more than that, I love my nieces and nephews and love watching the little people they are becoming.

L: Love in all its various forms

M: Music- It inspires, motivates, energizes, and makes me laugh

N: Nature- sunrises, sunsets, trees, mountains, flowers, animals, rain, clouds, snow.  I could go on and on. I love the clarity that nature gives me.

O: Opportunities- I've had countless opportunities to succeed and to build me up as a person.

P: Parents- I wish I had realized the value of my mom and dad earlier in life. They are my biggest fans, and I love them for it.

Q: Quiet time- I'm so thankful for time to think.

R: Running- (and biking)- These have given me confidence, pleasure, and a feeling of achievement. They have greatly improved my quality of life.

S: Sisters- They're my best friends. Even from so far away, I feel like they know me better than anyone else. I can't imagine my life without them.

T: Timing. Things happen for a reason, and it's all in Heavenly Father's capable hands. Thank goodness.

U: Unexpected blessings

V: Velvet and Violet- These just happen to start with Vs, but all my pets belong on this list. No one can understand you like a dog can when you're a kid. :)

W: Work- It's both a blessing and a burden, but mostly a blessing.

X: Xerox machines- Yes, I'm a teacher and this is the letter X. There's only so much to put.

Y: Yeses- They are so much better than no's.

Z: Zoo- Yes, probably not the most eloquent way to finish off the alphabet but seriously even now when I think about the zoo, I get all tingly and excited. I could go 100,000 times and still not be tired of it. There's something magical about that place.

Am I a Cyclist Yet?

Can I call myself a cyclist yet? I can't wait to stop saying, "I'm just getting into it." My insecure self tells me that the "experienced" cyclist are judging me, and well, I want them to stop. Whether I am a little "roadie" or not, here's a break-down of my cycling summer.

I bought a bike in June. Really didn't want a Trek, but I also was sick of shopping around. I liked the way it looked which I've heard was the most important thing in buying a bike by several non-cyclist girls. I decided to listen to them. I also held back buying a more expensive bike just in case I didn't fall in love with it. So the question remains; Did I fall in love with it? Do I think it was all worth it?

Last Saturday was race #1 for me. I learned some things from riding the Tour de Saint George. First, if everyone around you looks confuses and starts stopping, don't keep riding. But if you do keep riding, realize that if you are no longer seeing other bikers in a race with 400 people, stop. Please don't keep riding. Riding 10 miles out of the way really takes all the fun away from riding. I did see other cyclist actually. They were all just going the opposite direction. I caught up to one lady after I had turned my bike around. The conversation went something like this:
Me: "Are we going the right way?"
Her: "Yes."
Me: "I've been riding for a really long time. Are you sure?"
Her: "Yes."
Me: "What mile are you on?"
Her: "84. What about you?"
Me: Ready to drop my bike and kick it 100 times. "108....I think I went the wrong way."

I've never been so ready to cry but unable to produce tears in my life. Luckily I found out that several people had or almost had missed that turn. It feels better if a whole crowd of people mess up than if you just do it alone.
I crossed the finish line without even smiling. I think it took me an hour to smile after that. I decided I'm not counting the time that I had to backtrack. I'm deleting that from my overall time. I didn't do as well as I wanted, but I didn't do bad especially considering my training plan of taking 3 weeks of the bike before the race. I realized I could do it though. I think wrecking gave me some kind of mental strength

.

And about wrecking...Lessons learned: Don't ride above 30 mph when you can't see the road ahead of you. Watch for rocks, especially in Springville. Learning how to emergency stop really would help me. Road rash hurts- a lot. I laugh when I'm in pain. I can be pretty tough if I want to be. Pain pills make me feel confused and really sleepy. I have amazing friends and family that take care of me. The hospital has magical anti-nausea pills which I would love to carry around. Utah Valley ER has some darn good nurses and volunteers (especially the man with the South African accent who I made come talk to me throughout the night.) Swelling hurts. It is really frustrating to not be able to lift your arm to get dressed, put make-up on, do your hair, and just operate in general. Wrecking on a bike really does hurt.

The conclusion is that I LOVE cycling. I used to love running. There's definitely still a part of me that does and always will. However, I'm starting to think that running is for people who can't ride a bike. Cycling has opened me up to new friends, boyfriends, better girl friends, and given me a new belonging and sense of self-worth. I realize that's a lot to gain from something as simple as a bike, but it's the truth. It really has helped me get over heartache. I've ridden when I've been excited, and I've ridden when I've been sad.  I've ridden into a new love of life. For those reasons, I'm just gonna go ahead and start saying I'm a cyclist.

Overview of Summer

1. Got my "sparkle" back


2. Bought a bike and fell in love



3. Went to Lake Powell with the Ottesons




4. Stadium of Fire





5. Went to Disneyland with Josh and Melo







6. Spent lots of time with the Lungren side of the family



7. Went to a Dodger's game.



8. Went to California beaches for the first time


9. Saw one of my best friends and her husband




10. Went to Zion National Park



11. Set up my classroom

(More pictures coming soon)

12. Loved my life A LOT!

Just in case you haven't seen this yet...

Braces

So here is me with my braces! They feel like a torture device that I am paying $4,000 for, but at least they make me look beautiful, right? ;) People keep telling me that it will all be worth it in the end. I keep trying to believe them.

It starts with an M and there is snow...must be March!

Wrong! This worthless photo is from the "supposed-to-be-wonderful-heavenly-and-warm-but-is-not" month of May. MAY! Snow in May. The end of May at that (May 24th). I was ready to say good-bye to all of this in February.

Icy Roads and Frozen Toes,
The freeway slows;
I can't feel my nose;
Snow blows;

Isn't it over yet?

I'm late for school;
This is so not cool;
This weather is cruel.

Isn't it over yet?

Why are the days still gray?
Winter clothes need to be put away;
I feel a growing amount of dismay,
But will continue to pray,
that never again will I see such a miserable day.

Winter, PLEASE be over!

This was the best I could do on Tuesday night at 1:00 am. I just want to sleep. Tomorrow will be a beautiful and absolutely delightful day nonetheless. I think Spring really is here now!

"Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each."

-Henry David Thoreau

I love seasons! I love the change that comes with it. Every season (except winter) I swear it's my favorite. Well, even in winter I enjoy the snow for the first 2 or 3 times and then I'm done. :/ I have really just loved Spring though this year and been so ready for it. Provo bloomed within the course of one day, and it is BEAUTIFUL. There are cherry and apple blossoms all over town. Graduation is coming up. I'm pretty jealous of all of those BYU grads. That was such a good feeling! I love Spring for a thousand reasons. I adore hearing birds again. I like the sense of accomplishment that we get even in 2nd grade. It's easier to enjoy my students as I know I will have a 2 month break coming up. Everything really does feel new in Spring.
In the Fall, I swear that there is no better time. The trees are turning colors, the mountains look like they are on fire with orange and red popping out everywhere. It's football season, corn mazes, apple cider, and new things begin. Everyone comes back to school. I get a new class. I meet a new ward. It's so fun!
And then there's Summer. It's always been my favorite. I love hot Summer days. It's the only time I feel like I can read the whole day and not feel guilty. I get tan and feel cute for the first time in a while. I get to play soccer really often. Running becomes a daily habit again. I have new experiences and adventures every Summer. I can camp as much as I want, hike as often as I want, and stay out as late as I want.
Winter, I will try to enjoy you more next year. For now I'm done with you. Till we meet again.