List of HP Spells

Thank you cousin Amanda.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spells_in_Harry_Potter

Safe & Sound

My cousin Elissa shared this on facebook and I thought "oh how pretty and moody. Into it." I didn't know it was related to Hunger Games until I saw the Mockingjay. 

Taylor Swift - Safe & Sound - Music - More Music Videos

I had to watch it again with that mindset and
wow.
Not just pretty and moody.  Way deeper than that.

Then as I typed that last line I thought of this video:

Quotes on Love that I Love

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entaglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tradgedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from the perturbations of love is Hell."
-C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves
(I love that book.  It's more marked up than any other book I own.  Read it.)


"For one human being to love another; that is perhaps the most difficult of our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation."
-Rainer Maria Rilke

And...
 here's a random one that I love that I have been thinking a lot about lately:  
"Don't give up trying to find your way, but remember that sometimes it takes bending to avoid breaking"
-Katrinka Hesselinx

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Click on the image...sorry I don't have a larger image :/

Isn't that adorable?  It has every aspect of the perfect love letter.

Words that lift and strengthen

Advice from Elder Busche:

From my dear cousin:
So, here's a story I heard at stake conf and LOVED, so I thought I'd share:

So, the guy speaking shared a story his daughter posted on her blog recently. She had been out shopping and was in a boutique or something and saw these large music boxes- the kind where a ballerina dances inside to music. She knew her two young daughters, somewhere around 6 and 4 years old or something, would absolutely LOVE to receive these for their upcoming birthdays. She purchased them and was so excited to be able to give them to her daughters in a few weeks, knowing how excited they would be. As she was leaving the store, she remembered her neice's birthday was coming up as well, so she went back in and bought a smaller version of the music box for her niece.

When she arrived home, she got the smaller music box out and showed it to the younger daughter, explaining that it was the gift they were going to give to their cousin. At this, her daughter burst into tears, the huge crocodile kind. The mom said she could tell her daughter was trying to keep her emotions together but simply couldn't, and that she just broke down and was sobbing. She asked her daughter what was wrong and her daughter told her that the music box was exactly what she had always wanted, and that she was glad her cousin would have one, but she was just so sad she didn't get one also.

The girl's Mom found this somewhat humorous since she knew the gift she had for her daughter's own birthday was stashed away, waiting for the right time (her birthday). But, trying to help her daughter calm down and regain her composure, she mentioned that maybe her daughter would get a better music box for HER birthday. This only brought about a new round of tears as her daughter told her that THAT music box (the one going to her cousin) was just what she wanted. It was perfect, and there just simply couldn't be a music box any better or more perfect than that one!



The speaker related this to our lives and how the Lord has so much in store for us that we don't even realize! I immediately thought about you and the struggles you've been having with guys, and how it's hard to see that there could actually be something/someone better than what you've seen, but that the Lord sees us and our own crocodile tears and just lovingly comforts us, knowing full well He has something MUCH better in store for us, just waiting for the right time to be able to give us the things He is so looking forward to giving us because He wants to see us be so happy.



The Pearl Necklace:
And...I remember this pearls story from when I was an adolescent.  Where a girl's favorite possession is her fake pearl necklace.  Her father asks her nightly if he can have the pearls and she refuses each time.  Finally, he asked her to show her love by giving her pearls away.  Reluctant and heartbroken, she gave her father her treasured pearls.



He got her real pearls to replace them.  Little did she know how much more was in store, all she had to do was give up what he asked of her.  Even if it seemed the best thing at the time, the father needed her to pass the test of faith to give her more.

Starting the morning off right

Drinking DDP with a red vine as a straw.

You should get a fish

As I was correcting online persuasive essays about a new pet, I see a note from one of my students: 

 

Damon - January 19 - 8:03 PM

i was mad and made it a stupid as possible so read it

 

So naturally, I read it.
Here it is for your entertainment.  (Names are always changed when I talk about my students)

Dear, Tyler

You should get a fish because they are stupid and pointless because they don't do anything. And when ever they do something is when you put food at the top and they come up or when you stick something in they will move. And when they move they have a heart attack because they are so fat and ugly so they die and you never see them again and you will cry and blame the pet store then get a new one then it will die and again and agian.

Plus if you dont feed them then they die then you can eat it unless it was dead for such a long time it will rot and decay and then it will just be a good hair brush and then you can do your hair in school because it is small and the teacher wouldn't notice so then if she found out you would get in trouble about a 100%. and if you got in trouble you couldnt be on student council because your life would be corupted and never grow up and become a hobo and make 0.01 cents a year and die from starvasion.

and you could put it in a bowl with another fish and see them fight and then it will become fat and then it would be delicous to eat because you made it fat. and then if you didn't feed it and then it died you could use the bone as a hair brush in school and brush your hair and then get in trouble but that is about 100% and then your life would be corupded and then you will be a hobo then live under a bridge and earn 0.01 cents a year.

Love Damon,

My Dad's the smartest dad

My dad used to ride the unicycle.  He found out that one of the neighborhood teenagers got one for Christmas.  So as we were out delivering Gina's wedding announcements, we stopped by their house and asked to borrow their unicycle.

I wish I had a funny story to go along with this.  It was fun watching him try to get on in the grass then finally get on holding to the basketball pole.  But he didn't risk riding it; he said he'd try after the wedding so he wouldn't have a sling or wheelchair for the pictures.

You're the smartest, Dad.

Dasher the Creeper

My lil pup I got for my parents for Christmas last year sleeps in my bed at night.

One morning I awoke to the feeling that someone was watching me.

I look over to Dash, and he is staring at me.  He'd been watching me sleep.

Yesterday I awoke to a pleasant scene.  Dash had somehow nuzzled beneath the blanket and sheet and laid his head on the pillow next to mine.  It's like he thinks he's a human.

Four Day Weekend!!!!!

Usually I would think like this:
"I have a four day weekend and three days left!"
But instead I'm thinking:
"I've already wasted almost half of my four-day weekend." :(

No, it should be good.  Here, I'll cheer myself up.  Today I'm going to Park City with ma girls and we're going to go shopping and eat amazing food!  Then we'll have a sleepover!  It'll be amazing.  Can't wait.

My IQ

 
             

       

     

     

       

      IQ Test from Quiz Rocket!
     
Quizzes: Customer Engagement
   

 

Ty: Who invented wiring?
Caleb: Bob Marley
Ty: Really?
Daven: It's true.  He did.

Later...
Daven: I am going to lose something tonight.

New Years Resolution

I am starting to think of what resolutions I'd like to make for the new year.  I (H) shared one with my mom (M) today:

H: For my new year's resolution, I am going to pay whoever hears me swear $1.
M: Why are you deciding to not swear anymore?
H: Because it's bad
M: But it's funny
H: (confused)
M: When you swear, it's because you are startled.  You don't swear out of anger.  So it's not bad.
H: (Thinking of the times I swear.  She has a point.  Who's parents encourage swearing?  Mine.  Swearing abstinence? It's not going to happen.) You are the coolest mom.


Here's to New Years Resolutions.

I'm sorry but I just can't stop laughing

at this:

Source: google.com via JasonMickie on Pinterest

I was just watching an SNL clip

and laughing out loud
After a minute of this hilarity I hear my parents walking down the hall.  First my mom comes in, then my dad.  My face was covered by my laptop screen.  They both stand by my bedside and look concerned, then relieved when my face came into view. 
I thought they were coming in for family prayer or something.  No.  They were checking on me.  My dad heard what he thought was crying, called my mom up, and both came to see what was the matter. 
I wish I was a little bit quicker.  Like splashed some water on my face and see what they would do if I really was crying.  Too cute.  I love them.

My Father's Foul Mouth

One of the many perks of living with my parents is hearing my dad swear.  He would never swear in front of me and it is always a treat when I catch him.  He thinks I'm downstairs or that no one is home.  Here are a couple instances within just this month: (insert appropriate swear word in place of 'BEEP')

D: Son of a BEEP!
H: DAD!
D: My cell phone fell in the toilet!

D: [watching TV] Holy BEEP!
H: [In my room down the hall] DAD!
D: What?!
H: You just said "Holy S"
D: I said "Holy Shiite Muslim!" They're showing all the actors and actresses that have died in the last year.  And I recognize a lot of em!....Oh David Nelson died!  Ricky Nelson's brother!  I didn't know that!  He was a good man.

The Penny War!

Today was the last day of a week of the Penny War.

I have a strategy that would blow your mind.  I am not going to tell you for fear it will leak to my co-workers.  But it was approved by the principal so not cheating. 
Here are some things I will share with you, just to give you a glimpse:

• I stand out in the hall by my jar and hand out m&m's to kids.  Sometimes it will be one m&m to every kid that passes.  Sometimes to kids that put pennies in my jar.  Even though they should put pennies in their OWN jars :)
• I remind the kids to "bomb" (put silver coins) in the #1 teacher's jar (which was never me, I lay low till the last day)
• AND I have pep talks with my own kids at least once a day, giving them updates to my strategy for that day or just telling them how exciting it all is.  We've become closer from this penny war. 

Last year I won the trophy for making the most MONEY, which means I got bombed more than I had pennies and dollars.  But this year I wanted to win the trophy for most POINTS (and I did.) So I made sure I didn't make any enemies with the other kids at school.  I wanted everyone to be on my side.  Thus, I handed out m&m's to all and got them to bomb the right classes.
My class raised almost $300...that is almost $10 a kid!  They caught my competitive, over-zealous obsession.  With constant reminders to them (and mostly myself) that this money is for families in need, we kept bringing in the dough.  It was a fun week to be a teacher and take part in this thrilling game.  Even if we hadn't won a trophy or the pizza party that comes with it, we have amazing memories and the fun of knowing we were bringing Christmas to families in need.

Nailed Christmas

Do you like my fingernails?

Heart Attack!

I got HEART ATTACKED!

My carpool friend noticed I was having a rough morning on the way to work.
By lunch I was seriously considering calling in a sub and leaving, I just wasn't my normal happy self and it was weighing on me.
Well I walk in the classroom door from lunch to find all my students working on Daily Oral Language.  I was so surprised and gave them two class letters.  I didn't notice until they pointed them out, but there were pink hearts all over the classroom!  On the table and counter tops, on the cupboards and walls, "you're the best in the world!" on the globe.  They were notes from my carpool's class and my own.  I was so touched that I started crying.  And it got pretty awkward because 5th graders don't cry when they are happy.  So I told them to bring it in for a class hug.  We had a good laugh as we gathered, layer upon layer, in a circle to embrace.

I LOVE MY JOB and my KIDS and my dearest carpool friend.

Sick joke gone good

 I was approached by one of my dear students with this Christmas gift today.

 

In case you can't read the quote, it says "I'm going there someday..."
My first reaction was "Ummm...are they trying to hint that I should get married?"
It was borderline offensive.  Not really, but I seriously thought they chose a special quote for me because I am not married yet... haha.
But then I looked at the actual temple.  I had never seen this temple before.  So I asked the student what temple it was.
"The Payson Temple!"
My reaction caused the rest of the class to gather round and take a look.
Isn't is beautiful? 
I AM going there someday!  I love and treasure this gift and can't wait for it to be built.