Monday, October 27, 2014

PT Conferences

1) The day went much faster than expected. 
2) I brought my guitar and even got time to play it.
3) 31/46 parents came to see me (this is high school conferences only)!
4) One woman FLIPPED OUT at me in Spanish. She told me my accent was ugly and uneducated and the worst one out there. (lol riiiiight) The ironic thing is that she said Spain was the only accent that should be taught (I wonder from which country she is) and the Argentine accent comes from a region in Spain. LOL Do your research and stop being so ethnocentric. Thanks for the laugh woman.
5) They bought us "lunch!" (I say "lunch" because it was served at 1600. That feels like an early dinner to me.) It was yummy!

happiness quote: “Nothing is miserable unless you think it so; and on the other hand, nothing brings happiness unless you are content with it.” ― Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy

Sunday, October 26, 2014

The Sabbath

First I have a funny story from a couple days ago. Hopefully this is an ok place to put it. So my brother in law (who JUST joined the family -officially- a week or so ago) walked into my room and picked up my Lunette. My sister wails and puts her face in her hands and then starts laughing. I sputter a little, "I uh... Emmett I don't care if you hold that but you don't even know what it is!" "What is it?" "It's my Lunette." "What's that?" (I explain - I put the link about for you.) There was a beat and he followed with, "No, I'm not embarrassed." "Suuuure. You just blindly picked up something that's been in my vagina!" LOL (Sorry if the story embarrassed you. I thought it was hilarious.)

1) I got to see Jenelle and Kale!
2) I got some good pictures of the family together. :)
3) Dinner was homemade Café Río salads - yum!
4) I have plans for Halloween now. :)
5) Even though it was a hard lesson, I learned about the true character of someone close to me. I'm glad to know the type of person they are. That frees me from being hurt over their ridiculous nature. 

happiness quote: (lol) “I think, that if the world were a bit more like ComicCon, it would be a better place.” ― Matt Smith

Saturday

1) I saw a bunch of family I haven't seen in a while. That was awesome!
2) My sister and her husband had a great reception here.
3) I got to spend some time with my best friend.
4) The charger I had to buy yesterday works great!
5) I got some new vitamins and I'm excited to try them. :) 

happiness quote: “Come clean with a child heart
Laugh as peaches in the summer wind
Let rain on a house roof be a song
Let the writing on your face
be a smell of apple orchards on late June.”
― Carl Sandburg,
Honey and Salt

Friday

1) I had a student come in to see me for my after-school hours. 
2) I had a ton of energy for my workout.
3) I finished the majority of my grading!
4) I finished all my handwritten Midterm reports (I had to hand write them. I didn't choose to do so). 
5) I get to see a bunch of family tomorrow. 

happiness quote: “Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.
There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry.”
― Mark Strand,
Selected Poems

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Back to guitar

1) I forgot to include this video forever ago - a few seconds of a staff meeting we had last month. This is how we roll at my school:


2) It was great to have guitar again! (Missed it last week for being out of town.)
3) I had a yummy treat when I got home from school (cocoa, peanut butter, a little powdered sugar). 
4) I was blessed with ideas for my last lesson (came up with a game on the spot). 
5) Today was awesome even though I got very little sleep. :)

happiness quote: “If you've got nothing to dance about, find a reason to sing.” ― Melody Carstairs

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Funny students

1) One of my students wrote on his test, "Yo soy muy, muy, muy guapo." Later he wrote, "Soy hermoso." I think he has a very healthy self image. 
2) Another student when supposed to write, "Yulia es atrevida" (Yulia is daring/adventurous), wrote, "Yulia es loco [sic]." LOL There was a picture of a girl white water rafting down a hill at a 45° angle... he's not wrong! ;)
3) I got all my tests corrected (they're not all yet entered into the grading system... still!). 
4) My workout today was great. I upped my sets. w00t!
5) I made a new friend! 

happiness quote: (opposition in all things!) “Hurt is a part of life. To be honest, I think hurt is a part of happiness, that our definition of happiness has gotten very narrow lately, very nervous, a little afraid of this brawling, fabulous, unpredictable world.” ― Julian Gough, Juno & Juliet

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Back with a bang!

1) I'm finally starting to see the positive of our new grading system. Though it takes a lot longer to grade, I don't have to tell kids they "failed," but that their mastery is only halfway there. That was much nicer than typing in points that would end up in an "F."
2) My jhs kids were pretty great today. It's nice when they settle down and listen. 
3) I went to a great Deaf event this evening. 
4) None of my students made it, BUT I was able to sign with this adorable little 80 year old Deaf man. :D
5) I was able to see Anna (a Deaf friend) there as well and catch up a little. 

happiness quote: “Happiness is not a life without pain, but rather a life in which the pain is traded for a worthy price.” ― Orson Scott Card, Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus

Amby, Amby.. wherefore art thou Amby?


Monday, October 20, 2014

California Trip

This post (and finishing the last one) is on my to-do list and I hope to get to them tomorrow, sorry! But hey, another ambien video as a reward for your patience is coming! I hope you speak French.

1) The trip was excellent and the Oakland temple is GORGEOUS.
2) I'm so glad I was able to be there for my sister (even if I had to cry because I was sad for me).
3) I was able to help out with the reception.
4) My sister is happy and I love it when my siblings are happy. :) (Ok my family in general)
5) We were closer to home when we started the trip back so we were in the car less time. We even had a few adventures: Nadia was pulled over for driving too close to us, and Angèle and Emmett ran out of gas four hours into their journey back! But we all made it home safely. 

happiness quote: (I think there's more than this.. but) “Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” ― Franklin D. Roosevelt

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

About to embarck

Sorry I will need to write this later - but off to CA in the morning. :) Wish us all luck! 

1) The trip actually went by really quickly. 
2) I was helpful to my parents. :) I sat in the back seat and passed them foods and then chatted with them.
3) I was able to work on the Emotion Code.
4) Oakland is gorgeous! All the trees... the hills... :) 
5) It was SO nice to be in CA again (in spite of the humidity). 

happiness quote: “As I focus on diligent joy, I also keep remembering a simple idea my friend Darcey told me once -- that all the sorrow and trouble of this world is caused by unhappy people. Not only in the big global Hitler-'n'-Stalin picture, but also on the smallest personal level. Even in my own life, I can see exactly where my episodes of unhappiness have brought suffering or distress or (at the very least) inconvenience to those around me. The search for contentment is, therefore, not merely a self-preserving and self-benefiting act, but also a generous gift to the world. Clearing out all your misery gets you out of the way. You cease being an obstacle, not only to yourself but to anyone else. Only then are you free to serve and enjoy other people.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Delta pulls its head out (for once)

1) First a short version of the title story: Delta says online that their flight is delayed. Thus my sister, who is flying out for her OWN wedding, delays her arrival to the airport accordingly. She and her maid of honor arrive, they check in, and they go to the gate ON THEIR BOARDING PASS. Well, it turns out their flight is not leaving from that gate and they missed it and it's, according to Delta, all THEIR fault. I called CS on their behalf and it got me a woman who nominally pretended to help. She kept reiterating how it was my fault (acting on behalf of my sister) that I missed my flight. Riiiiigggghhht. In any case, her "generous" offer was to waive the $200 change of day fee and put the fare already paid toward another flight. I could pay either $390, $490, or $143.10 (all per person) and the latter put me in San Jose rather than Oakland so I (she) would have had to catch a taxi to a town 30 miles away! Well, a really good friend of the family is a Delta pilot. My dad called him and asked him to help. In the meantime another guy had ALSO missed his flight because Delta can't get their crap together. Those things combined made Delta FINALLY realize, "Oh wait, maybe this IS our fault." So they were able to get the man and my sister's maid of honor on a flight tonight and my sister in the morning. Whew! Happy ending! (Other than for my parents who now are going to make FOUR trips up and back from the airport today and tomorrow.)
2) Tomorrow is my Friday! (Last day of school for the week)
3) I was able to plan my French test and get it put together for next Tuesday.
4) My stomach is feeling better (it's been giving me trouble the past week and a half).
5) My brother, who is a very sweet boy, thanked me for calling Delta on my sister's behalf. It wasn't necessary for him to say anything and I just wanted to help, but I appreciated him saying something. (It's nice to have people recognize your efforts sometimes.)

happiness quote: “I am still determined to be cheerful and happy, in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends upon our dispositions, and not upon our circumstances.” ― Martha Washington

Monday, October 13, 2014

Still illness free!

1) I pyramided my biceps and back today! Wahoo! 
2) I have felt at the end of my rope but my lessons went well. (whew)
3) I got to spend time with a friend.
4) I, sadly, got my latest ambien video deleted - but I can tell you that it was hilarious! I was going on about how you (I'm assuming I was talking to my students - using "ustedes") need colored pencils -- all in Spanish. It was pretty goofy. :) 
5) My favorite game on my phone now has Halloween levels! It's a small thing but Halloween is my favorite holiday and I love it! :) 

happiness quote: “Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God.” ― Joseph Smith Jr.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Illness is upon us!

1) Everyone is coming down with strep but I don't have it! - Whew!
2) My maman helped me email my principal and speak my mind a little bit about next year. 
3) I got a nap! I don't remember the last time I napped. :D
4) I was able to go to church with my family. It was nice to sit with them.
5) I got to play some guitar. 

happiness quote: “Happiness does not come from without, it comes from within” ― Helen Keller

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Wahoo! So far, so good.

1) The morning started out wonderfully with an endowment session with Simone. We're now all endowed except for J.T.!
2) It was fun and nice to sit with my sisters in the temple. 
3) Anjo's bridal shower was fun too. I even played the character game! 
4) It was nice to catch up with some neighbors.
5) I then got to go to Shannon's house warming party :D

happiness quote: “If you've got nothing to dance about, find a reason to sing.” ― Melody Carstairs

Friday, October 10, 2014

Another week gone...

1) I got to make empanadas with my Spanish 2 class. It was really fun!
2) I was told again that my class is the favorite!
3) I got an email from a parent (nice to have them reach out to me - and their kid is great so it was nice to be able to communicate that).
4) I am participating in a school activity this evening (and totally stoked about it). 
5) I am seriously so blessed. - My papa helped me put air in my tires this morning. Who else has a dad who would help them with that? Who would already be up early, who would be willing to help, who has an air compressor.. My papa is the best! :) (And my maman too!)

happiness quote: “With my eyes closed, I would touch a familiar book and draw its fragrance deep inside me. This was enough to make me happy. ” ― Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

(hey! A fellow book-sniffer!)

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Working on flourishing

1) I felt pretty icky today but worked through it. I forgot a bunch of stuff, but I was blessed to come up with different ideas on the spot. :)
2) I am excited to make empanadas with my class tomorrow.
3) I made the empanada dough today (did a lot of the prep). 
4) Guitar was awesome (as usual).
5) Things are falling into place very nicely. Everything isn't perfect - not even close - but I am very happy with where things are going in my life. 

happiness quote: “[F]or just one second, look at your life and see how perfect it is. Stop looking for the next secret door that is going to lead you to your real life. Stop waiting. This is it: there's nothing else. It's here, and you'd better decide to enjoy it or you're going to be miserable wherever you go, for the rest of your life, forever.” ― Lev Grossman, The Magicians

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Survival!

1) I am very sick, BUT, I went to the gym. (I almost passed out even though I didn't hit it hard like usual, but I'm glad that I got my workout in.)
2) I was able to watch my new movie (Kick @$$ edited), and I enjoyed it.
3) I survived all my lessons.
4) I can see the improvement of many of my students and that is exciting to me.
5) Though my plans for the evening didn't pan out, I was able to watch a movie (2) and have my favorite food for dinner! :D
6) I got some good sleep last night!

happiness quote: “Happiness is a choice that requires effort at times.” ― Aeschylus

Tuesday the 7th

1) I got to be there for Josh being set apart as a full time missionary.
2) I was asked to say the closing prayer. 
3) I went to the temple.
4) I got to talk to my maman.
5) I forgot an expensive electronic at the school. When I realized I rushed back, praying it would be there, and it was! :)
6) I was able to plan and get ahead in more of my classes.

happiness quote: “Sometimes we must undergo hardships, breakups, and narcissistic wounds, which shatter the flattering image that we had of ourselves, in order to discover two truths: that we are not who we thought we were; and that the loss of a cherished pleasure is not necessarily the loss of true happiness and well-being. (109)”― Jean-Yves Leloup, Compassion and Meditation: The Spiritual Dynamic between Buddhism and Christianity

Monday, October 6, 2014

Getting back on track :)

1) I got up early and read scriptures. It really helped my day. :)
2) I got to talk with friends. 
3) My lessons went well.
4) I got to watch some Supernatural at lunch.
5) I got to stand up for my mom today. :) 

happiness quote: “It is a happiness to wonder; -- it is a happiness to dream.” ― Edgar Allan Poe, Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Behind again... sorry! Plus a little ambien....

This whole week was insane (I got to bed almost everyday after midnight and have been exhausted and crazy busy..)

I'll write one highlight from each day:

1) Monday - I had my lessons planned ahead of time. (That didn't happen the whole week - I felt like a chicken with its head cut off, lol)
2) Tuesday - I started teaching my French class with only speaking French. It went really well.
3) Wednesday - I started half my Spanish classes on Spanish only and they grumbled but I feel great about it.
4) Thursday - Guitar was great. I didn't get to practice two days but got my songs passed off, as it were, anyway. :)
5) Friday - It was early out day and I got caught up on my grading. It only took 6 hours!
6) Saturday - The Conference talks were incredible. I got to hang out with a friend. I went and got new strings for my guitar - SUPER nice ones. I got a capo.
7) Sunday - Simone and Andy came over. Conference is amazing again (classic Conference)!

Here are my ambien posts from fb from earlier this week:
(My status:) And he jumoed oit and I was giong stop hi beut instead my aloptpo started to fall. And then COKKC+++! (Just so we're all clear that last part is "caught.")
(my comment:)  I don't wan to fall over and puke anymore> That makdes me really sad. that my tunny hurts and but I'm happ bcause blue!
(my friend:) Ummmmm...lemme guess...the Ambien's talking again? ;)
(me:) Frogbien!  :D
(him:) I'm going to take that as a 'yes'...
(me:) I tired to watch and bam bam and i dont know hwats happneing
(him:) Well, that makes two of us...go to bed, get some sleep...I'm sure it will all seem much more clear in the morning...
(my sister:) Mmm, or probably less clear. ;)
(me the next morning:) This is what happens if you watch Supernatural on ambien! Be warned!