Laughing

Friday, finally. I am so tired. This has been one long week.

So at Lakeridge the students get a free 30 minute period if they are passing all their classes. If not they have to go to their failing classes and make-up their work. Well for the students that are passing there are activities that they can go participate in. So I am talking to a 9th grader today and she tells me going to seminary during this free period is the best (I will be honest I was a little surprised). So I ask her what is so awesome about it. Well the seminary teachers have set up a question/answer session. They text questions to the teachers and they show up on a screen and the teachers then answer the questions. Cool idea, huh, and it is anonymous. Then she continues to tell me that yesterday one of her friends, who I will not name, asked if it was breaking a commandment to kiss someone that is not your husband/wife, and she was serious. I was laughing so hard. Only in Utah. Only in seminary. So funny but good that the seminary teachers are helping the kids sort through all the Mormon myths. Teaching junior high can be awesome, except on the occasional day that I want to kill someone. But really I have great students. It really is neat to watch them figure out the world and how to live and how to keep the commandments. They want to be so good, which I love. But man they crack me up. I only wish I could tease the student that asked that question. But she doesn't know I know and it probably would not really be appropriate. But it would be fun.

It also makes me laugh how in junior high they really can't reason to come up with an answer. The boys PE teacher always puts crazy things about me on his assignments like, "if this is not 100% complete Coach Brown will beat you up!" It is usually in bold print, enlarged, and totally ridiculous. So on my practice test I put that he was 50 years old and the students had to calculate what his heart rate should be while exercising. And every class period I had students commenting on how it is so crazy that he is 50. That hey he looks good for a 50 year old. So I would then try to help them reason to come up with a conclusion but they just could not do it. If I put it on there it must be true. So funny.

Not laughing at some of my 9th graders that think we are best friends. I love that I have a good relationship with a lot of my students but NEWS FLASH: we are not friends. One of my 9th graders told me to shut-up today. She was joking but I was like HELLO, you do not say that to adults. Who do you think you are? Seriously.

My T.A.'s are awesome. They help me a ton. I was looking over some papers they graded and one of my T.A.'s wrote a note to everyone she thought had good handwriting. So funny. Even funnier she wrote the note and then signed her name.

Funny?

So at the Relief Society General meeting I was taking notes and flipping through my notes from a year ago. The book I take notes in is also my journal. Now I am not your normal journal writer. I used to be really good at keeping a journal but since my mission I have not been great at it. A couple of years ago at an FHE I attended (don't die of shock) the lesson was on journaling and it was suggested to write down three things you are thankful for each day. Now that was journaling I could get behind. My main issue with writing was that I felt like I do a lot of the same things everyday. So now I write three things, most days, and I really like it. Ok so back to the broadcast I was reading through my three things from last year at the same time, day of the broadcast and I had to laugh. Saturday for the first time this year I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I love them and they are one of my favorite fall treats. So the funny thing is that last year on the exact same Saturday I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Good to know I am doing the exact same things a year later. That made me laugh.

Sad Day

The day started off great. Good friends, good food, got tons done on the to-do list. The day ended horribly. Worst, football game, ever, seriously! The end. I just wanted to post my cute pre-game picture.

10 years ago today . . . . .

I was in the Sacramento Airport ready to board my plane to fly to Utah because the next day I was entering the MTC. I was in the terminal with my family, remember that we could do that, and we saw the 2nd plane hit on the television. My Dad announced to our family that the country was now at war. WHAT? I was so confused. Well my plane boarded and my family left before it took off. This was also the days before cell phones. My plane was then unboarded because all flights were grounded. So my parents got home and then came back and got me. I was one of the last souls in the Sacramento Airport. Crazy. And then I got to drive to the MTC.

I wish I could bottle up what I was feeling as I was leaving for my mission. To this day it is the most brave thing I have ever done. I was so nervous and scared. I kept thinking this was crazy you don't just sign-up to put your life on hold for a year and a half. If I was not so prideful I probably would not have gone, really I was that anxious. I really was scared. I told that to no one. But I also new that it is what the Lord wanted little me to do. I had received a powerful confirmation that a mission was for me. I had not always planned on a mission but here I was. And I went. And there were reasons to be afraid because it was HARD, exhausting, frustrating, heartbreaking (I seriously have never had my heart broken so many times), sad.....but you know it was also beautiful, amazing, I grew so much, I learned so much, it was to this day one of the best experiences of my life, did I mention it was HARD! Yet I was willing to trade it all in because of fear. Needless to say 9/11 is a little weird for me because I never really watched the footage. I was already set apart, so no TV for me. I spent the day in a rental car getting to the MTC. It almost feels like it didn't happen even though I obviously know it did. The day after I arrived home from my mission President Bush announced that we were going to war. So I missed a lot in 18 months.

Fast forward 10 years. I went on a really nice walk this morning and enjoyed the fall air. I realized I still 10 years later have some of those same feelings I had about leaving on a mission 10 years ago. My life plan is different than I anticipated. If I worry too much I am nervous and scared and sad. However I have learned that Heavenly Father knows best and he is in charge. He knows the beautiful amazing life I am supposed to have and is guiding me there. In the end I know I will look back on my life like I do my mission and realize it was worth it, awesome, HARD, and amazing. So there you go.

I remember as I was leaving Taiwan my mission president telling me that I would think about my mission everyday for the rest of my life. I thought that was kind of crazy and I really didn't know that I would. I can report that so far I have. It really was a beautiful time in my life and I do think about it at least once everyday. Maybe that will change but who knows.

I am so thankful for the country in which we live. One of the things I love is freedom of religion. I love the gospel and I know it is true. I love my family and know we can be together forever. I know Heavenly Father lives and loves us. I know Jesus Christ sacrificed for all our sins so that we can return to Heavenly Father again someday. Thank heavens for all the people that sacrifice their lives every day for our country. So that we can enjoy so many freedoms. GOD BLESS THE USA!

Don't Judge

• My recently returned missionary brother now looks like a Hippy. Don't worry I have not gotten used to it and really don't enjoy the look but I am trying not to voice my opinion too much. I think I already passed that mark though. However my Mom was introducing him as her Hippy son and he was enjoying that a little too much. Spending the weekend with my younger brothers has been enlightening. I now have some new social networking goals....only build up my younger brothers (Aaron, Anthony, and Caleb) with Facebook comments.
  

• I like to eat off of others plates at restaurants. Especially if their food is better than mine. It is a really bad habit and tends to really annoy others. I should work on this. Anthony put up a blockade so I could not get to his food.
  

• 7th grade students that just want to hang out in the morning drive me a little crazy. I think it is referred to as elementary school hangover. Love those kids but it takes me a while to prepare to deal with kids all day in the morning. If they come in too early my anxiety rises.
  

• I love diet cherry pepsi. I need to not love it so much and not buy it anymore. I know better but truth be told I eat way less if I drink one it really curbs my hunger. Dan informed me that that does not make it healthy. DARN!
• Sometimes I text, take pictures, and play with my ipod all while driving. Not really safe, but who doesn't. It drives Dan crazy.

• I stole a copy of People Magazine from the school library so I could read an interesting story at the gym. I actually did get permission. It was a 9/11 special and I can report that People Magazine does not do a very good job writing. Stick to the gossip and let Time handle the heavy stuff!
• My family was in town this weekend for my Mom's brother Doug's funeral. Sad reason to visit but we sure had lots of fun at Denny's after the viewing. Is that appropriate?

• When my students lose their locker combination I used to just make them do 20 push-ups (they could use their knees) in order to get their combo. But I learned from the Boys PE teacher that kids will pay 25 cents instead. So now I give them the option and I have a can on my desk for Ms. Brown's cookie fund. Is that mean? I just have no recollection of ever losing my combo. Who would have given it to us? Write it down people!
• My brothers are still some of my favorite people to spend time with. They can be mean, and they are sarcastic, and they are gross, but they are also funny, and fun, and kind. Love all my brothers, even the ones that could not make it this weekend. We missed you Ben and Aaron.
  

• I really didn't know my Uncle Doug. It actually made me a little sad at the funeral thinking this is a relative of mine that I know absolutely nothing about. The speakers from the family did a good job of giving me the opportunity to know him better. But it is still sad that that opportunity is gone for the rest of my mortal experience. I don't want to take advantage of opportunities to get to know family any longer. My mom had 12 siblings. Here are 7 of the 9 living that were at the funeral.

• I still almost take a nap every day after school. We are not talking about a 20 minute power nap here. I mean a 1 to 1 and a 1/2 hour nap.
• During the school year I tend to really sleep in on Saturday. Like until 8, 9, or even 10 depending on how sore I am from soccer.
  

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend started off with redneck camping. No showers, no running water, but there were four wheelers and guns...oh yeah! Katie let me join the Ricord extended family camp trip. It was way fun. I wish I would have brought warmer clothes to sleep in but other than that it was perfect. Good food, good company, and lots of rest time. Just what I needed. I wish I had a picture of me on the four wheeler because I have only been on one twice since I crashed one when I was ten. I am still super careful but I feel like I am starting to overcome my fear. Oh and I was very excited to use my tent for the first time this year. I have a great car camping tent I just never get to use it. Come on people invite me to go camping.

I headed home Sunday evening so that I could get up early and hike Mt. Timpanogos with Amber. It was a perfect day for hiking, overcast all day.


I was counting all my Timp trips today and I have summit-ed this mountain 8 times. Crazy! But I just love this hike. Today we climbed up the Timpanooke trail and it was the first time we had to cross some snow fields. There was just so much snow this year. I don't really feel safe on snow fields so I am glad that there were not too many.


Panoramic view from the summit!

Oh how I love holidays. Back to the grind tomorrow. BOO! I feel like I need another day off just to clean-up my house and rest from all the fun.