FORGET-ME-NOT

In June of this year I was released from my calling as the Valiant Girls primary teacher.  Needless to say I was not to thrilled with this release but I was put in as the Activity Days leader so I would still get a chance to see the AMAZING girls that I was teaching.  I was also put in as the Primary Music Leader so I was still going to get the chance to be around them in sharing / singing time.  Yet there comes a time when each one of these beautiful girls that I have taught turns 12 and moves on to the Young Women's program. Needless to say this is kind of a sad time for me.  I am sure they are happy about it and excited to be moving, growing up and no longer be called a "primary" child. This year there have been 3 girls turn 12 and leave my class / primary.  These girls have changed my life for the better and I have grown to love in ways that I never thought would be possible.  While I am not a mother in some small way I have gotten a little blink of what motherhood is like.  I have grown to care about and love these girls so much.  I have been able to see their amazing beauty (inside and out) and watch their amazing talents grow.  I want the best for them, have tried to encourage them and remind them just how much they are loved. In so small way they have become "my" girls.  Just as a mother is sad to see her child leave she is happy and excited for the new steps and adventures that await their child.  Sure they will see their child again but that child might not need them as much as they once did and that is hard.  I know that I will still get to see these girls in church and I will do my best to always keep in touch with them.  But I do know that as they grow they will have new adventures and things that take place in their life and keeping in touch with their old primary teacher may not be that big of priority.  So as each one of "my" girls has left I have given them a little special gift and something I want them to always remember from me. There is this beautiful Willow Tree Forget -Me-Not figurine that I give them.  I give them this gift not because I want them to not forget me but for them to not forget how much they are loved.  I want them to look and the figurine and have it remind them of how much they are loved by their family, their friends, their teachers and most of their Heavenly Father.  I want them to know that now matter where they go in life, what they do and what path they take that they will never be forgotten and they will always be loved.  And if by small little change I am lucky they might look at the figurine and be reminded of that "old" primary teacher they had in the Valparaiso Ward and know how much she loves and will never forget them.

IT'S HARD TO SAY GOOD BYE

Growing up we moved around a lot.  I have lived in 5 different states and 12 different cities so far in my life. As a child it was hard for me to move and say good bye to friends and teachers.  At one time it got to a point that each time we moved I told myself I was not going to make any friends because then I would not have to worry about saying good bye to them.  Well that never worked and I did have to say good bye to some great and amazing people. I did not have Facebook, e-mails and IM to be able to keep in touch with those friends.  Sure I have tired to find and reconnect with some of those old friends but it is hard to do.
Now that I am older I find that it is even harder to say good bye to those people you meet and form a bond with. Since moving to California I have had the chance to meet and work with some AMAZING and WONDERFUL people that have changes my life for the better. Many of those people that I have met and / or worked with have moved one. Watching them leave was hard and I have done my best to stay in contact with some them but it is just not the same.   Sure it is hard to say good bye to people but I have learned that you have to treasure the moments you have with people. Take time to rejoice in the fact that you have had the chance to meet such wonderful people and to always be thankful for the friends that have enriched and blessed your life.  Yes it is hard to say good bye but it is even harder to go through life not having anything and / or anyone to say good bye to.  

MUSIC IS MAGICAL

I messed up yesterday and did not update my blog.  I got home from work and it was like 8:30pm at night and I was super tired so I am sorry that I did not write. But because I messed up yesterday I am going to try and make up for it today by writing out 2 lessons learned.

Growing up as a child we listened to a lot of music. I remember my mother and father having a big record collection and even 8 track tapes.  Their music collection was very large and they enjoyed a variety of artists.  I was educated at a young age on the different music genres and styles. As I have grown my taste for music has not changed it has only grown. 

I LOVED to sing as a child and at one point in my life I actually thought that I sang better than Whitney Houston.  I don't know where the confidence I had as a young pre-teen child went because now days I hardly sing unless it is in my car.  Yet Regardless of what I am listening or singing to it always brings joy to my heart.  
Sure there are those songs that make you cry, songs you listen to when you want to cry, dance, sing, scream and / or just get relax. There are songs that you hear that either help you create a memory or help you recall a memory. It is magical how much power one can find and / or get from a song. I love when I hear a song or put on a song to listen to how it can transform me back to a time, place and event. It is almost as if my music collection could be a journal of my life.  

So I have learned that music is magical and that as long as the music plays the memories and magic will live on.

ONE IS NOT A LONELY NUMBER

I am the oldest of six kids and for as long as I can remember I have never been alone. Even when I moved out and started living on my own I always have had roommate.  I remember always having someone around to do something with growing up.  There were times when I would wish that I was an only child, had my own room and space or just had my mom or dad all to myself.  But looking back I don't think I would have enjoyed that to much. But with that being said one should not be afraid to be alone.
I will never forget the first time I cam to San Francisco. I was in my mid 20's  and I had always dreamed of coming to San Francisco. Growing up I loved watching a TV show or movie and seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the Bay Bridge, Coit Tower and the famous San Francisco skyline.  I knew one day I would get to be able to see this amazing city, ride a cable car, visit Alcatraz, and cross the Golden Gate Bridge. Well that dream came true and when it did I was alone.  Sure I wish I could have had someone to share that experience with and point out all the things that I wanted to see and was now getting the chance to see.  My first trip to San Francisco was a scary one and I had NO IDEA what I was doing or where I was going.  I just had a map in my hand and heart full of excitement. After I got back from my trip and told people about what I had seen, where I had been and what I did they were a little shocked that I had done all that by myself.  It think they were even more shocked that I was not mugged and made it back safely.  I guess some of the places I went alone where not the best places for a person to be.  I guess I was just going on blind faith and had angles watching over me. My love for San Francisco did not change after that trip and today I love the city and this area even more.  I never get tired of seeing that skyline, crossing those bridges, taking that cable car ride, driving or walking down that crooked street, eating clam chowder out of a bread bowl, taking that boat ride for yet another prison tour, driving up to that tower, walking along that pier, going to that square with all the shopping, visiting that really big park or seeing another ferry building.  I am reminded of that first trip I took and how I would never have gotten to experience all that I did if I was afraid to go alone.
While now days I do not like to go to movies or dinner alone there are AMAZING and WONDERFUL plays, concerts, sporting events, parties, events and cities that I have seen and gone to alone.  Yes, it would have been fun to have someone to go with but I was not going to miss these wonderful opportunities and turn down some once in a lifetime moments just because I had to go alone.
So I have learned to not be afraid to do something, see something or go somewhere just because I was alone.  Plus chance are once you get there you won't be alone!

DREAM JOB

It is officially Tuesday but I have not gone to bed yet so I still have 38 more sleeps until my BIG BIRTHDAY!
Monday is always a SUPER BUSY and CRAZY day for me.  I am not very good at going to bed early on Sunday so that I am bright, alert and ready for Monday Morning. I know that every Monday, unless a holiday, I have to be to work at 6:30 am which means I must leave my house no later than 6 am to get to work on time.  Because I go in earlier on Monday's I am suppose to get to leave earlier, 3:30 pm, but that hardly ever happens. For instance today I did not leave the office until 6:30 pm and got home around 7 pm.  So needless to say Monday's are a pretty long day for me but you know what I don't mind because I really like my job.  There was a time in my life, about 10 years ago, when I HATED my job and the thought of going to work each day made me sick. It showed in my work, working skills and work environment suffered because of it.  So I had to make a big decision!  I could either find a job that I liked or suck it up and find a way to enjoy the job that I have.  For the first time in a long time I started interviewing for other jobs and found that what I had was pretty good.  So I had an attitude change and tired to find a way to make things better.  Things did get better and I found that as my attitude changed so did my work and it was all for the better.  While the job that I have is not the job I dreamed of having but in a way it is pretty close. 
When I was a little girl I wanted to be many things, a Nurse, a Super Model, Miss America, a Movie Star, a Singer, a Lawyer, a Fashion Magazine Editor, a Sports Broadcaster,  and a Mother. After eliminating many of those "future" job choices the one that always stayed on my list was Mother. Well for those of you that don't know me I am not married and my chances of being a mother get slimmer and slimmer each year but I still hope one day to be able to be have that job. But until that job opens I work as an Admin Assistant (Secretary for those "old school" folks).  Not the Mad Men version of a Admin. Assistant but you could say I am kind of the Joan of the office minus the whole dress attire, cigarette and sleeping with my boss thing. 
There are many things that I have to do all day and most of them require taking care of other people. I often have to ensure that their needs and wants are met before mine, they are happy and that they have everything that they need. I guess in some odd way you could say I am a mother.  Not the one that I hoped and dreamed to be but it is a start for now.  LOL
So I guess what I am trying to say is that I have learned is in life you may not get the chance to have your "dream" job but it is up to you to make the job you do have a worthwhile and successful one. 

KEEP THOSE TRADITIONS POPPING!

It is now 39 more sleeps until I turn the BIG 40!  
Due to the fact that tonight the Emmy Awards were on I find it kind of appropriate that the thing I am going to write about today is in reference to a to TV.  Yes I was one of this kids that grew up watching TV BUT I also grew up playing outside until the sun went down.  I remember watching fun TV shows, sporting events, award shows and movies with my family.  Some of my most fondest memories are of me watching TV with my family. I did find it kind of funny that growing up we were not allowed to watch Dukes of Hazard because Daisy Dukes shorts were too short and 3's Company because a guy was living with two girls but I think I got to watch every Soap Opera show possible.  LOL 
Growing up as a kid every Sunday night we would make a BIG HUGE bowl of popcorn.  I loved hearing that air popper going and watching my mom or dad butter the popcorn.  Each child got to pick a special color Tupperware bowl and we filled it to the rim. On Fast Sundays it was a special treat because my mother would make caramel corn and it was OH SOOOO GOOD! After that we all would sit down together as a family and watch a TV show or movie.  Those were good times!  Even today I find  myself on Sunday night popping some popcorn and sitting down to watch a TV show, sporting event, award show and / or movie. Granted with technology today I don't just have to sit in one room to watch TV.  I can now watch it on my iTouch in my room or on my laptop. So while times have changed the memories and traditions have not.  While I don't have my own kids and family to carry on my old family traditions I can still carry them on and share them with others.  So I guess the lesson that I have learned is that one single person can still carry on fun family traditions.  It is not the number of people that carry on the family tradition that make it a tradition but the fact that someone keeps the tradition alive that matters.

I'M BACK & 40 MORE SLEEPS!

HELLO! Yes I am still alive! It has been well over a year since I last updated my blog.  I wish I could say I have been MIA because I have been busy traveling the world, falling in love, got a new job, got a husband and / or had a baby but unfortunately none of those are true.  I have done some traveling, I have fallen in love and I don't have a new job but still have a job so that is good!
So I kind of stopped writing because I was feeling like no one really was reading or cared about what I wrote, so basically I was having a pity party for one. Well I have come to realize that this blog is not about who reads and / or does not read it but kind of more so for me so I can review the happenings in my life.  But with that being said I would LOVE for all of those who want to read about what is happening in my life to feel free to read away and I hope you enjoy what you read. So let me first say this "CHECK PLEASE"! The pity party for one is now officially over and it is time for me to leave and get back to living Life in the Wright Lane! Now is perfect timing for me to start writing again because as of today it is officially, as my niece Bella would say, 40 more sleeps until I turn the BIG 

So for the next 40 days I will be posting each day something I have learned about life over the last 39 years and 325 days!  My TOP 40 list will not be in any kind of special order because I think it would be hard to rank everything.  So in some small way all the things that I list are pretty important thoughts / lessons to me and I hope maybe they will be to those that read them.  So here it goes.....let the list begin!
One REALLY IMPORTANT thing that I have learned is you have to have HOPE in your life!!! 

There are different kinds of hope that one can have but I think as long as you have some kind of hope in your life than life is worth is worth living!