Easter

Here's the kids all dressed up on Easter Sunday. Aren't they stinking cute?!?!?

HELP!!

OK....family....it's MY turn to give the talk on Sunday! Jamie paid his dues....and then the Bishopric came after ME!!! My topic is, "Judge Not"....it's a little bit longer title than that, but that's the main idea. WHAT ideas do you have for me?? Any great talks, quotes, emails, etc. that you want to send MY way would be much appreciated! I actually think this is the perfect topic for me right now...because of recent events in my life....that I will share SOON! Let's just say, I was pretty inspired to do a few things that I was NOT wanting to do...thus I feel better about speaking on this topic. Anyway.....please let me know what you think! Love you ALL!!

Ski day!

We were finally able to take the kids skiing this year. We had an awesome time and the kids were GREAT!! Blake was so fearless. Fast as he could go. He did figure out how to turn the corner on the coach hill. He also was fascinated by the ski lift. He didn't want to hold on and wanted to ride by himself. (I don't think so!!) He would lean over and ask Jerek, "Dad can you fall off? What happens when you fall off? Does it hurt?" as he scoots closer to the edge with Jerek holding on. Needless to say, I couldn't handle riding on the ski lift with him. I just wanted to hold him so tight and he didn't like it. So he stuck with dad. Emmalee finally has picked up skiing. She can turn and go down all by herself. This is just on the coach hill but next year, I think she'll be graduating to the big hill. It was so fun. Here's our pictures of the day!

HE Is Always There For Us!

This last week was a particularly rough one for me. It was Parent-Teacher Conferences...which is VERY wearing on teachers....and I was NOT looking forward to it, considering how some of the parents at this school react towards Report Cards...and EVERYTHING in general.

I also have quite a few "naughty" children whose issues run quite deep. Needless to say, I was DREADING it AND trying to keep my stress level down as much as possible. I didn't quite succeed in that area...as my throat became more and more sore. I became more sick as the week went on (and I am still trying to recover....)...but that is not the point of this post.

Last year during BOTH sessions of Conferences...as well as the first one this year, I have had either my principal OR the assistant principal sit in with me when I knew I would be dealing with particularly nasty situations OR parents. THIS week, I was asked if they were needed and I nervously replied, "No." I was not aware of any scary situations in which I would need their involvement.

I felt at peace when my first Conference began and was amazed at how smoothly it went. They ALL began to go like that! When the "scary" parents who had given me trouble in the past would enter the room, I would try to break the ice by using humor. I was able to get every one of them laughing...which then helped lighten the mood...and even those went OK!!

One parent tried to argue with me about a certain score...and when I STUCK to my story...she finally realized that her child had lied in order to get out of work. I think her eyes were opened a little that night....as I witnessed her give her student the "disapproving glare" as they walked out of the room.

There is a set of parents...who happen to think their child is PERFECT! I absolutely adore this mother, but I just can't understand how she is able to make up excuses for her child's shortcomings and be completely BLIND to the areas that her child could definitely improve upon! They ignored my suggestions during the last Conferences, attributing it to the fact that their child is SO much better behaved than the other children. (That is not saying much....since this class can be pretty unruly.)

Well, when these two parents entered the room, I felt like someone was putting words in my mouth. I was able to speak clearly and firmly....I was able to not only highlight their child's strengths...but also point out the areas that REALLY needed improvement (especially in the behavior department). The words I was using...aren't ones I usually use....and I found that BOTH parents were nodding their heads in agreement! They quit arguing with me that their child needed higher scores, that their child was the "victim" when it came to peers, etc. They finally understood how this little one was IN the classroom. The dad even thanked me for explaining it so clearly!

I know my Savior was watching out for me this week! I really don't think I could've had such a successful week without the sweet Spirit whispering into my ear the words all those parents needed to hear.

I started second-guessing myself...wondering if I really DID have help on high...until my Dad called me today. He mentioned that he had been thinking about me a LOT lately and was just wondering if everything was OK. He let me know that he had been putting my name in the temple as well. I think that was what I needed to hear. My faith had been wavering a little and I now KNOW that I was for sure being watched over.

I usually blog about the fun things Jamie & I do, the cute things our pets do, and the crafts I make... I need to remember to slow down and capture the little moments that mold us into the people that we are. I wouldn't be half the woman I am today if it wasn't for my Savior! I fall short in many areas, but I know that HE believes in me and that is enough for me.

P.S. I love you, Dad!

Thanksgiving

We attended Hymns of Thanksgiving this evening, it was a nice program. I was thinking how certain music can really lift our spirits and enable us to feel closer to our Heavenly Father. I am grateful for inspired composers that are able to create such powerful music. It is interesting for me, it doesn't necessarily need to be hymns even though I believe some hymns are also very powerful. When facing challenges or uncertainties, I can listen to certain music and I will then experience this feeling that everything is as it should be, everything will be alright and God is in control and aware of our unique circumstances.

I am grateful the Lord assists us and helps us even in the little day to day things. I really don’t know what it is about being a consultant but the people that I work for often just assume that I have all the answers, when I really don’t. But the fact that they expect me to have the answers, sometimes puts added pressure on me to come up with a response that makes me look like I know what I am talking about. Several weeks ago while on this consulting engagement in Portland, the person that has responsibility for the company 401K plan came to me and asked how she should respond to a unique situation related to filing some required documents with the federal government. Often when those forms are not completed correctly, fines can be applied. Other places where I have worked, I had responsibility for the benefit programs including the 401K plan, but I had employees that worked for me that completed those forms and they knew what they were doing. So I really never got into the details. My first thought was to admit that I really had no clue, but I didn’t think she would be too impressed with that answer. So as she was asking the question, I was saying a silent prayer asking Heavenly Father to help me come up with an answer. Just as she completed asking the question, I was able to buy some time by requesting that she explain the issue in more detail, and then the answer came to me. I told her exactly how she should deal with the issue. She came back to me later and mentioned that she found some guidelines on how to complete the forms and they were consistent with the instructions I gave her. I am grateful that sometimes when we humbly ask the Lord for help, he provides us with answers and assistance that are beyond our own capabilities.