Awesomeness

I just stumbled upon a blog called 1000 Awesome Things. It is a lovely celebration of the small things, that you might ordinarily over look or forget quickly, but that are awesome and should be celebrated. Today it was about a baby falling asleep on you and how perfect this is, and how it is a never ending circle, since you once fell asleep on people when you were small and the baby on you will one day have a baby fall asleep on them. Beautiful!So, Here is my 1 awesome thing for today.
#1 A gallon of chocolate milk for 99 cents! AWESOME!Saw it on the bargain shelf at the store, set to expire the next day. So My family and i got to enjoy super yummy chocolate milk for less then a dollar. It makes me smile just to think about it!

P.S. I LOVE the word awesome. It is so much fun to use and just saying it gives you the feel for how awesome the thing you are talking about is. What a magic word.

My Story of Faith

The last few months at work have been interesting and they have also increased my faith. I shared this experience at church and I've talked about it with family members. Each time it reminds me that God is looking out for me and that prayers are answered. But for some reason (which I'm trying hard not to think about because it probably means that I am not much of a missionary) I have been uncomfortable sharing what has happened with my friends who are not LDS. So, even though I know that not many people read this blog I want to share my faith building experience here ( even though it makes me uncomfortable) and I am hoping that being brave about sharing my testimony on a blog will lead to being brave about sharing it in other situations to. So, here goes:


I work at a private school and the economy and other things are starting to take a toll on our enrollment. We have many classes that are smaller then normal and we are about to loos a senior class of more then 30 (huge at a school where other grades have between 7 and 13). The realization of the money shortage prompted some "re-arranging" by the boss. She let one teacher go and moved two others to part time. She also pulled me and my mom (who teaches 2nd grade right next door to me) in to tell us that in a month (this was in February) she would be cutting both of us down to half time as well. Although we were happy to have advanced notice and to still be working at our great school we were also a little devastated.

We both cried and stressed for a few days and then, after lots of prayers on both our parts (and probably also from many family members and friends) we both realized that the Lord would take care of us and we felt at peace and calm about the cuts. I went over my budget and made a list of cuts to make before March and brainstormed places to apply for part time work. During this time I know that many prayers were said for us and that our names were even submitted to the New Port Temple to be prayed for there.

A week and a half or so after the cuts had been announced the boss called us in again to say that she was unable to make a schedule work with both of us half time so she would only be cutting us by 1/4. We were both so relieved and we felt that the Lord had really blessed us. We knew that we could pay rent and that with a few cuts and some extra work we would be just fine. This time prayers of thanks were offered in abundance. I felt without a doubt that the Lord was listening to our prayers and guiding our lives for good.

Another 2 weeks later and just days before the schedule change our boss (the wonderful woman) told us that she would not be making the cuts until after spring break (so mid April) and that she hoped not have to make them at all by then. I started to tear up when I realized this (at work, in front of students, how embarrassing) because I was having a powerful lesson about the power of prayer and faithfulness and about Gods love.
I know that the Lord was watching out for us and listening to the many pleas sent to him on our behalf. I am so thankful for the gospel in my life and for the people around me who can be moved to compassion by the spirit of the Lord.

I know that our school is still struggling and that other changes may still come and so I am still praying, with all my faith and heart, that God will look out for our little school and help us through this trying time. I am so thankful for this time (even though it was hard) because of the things I witnessed and learned. So, if you didn't already know my testimony of the Lord, his power and goodness, and the truthfulness of His gospel are possessions that I treasure. If you want to know more about them just ask (and hopefully I'll be brave enough to answer).

Car Trouble Resolved

This was the best car fixing situation I've had in my life (including all the car problems my parents had, which is why car problems cause me to freak out). I took it in to a mechanic that my grandpa (who mistrusts most mechanics) recommended and explained what was going on. They agreed with me on what might be wrong and said they would check it out ($70 for all the tests).
The next day they called and said they needed to re-do the timing work that had been done in Vegas (have I mentioned that I HATE Vegas?).

They also recommended replacing some pump and doing something to the coolant system, plus they would replace a brake light that had gone out and something else I can't remember. They said it would be done the next day and would cost $1370 total. The price was big, but after remembering that the jerk in Vegas charged $1800 to do less work and to do it badly I was ok.

When I picked my car up it ran like a new car. I was so thrilled I started crying on the way home. These guys where honest and very customer friendly (they even walked me to my car which had been parked in a neighboring businesses lot, for safety). ;) I've decided to start being a better car owner and not letting things go for so long (I knew the car needed the work since August). It feels great to have the real Quincy back. I am going to celebrate by having him professionally cleaned (with a free wash gift certificate the mechanic gave me).

Car Trouble

I have discovered something new about my self. I am a complete baby/wuss when it comes to problems with my car.
Last week I left Quincy's lights on for a few hours. Opps! After a few failed attempts to jump start it I realized that my poor car would need more work *gulp* and since it was a weekend (one with a funeral no less) and because I was already borrowing a car from Grandpa Bird, I decided to leave any towing/fixing of the car until this week.
Just the thought of getting my car moved and having to talk to a mechanic gave me stomach pain, and so I decided to pretend there was no problem, until last night (5 nights after the car died), when my mother told me I had to be grown-up and take care of my car.
So, with my wonderful dad (couldn't even consider doing it alone) I drove out to my Grandpa Merket's and tried (without success) to jump the car again. When that failed (surprise, surprise) I called my road side assistance people (yes, I have people) and talked to some underpaid guy in Minnesota for a few minutes. He told me that they could only tow it once every 72 hours and that since my hoped for mechanic (someone my grandpa has trusted for 17 years) was already closed I should just call again tomorrow. So today my dad is biting the bullet for me and taking care of the towing.
On the drive home I was thinking about how much it might cost to fix poor Quincy and how long, when I realized that my insides where doing very disturbing jumps. That is when I realized that I am allergic to car repairs. I think that I am pretty good at being an adult. I pay bills on time and with no discomfort I take care of repairs at our apartment, I clean up after myself (usually) and I take care of my work and church responsibilities with out a second thought. But dealing with car trouble makes me ill.
Why? What is wrong with me that I would rather pretend that I don't have a car then call a tow truck. *sigh* I've decided there is something I want to add to the list of hoped for traits of my future husband - he must be good at taking care of our cars.

So I want this...

or this

Remembering Grandma Aretta Merket

Yesterday my sweet Grandma Merket died. For about a week she had been in very bad condition and so this was not a surprise, but it is still a hard thing to realize. She was a constant source of love and faith in my life and the idea that I won't see her for Sunday dinner, or go on vacation with her is still unreal.

Last night, after church, I spent a bitter sweet evening with family at the Merket's house. We ate the yummy food that the relief society had provided and we talked and hugged. Most of our talk was about our love for Grandma and the memories we had of her. Today I would like to share one of my favorite memories of Grandma.

A few years ago she organized a family reunion trip to Yellowstone National Park. Since I was living near her in California I went with the Merket's in their car to the reunion. We took Grandma's big silver sedan because it was so plush and comfortable. Grandpa did most of the driving and Grandma and Steve took turns in the passenger seat. After 5 or so hours of driving grandma decided I should take a turn at the wheel.

After I'd been driving for about 30 minutes one of the tires blew out. The car was thrown across the sandy median and into the other lanes before I was able to turn it back into the middle of the highway. We came to a stop and after a short pause the first words said came from my mouth, it was just one long low word, "Shit!" Instead of chastising me or being offended at my awful language and sketchy driving skills Grandma laughed at the cuss word and told me I had handled the accident like a pro. She soothed me, made sure everyone was okay, and even talked to the police.

After the tires were all fixed and we were back on the road she said two things that illustrate the wonderful woman she is perfectly. First she said that she and Grandpa had decided that I needed to drive again sometime that day. It didn't need to be right away but they wanted me to try again so that I would get rid of the fear the accident was putting on me. She would not take any arguing on this point. This perfectly shows her concern for me that was more then her concern for her car or even her own safety. It told me that she loved me and wanted me to be happy and well adjusted.

Second she told me about how most of that day she had not been wearing a seat belt because it kept locking. Just about 5 minutes before the crash she remembered a Sunday school lesson from a few weeks before about obeying the laws. The teacher had talked about the difference in heavenly and earthly laws. He told a story about his wife not wearing her belt and getting a ticket. This story came to her fairly clearly and so she decided to put her seat belt on. She said she knew now that the memory was a prompting from God and that she was so glad that she had heard it and followed his direction. This shows Grandma's faith and testimony so clearly. I am so glad she followed the Lord in this case and throughout her life.

I love my Grandma. She was a strong sweet and faithful women. She raised 5 wonderful children, and 1 lovely foster daughter. She has left behind her loving husband, all of her children, 16 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren. I will miss her so much but I know that she will be waiting for me and each member of our family when we join her in the arms of our Father in Heaven.

The Color of Water

I've been trying to catch up with my online book club today (just so you know where this came from). Now I have a book recommendation for any of you who might read this (I love all 6 of you!)
The Color of Water by James McBride
I read this book a year or so ago, and loved it. It is a memoir about the author trying to find himself as a multiracial man and in turn discovering who his mother really is. The chapters alternate between ones written by McBride and ones taken from conversations he tape-recorded with his mother (which are from her point of view). It is inspiring and it will make you think. So, read it, now!