I love this life

I wrote a blog post, decided it was too jumbled and even a little harsh, so I deleted it. My mother would be proud. I'll keep it simple. Life is great. For the moment. But that's how life is. We had a beautiful double rainbow here the other day, and I even had a cute little quote to go along with my picture that is on facebook. "You can't have a rainbow without a little bit of rain." Sometimes bad things happen, and life gets hard. And that is OKAY. I think we live in a society where it's socially unacceptable for people to share their problems. But sometimes that's what you need. Sometimes all you need is to get them out there. And most of the time, you feel better! Last year was hard. I hit an all time low in my life, and I was majorly depressed. And I didn't talk about it to very many people. Because that's what we do. We put on a smile and pretend like everything is okay when we are falling apart on the inside. I had days where I was done. I was physically sick. I hated my job, and I didn't know why I was even bothering. I didn't think I could make a difference. I missed my family. I didn't know why I moved so far away from people who love me. But I learned that in order for our situations to change, WE have to make a change in ourselves. I made the decision that I was going to be happy. I was going to choose to be positive. I was going to look for the good in the situation. If I couldn't change something, I would find a way to make it bearable, and sometimes even fun. I took myself out of Vegas for a bit during the summer, I saw my family, I switched grade levels. I DID something. And sometimes that's all it takes. I'm not saying that that will fix all of your problems, but it can't hurt.

Not sure why I went there, but it happened. I hope it helped someone. My life is pretty fantastic right now though. I love my job, I love my class, I have the best team ever, and I have a month long break coming up! (Who said year round schools were bad? If you're single, they kind of seem like the best thing ever!) My baby brother is a COLLEGE STUDENT!!! Where the heck did the time go?? I remember when that kid was born! And now he's all on his own! I've got a trip planned to Rexburg in two weeks to see family, and then I'm going to Disneyland with Kirsten. And I get to go to PALI with our 5th graders who were once my very first class of 3rd graders. They have a special place in my heart! I have some amazing friends who I would be lost without. I got a new calling at church where I format the ward bulletin, and I LOVE it! It's even better than my first "real" calling of Relief Society Greeter my first semester of college. Yup. I'm pretty sure they made that calling up. But it was pretty great. Hopefully I didn't just jinx it. But I type a lot faster than I can write in my journal. So here it is. My life in a nutshell. I hope you have a great day, and when life gets hard, remember that you can't have a rainbow without a little bit of rain.

Change is in the Air

So, obviously I rock at writing on my blog. It's becoming an annual thing, I think. I spent a lot of quality time on blogger tonight though because I made a blog for my ysa ward! I feel really accomplished and think it looks awesome! Kirsten keeps making fun of me for how excited I am. Although she frequently makes fun of me so I don't think I can read too much into it. While I was slaving away over the blog, she was a good little teacher and did all of her lesson plans for the week. I figure I'll do mine tomorrow. Although tomorrow is MARATHON DAY!!! And if you think I'll be running a marathon, you obviously don't know me at all. Kirsten and I are watching all of the Harry Potter movies. Although we cheated a little bit and are watching the first one tonight so we might actually get some sleep. We've got big plans for tomorrow in addition to the movies. We are planning on swimming and making cinnamon rolls. I think this has the potential to be a Labor Day tradition.

In case you are wondering, I LOVE my class this year! I dropped down to 2nd grade which means a couple of things:
1. I moved into the building. Pro: I have a HUGE room. Con: It's a corner room so I have two walls of windows and the air doesn't work. I stole a fan from the custodians and told them I wasn't giving it back.
2. I only have 15 kiddos in my class!! I really don't see a con to this.
3. I have an AMAZING team that I am working with. It seriously helps me remember why I became a teacher and why I love my job.
4. I have to learn all new curriculum and I have no resources from previous years. Although I do know where they should be by the end of the year, which is helpful.

In case you were wondering why I made a 2nd blog for my ward... I was recently released from activities committee co-chair. I loved that calling, but that calling, along with school, drained everything I have. I am now in charge of the ward bulletin. Yup. That piece of folded paper you get every week that tells you what you're singing and who you are listening to? I make that. Also, social media specialist is somewhere in that title. I had no idea what that meant because I can't do anything with the facebook page, so I did my own thing (as per usual) and made a blog for the ward.

As far as my family goes... My parents left the Great State of Georgia and moved up North to Pennsylvania. I am in LOVE with their new house, but obviously I miss the South. Southern Hospitality is a real thing!! I went to visit for 3 weeks over the summer, and it was great! Dad and I spent a day in New York, we went to Gettysburg (their Cyclorama doesn't spin like the one in Atlanta does... The North may have won the war, but the South definitely wins this battle.), and we also went to Valley Forge one day with mom and the dog. There was a lot of "mommy and me" time this summer. And even though I'm an adult, I absolutely admit to needing my mom and dad. Who else will wake me up at 4 am just to check on me or come running when I drop the remote and it makes a loud noise just to make sure I'm okay?

One year older, and wiser too... Well, I don't know about wiser... (Fun fact: I found out this year that I don't have wisdom teeth! I'm pretty sure that makes me highly evolved.) But I did have a birthday last month, and my friends threw me an absolutely "marvel"ous birthday party! It was super! It was Captain America/Avengers themed, because obviously Captain America is the best. Duh. My internet is spotty or I would post pictures. Stalk me on facebook for them. It was the best birthday party ever. Hands down. 

Well, that's about all I can think of... I hope life is just as peachy for you as it is for me!