The weekend cometh

1) My weekend started out a bit early in that I got to work from home today.
2) I got to sleep in for forty minutes!
3) I got to practice guitar and had a good workout at the gym. (Found out after I got home that Jean-Mi [my brother] and I were there at the same time and didn't see each other!)
4) I got to be there for a friend tonight. I'm glad they trust me enough to turn to me.
5) I had some good food today.

(dang it! I started writing this BEFORE midnight but didn't post it in time...)

happiness quote: “The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation, but you thoughts about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking.” ― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

It's a Friday!

1) Tomorrow is a Professional Development Day and we are working from home. Huzzah! I AM going to work but I get to also sleep in a little!
2) I drove some kids for a field trip today and the kids were super psyched to go with me.
3) One of the students told me, "This mix (mp3 I made) is the best ever!" I guess we have the same tastes in music, lol.
4) I bought myself some pickles today. Yum!
5) My ASL 1 class went so well. It was really fun!

happiness quote: “Love and compassion are the mother and father of a smile. We need to create more smiles in our world today. Smiles, after all, pave the way to a happy world.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

SUNDANCE!

1) I got to go to Sundance with the school today.
2) The movie was REALLY good. It combined two things I love: documentaries, and football.
3) We got to have a Q&A with the directors! And three of the four main guys from the film.
4) I asked a question of one of them (in person afterwards) and he gave me a hug!
5) I got to drive some teachers up and it was really nice (relaxing). The drive (an hour each way) passed really quickly. It was nice!

happiness quote: “The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Fantastic!

1) I am officially a regular at the temple. :) The sealers and workers recognize me and know my name. Feels AWESOME.
2) Snack was amazing for the kids at school and it was heart warming to be the one serving it to them.
3) My French lesson went REALLY well. I'm so glad!
4) The school is seeing a Sundance film tomorrow and I'm pretty excited to be going with them. 
5) I read another book today (finished the series). :) 

happiness quote: “Every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being re-directed to something better.” ― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

Reading day

1) I managed to get a lot of planning done today. :)
2) I also got in a lot of reading. I read two more 300 pages novels. :D Feels great to be back to this old habit of mine.
3) It's great to be back at the gym. Last week I got really sick and did my exercising at home. I did some good things but I love those machines!
4) I did my laundry.
5) My mom made an amazing taco/cowboy soup for dinner. Yum!

happiness quote: “Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.” ― Ramana Maharshi

A family day

1) I got to spend a lot of time with family today. :) 
2) I had an amazing homemade peanut butter cookie today. Yum!
3) I read an entire novel. Glad I had time to do that (obviously it was light reading since I got through the whole thing - only 340 pages long).
4) It's nice to be able to read again. I survived for a long time by reading in Japan every single night and open moment and it was hard to not feel like I had burned myself out on it. (Especially since I had to sort of make do with what they had in English there. Which is fine - it was just hard.)
5) Andy and Simone came over for dinner (my sister and her husband).

happiness quote: “We are all happy if we but knew it.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky

A wonderful weekend!

1) I got two new jackets onto which my sister is going to paint skulls for my birthday! :D
2) I got to see my BFF today!
3) I got sushi with a bunch of friends (Dre, Abbey, Tara, Amber, and Meg!) 
4) I bought some birthday gifts. 
5) I got to read and spend some time with my maman. <3

happiness quote: “Do the best you can, and don't take life too serious.” ― Will Rogers

some pics from the last little while:

One student climbed into the cupboard. The other student saw his opportunity and acted.

This is the little girl I call, "The disapproving baby." She's nearly always making this face. She smiled at me when I smiled at her though! It was so previous!

One of the bracelets I made. :)

Consistency is king!

And I can't manage it! LOL Sorry!
1) Yesterday I had a really fun activity (Deaf event) with my students. This time I got to sit with the teachers and chat and sign. We had some Deaf people come and it was REALLY fun.
2) I got off of work early today!
3) Since I had that activity yesterday, I had guitar today and I got two new songs. 
4) I am going to sushi tomorrow with friends and some of the elders and sisters who served in Japan.
5) We are having a family party tonight. Huzzah for getting to see my siblings and nieces and nephews! :D

happiness quotes: “Love is the energy of life.” ― Robert Browning

A great day back

1) I helped one girl with her work during study hall and she was so pleased she said she was going to speak to the counselor and ask to be in all my classes. Aww!
2) I made two bracelets as thank you gifts and my mom said, "That's gorgeous!" :D
3) I got to play a trivia game with my sister.
4) My mom made a delicious dinner! (Spanish rice, chicken, onion and green peppers, cheese and salsa)
5) Getting back to work was natural. I was worried it would be incredibly stressful but it was fine. :) 

happiness quotes: “I'm living a dream I never want to wake up from.” ― Cristiano Ronaldo

The last 4 days...

(I got REALLY sick...)
1) But, I am feeling much better now! 
2) I only missed one day of work.
3) I was able to get in some MUCH needed sleep.
4) I got to read (since I was in bed all day).
5) My mom made me soup and brought me a coke to settle my stomach. :) 

happiness quote: “I'm going to enjoy every second, and I'm going to know I'm enjoying it while I'm enjoying it. Most people don't live; they just race. They are trying to reach some goal far away on the horizon, and in the heat of the going they get so breathless and panting that they lose sight of the beautiful, tranquil country they are passing through; and then the first thing they know, they are old and worn out, and it doesn't make any difference whether they've reached the goal or not.” ― Jean Webster

Thursday

1) My guitar lesson went really well. :D
2) I made some things at work more efficient for myself and am really happy about that. 
3) I had a lovely conversation with my BFF.
4) My mom popped my back so my pinched nerve is feeling MUCH better.
5) I am getting to bed at a decent time! Wahoo!

happiness quote: “If you write it down, you can make it happen.” ― Staness Jonekos

Tuesday & Wednesday

1) I got my car back! My card is $600 lighter but ... my car is back!
2) I am re-reading my favorite series.
3) My mom lent me her car so I could still drive to work. <3
4) I have my car back in time to go to guitar tomorrow. :D
5) One of my students wants to play Trivia Crack with me. Funny story: I still was set on French so I started a French game with her. Oops.

happiness quote: “You have to be willing to get happy about nothing.” ― Andy Warhol

A dead car

1) I went out to a dead car this morning. Thankfully my dad was still around and was able to give me a ride to school. 
2) He also returned to the house and put my keys in my car so that it could be towed. 
3) My Spanish 2 kids are so accomplished! I'm so proud of them and their hard work.
4) I had some sunflower seeds today.
5) I was still able to make it to the gym.

happiness quote: “Well, I always know what I want. And when you know what you want--you go toward it. Sometimes you go very fast, and sometimes only an inch a year. Perhaps you feel happier when you go fast. I don't know. I've forgotten the difference long ago, because it really doesn't matter, so long as you move.” ― Ayn Rand, We the Living

Saturday & Sunday

1) I got to spend time with my two BFFs. 
2) I got to have Cajun fries! I've been craving them for a LONG time so it was nice to go get some.
3) Abbey introduced me to a fun trivia game. I am not very good at it but I'm enjoying it a lot.
4) My mom gave me some Nutella for dessert today. Yum!
5) I am doing better with all this water (not going to the bathroom every two minutes).

happiness quote: “In the midst of happiness or despair
in sorrow or in joy
in pleasure or in pain:
Do what is right and you will be at peace.”
― Jess Rothenberg, The Catastrophic History of You and Me

Lots of practice!

1) I got extra guitar practice today. :D
2) My Spanish 2 lesson was really fun.
3) My necklace came apart but thankfully I didn't lose the pendant. :)
4) My workout went very well.
5) I've upped my water intake. :)

happiness quote: “Life is about balance. The good and the bad. The highs and the lows. The thing everyone should realize is that the key to happiness is being happy by yourself and for yourself. Happiness comes from within. You have the power to change your own mindset so that all the negative, horrible thoughts that try to invade your psyche are replaced with happy, positive, wonderful thoughts.” ― Ellen DeGeneres, Seriously... I'm Kidding

Basketball!

1) I got to go to Abbey's team's game! :) That was fun to see the girls she's been coaching play.
2) I had a guitar lesson! I hadn't seen my teacher in a while and he gave me two hard songs. :D He has so much faith in me!
3) Snack is going so well (that is my part time job at the school)!
4) My classes went really well today. My ASL 2 class was CRACKING me up today. They were being goofy about situations and I almost spit my water all over the table because one boy kept making me laugh. It was a lot of fun. - One story about that boy. He misread his paper. He was supposed to act out needing change for the telephone. Instead he read, "Change for the telephone." So he mimed stripping and then redressing and then using the phone. We were all so confused until I realized what he had thought. There was a really big "OH!" when he realized what I meant. I ended up doing the charade for him and when I handed my money to the front desk to be changed, another boy goes, "Here you go!" and mimed putting the money in my hand rather than taking my money. Maybe you had to be there, but it was really funny for the rest of us.
5) I am helping with yearbook and finding that fun. :)

happiness quote: “There is no greater power than that of a laugh and happiness is a force which can save a person from the horrors of the world.” ― Hillary DePiano, The Love of Three Oranges: A Play for the Theatre That Takes the Commedia Dell'arte of Carlo Gozzi and Updates It for the New Millennium

I'm SOOO helpful

1) I helped our receptionist with her paperwork. It was nice to be able to help her. :)
2) I got some chocolate from my boss.
3) One of my new students told me that my class goes really quickly and she loves the class. 
4) One of my students drew his house with a giant room for me. Aww! (The other students had rooms too but theirs were very small, lol.)
5) I got a Food Handler's Permit today. Nice to have that in place again. :D

happiness quote: “When you are joyful, when you say yes to life and have fun and project positivity all around you, you become a sun in the center of every constellation, and people want to be near you.” ― Shannon L. Alder

Snack Queen

1) I found out two of my coworkers are raving about my work. They said that in the two days that I've taken over doing the snack for the kids has been awesome. It's run smoothly and they are so excited at my take-charge attitude. ^ - ^
2) I had a meeting but was still able to go to the temple. 
3) My meeting was really nice. I saw a friend I haven't seen in a really long time. They had all good things to say about me and I really appreciated that.
4) I ran into two other friends (one from Vivint and one from Japan) on BYU campus. :D
5) I got my last game I ordered for Christmas today. I can't wait to play them all!

happiness quote: “I've pursued dreams and achieved them, but I don't think anybody should think their life is incomplete if they don't follow some dream. Happiness doesn't come from achievements, or money, or any sort of treasure. Happiness is a frame of mind, not a destination. It's appreciating what you've got and building relationships with those around you.” ― Janette Rallison

Yesterday (Jan 5th)

1) Getting back to school was much better than I thought it would be.
2) My classes went super well.
3) Funny story: I was changing in the bathroom and totally forgot to lock the door (again). Another teacher walked in on my with my pants half pulled up. Oops! I wasn't embarrassed but I felt really badly for the other teacher.
4) Funny story: I wore my dark glasses because my eyes were hurting. My students would walk in and start making fun of me and then I would shame them. "Ha ha! Annik is SOOO cool." "Yes because I had eye surgery and smelled my own burning eye flesh." "Oh.. oh. Sorry." LOL So much fun!
5) I have new students and I'm really excited about it! :)

happiness quotes: “The point of simple living, for me has got to be:
A soft place to land
A wide margin of error
Room to breathe
Lots of places to find baseline happiness in each and every day”
― Leo Babauta

Back to life, back to reality... (tomorrow)

1) I had to wear my dark glasses and my eye twitched the whole time but I was able to stay for all of church. :D
2) My sister painted my nails.
3) I got to play ball with my niece.
4) I am excited for some of the new students in my classes. :) 
5) I am very tired so I know I will have a great night's sleep tonight. Which is very much needed.

happiness quote: “Love is the energy of life.” ― Robert Browning

The Holidays

I've been having trouble seeing since my surgery (with the healing of the top layer of my eye and everything) and with being single. Forgive me for falling behind. I will try to do better.

1) My family really helped me after my surgery.
2) My eyes continue to improve each day.
3) At the latest checkup for my eyes we found out my left protective lens had fallen out. Doctor: Has your left eye been hurting? Me: Ooooh yes. (And it REALLY, REALLY has.) Doctor: Huh. Well it's because your lens fell out at some point. - At least it's not because I'm going blind or something!
4) I finally am back to guitar. I couldn't read my music blind!
5) I have plans next week to go to a basketball game. Woooo plans!
6) I am taking myself to a horror flick tonight. I can't wait!
7) My pain goes down everyday and that's been great.
8) I got some school supplies I needed.
9) I am not emotionally ready for Monday, but my lessons are all planned so huzzah for that!
10) My BFF got me a really great Christmas present. She is amazing!
11) I found out my phone will read scriptures to me (I think I mentioned it before) - so now I'm having a lot more scriptures in my life. It's awesome!

happiness quote: “A lot of the conflict you have in your life exists simply because you're not living in alignment; you're not be being true to yourself.” ― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience