It occurred to me the other day that this is the first fall in about 18 years that I have not been in school. And quite frankly, it is a little bit weird.
All my life so far, well minus the first few years, every time August came around you new summer was almost over that that school would therefore begin. For me, every time we got home from our Lake Powell trip in August we new summer was over. After that we would begin to get ready for school. We would make sure that our schedules where correct, that we had the supplies we would need, and get the clothes we would want to wear on the very first day. First impressions stuck with you all year, you didn't want to be the kid who blew it on the first day.
With this being the first year that that did not happen, it has taken me a while to realize that it is fall and that summer is officially over. It has also made me realize that there are a few things that I miss about being in school. Some of them are a given and some of them surprised me that I did miss them. Some of them are from college, some from high school, and some even from way back when in elementary. (I don't think that there is much I miss about Jr. High) So here are some of the things that I miss from being in school:
*First day of school photo (this one surprises me. As much as I hated getting the photos taken growing up, it is one thing I miss having.)
*Eating lunch with friends and laughing until you absolutely had to drag yourself off to class
*sleeping in the sun between classes
*seeing friends everyday
*attending football games with fellow students
*free food at the institute
*recess and playgrounds (do you think they could install these in work areas?)
*Being in Choir
*A class just to do art
*Learning new and interesting things
*peanut butter bars
*funny teacher stories
*socializing with people my age (when you teach kids that doesn't happen very often)
You see, I was one of those people who loved being in school. I loved learning and I loved to be with people, I loved going to school. So even though I am glad to be done and I am grateful to have my college degree, a part of me wants to be back in school. A part of me misses it and everything that it brings with it. Foe me, school is what always marked fall. It is what always marked a new year of life and new opportunities to come with it. I guess this year I will just have to find something else to mark. For I have found that life is there and it is always new with many new opportunities around the corner. All you have to do is look for them.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Remembering
Its funny how certain things you can remember forever. You can remember the details of an event, the feelings of a moment, even the smell of something that crossed your path. It is also funny how some things you can't seem to remember at all. You can't remember exactly what was said or what happened on a given day or a persons name that was once in your life. And then there are those memories that you can just never forget.
It is said that a persons memory can hold every memory that that person has ever made. It can remember anything that that person has put into their long term memory. Anything that they have studied, anything they have learned, anything that they have seen. The thing that is hard for the person is actaully recalling that memory. Some memories are recalled by something that you associate them with...a song, a smell, a picture, an action. Others are recalled by events that occur that are similar to them or the feelings you have towards someone. Then there are those memories that are recalled by someone else and what they say or do. Most of these start with the phrase "do you remember when..."
It is also interesting how one memory can be shared by so many different people. A memory can be shared by one person or a million persons. A moment can be remembered by anyone who was a part of it, anyone who saw it, or anyone who heard about it. What intrigues me the most though is that every one of those people who remembers that event will remember it differently. For you see, each person is going to remember the even based on their experiences of it. Their memory will be based on what they saw, what they heard, and what they felt. Even though it is just one moment or one vent in time, it can be remember a thousand different ways even though the facts remain the same.
One event that can be remembered by thousand is the day of 9/11. The facts are that two planes crashed into the World Trade towers, one plane crashed into the Pentagon, the towers crumbled to the ground, many people died, and a nation went to war. Many other facts could be added such as people came to help, people where in shock, and people were hurt. It could also be said that hero's were made that day, a nation was united, and a great loss was felt. This one event is remembered by so many people. It is remembered by those who saw it, those who watched it, and those who have heard about. But it is also remembered by those who lived it. It is remembered by so many different people in so many different ways because it is a memory that you can never forget. Here is how some people have chosen to remember it.
The Binch by Rob Suggs
Every U down in Uville liked the U.S. a lot,
But the Binch, who lived Far East of U-ville, did not.
The Binch hated U.S! The whole U.S. way!
Now don't ask me why, for nobody can say,
It could be his turban was screwed on too tight.
Or the sun from the desert had beaten too bright
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.
But, Whatever the reason, his heart or his turban,
He stood facing U-ville, the part that was urban.
"They're doing their business," he snarled from his perch.
"They're raising their families! They're going to church!
They're leading the world, and their empire is thriving,
I MUST keep the S's and U's from surviving!"
Tomorrow, he knew, all the U's and the S's,
Would put on their pants and their shirts and their dresses,
They'd go to their offices, playgrounds and schools,
And abide by their U and S values and rules.
And then they'd do something he liked least of all,
Every U down in U-ville, the tall and the small,
Would stand all united, each U and each S,
And they'd sing U-ville's anthem, "God bless us! God bless!"
All around their Twin Towers of Uville, they'd stand,
And their voices would drown every sound in the land.
"I must stop that singing," Binch said with a smirk,
And he had an idea -- an idea that might work!
The Binch stole some U airplanes in U morning hours,
And crashed them right into the Uville Twin Towers.
"They'll wake to disaster!" he snickered, so sour,
"And how can they sing when they can't find a tower?"
The Binch cocked his ear as they woke from their sleeping,
All set to enjoy their U-wailing and weeping,
Instead he heard something that started quite low,
And it built up quite slow, but it started to grow—
And the Binch heard the most unpredictable thing...
And he couldn't believe it--they started to sing!
He stared down at U-ville, not trusting his eyes,
What he saw was a shocking, disgusting surprise!
Every U down in U-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any towers at all!
He HADN'T stopped U-Ville from singing! It sung!
For down deep in the hearts of the old and the young
Those Twin Towers were standing, called Hope and called Pride,
And you can't smash the towers we hold deep inside.
So we circle the sites where our heroes did fall,
With a hand in each hand of the tall and the small,
And we mourn for our losses while knowing we'll cope,
For we still have inside that U-Pride and U-Hope.
For America means a bit more than tall towers,
It means more than wealth or political powers,
It's more than our enemies ever could guess,
So may God bless America! Bless us! God bless!
Yellowcard - Believe
It is said that a persons memory can hold every memory that that person has ever made. It can remember anything that that person has put into their long term memory. Anything that they have studied, anything they have learned, anything that they have seen. The thing that is hard for the person is actaully recalling that memory. Some memories are recalled by something that you associate them with...a song, a smell, a picture, an action. Others are recalled by events that occur that are similar to them or the feelings you have towards someone. Then there are those memories that are recalled by someone else and what they say or do. Most of these start with the phrase "do you remember when..."
It is also interesting how one memory can be shared by so many different people. A memory can be shared by one person or a million persons. A moment can be remembered by anyone who was a part of it, anyone who saw it, or anyone who heard about it. What intrigues me the most though is that every one of those people who remembers that event will remember it differently. For you see, each person is going to remember the even based on their experiences of it. Their memory will be based on what they saw, what they heard, and what they felt. Even though it is just one moment or one vent in time, it can be remember a thousand different ways even though the facts remain the same.
One event that can be remembered by thousand is the day of 9/11. The facts are that two planes crashed into the World Trade towers, one plane crashed into the Pentagon, the towers crumbled to the ground, many people died, and a nation went to war. Many other facts could be added such as people came to help, people where in shock, and people were hurt. It could also be said that hero's were made that day, a nation was united, and a great loss was felt. This one event is remembered by so many people. It is remembered by those who saw it, those who watched it, and those who have heard about. But it is also remembered by those who lived it. It is remembered by so many different people in so many different ways because it is a memory that you can never forget. Here is how some people have chosen to remember it.
The Binch by Rob Suggs
Every U down in Uville liked the U.S. a lot,
But the Binch, who lived Far East of U-ville, did not.
The Binch hated U.S! The whole U.S. way!
Now don't ask me why, for nobody can say,
It could be his turban was screwed on too tight.
Or the sun from the desert had beaten too bright
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.
But, Whatever the reason, his heart or his turban,
He stood facing U-ville, the part that was urban.
"They're doing their business," he snarled from his perch.
"They're raising their families! They're going to church!
They're leading the world, and their empire is thriving,
I MUST keep the S's and U's from surviving!"
Tomorrow, he knew, all the U's and the S's,
Would put on their pants and their shirts and their dresses,
They'd go to their offices, playgrounds and schools,
And abide by their U and S values and rules.
And then they'd do something he liked least of all,
Every U down in U-ville, the tall and the small,
Would stand all united, each U and each S,
And they'd sing U-ville's anthem, "God bless us! God bless!"
All around their Twin Towers of Uville, they'd stand,
And their voices would drown every sound in the land.
"I must stop that singing," Binch said with a smirk,
And he had an idea -- an idea that might work!
The Binch stole some U airplanes in U morning hours,
And crashed them right into the Uville Twin Towers.
"They'll wake to disaster!" he snickered, so sour,
"And how can they sing when they can't find a tower?"
The Binch cocked his ear as they woke from their sleeping,
All set to enjoy their U-wailing and weeping,
Instead he heard something that started quite low,
And it built up quite slow, but it started to grow—
And the Binch heard the most unpredictable thing...
And he couldn't believe it--they started to sing!
He stared down at U-ville, not trusting his eyes,
What he saw was a shocking, disgusting surprise!
Every U down in U-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any towers at all!
He HADN'T stopped U-Ville from singing! It sung!
For down deep in the hearts of the old and the young
Those Twin Towers were standing, called Hope and called Pride,
And you can't smash the towers we hold deep inside.
So we circle the sites where our heroes did fall,
With a hand in each hand of the tall and the small,
And we mourn for our losses while knowing we'll cope,
For we still have inside that U-Pride and U-Hope.
For America means a bit more than tall towers,
It means more than wealth or political powers,
It's more than our enemies ever could guess,
So may God bless America! Bless us! God bless!
Yellowcard - Believe
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Little Things that make Me SMILE
No matter what is going on in life, there are always some things that just make me smile. It doesn't matter if other things in life are not so good, or even if some things just suck; there are still those simple things that make me happy and just make me smile. You know...those things that no matter how good or bad the day has been they just seem to make you feel better. Whether it is something that is new or something that is old and just brings comfort. Somedays it is those little things that make it all worth while. Those little things that make you grateful for living the life you lead. Those things that just make living worth it. Here are some of my little things that just make me smile:
*Driving with the windows down
*Sunsets
*The smell of clean clothes right out of the wash
*Dancing in the rain
*When your favorite song comes on the radio
*Seeing the temple lit up on the hill
*Going on vacations no matter how big or small
*My brothers letters and pictures from his mission
*Reading books that I relate too
*Thinking of my friends and our many adventures
*Clean sheets
*Finding what I was looking for
*Baseballs games in the park
*U of U football
*Waking up to the sun shining in through the window
*Late night ice cream
*A full moon and the stars
*Songs played on the guitar
*Driving with the windows down
*Sunsets
*The smell of clean clothes right out of the wash
*Dancing in the rain
*When your favorite song comes on the radio
*Seeing the temple lit up on the hill
*Going on vacations no matter how big or small
*My brothers letters and pictures from his mission
*Reading books that I relate too
*Thinking of my friends and our many adventures
*Clean sheets
*Finding what I was looking for
*Baseballs games in the park
*U of U football
*Waking up to the sun shining in through the window
*Late night ice cream
*A full moon and the stars
*Songs played on the guitar
Monday, August 16, 2010
Fear vs. Faith
Recently in my life I have come across a few things to fear. At least they are a few things that I fear. Some of them scare me more then I would like to admit, and some are just something that I worried about for a moment and then decided that they weren't worth worrying about. But the main point is, that sometimes in life there comes a time when you fear something. If you are anything like me, you probably will fear more then one thing throughout your life.
This thing you fear could be that you are afraid that something won't happen, or even afraid that something will. It could be that you are afraid of tangible things or things that no one can really hold. It could even just be a fear of the unknown. Whatever it is, it is a fear. A very real fear.
One thing with fear though is that it inhibits your ability to act. No matter how big or small the fear is it makes you stumble and lose your way. It tends to either root you in one spot or make you back up, but either way, you are no longer able to proceed forward. You are no longer able to walk on the path you were on.
Life is funny though. No matter how much you believe that you have conquered your fears or think that you have nothing to fear, it always throws something in your life that scares you out of your mind. Whether you recognized it as a fear before or not, there it is. Right in your path of life, waiting for you to decide what to do about it. At this point you have some decisions to make. You can stop where you are at and stare at it hoping it will go away. You can turn around and run in the opposite direction. Or you can move forward, praying that you will be strong enough to overcome it. At times, all of these are good options. If you sit there long enough the spider will crawl away. If you are hiking up a trail and see it gets really steep, turning around and moving back down the mountain will let you avoid the height on the edge of the cliff. But there are other times when moving forward is the only way for you get to the path you need to be at.
One of my favorite quotes says this "When you come to the edge of darkness and the next step is into the great unknown, you must believe in one of two things; you will step onto solid ground, or you will be taught to fly." I love this quote because it helps keeps me grounded in life. It helps me to remember to trust in God and keep moving forward. For you see, it occurred to me some years back that God does not want us to fail. He is not up there hoping we quit and turn around. He is not hoping that we give up and join Satan and his forces. He does not want us to get thrust into outer darkness. What he does want, however, is for us to succeed. He wants us to stay strong. He wants us to fulfill our mission and conquer our fears. He wants us to get back to him and have everlasting life. God does not want to destroy us, he wants to lift us. I don't think God gives us trials because he wants to make us crumble. He gives them to us because he wants to make us into something. Something far greater then we could ever imagine.
Therefore, I also know that God will provide a way. He will not give us a trail that we can not get through. He will not give us a trial that we can not overcome. And whatever trial we are given, He will also provide a way for us. God is not one who is going to leave us stranded. He is one who is there if we but turn to him and put our trust in him. This is where Faith comes in. Not only faith in God, but faith that God knows you, loves you, and is there for you. Trials require a Faith in Gods words and deeds. You must believe that he will be there for you. You must believe that He knows who you are and will only give you trials in life for your benefit. You must have faith that there is a way to get through whatever life hands you and whatever you get yourself into. And with having faith, you just might find that your fear is not so scary anymore. It might even go away.
I recently learned a new word, Certitude. Certitude means a total certainty or greater certainty than circumstances warrant. Faith is having certitude in God. It is knowing for certain that He will be there, no matter what is going on, even if the circumstances you are in make it seem unbelievable. So go forward living your life, but live it with certitude and faith; not with fear.
This thing you fear could be that you are afraid that something won't happen, or even afraid that something will. It could be that you are afraid of tangible things or things that no one can really hold. It could even just be a fear of the unknown. Whatever it is, it is a fear. A very real fear.
One thing with fear though is that it inhibits your ability to act. No matter how big or small the fear is it makes you stumble and lose your way. It tends to either root you in one spot or make you back up, but either way, you are no longer able to proceed forward. You are no longer able to walk on the path you were on.
Life is funny though. No matter how much you believe that you have conquered your fears or think that you have nothing to fear, it always throws something in your life that scares you out of your mind. Whether you recognized it as a fear before or not, there it is. Right in your path of life, waiting for you to decide what to do about it. At this point you have some decisions to make. You can stop where you are at and stare at it hoping it will go away. You can turn around and run in the opposite direction. Or you can move forward, praying that you will be strong enough to overcome it. At times, all of these are good options. If you sit there long enough the spider will crawl away. If you are hiking up a trail and see it gets really steep, turning around and moving back down the mountain will let you avoid the height on the edge of the cliff. But there are other times when moving forward is the only way for you get to the path you need to be at.
One of my favorite quotes says this "When you come to the edge of darkness and the next step is into the great unknown, you must believe in one of two things; you will step onto solid ground, or you will be taught to fly." I love this quote because it helps keeps me grounded in life. It helps me to remember to trust in God and keep moving forward. For you see, it occurred to me some years back that God does not want us to fail. He is not up there hoping we quit and turn around. He is not hoping that we give up and join Satan and his forces. He does not want us to get thrust into outer darkness. What he does want, however, is for us to succeed. He wants us to stay strong. He wants us to fulfill our mission and conquer our fears. He wants us to get back to him and have everlasting life. God does not want to destroy us, he wants to lift us. I don't think God gives us trials because he wants to make us crumble. He gives them to us because he wants to make us into something. Something far greater then we could ever imagine.
Therefore, I also know that God will provide a way. He will not give us a trail that we can not get through. He will not give us a trial that we can not overcome. And whatever trial we are given, He will also provide a way for us. God is not one who is going to leave us stranded. He is one who is there if we but turn to him and put our trust in him. This is where Faith comes in. Not only faith in God, but faith that God knows you, loves you, and is there for you. Trials require a Faith in Gods words and deeds. You must believe that he will be there for you. You must believe that He knows who you are and will only give you trials in life for your benefit. You must have faith that there is a way to get through whatever life hands you and whatever you get yourself into. And with having faith, you just might find that your fear is not so scary anymore. It might even go away.
I recently learned a new word, Certitude. Certitude means a total certainty or greater certainty than circumstances warrant. Faith is having certitude in God. It is knowing for certain that He will be there, no matter what is going on, even if the circumstances you are in make it seem unbelievable. So go forward living your life, but live it with certitude and faith; not with fear.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
The 24th of July
Otherwise know as Pioneer Day for the people who live in Utah. This is a day that has been celebrated for only the past 150 years or so. And is a day that is only seen as a holiday in Utah. For this is the day that the pioneers entered into the great state and decided to call it home. It is a day where pioneers should be honored for there hard work and determination. A day where one should rejoice that they are able to live here in this great state because people fought for it. In essence, this day is a day that should be celebrated.
In my family we have always started our celebrating by going to the 24th of July parade that is held in downtown Salt Lake City. In all my years I have only missed the parade twice. No, we do not camp out over night. Although, my moms family used to when they were kids. Now days, we all just get up at the crack of dawn and head on down to the city. Over the years of going we have found are favorite spot to park and to sit. We tend to park on second south and then walk down the street to the parade route. We have found that we like to sit by the police families. One, because they sit in the street and they don't block of the road until about 7am, which is when we arrive, which also guarantees us that we get pretty close to front row seats. Two, since the police families are sitting there all of the motorcycle cops in the parade do their shows right in front of us. And three, they set up the radio stand right across the street, so we hear all of the announcements and stories about each entry.
This year was no different. We got up bright and early and left the house by 6:30am. We drove downtown and meandered our way over to our favorite parking spot. From there we walked the three blocks to the parade route and set our chairs up in the street right next to the police. Since we get there so early, we always have time to just hang out and read, play cards, eat breakfast...or my personal favorite...people watch. And lets just say that you can find some very interesting people at the parade. You can also find some interesting people in the parade as well. They themselves make the parade entertaining to watch. Plus, I do like to see the floats and the cop shows(favorite!)
Wendi and Ben dub him my future husband.....
After our fun at the parade Wendi and I decided to go run some errands. Our first stop of the day turned out to be Kinko's. I had been put in charge of making the Whiting family directory and needed to make copies of it to hand out that night at the family BBQ. Then we went to Costco and got free Cremmies, the raspberry ones were amazing! From there we headed up to Layton where we made a stop at Downeast. Once inside this store we found out that they sell furniture as well as clothes. They had the cutest red couches that were so comfy. Plus I also got a new swimsuit. It was a good stop. After that we decided that we should probably go and get ready so we could be to the BBQ on time.
Every year my grandparents hold a BBQ at their house on the 24th of July. After dinner it is tradition to go over to the school field where they hold Butler Days. In all my years. I don't really ever remember going. I know we went when we were younger, but in recent years we have just never gone. We have always gone and done our own thing. But, this year we happened to go and it was a blast. It was so much fun partly because of the food, the park games, the concert, and the fireworks but, mostly it was so much fun because it was my family. When we are together we always find things to laugh about and just have fun in each others company. It doesn't really matter what we do as long as we do it together. Granted, we do do some fun things, but most of the time I think they are only fun because of who I am doing them with.
This family get together turned out to be no different. Upon arriving we were put right to work husking corn and getting chairs set up. Even then, we still found things to laugh about like how the corn was soaking wet (we have no idea why), how Joe had never husked corn before and didn't know what to do, how we would put the chairs down and then grandpa would just go and move them again, and much much more. From there we all just hung out, ate yummy food, told stories, and laughed some more.
Once dinner was over and cleaned up we decided that we should head over to the school grounds to get a spot for the fireworks. Here we met up with the Brown family and quickly claimed our seats. Upon arriving, we found out that Eclipse was preforming. Therefore, after a few moments of hellos and hugs some of us were quickly off to the front of the stage. For you see, we wanted to dance. And not only dance, but dance right up front like we have at their concerts before. I am glad to report that we not only danced at this concert, but we started the dance party right up by the stage. It was such a blast! If you have never run and danced at a concert I highly recommend it. After our song was over we started to head back to join the family when to our surprise they started to sing another one that we could dance to. So what do we do?? We turn right around and go running back to dance once again. And let me tell you, running back in the dark to the stage is not that easy when you take into consideration that half of us were in heels, we were jumping over people and weaving through blankets. I am pretty sure that we didn't step on anyone. After the last song we headed back to the family and made it just in time to sit and watch the fireworks. We love the ones where you can feel the boom and luckily for us there were a lot of them. We did decide that they played some very entertaining songs though..we had the ants go marching in, Yankee doodle, and a variation of primary songs. They also had some interesting fireworks that kept shooting off into a different area. Once the last song was played and the last firework shot we headed back to the grandparents house to do a firework show of our own where we lit the fuses in the dark, almost had one go off on a person, and danced in the street with sparklers to end the night. All in all, I think it was a pretty darn good day, one that will just have to be celebrated again next year. :)
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